Trump purges another Republican critic with Massie defeat in Kentucky
U.S. President Donald Trump scored another victory in his campaign to punish disloyal Republicans on Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary race, underscoring the risks for lawmakers who defy Trump.
The voters of Kentucky’s 4th District decided to get rid of the guy who voted against the budget in Congress, and was more interested in personal grandstanding than representing the views of his constituents.
Or it shows GOP activists and PACs have been captured by Trump.
Sandpit is remarkably loyal to Trump and MAGA, in the face of all comers and even when their ideology is at odds with his (e.g. Ukraine). I’m not sure there’s a more completely, full-spectrum loyal poster to an individual politician or movement on PB. Not even BigG. If anything the norm is for posters conveniently to disavow allegiance, St Peter style, when the cock crows.
Not at all, I don’t even particularly like Trump. I just push back against the prevailing narritive that everything he does is bad, or that he’s only doing something because of some ulterior motive.
I’m firmly of the opinion that, were he to announce a cure for cancer, the US media and most of this forum would be trying to present it negatively.
I’ve definitely critised Trump on Ukraine, as I did with Biden before him. They have both been weak in different ways, and I don’t like Bessent’s trading of Russian oil just as I don’t like Miliband’s doing the same.
My over-riding opinion on US politics is on the other side, that the Democrats have been captured by wokery, communism, and increasingly antisemitism. They’re starting to look like the Greens in the UK, with the mayor of New York talking about opening state-run grocery stores, and the mayor of LA talking about giving free dentistry to illegal immigrant homeless meth-heads living on the streets.
Anyway, work to do!
Come on, you know PB
If you’re not participating in the daily hate on Trump you’re clearly a fan. It’s that binary
The $1.776 billion of US tax payers money to compensate the Jan 6th rioters combined with an agreement to never audit and Trump or Trump family tax return is one of the most blatent bits of corruption in modern history.
But I suppose we need to "both sides" it. After all corruption, golden statues and a Jesus complex are all fine and dandy if you bash the Libs.
One of the oddest things is how some of the PBers most interested in Hunter Biden's scandals (which had only the most tenuous links to his father) seem to take little or no interest in the blatant, direct and corrupt involvement of Trump's family in government.
Dogs and tails.
While the Trump brats are grifting on a record scale they're not the puppet master Hunter Biden was.
Nor do I remember anyone defending the Trump brats and claiming they were victims of a political witch hunt.
Sorry, what??? Hunter Biden is a puppet master??????
Trump purges another Republican critic with Massie defeat in Kentucky
U.S. President Donald Trump scored another victory in his campaign to punish disloyal Republicans on Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary race, underscoring the risks for lawmakers who defy Trump.
The voters of Kentucky’s 4th District decided to get rid of the guy who voted against the budget in Congress, and was more interested in personal grandstanding than representing the views of his constituents.
Or it shows GOP activists and PACs have been captured by Trump.
Sandpit is remarkably loyal to Trump and MAGA, in the face of all comers and even when their ideology is at odds with his (e.g. Ukraine). I’m not sure there’s a more completely, full-spectrum loyal poster to an individual politician or movement on PB. Not even BigG. If anything the norm is for posters conveniently to disavow allegiance, St Peter style, when the cock crows.
Not at all, I don’t even particularly like Trump. I just push back against the prevailing narritive that everything he does is bad, or that he’s only doing something because of some ulterior motive.
I’m firmly of the opinion that, were he to announce a cure for cancer, the US media and most of this forum would be trying to present it negatively.
I’ve definitely critised Trump on Ukraine, as I did with Biden before him. They have both been weak in different ways, and I don’t like Bessent’s trading of Russian oil just as I don’t like Miliband’s doing the same.
My over-riding opinion on US politics is on the other side, that the Democrats have been captured by wokery, communism, and increasingly antisemitism. They’re starting to look like the Greens in the UK, with the mayor of New York talking about opening state-run grocery stores, and the mayor of LA talking about giving free dentistry to illegal immigrant homeless meth-heads living on the streets.
Anyway, work to do!
Come on, you know PB
If you’re not participating in the daily hate on Trump you’re clearly a fan. It’s that binary
The $1.776 billion of US tax payers money to compensate the Jan 6th rioters combined with an agreement to never audit and Trump or Trump family tax return is one of the most blatent bits of corruption in modern history.
But I suppose we need to "both sides" it. After all corruption, golden statues and a Jesus complex are all fine and dandy if you bash the Libs.
One of the oddest things is how some of the PBers most interested in Hunter Biden's scandals (which had only the most tenuous links to his father) seem to take little or no interest in the blatant, direct and corrupt involvement of Trump's family in government.
Dogs and tails.
While the Trump brats are grifting on a record scale they're not the puppet master Hunter Biden was.
Nor do I remember anyone defending the Trump brats and claiming they were victims of a political witch hunt.
Sorry, what??? Hunter Biden is a puppet master??????
Hunter Biden is a grifting twat. In a long tradition of embarrassing, grifting twat relatives of statesmen.
The Trump family grift is on an epic scale. Reminds me of the South Korean president who was found to have take $500 million in bribes. Back when $500 million was crazy big money.
"The problem is how you define “the rich.” The top 1% have good tax lawyers"
That's one of the problems. The other problems with taxing the rich, however defined, are that
- they are key to the country's savings and entrepreneurial investment decisions, so you damage long run economic growth - they are unusually internationally mobile, so they can just leave, as around 25,000 millionaires have since Labour took office - much of their wealth is tied up in primary residences, which are quite difficult to tax beyond a certain small amount, because they doesn't directly generate cash, while such property transactions can be taxed but doing so gums up labour mobility, and anyway the UK already has some of the highest property taxes, especially at the high end, in the world - previous governments over the past generation have used this expedient many times anyway.
Overall, taxing the rich more than the heavy burden they already pay is a terrible idea, economically destructive and financially counter-productive. So I imagine the new Labour leader will probably jump at it.
The obvious one is to raise top rate to 50%.
Which would also be fucking stupid.
All great ideas for helping Dubai bounce back hard from the current crisis in the region.
It'd do that, and drive less work and employment in the country, and more movement from the private to the public sector, as some people just decided it wasn't worth it anymore.
So I'd expect no boost to the public finances, and it'd probably make it even worse.
VAT on school fees was the dry run for ideology over mathematics.
They want to “Tax The Rich”, with no thought whatsoever as to 2nd and 3rd order effects on the wider economy.
The much predicted terrible negative effects of VAT on school fees never actually materialised.
It was imposed in January 2025 so after a full year of it we should know -
- how much money it has raised - net because schools can now claim back VAT and will also have been able to claim back VAT on capital expenditure going back a number of years. Some of the schools with the highest fees have spent a lot on capital projects. - How many schools have closed, what the tax losses from such closures have been and where those children are now educated: state or private. - How many teachers have been hired with the money raised? - Whether there has been a reduction in bursaries or other measures by affected schools and what the cost of this is.
Until we have this information it is not really possible to say how good or otherwise this policy is.
Trump purges another Republican critic with Massie defeat in Kentucky
U.S. President Donald Trump scored another victory in his campaign to punish disloyal Republicans on Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary race, underscoring the risks for lawmakers who defy Trump.
Good for Trump in terms of GOP loyalists being GOP candidates but stoping the GOP being a broad church makes the mid terms very much a de facto referendum on him
Yes Trump is trashing the hopes of the Republican party by placing MAGA loyalists on the ballot for the mid-terms replacing traditional experienced Republicans. Does he not realise or does he not care?
The redistricting might also rebound on the Republicans. If a state is 55/45 Rep/Dem and is split into ten districts, each 55/45 then the Republicans get all ten. But on a 6% swing to the Democrats, the Republicans lose all ten. It's not as simple as that of course, but it illustrates that there is a tipping point. It's not linear.
Actually I think his narcissm is so out of control that Trump genuinely thinks his imprimatur will win out in the end. I think he means all that deranged stuff about dishonest, crooked polls showing his numbers are underwater.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The founder of Firepoint, the Ukrainian dinner and missile manufacturer, recently claimed Ukraine could completely blockade Russian oil export terminated in the Baltic and Black Seas.
