Some 65% of Americans believe Trump will order troops into a large-scale ground war in Iran, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, but just 7% support that idea.
That two thirds of Americans think Trump is lying about his intentions is not a surprise.
Badenoch said: “This debate which Nick is having is not about freedom of religion. It is about how religion is expressed in a shared public space, and whether those expressions fit within the norms of a British culture.”
Of course it is about freedom of religion, and freedom of speech, if you are proposing to ban group public prayer - something which has taken place (for various religions) for a long time, without any hindrance. Denying that exists as an issue is to deny reality.
The latter part is true, though she, Timothy and Farage are very wrong on the position they take. After all, we have had some limitations on religious expression - the obvious example being safe access zones banning prayer within 150m of abortion clinics.
Badenoch said: “This debate which Nick is having is not about freedom of religion. It is about how religion is expressed in a shared public space, and whether those expressions fit within the norms of a British culture.”
Of course it is about freedom of religion, and freedom of speech, if you are proposing to ban group public prayer - something which has taken place (for various religions) for a long time, without any hindrance. Denying that exists as an issue is to deny reality.
The latter part is true, though she, Timothy and Farage are very wrong on the position they take. After all, we have had some limitations on religious expression - the obvious example being safe access zones banning prayer within 150m of abortion clinics.
Note Timothy, Farage etc appear to be calling only for a Muslim prayer ban.
Since the public debate on this isn't likely to go away, I think the principles around the only ban which exists are worth re-iterating.
It is unacceptable for anyone to be harassed or distressed simply for exercising their legal right to access abortion services. The Government has always expected the police and local authorities to use their powers to deal with those who break the law.
The rights to gather, to express views and to manifest religious beliefs are a cornerstone of democracy in Britain and people should be free to gather and express their views, however uncomfortable they are to others, providing they do so within the law.
To be clear, this legislation only affects certain activities within 150 metres of a clinic or hospital. Not all protests are banned and neither does this amount to criminalising those who hold pro-life views who are in a Safe Access Zone. It does not affect people’s rights to gather or to express their views about abortion or to manifest their religious beliefs about abortion anywhere else.
It is vitally important that law enforcement agencies recognise the rights of both of those accessing or providing abortion services and protestors and, in enforcement, seek to balance their respective rights...
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
I gave that a like, and there's a possibility you're right, but I'm not yet ready to concede that.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
It's at times like this, I find myself channeling my inner Sartre: you might say that, but if it really mattered to you, you would do something about it.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
It's at times like this, I find myself channeling my inner Sartre: you might say that, but if it really mattered to you, you would do something about it.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
It's at times like this, I find myself channeling my inner Sartre: you might say that, but if it really mattered to you, you would do something about it.
English: I have decided to block the strait of hormuz and create a geopolitical disaster
Linkein speak: I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve decided to pivot our strategy towards disrupting the Strait of Hormuz, effectively leveraging geopolitical friction to drive a global paradigm shift. It’s all about taking bold, decisive action to challenge the status quo and create high-impact market volatility. #Leadership #Disruption #Geopolitics #StrategicVision #GrowthMindset
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
It's at times like this, I find myself channeling my inner Sartre: you might say that, but if it really mattered to you, you would do something about it.
Give us an example ?
Invent a time machine and go back to give Kamala’s and Biden’s maws morning after pills? After all this is all their fault.
Badenoch said: “This debate which Nick is having is not about freedom of religion. It is about how religion is expressed in a shared public space, and whether those expressions fit within the norms of a British culture.”
Of course it is about freedom of religion, and freedom of speech, if you are proposing to ban group public prayer - something which has taken place (for various religions) for a long time, without any hindrance. Denying that exists as an issue is to deny reality.
The latter part is true, though she, Timothy and Farage are very wrong on the position they take. After all, we have had some limitations on religious expression - the obvious example being safe access zones banning prayer within 150m of abortion clinics.
The truly depressing bit of this is that this attack on freedom of religion was not provoked by some atrocity like the Manchester Arena bombing (though it wouldn't be aporopriate a response to that) but rather to a peaceful gathering to mark and observe one of the major religious events of the year.
The problem for Farage and Timothy is not so much that Muslims pray collectively but rather that Muslims exist at all.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
It's at times like this, I find myself channeling my inner Sartre: you might say that, but if it really mattered to you, you would do something about it.
One of the reasons we had global stability for well over hack a century is that only countries with large resources were able to project power globally. The military terms of trade were heavily skewed towards them.
It's no longer quite clear that's still the case
ZELENSKYY: War no longer has distance. Drones already fly 3,000–5,000 km today, and soon they'll reach 10,000 km. Every day, Ukraine faces 350–500 drone strikes. Imagine any country dealing with that. No continent is safe anymore. Distance is now a matter of months, not decades... https://x.com/BohuslavskaKate/status/2034689272335274318
Maintaining a balance between a handful of powerful states is comparatively easy. It's getting more complicated.
Ministers will give the green light for the Ajax programme to continue in a bid to save jobs in Labour heartlands and after it passed safety tests
The announcement on Ajax is expected next week. The vehicle passed safety tests and sources suggested troops may have to undergo motion sickness training to overcome issues. No other vehicles were found to be appropriate replacements https://x.com/larisamlbrown/status/2034296728841523630
What it actually means is that there's no money to do anything about the disaster, so we'll just pretend it hasn't happened.
Oh, and they've postponed the Defence Investment Plan again.
