Thread 35 - Sunak, the squatter

[BIossomtoes]

Old thread here
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4961707-thread-34-sunak-the-circus-is-back-in-westminster?page=40&reply=131976344

It did. I don’t think this is Sunak’s Falklands though. If he boxes clever the PO scandal might be.

I don't think the PO scandal will do anything for Sunak. People aren't that stupid. They will wonder why Sunak never even mentioned it before the ITV drama. The bandwagon jumping was made painfully clear when Patel opened her poisonous gob.

Sunak is visiting Ukraine today to announce a new package of military support, increasing funding to £2.5bn

Thanks for the explanation re Thatcher, the Falklands war has mostly passed me by.

Sorry @IClaudine but I think they are that stupid. Didn’t someone say “Never underestimate the stupidity of the general public”? We see it here all the time.

Yup. The minute a politician mentions "our boys" it will be time to vomit. Sending other people's sons off to die for political expediency is a favourite gambit, as is ignoring what happens to them if and when they return home.

Given that Saudi Arabia has been bombarding Yemen for years with weapons made in the UK and US, is this just an attempt to cut out the middle man?

Honestly I would find it much harder to keep up without this thread and the links you all post!

On another note, is anyone on the pros and cons of Trump thread? I'm not sure what I just got myself involved in this morning on there. Wondering if I'm missing a joke or something.

Maybe.

But my feeling is the former Tory supporters who are already planning not to vote for them this time won't be swayed. It'll just be the dunderheads people who are still going to vote Tory, despite everything, who will be bigging Sunak up for this.

It will be interesting to see if the polls in the next couple of weeks show any movement.

It’s too soon for the polls to move because nothing’s been done yet. I hope I’m wrong but if all the postmasters get a blanket exoneration, substantial compensation funded by Fujitsu and Alan Bates is knighted, watch the needle move. If I were advising Sunak I’d be urging him to milk it for all it’s worth.

But the £75,000 Sunak has offered in compensation is laughable.
So by the time of the election there will still be 100s of postmasters who have not been compensated, which presumably will be pointed out any time Sunak tries to mention it.

Jo Hamilton is unimpressed.

x.com/JoHamil73963257/status/1745456827188519390?s=20

I was in sixth form at the time. I friend of mo r had left school and joined the navy. He was deployed to the Falklands after basic training, all while the narrative was how terrible Argentina were for sending 'raw recruits' while our troops were all experienced professionals.
There were several points when it could have been resolved diplomatically, but Thatcher didn't want that. It was disgusting.

Andrew Bridgen I've had a very unfavourable impression of him for a while but really, what a thoroughly unpleasant individual. I assume he's achieved his success by bigging himself up and lying. And family handouts. How do so many people fall for this? How can the people who do it not feel shame?

I'm in my fifties but sometimes I feel very old and out of tune with today's modus operandi. I was brought up not to blow your own trumpet and not to give preferential treatment to family /friends in a fairness/professionalcapacity eg, at your own child's birthday party they'd never expect to win the pass the parcel as that might be seen to be showing favouritism. The entire Conservative Party seems to think this is a laughable philosophy. What am I going to be like when I'm properly old?🙁

My Dad was in the Falklands. One of my friends lost their Dad when he was killed. Watching the officer and padre walking onto the estate, and feeling the relief that it wasn't your house, quickly followed by shame for the thought because it meant your friend had lost a parent.

They are creating a war for economic gain. It's certainly not defending British people like the Falklands.

To compare the two you must be extremely dense.

To go to war without discussion in the house is not acceptable, how dare Sunak play God with people's lives without scrutiny. He's overstepped his remit in my opinion.

And the first response is a tory MP trying to undermine what she's saying. What a surprise!

To go to war without discussion in the house is not acceptable, how dare Sunak play God with people's lives without scrutiny. He's overstepped his remit in my opinion.

he does seem to be running away with this new narrative where he’s in charge so what he says goes. At best he’s place holding.

I heard him speaking earlier and he inspires zero confidence or credibility. He doesn’t sound confident in his decisions and parrots the odd snippet he’s clearly noted down when he’s received his own briefing. He sounds like a sixth former playing war games.

I'm torn on the Yemen situation. On the one hand I tend towards pacifism. On the other hand I worry that governments are too cowardly when it comes to swiftly dealing with bully boys. I'm thinking of Putin going into the Crimea in particular. If he had been dealt with more firmly presumably he wouldn't have invaded Ukraine.
Regarding Ukraine, NATO is absolutely mighty yet America seems terrified to get directly involved. Remember all the talk about Putin's empty threats of using nuclear weapons? They seemed to be taken far too seriously. Maybe just a cover for unwillingness to get fully involved. At the moment it seems that Ukraine is being given just enough money and weapons to keep Russia from taking it over completely but not enough to kick it out. What a waste of all those lost lives.

On the other hand re Yemen, presumably the Houthi rebels want to start a costly war, so firing back is playing into their hands. And the Iranians. Although, I heard an expert on the radio speculate that the Iranian influence over the Houthis might not be as much as generally thought.

It's all so annoying and depressing.

Was the Falklands action voted on in Parliament?

What is the UN saying and trying to do about the Yemen situation?

Sunak would have got this through parliament, especially as the lab party is supporting it. Is he jumping when the US says?

Answering my own question here, but there was no formal vote, but apparently it was clear the backing was there.

Voting in parliament to go to war is a relatively new thing - Blair and Iraq and Cameron in Libya. Prior to that the PM just decided as it is a Crown perogative.
So what Sunak has done isn't unusual by historical terms. eg Bosnia and Kosovo interventions didn't have votes in parliament.

Not that I think it is a good thing.

It's not the vote, it's Sunak avoiding scrutiny and accountability by not recalling Parliament and run off to Ukraine instead.

I can't imagine any other PM doing that.

Sunak in Israel after the Hammas atrocity. To Netanyahu and his government "we want you to win". A rash and partial statement which should not have been made. It is not the duty of our PM to blithely assume his personal wishes mirror those of the country, he should maintain his neutrality regardless until the matter has been discussed by Parliament. Bad practice, schoolboy tactics. I'm very uncomfortable with him directing this.