I can't imagine anybody who listened to this morning's meeting would conclude that this is someone who was trying to hide something from his political masters. I think the impression was that this was someone who was operating with exceptional competence and found a way to reconcile Number 10's wishes with the assessment that he was responsible for. And that required him to give Mandelson a pass with mitigations in place to protect the UK Government and indeed Mandelson himself.
The idea that he should be sacked for this is risible and enormously diminishes Starmer in my eyes. This wasn't a quasi political figure like Sue Gray or Morgan McSweeney. He was a Civil Servant doing his job to the best of his considerable ability. It is, in my view, an even more disgraceful decision than appointing Mandelson in the first place.
The next tranche of the Mandelson files will not be released until ***after the King's speech on May 13th***, our podcast The State of It can reveal
The ISC is currently going through hundreds of files assessing whether content could damage national security or international affairs
That process is likely to conclude this week but the Cabinet Office has a right of appeal, which will take us beyond the prorogation of Parliament next week
I can't imagine anybody who listened to this morning's meeting would conclude that this is someone who was trying to hide something from his political masters. I think the impression was that this was someone who was operating with exceptional competence and found a way to reconcile Number 10's wishes with the assessment that he was responsible for. And that required him to give Mandelson a pass with mitigations in place to protect the UK Government and indeed Mandelson himself.
The idea that he should be sacked for this is risible and enormously diminishes Starmer in my eyes. This wasn't a quasi political figure like Sue Gray or Morgan McSweeney. He was a Civil Servant doing his job to the best of his considerable ability. It is, in my view, an even more disgraceful decision than appointing Mandelson in the first place.
Whilst your points are broadly true, the conclusions seem too over the top for me. Robbins knew the game, and sailed close to the rules to gain power and position. If it had gone well he would kept gaining further power and position. Now its gone badly he will get a healthy six figure payoff for now and likely back in similar roles within a couple of years if he so wishes, or returning to senior roles at Goldmans or similar if he prefers. So yes, he was a scapegoat, but he willingly set himself up for that as it is a win-win scenario for an ambitious civil servant.
It’s not that Starmer is immoral. I think he is actually amoral. To him there is no right or wrong. There is just “process” and “not process”. He literally can’t understand why people are angry at him. He diligently followed Process so should be getting good outcomes.
There are a lot of people like this, who essentially gamify life - systems and even people are just mechanisms that give you want you want if you supply the correct input. It’s a sociopathic view of humanity that Starmer shares with the typical scammer or pick up artist.
I expect quite a lot of Independents too, of the Gaza variety.
Me too. Which is why those "other" changes look a bit dodgy.
I fail to understand how being supportive of the poor people of Gaza qualifies one to deal with rubbish collection in an English city. Being Green yes, I quite understand, and indeed will almost certainly vote for them, the LibDems being invisible here.
Shokhat Adam elected as Indy in Leicester South (I think he is now sitting with the YP group, though not certain if formally a member of YP). He certainly campaigned on Gaza, but was elected on more than that. In particular he campaigned that the other parties took the local community for granted across the board.
Gaza is clearly an issue for these communities, but is also a signifier of wider issues, the canary in the coalmine. If the Labour party ignores them over Gaza, it ignores them on other issues too.
He has since proven to be an excellent constituency MP taking up many local concerns, including of my own church. To depict these as purely sectarian politicians is both to misrepresent and underestimate them. They are rooted in their local communities and hence may have a lot of appeal at council level too.
I expect quite a lot of Independents too, of the Gaza variety.
Me too. Which is why those "other" changes look a bit dodgy.
I fail to understand how being supportive of the poor people of Gaza qualifies one to deal with rubbish collection in an English city. Being Green yes, I quite understand, and indeed will almost certainly vote for them, the LibDems being invisible here.
Shokhat Adam elected as Indy in Leicester South (I think he is now sitting with the YP group, though not certain if formally a member of YP). He certainly campaigned on Gaza, but was elected on more than that. In particular he campaigned that the other parties took the local community for granted across the board.
Gaza is clearly an issue for these communities, but is also a signifier of wider issues, the canary in the coalmine. If the Labour party ignores them over Gaza, it ignores them on other issues too.
He has since proven to be an excellent constituency MP taking up many local concerns, including of my own church. To depict these as purely sectarian politicians is both to misrepresent and underestimate them. They are rooted in their local communities and hence may have a lot of appeal at council level too.
He is part of Your Party, but like a majority of the Your Party MPs formally sits as an independent, as opposed to as Your Party, in the Commons, for some convoluted reason.
It’s not that Starmer is immoral. I think he is actually amoral. To him there is no right or wrong. There is just “process” and “not process”. He literally can’t understand why people are angry at him. He diligently followed Process so should be getting good outcomes.
There are a lot of people like this, who essentially gamify life - systems and even people are just mechanisms that give you want you want if you supply the correct input. It’s a sociopathic view of humanity that Starmer shares with the typical scammer or pick up artist.
Which misses the point of the Process State.
The idea is that humans are fallible, biased etc. so instead of human discretion, moral compasses etc. a Process is created.
If the Process is complicated enough it will perfectly cover all possible cases.
This removes the human event from decision making.
Follow the process and your action will be legal, hosted and morally pure.
To question this, is in the sight of its believers, a declaration of anarchic intent.
The problem is that humans and their world are non-linear. And rules are linear. This means, mathematically, the Process State can’t work.
"To use the Foreign Office for vanity projects in this way is unforgivable."
Dame Emily Thornberry criticises No 10, after Sir Olly Robbins claims Downing St wanted to find a diplomatic role for former head of communications Lord Doyle.
I expect quite a lot of Independents too, of the Gaza variety.
Me too. Which is why those "other" changes look a bit dodgy.
I fail to understand how being supportive of the poor people of Gaza qualifies one to deal with rubbish collection in an English city. Being Green yes, I quite understand, and indeed will almost certainly vote for them, the LibDems being invisible here.
Shokhat Adam elected as Indy in Leicester South (I think he is now sitting with the YP group, though not certain if formally a member of YP). He certainly campaigned on Gaza, but was elected on more than that. In particular he campaigned that the other parties took the local community for granted across the board.
Gaza is clearly an issue for these communities, but is also a signifier of wider issues, the canary in the coalmine. If the Labour party ignores them over Gaza, it ignores them on other issues too.
He has since proven to be an excellent constituency MP taking up many local concerns, including of my own church. To depict these as purely sectarian politicians is both to misrepresent and underestimate them. They are rooted in their local communities and hence may have a lot of appeal at council level too.
They shouldn't be underestimated or presumed to be single-issue, but if the thing that binds a disparate group of independents together includes a significant focus on Gazan issues (as a campaigning matter, not merely holding that position), then it also doesn't seem unfair to utilise that as a core label. Pretty much every candidate will say they are rooted in their communities and that other parties take people for granted. If Gaza is the 'signifier of wider' issues as you suggest then it seem pretty apposite to use it.
I expect quite a lot of Independents too, of the Gaza variety.
Me too. Which is why those "other" changes look a bit dodgy.
I fail to understand how being supportive of the poor people of Gaza qualifies one to deal with rubbish collection in an English city. Being Green yes, I quite understand, and indeed will almost certainly vote for them, the LibDems being invisible here.
Shokhat Adam elected as Indy in Leicester South (I think he is now sitting with the YP group, though not certain if formally a member of YP). He certainly campaigned on Gaza, but was elected on more than that. In particular he campaigned that the other parties took the local community for granted across the board.
Gaza is clearly an issue for these communities, but is also a signifier of wider issues, the canary in the coalmine. If the Labour party ignores them over Gaza, it ignores them on other issues too.