Hope not true. It is idiotic to build vehicles we can't use just to keep jobs. What is the point of raising defence spending if we are going to do stupid shit like this.
We're not currently raising spending on equipment at all.
There was a brief moment when ministers looked to be about to grasp the nettle on Ajax. That's now gone, and we're going to continue spending money on a useless system. (And will likely end up paying our compensation to injured troops in the future.)
Still just about within the window where they could blame Tories for the disaster too. If they wait a year or two it will be their fault.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
It's at times like this, I find myself channeling my inner Sartre: you might say that, but if it really mattered to you, you would do something about it.
We need alternative routes instead of the Hormuz Strait. We should have oil and gas pipelines going west through the Arabian Peninsula right up to our ports in Israel.
That is definitely possible.
Definitely possible but not in a quick timescale.
Getting regime change would be better.
Hopefully when the Israeli election takes place we’ll get rid of the Bibi regime 👍
He's the biggest danger currently to word peace
As has already been said getting rid of Netanyahu will not change Israel's cause anymore than in Iran
The two country's are locked in a deadly embrace with no quarter from either side no matter how many leaders are taken out
Trump is fully behind the idea of a long war. Don't expect the Bored of Peace President to accept anything other than Netanyahu being satiated (or elected again). He's looking for a $200bn war chest
Several Democrats immediately rejected the Pentagon’s request, which they pointed to as a sign Trump is digging in for a longer war — even as he initially asserted it would only last four to five weeks.
“At the height of combat the Iraq War cost around $140 Billion per year. If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion they are asking for a long war. The answer is a simple no,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), an Iraq War veteran, said Thursday night on the social platform X.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
There is no Leader of the UK in recent history who has had to deal with tyrants like Trump and Netanyahu. No Leader since Churchill could have dealt with this situation any differently as there is one key component we have had to face in that time and that is a US President who is ROGUE!
Add to that the most influential Military Force in the tinder pot that is the middle east (Isreal) that is ROGUE and surrounded by ROGUE States.
The obvious answer to compare is WW2 - the simple WW suggests the gravity of this , whilst may not in pure WW status militarily - economically is of WW impact.
Germany was not the US in WW2 and the USA and Russia let us not forget joined forces to defeat an enemy, aided by the UK which was a far greater military force at the time and at a time when mass production of effective military equipment could be done in months not 10 of years. It we could build Typhoon as fast as we built Spitfires - problem alieviated.
It is also worth remembering with this "special relationship" that the last senile Right Wing nutter in the White House, the venerated Ronald Reagan did what in 1982. HE REFUSED TO SUPPORT THE UK in the Falklands. The Argentinians thankfully were not Iran and a disaster as averted, but it could easily have been a disaster as at the time our Armed forces were very stretched and unprepared. Thatcher "got away with it" far from the resounding success often claimed!
The scenario now is DIFFERENT to anything we have seen. The stakes are higher, the weaponary is on a different scale, the economic impact could be cataclysmic.
Rather than turn on our Leaders and Leaders of our allies, and as much as some hate the ideal most are IN Europe, we need to be united in our opposition to the enemies here.
TRUMP MAGA is our enemy
ISRAEL under its current governance is our enemy
IRAN is our enemy
PUTIN is our enemy
Any 5th columnist in the UK who supports TRUMP / ISRAEL / IRAN is deflecting from the fact that we have to find a way to work with our NEW ALLIES and FRIENDS to defeat this unprecedented threat. BREXIT has not helped us with our Allies in Europe.
Farage and others if they continue to support TRUMP and ISRAEL must be viewed with suspicion AND DISTRUST.
We are in a MESS, Europe is in a MESS , the rest of the Globe is in a mess. NOT of our own making and there is no time for recriminations, we have to act WITH ALLIES economically and politically but not aggressively miltarily to support ourselves.
The unholy and clearly and increasingly clearly defined enemy is TRUMP / PUTIN / ISRAEL / IRAN and that alliance has to be broken and it can only be broken if we (a) see it as the enemy (b) work with Allies across the globe to neutralise it and (c) find a new way, a new system of global alliances that ostracises the USA / Israel / Russia and Iran.
Those Countries may become allies again in the future but right now have to be seen as the enemy.
We need alternative routes instead of the Hormuz Strait. We should have oil and gas pipelines going west through the Arabian Peninsula right up to our ports in Israel.
That is definitely possible.
Definitely possible but not in a quick timescale.
Getting regime change would be better.
Hopefully when the Israeli election takes place we’ll get rid of the Bibi regime 👍
He's the biggest danger currently to word peace
As has already been said getting rid of Netanyahu will not change Israel's cause anymore than in Iran
The two country's are locked in a deadly embrace with no quarter from either side no matter how many leaders are taken out
Trump is fully behind the idea of a long war. Don't expect the Bored of Peace President to accept anything other than Netanyahu being satiated (or elected again). He's looking for a $200bn war chest
Several Democrats immediately rejected the Pentagon’s request, which they pointed to as a sign Trump is digging in for a longer war — even as he initially asserted it would only last four to five weeks.
“At the height of combat the Iraq War cost around $140 Billion per year. If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion they are asking for a long war. The answer is a simple no,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), an Iraq War veteran, said Thursday night on the social platform X.
If the war doesn't end soon, it's likely to create sufficient damage to create a years long global energg crisis, potentially with greater economic effects than Covid and Ukraine together.
