The impossible has happened - Trump has made me a Keir Starmer supporter!

[mumofoneAloneandwell]

'This is not the age of churchill'

Thank God. Fucking orange twat.

These are British people on the base with their families

he should have protected them.

a boat a week away is unbelievable

Let's be honest here - after decades of defence budget cuts by both the Tories and Labour,

Yes, let’s be honest - Labour haven’t been in power for decades. The eviceration of the defence budget and armed forces was all the Tories’ own work.

Ironically our handling of Ukraine has been pretty amazing

do tell me what part of handing a very close neighbour to Russia is a good idea?

That’s not true it’s been dropping for thirty years.

I don't disagree with you, it's just to say that both Labour and the Tories were guilty of keeping defence spending low, with the Tories ever so slightly more guilty- those are the facts.

It don’t matter who did what or why they did it

Starmer should have known that the Cyprus base would have been a targeted base

100%.

something could and should have been prepped 2 weeks ago and at least put near Malta.

not to mention - one of our two aircraft carriers surely.

I’m glad the voting is largely agreeing. I felt the same way. He’s handle it reasonably well. We shouldn’t get involved but obviously have to defend bases etc.

Trump is such a bully. During the Iraq war there was so much criticism about Blair as Bush’s poodle but really Bush was never disrespectful and bullying the way Trump is. If we got involved we truly would be their b*tch.

In general I’ve found myself moving more to the right. Not saying I was going to vote Tory or had that great an opinion of them but felt a bit politically homeless. Hearing support for more involvement from the tories has really soured them to me.

It has been dropping since the end of the Cold War under both Tory and Labour Governments as this chart shows:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/298527/defense-spending-as-share-of-gdp-united-kingdom-uk/?srsltid=AfmBOopesGR5sS8p5XEJVglq60SZSX04-BllMGgO_RHbdfCcqjseZ_4h

Real-terms defence spending fell by 22% between 2009/10 and 2016/17 (from £59.2 billion to £46.2 billion in 2024/25 prices). It then started to rise again, recently returning to its 2010 levels.

Real-terms spending has increased steadily since 2016/17, and is expected to continue to do so.

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8175/

It’s not, which is my point. Starmer (and BoJo, who prevented a ceasefire back in April 2022) should have stayed out of it. Putin is only remotely interested in us because we meddled.

And now we as a tiny country are at risk of being attacked by one of the worlds superpowers, plus their many, many allies.

Continuing the theme of ‘honesty’, perceptions of Starmer’s recent foreign policy ‘success’ varies, and he is still utterly fucked, come May.

Such is the scale and scope of his incompetence and policy errors since becoming PM.

The man really is a hapless idiot.

@SingleSexSpacesInSchools

why did that turnip Starmer not move Dragon there a week ago? This was pretty heavily telegraphed?

Exactly.

I can see where the HMG/Starmer initial position of not wanting to get involved in or support offensive action came from...I might not fully agree but I'll accept it's a legit position.

OTOH and as you say the build up of US Forces in the region has taken weeks, was done in plain sight and when, not if, the US acted UK bases in the region were almost bound to be an Iranian target.

Equipment and materiel to protect places like Akrotiri should have been moving a week plus ago.

The fact it wasn't is a major HMG fail, and a failure of leadership.

Yep

that will be thirty years then. Yes.

Absolutely, one thousand percent - no. I can only assume you have no grasp of history and the risks of letting Russia get away with these things. It’s no ok to let a country on our doorstep be invaded by Russia. Never.

A complete failure of leadership.

he had the info.

he knew what was going to happen.

he did nothing

Didn’t move a single ship. A single plane.

absolutely knew British citizens would be in harms way in a dozen countries.

did zero.

You may well be right :(

2009/10 wasn’t 30 years ago. It was 16 at most.

This isn’t the insult you think it is…

So this fantastic leader Starmer. Has put our British troops and their families at risk. On Cyprus.

thank goodness the French and the Greek are helping us

jeez it was so obvious with build up of the American troops and air fleets

but yet. Starmer didn’t see it.

Christ what a hill to die on.

I think you’ll find the end of the Cold War was a little over 30 years ago.

I don’t know, I feel like Israel is always having to defend itself on all fronts . I know there are extremists on all sides though including Israeli . Then there’s the vast majority of civilians who just want to live a safe, peaceful life …

It’s worse.

he DID see it. And did nothing in order to appease.

Yep. Pointless arguing with them. If Starmer had gone along with the 🍊 menace, they'd be screaming "warmonger!".