POLITICS CORNER

[PanBiker]

It was the media that demonised Corbyn when he was leader of the Labour Party.

Socialism is still a taboo word in what purports to be the Labour Party now. Criticizing Zionism as the root cause of the genocide in Gaza is also outlawed.

I am seriously challenged in continuing support for a party that is still supplying offensive weapons to Israel and turns a blind eye to International Courts who have ruled against the IDF's genocide. The planning of a giant ghetto for the surviving Palestinians and the starving of innocent people, again an act against International Law could very well be the final straw for me.

[Stanley]

I am in exactly the same position Ian and for the same reasons. The only thing that stops me walking away is the fact that I survived Blair but I get the feeling that Starmer's version of politics is more toxic and the results will be longer lasting. Like you, the jury is out.

THIS waffle from Starmer in response to a call for support of the Palestinians doesn't help....
More than a third of MPs have signed a letter to Sir Keir Starmer calling for the UK to recognise a Palestinian state. Some 220 MPs from nine political parties have backed the call, external - more than half of them Labour - arguing that UK recognition would send a "powerful" message and a vital step toward a two-state solution. The letter piles pressure on the prime minister after France committed to recognising a Palestinian statehood within months. In an earlier statement after an emergency phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir said recognising Palestinian statehood would have to be part of a "wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution". In his statement, Sir Keir said: "Alongside our closest allies, I am working on a pathway to peace in the region, focused on the practical solutions that will make a real difference to the lives of those that are suffering in this war. "That pathway will set out the concrete steps needed to turn the ceasefire so desperately needed, into a lasting peace. Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that. "But it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis."
In other words he is trying to kick the matter into the long grass. There should be no hesitation! I am working on a pathway to peace in the region, focused on the practical solutions that will make a real difference to the lives of those that are suffering in this war. is nowhere near good enough!

[Stanley]

See THIS late news.....
Updated 43 minutes ago
Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK is working with Jordan on plans to drop aid into Gaza by air, after more than a third of MPs signed a letter calling on the government to recognise a Palestinian state. A small team of British military planners and logisticians is being made available to help Jordan get aid into the territory. On Friday, Israel said it would allow foreign countries to deliver air supplies in the coming days amid mounting international concern about humanitarian conditions in the territory. However, the UN and aid groups have consistently said airdrops will not get sufficient supplies into Gaza, while the falling crates can cause injury and chaos on the ground. In a statement early on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it had started dropping aid into Gaza. Its airdrop "included seven packages of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food". The head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency has warned that such efforts are "a distraction" that will fail to properly address deepening starvation.
The head of the Palestinian refugee agency is quite right but I would go further and say it's a smoke screen designed to make it look as though we are doing something when we know perfectly well that this is nowhere near enough. This is a Palestinian Holocaust and I simply don't understand how Israel can even contemplate it, let alone pursue it as an active policy......
This is not anti-Semitic, it is recognition of reality.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report.
Israel has responded to sustained and growing international condemnation that it is responsible for starvation in Gaza by announcing a series of measures the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said would "improve the humanitarian response". It is allowing airdrops of aid, carrying out the first one itself during the night and allowing the United Arab Emirates air force to follow with another later on Sunday. The IDF also announced that it would allow a "tactical pause in military activity" in some areas and set up "designated humanitarian corridors… to refute the false claim on intentional starvation." Hamas has condemned the moves as a "deception". Israel, it said, was "whitewashing its image before the world". Israel later carried out an airstrike during the "tactical pause." Reports from the scene say a mother called Wafaa Harara and her four children, Sara, Areej, Judy and Iyad were killed.

[PanBiker]

They need hundreds of trucks per day not showcase minor air drops which run the risk of injuring folk on the ground which according to reports has already happened. Not sure if that is what Stanley refers to above.

[Stanley]

See THIS latest BBC post on starvation in Gaza.
There is "real starvation" in Gaza, Donald Trump has said, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted there was no such thing. Asked if he agreed with Netanyahu that it was a "bold-faced lie" to say Israel was fuelling hunger in Gaza, the US president replied: "I don't know... those children look very hungry... that's real starvation stuff." Speaking during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, Trump said: "Nobody's done anything great over there. The whole place is a mess... I told Israel maybe they have to do it a different way." His comments came after the UN's humanitarian chief said "vast amounts" of food were needed to stave off starvation.
Will this from Trump make any difference?