With peace, oil supplies can be restored pretty quickly. If gas infrastructure is destroyed, then it takes years, not months, to replace.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
It's at times like this, I find myself channeling my inner Sartre: you might say that, but if it really mattered to you, you would do something about it.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
There is no Leader of the UK in recent history who has had to deal with tyrants like Trump and Netanyahu. No Leader since Churchill could have dealt with this situation any differently as there is one key component we have had to face in that time and that is a US President who is ROGUE!
Add to that the most influential Military Force in the tinder pot that is the middle east (Isreal) that is ROGUE and surrounded by ROGUE States.
The obvious answer to compare is WW2 - the simple WW suggests the gravity of this , whilst may not in pure WW status militarily - economically is of WW impact.
Germany was not the US in WW2 and the USA and Russia let us not forget joined forces to defeat an enemy, aided by the UK which was a far greater military force at the time and at a time when mass production of effective military equipment could be done in months not 10 of years. It we could build Typhoon as fast as we built Spitfires - problem alieviated.
It is also worth remembering with this "special relationship" that the last senile Right Wing nutter in the White House, the venerated Ronald Reagan did what in 1982. HE REFUSED TO SUPPORT THE UK in the Falklands. The Argentinians thankfully were not Iran and a disaster as averted, but it could easily have been a disaster as at the time our Armed forces were very stretched and unprepared. Thatcher "got away with it" far from the resounding success often claimed!
The scenario now is DIFFERENT to anything we have seen. The stakes are higher, the weaponary is on a different scale, the economic impact could be cataclysmic.
Rather than turn on our Leaders and Leaders of our allies, and as much as some hate the ideal most are IN Europe, we need to be united in our opposition to the enemies here.
TRUMP MAGA is our enemy
ISRAEL under its current governance is our enemy
IRAN is our enemy
PUTIN is our enemy
Any 5th columnist in the UK who supports TRUMP / ISRAEL / IRAN is deflecting from the fact that we have to find a way to work with our NEW ALLIES and FRIENDS to defeat this unprecedented threat. BREXIT has not helped us with our Allies in Europe.
Farage and others if they continue to support TRUMP and ISRAEL must be viewed with suspicion AND DISTRUST.
We are in a MESS, Europe is in a MESS , the rest of the Globe is in a mess. NOT of our own making and there is no time for recriminations, we have to act WITH ALLIES economically and politically but not aggressively miltarily to support ourselves.
The unholy and clearly and increasingly clearly defined enemy is TRUMP / PUTIN / ISRAEL / IRAN and that alliance has to be broken and it can only be broken if we (a) see it as the enemy (b) work with Allies across the globe to neutralise it and (c) find a new way, a new system of global alliances that ostracises the USA / Israel / Russia and Iran.
Those Countries may become allies again in the future but right now have to be seen as the enemy.
The lesson for us, and peer nations, like Canada, France, Germany, Japan etc. is to hang together, or hang separately, but I fear that we’re mostly still at the stage of trying to score points off each other.
TRUMP: We have a lot of ammunition, but it was taken down by giving so much to Ukraine.
“We wanna have a good… We wanna have vast amounts of ammunition, which we have right now. We have a lot of ammunition, but it was taken down by giving so much to Ukraine. They gave so much. You know, Biden gave $350 billion worth of cash and military equipment to Ukraine, and he didn't rebuild anything. Fortunately, we have a lot. We have a tremendous, unlimited supply of what you'd call middle and upper middle armaments and military equipment. Munitions, armaments, but munitions in particular” .. https://x.com/KaterynaLis/status/2034667921369170109
He's dump the evangelicals and is touting for the neo-cons.
NEW: EU says it’s ready to help Cyprus start a “discussion” with the UK about British bases on the island
It’s after the Cypriot President told the BBC that the sovereign base areas were a “colonial consequence”
The EU will always find some way to screw over the UK, they just can't help themselves.
Well Cyprus is in the EU and we aren't. Why shouldn't they take their side?
I agree. The EU can do as it wishes. I just wish we took our own side, rather than having an EU fifth column in our Government and Civil Service.
When I explained this game a few weeks ago, you were particularly rude and dismissive about what I was explaining. The fault here lies with you for your ignorance. The PB time capsule holds the evidence. 😠
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
There is no Leader of the UK in recent history who has had to deal with tyrants like Trump and Netanyahu. No Leader since Churchill could have dealt with this situation any differently as there is one key component we have had to face in that time and that is a US President who is ROGUE!
Add to that the most influential Military Force in the tinder pot that is the middle east (Isreal) that is ROGUE and surrounded by ROGUE States.
The obvious answer to compare is WW2 - the simple WW suggests the gravity of this , whilst may not in pure WW status militarily - economically is of WW impact.
Germany was not the US in WW2 and the USA and Russia let us not forget joined forces to defeat an enemy, aided by the UK which was a far greater military force at the time and at a time when mass production of effective military equipment could be done in months not 10 of years. It we could build Typhoon as fast as we built Spitfires - problem alieviated.
It is also worth remembering with this "special relationship" that the last senile Right Wing nutter in the White House, the venerated Ronald Reagan did what in 1982. HE REFUSED TO SUPPORT THE UK in the Falklands. The Argentinians thankfully were not Iran and a disaster as averted, but it could easily have been a disaster as at the time our Armed forces were very stretched and unprepared. Thatcher "got away with it" far from the resounding success often claimed!
The scenario now is DIFFERENT to anything we have seen. The stakes are higher, the weaponary is on a different scale, the economic impact could be cataclysmic.
