As I said. I hope for the best and expect the worst.
Itâs a start but are we still providing weapons to Israel?
No. Not since 2024.
Critics will however rightly say that the UK still provides sales to ISR due to parts of the F-35 program being produced in the UK, but people with more than cursory knowledge knows that the UK cannot unilaterally block sales to those involved in the partner program for reasons of Realpolitik, so the criticism is sort of dishonest or based on ignorance or lalaland.
But Israelâs suppliers are the United States, Germany and Italy. The UK isnât really a supplier to Israel.
What the UK has done which is worse than everything regarding the F-35 program (since that is practically impossible for the UK to stop), is providing ISR with political cover. Less now than before, but we all know that Starmer WANTS (or wanted, itâs possible I should use the past tense, but I am not sure) to be pro-Israel but finds that he cannot politically navigate that course. The Starmer government simply has been too uncritical of Israel and too focused on anti semitism, imo. The tide has changed now, but people should be rightfully frustrated with UK Labour leadershipâs reluctance to criticise Israel (however, I will note, caustic criticism of Israel has far heavier political costs in the UK than in my country due to power of UK Isr-lobby, so I understand it, but itâs still wrong).
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The ugly truth is that most Western societies have used immigration to postpone an intergenerational transfer of wealth by bringing in additional labour to ensure the returns on capital and land do not shift radically in favour of labour. There is an economic logic underlying the rise of the nativist right.
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Piss up in a brewery anyone? Oh, sorryâŚ
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Yeah, I 've been reading about this party launch all day and it is the most hilarious and incompetent launch I have seen since Norgesdemokratene claimed they would get above the 5% parliamentarian barrier this election (they got 0.7%).
Itâs been fun and very confusing reading. The Best People tm.
But they claim that âYourpartyâ will become some party (they havenât decided on a name yet, because this is not the most professional gang).
https://x.com/AvaSantina/status/1968671082518311397
The best headline:
https://x.com/adampayne26/status/1968671306477351407
Also, unfortunately still true even today:
Itâs predictable, but I donât think itâs hilarious.
Starmer is dragging Labour to the right and there is space and, probably a need, for a viable alternative on the left. This isnât it though.
Oh, what I have been reading is quite hilarious to me in a tragicomic way. Let us agree to disagree on that point 
I also rather disagree regarding space in a shitty (that is merely my own opinion) First Past the Post system, that in reality is close to a Two Party System. The problem in the UK parliament, is exactly that there is no space. If there were, The Greens and the Lib Dems would have more mandates becuse both parties have sensible policies that are attractive to a lot of voters.
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100% this.
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Gif justified in this instance:
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https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/1968673984087552343
I am still reading posts from yesterday and still find a lot of humour in this.
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Trying to do something new but old habits and tendencies die hard.
Reform picked up Trowbridge in Cardiff this week. Although it is one of the more âConservativeâ areas, if that result is a hint of whatâs coming Labour are toast in Wales.
Iâm extremely concerned about an English nationalist party potentially leading the Welsh government.
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As are many English people concerned about the situation in England, but if the Welsh voters go for that poison then it just makes you wonder how ignorant and prejudiced some people are.
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Generally speaking those previously voting conservative are switching to reform en masse, including many of those who voted Labour last time round, so Trowbridge news not that surprising. The bigger concern though for labour is that they are also seeing its voters peel off to other parties such as towards the greens and Lib dems.
Despite winning the election it never really had a clear uniting mandate that brought them all together and would keep them together long enough to give them time to ride out the economic problems or to implement its policies.
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Theyâre mopping up the previous Brexit vote I think. The old party lines are gone. Issue for Labour is they were 4th here with 11% of those that voted. And yes thereâs been an uptake for the Liberals and Plaid here.
Thereâs another byelection coming up in Camarthen I think. That could be another key indicator.
The Senedd elections are May next year. Too short a timescale for them to lose their current momentum I think.
It is Brexit playing out again.
Whistles innocently, but dramatically appropriate
https://x.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/1969336091070075058
I also tend to agree with Clarkson that this immature drama is a tiny saving grace, in the day and age where Reform polls so extremely well and looks dangerously close to government.
https://x.com/APHClarkson/status/1969339431002701856
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I was literally just talking to some family last week on ILR about Rupert Lowe wanting to abolish it, but thankfully, Reform havenât stooped that low, but of course, the universe pulls the rug from underneath me.
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