Brew

Col will be along shortly Oz...

A bit rambling but flags up a potential for concern, however at the end of the day politicians already lead the military. No general has ever declared war, it's always a political decision. In the US the president seems to be held in almost demigodlike awe and soldiers will obey without regard to the political side the order comes from. Lyndon Johnson (1965) was strongly advised against going to war in Vietnam - but he did it anyway No point having advisers that don't agree with you. Every president, PM etc. surrounds themselves with sycophants.

Quote from Reeves oh her plans for the economy: "What is demanded is a decade of national renewal, shaping the institutional architecture of the British economy in the direction of mission-led government," "If we can bring together public and private sectors, in a national mission - directed at restoring strong economic growth across Britain." Is it me or is it meaningless drivel?

Yes, a poor choice of words... The left wing comes from a putsch by Rudd that saw a mass exit by the Tory members leaving left wingers like Mandelson. The proDem and anti-Brexit I have no problem with.

According to Netanyahu they are, and a lack of a formal declaration makes not a jot of difference nor does the number of combatants. i Many people were unable to escape and ore civilians died in one city than the whole of Gaza, as for starvation I'm sure it's somethin the Dutch during the hongerwinter will know something about - and nobody officially declared war on them

Change Shin Bet for the Maquis 1943, or RAF pathfinders or the Luftwaffe etc etc, It's war and it's sick. Identifying various factions to apportion blame is as pointless as a foreign government arguing about calling for a ceasefire.

Me too...

Simply double click on Open Britain. https://us21.list-manage.com/survey?u=8ce323885fefc60a1dfe7ff0b&id=99c80c8296&utm_source=Open+Britain&utm_campaign=7303242da8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_01_30_11_21_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-27c14871b6-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&e=dd9850a83f Open Britain exists to serve a similar demographic as GBnews, how you can claim it's not left wing I don't know. Quote: The individuals involved in the campaign group include former Ministers Pat McFadden (Labour) and Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat).

A blanket dismissal true but it's just more left wing propaganda stating the blindingly obvious. The other two I've not read. The survey asks who's to blame for the problems post Brexit. but only lists Tory politicians as though Labour had no say... Are you opposed to those objectives? You seriously need to ask?

There are two pages that open Col, one a heavily biased diatribe, the second a survey so nonsensical it's laughable. Open Britain (should ne closed mind).

Didn't someone once say the first casualty of war is the truth? But Israel is at war, why waste men and resources attacking a target of no military value? Mason claims he has not seen any evidence, but also admits he's not there. Setting up a command post takes hours not days or weeks so maybe he didn't see anything, doesn't mean they aren't there. Will this guy also give evidence?: The director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan hospital in Jabaliya has revealed that his northern Gaza hospital was turned into a military facility under Hamas’s control and that at one point, it

Ask Alexa if she will marry you..... (it's not rude) Or ask her to sing the worm song...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001x7h6/sunday-with-laura-kuenssberg-how-would-labour-handle-the-economy Maybe you will have a different take?

It sounds very, VERY rude...

I said this earlier and now think her reference to private finance and leveraging big business is a veiled reference to PFI... again...or have I got it wrong ?

I've read it in detail and as I said it's saying all the right things (some of it quite unrealistic), but has kerbside appeal. Farage is by his own admission "good at selling things". The Guardian calls it "populist politicians spreading discord and misinformation".

A valid view trogg, but only voting for the majority party will only ever serve to maintain the status quo and thus nothing will change. I would suggest voting in sufficient numbers against the trend, a protest vote if you like, can send messages of discontent or a desire for change. Then again maybe not...

I can't remember where but the gist of what I read was 'populist' policies and those proposing them are offering unrealistic and over optimistic messages. To dismiss them was to me a failure to recognise the attraction to voters. Farage and Anderson got where they are by simply saying the right things, things a lot of people wanted to hear, and when said with enough conviction carried the day.

Only in your estimation Col. I mention earlier Reeves performance on Sunday and quite frankly she is hoping to do what you accuse the Tories of doing, kowtowing to big business. A major plank of her rather vague plan is bringing big business and investment on board. she wants to 'leverage' private investment in her green policy, something the rest of the talking heads are strangely quiet about. When asked direct questions she stuttered, prevaricated and it was obvious the she was reluctant to a clear and unambiguous answer. She also hinted that the economy will benefit from 'trickle down!'

Excellent question CT. The old old cry of he's an unelected Prime Minister highlights it. We don't and never have voted for a Prime Minister, we vote for a party and the party leader is elected by party members to become PM by default. The leader/candidate's personality and popularity though can make that seem nonsensical and I'm reasonably sure in many peoples minds they're voting for personality not policy.

And most of the party too i imagine. He is a barrister so not exactly dim, but when cross examining Sunak always seems out of his depth.

So basically you recommend Labour follow the Tories lead - again?

Hopefully Farage will simply fade away, but the present appalling state of politics in the UK is opening doors that should remain closed. The mess made by the present lot and the abysmal Labour lack of direction and passive opinions can make strident voices like Farage and Anderson seem attractive. They're are seemingly offering a positive view and certainty in an uncertain world. I've noted before we should not side-line or ignore him. Those who cry it's just 'populism politics' need to reconsider what that actually means.

A bold statement there Col, I wonder would you consider Ramsey Macdonald in the same way? He and every Labour MP (15),bar one left Labour and formed a new party, 'National Labour.' Did their constituents agree or even have a say? John Strachey, the odd one out, refused to join on the grounds he "did not agree with the party's drift towards Fascism" Or Cripps,or Bevan,......... How many Labour MPs dumped the party and joined the SDP? Leaving a party for another or 'crossing the house' is not so unusual, morally reprehensible, but not unusual.