The End is Nigh: Stammering Starmer...

UK is heading for the mid-term bi-elections in May. It appears pretty certain that Labour are in for a beating. It even seems they will lose Wales to Reform, where Labour was apparently formed, and appear to always vote Labour. London is looking like a toss-up between the Greens and Reform.

So far, Reform has been a disaster at running local councils - with many councillors resigning, getting fired or defecting to another party.

Labour needs a new leader, someone who is actually left-wing, but must stick to a tough immigration stance.

Boggles the mind that a weakling nerd like Starmer made it to the top in British poletics...WTH has gotten into the Poms?...probably the same horse-sh!t responsible for the DA leadership in SA...from Steenbroek to Hillbroek. Pathetic...give me an erratic Trump over these wankers every day...and twice on Sunday...damn, I won't see that ever again during my lifetime....what a ride!!!

Liberals can not wrap their minds around their own system.

The UK has had a strong stance against immigration, contravening liberal tenets.

It is no longer 1776, one party must pretend and can not compete plainly to do the same policies as the other party.

Concentration of wealth is going to increase in liberal societies, which means liberal societies are going to work for fewer and fewer people. Which means that parties whose platform is addressed to people outside the winner gonna win circle are going to disappoint and lose.

Liberals have lost any kind of autonomy: they are now fully depend on the State.

"Labour needs a new leader, someone who is actually left-wing, but must stick to a tough immigration stance."

I dunno pal, When the left wing is spending more on welfare than they are raising in tax we've got bigger issues than immigrants.

Yes, Xavi - Starmer promised that if more tax were needed, it would be taken from the richest 1%.

Instead, Labour raised taxes for everyone.

Starmer has done nothing that he promised to do in his manifesto, and many things that he promised not to do. He has been a weak and ineffective prime minister. He constantly backpedals on things and then reverts to how it was in the past.

I am not sure what has happened to politicians. Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and now the Kier Stammering liar.

On the positive side, at least the UK can fire their primeministers during their terms, so it looks like we are in for a bumpy ride.

Starmer has done nothing that he promised to do in his manifesto, and many things that he promised not to do.

That isn't true.

https://www.joe.co.uk/politics/labour-has-already-delivered-or-making-progress-towards-two-thirds-of-its-manifesto-pledges-509280?utm_source=copilot.com

Can't blame you for not knowing though. Labour are garbage at communicating and most of the UK media is hostile too them.

He constantly backpedals on things and then reverts to how it was in the past.

Sort of. He backpedals to remove unpopular parts of some of Labours policies but that isn't the same as just reverting back to how things were. Again this is Labours fault, first for the bad parts of the policy and then back peddling while allowing their opponents to control the narrative.

If you think about it. What exactly has he done that's so terrible to warrant his unpopularity. Most people can't name any Labour policies good or bad and the economy has done alright under Labour given the circumstances.

Cutting down energy subsidies in the middle of winter.

Well yes that's the one that did all the damage.

In theory changing the Winter Fuel allowance to be mean's tested seemed like a reasonable way of making up the £22 billion budget deficit hole the Tories had hidden away.

As the payment was previously universal this meant a large share of those receiving the benefit didn't actually need it. Particular middle income and higher income pensioners. So the switch to making it mean's tested seemed reasonable in practise but it was always going to meet with resistance and not unreasonable so.

You would think however such benefit cutting would of been popular with the likes of I don't know some posters on here.

Oh hi Xavi!

not unreasonable so.

Oh dear

Benefits are receiving something somebody else paid for...how do those paying for it feel?

Not into sharing Draad?, Greed more your thing...how very Christian of you.

Shame on you Draad. Without having any knowledge of your charitable efforts, the Mick has figured out you aren’t a good person. And somebody actually ‘likes’ that comment.

If people pay tax, they should be entitled to benefits like health care. Otherwise, move to a tax-less society where people can pay for their own health care etc.

Shame on you Draad. Without having any knowledge of your charitable efforts, the Mick has figured out you aren’t a good person. And somebody actually ‘likes’ that comment.

Ah yes that's the spirit, individual charity will make up for the horribly society you political ideology advocates for.

Ah yes that's the spirit, individual charity will make up for the horribly society you political ideology advocates for.

