I cannot really comment on Clouston apart from saying he will no doubt enjoy the relief of no longer banging his head against the wall.
As to this government's Ukraine and housing policies the problem is very simple which is that our PM and his ministers are cosmetic ignorant and supremely incompetent.
It's almost as though they're not acting in Britain's interests. Anyone with internet access who thinks this started in 2022 is hard of thinking. How can I work on a building site and everyone there can see that, but our educated class can not?
Just on Ukraine, I see Western involvement right back in 2004-2005, in the “Orange Revolution”. The West has been interfering ever since, a fact that has been very clear to Russia.
IMO we should not have become involved in this fight but having declared our on-going support, 'we' have dragged ourselves into a conflict with Russia.
As you wrote, Westminster is dragging (has dragged?) Britain into a hybrid war. This will not end well.
I didn’t see any mention of the USA in your views on Ukraine?
A few days ago the head of the CIA rendezvoused with Russias hierarchy (the Americans asked Ukraine not to despatch long range drones during the visit).
There is a bigger war than Ukraine and/or Iran going on. It involves the banks and financial institutions of the Western world washing ‘dirty’ money to make big profits.
Trump opposes them and Trump controls the world’s oil.
He has control of oil from Venezuela, is in the throws of controlling Irans oil and has political sway over Saudi oil , whilst quietly talking to Russia over its oil exports to China.
Perhaps there’s a quid pro quo with Russia over Ukraine?
The Russian economy, far from being in the doldrums, is doing very well thanks to oil sales to China. They won’t want to lose those sales.
It might suit the USA to see some Russia aggression in the UK.
The City of London is choosing a fight with the USA but the UK is in no condition to oppose Trump.
The UK owes a lots of money, has an economy in the doldrums and chooses to support a far off war. Nothing to go wrong there.
Johnson flew to Kiev in 2019 to persuade Zelenskyy not to sign a peace treaty with Russia. Now we have Burnham there propping up the regime.
Where is Clouston off to? He seems too principled to follow Henry Bolton over to Restore. This would be in direct opposition to his values as a social democrat.
Danny Kruger's face in Parliament this afternoon at PMQs looked worn out. I think he's maybe very unhappy. Says it all, really. God only knows who/what he's working with. Farage must be a nightmare. It's a shame. Kruger is my MP and an honourable man. However, I think he was always a little naive and he won't be the first potentially fine MP being ruined by his fellow politicians.
I am sorry that Clouston has stood down, as one of the most thoughtful and decent politicians left. It must have been a lonely task leading a party that was never going anywhere. Maybe he was getting somewhere and just by being there, setting a marker for other more successful parties to follow. As his political obituaries show, he was very well regarded. So long as Clouston stood, there would still be hope. And now what? In a pipe dream I will wish that SDP had merged with Reform - in a reverse takeover. Clouston at the helm, giving Reform a ready made moral and intellectual ballast it would never achieve by itself. When the lights go off, we can find a bottle in the stash and raise a glass to ‘if only.’
They're all at it, whether Tory, Labour, Reform, or what have you. Britain is controlled out of the City of London, politics is a puppet show for the weak-minded.
Good to read some thoughts on Ukraine for a very welcome change as I don’t see any other writers covering this. I agree with all your comments on the British position which really makes no sense and is simply fuelling the meat grinder. A stalemate that is no good for Ukraine or Russia and certainly not for their conscripts. It seems to me though that reinforcing British support which is totally in line with the EU position is just too delicious an opportunity for Labour (and the Tories previously) to pass up. Couple Burnham’s ridiculous guitar playing visit with Germany’s apparent offer to contribute towards the cost of Britain’s nuclear deterrent and this is an EU army playbook.
I cannot really comment on Clouston apart from saying he will no doubt enjoy the relief of no longer banging his head against the wall.
As to this government's Ukraine and housing policies the problem is very simple which is that our PM and his ministers are cosmetic ignorant and supremely incompetent.
It's almost as though they're not acting in Britain's interests. Anyone with internet access who thinks this started in 2022 is hard of thinking. How can I work on a building site and everyone there can see that, but our educated class can not?
Just on Ukraine, I see Western involvement right back in 2004-2005, in the “Orange Revolution”. The West has been interfering ever since, a fact that has been very clear to Russia.
IMO we should not have become involved in this fight but having declared our on-going support, 'we' have dragged ourselves into a conflict with Russia.
As you wrote, Westminster is dragging (has dragged?) Britain into a hybrid war. This will not end well.
I didn’t see any mention of the USA in your views on Ukraine?
A few days ago the head of the CIA rendezvoused with Russias hierarchy (the Americans asked Ukraine not to despatch long range drones during the visit).
There is a bigger war than Ukraine and/or Iran going on. It involves the banks and financial institutions of the Western world washing ‘dirty’ money to make big profits.
Trump opposes them and Trump controls the world’s oil.
He has control of oil from Venezuela, is in the throws of controlling Irans oil and has political sway over Saudi oil , whilst quietly talking to Russia over its oil exports to China.
Perhaps there’s a quid pro quo with Russia over Ukraine?
The Russian economy, far from being in the doldrums, is doing very well thanks to oil sales to China. They won’t want to lose those sales.
It might suit the USA to see some Russia aggression in the UK.
The City of London is choosing a fight with the USA but the UK is in no condition to oppose Trump.
The UK owes a lots of money, has an economy in the doldrums and chooses to support a far off war. Nothing to go wrong there.
Johnson flew to Kiev in 2019 to persuade Zelenskyy not to sign a peace treaty with Russia. Now we have Burnham there propping up the regime.
The Uniparty/City of London in action.
Where is Clouston off to? He seems too principled to follow Henry Bolton over to Restore. This would be in direct opposition to his values as a social democrat.
I wouldn't think less of him if he joined the Tories and became an MP.
Danny Kruger's face in Parliament this afternoon at PMQs looked worn out. I think he's maybe very unhappy. Says it all, really. God only knows who/what he's working with. Farage must be a nightmare. It's a shame. Kruger is my MP and an honourable man. However, I think he was always a little naive and he won't be the first potentially fine MP being ruined by his fellow politicians.
I am sorry that Clouston has stood down, as one of the most thoughtful and decent politicians left. It must have been a lonely task leading a party that was never going anywhere. Maybe he was getting somewhere and just by being there, setting a marker for other more successful parties to follow. As his political obituaries show, he was very well regarded. So long as Clouston stood, there would still be hope. And now what? In a pipe dream I will wish that SDP had merged with Reform - in a reverse takeover. Clouston at the helm, giving Reform a ready made moral and intellectual ballast it would never achieve by itself. When the lights go off, we can find a bottle in the stash and raise a glass to ‘if only.’
They're all at it, whether Tory, Labour, Reform, or what have you. Britain is controlled out of the City of London, politics is a puppet show for the weak-minded.
Good to read some thoughts on Ukraine for a very welcome change as I don’t see any other writers covering this. I agree with all your comments on the British position which really makes no sense and is simply fuelling the meat grinder. A stalemate that is no good for Ukraine or Russia and certainly not for their conscripts. It seems to me though that reinforcing British support which is totally in line with the EU position is just too delicious an opportunity for Labour (and the Tories previously) to pass up. Couple Burnham’s ridiculous guitar playing visit with Germany’s apparent offer to contribute towards the cost of Britain’s nuclear deterrent and this is an EU army playbook.
Beware the Zelensky curse.