General News

[FoyleFox]

13 hours ago, Md9 said:

I think if I was trying to lie to the entire world about some serious issues I would double check what I had said previously before making my self look silly 😂

But that's because you're not (presumably, anyway) a narcissistic, absolute nut job.

[Lionator]

2 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Every so often I like to throw in a George Monbiot Guardian opinion piece safe in the knowledge that all FT users will rush to read it in full and reflect with an open mind on its content at length. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/01/consistently-appeasing-platforming-right-bbc-undermines-own-survival

 

In all seriousness though I do find what's happened to the BBC over the last few years more than a little tragic. Part of a general pattern of us not really appreciating the value of what we have and letting actors of dubious intent encourage us to allow it to be undermined and even destroyed

I was thinking along these lines today. North Lincolnshire just had two local crises. The first, they didn’t want RAF Scampton being turned into a migrant camp, the second, the Scunthorpe steelworks issue. Labour solved both of these issues in a way which greatly benefits the locals wishes. Yet they’re about to elect a reform council and mayor today. So the point is, even government decisions which panders to the people on the social right, is not enough. So why pander at all. Stick with your values.

[Lionator]

1 hour ago, st albans fox said:

Looks like the minerals deal has finally been signed 

wonder if this actually changes anything - if the Ukrainians won’t agree to the Russian ceasefire demands then presumably the Americans will continue to supply arms to Ukraine, knowing that they will now be weighed in for that assistance.   Or will the Russians now soften their demands.  I mean the bar is already so far in their direction that a few concessions will still be a sell out on Ukraine territorial integrity. 

I believe the arms supplies will come from funds raised by the agreement rather than donations as what happened before. So nothing will change really, except Ukraine will be getting less US weaponry unless Europeans buy it for them but I can’t see that going down well when welfare spending is being cut across the board. To be honest the mineral deal is bad for Ukranian sovereignty. 

[kenny]

24 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I believe the arms supplies will come from funds raised by the agreement rather than donations as what happened before. So nothing will change really, except Ukraine will be getting less US weaponry unless Europeans buy it for them but I can’t see that going down well when welfare spending is being cut across the board. To be honest the mineral deal is bad for Ukranian sovereignty. 

I reckon the minerals aren't there or at least not in the quantities that Trump thinks.

[WigstonWanderer]

Anyone seen any of Trump’s sycophantic cabinet meeting where each of them take turns telling him how wonderful his first 100 days have been?

It really is excruciating cringeworthy. Kim Jong Un would blush.

Edited yesterday at 09:53 by WigstonWanderer

[Lionator]

13 minutes ago, kenny said:

I reckon the minerals aren't there or at least not in the quantities that Trump thinks.

A lot of the deposits are under Russian occupation from what I read. Seems like the whole thing is to keep Trump invested but I think it’s pretty clear now that he prefers a better relationship with Russia over supporting Ukraine to win the war. Some will say it’s immoral, others will argue pragmatism/realism, then others will just call him a Russian asset.

[Md9]

18 minutes ago, WigstonWanderer said:

Anyone seen any of Trump’s sycophantic cabinet meeting where each of them take turns telling him how wonderful his first 100 days have been?

It really is excruciating cringeworthy. Kim Jong Un would blush.

I keep catching bits online of it , genuinely sad how pathetic it all is . Like a bad reality tv show but everyone is lying to him about how great everything is when it’s turning to sh** in front of them 😂

[Torquay Gunner]

38 minutes ago, Md9 said:

I keep catching bits online of it , genuinely sad how pathetic it all is . Like a bad reality tv show but everyone is lying to him about how great everything is when it’s turning to sh** in front of them 😂

 

58 minutes ago, WigstonWanderer said:

Anyone seen any of Trump’s sycophantic cabinet meeting where each of them take turns telling him how wonderful his first 100 days have been?

It really is excruciating cringeworthy. Kim Jong Un would blush.

These people would not get a cabinet post in any other administration.  That's real fealty right there. 

[leicsmac]

13 minutes ago, Torquay Gunner said:

 

These people would not get a cabinet post in any other administration.  That's real fealty right there. 

Yep.

 

It's not about merit. It's about loyalty to the Dear Leader.

 

And then the folks backing him have the hypocritical temerity to go on about communist dictatorships as if that particular factor is any different at all.

[Md9]

31 minutes ago, Torquay Gunner said:

 

These people would not get a cabinet post in any other administration.  That's real fealty right there. 

It’s honestly so strange to see with the silly red hats on the table acting like he is god. Hopefully someone slips up somewhere about something he has done at some point that is so bad he has to be arrested and spend the rest of is horrible life in prison along with a few of the others 

[reporterpenguin]

Saw this excellent visual metaphor on my way to vote

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, reporterpenguin said:

Saw this excellent visual metaphor on my way to vote

Depends where the ford is assembled ….

[Zear0]

Waltz waltzing out the door...

 

Thank god, but always fearful someone even more inept will fill his shoes.

[st albans fox]

9 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Waltz waltzing out the door...

 

Thank god, but always fearful someone even more inept will fill his shoes.