He has since proven to be an excellent constituency MP taking up many local concerns, including of my own church. To depict these as purely sectarian politicians is both to misrepresent and underestimate them. They are rooted in their local communities and hence may have a lot of appeal at council level too.
He is part of Your Party, but like a majority of the Your Party MPs formally sits as an independent, as opposed to as Your Party, in the Commons, for some convoluted reason.
I think by forming a group of five they get more admin support. For a self employed businessman he is quite unusually Corbynite.
I expect quite a lot of Independents too, of the Gaza variety.
Me too. Which is why those "other" changes look a bit dodgy.
I fail to understand how being supportive of the poor people of Gaza qualifies one to deal with rubbish collection in an English city. Being Green yes, I quite understand, and indeed will almost certainly vote for them, the LibDems being invisible here.
Shokhat Adam elected as Indy in Leicester South (I think he is now sitting with the YP group, though not certain if formally a member of YP). He certainly campaigned on Gaza, but was elected on more than that. In particular he campaigned that the other parties took the local community for granted across the board.
Gaza is clearly an issue for these communities, but is also a signifier of wider issues, the canary in the coalmine. If the Labour party ignores them over Gaza, it ignores them on other issues too.
He has since proven to be an excellent constituency MP taking up many local concerns, including of my own church. To depict these as purely sectarian politicians is both to misrepresent and underestimate them. They are rooted in their local communities and hence may have a lot of appeal at council level too.
Glad to read that; Independents, if genuine representatives of their community, are something we don't have enough of in Parliament.
My comment was directed at those who seem to think that they can change something that is happening outside UK from a local Council seat.
Don’t PMs have their own mind and Starmer could have simply said no , not happening .
He could have made a political appointment from a choice of quite a few candidates who weren’t didn’t have the baggage of Mandelson .
I’m not a fan of Osborne but he certainly wouldn’t have shamed the country .
The problem is that Starmer is pretty much devoid of any ideas beyond not being a Tory. He won on that basis and from day 1 showed more interest in free suits and footie tickets than anything remotely resembling socialism. I've lived too long to expect much more from Labour. It's always been the 'Animal farm' party.
One of the things I enjoyed about that was the little qualifier that Starmer is doing all right on Iran. Which a) made it funnier, and b) made the rest of the diatribe more credible.
I found out today that the 2017 Tour de France Femmes is starting in Leeds and is coming through my village. I intend to watch them take on what is called The Murder Mile ( actually it is about 3k at 8.4%).
Don’t PMs have their own mind and Starmer could have simply said no , not happening .
He could have made a political appointment from a choice of quite a few candidates who weren’t didn’t have the baggage of Mandelson .
I’m not a fan of Osborne but he certainly wouldn’t have shamed the country .
The problem is that Starmer is pretty much devoid of any ideas beyond not being a Tory. He won on that basis and from day 1 showed more interest in free suits and footie tickets than anything remotely resembling socialism. I've lived too long to expect much more from Labour. It's always been the 'Animal farm' party.
Don’t PMs have their own mind and Starmer could have simply said no , not happening .
He could have made a political appointment from a choice of quite a few candidates who weren’t didn’t have the baggage of Mandelson .
I’m not a fan of Osborne but he certainly wouldn’t have shamed the country .
The problem is that Starmer is pretty much devoid of any ideas beyond not being a Tory. He won on that basis and from day 1 showed more interest in free suits and footie tickets than anything remotely resembling socialism. I've lived too long to expect much more from Labour. It's always been the 'Animal farm' party.
"Not being a Tory"
No he is fine with that its Democratic Socialists he hates.
There is an argument that suggests Starmer really should do an Amber Rudd and resign on principle.
Starmer cocked up, Starmer should resign. I think I am more enraged by the knee -jerk sacking of Robbins than by the original appointment of Mandelson.
Having dug himself into a massive political hole, Starmer is taking out his anger on the person he thinks should have refused to give him a spade.
Robbins comes out of this terribly.
He claims that his decision to overrule UK Security Vetting to clear Mandelson had absolutely nothing to do with pressure from "No 10" (i.e. McSweeney), which no-one in their right mind would believe.
It's bad enough that it's now established he failed to report through his decision to overrule the vetting through to anyone at No 10, but his brazen claim that that was for anything other than the obvious explanation is risible.
He chose to do everything by private conversation and claims to have never actually read anything, which is also conveniently self serving because there is nothing there to prove he's lying.
He claims to be confused as to whether or not Mandelson had actually been rejected, as opposed to approved subject to mitigation, when the reports we had previously were all pointing definitively to the former, so he's unconvincingly trying to muddy the waters to save his skin.
Even worse, months later when the whole vetting process was subject to investigation by the Cabinet Secretary in the wake of Mandelson's sacking, he covered up his actions by still keeping everything under wraps.
None of that means that Starmer comes out of things much better, even though his initial version of events has been vindicated. Starmer's judgement in wanting to appoint Mandelson was of course suspect. But much worse was his judgement in appointing McSweeney and allowing him to so dominate the political activity at No 10, to such an extent that you wonder whether Starmer was only PM in name.
Agree - I'm surprised others don't see it the same way. Robbins has admitted he didn't even read the report from security vetting but still overruled their recommendation. And then not told anyone.
McSweeney comes out terribly also. And Starmer clearly had little idea of what was going on in his name, which is damning in its own way.
"To use the Foreign Office for vanity projects in this way is unforgivable."
Dame Emily Thornberry criticises No 10, after Sir Olly Robbins claims Downing St wanted to find a diplomatic role for former head of communications Lord Doyle.
Standard practice for the United States to appoint political and celebrity ambassadors.
Hello pb. Today I am feeling sad and angry because the headteacher of my daughter's school - an excellent, approachable head, who knew and liked and valued my daughter, who runs a very happy, very effective school, who seems universally liked, who has dedicated, I think, over a decade of his life to turning his school into the sort of school he'd always dreamed of - but who, a few years off retirement was not resting on his laurels, and always looking for new improvements to make, so that when my youngest starts there next September it will be even better - after diligently staying late putting in prep for approaching GCSEs - was knocked off his bike and killed on his way home to his wife and family by a car which then failed to stop for police (though arrests were subsequently made). I am sad and angry for him and his family that a good man has had his life taken from him, and sad and angry for the kids at that school - including, selfishly, my own - that they have had a truly great headmaster taken from them. No doubt he also had other aspects to his life which are now suddenly poorer without him.
This isn't an issue relevant to the wider world but I have a lot of offloading to do. Thanks for being a listening ear.
One of the things I enjoyed about that was the little qualifier that Starmer is doing all right on Iran. Which a) made it funnier, and b) made the rest of the diatribe more credible.
Also the bit at the end, where he says they’re even worse than the last lot because at least he didn’t vote for the last lot.
Jeez. Green have a higher ceiling than Reform. Straw in the wind. Only posters I've seen in windows are for the Greens. In a ward they came third in with 13% last time.
Starmer clearly decided long ago he has no political ability or knowledge of what he wants to do so he outsourced it all to McSweeney, who wanted Mandelson in.
Starmer therefore is pointless. He got Labour into government and kept us out of Iran. But we need somebody prepared and with some actual ideas who can actually do something with the majority Labour has.
The next election is clearly winnable. But not with this leadership.
I find myself in the odd position of thinking that the only choice is Andy Burnham.
NEW: In the last release of Peter Mandelson's vetting files, the then Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office said Keir Starmer wants to appoint a "small number of political ambassadors"
It would support Olly Robbins' claim that he was asked to find one for Matthew Doyle
Blame it on Ukraine/NATO to justify a full mobilisation?
