Thread 18 Starmer: All sides of the House agree apart from the Trump bootlickers

[DuncinToffee]

Previous thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5264338-thread-17-starmer-treading-softly?page=40&reply=142243865

Interesting. I admire her for doing so.

In her resignation letter, seen by The Guardian, she warns that pulling back from development will bolster Russia, which has already been aggressively increasing its presence worldwide, as well as encouraging China’s attempts to rewrite global rules.

She also predicted the prime minister would find it “impossible” to deliver on his commitment to maintain development spending in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine with the diminished budget.

The nice thing about having a whopping majority is that you can afford your troops the luxury of a conscience.

It's all very well flouncing out, but I would be curious where she felt the problem was. Increasing defence ? Reducing foreign aid ? The language used ?

Without context it's really just following St. Kemis lead of saying "we agree with this, but won't tell you how we'd do it."

Without coming over all Reform, I am sure there are a lot of less fortunate folk in the UK who are glad their benefits aren't being cut to pay for the Tories running defence down.

Let's face it her position was probably untenable if she believes foreign aid was significant.

In identifying other countries where she thinks Starmer cannot maintain the current commitments she may well be signalling that we should expect further cuts.

Just a bit of whinging about Chagos and Lammy and some yearnings for Johnson as far as I can see

Not looking quite so insignificant now then, despite some people thinking he was just a messenger boy in America…

Rachel Reeves is attending the G20 with EU finance ministers today, The discussion is focused on security and defence financing."

Oh good. Is that where we agree to fund new spending via sanctioned Russian assets holdings and then VAT?

Plus one for Rachel if that's our position. Minus points for imagining we can fund this in the open markets ourselves. We are crippled by debt payments thanks to the Conservatives incompetence

Why oh why, just as Labour have one of the first positive stories to get behind, since July, does someone think "i'll resign, that'll show em"

Great story on GP contracts too but the Dodds resignation will be the headlines tomo! talk about giving the bullets to the opposition to fire back at labour!

Nothing will change, KS will appointment a pro cuts minister and Dodds will lose any possible chance of protecting the budget that is left....

Of course its shite, no one wants to cut FA but Starmer needed a quick win to show Trump and FA is a very easy and probably popular target.

The problem with performative conscience airing, is it rarely makes sense and ultimately is much more about the person than the policies they "object" to.

I say "object" because choosing to be a political party member - let alone a representative of that party - will involve any amount of having to square circles.

Of course its shite, no one wants to cut FA but Starmer needed a quick win to show Trump and FA is a very easy and probably popular target

Foreign aid is the soft version of defence spending. If the UK is having to rebalance that, it's all down to Putin and Trump.

The meeting with Zelensky sounds very heated - in front of the world's media

OMG - people should really watch that meeting.

Awful. I think Zelenskyy is finished.

I've been following it on the sky news website - the updates.

It does sound horrendous.

Basically comes across in the reporting that Trump is trying to insert himself as the victim stuck between the 2 countries at war and Zelensky needs to find a deal and stop the war as it's his fault it's been running for 3 years.

On top of him denying remembering calling him a dictator I'd be very wary of Trumps plans in the future.

I cant watch it at the moment. Can anyone summarise?

Interesting. Sky news isn't reporting that Zelensky is terrible. More that he won't bow down to Trump.

That's the one thing you can take from it.
I wonder if Trump has ever been spoken to like that.

Presenter is asiing if this a powerful man bullying someone begging for help which just about sums it up. Incredibly disrespectful to a President. Lots of shouting over Zelensky and getting dates wrong with blaming Biden & Obama.

@itsgettingweird it's more that neither Trump nor Putin will have any incentive to help him. He's dead in the water

Putin was never going to help him. He invaded Ukraine.

I understand the need for diplomacy but I don't think expecting Zelensky to be grateful for the support he needed when his country was invaded and to bed for more help and make a deal to appease the aggressor is right either.

The way Trump is speaking to him is abhorrent. Imo.

I've just watched some snippets. It's genuinely gobsmacking. I don't know why I feel humiliated and embarrassed but I do.

No of course I don't mean Putin would ever have helped Zelenskyy. But what it does is mean the Trump US will be ready to help Putin.

Yes he's a bully, Trump. But he's not wrong. He does have all the cards. He's told Zelenskyy as near as dammit he will let his country bleed to death. On tv

Some extracts for those who can't watch, right now.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c625ex282zzt

I feel extremely distressed by the way Zelenskyy is being treated. It’s as if someone was mugged and picked up out of the road by a Good Samaritan and it turned out they were in league with the mugger. Hopefully Trump’s behaviour will show Europe that America is no longer our ally.