THIS is head of UK political news on BBC channel today....
Updated 23 minutes ago
Sir Keir Starmer will hold an emergency UK cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss a peace plan and aid efforts for Gaza, after warnings of mass starvation in the territory. The prime minister presented a European-led peace plan for Gaza to Donald Trump, during a meeting in Scotland with the US president on Monday. It follows a call with leaders of France and Germany over the weekend after US-led peace talks broke down last week, Downing Street said. It comes amid renewed international and domestic pressure on the prime minister to immediately recognise Palestinian statehood.
While politicians talk kids in Gaza starve..... That's all that matters!

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report about the ongoing row over the 'Jimmy Savile' remark....
Nigel Farage has urged Technology Secretary Peter Kyle to "do the right thing and apologise" after he suggested that by opposing the government's online safety law, the Reform UK leader was on the side of sex offenders like Jimmy Savile. Reform has said it would scrap the new law, arguing it does not protect children and suppresses free speech. Kyle told Sky News the law was a "huge step forward" for online safety, adding: "Make no mistake if people like Jimmy Savile were alive today he would be perpetrating his crimes online - and Nigel Farage is saying he is on their side." Farage called the minister's comments "absolutely disgusting" and asked: "Just how low can the Labour government sink?" Kyle refused to back down after Farage's criticism, saying on social media: "If you want to overturn the Online Safety Act you are on the side of predators. It is as simple as that."
What we have here is a clumsy remark by the Labour minister and attention seeking from Farage, his usual mode when he makes statements.
We pay them for this and while they argue the country goes to hell in a basket.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on Canada's actions re. Gaza.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, becoming the third G7 nation to make such an announcement in recent days. Carney said the move depends on democratic reforms, including the Palestinian Authority holding elections next year without Hamas. His remarks come a day after the UK announced it would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agreed to a ceasefire and other conditions and a week after France unveiled a similar plan. Israel's foreign ministry rejected Canada's announcement, calling it "a reward for Hamas". Most countries - 147 of the UN's 193 member states - formally recognise a Palestinian state. Carney said Canada would formally recognise the state of Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly. He cited the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas as reasons behind Canada's dramatic shift in foreign policy. "The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable and it is rapidly deteriorating," Carney told reporters on Wednesday.
I rate Mark Carney and think that this intervention is important. Many will take notice of it.

[Stanley]

See THIS for breaking news of Trump's latest tariff moves.....
Donald Trump has raised Canada's tariff rate from 25% to 35% in a new executive order that comes into effect at midnight. Hours before a deadline to strike trade deals, the White House also released new levies for dozens of other countries. The rates come into effect in seven days' time. Earlier, he paused putting higher tariffs on Mexico for another 90 days. Trump announced his tariff plan in April, sending chaos rippling through the world economy. But he paused it so countries could negotiate new trade deals. The UK and the EU are among those who have since made deals with the US - here's a list of who else has. The tariffs mean companies that bring foreign goods into the US will have to pay the taxes to the government, and experts say these companies may pass costs on to consumers. In the latest statement the US government says it is punishing Canada for doing nothing about the flow of Fentanyl and precursor drugs over the border.

HERE'S the BBC in depth article on the overall effect of the tariffs.
The bottom line is that so far nobody can say whether Trump's tariff war is a brilliant economic initiative or a disaster. What is certain is that it make things a lot dearer for the voters.....

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on the Afghan Data Breach....
The chief civil servant at the Ministry of Defence will be replaced in the wake of the Afghan data breach, the department has announced. The move follows one of the worst UK data breaches for decades being revealed to the public last month, in a major embarrassment for defence and intelligence services. The leak, which went undetected for months and was then subject to a super-injunction, put the identities of British spies, soldiers, and vulnerable Afghan allies at risk. Permanent Secretary David Williams will leave this autumn and recruitment for his successor has started, the MoD confirmed.

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC In Depth report on Gaza.
One of the major reasons why Britain's prime minister Sir Keir Starmer - following France and then in turn followed by Canada - has a plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September is to turn the two-state solution into a real diplomatic plan again, instead of the empty slogan it has become since the Oslo peace process collapsed into bloodshed 25 years ago. A day driving around the West Bank is a salutary reminder of how facts created by Israel to stop that happening have been concreted into the rocky hills and valleys the Palestinians want for a state. The success of the huge national project that Israel started days after it captured the territory in the 1967 Middle East war can be seen in Jewish settlements that now are home to more than 700,000 Israelis. Getting them there is a project that has taken almost 60 years, billions of dollars, and drawn condemnation from friends as well as enemies. It is a violation of international law for an occupier to settle its citizens on the land it has taken. Last year, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory that said the entire occupation was illegal. But the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is hungry for more settlements.
Jeremy Bowen is always worth listening to when it comes to Middle East affairs. This piece is no exception.

