Does anyone on here think Kanye West ought to be allowed to perform in the UK?
Yes. But I'm also fine with most hate preachers being allowed in for a bit of the old hate preaching (as long as they're going to go back). Very strong on free speech, me.
There's a secondary thing with him (that doesn't apply to the hate preachers) that many artists and great thinkers are some combination of barking mad and mentally ill. I wouldn't have wanted Diogenes the Cynic arrested for indecent exposure, either. There are some limits, I'd probably have wanted Caravaggio arrested at the time he was getting stabby, but thank heavens for posterity he escaped.
"NOW - Trump says that his frustrations with NATO "all began with, if you want to know the truth, Greenland. We want Greenland. They don't want to give it to us, and I said, 'bye bye!'""
OK I think he really does have this fronto-temporal dementia
I mean, he's clearly insane. I'm baffled that thry don't appear, institutionally, to have noticed this. We had Liz Truss and she was, by these standards, only mildly eccentric, and she was removed in about a month.
Guess what? The American Constitution is simply not fit for purpose. Who'd have guessed?
Back in the day, when The West Wing etc was all the rage, I knew a fair few folk who would bang on endlessly about how great the US system of government and all its checks and balances etc were. I was never convinced. Seems I was right, and they had all been sucked in by a TV representation of a left liberal dream.
President Bartlet was quite keen on assassinating unwanted foreigners and bombing the Middle East. Of course, he was an LSE man, like Jim Hacker.
I think one of the real legacies of the second Trump term will be more and more countries will get nuclear weapons as America is no longer seen as a reliable ally.
Trump: “We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well, as you know. Do you notice he said very nice things about me? He used to call Joe Biden a mentally retarded person... He was so nasty to Biden”
There is nothing to Trump outside of his narcissism. And his followers have swallowed the nonsense whole.
He said this just a few days ago.
They said, what do you mean you have regime change? My friend, great show. I love this guy. He's so nice to me every time I watch and I -- you know, we're not supposed to be seduced that way, right? But I am. When somebody is nice to me, I love that person. [Laughter] Even if they're bad people I couldn't care less.
If you listen to the clip, he's clearly not hallucinating but just trying to take the credit for pointing out that Osama Bin Laden was a threat after the first WTC bombing.
Yes. Ironically, it used to be supporters of Trump who would post links to material they'd obviously not read or listened to themselves.
Today, India takes a defining step in its civil nuclear journey, advancing the second stage of its nuclear programme.
The indigenously designed and built Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam has attained criticality.
This advanced reactor, capable of producing more fuel than it consumes, reflects the depth of our scientific capability and the strength of our engineering enterprise. It is a decisive step towards harnessing our vast thorium reserves in the third stage of the programme.
We've already seen "The Simpsons" episode featuring a President Trump turn from a piss-take into a prophecy.
But now his foreign policy is being conducted in the form of a sequel to "Team America: World Police", only this time substituting the destruction of Iran for that of Cairo.
I think one of the real legacies of the second Trump term will be more and more countries will get nuclear weapons as America is no longer seen as a reliable ally.
Trump: “We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well, as you know. Do you notice he said very nice things about me? He used to call Joe Biden a mentally retarded person... He was so nasty to Biden”
There is nothing to Trump outside of his narcissism. And his followers have swallowed the nonsense whole.
He said this just a few days ago.
They said, what do you mean you have regime change? My friend, great show. I love this guy. He's so nice to me every time I watch and I -- you know, we're not supposed to be seduced that way, right? But I am. When somebody is nice to me, I love that person. [Laughter] Even if they're bad people I couldn't care less.
If you listen to the clip, he's clearly not hallucinating but just trying to take the credit for pointing out that Osama Bin Laden was a threat after the first WTC bombing.
Yes. Ironically, it used to be supporters of Trump who would post links to material they'd obviously not read or listened to themselves.
And this is the third time I point out that Trump never did warn about Bin Laden as he claimed here.
I think one of the real legacies of the second Trump term will be more and more countries will get nuclear weapons as America is no longer seen as a reliable ally.
Trump: “We have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea to protect us from Kim Jong Un, who I get along with very well, as you know. Do you notice he said very nice things about me? He used to call Joe Biden a mentally retarded person... He was so nasty to Biden”
There is nothing to Trump outside of his narcissism. And his followers have swallowed the nonsense whole.
He said this just a few days ago.