To only just make 100 days as an NSA is v poor, even for this shambles of an administration 

wonder if witkoff and hegseth are feeling comfortable today 

 

both have been poor thus far too. 

Edited 19 hours ago by st albans fox

[Muzzy_no7]

7 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Every so often I like to throw in a George Monbiot Guardian opinion piece safe in the knowledge that all FT users will rush to read it in full and reflect with an open mind on its content at length. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/01/consistently-appeasing-platforming-right-bbc-undermines-own-survival

 

In all seriousness though I do find what's happened to the BBC over the last few years more than a little tragic. Part of a general pattern of us not really appreciating the value of what we have and letting actors of dubious intent encourage us to allow it to be undermined and even destroyed

I gave it a go, honest. 
 

Soon as I saw a suggestion that the BBC suppresses the left I switched off though.

[Zear0]

9 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

To only just make 100 days as an NSA is v poor, even for this shambles of an administration 

wonder if witkoff and hegseth are feeling comfortable today 

 

both have been poor thus far too. 

Given loyalty trumps (no pun intended) competence, as perfectly demonstrated by Hegseth, I do look forward to the White House briefings on the departure.

[Lionator]

26 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Waltz waltzing out the door...

 

Thank god, but always fearful someone even more inept will fill his shoes.

Waltz was one of the more Ukraine friendly picks. 

[st albans fox]

8 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Given loyalty trumps (no pun intended) competence, as perfectly demonstrated by Hegseth, I do look forward to the White House briefings on the departure.

They’ll probably forbid any questions on it and ignore any that manage to get asked 

[st albans fox]

23 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

To only just make 100 days as an NSA is v poor, even for this shambles of an administration 

wonder if witkoff and hegseth are feeling comfortable today 

 

both have been poor thus far too. 

Wow

just read on politico that witkoff is a favourite!

 

he’s v close to Qatar from his business dealings - that might be interesting politically 

[Parafox]

8 hours ago, WigstonWanderer said:

Anyone seen any of Trump’s sycophantic cabinet meeting where each of them take turns telling him how wonderful his first 100 days have been?

It really is excruciating cringeworthy. Kim Jong Un would blush.

 

I watched the news report on it accompanied by the footage.

 

Toe curling stuff.

 

Then I watched Newsnight and the "interview" with Carla Sands and that was worse.

 

 

 

[Bellend Sebastian]

10 hours ago, Lionator said:

I was thinking along these lines today. North Lincolnshire just had two local crises. The first, they didn’t want RAF Scampton being turned into a migrant camp, the second, the Scunthorpe steelworks issue. Labour solved both of these issues in a way which greatly benefits the locals wishes. Yet they’re about to elect a reform council and mayor today. So the point is, even government decisions which panders to the people on the social right, is not enough. So why pander at all. Stick with your values.

There was a thing on The Rest is Politics (the spiritual home of Centrist Dads like myself) this week about how Labour's interests are probably better served by targeting Lib Dem and Green voters and that the idea that a lot of Reform support is from disaffected Labour voters is overplayed. They're doing a pretty good job of turning off anybody with a remotely progressive attitude to politics, aren't they?

[WigstonWanderer]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

 

I watched the news report on it accompanied by the footage.

 

Toe curling stuff.

 

Then I watched Newsnight and the "interview" with Carla Sands and that was worse.

 

 

 

She’s like a Trump mini-me spewing a firehose of bullshit that it’s impossible to keep up with

Edited 15 hours ago by WigstonWanderer

[Bellend Sebastian]

5 hours ago, Muzzy_no7 said:

I gave it a go, honest. 
 

Soon as I saw a suggestion that the BBC suppresses the left I switched off though.

Fair play for getting that far! 

 

That the BBC is a hotbed of all sorts of Trotskyite wrongness is a popular and strongly held belief, but not backed up by monitoring and research which as far as I can tell generally confirms a marginal right wing bias if anything.

 

I think this is probably because so much of the UK media (well that with any reach anyway) IS pretty right wing (which its consumers are more than happy about) which makes anything even vaguely centrist look like Pravda

[urban.spaceman]

5 hours ago, Parafox said:

 

I watched the news report on it accompanied by the footage.

 

Toe curling stuff.

 

Then I watched Newsnight and the "interview" with Carla Sands and that was worse.

 

 

 

There is absolutely nothing behind her eyes. 
 

 

[Lionator]

10 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

There was a thing on The Rest is Politics (the spiritual home of Centrist Dads like myself) this week about how Labour's interests are probably better served by targeting Lib Dem and Green voters and that the idea that a lot of Reform support is from disaffected Labour voters is overplayed. They're doing a pretty good job of turning off anybody with a remotely progressive attitude to politics, aren't they?

With the current state of play I think an economically left wing approach would be very popular. 
 

Reform are going to sweep votes because a large proportion of the country think that migration is to blame for all of this country’s problems. To a certain degree I think it is an issue but on the basis that it’s a symptom of the broken system. They’ll soon get a shock when things remain the same or get even worse. The economy as it is cannot run without migration.