Politics

[Tonge moor green jacket]

12 minutes ago, Zulu said:

Deputy Prime Minister versus number two on the gun in the Reform Party. I would expect Rayner to get more coverage. I think your political views may be distorting your perception. 

Exactly. 

What will be interesting to see, is how much the Green (terror) Party, and the Lib Dems get checked over, given their lesser Party status.

Away from the media though, the labour machine will be going all guns blazing for Reform as the local and national elections draw near.

Given their recent form, and indeed that of Reform with Lowe, it will become nasty.

[Winchester White]

10 hours ago, Zulu said:

Deputy Prime Minister versus number two on the gun in the Reform Party. I would expect Rayner to get more coverage. I think your political views may be distorting your perception. 

Whilst I agree a government minister would raise more coverage, given Reforms comments at the time about it then I would expect more scrutiny given this is now the 3rd time it has come up.

I wonder why Zahawi got off so lightly when he was in Government?

I am not a Labour supporter btw and did not vote for them.

[kent_white]

I'm just getting back into the news cycle after my hols. 

I can see everyone kicking off at KS again. 

What's he done wrong exactly? Asked for a security clearance on Mandleson and not been told that it's failed? 

Unless he's bullshitting about the timings (in which case he should go) - what has he done wrong exactly? 

Doesn't seem like much to me. Surely it's down to whoever did the security review? 

Am I missing something?

[royal white]

It looks like we will have to start sending 100s of millions to Belgium as well now, just to wave them off.

 

 

[Sweep]

35 minutes ago, royal white said:

It looks like we will have to start sending 100s of millions to Belgium as well now, just to wave them off.

 

 

That must be close on 90Km/100Km that crossing, I bet that's fun in a dinghy

Although, if the people traffickers are changing tactics, it must be working what we're doing in France 😉 

As I've said before, they'll never, ever be stopped, until we start making life very difficult for them when they arrive here, and successive Governments have shown there is zero appetite for that.

[bolty58]

On 19/04/2026 at 15:44, Zico said:

do you still think we should have gone into war alongside the US and Israel, just to keep Trump happy?

No. To rid the world of a set of horrible cunts.

Next.

[deeane Koontz]

I mean they go on about ' Stopping the boats and 'Smashing the gangs' wouldn't it be common sense to stop giving folk stuff if they've arrived here on boats? There's zero deterence. They're bound to give it a pop

You certainly shouldn't be letting folk roam about willy-nilly if you've no way of identifying them or checking their background. 

[bolty58]

1 hour ago, kent_white said:

I'm just getting back into the news cycle after my hols. 

I can see everyone kicking off at KS again. 

What's he done wrong exactly? Asked for a security clearance on Mandleson and not been told that it's failed? 

Unless he's bullshitting about the timings (in which case he should go) - what has he done wrong exactly? 

Doesn't seem like much to me. Surely it's down to whoever did the security review? 

Am I missing something?

Looks like you'd miss Everest. What rock?

[kent_white]

5 minutes ago, bolty58 said:

Looks like you'd miss Everest. What rock?

I'm genuinely confused.

What are people expecting him to do? Ask for a security review - get told the security review was successful - but then keep asking whether it was DEFINITELY successful? 

He's the prime minister. He's entitled to believe what he's being told by the people in charge of carrying it out, surely? 

You can question the wisdom of wanting Mandleson as an appointment in the first place - but it seems a bit daft to blame him for the vetting procedure not being carried out properly. That's not his job is it? 

[Dimron]

10 minutes ago, kent_white said:

I'm genuinely confused.

What are people expecting him to do? Ask for a security review - get told the security review was successful - but then keep asking whether it was DEFINITELY successful? 

He's the prime minister. He's entitled to believe what he's being told by the people in charge of carrying it out, surely? 

You can question the wisdom of wanting Mandleson as an appointment in the first place - but it seems a bit daft to blame him for the vetting procedure not being carried out properly. That's not his job is it? 

I think it's a result of him gallivanting around clocking up the air-miles and not keeping an eye on his office minions... while the cat's away and all that, he's left an open goal.

I wouldn't want him to lose his job over this Epstein crap while Trump and Andrew are still getting away with it.

[BobyBrno]

It was widely reported and debated in Parliament last year yet Starmer claims he was only told last week. 
All very odd. 
 

[royal white]

54 minutes ago, Sweep said:

That must be close on 90Km/100Km that crossing, I bet that's fun in a dinghy

Although, if the people traffickers are changing tactics, it must be working what we're doing in France 😉 

As I've said before, they'll never, ever be stopped, until we start making life very difficult for them when they arrive here, and successive Governments have shown there is zero appetite for that.

 

42 minutes ago, deeane Koontz said:

I mean they go on about ' Stopping the boats and 'Smashing the gangs' wouldn't it be common sense to stop giving folk stuff if they've arrived here on boats? There's zero deterence. They're bound to give it a pop

You certainly shouldn't be letting folk roam about willy-nilly if you've no way of identifying them or checking their background. 

Those in Belgium are being put up 8 to a room in an old army Barracks. No wonder they want to come here 

[kent_white]

16 minutes ago, Dimron said:

I think it's a result of him gallivanting around clocking up the air-miles and not keeping an eye on his office minions... while the cat's away and all that, he's left an open goal.

I wouldn't want him to lose his job over this Epstein crap while Trump and Andrew are still getting away with it.

Just seems a bit of a storm in a teacup as far as Starmer is concerned to me. Perpetuated by people who have been baying for him to lose his job from the moment he set foot in Number 10. 