I do wonder how much pressure is being applied behind the scenes by European governments, including the UK, to persuade them not to do so. As though a war can be won without incurring any discomfort.
The recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure around Moscow might be thought to concentrate their attacks on damaging Russia's domestic oil industry, rather than its export industry. Maybe that's a good idea anyway, but I do wonder.
Same reasons for the gas pipelines that go through Ukraine.
Trump purges another Republican critic with Massie defeat in Kentucky
U.S. President Donald Trump scored another victory in his campaign to punish disloyal Republicans on Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary race, underscoring the risks for lawmakers who defy Trump.
The voters of Kentucky’s 4th District decided to get rid of the guy who voted against the budget in Congress, and was more interested in personal grandstanding than representing the views of his constituents.
Or it shows GOP activists and PACs have been captured by Trump.
Sandpit is remarkably loyal to Trump and MAGA, in the face of all comers and even when their ideology is at odds with his (e.g. Ukraine). I’m not sure there’s a more completely, full-spectrum loyal poster to an individual politician or movement on PB. Not even BigG. If anything the norm is for posters conveniently to disavow allegiance, St Peter style, when the cock crows.
Not at all, I don’t even particularly like Trump. I just push back against the prevailing narritive that everything he does is bad, or that he’s only doing something because of some ulterior motive.
I’m firmly of the opinion that, were he to announce a cure for cancer, the US media and most of this forum would be trying to present it negatively.
I’ve definitely critised Trump on Ukraine, as I did with Biden before him. They have both been weak in different ways, and I don’t like Bessent’s trading of Russian oil just as I don’t like Miliband’s doing the same.
My over-riding opinion on US politics is on the other side, that the Democrats have been captured by wokery, communism, and increasingly antisemitism. They’re starting to look like the Greens in the UK, with the mayor of New York talking about opening state-run grocery stores, and the mayor of LA talking about giving free dentistry to illegal immigrant homeless meth-heads living on the streets.
Anyway, work to do!
Come on, you know PB
If you’re not participating in the daily hate on Trump you’re clearly a fan. It’s that binary
The $1.776 billion of US tax payers money to compensate the Jan 6th rioters combined with an agreement to never audit and Trump or Trump family tax return is one of the most blatent bits of corruption in modern history.
But I suppose we need to "both sides" it. After all corruption, golden statues and a Jesus complex are all fine and dandy if you bash the Libs.
One of the oddest things is how some of the PBers most interested in Hunter Biden's scandals (which had only the most tenuous links to his father) seem to take little or no interest in the blatant, direct and corrupt involvement of Trump's family in government.
Dogs and tails.
While the Trump brats are grifting on a record scale they're not the puppet master Hunter Biden was.
Nor do I remember anyone defending the Trump brats and claiming they were victims of a political witch hunt.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The founder of Firepoint, the Ukrainian dinner and missile manufacturer, recently claimed Ukraine could completely blockade Russian oil export terminated in the Baltic and Black Seas.
I do wonder how much pressure is being applied behind the scenes by European governments, including the UK, to persuade them not to do so. As though a war can be won without incurring any discomfort.
The recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure around Moscow might be thought to concentrate their attacks on damaging Russia's domestic oil industry, rather than its export industry. Maybe that's a good idea anyway, but I do wonder.
Same reasons for the gas pipelines that go through Ukraine.
If anyone in Europe thinks there will be any serviceable Russian O&G pipelines through Ukraine next winter, they are going to find themselves woefully unprepared.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
If the Russians don’t want their oil facilities destroyed they can stop their war on Ukraine.
EXCL: Taxpayers were stung £35k so Andy Burnham could pose with a yellow train when he had nothing to announce.
Emails between Transport for Manchester staff: "Andy wants to do a one year out media moment in December… we haven’t really got anything to say. What’s your thoughts on the likelihood of us getting him a yellow train to stand in front of?”
FOIs show it cost £35k to wrap the train yellow for that photo op.
EXCL: Taxpayers were stung £35k so Andy Burnham could pose with a yellow train when he had nothing to announce.
Emails between Transport for Manchester staff: "Andy wants to do a one year out media moment in December… we haven’t really got anything to say. What’s your thoughts on the likelihood of us getting him a yellow train to stand in front of?”
FOIs show it cost £35k to wrap the train yellow for that photo op.
EXCL: Taxpayers were stung £35k so Andy Burnham could pose with a yellow train when he had nothing to announce.
Emails between Transport for Manchester staff: "Andy wants to do a one year out media moment in December… we haven’t really got anything to say. What’s your thoughts on the likelihood of us getting him a yellow train to stand in front of?”
FOIs show it cost £35k to wrap the train yellow for that photo op.
How'd that cost £35k?
Presumably it's how much they were billed for the branding. It's probably not really fair to frame it as just being for Burnham's photo op.
A Transport for Manchester spokesperson said: “We’d agreed with Northern to brand some trains, to start to raise public awareness of what will be the biggest change to rail travel in Greater Manchester for generations. "
EXCL: Taxpayers were stung £35k so Andy Burnham could pose with a yellow train when he had nothing to announce.
Emails between Transport for Manchester staff: "Andy wants to do a one year out media moment in December… we haven’t really got anything to say. What’s your thoughts on the likelihood of us getting him a yellow train to stand in front of?”
FOIs show it cost £35k to wrap the train yellow for that photo op.
How'd that cost £35k?
To be fair, it can cost £3-5k to wrap a car. The stuff isn’t cheap.
Remember the massive scandal when the PM’s plane got painted, under the last government? At least it’s still painted, and wasn’t just to show off for one trip.
EXCL: Taxpayers were stung £35k so Andy Burnham could pose with a yellow train when he had nothing to announce.
Emails between Transport for Manchester staff: "Andy wants to do a one year out media moment in December… we haven’t really got anything to say. What’s your thoughts on the likelihood of us getting him a yellow train to stand in front of?”
FOIs show it cost £35k to wrap the train yellow for that photo op.
How'd that cost £35k?
Presumably it's how much they were billed for the branding. It's probably not really fair to frame it as just being for Burnham's photo op.
A Transport for Manchester spokesperson said: “We’d agreed with Northern to brand some trains, to start to raise public awareness of what will be the biggest change to rail travel in Greater Manchester for generations. "
Perhaps it was going to be painted anyway? If it’s already been painted over again, fair enough.
EXCL: Taxpayers were stung £35k so Andy Burnham could pose with a yellow train when he had nothing to announce.
Emails between Transport for Manchester staff: "Andy wants to do a one year out media moment in December… we haven’t really got anything to say. What’s your thoughts on the likelihood of us getting him a yellow train to stand in front of?”
FOIs show it cost £35k to wrap the train yellow for that photo op.
Trump purges another Republican critic with Massie defeat in Kentucky
U.S. President Donald Trump scored another victory in his campaign to punish disloyal Republicans on Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary race, underscoring the risks for lawmakers who defy Trump.
The voters of Kentucky’s 4th District decided to get rid of the guy who voted against the budget in Congress, and was more interested in personal grandstanding than representing the views of his constituents.
Or it shows GOP activists and PACs have been captured by Trump.
Sandpit is remarkably loyal to Trump and MAGA, in the face of all comers and even when their ideology is at odds with his (e.g. Ukraine). I’m not sure there’s a more completely, full-spectrum loyal poster to an individual politician or movement on PB. Not even BigG. If anything the norm is for posters conveniently to disavow allegiance, St Peter style, when the cock crows.
Not at all, I don’t even particularly like Trump. I just push back against the prevailing narritive that everything he does is bad, or that he’s only doing something because of some ulterior motive.
I’m firmly of the opinion that, were he to announce a cure for cancer, the US media and most of this forum would be trying to present it negatively.
I’ve definitely critised Trump on Ukraine, as I did with Biden before him. They have both been weak in different ways, and I don’t like Bessent’s trading of Russian oil just as I don’t like Miliband’s doing the same.
My over-riding opinion on US politics is on the other side, that the Democrats have been captured by wokery, communism, and increasingly antisemitism. They’re starting to look like the Greens in the UK, with the mayor of New York talking about opening state-run grocery stores, and the mayor of LA talking about giving free dentistry to illegal immigrant homeless meth-heads living on the streets.
Anyway, work to do!
