I have never understood this logic. We accept those who are "highly skilled" (just because they earn a lot), which crowds out those who aspire to earn high salaries. This then traps our own population in low paid jobs. Shouldn't it be the other way around? It is just bizarre...

Regardless of what we know now, back when the appointment was made, because of Trump, almost everyone thought that, on balance, it was a good appointment. And that was despite his "Prince of Darkness" and "knowing" Epstein.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing...

Why has he set fire to the Union Jack? I thought that was the sort of thing that sent the right into an apoplectic rage? Has his underpants spontaneously combusted? Bizarre...

Honestly, from what I have read, I doubt he did know. Apparently, the ability to over rule is part of the civil service process. So...the real question is..."How many times has this been done before AND who failed and then overruled by the Civil Service?"

Regulation forces innovation and then the strong survive. It also protects consumers from harm and suppliers from being sued when they cause harm through negligence. Being in the EU and fully also protects a market from inferior (cheaper) goods
Basically, the business lobby needs to have a think..

One of the issues with the whole debate is the business lobby attitude to "red tape" and "regulation". It is seen as a cost, but is more about a level playing field upon which everyone competes within rules. Remove a regulation might initially remove a cost, but is soon consumed by competition.

And "at least partly right" is another way of saying "mostly wrong as a minimum"

Unless the plan was to deliberately get two C130s stuck on a runway in Iran, lose 4 small helicopters and then use smaller aircraft to evacuate the forces sent to rescue the pilot, it sounds like an operation that went disastrously wrong and nearly ended up with a huge loss of equipment and men...

It's hard to avoid the irony that Iran now realises they don't need a nuclear weapon, just some advanced missiles to target shipping and they have their foot on the neck of the international economy. They can control the economic lifeblood of the West at a fraction of the cost...

And he is seriously saying that China should help on defending the Straits of Hormuz? He is literally inviting China to control energy flow in the most strategic location in the world? And when they have a permanent presence there, then what? 5D chess apparently...

Whatever happened to the old adage of "Speak softly but carry a big stick".

The real power for the US has always been its ability to carry out enormous violence but not actually doing it.

The paradox of physical power is that as soon as you use it, you lose it...

See China...

The problem with fighting from the sky only is you run out of targets very quickly. These days, weapons aren't obvious. Now they are numerous, small, not obvious and then there is Cyber? Sleeper Cells? To quote Sting "There is no such thing as a winnable war, it's a lie we don't believe any more".

The thing they can't fathom is that a war, to continue, doesn't need equality of weaponry. All it needs is a superior will.

USSR Vs Afghanistan, the French Resistance in WW2, the "War on Terror", Vietnam, Hammas etc.

You can't "win" a war unless the other side are willing to "lose". Even then...

The concept needs serious thought. Before Social Media, you had to say things out loud and face to face with the community and risk a slap. This naturally governed what was acceptable. Now, you can hide behind a keyboard and spread hate, find echo chambers and drive hate without fear. Dangerous...

I am coming to the conclusion that Freedom of Speech really is not all it's cracked up to be. We are moving to a world where anyone can say anything. How does that help anyone. Reform are a disgrace.

How many of these immigrants does he pay millions to play for Man U? Or are they the right type of immigrants? What a tool...

What I don't understand is why the US is going "all in" on fossil fuels? It is an energy backwater, a dead end. As they cut back on the renewables, low carbon, they fall behind in the technology race and will struggle to ever catch up. It's just bizarre

OMG, I thought the programme titles were a joke! There really is a programme called "Lee Anderson's Real World"! That is going to keep me sniggling all day!

And yet so many Americans follow him as a leader...I am not sure what that means but it is not good...

Wow, that is amazing..

He is, quite simply, insane...

And another thing. Good old Tony Blair should step down from Trump's Board of Peace as the behaviour of the US is clearly not to be trusted. He is an ex-head of state lending legitimacy.

We should just accept the tariffs as a collective and say loudly and clearly, in unison, that you cannot negotiate away democracy. We should also consider freezing any ongoing cooperation as any outcome cannot be trusted...

So, basically, Donald Trump's tariffs over Greenland on the EU countries and the UK is now final and conclusive evidence that the US is no longer an ally, a friendly nation to the UK and EU and cannot be trusted. Putin must think Christmas has come round again quick.

@mrjamesob.bsky.social I'm surprised nobody picked up on Farage comparing himself to Churchill and Badenoch to Hitler. Unless I imagined it (it is hard to know these days)

Was it a flock of birds or A Flock of Seagulls? I was always suspicious of that band, and the band members could obviously have used tools🤔

Did Farage compare Badenoch to Hitler and himself to Churchill? Lol on both counts (spelling checked)

More like the ravenous bugblatter beast of traal...

I think it is more simple than that. We all know that we are being ripped off at every move by unrestricted, unfettered capitalism. Hence, we are nostalgic for time when you didn't have to give a DNA sample and remember a complex cipher to simply get to your money or talk to someone who could help

Wonderful piece. Makes you "look up from the dashboard", look around you and remember who we are and what makes our daily lives better, and it is not flags! It's the little things...like taking the p*ss, sarcasm, helping with the very insignificant, mundane, but important (help up the stairs etc)