That has to be a worry.
Except reports are it was a train derailment and everything is back to normal
Did social media get carried away over nothing?
Sounds like a few Moscovites thought it was the end of the World.
Moscovites are very much on edge. They are waiting on the big Ukrainian drone barrage on their hospitals, schools, markets, tower blocks.
Indeed.
They haven’t worked out yet, that while those buildings might be what Russia is targeting in Ukraine, the Ukranian targets in Russia are military bases, O&G facilities, and railway junctions.
One of the things I enjoyed about that was the little qualifier that Starmer is doing all right on Iran. Which a) made it funnier, and b) made the rest of the diatribe more credible.
Also the bit at the end, where he says they’re even worse than the last lot because at least he didn’t vote for the last lot.
Yes - I know Pie is a fictional character and his rants a construct, but I found that bit quite thought provoking.
Hello pb. Today I am feeling sad and angry because the headteacher of my daughter's school - an excellent, approachable head, who knew and liked and valued my daughter, who runs a very happy, very effective school, who seems universally liked, who has dedicated, I think, over a decade of his life to turning his school into the sort of school he'd always dreamed of - but who, a few years off retirement was not resting on his laurels, and always looking for new improvements to make, so that when my youngest starts there next September it will be even better - after diligently staying late putting in prep for approaching GCSEs - was knocked off his bike and killed on his way home to his wife and family by a car which then failed to stop for police (though arrests were subsequently made). I am sad and angry for him and his family that a good man has had his life taken from him, and sad and angry for the kids at that school - including, selfishly, my own - that they have had a truly great headmaster taken from them. No doubt he also had other aspects to his life which are now suddenly poorer without him.
This isn't an issue relevant to the wider world but I have a lot of offloading to do. Thanks for being a listening ear.
Hello pb. Today I am feeling sad and angry because the headteacher of my daughter's school - an excellent, approachable head, who knew and liked and valued my daughter, who runs a very happy, very effective school, who seems universally liked, who has dedicated, I think, over a decade of his life to turning his school into the sort of school he'd always dreamed of - but who, a few years off retirement was not resting on his laurels, and always looking for new improvements to make, so that when my youngest starts there next September it will be even better - after diligently staying late putting in prep for approaching GCSEs - was knocked off his bike and killed on his way home to his wife and family by a car which then failed to stop for police (though arrests were subsequently made). I am sad and angry for him and his family that a good man has had his life taken from him, and sad and angry for the kids at that school - including, selfishly, my own - that they have had a truly great headmaster taken from them. No doubt he also had other aspects to his life which are now suddenly poorer without him.
This isn't an issue relevant to the wider world but I have a lot of offloading to do. Thanks for being a listening ear.
That really does suck. Hopefully they catch the buggers that did it.
There is an argument that suggests Starmer really should do an Amber Rudd and resign on principle.
Starmer cocked up, Starmer should resign. I think I am more enraged by the knee -jerk sacking of Robbins than by the original appointment of Mandelson.
Having dug himself into a massive political hole, Starmer is taking out his anger on the person he thinks should have refused to give him a spade.
Robbins comes out of this terribly.
He claims that his decision to overrule UK Security Vetting to clear Mandelson had absolutely nothing to do with pressure from "No 10" (i.e. McSweeney), which no-one in their right mind would believe.
It's bad enough that it's now established he failed to report through his decision to overrule the vetting through to anyone at No 10, but his brazen claim that that was for anything other than the obvious explanation is risible.
He chose to do everything by private conversation and claims to have never actually read anything, which is also conveniently self serving because there is nothing there to prove he's lying.
He claims to be confused as to whether or not Mandelson had actually been rejected, as opposed to approved subject to mitigation, when the reports we had previously were all pointing definitively to the former, so he's unconvincingly trying to muddy the waters to save his skin.
Even worse, months later when the whole vetting process was subject to investigation by the Cabinet Secretary in the wake of Mandelson's sacking, he covered up his actions by still keeping everything under wraps.
None of that means that Starmer comes out of things much better, even though his initial version of events has been vindicated. Starmer's judgement in wanting to appoint Mandelson was of course suspect. But much worse was his judgement in appointing McSweeney and allowing him to so dominate the political activity at No 10, to such an extent that you wonder whether Starmer was only PM in name.
Agree - I'm surprised others don't see it the same way. Robbins has admitted he didn't even read the report from security vetting but still overruled their recommendation. And then not told anyone.
McSweeney comes out terribly also. And Starmer clearly had little idea of what was going on in his name, which is damning in its own way.
The media decided they had a narrative and were going to go with it regardless of what was said today .
You’d be hard pressed to find any mention that Robbins confirmed Starmer had not been told of any issues . Strangely Robbins was very reluctant to mention any names but was happy to talk about Doyle . There were quite a few convenient memory lapses . The media have been totally biased in their reporting . I’m not defending Starmer but really the BBC in particular has been woeful given its so called remit .
"To use the Foreign Office for vanity projects in this way is unforgivable."
Dame Emily Thornberry criticises No 10, after Sir Olly Robbins claims Downing St wanted to find a diplomatic role for former head of communications Lord Doyle.
Standard practice for the United States to appoint political and celebrity ambassadors.
Yes, unlike in the UK, it’s standard in the US for a lot of the high-profile ambassador roles to be given to political appointees whenever there’s a change of President or Sec of State. There’s a lot of cronyism when it comes to some of the plush roles.
Jeez. Green have a higher ceiling than Reform. Straw in the wind. Only posters I've seen in windows are for the Greens. In a ward they came third in with 13% last time.
Theres an awful lot ofGreen window posters in Norwich now but thats in wards they hold. But they are the only visible game in town (city) there
"To use the Foreign Office for vanity projects in this way is unforgivable."
Dame Emily Thornberry criticises No 10, after Sir Olly Robbins claims Downing St wanted to find a diplomatic role for former head of communications Lord Doyle.
Standard practice for the United States to appoint political and celebrity ambassadors.
Yes, unlike in the UK, it’s standard in the US for a lot of the high-profile ambassador roles to be given to political appointees whenever there’s a change of President or Sec of State. There’s a lot of cronyism when it comes to some of the plush roles.
I pointed out yesterday it’s an incentive at a certain level to get political donations, fancy being ambassador to France or the UK just give my campaign fund $xm
Hello pb. Today I am feeling sad and angry because the headteacher of my daughter's school - an excellent, approachable head, who knew and liked and valued my daughter, who runs a very happy, very effective school, who seems universally liked, who has dedicated, I think, over a decade of his life to turning his school into the sort of school he'd always dreamed of - but who, a few years off retirement was not resting on his laurels, and always looking for new improvements to make, so that when my youngest starts there next September it will be even better - after diligently staying late putting in prep for approaching GCSEs - was knocked off his bike and killed on his way home to his wife and family by a car which then failed to stop for police (though arrests were subsequently made). I am sad and angry for him and his family that a good man has had his life taken from him, and sad and angry for the kids at that school - including, selfishly, my own - that they have had a truly great headmaster taken from them. No doubt he also had other aspects to his life which are now suddenly poorer without him.
This isn't an issue relevant to the wider world but I have a lot of offloading to do. Thanks for being a listening ear.
Oh crap. ‘Like’ is the wrong emotion for posts like this. Condolences and best wishes to everyone at your daughter’s school, for what’s going to be a very difficult next few weeks.