Come on, you know PB
If you’re not participating in the daily hate on Trump you’re clearly a fan. It’s that binary
The $1.776 billion of US tax payers money to compensate the Jan 6th rioters combined with an agreement to never audit and Trump or Trump family tax return is one of the most blatent bits of corruption in modern history.
But I suppose we need to "both sides" it. After all corruption, golden statues and a Jesus complex are all fine and dandy if you bash the Libs.
One of the oddest things is how some of the PBers most interested in Hunter Biden's scandals (which had only the most tenuous links to his father) seem to take little or no interest in the blatant, direct and corrupt involvement of Trump's family in government.
Dogs and tails.
While the Trump brats are grifting on a record scale they're not the puppet master Hunter Biden was.
Nor do I remember anyone defending the Trump brats and claiming they were victims of a political witch hunt.
Wow
Are you still in denial that old Joe was more than a little senile ???
That he was under undue influence from his nearest and dearest ???
EXCL: Taxpayers were stung £35k so Andy Burnham could pose with a yellow train when he had nothing to announce.
Emails between Transport for Manchester staff: "Andy wants to do a one year out media moment in December… we haven’t really got anything to say. What’s your thoughts on the likelihood of us getting him a yellow train to stand in front of?”
FOIs show it cost £35k to wrap the train yellow for that photo op.
How'd that cost £35k?
To be fair, it can cost £3-5k to wrap a car. The stuff isn’t cheap.
Remember the massive scandal when the PM’s plane got painted, under the last government? At least it’s still painted, and wasn’t just to show off for one trip.
The plane looks horrible. Flying tube of toothpaste. So many brilliant British designs ignored, including from the RAF (could have used the zig zag from the Voyager, for example)
Trump purges another Republican critic with Massie defeat in Kentucky
U.S. President Donald Trump scored another victory in his campaign to punish disloyal Republicans on Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary race, underscoring the risks for lawmakers who defy Trump.
The voters of Kentucky’s 4th District decided to get rid of the guy who voted against the budget in Congress, and was more interested in personal grandstanding than representing the views of his constituents.
Or it shows GOP activists and PACs have been captured by Trump.
Sandpit is remarkably loyal to Trump and MAGA, in the face of all comers and even when their ideology is at odds with his (e.g. Ukraine). I’m not sure there’s a more completely, full-spectrum loyal poster to an individual politician or movement on PB. Not even BigG. If anything the norm is for posters conveniently to disavow allegiance, St Peter style, when the cock crows.
Not at all, I don’t even particularly like Trump. I just push back against the prevailing narritive that everything he does is bad, or that he’s only doing something because of some ulterior motive.
I’m firmly of the opinion that, were he to announce a cure for cancer, the US media and most of this forum would be trying to present it negatively.
I’ve definitely critised Trump on Ukraine, as I did with Biden before him. They have both been weak in different ways, and I don’t like Bessent’s trading of Russian oil just as I don’t like Miliband’s doing the same.
My over-riding opinion on US politics is on the other side, that the Democrats have been captured by wokery, communism, and increasingly antisemitism. They’re starting to look like the Greens in the UK, with the mayor of New York talking about opening state-run grocery stores, and the mayor of LA talking about giving free dentistry to illegal immigrant homeless meth-heads living on the streets.
Anyway, work to do!
Come on, you know PB
If you’re not participating in the daily hate on Trump you’re clearly a fan. It’s that binary
The $1.776 billion of US tax payers money to compensate the Jan 6th rioters combined with an agreement to never audit and Trump or Trump family tax return is one of the most blatent bits of corruption in modern history.
But I suppose we need to "both sides" it. After all corruption, golden statues and a Jesus complex are all fine and dandy if you bash the Libs.
One of the oddest things is how some of the PBers most interested in Hunter Biden's scandals (which had only the most tenuous links to his father) seem to take little or no interest in the blatant, direct and corrupt involvement of Trump's family in government.
Dogs and tails.
While the Trump brats are grifting on a record scale they're not the puppet master Hunter Biden was.
Nor do I remember anyone defending the Trump brats and claiming they were victims of a political witch hunt.
Wow
Are you still in denial that old Joe was more than a little senile ???
That he was under undue influence from his nearest and dearest ???
Biden senior was in decline and his team around him were running things. But that was his political team around him. If it was actually Hunter Biden running the country, Hunter has gone up greatly in my estimation! However, I think Hunter is actually pretty hopeless, not some grand puppet master.
Trump purges another Republican critic with Massie defeat in Kentucky
U.S. President Donald Trump scored another victory in his campaign to punish disloyal Republicans on Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary race, underscoring the risks for lawmakers who defy Trump.
The voters of Kentucky’s 4th District decided to get rid of the guy who voted against the budget in Congress, and was more interested in personal grandstanding than representing the views of his constituents.
Or it shows GOP activists and PACs have been captured by Trump.
Sandpit is remarkably loyal to Trump and MAGA, in the face of all comers and even when their ideology is at odds with his (e.g. Ukraine). I’m not sure there’s a more completely, full-spectrum loyal poster to an individual politician or movement on PB. Not even BigG. If anything the norm is for posters conveniently to disavow allegiance, St Peter style, when the cock crows.
Not at all, I don’t even particularly like Trump. I just push back against the prevailing narritive that everything he does is bad, or that he’s only doing something because of some ulterior motive.
I’m firmly of the opinion that, were he to announce a cure for cancer, the US media and most of this forum would be trying to present it negatively.
I’ve definitely critised Trump on Ukraine, as I did with Biden before him. They have both been weak in different ways, and I don’t like Bessent’s trading of Russian oil just as I don’t like Miliband’s doing the same.
My over-riding opinion on US politics is on the other side, that the Democrats have been captured by wokery, communism, and increasingly antisemitism. They’re starting to look like the Greens in the UK, with the mayor of New York talking about opening state-run grocery stores, and the mayor of LA talking about giving free dentistry to illegal immigrant homeless meth-heads living on the streets.
Anyway, work to do!
Come on, you know PB
If you’re not participating in the daily hate on Trump you’re clearly a fan. It’s that binary
The $1.776 billion of US tax payers money to compensate the Jan 6th rioters combined with an agreement to never audit and Trump or Trump family tax return is one of the most blatent bits of corruption in modern history.
But I suppose we need to "both sides" it. After all corruption, golden statues and a Jesus complex are all fine and dandy if you bash the Libs.
One of the oddest things is how some of the PBers most interested in Hunter Biden's scandals (which had only the most tenuous links to his father) seem to take little or no interest in the blatant, direct and corrupt involvement of Trump's family in government.
Dogs and tails.
While the Trump brats are grifting on a record scale they're not the puppet master Hunter Biden was.
Nor do I remember anyone defending the Trump brats and claiming they were victims of a political witch hunt.
Wow
Are you still in denial that old Joe was more than a little senile ???
That he was under undue influence from his nearest and dearest ???
Biden senior was in decline and his team around him were running things. But that was his political team around him. If it was actually Hunter Biden running the country, Hunter has gone up greatly in my estimation! However, I think Hunter is actually pretty hopeless, not some grand puppet master.
He was a good artist, some of his paintings sold for half a million dollars…
Burnham does have one feature that is unusual in that he is collegiate, and that is an important ingredient in his success in Manchester
I really hope he does win, because anything else will be a disaster for labour and those of us who want Farage to lose
Yesterday the Intelligence and Security select committee asked an urgent question why the government were still prevaricating over releasing the Mandelson files to them as required by the humble address, and Emily Thornberry of the Foreign affairs select committee also condemned the government , as Darren Jones struggled to defend the indefensible at the dispatch box
Apparently the papers were due to be released tomorrow, but Jones said it would happen in June but would not confirm if it would be before the by election
Starmer is already on life support and no doubt these files are not going to help him
He should set out his resignation timetable if he really cared about his party and the country, as we witness the surreal sight of cabinet ministers jockeying for Burnham's eye and deciding whether they can campaign with him
This is a dying government and it needs Burnham to win
The Mandelson inquiry seems a bit irrelevant now tbh. By the time they report, Starmer is going to be on the way out if not already gone.
The humble address was stupidly broad and has led to an enormous amount of work. Its purpose was to embarass the government and it has massively succeeded. Its probably also scuppered Wes Streeting a bit too.