Rather than turn on our Leaders and Leaders of our allies, and as much as some hate the ideal most are IN Europe, we need to be united in our opposition to the enemies here.
TRUMP MAGA is our enemy
ISRAEL under its current governance is our enemy
IRAN is our enemy
PUTIN is our enemy
Any 5th columnist in the UK who supports TRUMP / ISRAEL / IRAN is deflecting from the fact that we have to find a way to work with our NEW ALLIES and FRIENDS to defeat this unprecedented threat. BREXIT has not helped us with our Allies in Europe.
Farage and others if they continue to support TRUMP and ISRAEL must be viewed with suspicion AND DISTRUST.
We are in a MESS, Europe is in a MESS , the rest of the Globe is in a mess. NOT of our own making and there is no time for recriminations, we have to act WITH ALLIES economically and politically but not aggressively miltarily to support ourselves.
The unholy and clearly and increasingly clearly defined enemy is TRUMP / PUTIN / ISRAEL / IRAN and that alliance has to be broken and it can only be broken if we (a) see it as the enemy (b) work with Allies across the globe to neutralise it and (c) find a new way, a new system of global alliances that ostracises the USA / Israel / Russia and Iran.
Those Countries may become allies again in the future but right now have to be seen as the enemy.
I agree with quite a lot of what you are saying here but it is not true to say that Reagan did not support the UK against the Argentines. They actually offered to "loan" us an aircraft carrier but Thatcher turned it down, possibly because manning it would have been very difficult. They provided us with a lot of missiles that were essential in winning the air war. In dealing with the Junta Thatcher was also dealing with the likes of Trump, Netanyahu and Iran.
Blair also had to deal with such tyrants both in Yugoslavia where he did excellent work stopping the murderous atrocities of the likes of Milosovich and, much more controversially, with Saddam.
But I do agree with the thrust. As I have been saying for months Trump is not a friend nor someone that we can rely upon. Netanyahu is a crooked genocidal sociopath. We need to be clear eyed about our dealings with these people and not indulge in sentiment or fantasy. I was not comfortable about the initial positions of either Badenoch or Farage in relation to Trump although the former has been repositioning somewhat.
I agree we need to find allies that we have more in common with. This will include the European nations and the likes of Canada and Australia. Carney, in the speech of the year, explained that lesser powers simply cannot negotiate with hegemonic powers such as the US in isolation. We do need to work together to stop us being picked off and exploited by this loon.
The UK has clearly played a major role in bringing together the statement about intervention in Hormuz. I have reservations about that both in principle (why the hell should we be clearing up Trump's mess?) and in capability but it is a good example of us working with like minded nations who are also at risk from the consequences of Trump's and Netanyahu's belligerence.
I think that the current situation would have challenged most of Starmer's more distinguished predecessors in the job. I think he is doing his best. There have been missteps but that is inevitable in such a complex situation. For good or ill he is our PM and no one rational can possibly wish him anything but the best in dealing with this.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
There is no Leader of the UK in recent history who has had to deal with tyrants like Trump and Netanyahu. No Leader since Churchill could have dealt with this situation any differently as there is one key component we have had to face in that time and that is a US President who is ROGUE!
Add to that the most influential Military Force in the tinder pot that is the middle east (Isreal) that is ROGUE and surrounded by ROGUE States.
The obvious answer to compare is WW2 - the simple WW suggests the gravity of this , whilst may not in pure WW status militarily - economically is of WW impact.
Germany was not the US in WW2 and the USA and Russia let us not forget joined forces to defeat an enemy, aided by the UK which was a far greater military force at the time and at a time when mass production of effective military equipment could be done in months not 10 of years. It we could build Typhoon as fast as we built Spitfires - problem alieviated.
It is also worth remembering with this "special relationship" that the last senile Right Wing nutter in the White House, the venerated Ronald Reagan did what in 1982. HE REFUSED TO SUPPORT THE UK in the Falklands. The Argentinians thankfully were not Iran and a disaster as averted, but it could easily have been a disaster as at the time our Armed forces were very stretched and unprepared. Thatcher "got away with it" far from the resounding success often claimed!
The scenario now is DIFFERENT to anything we have seen. The stakes are higher, the weaponary is on a different scale, the economic impact could be cataclysmic.
Rather than turn on our Leaders and Leaders of our allies, and as much as some hate the ideal most are IN Europe, we need to be united in our opposition to the enemies here.
TRUMP MAGA is our enemy
ISRAEL under its current governance is our enemy
IRAN is our enemy
PUTIN is our enemy
Any 5th columnist in the UK who supports TRUMP / ISRAEL / IRAN is deflecting from the fact that we have to find a way to work with our NEW ALLIES and FRIENDS to defeat this unprecedented threat. BREXIT has not helped us with our Allies in Europe.
Farage and others if they continue to support TRUMP and ISRAEL must be viewed with suspicion AND DISTRUST.
We are in a MESS, Europe is in a MESS , the rest of the Globe is in a mess. NOT of our own making and there is no time for recriminations, we have to act WITH ALLIES economically and politically but not aggressively miltarily to support ourselves.
The unholy and clearly and increasingly clearly defined enemy is TRUMP / PUTIN / ISRAEL / IRAN and that alliance has to be broken and it can only be broken if we (a) see it as the enemy (b) work with Allies across the globe to neutralise it and (c) find a new way, a new system of global alliances that ostracises the USA / Israel / Russia and Iran.
