General News Thread

[Corky]

Thank God they are different to what brought this country to its knees.

[Super_horns]

10 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Another Tory reject joins Reform. Interesting tactic... 

Is it a case of last one at the Tories turn the lights off now ?

[Lionator]

1 minute ago, Super_horns said:

Is it a case of last one at the Tories turn the lights off now ?

A more moderate centrist tory party would probably be good for the country right now and would mop up a lot of votes if they get it right come 2029 (ie Labour are cooked, reform are outed as crooks). Not that I’d ever vote for them but it could easily happen. 

[bovril]

I don't think Farage is that interested in actually winning the election. Wouldn't be good for the grift. 

[Lionator]

10 minutes ago, bovril said:

I don't think Farage is that interested in actually winning the election. Wouldn't be good for the grift. 

I think if it’s looking like he’ll win, he will step down and let a Jenrick or Braverman lead. I don’t think he wants to be prime minister either. 

[Robo61]

6 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I think if it’s looking like he’ll win, he will step down and let a Jenrick or Braverman lead. I don’t think he wants to be prime minister either. 

And will continue to laugh from the sidelines as he had always done. 

[Aleksz]

Say what you like about Farage but he’s made more signings in this window than Rudkin has in 2 years 

[st albans fox]

3 hours ago, leicsmac said:

That depends on both the actions of the autocracy and the current problems being faced. It's hardly cut and dried. 

 

Viewing what the UK and other European powers did a century or more ago as just "economic colonisation" is an interestingly rose tinted way of looking at that particular part of history. 

Yes obviously we did way more than China are able to get away with.  but the idea that they are just ‘helping’ loads of countries around the world to develop is nonsense. 

[CosbehFox]

6 hours ago, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1w94v205y2o

 

Some good investigative from the Beeb here regarding just how dark security service work can be and how innocent people may well simply be considered collateral damage in the name of "defending the realm" in some cases.

 

Critical question from the article: "can the authorities who played a role in the events, including MI5, be trusted to decide whether to tell the public about what happened, when doing so could leave them exposed?"

 

Edit: speaking personally, that the British government got into bed with Loyalist elements who were every bit as bloodthirsty and psychopathic as their Nationalist counterparts during the Troubles is absolutely shameful and something more people should be making a noise about and more people should be answering for. 

The Stake Knife debacle another example. The issue with the Troubles is it’s still too fresh for many and people still be reluctant to talk given how people would disappear 

[leicsmac]

9 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Yes obviously we did way more than China are able to get away with.  but the idea that they are just ‘helping’ loads of countries around the world to develop is nonsense. 

Oh, no doubt the help comes with strings attached and so the benefit is mutual. 

 

The difference may well be however that they are playing the long game - and seeing the long game - well enough that it guarantees a future in which all parties concerned can still mutually benefit, rather than just one or none.

 

 

5 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

The Stake Knife debacle another example. The issue with the Troubles is it’s still too fresh for many and people still be reluctant to talk given how people would disappear 

Fair to say. And still we're left with the same problem as a result. 

[EnderbyFox]

On 15/01/2026 at 12:08, EnderbyFox said:

 

There is always a tweet 

 

 

There is always a tweet, part 2

 

 

 

[Robo61]

3 hours ago, Aleksz said:

Say what you like about Farage but he’s made more signings in this window than Rudkin has in 2 years 

But they must be breaching PSR

[WigstonWanderer]

9 hours ago, leicsmac said:

If you're referring to the Web in general, there's quite a few swallowing the party line about him somehow being a capital threat and therefore worthy of being shot at the time he'd been jumped and pepper-sprayed multiple times.

 

In this small corner of it? Looks like the Trump apologists that do exist here either rightly believe what happened to be indefensible (even for him) or at least think it might be indefensible enough to say nothing at all.

 "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command". 1984, George Orwell.

[Raj]

All the Tories going to Teform are fecking mavericks and idiots anyway.