We know the key facts by now anyway it seems to me.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
If the Russians don’t want their oil facilities destroyed they can stop their war on Ukraine.
That’s something I support.
But the government has decided to green light Russian oil imports.
If the Ukrainians blow up the oil refineries, the terminals and sink the ships, then they won’t. Ingesting that oil.
So the next logical step on the road they are walking down is to pressure Ukraine to stop.
Trump purges another Republican critic with Massie defeat in Kentucky
U.S. President Donald Trump scored another victory in his campaign to punish disloyal Republicans on Tuesday as Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary race, underscoring the risks for lawmakers who defy Trump.
The voters of Kentucky’s 4th District decided to get rid of the guy who voted against the budget in Congress, and was more interested in personal grandstanding than representing the views of his constituents.
Or it shows GOP activists and PACs have been captured by Trump.
Sandpit is remarkably loyal to Trump and MAGA, in the face of all comers and even when their ideology is at odds with his (e.g. Ukraine). I’m not sure there’s a more completely, full-spectrum loyal poster to an individual politician or movement on PB. Not even BigG. If anything the norm is for posters conveniently to disavow allegiance, St Peter style, when the cock crows.
Not at all, I don’t even particularly like Trump. I just push back against the prevailing narritive that everything he does is bad, or that he’s only doing something because of some ulterior motive.
I’m firmly of the opinion that, were he to announce a cure for cancer, the US media and most of this forum would be trying to present it negatively.
I’ve definitely critised Trump on Ukraine, as I did with Biden before him. They have both been weak in different ways, and I don’t like Bessent’s trading of Russian oil just as I don’t like Miliband’s doing the same.
My over-riding opinion on US politics is on the other side, that the Democrats have been captured by wokery, communism, and increasingly antisemitism. They’re starting to look like the Greens in the UK, with the mayor of New York talking about opening state-run grocery stores, and the mayor of LA talking about giving free dentistry to illegal immigrant homeless meth-heads living on the streets.
Anyway, work to do!
Come on, you know PB
If you’re not participating in the daily hate on Trump you’re clearly a fan. It’s that binary
The $1.776 billion of US tax payers money to compensate the Jan 6th rioters combined with an agreement to never audit and Trump or Trump family tax return is one of the most blatent bits of corruption in modern history.
But I suppose we need to "both sides" it. After all corruption, golden statues and a Jesus complex are all fine and dandy if you bash the Libs.
One of the oddest things is how some of the PBers most interested in Hunter Biden's scandals (which had only the most tenuous links to his father) seem to take little or no interest in the blatant, direct and corrupt involvement of Trump's family in government.
Dogs and tails.
While the Trump brats are grifting on a record scale they're not the puppet master Hunter Biden was.
Nor do I remember anyone defending the Trump brats and claiming they were victims of a political witch hunt.
Wow
Being a chaotic drug addict who couldn’t even properly organise gun ownership IN THE USA was the perfect cover for The Puppet Master.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
Good luck convincing the Ukrainian to stop their single most effective tactic to fight Russia in four years.
They might as well tell Putin to turn his troops around. And then claim the credit for what Kyiv has achieved.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
If the Russians don’t want their oil facilities destroyed they can stop their war on Ukraine.
That’s something I support.
But the government has decided to green light Russian oil imports.
If the Ukrainians blow up the oil refineries, the terminals and sink the ships, then they won’t. Ingesting that oil.
So the next logical step on the road they are walking down is to pressure Ukraine to stop.
Which might be why recent Ukrainians attacks have focused on oil infrastructure around Moscow, rather than the oil export terminals.
If the Ukrainians can wreck the oil refineries closest to Moscow, and the pipeline pumping stations that move refined oil products to Moscow, then that's a lot of consequential damage to Russia's oil industry that doesn't prevent exports of crude oil to Indian oil refineries.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
If the Russians don’t want their oil facilities destroyed they can stop their war on Ukraine.
That’s something I support.
But the government has decided to green light Russian oil imports.
If the Ukrainians blow up the oil refineries, the terminals and sink the ships, then they won’t. Ingesting that oil.
So the next logical step on the road they are walking down is to pressure Ukraine to stop.
There's no evidence that they are doing that, though, is there?
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
If the Russians don’t want their oil facilities destroyed they can stop their war on Ukraine.
That’s something I support.
But the government has decided to green light Russian oil imports.
If the Ukrainians blow up the oil refineries, the terminals and sink the ships, then they won’t. Ingesting that oil.
So the next logical step on the road they are walking down is to pressure Ukraine to stop.
Which might be why recent Ukrainians attacks have focused on oil infrastructure around Moscow, rather than the oil export terminals.
If the Ukrainians can wreck the oil refineries closest to Moscow, and the pipeline pumping stations that move refined oil products to Moscow, then that's a lot of consequential damage to Russia's oil industry that doesn't prevent exports of crude oil to Indian oil refineries.
Most of the exports to India and China are heading out through ships and pipelines in that part of the world, well away from anything Ukraine can hit.
But as you say, what the Ukranians can hit is the pipelines and refineries West of the Urals, and cause severe disruption to the supply of fuels to Moscow and St.Petersburg. The export facilities to the Black Sea are pretty much all destroyed or severely damaged now, and the Baltic Sea exports appear to be pretty well policed by surrrounding countries boarding sanctioned vessels.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
I despise this government in a way I never thought possible. Every single fucking day they do something calamitously stupid or downright evil. I don’t believe Burnham will change a thing. Just make it slightly less annoying for about two weeks
Labour are going to be exterminated at the next General Election, whenever it is
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
If the Russians don’t want their oil facilities destroyed they can stop their war on Ukraine.
That’s something I support.
But the government has decided to green light Russian oil imports.
If the Ukrainians blow up the oil refineries, the terminals and sink the ships, then they won’t. Ingesting that oil.
So the next logical step on the road they are walking down is to pressure Ukraine to stop.
There's no evidence that they are doing that, though, is there?
Not yet. But the consequences of such a policy are evident.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
If the Russians don’t want their oil facilities destroyed they can stop their war on Ukraine.
That’s something I support.
But the government has decided to green light Russian oil imports.
If the Ukrainians blow up the oil refineries, the terminals and sink the ships, then they won’t. Ingesting that oil.
So the next logical step on the road they are walking down is to pressure Ukraine to stop.
There's no evidence that they are doing that, though, is there?
Not yet. But the consequences of such a policy are evident.
"Not yet" is a fancy way of saying "no". I don't think it's going to be UK policy going forwards.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
If the Russians don’t want their oil facilities destroyed they can stop their war on Ukraine.
That’s something I support.
But the government has decided to green light Russian oil imports.
If the Ukrainians blow up the oil refineries, the terminals and sink the ships, then they won’t. Ingesting that oil.
So the next logical step on the road they are walking down is to pressure Ukraine to stop.
There's no evidence that they are doing that, though, is there?
No direct evidence, but I don't think it's a massive leap from what we do know. We know these things, three.
1. The Biden administration persuaded Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil infrastructure before the 2024 Presidential election. 2. Britain has just announced a waiver on imports of jet fuel and diesel refined from Russian crude, thereby implicitly creating a British interest in continued exports of Russian crude. 3. Following earlier attacks on oil export terminals on the Baltic and Black Seas, the focus of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure has moved to the Moscow region.
I think it's at least worth a few questions for the British government. How much money do they expect Russia to receive as a result of the change in British policy? Is the British government putting any pressure on Ukraine in relation to its choice of targets?
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
Kemi needs to be going in heavy on this.
After 18 months of “standing up to Putin” the Labour govt quietly issued a licence allowing imports of Russian oil refined in third countries.
Yesterday Labour MPs voted AGAINST UK oil and gas licences.
We are now importing from Russia instead of drilling in the North Sea.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
I despise this government in a way I never thought possible. Every single fucking day they do something calamitously stupid or downright evil. I don’t believe Burnham will change a thing. Just make it slightly less annoying for about two weeks
Labour are going to be exterminated at the next General Election, whenever it is
How on earth was someone as highly intelligent as yourself taken in by Starmer and his ming vase?
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
One thing is for certain it never crossed Keir's desk.