Those Countries may become allies again in the future but right now have to be seen as the enemy.
I agree with quite a lot of what you are saying here but it is not true to say that Reagan did not support the UK against the Argentines. They actually offered to "loan" us an aircraft carrier but Thatcher turned it down, possibly because manning it would have been very difficult. They provided us with a lot of missiles that were essential in winning the air war. In dealing with the Junta Thatcher was also dealing with the likes of Trump, Netanyahu and Iran.
Blair also had to deal with such tyrants both in Yugoslavia where he did excellent work stopping the murderous atrocities of the likes of Milosovich and, much more controversially, with Saddam.
But I do agree with the thrust. As I have been saying for months Trump is not a friend nor someone that we can rely upon. Netanyahu is a crooked genocidal sociopath. We need to be clear eyed about our dealings with these people and not indulge in sentiment or fantasy. I was not comfortable about the initial positions of either Badenoch or Farage in relation to Trump although the former has been repositioning somewhat.
I agree we need to find allies that we have more in common with. This will include the European nations and the likes of Canada and Australia. Carney, in the speech of the year, explained that lesser powers simply cannot negotiate with hegemonic powers such as the US in isolation. We do need to work together to stop us being picked off and exploited by this loon.
The UK has clearly played a major role in bringing together the statement about intervention in Hormuz. I have reservations about that both in principle (why the hell should we be clearing up Trump's mess?) and in capability but it is a good example of us working with like minded nations who are also at risk from the consequences of Trump's and Netanyahu's belligerence.
I think that the current situation would have challenged most of Starmer's more distinguished predecessors in the job. I think he is doing his best. There have been missteps but that is inevitable in such a complex situation. For good or ill he is our PM and no one rational can possibly wish him anything but the best in dealing with this.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
There is no Leader of the UK in recent history who has had to deal with tyrants like Trump and Netanyahu. No Leader since Churchill could have dealt with this situation any differently as there is one key component we have had to face in that time and that is a US President who is ROGUE!
Add to that the most influential Military Force in the tinder pot that is the middle east (Isreal) that is ROGUE and surrounded by ROGUE States.
The obvious answer to compare is WW2 - the simple WW suggests the gravity of this , whilst may not in pure WW status militarily - economically is of WW impact.
Germany was not the US in WW2 and the USA and Russia let us not forget joined forces to defeat an enemy, aided by the UK which was a far greater military force at the time and at a time when mass production of effective military equipment could be done in months not 10 of years. It we could build Typhoon as fast as we built Spitfires - problem alieviated.
It is also worth remembering with this "special relationship" that the last senile Right Wing nutter in the White House, the venerated Ronald Reagan did what in 1982. HE REFUSED TO SUPPORT THE UK in the Falklands. The Argentinians thankfully were not Iran and a disaster as averted, but it could easily have been a disaster as at the time our Armed forces were very stretched and unprepared. Thatcher "got away with it" far from the resounding success often claimed!
The scenario now is DIFFERENT to anything we have seen. The stakes are higher, the weaponary is on a different scale, the economic impact could be cataclysmic.
Rather than turn on our Leaders and Leaders of our allies, and as much as some hate the ideal most are IN Europe, we need to be united in our opposition to the enemies here.
TRUMP MAGA is our enemy
ISRAEL under its current governance is our enemy
IRAN is our enemy
PUTIN is our enemy
Any 5th columnist in the UK who supports TRUMP / ISRAEL / IRAN is deflecting from the fact that we have to find a way to work with our NEW ALLIES and FRIENDS to defeat this unprecedented threat. BREXIT has not helped us with our Allies in Europe.
Farage and others if they continue to support TRUMP and ISRAEL must be viewed with suspicion AND DISTRUST.
We are in a MESS, Europe is in a MESS , the rest of the Globe is in a mess. NOT of our own making and there is no time for recriminations, we have to act WITH ALLIES economically and politically but not aggressively miltarily to support ourselves.
The unholy and clearly and increasingly clearly defined enemy is TRUMP / PUTIN / ISRAEL / IRAN and that alliance has to be broken and it can only be broken if we (a) see it as the enemy (b) work with Allies across the globe to neutralise it and (c) find a new way, a new system of global alliances that ostracises the USA / Israel / Russia and Iran.
Those Countries may become allies again in the future but right now have to be seen as the enemy.
Reagan supported the UK in the Falklands, quite extensively so. It was Alexander Haig who tried to get him to back the Argentinians and was very firmly rebuffed, to the extent that shortly after he resigned.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
There is no Leader of the UK in recent history who has had to deal with tyrants like Trump and Netanyahu. No Leader since Churchill could have dealt with this situation any differently as there is one key component we have had to face in that time and that is a US President who is ROGUE!
Add to that the most influential Military Force in the tinder pot that is the middle east (Isreal) that is ROGUE and surrounded by ROGUE States.
The obvious answer to compare is WW2 - the simple WW suggests the gravity of this , whilst may not in pure WW status militarily - economically is of WW impact.
Germany was not the US in WW2 and the USA and Russia let us not forget joined forces to defeat an enemy, aided by the UK which was a far greater military force at the time and at a time when mass production of effective military equipment could be done in months not 10 of years. It we could build Typhoon as fast as we built Spitfires - problem alieviated.