[Stanley]

In the absence of any hot political news I went for a furtle and found THIS....
2 hours ago
An international network that shares online videos of cats and kittens being tortured has members in the UK, the BBC has found. The network is thought to have thousands of members who post, share and sell graphic images and videos of cats being hurt and killed. In one group, on an encrypted messaging app, the BBC found evidence of British members suggesting users adopt kittens from the RSPCA to mutilate. The BBC investigation comes after two teenagers admitted torturing and killing two kittens in a park in Ruislip, north-west London, in May. They are due to be sentenced on Monday. The following report contains graphic content and descriptions of animal cruelty. The 16-year-old girl, and boy, aged 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty after the kittens were found cut open and strung up. Knives, blowtorches and scissors were also found at the scene. It is understood that police are now looking into possible links to a wider network of cat torturers who film, post and sell footage of attacks on encrypted messaging apps.
Reports like this leave me speechless. Cruelty is abominable whether it's the systematic destruction of an ethnic group as in Gaza or torturing cats.

[Stanley]

See THIS report of moves to end war in Gaza....
A group of some 600 retired Israeli security officials, including former heads of intelligence agencies, have written to US President Donald Trump to pressure Israel to immediately end the war in Gaza. "It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel," the officials said. "Your credibility with the vast majority of Israelis augments your ability to steer Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and his government in the right direction: End the war, return the hostages, stop the suffering," they wrote. Their appeal comes amid reports that Netanyahu is pushing to expand military operations in Gaza as indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas have stalled.
It seems to me that it is obvious that Netanyahu's goal in Gaza and the West Bank is not, as he says, the crushing of HAMAS but the removal of the Palestinians and the end of the Two State Solution. That's why he threatens to expand military action.

[Tizer]

"It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel..."

Interesting. If we had written that on Twitter, Facebook etc we'd probably be `cancelled' and attacked for antisemitism,

[Stanley]

HERE'S a bit of cheerful news for you....
3 hours ago
Taxes must rise in the autumn if Chancellor Rachel Reeves is to meet her self-imposed borrowing rules, according to an economic thinktank. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) said the government was on track to miss the target it has set itself by £41.2bn. It recommended "a moderate but sustained increase in taxes" including reform of the council tax system to make up the shortfall. The government said "the best way to strengthen public finances is by growing the economy", but the Conservatives said Labour "always reaches for the tax rise lever". When she became chancellor, Reeves set out two rules for government borrowing, which is the difference between public spending and tax income. The first rule was that day-to-day spending would be paid for with government revenue, which is mainly taxes. Borrowing can only be for investment. The second rule was that debt must be falling as a share of national income by the end of a five-year period. Reeves has repeatedly said these rules are "non-negotiable". The chancellor originally promised not to raise taxes further, but recently refused to rule it out after disappointing data on economic growth.
Sounds as though we will have to get the tin hats out for the Autumn Statement.... Deep Joy....

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on Gordon Brown's call for a gambling tax.
5 hours ago
Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown has repeated his call for higher taxes on gambling to lift half a million children out of poverty. He has backed a think tank report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), saying the move could raise £3.2bn to fund scrapping the two-child limit and benefit cap. Brown, who was also chancellor under Tony Blair, said taxing online casinos and slot machines would be "the first crucial step in the war we must wage against child poverty". A spokesperson for the Betting and Gaming Council rejected the proposals, describing them as "economically reckless" and claiming they could push gamblers onto the black market.
Gordon is right and yes, gambling organisations should be taxed until the pips squeak. I know it's a very old-fashioned view but any form of gambling is already a tax on stupidity and I include the National Lottery. Think of the damage gambling and drinking cause and raise money by taxing them to alleviate poverty impacting children. Who could argue against that.
The answer is of course anyone who profits from these activities hence the incoherent and hysterical response from 'A spokesperson for the Betting and Gaming Council'. They would say that wouldn't they.

[Tripps]

Stop Press. . .
Guido Fawkes once again well ahead of others with the news.

Rushanara Ali has resigned as Minister for Homelessness and Democracy after allegedly evicting her tenants before quickly listing her East London property again at a higher rate, which would breach the terms of Labour’s incoming Renters’ Rights Bill. She has written to the PM this evening, claiming she didn’t want to be a “distraction”…

If all I read is true - she has done nothing wrong - just failed to comply with a law - The Renters Rights Act - which has not yet come into force.