Standard Chartered deserve an almighty kicking over this. But they are merely confirming what we know. The Aim of AI is the elimination of wage slaves.
Expect sabotage of data centres to be a big thing. Although, they will probably be protected by 24-hour shift drone security guards.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
One thing is for certain it never crossed Keir's desk.
One thing is for certain, as AI takes loads of jobs, I bet HR magically finds that HR jobs can't be replaced by AI.....in fact they need to expand their numbers.
One thing is for certain, as AI takes loads of jobs, I bet HR magically finds that HR jobs can't be replaced by AI.....in fact they need to expand their numbers.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
One thing is for certain it never crossed Keir's desk.
He should own it
It's a pragmatic and necessary solution.
It protects UK citizens
The Kemi drill in North Sea crap doesn't hold water or serious examination... People want oil and fuel now not in 3 to 5 years time.
We are dealing with Russia. So what.
We deal with Trump and Netanyahu The former as bad, the latter far far worse.
Standard Chartered deserve an almighty kicking over this. But they are merely confirming what we know. The Aim of AI is the elimination of wage slaves.
Expect sabotage of data centres to be a big thing. Although, they will probably be protected by 24-hour shift drone security guards.
That depends on where the jobs are; it's very unlikely that anyone in the UK is going to burn down a datacenter in defence of Indian call centre jobs.
The deputy of the UK Ambassador to the US, James Roscoe, has been sacked
He faced questions after top-secret National Security Council discussions, including Cabinet Ministers' verbatim remarks, were leaked to Tim Shipman of The Spectator
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
Kemi needs to be going in heavy on this.
After 18 months of “standing up to Putin” the Labour govt quietly issued a licence allowing imports of Russian oil refined in third countries.
Yesterday Labour MPs voted AGAINST UK oil and gas licences.
We are now importing from Russia instead of drilling in the North Sea.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
Kemi needs to be going in heavy on this.
After 18 months of “standing up to Putin” the Labour govt quietly issued a licence allowing imports of Russian oil refined in third countries.
Yesterday Labour MPs voted AGAINST UK oil and gas licences.
We are now importing from Russia instead of drilling in the North Sea.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
If the Russians don’t want their oil facilities destroyed they can stop their war on Ukraine.
That’s something I support.
But the government has decided to green light Russian oil imports.
If the Ukrainians blow up the oil refineries, the terminals and sink the ships, then they won’t. Ingesting that oil.
So the next logical step on the road they are walking down is to pressure Ukraine to stop.
Which might be why recent Ukrainians attacks have focused on oil infrastructure around Moscow, rather than the oil export terminals.
If the Ukrainians can wreck the oil refineries closest to Moscow, and the pipeline pumping stations that move refined oil products to Moscow, then that's a lot of consequential damage to Russia's oil industry that doesn't prevent exports of crude oil to Indian oil refineries.
Most of the exports to India and China are heading out through ships and pipelines in that part of the world, well away from anything Ukraine can hit.
But as you say, what the Ukranians can hit is the pipelines and refineries West of the Urals, and cause severe disruption to the supply of fuels to Moscow and St.Petersburg. The export facilities to the Black Sea are pretty much all destroyed or severely damaged now, and the Baltic Sea exports appear to be pretty well policed by surrrounding countries boarding sanctioned vessels.
It takes repeated attacks to keep these export facilities out of action. This is the latest from Bloomberg.
I presume the big driver of this government decision is shit scared of running out of jet fuel as we approach summer holidays. Even during COVID the government weren't strong enough to cancel the annual pilgrimages to Benidorm, Magaluf, Zante, etc.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
One thing is for certain it never crossed Keir's desk.
He should own it
It's a pragmatic and necessary solution.
It protects UK citizens
The Kemi drill in North Sea crap doesn't hold water or serious examination... People want oil and fuel now not in 3 to 5 years time.
We are dealing with Russia. So what.
We deal with Trump and Netanyahu The former as bad, the latter far far worse.
Sure thing, comrade.
Remember the use of radioactive and chemical weaponry on UK soil, to lethal effect?
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The next step will be trying to leverage the Ukrainians to stop smashing Russian refineries.
As I understand it, they are destroying the Russian oil facilities faster than they can be rebuilt or other parts pushed to greater activity. So the Russians are facing reducing capacity.
If the Russians don’t want their oil facilities destroyed they can stop their war on Ukraine.
That’s something I support.
But the government has decided to green light Russian oil imports.
If the Ukrainians blow up the oil refineries, the terminals and sink the ships, then they won’t. Ingesting that oil.
So the next logical step on the road they are walking down is to pressure Ukraine to stop.
There's no evidence that they are doing that, though, is there?
Not yet. But the consequences of such a policy are evident.
"Not yet" is a fancy way of saying "no". I don't think it's going to be UK policy going forwards.
Well, what will happen when Russian says - “Sorry, no jet fuel or diesel. The Ukrainians have blow up too much stuff”?
One problem we have in public policy is not thinking of secondary and tertiary effects of policy.
All of the above is why I have advocated transitioning transport to ‘leccy (and non-fossil fuel for jet fuel) for many years.
Even before you get to global warming - every time some idiot does something in the oil producing world, recession.
Conclusion: If he wins the by-election, Burnham is a shoo-in.
Just out of interest, was the big majority favouring Burnham filled with excitement at the prospect of being led by a winner or was it more resigned TINA?
Can't speak for the meeting, but Burnham looks genuinely interesting from my left-of-centre position, and I've dropped the idea of switching to the Greens for now. There's some polling evidence that this is not a unique position.
Standard Chartered deserve an almighty kicking over this. But they are merely confirming what we know. The Aim of AI is the elimination of wage slaves.
Expect sabotage of data centres to be a big thing. Although, they will probably be protected by 24-hour shift drone security guards.
That depends on where the jobs are; it's very unlikely that anyone in the UK is going to burn down a datacenter in defence of Indian call centre jobs.
Conclusion: If he wins the by-election, Burnham is a shoo-in.
Just out of interest, was the big majority favouring Burnham filled with excitement at the prospect of being led by a winner or was it more resigned TINA?
Can't speak for the meeting, but Burnham looks genuinely interesting from my left-of-centre position, and I've dropped the idea of switching to the Greens for now. There's some polling evidence that this is not a unique position.
Hi Nick
If he wins I expect many green curious like you or Labour switchers to Green to return home
I presume the big driver of this government decision is shit scared of running out of jet fuel as we approach summer holidays. Even during COVID the government weren't strong enough to cancel the annual pilgrimages to Benidorm, Magaluf, Zante, etc.
Ask 200 people getting in a Jet 2 flight to the Canaries from any UK airport..
"do you want to cancel as the Jet fuel is Russian"
200 will get on...
Tell them that the Tories and Reform would have stopped their holidays for political posturing and are up the ass holes of Trump and Netanyahu.
Watch Labour Poll ratings rise and Tories and Reform fall.
Human nature...
Labour should hire "Thank you for our Fuel" logo space on every holiday jet for school holidays.
Standard Chartered deserve an almighty kicking over this. But they are merely confirming what we know. The Aim of AI is the elimination of wage slaves.
Expect sabotage of data centres to be a big thing. Although, they will probably be protected by 24-hour shift drone security guards.
In the other banks, they are actually starting to squeeze AI usage. The newer models have escalating prices/token usage. This is because the Ai companies are steadily increasing prices to head towards profitability.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
One thing is for certain it never crossed Keir's desk.
He should own it
It's a pragmatic and necessary solution.
It protects UK citizens
The Kemi drill in North Sea crap doesn't hold water or serious examination... People want oil and fuel now not in 3 to 5 years time.
We are dealing with Russia. So what.
We deal with Trump and Netanyahu The former as bad, the latter far far worse.
You still going to be spinning this line for Burnham?
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
Kemi needs to be going in heavy on this.
After 18 months of “standing up to Putin” the Labour govt quietly issued a licence allowing imports of Russian oil refined in third countries.
Yesterday Labour MPs voted AGAINST UK oil and gas licences.
We are now importing from Russia instead of drilling in the North Sea.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
Kemi needs to be going in heavy on this.
After 18 months of “standing up to Putin” the Labour govt quietly issued a licence allowing imports of Russian oil refined in third countries.