It is also worth remembering with this "special relationship" that the last senile Right Wing nutter in the White House, the venerated Ronald Reagan did what in 1982. HE REFUSED TO SUPPORT THE UK in the Falklands. The Argentinians thankfully were not Iran and a disaster as averted, but it could easily have been a disaster as at the time our Armed forces were very stretched and unprepared. Thatcher "got away with it" far from the resounding success often claimed!
The scenario now is DIFFERENT to anything we have seen. The stakes are higher, the weaponary is on a different scale, the economic impact could be cataclysmic.
Rather than turn on our Leaders and Leaders of our allies, and as much as some hate the ideal most are IN Europe, we need to be united in our opposition to the enemies here.
TRUMP MAGA is our enemy
ISRAEL under its current governance is our enemy
IRAN is our enemy
PUTIN is our enemy
Any 5th columnist in the UK who supports TRUMP / ISRAEL / IRAN is deflecting from the fact that we have to find a way to work with our NEW ALLIES and FRIENDS to defeat this unprecedented threat. BREXIT has not helped us with our Allies in Europe.
Farage and others if they continue to support TRUMP and ISRAEL must be viewed with suspicion AND DISTRUST.
We are in a MESS, Europe is in a MESS , the rest of the Globe is in a mess. NOT of our own making and there is no time for recriminations, we have to act WITH ALLIES economically and politically but not aggressively miltarily to support ourselves.
The unholy and clearly and increasingly clearly defined enemy is TRUMP / PUTIN / ISRAEL / IRAN and that alliance has to be broken and it can only be broken if we (a) see it as the enemy (b) work with Allies across the globe to neutralise it and (c) find a new way, a new system of global alliances that ostracises the USA / Israel / Russia and Iran.
Those Countries may become allies again in the future but right now have to be seen as the enemy.
I agree with quite a lot of what you are saying here but it is not true to say that Reagan did not support the UK against the Argentines. They actually offered to "loan" us an aircraft carrier but Thatcher turned it down, possibly because manning it would have been very difficult. They provided us with a lot of missiles that were essential in winning the air war. In dealing with the Junta Thatcher was also dealing with the likes of Trump, Netanyahu and Iran.
Blair also had to deal with such tyrants both in Yugoslavia where he did excellent work stopping the murderous atrocities of the likes of Milosovich and, much more controversially, with Saddam.
But I do agree with the thrust. As I have been saying for months Trump is not a friend nor someone that we can rely upon. Netanyahu is a crooked genocidal sociopath. We need to be clear eyed about our dealings with these people and not indulge in sentiment or fantasy. I was not comfortable about the initial positions of either Badenoch or Farage in relation to Trump although the former has been repositioning somewhat.
I agree we need to find allies that we have more in common with. This will include the European nations and the likes of Canada and Australia. Carney, in the speech of the year, explained that lesser powers simply cannot negotiate with hegemonic powers such as the US in isolation. We do need to work together to stop us being picked off and exploited by this loon.
The UK has clearly played a major role in bringing together the statement about intervention in Hormuz. I have reservations about that both in principle (why the hell should we be clearing up Trump's mess?) and in capability but it is a good example of us working with like minded nations who are also at risk from the consequences of Trump's and Netanyahu's belligerence.
I think that the current situation would have challenged most of Starmer's more distinguished predecessors in the job. I think he is doing his best. There have been missteps but that is inevitable in such a complex situation. For good or ill he is our PM and no one rational can possibly wish him anything but the best in dealing with this.
I agree with all of that.
I defer to your better knowledge re Reagan in 1982, of which I was not fully aware.
We need alternative routes instead of the Hormuz Strait. We should have oil and gas pipelines going west through the Arabian Peninsula right up to our ports in Israel.
That is definitely possible.
Definitely possible but not in a quick timescale.
Getting regime change would be better.
Hopefully when the Israeli election takes place we’ll get rid of the Bibi regime 👍
He's the biggest danger currently to word peace
As has already been said getting rid of Netanyahu will not change Israel's cause anymore than in Iran
The two country's are locked in a deadly embrace with no quarter from either side no matter how many leaders are taken out
Trump is fully behind the idea of a long war. Don't expect the Bored of Peace President to accept anything other than Netanyahu being satiated (or elected again). He's looking for a $200bn war chest
Several Democrats immediately rejected the Pentagon’s request, which they pointed to as a sign Trump is digging in for a longer war — even as he initially asserted it would only last four to five weeks.
“At the height of combat the Iraq War cost around $140 Billion per year. If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion they are asking for a long war. The answer is a simple no,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), an Iraq War veteran, said Thursday night on the social platform X.
It’s depressing to actually be living inside one of those violent, dystopian films, depicting the breakdown of civilisation,
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
It's certainly a bit too much Yeats's Second Coming. Not so much that that best lack all conviction, but their conviction is to not use passionate intensity, and that tends to be a losing strategy against the passionate and intense.
Sort-of talking of which,
Former Prime Minister Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH has warned democracy faces its gravest threat in decades, urging established democracies to remain vigilant against the rise of populist movements that seek to divide society, amplify grievance and target minority groups.
We need alternative routes instead of the Hormuz Strait. We should have oil and gas pipelines going west through the Arabian Peninsula right up to our ports in Israel.
That is definitely possible.
Definitely possible but not in a quick timescale.
Getting regime change would be better.