Hello pb. Today I am feeling sad and angry because the headteacher of my daughter's school - an excellent, approachable head, who knew and liked and valued my daughter, who runs a very happy, very effective school, who seems universally liked, who has dedicated, I think, over a decade of his life to turning his school into the sort of school he'd always dreamed of - but who, a few years off retirement was not resting on his laurels, and always looking for new improvements to make, so that when my youngest starts there next September it will be even better - after diligently staying late putting in prep for approaching GCSEs - was knocked off his bike and killed on his way home to his wife and family by a car which then failed to stop for police (though arrests were subsequently made). I am sad and angry for him and his family that a good man has had his life taken from him, and sad and angry for the kids at that school - including, selfishly, my own - that they have had a truly great headmaster taken from them. No doubt he also had other aspects to his life which are now suddenly poorer without him.
This isn't an issue relevant to the wider world but I have a lot of offloading to do. Thanks for being a listening ear.
Really awful news. Really sorry to read it. There’s no excuse for car drivers not giving us 1.5 metres.
No 10 denies putting pressure on the FCDO. But admits to repeatedly asking for updates. Which if you have ever worked in the civil service you would understand means pressure.
(Hell, in the private sector, if the CEO's office kept asking you for updates on a project you were working on, you would regard that as pressure, if not a direct threat)
Blame it on Ukraine/NATO to justify a full mobilisation?
That has to be a worry.
Except reports are it was a train derailment and everything is back to normal
Did social media get carried away over nothing?
Sounds like a few Moscovites thought it was the end of the World.
Moscovites are very much on edge. They are waiting on the big Ukrainian drone barrage on their hospitals, schools, markets, tower blocks.
Indeed.
They haven’t worked out yet, that while those buildings might be what Russia is targeting in Ukraine, the Ukranian targets in Russia are military bases, O&G facilities, and railway junctions.
It’s very often the case that people from a society prepared to do X find it hard (or impossible) to imagine that other people wouldn’t do X to them at the drop of a hat.
To a Putinite, if Ukraine was powerful, rich, a member of the EU and NATO, then Ukraine would obviously attack Russia. Became the strong always attack the weak, in that world view.
So on Russian social media, it’s a commonplace that Ukraine is restrained by the might of Russia’s nuclear arsenal, and not by not being interested in destroying apartment blocks.
"To use the Foreign Office for vanity projects in this way is unforgivable."
Dame Emily Thornberry criticises No 10, after Sir Olly Robbins claims Downing St wanted to find a diplomatic role for former head of communications Lord Doyle.
Standard practice for the United States to appoint political and celebrity ambassadors.
Yes, unlike in the UK, it’s standard in the US for a lot of the high-profile ambassador roles to be given to political appointees whenever there’s a change of President or Sec of State. There’s a lot of cronyism when it comes to some of the plush roles.
I pointed out yesterday it’s an incentive at a certain level to get political donations, fancy being ambassador to France or the UK just give my campaign fund $xm
Or Barbados, the Maldives…
Talking of ambassadors, did we ever work out from where Japan found that absolutely brilliant guy they sent to the UK? He’s the most wonderful ambassador of all time!
It’s not that Starmer is immoral. I think he is actually amoral. To him there is no right or wrong. There is just “process” and “not process”. He literally can’t understand why people are angry at him. He diligently followed Process so should be getting good outcomes.
There are a lot of people like this, who essentially gamify life - systems and even people are just mechanisms that give you want you want if you supply the correct input. It’s a sociopathic view of humanity that Starmer shares with the typical scammer or pick up artist.
I don't think it is quite actual sociopathy in Starmer's case. Because of family and medical issues in his childhood, it is a case of having to do the right thing, act the grown up, handle situations from such a young age, that it was done by rote and never with the appreciation that you get by rebelling in your youth and becoming an adult from there.
He grew up at too young an age, and he is still that preternatural 10 year old grown up.
Blame it on Ukraine/NATO to justify a full mobilisation?
That has to be a worry.
Except reports are it was a train derailment and everything is back to normal
Did social media get carried away over nothing?
Sounds like a few Moscovites thought it was the end of the World.
Moscovites are very much on edge. They are waiting on the big Ukrainian drone barrage on their hospitals, schools, markets, tower blocks.
Indeed.
They haven’t worked out yet, that while those buildings might be what Russia is targeting in Ukraine, the Ukranian targets in Russia are military bases, O&G facilities, and railway junctions.
There's quite a lot of legitimate targets in Moscow. Railway infrastructure, defence installations (it is heavily garrisoned), government offices, factories. They probably won't go for the Kremlin as Russia would follow up on Pechersk Lavra, but even that is a working government building containing an official residence of the President
Jeez. Green have a higher ceiling than Reform. Straw in the wind. Only posters I've seen in windows are for the Greens. In a ward they came third in with 13% last time.
I’ve been out and about a few times and not seen any in either Sunderland, Gateshead, Jarra or North Tyneside at all.
I’m cycling to the coast road tomorrow so will have a look then. It all feels a little apathetic really.
Hello pb. Today I am feeling sad and angry because the headteacher of my daughter's school - an excellent, approachable head, who knew and liked and valued my daughter, who runs a very happy, very effective school, who seems universally liked, who has dedicated, I think, over a decade of his life to turning his school into the sort of school he'd always dreamed of - but who, a few years off retirement was not resting on his laurels, and always looking for new improvements to make, so that when my youngest starts there next September it will be even better - after diligently staying late putting in prep for approaching GCSEs - was knocked off his bike and killed on his way home to his wife and family by a car which then failed to stop for police (though arrests were subsequently made). I am sad and angry for him and his family that a good man has had his life taken from him, and sad and angry for the kids at that school - including, selfishly, my own - that they have had a truly great headmaster taken from them. No doubt he also had other aspects to his life which are now suddenly poorer without him.
This isn't an issue relevant to the wider world but I have a lot of offloading to do. Thanks for being a listening ear.
It's not a comfort, heck it's not a comfort...
... but one of the things good schools do (and your descriptions before today make me think it was a bloody good school) is remember their heroes.
He sounds like a good headmaster and a good man. May he rest in peace and rise in glory and be remembered with thanks in the meantime.
Starmer clearly decided long ago he has no political ability or knowledge of what he wants to do so he outsourced it all to McSweeney, who wanted Mandelson in.
Starmer therefore is pointless. He got Labour into government and kept us out of Iran. But we need somebody prepared and with some actual ideas who can actually do something with the majority Labour has.
The next election is clearly winnable. But not with this leadership.
I find myself in the odd position of thinking that the only choice is Andy Burnham.
Other than Greater Manchester Mayor, Burnham's track record is very, very poor. Think of Staffs Hospital Trust. Entirely Burnham's fault.
Hello pb. Today I am feeling sad and angry because the headteacher of my daughter's school - an excellent, approachable head, who knew and liked and valued my daughter, who runs a very happy, very effective school, who seems universally liked, who has dedicated, I think, over a decade of his life to turning his school into the sort of school he'd always dreamed of - but who, a few years off retirement was not resting on his laurels, and always looking for new improvements to make, so that when my youngest starts there next September it will be even better - after diligently staying late putting in prep for approaching GCSEs - was knocked off his bike and killed on his way home to his wife and family by a car which then failed to stop for police (though arrests were subsequently made). I am sad and angry for him and his family that a good man has had his life taken from him, and sad and angry for the kids at that school - including, selfishly, my own - that they have had a truly great headmaster taken from them. No doubt he also had other aspects to his life which are now suddenly poorer without him.
This isn't an issue relevant to the wider world but I have a lot of offloading to do. Thanks for being a listening ear.
Shocking. My sympathies to you and all at the school.
Blame it on Ukraine/NATO to justify a full mobilisation?
That has to be a worry.
Except reports are it was a train derailment and everything is back to normal
Did social media get carried away over nothing?
Sounds like a few Moscovites thought it was the end of the World.
