General News Thread

[WigstonWanderer]

15 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/879835/british-perceptions-on-donald-trump/

 

Not great. 

 

14 minutes ago, Sampson said:

This is from last week so just before the Iran stuff but fair to say not very 

 

https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/54187-how-popular-is-donald-trump-in-europe-february-2026
 

United Kingdom

February’s tracker poll found that 13% of British respondents had a favourable opinion of Donald Trump and 83% had an unfavourable opinion.

This represents a slight decrease in popularity since January’s survey, with the number of British people holding a favourable view three points lower and the number with an unfavourable view remains largely the same

 

Still better than the Danes…

 

February’s tracker poll found that 3% of Danish respondents had a favourable opinion of Donald Trump and 95% had an unfavourable opinion.

Should be possible to use this as a stick to beat Farage and his cronies

[WigstonWanderer]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/03/half-reform-voters-believe-non-white-british-citizens-forced-encouraged-leave
 

Ugh!

[Wymsey]

Reckon it's going to kick off in other counties..

 

Worrying times ahead.

Edited 4 March by Wymsey

[st albans fox]

21 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Reckon it's going to kick off in other counties..

 

Worrying times ahead.

Where else ?

 

is there anywhere else ??

[danny.]

2 hours ago, WigstonWanderer said:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/03/half-reform-voters-believe-non-white-british-citizens-forced-encouraged-leave
 

Ugh!

Do you have a source for the survey data? That seems quite shocking to me. I checked the report - 150 pages and no reference to the data, only the findings referring to 54% in narrative form, without including the survey question text (which quite a few of the questions do include). I'd like to see the actual survey data. 

[Zear0]

Bit late to the party with this news, but it's wild they've used a SSN to torpedo that Iranian vessel.  There's a reason HMS Conqueror was the last boat to do so as it's not considered cricket amongst Navy's to do it.  They really don't care what they do.

[worthosoriginals]

17 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Bit late to the party with this news, but it's wild they've used a SSN to torpedo that Iranian vessel.  There's a reason HMS Conqueror was the last boat to do so as it's not considered cricket amongst Navy's to do it.  They really don't care what they do.

SSN, Sky sports news?

[WigstonWanderer]

2 hours ago, danny. said:

Do you have a source for the survey data? That seems quite shocking to me. I checked the report - 150 pages and no reference to the data, only the findings referring to 54% in narrative form, without including the survey question text (which quite a few of the questions do include). I'd like to see the actual survey data. 

I only “know” what’s written in the article. Guardian is a pretty reliable source I’d say despite it being hated by the right. Must admit I haven’t researched it further.

 

Edit: The report they refer to is here https://hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/state-of-hate-2026-v14.pdf

I haven’t got the energy 😂

Edited 4 March by WigstonWanderer

[Lionator]

47 minutes ago, worthosoriginals said:

SSN, Sky sports news?

Nuclear attack submarine. Not the sort of thing you should be using to sink boats unless you’re in an absolutely desperate defensive position. Worse still the Iranian boat was on its way back from an event in India so wasn’t even in combat duty. Might even be a war crime? 

[Trav Le Bleu]

13 minutes ago, Lionator said:

Nuclear attack submarine. Not the sort of thing you should be using to sink boats unless you’re in an absolutely desperate defensive position. Worse still the Iranian boat was on its way back from an event in India so wasn’t even in combat duty. Might even be a war crime? 

Trump will argue it's not a war crime cos they're not at war.

[danny.]

25 minutes ago, WigstonWanderer said:

I only “know” what’s written in the article. Guardian is a pretty reliable source I’d say despite it being hated by the right. Must admit I haven’t researched it further.

The Guardian and Independent both quote the report which is on HnH's site - which only presents the percentages as prose narrative, no links to the question wording, data or sources. Which I find weird when some sections are clearly presented with the question wording and data. I think the data might be in the Survation data tables but can't find them either. There are a lot of red flags on this after a quick 15 minute glance at the report.

Edited 4 March by danny.
typos

[WigstonWanderer]

8 minutes ago, danny. said:

The Guardian and Independent both quote the report which is on HnH's site - which only presents the percentages as prose narrative, no links to the question wording, data or sources. Which I find weird when some sections are clearly presented with the question wording and data. I think the data might be in the Survation data tables but can't find them either. There are a lot of red flags on this after a quick 15 minute glance at the report.