Yesterday Labour MPs voted AGAINST UK oil and gas licences.
We are now importing from Russia instead of drilling in the North Sea.
Conclusion: If he wins the by-election, Burnham is a shoo-in.
Just out of interest, was the big majority favouring Burnham filled with excitement at the prospect of being led by a winner or was it more resigned TINA?
Can't speak for the meeting, but Burnham looks genuinely interesting from my left-of-centre position, and I've dropped the idea of switching to the Greens for now. There's some polling evidence that this is not a unique position.
Hi Nick
If he wins I expect many green curious like you or Labour switchers to Green to return home
The Reform guy looks interesting, a local plumber. Clever idea to paint Burnham as a carpet bagger outsider. Tories need to sit this one out.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
The deputy of the UK Ambassador to the US, James Roscoe, has been sacked
He faced questions after top-secret National Security Council discussions, including Cabinet Ministers' verbatim remarks, were leaked to Tim Shipman of The Spectator
Standard Chartered deserve an almighty kicking over this. But they are merely confirming what we know. The Aim of AI is the elimination of wage slaves.
Expect sabotage of data centres to be a big thing. Although, they will probably be protected by 24-hour shift drone security guards.
In the other banks, they are actually starting to squeeze AI usage. The newer models have escalating prices/token usage. This is because the Ai companies are steadily increasing prices to head towards profitability.
I don't believe for one minute that the AI share price bubble can be meshed with the actual paying useage. Comes a point where it is cheaper to use 'lower-value human capital'. Governments will be under intense pressure to employ people and curb AI.
Conclusion: If he wins the by-election, Burnham is a shoo-in.
Just out of interest, was the big majority favouring Burnham filled with excitement at the prospect of being led by a winner or was it more resigned TINA?
Can't speak for the meeting, but Burnham looks genuinely interesting from my left-of-centre position, and I've dropped the idea of switching to the Greens for now. There's some polling evidence that this is not a unique position.
Hi Nick
If he wins I expect many green curious like you or Labour switchers to Green to return home
The Reform guy looks interesting, a local plumber. Clever idea to paint Burnham as a carpet bagger outsider. Tories need to sit this one out.
No, Kemi is standing a Tory candidate as she doesn’t want Reform to win anymore than Burnham
Conclusion: If he wins the by-election, Burnham is a shoo-in.
Just out of interest, was the big majority favouring Burnham filled with excitement at the prospect of being led by a winner or was it more resigned TINA?
Can't speak for the meeting, but Burnham looks genuinely interesting from my left-of-centre position, and I've dropped the idea of switching to the Greens for now. There's some polling evidence that this is not a unique position.
Hi Nick
If he wins I expect many green curious like you or Labour switchers to Green to return home
The Reform guy looks interesting, a local plumber. Clever idea to paint Burnham as a carpet bagger outsider. Tories need to sit this one out.
No, Kemi is standing a Tory candidate as she doesn’t want Reform to win anymore than Burnham
Labour losing would be hilarious. I’m sure she sees that.
The big news of the week so far is that the ban on gniomes at the Chelsea flower show has been lifted, just temporarily, and so Charles and Camilla were able to view some gnomes yesterday. This was in response to a massive celebrity camoaign with a lot of back-up support across the country, and sonething I know a lot of people feel strongly about.
Standard Chartered deserve an almighty kicking over this. But they are merely confirming what we know. The Aim of AI is the elimination of wage slaves.
Expect sabotage of data centres to be a big thing. Although, they will probably be protected by 24-hour shift drone security guards.
In the other banks, they are actually starting to squeeze AI usage. The newer models have escalating prices/token usage. This is because the Ai companies are steadily increasing prices to head towards profitability.
I don't believe for one minute that the AI share price bubble can be meshed with the actual paying useage. Comes a point where it is cheaper to use 'lower-value human capital'. Governments will be under intense pressure to employ people and curb AI.
The current prices are far below break even. Let alone profit.
The race is to be the biggest and have the best models.
They are just starting to pivot into pricing for revenue, let alone break even.
Huzzah for President Xi. (NB this is me not Reuters!)
Trump goes to China to ask for help ending the Iran standoff. What does China get in return?
Well, in a massive coincidence, USA & UK ease sanctions on Russian oil whose main buyer is China. China gets Iran to allow Chinese tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
Still, we must welcome peace in the Middle East so Iran can get on with its business of killing dissidents by the thousand.
China benefits from sanctions on Russian oil - it means the product isn’t on the world market and they can buy it for a discount
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
Kemi needs to be going in heavy on this.
Kemi is utterly out of her depth.
In your deams
Oh yes she is.
Fortunately for her, at her moment of maximum peril, notably an absolutely horrendous council election drubbing the Government imploded.
Let's hope Burnham gets hammered in the Makerfield byelection, but if he doesn't he becomes PM and Labour get a bounce, and Olukemi is in jeopardy once more.
Conclusion: If he wins the by-election, Burnham is a shoo-in.
Yes it seems for Labour there is now almost a feeling that Burnham is the second coming. Much like Corbyn was when he won the leadership in 2015 or Blair from 1994 to 1997 when even the left thought he was the new Messiah
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
Kemi needs to be going in heavy on this.
Kemi is utterly out of her depth.
In your deams
Oh yes she is.
Fortunately for her, at her moment of maximum peril, notably an absolutely horrendous council election drubbing the Government imploded.
Let's hope Burnham gets hammered in the Makerfield byelection, but if he doesn't he becomes PM and Labour get a bounce, and Olukemi's is in jeopardy once more.
The strategy set out in this paper seeks to establish the conditions for cheap, reliable, and abundant energy at home. A future Restore Britain government would pursue the full development of our offshore oil and gas reserves, the rapid expansion of nuclear energy, the exploitation of onshore shale where viable, and if able to compete some limited role for renewables within a balanced grid. Our overriding objective is to deliver dispatchable power at prices affordable to British households and competitive for British industry.
"The problem is how you define “the rich.” The top 1% have good tax lawyers"
That's one of the problems. The other problems with taxing the rich, however defined, are that
- they are key to the country's savings and entrepreneurial investment decisions, so you damage long run economic growth - they are unusually internationally mobile, so they can just leave, as around 25,000 millionaires have since Labour took office - much of their wealth is tied up in primary residences, which are quite difficult to tax beyond a certain small amount, because they doesn't directly generate cash, while such property transactions can be taxed but doing so gums up labour mobility, and anyway the UK already has some of the highest property taxes, especially at the high end, in the world - previous governments over the past generation have used this expedient many times anyway.
Overall, taxing the rich more than the heavy burden they already pay is a terrible idea, economically destructive and financially counter-productive. So I imagine the new Labour leader will probably jump at it.
How do we have some of the highest level of property taxes at the top end in the world. We have high transaction costs (which should go) but our taxes for owning an expensive property are low
Our business rates taxation is amazingly punitive - basically the government runs off with ~50% of the market rent every month. It's one of the factors that make expanding a business incredibly difficult as if you buy better premises you promptly get smacked for this massive deadweight cost before you've any prospects of increased revenue.
It also creates loads of perverse incentives to do things like knock down perfect usable buildings you're not currently using and can't easily let, as it's based on the developed value of a site, not the land value.
It should be entirely abolished and replaced with higher taxation on profits, or even VAT (at least you have to be making sales to collect it) if the government wants business growth to occur. If they are worried about Amazon et-all gaming the system by remitting profit abroad for licensing or whatever just have different rules over say £100 million turnover.
The comment was about residential property and the idea that at the top end it's taxed too much. Sorry but £3,000 a year on a £100m Hyde Park penthouse isn't too much..
Business rates is a different matter, the 2026 rates are going to create a whole set of problems...
@Fishing post was on *transaction* taxes which would be £14m on the purchase of said penthouse.
Standard Chartered deserve an almighty kicking over this. But they are merely confirming what we know. The Aim of AI is the elimination of wage slaves.
Expect sabotage of data centres to be a big thing. Although, they will probably be protected by 24-hour shift drone security guards.
In the other banks, they are actually starting to squeeze AI usage. The newer models have escalating prices/token usage. This is because the Ai companies are steadily increasing prices to head towards profitability.