Moscovites are very much on edge. They are waiting on the big Ukrainian drone barrage on their hospitals, schools, markets, tower blocks.
Indeed.
They haven’t worked out yet, that while those buildings might be what Russia is targeting in Ukraine, the Ukranian targets in Russia are military bases, O&G facilities, and railway junctions.
There's quite a lot of legitimate targets in Moscow. Railway infrastructure, defence installations (it is heavily garrisoned), government offices, factories. They probably won't go for the Kremlin as Russia would follow up on Pechersk Lavra, but even that is a working government building containing an official residence of the President
Jeez. Green have a higher ceiling than Reform. Straw in the wind. Only posters I've seen in windows are for the Greens. In a ward they came third in with 13% last time.
I’ve been out and about a few times and not seen any in either Sunderland, Gateshead, Jarra or North Tyneside at all.
I’m cycling to the coast road tomorrow so will have a look then. It all feels a little apathetic really.
Very invisible in SE London too. A few leaflets through the door. One or two window posters. I think the Greens have a decent chance of getting a plurality of seats in Lewisham though. Lib Dems looking good for 2 (they have zero currently).
I expect quite a lot of Independents too, of the Gaza variety.
Gonna be a hell of a lot of Green paper candidate winners if that is accurate.
And quite a few nasty Green fruit loops, like the Green candidate in Lambeth saying that it is perfectly fine to "ram" synagogues, this after a week in which there were 5 attacks on synagogues and Jewish places of business in London and this afternoon the police have arrested more people planning, allegedly, more such attacks. Doubtless the 1300 or so Jews living in the Borough of Lambeth will be cool with having such a person in power.
Let's hope none of the Green activists on a WhatsApp group saying that "Jews are an abomination on the planet" are elected, either, or any of the other Green candidates with some pretty vile hateful posts about a minority group which is under attack at the moment.
Because this might lead some people to wonder whether (a) Green vetting of candidates is quite why it should be; (b) quite what it is about the Greens which attracts such people; and (c) whether these really are the sort of people with fresh ideas who will make Britain a nicer fairer place.
No 10 denies putting pressure on the FCDO. But admits to repeatedly asking for updates. Which if you have ever worked in the civil service you would understand means pressure.
(Hell, in the private sector, if the CEO's office kept asking you for updates on a project you were working on, you would regard that as pressure, if not a direct threat)
Civil servants are supposed to speak truth to power. Good ones stand up to pressure. Apparently Philip Barton did this to insist on vetting.
"Just as the NHS is a prime reason for pride in Britain"
Polly Toynbee - today's Guardian
"During his evidence on Tuesday, April 21, Dr Malik was asked if he had ever felt pressure to not admit a [acute mental health crisis] patient or to discharge them early because of a lack of the availability of beds.
He said he had not personally made such a decision but was aware of “15, 18, 20 people” waiting for a bed for “days and weeks”.
This included patients who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, he said.
“People go on the bed list and, if there is no bed, then if they are in an acute hospital they remain there which is not ideal, and if they are in the care home or even in the community they will remain there.
Dr Malik said there have been times where patients have been sent to places as far away as Scotland but “sometimes there is no bed”. "
Dr Malik giving evidence to the public inquiry on Calocane killings in Nottingham
No 10 denies putting pressure on the FCDO. But admits to repeatedly asking for updates. Which if you have ever worked in the civil service you would understand means pressure.
(Hell, in the private sector, if the CEO's office kept asking you for updates on a project you were working on, you would regard that as pressure, if not a direct threat)
Civil servants are supposed to speak truth to power. Good ones stand up to pressure. Apparently Philip Barton did this to insist on vetting.
Sadly that makes them “the blob” in these populist times.
I found out today that the 2017 Tour de France Femmes is starting in Leeds and is coming through my village. I intend to watch them take on what is called The Murder Mile ( actually it is about 3k at 8.4%).
You will be amazed at how quickly they climb those slopes.
There is an argument that suggests Starmer really should do an Amber Rudd and resign on principle.
Starmer cocked up, Starmer should resign. I think I am more enraged by the knee -jerk sacking of Robbins than by the original appointment of Mandelson.
Having dug himself into a massive political hole, Starmer is taking out his anger on the person he thinks should have refused to give him a spade.
Robbins comes out of this terribly.
He claims that his decision to overrule UK Security Vetting to clear Mandelson had absolutely nothing to do with pressure from "No 10" (i.e. McSweeney), which no-one in their right mind would believe.
It's bad enough that it's now established he failed to report through his decision to overrule the vetting through to anyone at No 10, but his brazen claim that that was for anything other than the obvious explanation is risible.
He chose to do everything by private conversation and claims to have never actually read anything, which is also conveniently self serving because there is nothing there to prove he's lying.
He claims to be confused as to whether or not Mandelson had actually been rejected, as opposed to approved subject to mitigation, when the reports we had previously were all pointing definitively to the former, so he's unconvincingly trying to muddy the waters to save his skin.
Even worse, months later when the whole vetting process was subject to investigation by the Cabinet Secretary in the wake of Mandelson's sacking, he covered up his actions by still keeping everything under wraps.
None of that means that Starmer comes out of things much better, even though his initial version of events has been vindicated. Starmer's judgement in wanting to appoint Mandelson was of course suspect. But much worse was his judgement in appointing McSweeney and allowing him to so dominate the political activity at No 10, to such an extent that you wonder whether Starmer was only PM in name.
Agree - I'm surprised others don't see it the same way. Robbins has admitted he didn't even read the report from security vetting but still overruled their recommendation. And then not told anyone.
McSweeney comes out terribly also. And Starmer clearly had little idea of what was going on in his name, which is damning in its own way.
My summary would be that Robbins was deceptive, and Starmer unwise.
I expect quite a lot of Independents too, of the Gaza variety.
Me too. Which is why those "other" changes look a bit dodgy.
I fail to understand how being supportive of the poor people of Gaza qualifies one to deal with rubbish collection in an English city. Being Green yes, I quite understand, and indeed will almost certainly vote for them, the LibDems being invisible here.
Shokhat Adam elected as Indy in Leicester South (I think he is now sitting with the YP group, though not certain if formally a member of YP). He certainly campaigned on Gaza, but was elected on more than that. In particular he campaigned that the other parties took the local community for granted across the board.
Gaza is clearly an issue for these communities, but is also a signifier of wider issues, the canary in the coalmine. If the Labour party ignores them over Gaza, it ignores them on other issues too.
He has since proven to be an excellent constituency MP taking up many local concerns, including of my own church. To depict these as purely sectarian politicians is both to misrepresent and underestimate them. They are rooted in their local communities and hence may have a lot of appeal at council level too.
Glad to read that; Independents, if genuine representatives of their community, are something we don't have enough of in Parliament.
My comment was directed at those who seem to think that they can change something that is happening outside UK from a local Council seat.
Yes, I hope for most their international positions is accompanied by a similar love of getting stuck into boring and parochial local concerns - parties often don't delve into that, and you find a lot of people only do one term as it is just not for them, so indies going in you'd hope would already be interested in that stuff and the international stuff is basically just political fun and games. Otherwise they will irritate people.
"Just as the NHS is a prime reason for pride in Britain"
Polly Toynbee - today's Guardian
"During his evidence on Tuesday, April 21, Dr Malik was asked if he had ever felt pressure to not admit a [acute mental health crisis] patient or to discharge them early because of a lack of the availability of beds.
He said he had not personally made such a decision but was aware of “15, 18, 20 people” waiting for a bed for “days and weeks”.
This included patients who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, he said.
“People go on the bed list and, if there is no bed, then if they are in an acute hospital they remain there which is not ideal, and if they are in the care home or even in the community they will remain there.