Fair comment. I’ve edited one of my replies above to include a link to the article mentioned 

Edited 4 March by WigstonWanderer

[Parafox]

18 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Trump will argue it's not a war crime cos they're not at war.

It's "regime change".

[worthosoriginals]

19 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Trump will argue it's not a war crime cos they're not at war.

Operation epic smokescreen

[Lionator]

30 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Trump will argue it's not a war crime cos they're not at war.

The pentagon have literally called it a ‘special combat operation’. You couldn’t write it. 

[MaidstoneFox]

29 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Trump will argue it's not a war crime cos they're not at war.

 

10 minutes ago, worthosoriginals said:

Operation epic smokescreen

Operation Epstein Smokescreen

[danny.]

19 minutes ago, WigstonWanderer said:

Fair comment 

After a bit more reading of the PDF, my main concerns are:
 

The headlines used are conflating two different responses, there is "forcibly removed" and also "encouraged to leave". I don't like either personally, but they're objectively different positions, one is advocating legal coercion and the other is more a preference. And we have no idea what the split is (again no data) so could be 1% went for the harsher option, or 53%, who knows.

Members is a very different thing to voters, the guardian said (headline has changed since originally published bit you can see in the slug it did say voters) "voters" but the actual survey was "members", obviously a paid up member of Reform is going to be more extreme than a swing voter. So this is just plain misleading/wrong, it would be like equating Momentum members with a casual swing Labour voter.

The question it self I find the hardest to swallow (and horrendous if so), but did they really ask about "white" and "non-white" citizens? That's what I'd really like to know and to see the question working as that is flat out racism. Or was the question worded about immigration/anti-immigration with some conflating? Who knows. It could be real or it could be spin. Again I find it very very hard to believe that 54% said "non whites should be forcibly removed", beyond the realms of reasonable probability. 

The sample size is just over 600, that isn't great, and from the way the report is presented without sources and with the headline figures as prose and in the executive summary it does suggest this is to make a shock headline over anything else. Else why hide the question wording and data? Even if that was all above board, I don't think it's reasonable to equate ~600 paid up Reform members to "Reform voter". 

Edit: just saw your edit, yup that was the PDF I looked at.

Edited 4 March by danny.

[worthosoriginals]

53 minutes ago, WigstonWanderer said:

I only “know” what’s written in the article. Guardian is a pretty reliable source I’d say despite it being hated by the right. Must admit I haven’t researched it further.

 

Edit: The report they refer to is here https://hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/state-of-hate-2026-v14.pdf

I haven’t got the energy 😂

Looks as though you were spot on about it being hated by the right.

[StanSP]

1 hour ago, Lionator said:

Nuclear attack submarine. Not the sort of thing you should be using to sink boats unless you’re in an absolutely desperate defensive position. Worse still the Iranian boat was on its way back from an event in India so wasn’t even in combat duty. Might even be a war crime? 

Does anyone even get done for war crimes these days? 

[ramboacdc]

Turned the news on earlier and heard that crazy press secretary saying the US navy may escort ships through the straight? They got that many ships spare to do that? 

 

Sounds like a new extortion racket if so.

[CornwallFox]

47 minutes ago, danny. said:

The Guardian and Independent both quote the report which is on HnH's site - which only presents the percentages as prose narrative, no links to the question wording, data or sources. Which I find weird when some sections are clearly presented with the question wording and data. I think the data might be in the Survation data tables but can't find them either. There are a lot of red flags on this after a quick 15 minute glance at the report.

There's quite a lot of other worrying questions and answers in that document which are down in full though.

[danny.]

2 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Does anyone even get done for war crimes these days? 

Benjamin Netanyahu not being in jail would suggest not.

[worthosoriginals]

29 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Does anyone even get done for war crimes these days? 

Trump might wriggle free

[Spiritwalker]

8 hours ago, Stevosevic said:

Many are here to criticise from behind their screens also. Any other realistic suggestions from your side to end the suffering and oppression of the Iranian people? Or are we happy to let it continue? 

What about the suffering and oppression of the N.Koreans, Russians and Chinese amongst others?

[Lionator]

I like socialist MTG