They said, what do you mean you have regime change? My friend, great show. I love this guy. He's so nice to me every time I watch and I -- you know, we're not supposed to be seduced that way, right? But I am. When somebody is nice to me, I love that person. [Laughter] Even if they're bad people I couldn't care less.
If you listen to the clip, he's clearly not hallucinating but just trying to take the credit for pointing out that Osama Bin Laden was a threat after the first WTC bombing.
Yes. Ironically, it used to be supporters of Trump who would post links to material they'd obviously not read or listened to themselves.
And this is the third time I point out that Trump never did warn about Bin Laden as he claimed here.
Israel hit Iran's gas processing facilities yesterday, ahead of Trump's 'deadline'.
Iran hit Saudi Arabia's production. The Middle East’s largest petrochemical plant, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), is on fire in Jubeil Industrial City following a missile strike. https://x.com/Narjes_Rahmati/status/2041282196657565882
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war (obviously civilian homes is not defensive, but is the factory making components that end up in a drone? Its not an immediate threat in the way UK aircrat are shooting down drone in defensive action, but is taking out the factory that will stops loads more of these drones in the future also defensive? What about the chief engineer, is that defensive to take them out, etc there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The US aren't flying those massive bombers out of UK bases to do a bit minor damage here and there.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
The US don't tell us shit these days. Remember when they hit Irans nuclear facilites 6 months ago, they fly the B2 bombers towards Diego Garcia and the talk was all Starmer is going to have to make a decision to allow / disallow them, and in the meantime they just flew another squadron on a different route and did the bombing. They never told the UK. Same with the assignation of the Iranians Big Mufty.
Its been well reported that Trump basically doesn't speak to Starmer now, there will be no signing off of what they are actually doing from those bases.
I have repeated said Starmer has handled Trump pretty well, in very difficult circumstances. I have never criticised him for his attempts to keep UK/US relations on some sort of footing and Trump is just ranting nonense.
But this defensive action only claim is classic Starmer-ism, never crossed my desk, process was followed, and the absolute meaning of defensive action is can be as grey as grey. Nobody will be putting down on a spreadhseet and sending it to the UK what exactly they have done when they have left the bases. First and foremost as targets constantly change in the air. Israel appear to have some sort of real time system, like Amazon delivery for bombs, so depending on what pops up, they take out different things. Sometimes they fly to Iran nothing is available and then they reroute to Lebanon and see what they can blast before returning to base.
Dr. @AnwarGargash: “Our main security partner is the United States. We will double down on our relationship.”
“…We will join any American-led effort, international effort to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. We are ready to play our part.”
Yes, the GCC states are pretty much united behind wanting to deal with Iran once and for all, and if that means a military operation, rather than a peace negotiation with the regime, is what’s required to keep the Straight open, that’s what they’ll support.
The Glen Sannox is once again out of operation. Arran is increasingly looking like the dark side of the moon.
The Scottish ferry programme appears to be just as inefficient a use of public money as the Artemis programme - but without the ability to get the whole world to stop and watch Glen Sannox not make it to Arran.
US Vice-President JD Vance is due in Hungary to back veteran Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a key European ally of the Trump administration, in a tough parliamentary election. Vance is expected to address an election rally with Orban in a football stadium in Budapest on Tuesday afternoon.
US Vice-President JD Vance is due in Hungary to back veteran Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a key European ally of the Trump administration, in a tough parliamentary election. Vance is expected to address an election rally with Orban in a football stadium in Budapest on Tuesday afternoon.
Not a good look from Vance to be interfering in another country’s elections, not a good look for Veep to leave the US when there’s so much going on there at the moment, not a good look to be standing up for Mr Orban, who’s one of the most unpopular politicians in Europe, and definitely not a good look to stand behind someone who’s very likely to be a loser by the end of the week.
Dr. @AnwarGargash: “Our main security partner is the United States. We will double down on our relationship.”
“…We will join any American-led effort, international effort to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. We are ready to play our part.”
Yes, the GCC states are pretty much united behind wanting to deal with Iran once and for all, and if that means a military operation, rather than a peace negotiation with the regime, is what’s required to keep the Straight open, that’s what they’ll support.
US Vice-President JD Vance is due in Hungary to back veteran Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a key European ally of the Trump administration, in a tough parliamentary election. Vance is expected to address an election rally with Orban in a football stadium in Budapest on Tuesday afternoon.