We can't carry on binning off prime ministers at the rate we are doing and expect things to get any better. 

[kent_white]

13 minutes ago, BobyBrno said:

It was widely reported and debated in Parliament last year yet Starmer claims he was only told last week. 
All very odd. 
 

I must admit - it must have passed me by if it was widely reported. I only heard about it last week. 

For me - if he was told that Mandleson had passed the vetting process - then he's not really got a case for answer. He's a human being - he can't be expected to know every last detail about issues that are delegated to other people. 

On the other hand - if he's lied (especially in parliament) then he should definitely go. He just doesn't strike me as that kind of bloke though. 

Surely to god if Mandleson failed a vetting process - even if there was some kind of mix up - you'd expect whoever carried out the process to be apoplectic with rage that they'd been overruled? Or at the very least - complain to the PMs office. Or enquire as to whether there has been a mistake? 

You're right - it all DOES seem very odd.

[BobyBrno]

The journalist who broke the story in September contacted No. 10 at the time. 
 

 

[Sweep]

1 hour ago, bolty58 said:

No. To rid the world of a set of horrible cunts.

Next.

I think most wanted the Iranian regime gone, hopefully Trump will move onto the regime in Israel next - take both sets of horrible cunts out at the same time.

I suspect the point that some think you're missing is just down to interpretation of how things are going. To many, it looks like the US and Israel have gone steaming in, without too much of a plan, and certainly no idea of how to exit the situation. I know you think it's all part of an amazing master plan, and patience is needed (as you said the other day) - but each day that passes, it seems to turn into more of a shitshow. I don't doubt that Trump will lose patience at some point and unleash all manner of hell on Iran and take out their power stations and vital infrastructure. Whilst you'll celebrate that, many will not, and I guess that could constitute a war crime (I don't know if it is, and I really don't care that much either way to be honest)

I have no doubt that he wishes he'd not listened to Netanyahu and started this fracas

 

[Dimron]

19 minutes ago, kent_white said:

Just seems a bit of a storm in a teacup as far as Starmer is concerned to me. Perpetuated by people who have been baying for him to lose his job from the moment he set foot in Number 10. 

We can't carry on binning off prime ministers at the rate we are doing and expect things to get any better. 

I believe Badenoch has a daily briefing about the activities and any weaknesses of Labour Party ministers... that was how they got Raynor. They are concentrating their efforts into undermining the sitting government rather than being more positive and putting forward meaningful counter arguments and policies.

[Sweep]

6 minutes ago, BobyBrno said:

The journalist who broke the story in September contacted No. 10 at the time. 
 

 

I said the other day, rightly or wrongly, this will do for Starmer. A bad night in these upcoming local elections in a couple of weeks, and I suspect the knives will be out, and Raynor and Streeting will be leading the charge to replace him.

Who would have thought that Starmer would be taken down by the Epstein files 

[Dimron]

1 minute ago, Sweep said:

 

I have no doubt that he wishes he'd not listened to Netanyahu and started this fracas

 

Trump has made it worse by his bravado statements such as we might destroy an ancient culture tonight and his No.2 saying we have not used all the tools in our locker yet... If I was an Iranian I'd want to accelerate my uranium enrichment and not give what I have away in order to try to ensure M-A-D

[Dimron]

1 minute ago, Sweep said:

I said the other day, rightly or wrongly, this will do for Starmer. A bad night in these upcoming local elections in a couple of weeks, and I suspect the knives will be out, and Raynor and Streeting will be leading the charge to replace him.

Who would have thought that Starmer would be taken down by the Epstein files 

I DO NOT want that slimeball Streeting as PM, a mouthy Manc lass maybe

[Sweep]

5 hours ago, Dimron said:

I believe Badenoch has a daily briefing about the activities and any weaknesses of Labour Party ministers... that was how they got Raynor. They are concentrating their efforts into undermining the sitting government rather than being more positive and putting forward meaningful counter arguments and policies.

You wait until the next GE, when everyman and his dog is digging up what they can on the grifters at/in Reform  -  the next GE won't be about manifestos, it'll be about discrediting Farage and his gang of idiots, to try and keep them out (if he's still around by then of course)

Edited Monday at 15:20 by Sweep

[Sweep]

1 minute ago, Dimron said:

I DO NOT want that slimeball Streeting as PM, a mouthy Manc lass maybe

I'd rather neither.....but if we're to honour democracy, then I suppose we're likely to be stuck with one of them, the one small blessing, at present, is that massive cunt Burnham wouldn't be in the running

[Dimron]

1 minute ago, Sweep said:

You wait until the next GE, when everyman and his dog is digging up what they can on the grifters at/in Reform  -  the next GE won't be about manifestos, it'll be about discrediting Farage and his gang of idiots, to try and keep in out (if he's still around by then)

Don't forget the Greens... I was driving through the leafy Cambridge suburbs with a wealthy property developer last week and the Vote Green signs were everywhere... he was going crazy... "have they actually READ their policies?" etc. etc... it was ten times better than Cheese vs Bolty 😀

[Sweep]

22 minutes ago, Dimron said:

Don't forget the Greens... I was driving through the leafy Cambridge suburbs with a wealthy property developer last week and the Vote Green signs were everywhere... he was going crazy... "have they actually READ their policies?" etc. etc... it was ten times better than Cheese vs Bolty 😀

Sound bites will secure the next GE, not policies. Reform just need to keep banging on about how they hate foreigners, and they'll probably piss it.

[royal white]

13 minutes ago, Sweep said:

Sound bites will secure the next GE, not policies. Reform just need to keep banging on about how they hate foreigners, and they'll probably piss it.