Hopefully when the Israeli election takes place we’ll get rid of the Bibi regime 👍
He's the biggest danger currently to word peace
As has already been said getting rid of Netanyahu will not change Israel's cause anymore than in Iran
The two country's are locked in a deadly embrace with no quarter from either side no matter how many leaders are taken out
Trump is fully behind the idea of a long war. Don't expect the Bored of Peace President to accept anything other than Netanyahu being satiated (or elected again). He's looking for a $200bn war chest
Several Democrats immediately rejected the Pentagon’s request, which they pointed to as a sign Trump is digging in for a longer war — even as he initially asserted it would only last four to five weeks.
“At the height of combat the Iraq War cost around $140 Billion per year. If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion they are asking for a long war. The answer is a simple no,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), an Iraq War veteran, said Thursday night on the social platform X.
One of the reasons we had global stability for well over hack a century is that only countries with large resources were able to project power globally. The military terms of trade were heavily skewed towards them.
It's no longer quite clear that's still the case
ZELENSKYY: War no longer has distance. Drones already fly 3,000–5,000 km today, and soon they'll reach 10,000 km. Every day, Ukraine faces 350–500 drone strikes. Imagine any country dealing with that. No continent is safe anymore. Distance is now a matter of months, not decades... https://x.com/BohuslavskaKate/status/2034689272335274318
Maintaining a balance between a handful of powerful states is comparatively easy. It's getting more complicated.
Zelensky is right. Back when Blair was warning we were under risk of weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes, it was patently bollocks, Now, it is much closer to reality. The sharing of missile technology to Iran and North Korea, the risk of sharing nuclear technology from Pakistan now means our major cities or commercial infrastructure are threatened like never before.
I look at Iran prepared to lash out at its neighbours with conventional high explosives and worry they would use nukes if they had them. The current war with Iran has been cack-handed, an unready US led into it by Bibi when negotiations had not been exhausted (indeed if Powell was right, were getting somewhere). It has served Israeli interests - more likely, Bibi's personal crusade to keep out of jail - at huge cost to world economies. It has poisoned international relationships, within the Gulf and with those still prepared to look to the US as a leader whose aims are true. Trump has been exposed to those who voted for him again in 2024 as a pompous fool, incapable of holding coherent thoughts in the same press conference.
And yet, I still can't bring myself to condemn bombing Iran's means of producing a nuclear bomb.
Comments
Some 65% of Americans believe Trump will order troops into a large-scale ground war in Iran, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, but just 7% support that idea.
That two thirds of Americans think Trump is lying about his intentions is not a surprise.
The 7% support for ground troops is remarkable.
Badenoch said: “This debate which Nick is having is not about freedom of religion. It is about how religion is expressed in a shared public space, and whether those expressions fit within the norms of a British culture.”
Of course it is about freedom of religion, and freedom of speech, if you are proposing to ban group public prayer - something which has taken place (for various religions) for a long time, without any hindrance.
Denying that exists as an issue is to deny reality.
The latter part is true, though she, Timothy and Farage are very wrong on the position they take.
After all, we have had some limitations on religious expression - the obvious example being safe access zones banning prayer within 150m of abortion clinics.
Since the public debate on this isn't likely to go away, I think the principles around the only ban which exists are worth re-iterating.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/abortion-clinic-safe-access-zones-non-statutory-guidance/non-statutory-guidance-on-abortion-clinic-safe-access-zones-accessible
..This guidance is designed to ensure that abortion service providers and everyone within Safe Access Zones are clear as to what is expected under the new law and that law enforcement agencies have a clear and consistent understanding around the enforcement of Safe Access Zones.
It is underpinned by key principles:
It is unacceptable for anyone to be harassed or distressed simply for exercising their legal right to access abortion services. The Government has always expected the police and local authorities to use their powers to deal with those who break the law.
The rights to gather, to express views and to manifest religious beliefs are a cornerstone of democracy in Britain and people should be free to gather and express their views, however uncomfortable they are to others, providing they do so within the law.
To be clear, this legislation only affects certain activities within 150 metres of a clinic or hospital. Not all protests are banned and neither does this amount to criminalising those who hold pro-life views who are in a Safe Access Zone. It does not affect people’s rights to gather or to express their views about abortion or to manifest their religious beliefs about abortion anywhere else.
It is vitally important that law enforcement agencies recognise the rights of both of those accessing or providing abortion services and protestors and, in enforcement, seek to balance their respective rights...
I’m actually witnessing the ending of liberal democracy, and the coming (or return), of a violent, anarchic, world, ruled by brute force alone. And, knowing I can do nothing about it, and that my country’s leaders are simply not up to the job of handling the situation.
English: I have decided to block the strait of hormuz and create a geopolitical disaster
Linkein speak: I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve decided to pivot our strategy towards disrupting the Strait of Hormuz, effectively leveraging geopolitical friction to drive a global paradigm shift. It’s all about taking bold, decisive action to challenge the status quo and create high-impact market volatility. #Leadership #Disruption #Geopolitics #StrategicVision #GrowthMindset
The problem for Farage and Timothy is not so much that Muslims pray collectively but rather that Muslims exist at all.
Eid Mubarak to all of those enjoying the day.
The military terms of trade were heavily skewed towards them.
It's no longer quite clear that's still the case
ZELENSKYY: War no longer has distance. Drones already fly 3,000–5,000 km today, and soon they'll reach 10,000 km. Every day, Ukraine faces 350–500 drone strikes. Imagine any country dealing with that. No continent is safe anymore. Distance is now a matter of months, not decades...
https://x.com/BohuslavskaKate/status/2034689272335274318
Maintaining a balance between a handful of powerful states is comparatively easy.