Funny how they cuss the Tories even though most of the cvnts were in high level roles in the Government  at the time.

 

Braver man was bloody home secretary  ffs...cant make this bo11ox up.

[Lionator]

31 minutes ago, Raj said:

All the Tories going to Teform are fecking mavericks and idiots anyway.

Funny how they cuss the Tories even though most of the cvnts were in high level roles in the Government  at the time.

 

Braver man was bloody home secretary  ffs...cant make this bo11ox up.

To be fair to these guys, when you feel victimised and targeted, sometimes you want to escape and get on shore to a safer, more understanding place, obviously reform are good at that kind of thing. 

[StanSP]

8 hours ago, Corky said:

Thank God they are different to what brought this country to its knees.

Genuinely this is what I can't fathom. At what point do Reform say 'actually, you fvcked up and we don't want you'. 

 

It's bizarre how you can hammer the previous government then go and hire them. 

[Sly]

I think this lot jumping ship will be good for the Conservatives and get it back toward a more centre right party, rather than whatever Boris pushed it to become. 
 

All of these defectors are further right than your traditional Tory party member I’d say, so they’ll be better off without them. 
 

They just need to stabilise and reset. They’ve got plenty of time to mount a serious challenge come the next general election, if they get the house in order. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

Genuinely this is what I can't fathom. At what point do Reform say 'actually, you fvcked up and we don't want you'. 

 

It's bizarre how you can hammer the previous government then go and hire them. 

It's a bit like if we had taken Russell Martin and all Southampton's players during the summer.

[Trav Le Bleu]

3 hours ago, Lionator said:

To be fair to these guys, when you feel victimised and targeted, sometimes you want to escape and get on shore to a safer, more understanding place, obviously reform are good at that kind of thing. 

You mean, like immigrants?

[The Bear]

1 hour ago, StanSP said:

Genuinely this is what I can't fathom. At what point do Reform say 'actually, you fvcked up and we don't want you'. 

 

It's bizarre how you can hammer the previous government then go and hire them. 

Reform have no idea how to run a government. They need all the experienced people they can.and it doesn't matter to them if they were shit, as long as they win the election and have enough people that have a vague idea of what they are doing. 

[Jimothy]

Reform voters right now

[Lionator]

5 hours ago, The Bear said:

Reform have no idea how to run a government. They need all the experienced people they can.and it doesn't matter to them if they were shit, as long as they win the election and have enough people that have a vague idea of what they are doing. 

Ministers don’t run the government, the civil service do and this is what reform want to nuke. 

[Mike Oxlong]

Despite overall disapproval after two murders and all the lies of the government about them a staggering 38% of Americans still approve of the actions of ICE with 12% being of the view that they haven't gone far enough !!!! - from the latest Reuters poll 

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-immigration-approval-drops-record-low-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2026-01-26/

 

Some 58% of poll respondents said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have gone "too far" in their crackdown, while 12% said they had not gone far enough and 26% said the agents' efforts were "about right." 

[Voll Blau]

8 hours ago, Sly said:

I think this lot jumping ship will be good for the Conservatives and get it back toward a more centre right party, rather than whatever Boris pushed it to become. 
 

All of these defectors are further right than your traditional Tory party member I’d say, so they’ll be better off without them. 
 

They just need to stabilise and reset. They’ve got plenty of time to mount a serious challenge come the next general election, if they get the house in order. 

Hmm, dunno about that. They're the same membership that elevated Johnson and Truss - and probably would have elevated Braverman, if they'd been given the chance.

 

A large swathe of Tory voters might found them unpalatable, but I suspect Brexit filtered out the "left" (if you like) of their membership base.

[worthosoriginals]

19 hours ago, skolfoxes said:

The rate at which they’re rounding up the least popular Tory MPs from the previous government, I’m fully expecting them to announce Matt Hancock has joined the party next.

Boris too maybe?