Dear Prime Minister.
It is with a heavy heart that I offer you my resignation as a Minister. It has been the honour of my life to have played my part in first securing and then serving as part of this Labour Government. You have my continued commitment, loyalty and support.
Further to recent reporting. I wanted to make it clear that at all times I have followed all relevant legal requirements. I believe I took my responsibilities and duties seriously, and the facts demonstrate this.
However, it is clear that continuing in my role will be a distraction from the ambitious work of the government. I have therefore decided to resign from my Ministerial position.
I am proud to have contributed to the change this government has delivered in the past year. Working alongside the Deputy Prime Minister, we secured record investment in social and affordable housing, and nearly a billion pounds of funding to alleviate homelessness and rough sleeping. I am proud to have delivered this government’s election strategy, leading to legislation that will protect and enhance our democracy, with tough new laws on foreign donations, extending the vote to 16 and 17 year-olds, and tackling harassment and intimidation in public life.
More widely, I have been proud to serve in a government that is investing in the NHS, rebuilding communities, securing trade deals, delivering jobs and growth, and rebuilding Britain’s place on the world stage. Under your leadership, Britain is showing international leadership on a range of issues, from standing up for Ukraine against Russian aggression, to working with our allies on developing a pathway to end the war in Gaza, including recognition of Palestinian statehood.
I want to thank you and the Deputy Prime Minister for your support and for giving me the opportunity to serve the British public in this Labour Government.
Please be assured of my continued support.”

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on her resignation.
The government's Renters' Rights Bill is in its final stages in Parliament, and will ban landlords re-listing a property for rent, if they have ended a tenancy in order to sell, for six months. Landlords must also give four months' notice to tenants when the legislation is passed, which is not expected to be until at least next year. The law has not changed yet – but it is possible the homelessness minister's actions would have been contrary to the very rules her department was trying to introduce. London Renters Union spokesperson Siân Smith said Ali's actions were "indefensible" and she "must step down" due to a "clear conflict of interest" with the Bill in its final stages. The Renters' Reform Coalition, which represents private renters, said her resignation was "the right decision". "Her position was completely untenable," said director Tom Darling. "The government must get on now and end no-fault evictions urgently so that no more tenants are subject to the kind of behaviour Rushanara Ali engaged in."

[Tripps]

We really are "down the rabbit hole" - as youtubers say -when a Minister who has done nothing wrong under current law has been forced to resign, because what she did will be illegal under a law which is yet to come into force. She will have a lot more peaceful life though in the next few days, and it will all soon be forgotten.

The Energy Secretary is busy trying to ensure the collapse of the economy, and the Home Secretary is busy encouraging an undefined number of illegal immigrants to access the country. Both insult the intelligence of the electorate ( which is not high. . ) whenever they speak. For good measure - the (former) Corruption Minister is under investigation by the Government of Bangladesh for corruption.

Good grief - what's a chap to do. Roll on the next election - but voting seems to make no difference. . . .

[Stanley]

"what's a chap to do"
Read the history and reflect that there is always an end game and sometimes all you can do is hang in there and wait for it. Enoch Powell said "All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs."
His constant belief throughout his life was that the British Empire was the finest thing that ever happened to the world. He retained that belief even though it was long gone. I had a conversation with him in the 1980s and asked him if he still had the ambition to be Viceroy Of India and he said yes, it was the greatest post ever invented, total power and minimal responsibility! That gives us a clue about the answer to your question. Find a position, settle on it and simply believe and endure.
Meanwhile, in the real world of here and now we have THIS....
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls for a judge-led inquiry into an RAF Chinook helicopter crash in 1994. Four crew and 25 passengers were killed when the helicopter, carrying senior security personnel from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness, went down in foggy conditions over the Mull of Kintyre. Families of the victims had wanted High Court judges to review information they said was not considered in previous investigations. In a letter to the families, Sir Keir has said that a public inquiry would not "bring any greater certainty" and would not be "in the public interest". Andy Tobias, who was eight when his 41-year-old father Lt Col John Tobias was killed in the crash, called the prime minister's response "utterly pathetic". He vowed that the families, , who have formed the Chinook Justice Campaign, would "see the UK government in court".
Some of us have long memories and remember that the government's first response was to blame the pilots and it took years for them to admit that this was not true. The belief amongst many observers is that there are a lot of unanswered questions about the control and effectiveness of the software in the Chinook which was controlled by the US. The passengers were the cream of the heads of intelligence and at the time it was said that their deaths was the most significant damage to UK intelligence capabilities ever. Critics say that that the government is culpable and that's why the papers were sealed for 100 years.

[Whyperion]

If man was meant to fly then Wings would have been God Given. Or Evolved.

