General News

[leicsmac]

26 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

Badenoch: Asks a question

Starmer: Answers the question

Bqdenoch: Mr Speaker Mr Speaker he didn’t answer the question!

The state of politics in the UK and quite a few other areas at the present time summed up, there.

[urban.spaceman]

13 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

The state of politics in the UK and quite a few other areas at the present time summed up, there.

Literally all Starmer has to do after one of her questions is stand up and say this:

 

 

And it would be factually true. Every ****ing time.

[RoboFox]

13 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

A private, unelected citizen interrupting a President in an interview in the Oval Office, stood behind the resolute desk while his son wiped his bogies on it. 
 

 

[davieG]

Science Acumen  · 

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And, this is why it is called the Gulf of Mexico.

[Daggers]

[jgtuk]

Seems sane… 

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/greenland-red-white-blueland-trump-bill-b2696650.html

Edited 12 February 2025 by jgtuk

[leicsmac]

13 minutes ago, jgtuk said:

Seems sane… 

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/greenland-red-white-blueland-trump-bill-b2696650.html

The problem is that mixed in with this lot of ridiculous stuff is a lot of bills much more serious and destructive to the rights of anyone outside a particular demographic also being forwarded, and the ridiculous stuff acts as a smokescreen, by accident or by design.

[Jattdogg]

3 hours ago, davieG said:

Science Acumen  · 

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And, this is why it is called the Gulf of Mexico.

Surprised he hasn't asked for it the be called the Gulf of MAGA

[Lionator]

Today has been truly awful for Ukraine. A terrible missile attack on Kyiv this morning followed by the US Secretary of Defense categorically ruling out then joining nato, Tulsi gabbard getting confirmed and now the final nail in the coffin with Trump and Putin’s collusion. The dying will likely soon stop in Ukraine but they have been sold down the river. Awful. 

[DJ Barry Hammond]

Just now, Lionator said:

Today has been truly awful for Ukraine. A terrible missile attack on Kyiv this morning followed by the US Secretary of Defense categorically ruling out then joining nato, Tulsi gabbard getting confirmed and now the final nail in the coffin with Trump and Putin’s collusion. The dying will likely soon stop in Ukraine but they have been sold down the river. Awful. 

It’s not good is it.

[leicsmac]

28 minutes ago, Lionator said:

Today has been truly awful for Ukraine. A terrible missile attack on Kyiv this morning followed by the US Secretary of Defense categorically ruling out then joining nato, Tulsi gabbard getting confirmed and now the final nail in the coffin with Trump and Putin’s collusion. The dying will likely soon stop in Ukraine but they have been sold down the river. Awful. 

 

22 minutes ago, DJ Barry Hammond said:

It’s not good is it.

I can only wish that I was surprised.

 

This administration have been almost totally transparent about their objectives before and during. Either people can't quite believe that, or they're actually OK with those objectives.

[bovril]

Not sure many people in the UK or Europe have totally come to terms with the new reality yet. 

[Bryn]

Ukraine were sold out in 2014, really.

[leicsmac]

5 minutes ago, bovril said:

Not sure many people in the UK or Europe have totally come to terms with the new reality yet. 

Is it possible to elaborate on this at all?

[bovril]

6 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Is it possible to elaborate on this at all?

Hesgeth said "it will require our European allies to step into the arena and take ownership of conventional security on the continent". Which we've known was on the horizon for a while, and which I agree with, but still a huge shift. And yet I'm not sure it will make a huge ripple in Britain or Europe right now. 

[Dunge]

7 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Is it possible to elaborate on this at all?

That America is no longer there to protect them/us and we need to massively increase military spending.

[leicsmac]

10 minutes ago, bovril said:

Hesgeth said "it will require our European allies to step into the arena and take ownership of conventional security on the continent". Which we've known was on the horizon for a while, and which I agree with, but still a huge shift. And yet I'm not sure it will make a huge ripple in Britain or Europe right now. 

 

10 minutes ago, Dunge said:

That America is no longer there to protect them/us and we need to massively increase military spending.

Appreciate the clarification.

 

Perhaps the UK should have used the peacetime dividend to make public services vaguely reasonable then, given that in this apparent new reality there will be no money except for soldiers and armaments, it would appear.

 

I can't see such a rush to military buildup by the UK and European nations ending anywhere but badly both economically and (eventually) in much more stark terms than that, but it may be that if they don't the shit hits the fan anyway.

 

We live in interesting times.

[Dunge]

22 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

 

Appreciate the clarification.

 

Perhaps the UK should have used the peacetime dividend to make public services vaguely reasonable then, given that in this apparent new reality there will be no money except for soldiers and armaments, it would appear.

 

I can't see such a rush to military buildup by the UK and European nations ending anywhere but badly both economically and (eventually) in much more stark terms than that, but it may be that if they don't the shit hits the fan anyway.

 

We live in interesting times.