It's getting more complicated.
“At the height of combat the Iraq War cost around $140 Billion per year. If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion they are asking for a long war. The answer is a simple no,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), an Iraq War veteran, said Thursday night on the social platform X.
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5791945-pentagon-funding-iran-war-supplemental-republicans/
Add to that the most influential Military Force in the tinder pot that is the middle east (Isreal) that is ROGUE and surrounded by ROGUE States.
The obvious answer to compare is WW2 - the simple WW suggests the gravity of this , whilst may not in pure WW status militarily - economically is of WW impact.
Germany was not the US in WW2 and the USA and Russia let us not forget joined forces to defeat an enemy, aided by the UK which was a far greater military force at the time and at a time when mass production of effective military equipment could be done in months not 10 of years. It we could build Typhoon as fast as we built Spitfires - problem alieviated.
It is also worth remembering with this "special relationship" that the last senile Right Wing nutter in the White House, the venerated Ronald Reagan did what in 1982. HE REFUSED TO SUPPORT THE UK in the Falklands. The Argentinians thankfully were not Iran and a disaster as averted, but it could easily have been a disaster as at the time our Armed forces were very stretched and unprepared. Thatcher "got away with it" far from the resounding success often claimed!
The scenario now is DIFFERENT to anything we have seen.
The stakes are higher, the weaponary is on a different scale, the economic impact could be cataclysmic.
Rather than turn on our Leaders and Leaders of our allies, and as much as some hate the ideal most are IN Europe, we need to be united in our opposition to the enemies here.
TRUMP MAGA is our enemy
ISRAEL under its current governance is our enemy
IRAN is our enemy
PUTIN is our enemy
Any 5th columnist in the UK who supports TRUMP / ISRAEL / IRAN is deflecting from the fact that we have to find a way to work with our NEW ALLIES and FRIENDS to defeat this unprecedented threat. BREXIT has not helped us with our Allies in Europe.
Farage and others if they continue to support TRUMP and ISRAEL must be viewed with suspicion AND DISTRUST.
We are in a MESS, Europe is in a MESS , the rest of the Globe is in a mess. NOT of our own making and there is no time for recriminations, we have to act WITH ALLIES economically and politically but not aggressively miltarily to support ourselves.
The unholy and clearly and increasingly clearly defined enemy is TRUMP / PUTIN / ISRAEL / IRAN and that alliance has to be broken and it can only be broken if we (a) see it as the enemy (b) work with Allies across the globe to neutralise it and (c) find a new way, a new system of global alliances that ostracises the USA / Israel / Russia and Iran.
Those Countries may become allies again in the future but right now have to be seen as the enemy.
With peace, oil supplies can be restored pretty quickly. If gas infrastructure is destroyed, then it takes years, not months, to replace.
Blair also had to deal with such tyrants both in Yugoslavia where he did excellent work stopping the murderous atrocities of the likes of Milosovich and, much more controversially, with Saddam.
But I do agree with the thrust. As I have been saying for months Trump is not a friend nor someone that we can rely upon. Netanyahu is a crooked genocidal sociopath. We need to be clear eyed about our dealings with these people and not indulge in sentiment or fantasy. I was not comfortable about the initial positions of either Badenoch or Farage in relation to Trump although the former has been repositioning somewhat.
I agree we need to find allies that we have more in common with. This will include the European nations and the likes of Canada and Australia. Carney, in the speech of the year, explained that lesser powers simply cannot negotiate with hegemonic powers such as the US in isolation. We do need to work together to stop us being picked off and exploited by this loon.
The UK has clearly played a major role in bringing together the statement about intervention in Hormuz. I have reservations about that both in principle (why the hell should we be clearing up Trump's mess?) and in capability but it is a good example of us working with like minded nations who are also at risk from the consequences of Trump's and Netanyahu's belligerence.
I think that the current situation would have challenged most of Starmer's more distinguished predecessors in the job. I think he is doing his best. There have been missteps but that is inevitable in such a complex situation. For good or ill he is our PM and no one rational can possibly wish him anything but the best in dealing with this.
Should be in this for the long haul, whatever it takes, until the regime is gone and the threat is eliminated.
Plan accordingly.
NEW THREAD
Sort-of talking of which,
Former Prime Minister Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH has warned democracy faces its gravest threat in decades, urging established democracies to remain vigilant against the rise of populist movements that seek to divide society, amplify grievance and target minority groups.
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/sir-john-major-warns-democracy-is-at-a-pivotal-moment-in-kings-college-london-lecture
Israel are learning a hard lesson now. They are not getting it all their own way. Oh dear, how sad…..
I look at Iran prepared to lash out at its neighbours with conventional high explosives and worry they would use nukes if they had them. The current war with Iran has been cack-handed, an unready US led into it by Bibi when negotiations had not been exhausted (indeed if Powell was right, were getting somewhere). It has served Israeli interests - more likely, Bibi's personal crusade to keep out of jail - at huge cost to world economies. It has poisoned international relationships, within the Gulf and with those still prepared to look to the US as a leader whose aims are true. Trump has been exposed to those who voted for him again in 2024 as a pompous fool, incapable of holding coherent thoughts in the same press conference.
And yet, I still can't bring myself to condemn bombing Iran's means of producing a nuclear bomb.
That makes 5,760 lost in the past four days. In 4 days, Russia has lost 10% of America's killed in nearly 20 years of war in Vietnam.