Not a good look from Vance to be interfering in another country’s elections, not a good look for Veep to leave the US when there’s so much going on there at the moment, not a good look to be standing up for Mr Orban, who’s one of the most unpopular politicians in Europe, and definitely not a good look to stand behind someone who’s very likely to be a loser by the end of the week.
Does anyone on here think Kanye West ought to be allowed to perform in the UK?
Yes, and people also ought to be allowed to protest against him. He also should be subject to arrest if he breaks the law, for example by inciting racial hatred.
They’re not a sports team, NASA astronauts are on the public payroll and respect the office of POTUS, even if they dislike the incumbent.
I suspect there’s a whole week of celebrations lined up for them on their return, assuming everything goes successfully. They’re going to be shaking a lot of hands once they’re out of quarantine.
They’re not a sports team, NASA astronauts are on the public payroll and respect the office of POTUS, even if they dislike the incumbent.
I suspect there’s a whole week of celebrations lined up for them on their return, assuming everything goes successfully. They’re going to be shaking a lot of hands once they’re out of quarantine.
Quarantine? Pretty sure they won't be catching any moon bugs from inside their tin can.
US Vice-President JD Vance is due in Hungary to back veteran Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a key European ally of the Trump administration, in a tough parliamentary election. Vance is expected to address an election rally with Orban in a football stadium in Budapest on Tuesday afternoon.
Not a good look from Vance to be interfering in another country’s elections, not a good look for Veep to leave the US when there’s so much going on there at the moment, not a good look to be standing up for Mr Orban, who’s one of the most unpopular politicians in Europe, and definitely not a good look to stand behind someone who’s very likely to be a loser by the end of the week.
For a supposedly smart man...
Also it shows how desperate Orban must be to have photos taken alongside someone who is rapidly pushing the cost of living for Hungarians up.
Does anyone on here think Kanye West ought to be allowed to perform in the UK?
Yes, and people also ought to be allowed to protest against him. He also should be subject to arrest if he breaks the law, for example by inciting racial hatred.
What, you mean like anyone else 😂😂😂😂
Yes, he should be able to perform. All this performative BS is tedious.
The govt made a rod for their own back caving to these jokers when they first came to power.
Well at least it has quite got to Birmingham Bin, is it a strike? or just non-existance service?
I wonder if, and it is possible on current polling, Birmingham ends up a coalition of Greens and Gaza independents how do they deal with the bin strikes.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
You're talking balls again Brixian. You want to see what standing up to Trump looks like? Look at Spain. Starmer folded like a wet rag after a day of pretending to stand up to Trump. Now he is just using the 'defensive only' excuse as a fig leaf. And of course the right wing papers you mention aren't arguing against it. They all support Trump and his attacks on Iran so they are very happy that Starmer caved at the start.
If he finally stands up to Trump and says no more use of UK bases then I will give him credit. But at the moment he has done nothing to deserve that.
Does anyone on here think Kanye West ought to be allowed to perform in the UK?
Yes, and people also ought to be allowed to protest against him. He also should be subject to arrest if he breaks the law, for example by inciting racial hatred.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
You're talking balls again Brixian. You want to see what standing up to Trump looks like? Look at Spain. Starmer folded like a wet rag after a day of pretending to stand up to Trump. Now he is just using the 'defensive only' excuse as a fig leaf. And of course the right wing papers you mention aren't arguing against it. They all support Trump and his attacks on Iran so they are very happy that Starmer caved at the start.
If he finally stands up to Trump and says no more use of UK bases then I will give him credit. But at the moment he has done nothing to deserve that.
Indeed, the rescued aircrew flew out of RAF Lakenheath.
SKS is a mediocre middle manager, playing with words and following procedure.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
You're talking balls again Brixian. You want to see what standing up to Trump looks like? Look at Spain. Starmer folded like a wet rag after a day of pretending to stand up to Trump. Now he is just using the 'defensive only' excuse as a fig leaf. And of course the right wing papers you mention aren't arguing against it. They all support Trump and his attacks on Iran so they are very happy that Starmer caved at the start.
If he finally stands up to Trump and says no more use of UK bases then I will give him credit. But at the moment he has done nothing to deserve that.
+1 - no UK site should have been used at any point for any attack on Iran nor our airspace...
The fact Starmer can't say that is going to be awkward when it comes to ships going down the Strait for the next 10 years..
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
You're talking balls again Brixian. You want to see what standing up to Trump looks like? Look at Spain. Starmer folded like a wet rag after a day of pretending to stand up to Trump. Now he is just using the 'defensive only' excuse as a fig leaf. And of course the right wing papers you mention aren't arguing against it. They all support Trump and his attacks on Iran so they are very happy that Starmer caved at the start.