I suppose there are alternatives.

 

- Attempt to convince or deal with America that Europe is of value to them.

- Attempt to convince or deal with China that Europe is of value to them.

- Attempt to convince or deal with Putin that Europe isn’t of value to him.

- Cross your fingers and hope Russia don’t keep up their own current level of military spending.

- Learn Russian and hope they don’t round you up and send you to their latest meat grinder.

- Other possibilities, I’m happy to listen.

Edited 12 February 2025 by Dunge

[Lionator]

48 minutes ago, Bryn said:

Ukraine were sold out in 2014, really.

What’s particularly bad was Obama and Biden promising NATO for Ukraine without actually doing anything to action it. False promises and shockingly now sold down the river. There’s gonna be a lot of Ukrainians who grow to hate the west. 

[Dunge]

20 minutes ago, Lionator said:

What’s particularly bad was Obama and Biden promising NATO for Ukraine without actually doing anything to action it. False promises and shockingly now sold down the river. There’s gonna be a lot of Ukrainians who grow to hate the west. 

To be fair, the West aren’t the ones who’ve been slaughtering them.

As long as Ukraine exists as a country - and possibly regardless - there will be decades of Ukrainians who hate Russia. The West will just be seen as a disappointment.

[Guest Bilo]

9 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

Badenoch: Asks a question

Starmer: Answers the question

Bqdenoch: Mr Speaker Mr Speaker he didn’t answer the question!

She was staggeringly poor today. It's difficult being LOTO, especially when the government enjoys a thumping great majority, but I can't even work out what her strategy is.

 

She's flitting between multiple topics, not landing punches in any of them, seemingly hoping that Starmer will be unprepared. For his faults, he's never going to be. He's extremely well-prepped with responses to everything. Going in on his understanding on a legal case, of all things, is suicidal when your opponent is that renowned in the legal profession. Just common sense. 

 

The pressure will be on if the Tories have poor local elections. Gone by summer.

[leicsmac]

33 minutes ago, Dunge said:

I suppose there are alternatives.

 

- Attempt to convince or deal with America that Europe is of value to them.

- Attempt to convince or deal with China that Europe is of value to them.

- Attempt to convince or deal with Putin that Europe isn’t of value to him.

- Cross your fingers and hope Russia don’t keep up their own current level of military spending.

- Learn Russian and hope they don’t round you up and send you to their latest meat grinder.

- Other possibilities, I’m happy to listen.

I'm not sure that Russia can keep up its current level of military activity for any length of time or escalate it, in terms of money and manpower. Surely in an economic race the combined European economies - much less the US or Chinese - would win that.

 

Of course, the truth is that no one wins such a conflict anyway.

 

1 minute ago, Bilo said:

She was staggeringly poor today. It's difficult being LOTO, especially when the government enjoys a thumping great majority, but I can't even work out what her strategy is.

 

She's flitting between multiple topics, not landing punches in any of them, seemingly hoping that Starmer will be unprepared. For his faults, he's never going to be. He's extremely well-prepped with responses to everything. Going in on his understanding on a legal case, of all things, is suicidal when your opponent is that renowned in the legal profession. Just common sense. 

 

The pressure will be on if the Tories have poor local elections. Gone by summer.

Reform are almost without doubt a bigger threat now. They don't have to rely upon whether or not critique of Starmers responses is legit or not - the base backing them will always believe that it is.

[Guest Bilo]

5 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

I'm not sure that Russia can keep up its current level of military activity for any length of time or escalate it, in terms of money and manpower. Surely in an economic race the combined European economies - much less the US or Chinese - would win that.

 

Of course, the truth is that no one wins such a conflict anyway.

 

Reform are almost without doubt a bigger threat now. They don't have to rely upon whether or not critique of Starmers responses is legit or not - the base backing them will always believe that it is.

It won't change for the Tories until they realise that trying to be Reform with policies written in pen rather than crayon is a fool's errand. 

 

They'd be much better served leaving Reform to hoover up the angry right-wing vote and going after B-C2 voters in the Midlands and North from Labour and trying to win back middle-class voters from the Lib Dems in the south. The more they try to stem the flow of CON-REF switchers, the less chance they have of winning back the median floating voters. 

Edited 12 February 2025 by Bilo

[Dunge]

6 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

I'm not sure that Russia can keep up its current level of military activity for any length of time or escalate it, in terms of money and manpower. Surely in an economic race the combined European economies - much less the US or Chinese - would win that.

 

Of course, the truth is that no one wins such a conflict anyway.

 

Reform are almost without doubt a bigger threat now. They don't have to rely upon whether or not critique of Starmers responses is legit or not - the base backing them will always believe that it is.

I mean, that is basically the “Cross your fingers” option.

[Zear0]

Agree ceasefire

Hug it out for a year

Regroup

Fabricate Ukrainian breach of terms

Invade again with no US support to Ukraine.