Dr Malik said there have been times where patients have been sent to places as far away as Scotland but “sometimes there is no bed”. "
Dr Malik giving evidence to the public inquiry on Calocane killings in Nottingham
I just don't understand the NHS being the prime reason for pride - I like to have it, but it doesn't seem to be particularly excellent as far as Western health systems go? If others have better outcomes what is the best way to copy that?
Blame it on Ukraine/NATO to justify a full mobilisation?
That has to be a worry.
Except reports are it was a train derailment and everything is back to normal
Did social media get carried away over nothing?
Sounds like a few Moscovites thought it was the end of the World.
Moscovites are very much on edge. They are waiting on the big Ukrainian drone barrage on their hospitals, schools, markets, tower blocks.
Indeed.
They haven’t worked out yet, that while those buildings might be what Russia is targeting in Ukraine, the Ukranian targets in Russia are military bases, O&G facilities, and railway junctions.
There's quite a lot of legitimate targets in Moscow. Railway infrastructure, defence installations (it is heavily garrisoned), government offices, factories. They probably won't go for the Kremlin as Russia would follow up on Pechersk Lavra, but even that is a working government building containing an official residence of the President
Oh indeed, but from the Ukranian perspective they might as well use their limited ammunition on totally undefended oil refineries, rather than anything inside fortress Moscow.
On a side issue, where does this leave Lee Anderson?
He called SKS a liar in the Commons, and it turns out that the details were withheld by Robbins.
You’d be hard pressed to realize that from today’s media coverage. It’s been all about the so called pressure on the foreign office. The original charge against Starmer has been forgotten because Robbins gave an answer the media didn’t like .
There is an argument that suggests Starmer really should do an Amber Rudd and resign on principle.
Starmer cocked up, Starmer should resign. I think I am more enraged by the knee -jerk sacking of Robbins than by the original appointment of Mandelson.
Having dug himself into a massive political hole, Starmer is taking out his anger on the person he thinks should have refused to give him a spade.
Robbins comes out of this terribly.
He claims that his decision to overrule UK Security Vetting to clear Mandelson had absolutely nothing to do with pressure from "No 10" (i.e. McSweeney), which no-one in their right mind would believe.
It's bad enough that it's now established he failed to report through his decision to overrule the vetting through to anyone at No 10, but his brazen claim that that was for anything other than the obvious explanation is risible.
He chose to do everything by private conversation and claims to have never actually read anything, which is also conveniently self serving because there is nothing there to prove he's lying.
He claims to be confused as to whether or not Mandelson had actually been rejected, as opposed to approved subject to mitigation, when the reports we had previously were all pointing definitively to the former, so he's unconvincingly trying to muddy the waters to save his skin.
Even worse, months later when the whole vetting process was subject to investigation by the Cabinet Secretary in the wake of Mandelson's sacking, he covered up his actions by still keeping everything under wraps.
None of that means that Starmer comes out of things much better, even though his initial version of events has been vindicated. Starmer's judgement in wanting to appoint Mandelson was of course suspect. But much worse was his judgement in appointing McSweeney and allowing him to so dominate the political activity at No 10, to such an extent that you wonder whether Starmer was only PM in name.
Agree - I'm surprised others don't see it the same way. Robbins has admitted he didn't even read the report from security vetting but still overruled their recommendation. And then not told anyone.
McSweeney comes out terribly also. And Starmer clearly had little idea of what was going on in his name, which is damning in its own way.
My summary would be that Robbins was deceptive, and Starmer unwise.
Starmer would appear not to have technically lied but the sacking of Robbins makes him look utterly desperate, not to mention self-serving.
No 10 denies putting pressure on the FCDO. But admits to repeatedly asking for updates. Which if you have ever worked in the civil service you would understand means pressure.
(Hell, in the private sector, if the CEO's office kept asking you for updates on a project you were working on, you would regard that as pressure, if not a direct threat)
Civil servants are supposed to speak truth to power. Good ones stand up to pressure. Apparently Philip Barton did this to insist on vetting.
Politicians and the media hate it when civil servants do such a thing.
It's one of those things which people agree is a good idea, until it is applied to them. And it can go wrong as either they operate their own agendas under the guise of speaking truth, or don't even bother because it'll just get them yelled at.
That's one reason having good processes is both important and positive, but can be turned to ill ends as well, as we know all too well, and then people seek to dismantle even the useful processes as hindrances to their will. I've seen that kind of happen many times, with direct accusations made when even an actual legally required process is put in the way of 'democratic' will.
"To use the Foreign Office for vanity projects in this way is unforgivable."
Dame Emily Thornberry criticises No 10, after Sir Olly Robbins claims Downing St wanted to find a diplomatic role for former head of communications Lord Doyle.
Standard practice for the United States to appoint political and celebrity ambassadors.
Yes, unlike in the UK, it’s standard in the US for a lot of the high-profile ambassador roles to be given to political appointees whenever there’s a change of President or Sec of State. There’s a lot of cronyism when it comes to some of the plush roles.
Until Trump, it wasn't the practice to appoint family member convicted felons, though.
Imagine if Biden had made Hunter ambassador to Paris.
Hello pb. Today I am feeling sad and angry because the headteacher of my daughter's school - an excellent, approachable head, who knew and liked and valued my daughter, who runs a very happy, very effective school, who seems universally liked, who has dedicated, I think, over a decade of his life to turning his school into the sort of school he'd always dreamed of - but who, a few years off retirement was not resting on his laurels, and always looking for new improvements to make, so that when my youngest starts there next September it will be even better - after diligently staying late putting in prep for approaching GCSEs - was knocked off his bike and killed on his way home to his wife and family by a car which then failed to stop for police (though arrests were subsequently made). I am sad and angry for him and his family that a good man has had his life taken from him, and sad and angry for the kids at that school - including, selfishly, my own - that they have had a truly great headmaster taken from them. No doubt he also had other aspects to his life which are now suddenly poorer without him.
This isn't an issue relevant to the wider world but I have a lot of offloading to do. Thanks for being a listening ear.
Shocking. My sympathies to you and all at the school.
Sincere condolences to all affected and it is a relevant issue to the wider world, at times we are all vulnerable road users, if not cyclists then pedestrians
"Just as the NHS is a prime reason for pride in Britain"
Polly Toynbee - today's Guardian
"During his evidence on Tuesday, April 21, Dr Malik was asked if he had ever felt pressure to not admit a [acute mental health crisis] patient or to discharge them early because of a lack of the availability of beds.
He said he had not personally made such a decision but was aware of “15, 18, 20 people” waiting for a bed for “days and weeks”.
This included patients who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, he said.
“People go on the bed list and, if there is no bed, then if they are in an acute hospital they remain there which is not ideal, and if they are in the care home or even in the community they will remain there.
Dr Malik said there have been times where patients have been sent to places as far away as Scotland but “sometimes there is no bed”. "
Dr Malik giving evidence to the public inquiry on Calocane killings in Nottingham
I just don't understand the NHS being the prime reason for pride - I like to have it, but it doesn't seem to be particularly excellent as far as Western health systems go? If others have better outcomes what is the best way to copy that?
I think the best way to copy it is to pick a random grab-bag of ideas after a short fact-finding visit, pick a few, realise you don't have the money, then randomly shoe-horn them in piece-meal and make things worse overall.
Repeat that a few times and you'll get a comfy seat in the Lords.
From my experience far too many people treat procedures and processes as a substitute for judgment rather than as an aid to it. Big mistake.
Judgment is like a muscle. If you don't use it every day, it won't be there when you most need it. As we can see with Starmer.