Oh you mean the country everybody wants to emigrate to….’refugees you can go to Ireland or the USA’ ….’what, nobody for Ireland except Mohammed’

which is the ‘horribly society’

ROFL

I'd love for you to have one day look the kids and people in the eye who are now dying or suffering from disease and malnutrition with the ending of USAAID and tell them it was all worth while because the richest country in the world (which also happens to be one of the most unequal when it comes to wealth) was convinced by a conman that the world was screwing it over. Also it owned the libs and screw DEI.

America is being carried by Big Tech, but monopolies and the resultant concentration of wealth and power in a small minority is destroying their society. They have become the Divided States of America.

At the current rate we can expect to see California leave the US and become its own country. Why do they need to put up with 4 years of a president decided by dumb Americans from red states.

45% of Californians want to become their own country, and this percentage continues to grow.

That is a good point Stav. America talk about wanting a fair deal with international trade, while simultaneously being unfair in their own society.

This is not the America of old, it has changed. It has turned into a corrupt Oligarchy cabal, with their politicians representing the shareholder. Most of their politicians are large owners of Big Tech stock.

I would prefer to cut ties with America, and start blocking their Big Tech products. It is probably doing America a favour, as it will end their corrupt cabal of incestuous insider-trading.

I'd love for you to have one day look the kids and people in the eye who are now dying or suffering from disease and malnutrition

Well that would be sad, but at least I know I have given every year for at least 25 years to Doctors Without Borders, and several other international causes.

And just for reference the US is ranked the 4th most charitable country, in spite of a much more diverse population than Europe…..Ireland isn’t in the top 10, Germany isn’t in the top 30.

Talk is cheap

"Not into sharing Draad?, Greed more your thing...how very Christian of you."

I like to decide what to do with my charity...the government waste more than they do good...bottomless pit. I am not greedy at all...you know nothing about me, but yet seems to think you're justified in taking these cheap shots at me all the time...personal cheap shots with specific references to my Christianity...to be expected ...no surprise.

Stav...I see you without the mask...is that what irks you so much?

Die Kristin deng mak hem maal ek sê...Wunder hukom...

"Talk is cheap"

Jip, especially if they want to tell other people how to spend their money... champagne liberals... charity begins at home...not the neighbor's home ..

Not nice…but hardly surprising. For some inexplicable reason he thinks the Micks are the moral high ground.

Love looking down his nose at others...so superior... don't think he's ethnic Irish...born there, but probably not a Paddy.

I would prefer to cut ties with America, and start blocking their Big Tech products. It is probably doing America a favour, as it will end their corrupt cabal of incestuous insider-trading.

We can't cut ties with them completely. It's not viable or desirable but we can and are starting to reduce our dependency on them in many area's. It will take time but Europe will be better off not having to rely on a volatile and unpredictable America.

Well that would be sad, but at least I know I have given every year for at least 25 years to Doctors Without Borders, and several other international causes.

Ah yes you have brought up your personal charity giving before. So you can stand proudly when you look these kids and people you have helped over the years, hundreds possible of thousands of people. Then you can go out side and look the millions in the eye that are suffering from the cutting of the USAID and lecture them that there is suffering is necessary because of DEI or wokeness or some such rubbish.

And just for reference the US is ranked the 4th most charitable country, in spite of a much more diverse population than Europe…..Ireland isn’t in the top 10, Germany isn’t in the top 30.

Talk is cheap

What happens when you look at foreign aid donations by country per capita which tends to be worth foreign aid usually being considerable more than charitable donations by countries. European countries typically rank the highest taking all top top 10 sports. America still comes in 12th place one place above Ireland, but with the end of USAID America's ranking is expected to plummet down into the mid 20's or lower.

I like to decide what to do with my charity...the government waste more than they do good...bottomless pit. I am not greedy at all...you know nothing about me, but yet seems to think you're justified in taking these cheap shots at me all the time...personal cheap shots with specific references to my Christianity...to be expected ...no surprise.

What your saying is just generic hard right ideology. Have you spent any time for example looking into the massive good USAID did around the world. The amount of people it helped.

Stav...I see you without the mask...is that what irks you so much?

No, I just see through you. As I said before a year or two back you criticized Biden for bombing the Houthi's when they where attacking shipping off their coastline. When Trump does it, well that's FAFO.

Jip, especially if they want to tell other people how to spend their money... champagne liberals... charity begins at home...not the neighbor's home ..

Ah yes the typical excuse.

Love looking down his nose at others...so superior... don't think he's ethnic Irish...born there, but probably not a Paddy.