If he finally stands up to Trump and says no more use of UK bases then I will give him credit. But at the moment he has done nothing to deserve that.
+1 - no UK site should have been used at any point for any attack on Iran nor our airspace...
The fact Starmer can't say that is going to be awkward when it comes to ships going down the Strait for the next 10 years..
Ah, but it’s ‘defensive only’ according to SKS so it’s okay.
That’s his weasel words.
As for the ships down the strait SKS won’t be in power by then so won’t be accounting for it.
The govt made a rod for their own back caving to these jokers when they first came to power.
I think we should pay doctors.
Lets pay for it by firing their managers. The NHS is an absurd mountain of structures piled on top of structures taking cash away from actual healthcare.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
You're talking balls again Brixian. You want to see what standing up to Trump looks like? Look at Spain. Starmer folded like a wet rag after a day of pretending to stand up to Trump. Now he is just using the 'defensive only' excuse as a fig leaf. And of course the right wing papers you mention aren't arguing against it. They all support Trump and his attacks on Iran so they are very happy that Starmer caved at the start.
If he finally stands up to Trump and says no more use of UK bases then I will give him credit. But at the moment he has done nothing to deserve that.
In an ideal world Starmer would have told Trump to get lost and refuse any use of UK bases .
Personally I think he’s done okay and was put in an impossible position . It’s very easy for us here to pass judgement but Starmer has to look at the bigger picture .
Whether we like it or not the UK at this time can’t completely rupture its US relationship as much as I think most in here including myself would like to see .
Israel hit Iran's gas processing facilities yesterday, ahead of Trump's 'deadline'.
Iran hit Saudi Arabia's production. The Middle East’s largest petrochemical plant, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), is on fire in Jubeil Industrial City following a missile strike. https://x.com/Narjes_Rahmati/status/2041282196657565882
Fake News that fire was months ago in Iraq not Saudi
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
You're talking balls again Brixian. You want to see what standing up to Trump looks like? Look at Spain. Starmer folded like a wet rag after a day of pretending to stand up to Trump. Now he is just using the 'defensive only' excuse as a fig leaf. And of course the right wing papers you mention aren't arguing against it. They all support Trump and his attacks on Iran so they are very happy that Starmer caved at the start.
If he finally stands up to Trump and says no more use of UK bases then I will give him credit. But at the moment he has done nothing to deserve that.
+1 - no UK site should have been used at any point for any attack on Iran nor our airspace...
The fact Starmer can't say that is going to be awkward when it comes to ships going down the Strait for the next 10 years..
Ah, but it’s ‘defensive only’ according to SKS so it’s okay.
That’s his weasel words.
As for the ships down the strait SKS won’t be in power by then so won’t be accounting for it.
True but I suspect UK flagged or destined ships will be paying a high tariff than other countries...
The govt made a rod for their own back caving to these jokers when they first came to power.
Well at least it has quite got to Birmingham Bin, is it a strike? or just non-existance service?
I wonder if, and it is possible on current polling, Birmingham ends up a coalition of Greens and Gaza independents how do they deal with the bin strikes.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
You're talking balls again Brixian. You want to see what standing up to Trump looks like? Look at Spain. Starmer folded like a wet rag after a day of pretending to stand up to Trump. Now he is just using the 'defensive only' excuse as a fig leaf. And of course the right wing papers you mention aren't arguing against it. They all support Trump and his attacks on Iran so they are very happy that Starmer caved at the start.
If he finally stands up to Trump and says no more use of UK bases then I will give him credit. But at the moment he has done nothing to deserve that.
In an ideal world Starmer would have told Trump to get lost and refuse any use of UK bases .
Personally I think he’s done okay and was put in an impossible position . It’s very easy for us here to pass judgement but Starmer has to look at the bigger picture .
Whether we like it or not the UK at this time can’t completely rupture its US relationship as much as I think most in here including myself would like to see .
I don't think it was in any way an impossible position. Yes a public rupture with the US would make things difficult but at what point do the apologists finally realise that that rupture has already happened? Trump is a dangerous loose cannon and we do ourselves no favours by continuing to humour and support him. Wealready know he won't come to our aid if any country in Europe is attacked. We know he won't challenge Russia over Ukraine. As far as the US is concerned NATO and any sort of transatlantic relationship is dead.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
You're talking balls again Brixian. You want to see what standing up to Trump looks like? Look at Spain. Starmer folded like a wet rag after a day of pretending to stand up to Trump. Now he is just using the 'defensive only' excuse as a fig leaf. And of course the right wing papers you mention aren't arguing against it. They all support Trump and his attacks on Iran so they are very happy that Starmer caved at the start.