As ever you hit the nail on the head very well. Procedures and processes are very useful indeed, lack of them causes many problems, but it will still arrive at a point where leadership and judgement is needed.
As a somewhat tangential point, this is one reason I don't like it when it is presumed that taking things out of the hands of politicians and into the hands of some Quango is inherently better, as it is treated as though politicians applying judgement must by definition be wrong, whereas some quango...applying judgement, but less democratically, will inherently be better. It can be, particularly technical matters, but it's not automatic.
"Just as the NHS is a prime reason for pride in Britain"
Polly Toynbee - today's Guardian
"During his evidence on Tuesday, April 21, Dr Malik was asked if he had ever felt pressure to not admit a [acute mental health crisis] patient or to discharge them early because of a lack of the availability of beds.
He said he had not personally made such a decision but was aware of “15, 18, 20 people” waiting for a bed for “days and weeks”.
This included patients who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, he said.
“People go on the bed list and, if there is no bed, then if they are in an acute hospital they remain there which is not ideal, and if they are in the care home or even in the community they will remain there.
Dr Malik said there have been times where patients have been sent to places as far away as Scotland but “sometimes there is no bed”. "
Dr Malik giving evidence to the public inquiry on Calocane killings in Nottingham
I just don't understand the NHS being the prime reason for pride - I like to have it, but it doesn't seem to be particularly excellent as far as Western health systems go? If others have better outcomes what is the best way to copy that?
"Just as the NHS is a prime reason for pride in Britain"
Polly Toynbee - today's Guardian
"During his evidence on Tuesday, April 21, Dr Malik was asked if he had ever felt pressure to not admit a [acute mental health crisis] patient or to discharge them early because of a lack of the availability of beds.
He said he had not personally made such a decision but was aware of “15, 18, 20 people” waiting for a bed for “days and weeks”.
This included patients who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, he said.
“People go on the bed list and, if there is no bed, then if they are in an acute hospital they remain there which is not ideal, and if they are in the care home or even in the community they will remain there.
Dr Malik said there have been times where patients have been sent to places as far away as Scotland but “sometimes there is no bed”. "
Dr Malik giving evidence to the public inquiry on Calocane killings in Nottingham
I just don't understand the NHS being the prime reason for pride - I like to have it, but it doesn't seem to be particularly excellent as far as Western health systems go? If others have better outcomes what is the best way to copy that?
I think the best way to copy it is to pick a random grab-bag of ideas after a short fact-finding visit, pick a few, realise you don't have the money, then randomly shoe-horn them in piece-meal and make things worse overall.
Repeat that a few times and you'll get a comfy seat in the Lords.
With that level of insight you must be earning 7 figures in a consultancy firm.
I can't think of many things more dishonourable than sacking an underling for your incompetence. Not unknown in the whacky world of advertising I have to admit but it always left an indelible black mark on the person who did it.
As a long time Labour voter could I suggest to Keir Starmer that the best way of keeping what's left of his integrity intact is to resign with immediate effect and with a huge apology to Olly Robbins.
"To use the Foreign Office for vanity projects in this way is unforgivable."
Dame Emily Thornberry criticises No 10, after Sir Olly Robbins claims Downing St wanted to find a diplomatic role for former head of communications Lord Doyle.
Standard practice for the United States to appoint political and celebrity ambassadors.
Yes, a rather obvious and open bit of corruption (and one which firmly predates Trump), where big donors get an ambassadorship.
Quite why they want one I am not really clear, but I suppose they cannot fork out cash for a knighthood so have to get something instead.
No 10 denies putting pressure on the FCDO. But admits to repeatedly asking for updates. Which if you have ever worked in the civil service you would understand means pressure.
(Hell, in the private sector, if the CEO's office kept asking you for updates on a project you were working on, you would regard that as pressure, if not a direct threat)
Civil servants are supposed to speak truth to power. Good ones stand up to pressure. Apparently Philip Barton did this to insist on vetting.
Insisting on vetting was silly, all parties knew Mandelson couldn't pass unless vetting was either incompetent or dodgy itself. So if its that important just insist Mandelson can't be appointed or you will resign and make it an issue.
Perhaps the correct thing would have been for the FO to simply publicly confirm the appointment was political, owned fully by Starmer and not subject to vetting.
I expect quite a lot of Independents too, of the Gaza variety.
Gonna be a hell of a lot of Green paper candidate winners if that is accurate.
And quite a few nasty Green fruit loops, like the Green candidate in Lambeth saying that it is perfectly fine to "ram" synagogues, this after a week in which there were 5 attacks on synagogues and Jewish places of business in London and this afternoon the police have arrested more people planning, allegedly, more such attacks. Doubtless the 1300 or so Jews living in the Borough of Lambeth will be cool with having such a person in power.
Let's hope none of the Green activists on a WhatsApp group saying that "Jews are an abomination on the planet" are elected, either, or any of the other Green candidates with some pretty vile hateful posts about a minority group which is under attack at the moment.
Because this might lead some people to wonder whether (a) Green vetting of candidates is quite why it should be; (b) quite what it is about the Greens which attracts such people; and (c) whether these really are the sort of people with fresh ideas who will make Britain a nicer fairer place.
The normalisation of anti-Jewish hatred in this country among organisations and people usually considered respectable in recent years is one of the most worrying developments. It is a sign of a sick society. The stock answer from politicians - "there is no place in Britain for ... yadda yadda" is nonsense. Because there clearly is a place for it, it is well-embedded, it is spreading and it is resulting in actual murders, attempted murders, assaults, arson, other attempted criminal damage and incitement to violence against Jews, our fellow citizens. And the authorities are simply not taking it as seriously as they should.
Comments
The idea that he should be sacked for this is risible and enormously diminishes Starmer in my eyes. This wasn't a quasi political figure like Sue Gray or Morgan McSweeney. He was a Civil Servant doing his job to the best of his considerable ability. It is, in my view, an even more disgraceful decision than appointing Mandelson in the first place.
EXCLUSIVE
The next tranche of the Mandelson files will not be released until ***after the King's speech on May 13th***, our podcast The State of It can reveal
The ISC is currently going through hundreds of files assessing whether content could damage national security or international affairs
That process is likely to conclude this week but the Cabinet Office has a right of appeal, which will take us beyond the prorogation of Parliament next week
The Kobeissi Letter
@KobeissiLetter
·
19m
BREAKING: A White House official says VP JD Vance has NOT departed for Iran talks yet.
JD Vance is supposed to be leading the US delegation for a second round of peace talks in Pakistan.
Iran has denied that any delegation has arrived in Pakistan for negotiations with the US.
https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2046621699420884996
Don’t PMs have their own mind and Starmer could have simply said no , not happening .
He could have made a political appointment from a choice of quite a few candidates who weren’t didn’t have the baggage of Mandelson .
I’m not a fan of Osborne but he certainly wouldn’t have shamed the country .
Washington is an 18-hour flight from Islamabad, and it’s 10pm in Pakistan now. If he hasn’t left yet, he’s not going to be there for much of tomorrow.
https://x.com/peterrhague/status/2046485441705074890
It’s not that Starmer is immoral. I think he is actually amoral. To him there is no right or wrong. There is just “process” and “not process”. He literally can’t understand why people are angry at him. He diligently followed Process so should be getting good outcomes.
There are a lot of people like this, who essentially gamify life - systems and even people are just mechanisms that give you want you want if you supply the correct input. It’s a sociopathic view of humanity that Starmer shares with the typical scammer or pick up artist.
Gaza is clearly an issue for these communities, but is also a signifier of wider issues, the canary in the coalmine. If the Labour party ignores them over Gaza, it ignores them on other issues too.