Meanwhile the Daily Telegraph , Via MsN

Labour develops AI to predict parliamentary rebellions
Labour is developing a computer model to predict future rebellions after Sir Keir Starmer was humbled by his own backbenchers over welfare reforms.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is funding an Artificial Intelligence (AI) programme to scour debate records for signs of MPs who will vote against the Government.

The move comes amid concern that the Prime Minister is being pushed around by his party following a series of mutinies.

Parlex is billed as software that can “forecast parliamentary reaction” by analysing records of past debates in the Commons.

It will allow civil servants to draw up dossiers for Cabinet ministers saying which MPs, including those in their own ranks, are likely to oppose specific policies.

A project page on the government website said: “By analysing years of parliamentary debate contributions from MPs and Peers, Parlex offers insights into how Parliament might react to a new policy if it were debated tomorrow.

“This tool helps policy professionals gauge parliamentary sentiment towards specific issues, determining whether a policy will be well-received or face significant opposition.

“This allows policy teams to understand the political climate and anticipate potential challenges or support for a policy before it is formally proposed and to build a parliamentary handling strategy.”

Sir Keir faced the biggest crisis of his premiership in July when more than 120 Labour MPs threatened to revolt against changes to sickness benefits.

The Prime Minister was eventually forced to abandon the reforms, which would have saved £5bn a year, after a significant blow to his authority.



It was not the first time that he had been humbled by a backbench rebellion. In 2023, while he was leader of the opposition, he was defied by 56 of his MPs who broke the party whip to vote for a ceasefire in Gaza.

This month, Sir Keir announced he planned to recognise a Palestinian state after again coming under heavy pressure from backbenchers and the Cabinet.

With many Labour MPs sitting on wafer-thin majorities and fearing defeat at the next election, there are expectations that party discipline could break down further.

The science ministry announced that it was developing Parlex earlier this year as part of a new suite of AI tools known as Humphry.


It has been named after Sir Humphrey Appleby, the permanent secretary at the “Department of Administrative Affairs” in the 1980s TV satire Yes, Minister.

Ministers said that the system was “still in early-stage user testing” but had already cut the amount of time it took officials to research an MP.

While manually researching a backbencher’s views takes 30-60 minutes, the computer programme produces results in just one to three minutes.//

---- Oh Well , would have been quicker to name it after the Number 10 cat as it shouldnt take a genius to work out what is going to be unpopular with normal Labour MPs...

IF AI was so good coule we not feed it all our problems and a day later we get workable answers to them ?

[Stanley]

HERE'S a hopeful sign.
Protesters in support of hostages took to the streets of Jerusalem and marched towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence to voice their anger over the Gaza City takeover plan. Former soldier, Max Kresch, marched holding a sign that read "I refused". "We're over 350 soldiers who served during the war and were refusing to continue to serve in Netanyahu's political war," he told the BBC's Emir Nader. Protests happened across Israel in cities such as Haifa. Thousands of people also gathered in Tel Aviv. Israel's decision to expand its war in Gaza sparked condemnation from the UN and several countries including the UK, France and Canada, and prompted Germany to halt military exports to Israel. The plan, approved by the Israeli security cabinet, lists five "principles" for ending the war: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarising the Gaza Strip, taking security control of the territory, and establishing "an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority". Published 3 hours ago

[Tizer]

`Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday to discuss a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.'

Perhaps they could agree to Russia handing back the Ukrainian territories they have invaded in the last 12 years or so in exchange for America handing back Alaska to Russia for free?

[Stanley]

Peter.... that's about as feasible as Ukraine coming out of these talks with its territory intact.... Hard I know but the most likely outcome and I think Zelensky knows it.....
Have a look at THIS
European allies have rallied behind Ukraine in a renewed surge of support, insisting that any peace talks with Russia must include Kyiv. A joint statement issued by the leaders of the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission came ahead of US President Donald Trump's meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. A White House official has said that Trump is willing to hold a trilateral meeting which would also include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but, for now, it remains a Trump-Putin summit, as initially requested by the Russian leader. Zelensky has said any agreements without Kyiv will amount to "dead decisions".

[Stanley]

See THIS latest on Ukraine....
6 hours ago
It's the bilateral summit every European leader wants to be at. And for good reason. On Friday, Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Territorial concessions are likely to be discussed, and Europe (not least Ukraine) doesn't want its borders to be redrawn through force. But, as things stand, there are no invites for the country being invaded, nor the continent it sits in. "Brace ourselves for some pretty outrageous Russian demands," warns Lord Simon McDonald, a former head of the UK Foreign Office. "It will be theatrical," he adds. "Putin is going to ask for things that nobody else would concede - with the possible exception of Donald Trump."