Thread 17: Starmer: Treading softly.

[DuncinToffee]

Lettuce pray

Keep it civil

Cat, dog, flowers tax much appreciated

Previous thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5257111-thread-16-starmer-mad-world?page=40

Musk in the Oval Office.
The £50 million condoms for Gaza were for Gaza in Mozambique to protect them against HIV.

Can't expect them to get their facts right.

Anyone who thinks the US will be anything other than an unreliable partner is an idiot.

Musk looks like active corruption writ large. Zero accountability in reality.

The boy is called X.

Yes, really.

I hope someone asks Trump or his press secretary about that specific claim.

Or a member of the GOP.

Do any Senators or Congress people think "OMG, what was that all about?"

I doubt the press will push on the question of expectation of accuracy.
Or if they do they wont be allowed back.

Associated Press were barred for not referring to the Gulf of America.

We need a nothing surprises me any more button. 🙄

So much for free speech.

What about other non US press e.g BBC

No use asking, Trump already said something about them being used as bombs or some other conspiracy claim in an earlier briefing

This seems like a good idea. I wonder what the enforcement will be:

www.theguardian.com/society/2025/feb/12/rogue-landlords-in-england-to-face-curbs-on-housing-benefit-income-says-labour

I can forsee them having to say and do all the "right" things in order to have access, too.

Stella Creasy has put down an Urgent Question on the refugee citizenship issue

https://bsky.app/profile/stellacreasy.bsky.social/post/3lhvwg636sk2f

I slipped off these threads once the Westminster madness came to an end. But the rollercoaster is running again now that President Wotsit is back.

Here's my cat tax. Little Miss Angry showing off her new climbing wall.

(Cant post cat tax. Sorry.)

Just in case you missed Captain Stupid, here is Boris Johnson proving that the finest education in the world doesn't have to be a stigma to being a total fool

www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/boris-johnson-dubai-gaza-trump-mar-a-lago-b2696717.html

Oh. I don't know, I think Trump putting the Palestinian people up in luxury on his own land while he fixes their homes for them is a genius idea 😉

This move from Labour is going to cost them. They won't get the Reformaloon vote back, and this will drive decent moderate people elsewhere.

This could be the LIbDems moment. Their astounding success in July has gone completely unremarked in a media gripped by Farages every bowl movement. I suspect that they may not be upset at this.

I am quite happy to switch from Labour to LibDem for the local elections. (But then I live in Brum).

Many years ago - a "Play for Today" (much missed and one of the reasons why the BBC is now a pile of shite is because that wonderful delivery of culture has been abandoned). There was a wonderfully dry programme about a fictional by election in a northern rural area. The action centred on the increasingly bad natured and fractious argy bargy between the Conservative candidate, and their Labour rival. (With, as they say "amusing results").

I could spoil it for folks. Looks like you may need memory to recount this as predictably with all the shite being pumped out, gems like this are lost. (Who remembers the PfT with Billy Connolly ?)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0779527/

Next Lettuce puts in another dire performance at PMQs.

@SerendipityJane Play for Today kind of continues under the name of Drama on 4. I still listen to it sometimes.

I can’t vote Lib Dem again after the coalition, not in any capacity. Also their voting pattern in this Parliament is more Tory than progressive as far as I can see.

Urgent question granted to Lord Blunkett on citizenship applications

Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle opted not grant a UQ to Stella Creasy on the same topic

Due at around 3.45pm

Fair enough.

You are aware of the irony that absolutist stances like that are a gift to the less scrupulous ? It's the flip side of "Always voted Labour*, me" that someone proudly says as they the wonder why the Labour party does nothing for them and everything for the Johnny-come-lately voters.

Our current system completely smothers nuance. And most of my votes in life have been much less about support for the candidate and much more about trying to keep the others out.

Anyhows, I am still hoping for a small revolution and the LibDems - for all their faults - soak up the disaffected Tory-turned Labour voters who still have some morals left.

Incidentally I am wondering what fresh hell 2028/9 could bring if we end up with no majority party, but a possibility of a LibDem-[Reform/Tory/Labour] coalition. What would the outcome of a split like Reform:150, Labour 250, Tories 75, LibDems 150 ??? We can only hope a Tory-Reform coalition would still not reach a majority.

One to watch is Reforms disinterest in electoral reform. They could well try to create a "we wuz robbed" narrative to fuel the next post election riots that I am sure they have alerted their core to be ready for.

*Or tory.

I didn't watch it but saw this on bluesky

If you like hearing Tuesday's Daily Telegraph news list read aloud, PMQs is the thing for you.

Badenoch's spokes person didn't attend the Q&A session afterwards, second week in a row.

"Anyhows, I am still hoping for a small revolution and the LibDems - for all their faults - soak up the disaffected Tory-turned Labour voters who still have some morals left."

Yep. Davey must be delighted.
Seems to be a massive memory loss regarding L/Ds hoovering up Con seats last July.

The Cons arent providing a spokesperson because they dont want to answer follow on questions - its very revealing. She can't back up her claims.

Has anyone else been watching 'Go Back to Where You Come From'? Horrendous young woman on there who already presents for GB News and has a PPE degree form Oxford (natch). It's a fascinating but excruciating watch.

@DuncinToffee - Starmer described Next Lettuce as tedious.

She deserved that.

Badenoch is not agile enough to do this. Her benches were silent. Basically her attacking instincts are all there, but she is not very clever. That will never change no matter the script she is given.

The PM should not be making her look thick every week with her helping him out.