Labour isn't Working - Thread 28

[redange]

Continued carry on with discussion.

Nicely snuck out

Josh Simons resigns as Cabinet secretary
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6q0l9e7plo

Ah, so the Labour minister for inquiries has resigned after an inquiry (that didn’t even inquire into the thing of greatest concern, his role in Labour Together).

Yes, it’s the weird world of Starmer Labour!

I'm sorry so many of you have to be worried about this

Big hugs all round.

I just got home so I have no idea what's happened on the news

Something positive on a personal level

I've mentioned before about how the only people I know round here seem to be quite left-wing - they're mostly from a pub meet up I go to - but it makes me feel very out of place? Particularly as many left-wingers see as a moral choice and I feel like they would think I was a bad person if they knew who I really am.

I'm not in a town with an asylum hotel, but there is one in the next town. (I did have one in walking distance when I lived in London). I've also mentioned the most annoying left-wing guy said of one of the issues there "that wasn't really sexual assault" - a comment which really really pissed me off.

Anyway, I was over in that direction this afternoon and bumped into two ladies from that group. We decided to pop into the pub. I've never spent time with them outside the group.

They said that guy has firmly revised his opinion - he had to go into that area for work a few times, and now he gets it.

They also said that most people in the group now fully understand that this government is a disaster. There's a lot of people within the group who go to the gym together and go swimming together so they see each other a lot more often than I see them down the pub.

I didn't raise any of this - they did. I did wonder if they've been reading my mind from afar! I told them that I would probably be considered very right wing by some people and they said "well, we've only got two real lefties in the group but it seems like more, because they're the loudest, so you don't have to self censor, no one is going to think you're a bad person". That's good to know.

It might not seem like a big deal but I'm quite isolated generally, don't really have family, apart from my elderly mother - so it matters to me.

sorry, seems very trivial in the grand scheme of things! it's easy to be a single woman with lots of friends. Not so easy otherwise. Strange how life turns out.

blimey, it's all going on

The thing is, there will be so many people out there inspired by the Ayatollah and I am convinced that they will be allowed to come here.

I'm probably completely out of line, and please feel free to ignore me, but I find a dog or two the best cure for when someone feels isolated. I understand that you have a lot on your plate with your mum and everything, but they get you out and meet a lot of lovely people with them and it's easy to build a friendship group.

Thats really warmed my heart Emerald :-)
I'm pleased for you. Hopefully you'll feel more comfortable in the pub from now on.
Even on my bestest behaviour, I couldn't have kept my gob shut at that sexual assault comment. There's nothing wrong with your views and opinions, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

How fucking convenient. They get worse every day don't they. 🤬

Yep 🙄

I suppose “planes in the sky” is rather vague. For what purpose, on who’s behalf?

@TheNuthatch Thank you 🥰

@ChardonnaysBeastlyCat There's a boring history with this - I'll try to summarise. Friends disappeared in lockdown and after having children and so on. I have met people here (I moved) but I don't feel as if I've crossed over from acquaintance to actual friendship.

The things that really worry me are not so much company, but the practicalities of living life completely alone. I'm sure I could manage because what choice would there be? But it's such an awful prospect. I've had a major injury and lots of health problems in the past. I had lots of lovely people to help out. I don't know if you've seen any of the "village" threads on here but I was raised to be the village and always help people out. People seem to find that almost invasive now. I'm always happy to help. One poster here said "I have so much friendship love to give and nobody wants it". I know exactly what she means.

So being isolated is pretty grim. I haven't had issues actually meeting people but many people with partners and children run a mile from a single woman - that has come as a shock to me actually, it makes me wonder if some of my friends wouldn't have disappeared if I was married or whatever - and just generally nobody seems interested in friendship. The outside world feels very much like MN in that way. People just being with their little families and not having any desire to really connect with anyone else.

Anyway, the pub group seem a very genuine bunch who do actually believe in friendship/village, but I've been under the impression that they would object to my politics. It sounds trivial but on my "meeting people" mission I've actually had people say to me that they can't be friends with someone who is right wing.

I gather that's a pretty common statement to make in online dating as well.

So this afternoon made me feel much better about it all. There is a lot more to it, but I will spare you 😂

Is it possible he's talking about rescuing British citizens?

i've caught up with what's going on, but I didn't bother listening to what he said.

Maybe. 🤔

They'll just be defending our airbases and assets in the region against attacks from Iran. Iran hit our airbase in Qatar today, so obviously they would defend against those air attacks for example. I think I read that HMS Middleton is in Bahrain, so that would need to be defended if Iran was trying to bomb it etc. Standard procedure.

Khamenei dead.
Trump should get the Nobel just for that.

It's a shit show I've been trying not to think about since Christmas time. And now it's here.

The people of Iran well there's a chink of light, but so far to go for the middle East who I feel have left it a bit late to tackle it's bullies

Was it the USA who bombed the building?

Do you suppose Starmer and apologists will shut up now about the Chagos islands, Gibraltar, Falklands, Greenland and other pinch points of security.

I have now listened to a bit of what Starmer said

My interpretation may be as it is because of losing friends in a terror attack, but I did wonder if he was trying to prevent an attack on British soil by saying "this was obviously nothing to do with us".

The amount of stuff that's gone on this year is unbelievable!

Appeasement never works. They will attack us if they're able to, and not attack us if we can prevent it. That's all.

The only way to prevent attacks is through our own military strength.

Whining that 'We're not the bad guys' would make zero difference. They've called us 'little satan' and other such names and tried to undermine our country from within for decades.

Starmer is an appeaser by nature though, so who knows what idiocy is in his mind.

Probably not. Of all the things Starmer seems to be committed to it’s giving Chagos away.

And what he utters his supporters repeat.

It was a good day to bury bad news.

Claiming that he didn't understand the depths to which APCO would go to doesn't wash.
Not only did he order this vile report, on receipt he then spread lies about the journalists involved having Russia links. He then named them in emails to intelligence officials.

Good to know that one of the investigative journalists involved has vowed to hold him to account, "even if our weak and supine prime minister" will not.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/20/labour-minister-falsely-linked-journalists-to-pro-kremlin-network-in-emails-to-gchq

John Healey struggling massively on the direct question on whether it was right for the US to act.

Thornberry said it was unlawful yesterday, he can’t answer though. Really bad.

Canada and Australia have backed US.

This is Starmer not able to do the same.

Not watching this am, but I can imagine the gymnastics and avoidance. Starmer's on the fence again, as always. Probably desperate not to upset the left after the by election drubbing.

Kemi has backed the US.

I have it on the radio. Polanski of course saying how wrong it is now.

Healey couldn’t answer.

What are you listening to, Eastern?