I don't believe for one minute that the AI share price bubble can be meshed with the actual paying useage. Comes a point where it is cheaper to use 'lower-value human capital'. Governments will be under intense pressure to employ people and curb AI.
The current prices are far below break even. Let alone profit.
The race is to be the biggest and have the best models.
They are just starting to pivot into pricing for revenue, let alone break even.
Problem is as the models get bigger the tokens required increase and suddenly that slightly better result isn't worth the extra cost.
Conclusion: If he wins the by-election, Burnham is a shoo-in.
Just out of interest, was the big majority favouring Burnham filled with excitement at the prospect of being led by a winner or was it more resigned TINA?
Can't speak for the meeting, but Burnham looks genuinely interesting from my left-of-centre position, and I've dropped the idea of switching to the Greens for now. There's some polling evidence that this is not a unique position.
Delighted to hear it but a little surprised. My feeling is Burnham isn’t likely to change much in policy terms vs. Starmer. He will hopefully be better at governing and communicating (if indeed he does win).
What are some left of centre things you're hoping for from Burnham?
Conclusion: If he wins the by-election, Burnham is a shoo-in.
Just out of interest, was the big majority favouring Burnham filled with excitement at the prospect of being led by a winner or was it more resigned TINA?
Can't speak for the meeting, but Burnham looks genuinely interesting from my left-of-centre position, and I've dropped the idea of switching to the Greens for now. There's some polling evidence that this is not a unique position.
Hi Nick
If he wins I expect many green curious like you or Labour switchers to Green to return home
The Reform guy looks interesting, a local plumber. Clever idea to paint Burnham as a carpet bagger outsider. Tories need to sit this one out.
No, Kemi is standing a Tory candidate as she doesn’t want Reform to win anymore than Burnham
Labour losing would be hilarious. I’m sure she sees that.
Not so sure. Burnham dragging Reform down to below the Tory polling share gives Reform a big problem. Why should punters vote loser Reform rather than Tory?
The strategy set out in this paper seeks to establish the conditions for cheap, reliable, and abundant energy at home. A future Restore Britain government would pursue the full development of our offshore oil and gas reserves, the rapid expansion of nuclear energy, the exploitation of onshore shale where viable, and if able to compete some limited role for renewables within a balanced grid. Our overriding objective is to deliver dispatchable power at prices affordable to British households and competitive for British industry.
Renewables seems a bit shoe-horned in there. I thought it was already cheaper than fossil fuels, certainly cheaper than nuclear.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
It's mad. A lot of Ukraine's long range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are almost certainly being assisted by the UK providing funding, development, testing, and targetting. These two policies are completely at odds. It makes the government look particularly stupid and craven.
Kemi needs to be going in heavy on this.
Kemi is utterly out of her depth.
In your deams
Oh yes she is.
Fortunately for her, at her moment of maximum peril, notably an absolutely horrendous council election drubbing the Government imploded.
Let's hope Burnham gets hammered in the Makerfield byelection, but if he doesn't he becomes PM and Labour get a bounce, and Olukemi's is in jeopardy once more.
For the good of the country Burnham needs to win
And if labour get a bounce then that is politics
Arguably for Kemi and the Tories too if most of that bounce comes from Reform and Green voters going to Labour while the Tory vote stays steady
Conclusion: If he wins the by-election, Burnham is a shoo-in.
Just out of interest, was the big majority favouring Burnham filled with excitement at the prospect of being led by a winner or was it more resigned TINA?
Can't speak for the meeting, but Burnham looks genuinely interesting from my left-of-centre position, and I've dropped the idea of switching to the Greens for now. There's some polling evidence that this is not a unique position.
Hi Nick
If he wins I expect many green curious like you or Labour switchers to Green to return home
The Reform guy looks interesting, a local plumber. Clever idea to paint Burnham as a carpet bagger outsider. Tories need to sit this one out.
No, Kemi is standing a Tory candidate as she doesn’t want Reform to win anymore than Burnham
Labour losing would be hilarious. I’m sure she sees that.
No Reform winning would be a disaster for us and show Kemi as irrelevant and Farage as the real leader of the opposition. I suspect Kemi would even rather Burnham won than Reform
I promised our analysis of the £5m gift to Nigel Farage would annoy everybody. The verdict? He probably doesn't owe any tax. Why? Because "campaigning for Brexit" isn't a taxable trade, and genuine gifts aren't income. But there are risks for him.
Got to say that the loosening of sanctions on Russian oil /LNG is the single most disgraceful episode of this government (so far). It’s morally wrong, it yet again rewards those who have not transitioned to EVs and renewables, and it shovels money towards one of our enemies.
Putin has won, and the government has facilitated it. We can only be deeply grateful to the Ukrainians for continuing to smash their infrastructure.
The founder of Firepoint, the Ukrainian dinner and missile manufacturer, recently claimed Ukraine could completely blockade Russian oil export terminated in the Baltic and Black Seas.
I do wonder how much pressure is being applied behind the scenes by European governments, including the UK, to persuade them not to do so. As though a war can be won without incurring any discomfort.
The recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure around Moscow might be thought to concentrate their attacks on damaging Russia's domestic oil industry, rather than its export industry. Maybe that's a good idea anyway, but I do wonder.
Same reasons for the gas pipelines that go through Ukraine.
If anyone in Europe thinks there will be any serviceable Russian O&G pipelines through Ukraine next winter, they are going to find themselves woefully unprepared.
Actually the best end to the SMO would be to return to Russian oil flowing through Ukraine, which was a mainstay of the Ukrainian economy. We want a return to normal relations, not an armed standoff.
iPlayer is shit tech miles behind the competition....I could have told them that for half the price.
“Our products, so iPlayer, Sport, and Sounds, aren’t doing a good enough job for the content that we’re all making,” he told employees. “That’s no criticism of the teams. We’ve just funded content at the expense of the platform, and so we need those products to work better.”
The strategy set out in this paper seeks to establish the conditions for cheap, reliable, and abundant energy at home. A future Restore Britain government would pursue the full development of our offshore oil and gas reserves, the rapid expansion of nuclear energy, the exploitation of onshore shale where viable, and if able to compete some limited role for renewables within a balanced grid. Our overriding objective is to deliver dispatchable power at prices affordable to British households and competitive for British industry.
Renewables seems a bit shoe-horned in there. I thought it was already cheaper than fossil fuels, certainly cheaper than nuclear.
Renewables are a big problem for the right wing parties backed by oil.
Granted I can't get solar panels to work in this house (stupid roof layout) but when plugin in batteries / solar panels arrive later this year most people will be able to cover their home's baseload electricity usage over the summer for a one off payment of £200..
I suspect that for £2000 I will be able to get a 10kwh battery that I can charge overnight for peanuts and do the same.
The ban on gnomes was ended by Charles, Camillla and the head of the Chelsea flower show, in the presence of David Beckham. This has, I think, been a signiicant week for Britain in many ways.
Comments
The Trump family grift is on an epic scale. Reminds me of the South Korean president who was found to have take $500 million in bribes. Back when $500 million was crazy big money.
- how much money it has raised - net because schools can now claim back VAT and will also have been able to claim back VAT on capital expenditure going back a number of years. Some of the schools with the highest fees have spent a lot on capital projects.
- How many schools have closed, what the tax losses from such closures have been and where those children are now educated: state or private.
- How many teachers have been hired with the money raised?
- Whether there has been a reduction in bursaries or other measures by affected schools and what the cost of this is.
Until we have this information it is not really possible to say how good or otherwise this policy is.
https://x.com/jayinkyiv/status/2056971200430064011
EXCL: Taxpayers were stung £35k so Andy Burnham could pose with a yellow train when he had nothing to announce.
Emails between Transport for Manchester staff: "Andy wants to do a one year out media moment in December… we haven’t really got anything to say. What’s your thoughts on the likelihood of us getting him a yellow train to stand in front of?”
FOIs show it cost £35k to wrap the train yellow for that photo op.
A Transport for Manchester spokesperson said: “We’d agreed with Northern to brand some trains, to start to raise public awareness of what will be the biggest change to rail travel in Greater Manchester for generations. "
Remember the massive scandal when the PM’s plane got painted, under the last government? At least it’s still painted, and wasn’t just to show off for one trip.
diligentdave A certain fleet that I deal with cost £35k per vehicle.
leezer3 I'm sure the 37 at the NNR was much closer to the £35k figure when it was done recently, although I might be mis-remembering....