If he finally stands up to Trump and says no more use of UK bases then I will give him credit. But at the moment he has done nothing to deserve that.
+1 - no UK site should have been used at any point for any attack on Iran nor our airspace...
The fact Starmer can't say that is going to be awkward when it comes to ships going down the Strait for the next 10 years..
I doubt it will have made any difference. IIRC, Iran's leaders have been referring to the UK as a US actor for decades, well before Mr Trump came into prominence.
The govt made a rod for their own back caving to these jokers when they first came to power.
I think we should pay doctors.
Lets pay for it by firing their managers. The NHS is an absurd mountain of structures piled on top of structures taking cash away from actual healthcare.
No, it’s not. The NHS employs fewer managers than many comparable health services and yet has made major cuts in NHS England staff in recent years and are cutting further with the merger with DHSC.
Good management is important for good healthcare. We’re in the middle of an AI revolution, for example. Who is going to work out which products are safe and efficacious and how best to integrate them into current service? It’s far more efficient to give that problem to a small team of experts rather than just dumping the problem on frontline staff.
That said, there are issues with the structures of the NHS. Too much is unnecessarily devolved to a local level. The internal market discourages cooperation, while structures generally encourage cost shifting. Every hospital does things in a slightly different way.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
The "for defensive purposes only" has always been BS, how do you even define that in a war, there is so much grey. The UK don't ask, the US don't tell, but its absolutely clear they will have done sorties that weren't what most people would define as purely defensive.
Not even the shit rags The Telegraph / Mail / Express / GB News have delivered even pathtic attempts to debunk that but you do.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
You're talking balls again Brixian. You want to see what standing up to Trump looks like? Look at Spain. Starmer folded like a wet rag after a day of pretending to stand up to Trump. Now he is just using the 'defensive only' excuse as a fig leaf. And of course the right wing papers you mention aren't arguing against it. They all support Trump and his attacks on Iran so they are very happy that Starmer caved at the start.
If he finally stands up to Trump and says no more use of UK bases then I will give him credit. But at the moment he has done nothing to deserve that.
+1 - no UK site should have been used at any point for any attack on Iran nor our airspace...
The fact Starmer can't say that is going to be awkward when it comes to ships going down the Strait for the next 10 years..
Ah, but it’s ‘defensive only’ according to SKS so it’s okay.
That’s his weasel words.
As for the ships down the strait SKS won’t be in power by then so won’t be accounting for it.
True but I suspect UK flagged or destined ships will be paying a high tariff than other countries...
Comments
There's a secondary thing with him (that doesn't apply to the hate preachers) that many artists and great thinkers are some combination of barking mad and mentally ill. I wouldn't have wanted Diogenes the Cynic arrested for indecent exposure, either. There are some limits, I'd probably have wanted Caravaggio arrested at the time he was getting stabby, but thank heavens for posterity he escaped.
Trump on Iran: "They're very good bullshit artists. For 47 years they've been bullshitting other presidents."
The indigenously designed and built Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam has attained criticality.
This advanced reactor, capable of producing more fuel than it consumes, reflects the depth of our scientific capability and the strength of our engineering enterprise. It is a decisive step towards harnessing our vast thorium reserves in the third stage of the programme.
A proud moment for India. Congratulations to our scientists and engineers.
https://x.com/narendramodi/status/2041187159655305350
Mitchell and Webb: "Are we the baddies?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKcmnrE5oY
"Mr President, you didn't specify whether go was Washington or Tel Aviv time. Oooops, eh?"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_America_We_Deserve
Iran hit Saudi Arabia's production.
The Middle East’s largest petrochemical plant, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), is on fire in Jubeil Industrial City following a missile strike.
https://x.com/Narjes_Rahmati/status/2041282196657565882
The US aren't flying those massive bombers out of UK bases to do a bit minor damage here and there.
Starmer has played a blinder so far with Trump.
Farage and Badenoch rush ro war has delivered and over time will be seen to be fatal blows to any PM credibility they may have.
Where's the evidence
Starmer again standing up to Trump.