He has since proven to be an excellent constituency MP taking up many local concerns, including of my own church. To depict these as purely sectarian politicians is both to misrepresent and underestimate them. They are rooted in their local communities and hence may have a lot of appeal at council level too.
The idea is that humans are fallible, biased etc. so instead of human discretion, moral compasses etc. a Process is created.
If the Process is complicated enough it will perfectly cover all possible cases.
This removes the human event from decision making.
Follow the process and your action will be legal, hosted and morally pure.
To question this, is in the sight of its believers, a declaration of anarchic intent.
The problem is that humans and their world are non-linear. And rules are linear. This means, mathematically, the Process State can’t work.
We need human decisions.
And our man Olly enters the picture.
"To use the Foreign Office for vanity projects in this way is unforgivable."
Dame Emily Thornberry criticises No 10, after Sir Olly Robbins claims Downing St wanted to find a diplomatic role for former head of communications Lord Doyle.
My comment was directed at those who seem to think that they can change something that is happening outside UK from a local Council seat.
No he is fine with that its Democratic Socialists he hates.
Linked here MM
More in Common Locals Seat Projection Scenarios:
Low Estimate:
Reform: +1,273
Green: +573
Lib Dem: +148
Labour: -1,867
Conservative: -692
Middle Estimate:
Reform: +1,437
Green: +926
Lib Dem: +327
Labour: -1,738
Conservative: -627
High Estimate:
Green: +1,741
Reform: +1,603
Lib Dem: +503
Labour: -1,597
Conservative: -368
Source:
@Moreincommon_
May 7 Briefing
https://moreincommon.org.uk/media/p43ake24/2026-elections-deck-2.pdf
McSweeney comes out terribly also. And Starmer clearly had little idea of what was going on in his name, which is damning in its own way.
@YouGov have released their latest Senedd election prediction poll with @cardiffuni and @ITVCymruWales:
Reform UK - 29% (+2)
Plaid Cymru - 29% (-4)
Labour - 13% (=)
Green - 10% (-2)
Conservatives - 8% (+1)
Lib Dems - 6% (+1)
Other - 4% (-1)
I am sad and angry for him and his family that a good man has had his life taken from him, and sad and angry for the kids at that school - including, selfishly, my own - that they have had a truly great headmaster taken from them. No doubt he also had other aspects to his life which are now suddenly poorer without him.
This isn't an issue relevant to the wider world but I have a lot of offloading to do. Thanks for being a listening ear.
Straw in the wind. Only posters I've seen in windows are for the Greens. In a ward they came third in with 13% last time.
Starmer therefore is pointless. He got Labour into government and kept us out of Iran. But we need somebody prepared and with some actual ideas who can actually do something with the majority Labour has.
The next election is clearly winnable. But not with this leadership.
I find myself in the odd position of thinking that the only choice is Andy Burnham.
NEW: In the last release of Peter Mandelson's vetting files, the then Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office said Keir Starmer wants to appoint a "small number of political ambassadors"
It would support Olly Robbins' claim that he was asked to find one for Matthew Doyle
They haven’t worked out yet, that while those buildings might be what Russia is targeting in Ukraine, the Ukranian targets in Russia are military bases, O&G facilities, and railway junctions.
You’d be hard pressed to find any mention that Robbins confirmed Starmer had not been told of any issues . Strangely Robbins was very reluctant to mention any names but was happy to talk about Doyle . There were quite a few convenient memory lapses . The media have been totally biased in their reporting . I’m not defending Starmer but really the BBC in particular has been woeful given its so called remit .
No AI characters it seems.
All very upbeat.
When it came on I said to her magnificence ‘bloody small boats again’
Nope. Just Bojo style boosterism. A bit ‘Sheffield Rally’ really.
Life is short and precious and should be valued.
(Hell, in the private sector, if the CEO's office kept asking you for updates on a project you were working on, you would regard that as pressure, if not a direct threat)
To a Putinite, if Ukraine was powerful, rich, a member of the EU and NATO, then Ukraine would obviously attack Russia. Became the strong always attack the weak, in that world view.
So on Russian social media, it’s a commonplace that Ukraine is restrained by the might of Russia’s nuclear arsenal, and not by not being interested in destroying apartment blocks.
Talking of ambassadors, did we ever work out from where Japan found that absolutely brilliant guy they sent to the UK? He’s the most wonderful ambassador of all time!
He grew up at too young an age, and he is still that preternatural 10 year old grown up.
I’m cycling to the coast road tomorrow so will have a look then. It all feels a little apathetic really.
... but one of the things good schools do (and your descriptions before today make me think it was a bloody good school) is remember their heroes.
He sounds like a good headmaster and a good man. May he rest in peace and rise in glory and be remembered with thanks in the meantime.
Let's hope none of the Green activists on a WhatsApp group saying that "Jews are an abomination on the planet" are elected, either, or any of the other Green candidates with some pretty vile hateful posts about a minority group which is under attack at the moment.
Because this might lead some people to wonder whether (a) Green vetting of candidates is quite why it should be; (b) quite what it is about the Greens which attracts such people; and (c) whether these really are the sort of people with fresh ideas who will make Britain a nicer fairer place.
Polly Toynbee - today's Guardian
"During his evidence on Tuesday, April 21, Dr Malik was asked if he had ever felt pressure to not admit a [acute mental health crisis] patient or to discharge them early because of a lack of the availability of beds.
He said he had not personally made such a decision but was aware of “15, 18, 20 people” waiting for a bed for “days and weeks”.
This included patients who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, he said.
“People go on the bed list and, if there is no bed, then if they are in an acute hospital they remain there which is not ideal, and if they are in the care home or even in the community they will remain there.
Dr Malik said there have been times where patients have been sent to places as far away as Scotland but “sometimes there is no bed”. "
Dr Malik giving evidence to the public inquiry on Calocane killings in Nottingham
https://metro.co.uk/2026/04/21/trump-stopped-accessing-nuclear-codes-furious-row-28064942/amp/
He called SKS a liar in the Commons, and it turns out that the details were withheld by Robbins.
Judgment is like a muscle. If you don't use it every day, it won't be there when you most need it. As we can see with Starmer.
It's one of those things which people agree is a good idea, until it is applied to them. And it can go wrong as either they operate their own agendas under the guise of speaking truth, or don't even bother because it'll just get them yelled at.
That's one reason having good processes is both important and positive, but can be turned to ill ends as well, as we know all too well, and then people seek to dismantle even the useful processes as hindrances to their will. I've seen that kind of happen many times, with direct accusations made when even an actual legally required process is put in the way of 'democratic' will.
Imagine if Biden had made Hunter ambassador to Paris.
Sadly hit and run of vulnerable road users is all too common
https://road.cc/news/zero-arrests-from-106-hit-and-runs-on-cyclists-in-london-last-year-as-cycling-campaigners-slam-completely-unacceptable-figures
Repeat that a few times and you'll get a comfy seat in the Lords.
As a somewhat tangential point, this is one reason I don't like it when it is presumed that taking things out of the hands of politicians and into the hands of some Quango is inherently better, as it is treated as though politicians applying judgement must by definition be wrong, whereas some quango...applying judgement, but less democratically, will inherently be better. It can be, particularly technical matters, but it's not automatic.
As a long time Labour voter could I suggest to Keir Starmer that the best way of keeping what's left of his integrity intact is to resign with immediate effect and with a huge apology to Olly Robbins.
Quite why they want one I am not really clear, but I suppose they cannot fork out cash for a knighthood so have to get something instead.
Perhaps the correct thing would have been for the FO to simply publicly confirm the appointment was political, owned fully by Starmer and not subject to vetting.