That was by Heritage Painting.
That he was under undue influence from his nearest and dearest ???
Ukranian drone strike on regional air traffic control centre in Rostov-on-Don, has led to 13 airports being closed in the south of the country.
https://x.com/euromaidanpr/status/2056968425042235701
@Saint_Alastair
·
12h
Don’t suppose there is any chance they’d let us off with a cheating awareness course? #saintsfc
The humble address was stupidly broad and has led to an enormous amount of work. Its purpose was to embarass the government and it has massively succeeded. Its probably also scuppered Wes Streeting a bit too.
We know the key facts by now anyway it seems to me.
But the government has decided to green light Russian oil imports.
If the Ukrainians blow up the oil refineries, the terminals and sink the ships, then they won’t. Ingesting that oil.
So the next logical step on the road they are walking down is to pressure Ukraine to stop.
They might as well tell Putin to turn his troops around. And then claim the credit for what Kyiv has achieved.
If the Ukrainians can wreck the oil refineries closest to Moscow, and the pipeline pumping stations that move refined oil products to Moscow, then that's a lot of consequential damage to Russia's oil industry that doesn't prevent exports of crude oil to Indian oil refineries.
EXCLUSIVE with @EllenAMilligan: UK government officials are blaming each other for the extraordinary situation that has seen Britain loosen sanctions on Russian oil.
The EU will NOT waive sanctions. It means the UK has departed from the EU’s approach and now has looser sanctions on refined Russian oil products than Europe.
One says it’s the fault of Keir Starmer and No10 for not taking the lead on measures sooner to prepare for limitations on jet supply.
One says Ed Miliband’s restrictions on expanding energy supply have left the UK in a more vulnerable position. The sanctions waiver highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations.
Others say the Treasury and Foreign Office have wavered at the first sign of strain. The Foreign Office is unable to explain its position this morning and remarkably DESNZ is declining to comment.
But as you say, what the Ukranians can hit is the pipelines and refineries West of the Urals, and cause severe disruption to the supply of fuels to Moscow and St.Petersburg. The export facilities to the Black Sea are pretty much all destroyed or severely damaged now, and the Baltic Sea exports appear to be pretty well policed by surrrounding countries boarding sanctioned vessels.
Labour are going to be exterminated at the next General Election, whenever it is
‘ UK-based bank to replace 'lower-value human capital' with AI’
https://x.com/skynews/status/2056753241866584119?s=46&t=fJymV-V84rexmlQMLXHHJQ
https://taxpolicy.org.uk/2026/05/20/farage-5m-gift-tax/
The conclusion is that Farage “probably” doesn’t owe tax on the amount.
1. The Biden administration persuaded Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian oil infrastructure before the 2024 Presidential election.
2. Britain has just announced a waiver on imports of jet fuel and diesel refined from Russian crude, thereby implicitly creating a British interest in continued exports of Russian crude.
3. Following earlier attacks on oil export terminals on the Baltic and Black Seas, the focus of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure has moved to the Moscow region.
I think it's at least worth a few questions for the British government. How much money do they expect Russia to receive as a result of the change in British policy? Is the British government putting any pressure on Ukraine in relation to its choice of targets?
Yesterday Labour MPs voted AGAINST UK oil and gas licences.
We are now importing from Russia instead of drilling in the North Sea.
Insane.
https://x.com/kemibadenoch/status/2056963376975122931
Are we an hour from PMQs?
Expect sabotage of data centres to be a big thing. Although, they will probably be protected by 24-hour shift drone security guards.
It's a pragmatic and necessary solution.
It protects UK citizens
The Kemi drill in North Sea crap doesn't hold water or serious examination... People want oil and fuel now not in 3 to 5 years time.
We are dealing with Russia. So what.
We deal with Trump and Netanyahu
The former as bad, the latter far far worse.
https://x.com/politlcsuk/status/2056880116286771400
The deputy of the UK Ambassador to the US, James Roscoe, has been sacked
He faced questions after top-secret National Security Council discussions, including Cabinet Ministers' verbatim remarks, were leaked to Tim Shipman of The Spectator
Is she seriously suggesting we can get explore to drill to deliver in anything leass than 2 to 3 years
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-19/russia-boosts-oil-exports-with-key-black-sea-port-at-full-capacity
The headline pretty much says it all (the port in question is Novorossiysk on the Black Sea).
Maybe Ukrainian drones will return to Novorossiysk next week. For now I am mildly suspicious.
Remember the use of radioactive and chemical weaponry on UK soil, to lethal effect?
One problem we have in public policy is not thinking of secondary and tertiary effects of policy.
All of the above is why I have advocated transitioning transport to ‘leccy (and non-fossil fuel for jet fuel) for many years.
Even before you get to global warming - every time some idiot does something in the oil producing world, recession.
If he wins I expect many green curious like you or Labour switchers to Green to return home
"do you want to cancel as the Jet fuel is Russian"
200 will get on...
Tell them that the Tories and Reform would have stopped their holidays for political posturing and are up the ass holes of Trump and Netanyahu.
Watch Labour Poll ratings rise and Tories and Reform fall.
Human nature...
Labour should hire "Thank you for our Fuel" logo space on every holiday jet for school holidays.
They'd be over 30% In October
Or are you out the door with Starmer?
We need some medium and long term thinking as well as short term. She’s right on this
This is on Trump and Netanyahu.
One as bad as Putin, the other far far worse.
Needs must
I'd rather deal with Putin than Netanyahu and frankly Trump can fuck off
https://x.com/bwgovernment/status/2057025954375934130?s=46&t=d8CnRhyZJ-m4vy0k55W8XQ
The big news of the week so far is that the ban on gniomes at the Chelsea flower show has been lifted, just temporarily, and so Charles and Camilla were able to view some gnomes yesterday. This was in response to a massive celebrity camoaign with a lot of back-up support across the country, and sonething I know a lot of people feel strongly about.
The race is to be the biggest and have the best models.
They are just starting to pivot into pricing for revenue, let alone break even.
Starmer should resign. Again.
Fortunately for her, at her moment of maximum peril, notably an absolutely horrendous council election drubbing the Government imploded.
Let's hope Burnham gets hammered in the Makerfield byelection, but if he doesn't he becomes PM and Labour get a bounce, and Olukemi is in jeopardy once more.
Burnham cannot come soon enough
And if labour get a bounce then that is politics
https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/2057038652409045109
The strategy set out in this paper seeks to establish the conditions for cheap,
reliable, and abundant energy at home. A future Restore Britain government
would pursue the full development of our offshore oil and gas reserves, the rapid
expansion of nuclear energy, the exploitation of onshore shale where viable, and
if able to compete some limited role for renewables within a balanced grid. Our
overriding objective is to deliver dispatchable power at prices affordable to
British households and competitive for British industry.
My feeling is Burnham isn’t likely to change much in policy terms vs. Starmer. He will hopefully be better at governing and communicating (if indeed he does win).
What are some left of centre things you're hoping for from Burnham?
You’re useful and valued and you’re great until you aren’t and then it’s the carriage clock and picture of a spitfire
She would still have been an "inside the beltway" candidate though. She was a peculialry unappealling figure.
I remember listening to a (small part) of Hillary performing her autobiography. She made it sound excruciatingly dull.
https://x.com/DanNeidle/status/2057031707325338042?s=20
“Our products, so iPlayer, Sport, and Sounds, aren’t doing a good enough job for the content that we’re all making,” he told employees. “That’s no criticism of the teams. We’ve just funded content at the expense of the platform, and so we need those products to work better.”
https://deadline.com/2026/05/bbc-matt-brittin-sat-nav-bias-1236916505/
Granted I can't get solar panels to work in this house (stupid roof layout) but when plugin in batteries / solar panels arrive later this year most people will be able to cover their home's baseload electricity usage over the summer for a one off payment of £200..
I suspect that for £2000 I will be able to get a 10kwh battery that I can charge overnight for peanuts and do the same.
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/alan-titchmarch-chelsea-flower-show-2026-gnomes-9t896wqh3