Just throwing out some casual racism while you're at it now?

WTH is racist about that?...that all you got? Insults...go figure.

.

WTH is racist about that?...that all you got? Insults...go figure.

Born there but probably not a paddy. If you can't tell why that's racist then god love ya.

Well hate to break to it you by family on the mothers side has a very old Irish name dating back hundreds of years and my fathers side came to Ireland back in the 17th century (with Cromwell...but I tend to keep that part quiet)...that Irish enough for you?

Or perhaps you though I wasn't Irish because you don't believe Irish people act so superior (yeah lets ignore Moz for second)...well that's also technically racist against other cultures as well.

That scene was comedy gold. Funny story. My cousin married a Chinese lady, and her parents were over visiting as my cousin and his wife just had their second child. The parents had very little English...father was actually a member of the Chinese communist party the first genuine actual communist I ever met and the mother was a school teacher. Anyway I was over visiting them while the parents were staying at my cousins house. As we couldn't really communicate it was all just polite smiles and handshake with the daughter translating a few words each way. But as we are doing this, they were standing beside a shelf with the Father Ted box set on it and I couldn't help but think of that scene *It's not the Greek's he's after...it's the Chinese and also the scene with the lampshade*.

Say what you want about the Brits but they have created some comedy gold over the years.

What happens when you look at foreign aid donations by country per capita which tends to be worth foreign aid usually being considerable more than charitable donations

Well foreign aid numbers can be deceiving. If you exclude inter European aid, and aid to neighboring countries, that would be about half of European country aid….only 30% to 50% goes to the rest of the world, like Africa.

In a continental country like USA, all those flows.. eg from NY to Alabama are captured internally, not reported as foreign aid. If you corrected for those contiguous flows the US would rank about 5th behind the Scandinavian countries that are spending significant amounts on refugees they have taken in. That’s counted as foreign aid, but really domestic spending

And of course the numbers exclude the military aid the US provides Europe which we have already covered

Once you normalize for those effects the ranges for the US and total Europe overlap, but of course the elephant in the room is how much is $50 billion military spending directly spent by the US on Europe and the blanket protection of US massive military budget worth.

If you ignore the blanket benefit and focus on the $50 billion direct spend….if Europe has to replace that spend, can they do that without significant cuts in real foreign aid?

Talk is cheap

And besides all that, forced charitable contributions aren’t the same thing as voluntary contributions of conscience. And in the true spirit of charity, money you give as an individual you don’t have to give….Europe lags far behind.

Born there but probably not a paddy. If you can't tell why that's racist then god love ya.

I prefer the term Mick but I’m blowed if that’s racist….which races are being denigrated? Unless you think Micks are a separate race.

"Well hate to break to it you by family on the mothers side has a very old Irish name dating back hundreds of years and my fathers side came to Ireland back in the 17th century (with Cromwell...but I tend to keep that part quiet)...that Irish enough for you?

Indeed.

Or perhaps you though I wasn't Irish because you don't believe Irish people act so superior (yeah lets ignore Moz for second)...well that's also technically racist against other cultures as well.

"Technically racist? Oh just fuck off with this woke BS already...I have a problem with your know-it-all horse blinker narrow outlook at everything...the fact that I didn't think you are a generational Irishman has nothing to do with that...I thought you were somehow connected to Rooinek somehow...all cultures have arseholes...but label me a racist if it makes you feel better ...being a Boer, I'm used to that ... don't give a sh!t about it anymore.

Cromwell was underrated.

.I have a problem with your know-it-all horse blinker narrow outlook at everything

Yes from a man who's first line in response to the thread posted this.

Boggles the mind that a weakling nerd like Starmer made it to the top in British poletics...WTH has gotten into the Poms?

You're literally doing the exact thing you accuse others of. Basically saying look at the stupid British.

Cromwell was underrated.

Probably wouldn't be a good idea saying that around these parts... then again he probably would still be more popular than Trump.

"You're literally doing the exact thing you accuse others of. Basically saying look at the stupid British."

Nope, not that at all... actually the opposite...I expressed bafflement...the opposite of knowing it all.

Anger do explain what’s racist about

Born there but probably not a paddy. If you can't tell why that's racist then god love ya.

Or perhaps it would be more economical if you just admit your mistake.

Nah, he decided what I am the moment he heard who I am... he's never gonna change that opinion...or acknowledge that it's true...the irony of it all ..