Its been well reported that Trump basically doesn't speak to Starmer now, there will be no signing off of what they are actually doing from those bases.
I have repeated said Starmer has handled Trump pretty well, in very difficult circumstances. I have never criticised him for his attempts to keep UK/US relations on some sort of footing and Trump is just ranting nonense.
But this defensive action only claim is classic Starmer-ism, never crossed my desk, process was followed, and the absolute meaning of defensive action is can be as grey as grey. Nobody will be putting down on a spreadhseet and sending it to the UK what exactly they have done when they have left the bases. First and foremost as targets constantly change in the air. Israel appear to have some sort of real time system, like Amazon delivery for bombs, so depending on what pops up, they take out different things. Sometimes they fly to Iran nothing is available and then they reroute to Lebanon and see what they can blast before returning to base.
Congratulations to the Artemis crew!
The Glen Sannox is once again out of operation. Arran is increasingly looking like the dark side of the moon.
Quite incredible to think there were humans in a spaceship slingshotting themselves around it at that very moment, so far away.
Meanwhile on Earth, US VP is off to try and meddle in the domestic affairs of Hungary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyv16lq2rp1o
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyv16lq2rp1o
judge a man by his friends...
Not a good look from Vance to be interfering in another country’s elections, not a good look for Veep to leave the US when there’s so much going on there at the moment, not a good look to be standing up for Mr Orban, who’s one of the most unpopular politicians in Europe, and definitely not a good look to stand behind someone who’s very likely to be a loser by the end of the week.
https://x.com/frontlinekit/status/2041397864073437239
Come to the White House when you’re back on Earth. I’ll be asking for your autographs. I don’t ask for many autographs but I definitely want yours!
https://x.com/overton_news/status/2041359035430031865
(Helps that we’re just taking the bikes across so don’t need a car booking. The bakeries and pubs won’t lose this customer).
I suspect there’s a whole week of celebrations lined up for them on their return, assuming everything goes successfully. They’re going to be shaking a lot of hands once they’re out of quarantine.
Awkward scenes aboard Artemis II as Trump stops ranting and none of the astronauts have anything left to say to him, leading to extended dead air
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3miuqumlhn42c
For what may be the final time.
Yes, he should be able to perform. All this performative BS is tedious.
What a shitshow.
When, or how, does this end ?
The govt made a rod for their own back caving to these jokers when they first came to power.
What an utter embarrassment Trump is
He is also extremely dangerous
Lovely spring morning again, and yet what is going to happen over the next 24 hours goodness only knows
If he finally stands up to Trump and says no more use of UK bases then I will give him credit. But at the moment he has done nothing to deserve that.
SKS is a mediocre middle manager, playing with words and following procedure.
The fact Starmer can't say that is going to be awkward when it comes to ships going down the Strait for the next 10 years..
That’s his weasel words.
As for the ships down the strait SKS won’t be in power by then so won’t be accounting for it.
If you put on oneside any reservations about his polling this report seems a fairly likely reflection of public opinion
https://lordashcroftpolls.com/2026/04/starmer-and-iran-does-trump-have-a-plan-indefinite-leave-to-remain-green-policies-and-should-we-drill-in-the-north-sea/
Lets pay for it by firing their managers. The NHS is an absurd mountain of structures piled on top of structures taking cash away from actual healthcare.
Personally I think he’s done okay and was put in an impossible position . It’s very easy for us here to pass judgement but Starmer has to look at the bigger picture .
Whether we like it or not the UK at this time can’t completely rupture its US relationship as much as I think most in here including myself would like to see .
Fake News that fire was months ago in Iraq not Saudi
If he's not serious about nukes, he IS serious about war crimes. Taking out every power plant and every bridge.
These are the ravings of a madman. And America is letting him do it.
Whatever happens, America - truth, justice, freedom etc - is over.
50p a litre at my nearest station. 44p a litre at cheapest in 10 mole radius
NEW THREAD
We need to realise this and act accordingly.
"Mission Control, you'll never guess what we just saw..."
Good management is important for good healthcare. We’re in the middle of an AI revolution, for example. Who is going to work out which products are safe and efficacious and how best to integrate them into current service? It’s far more efficient to give that problem to a small team of experts rather than just dumping the problem on frontline staff.
That said, there are issues with the structures of the NHS. Too much is unnecessarily devolved to a local level. The internal market discourages cooperation, while structures generally encourage cost shifting. Every hospital does things in a slightly different way.
We could call it the Starmer Tax. His legacy.