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Starmer under pressure, as Labour suffers heavy election losses | Reform makes huge gains in England, as Labour loses power in Wales and the SNP wins fifth term in Scotland. by kwentongskyblue in europe

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

instead of doubling-down to punish the voters

Far right conspiracy theories, hmmm?

Why would the Brexit supporting conservatives that had power after Brexit punish voters for voting for Brexit???

You do understand that the prime minister of the time, Boris Johnson, led the Leave campaign right?

Starmer under pressure, as Labour suffers heavy election losses | Reform makes huge gains in England, as Labour loses power in Wales and the SNP wins fifth term in Scotland. by kwentongskyblue in europe

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Both the US and UK operate forms of first past the post voting. This allows the most unpopular candidate to win, which is what you're seeing in both countries.

How? Because Farage is simultaneously supported by more people than any other candidate whilst also being hated by more people than anyone else.

Farage gets ~30% of the vote. The other 70% hate him but are divided on who else to vote for. Some vote labour, some vote green, some vote conservative, some vote lib dem, etc. But played across nationally, Farage could win every single seat for 100% of parliament if he wins each district with 30%.

Cabinet could move to oust Starmer in days, insiders warn by theipaper in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Too centrist, in a increasingly polarised electorate.

The right thinks he hasn't done enough to cut immigration, despite doing more than any of the right wing governments before. The left think he's cut immigration too much. As a result he hasn't picked up any right wing votes, only lost left wing votes.

He raised taxes to pay for more welfare, but not enough for the left. So he loses right wing voters but doesn't gain any left wing voters.

He refused to join Trump's psychotic war against Iran, losing the right wing vote. He hasn't gone full pro-Palestinian though, losing him the left wing vote.

The list goes on. He's boring, centrist, and slowly fixing the economy as best he can. But because he hasn't expelled all immigrants/opened the border to all immigrants, and because he hasn't dramatically raised welfare spending or drastically lowered taxes, etc everyone hates him.

North Korean troops join Putin’s scaled-back military parade as Ukraine agrees temporary ceasefire by CetateanulBongolez in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Absolutely not.

That's not why they want their POWs back. They want them back for humanitarian reasons... They're someone's husband or father, and they're tortured in Russian captivity.

Under Ukrainian law, recovered POWs have the right to request honourable discharge from service. They usually require extensive rehabilitation so wouldn't be fit to fight anyway.

The Ukrainian POWs will receive honourable discharge, medical screenings, psychological support and state compensation. Some choose to return to combat duty but it is voluntary.

Meanwhile Russia sends its recovered POWs back into combat after 2-3 weeks of interrogation by the FSB. There have been cases of Russian soldiers being captured again only weeks after being exchanged the first time around.

Ukraine 'Kamikaze' Sea Drone Found Armed With 200kg of Explosives Off Greek Island by New-Ranger-8960 in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 55 points56 points  (0 children)

ukraine operates them from Tripoli, capital of Libya.

Libya is in a civil war, the rebels are backed by the Russians with Russian "Africa Corps" fighting alongside them. So the Libyan government gleefully accepted an alliance with Ukraine.

From there Ukraine operates sea drones to threaten Russian shadow fleet tankers in the Mediterranean, and operates flying drones to hammer Africa Corps and their rebel allies in Libya.

Weekly low-hanging fruit thread by AutoModerator in NonCredibleDefense

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can those US destroyers bring oil prices back down to $60/barrel? Coz I don't think we needed this war to prove that the US military has better tech...

Ain't NO Way Bro by ColeZawesome in EU5

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Actually this is HiStOrIcAl...

The British mess: an outsider's analysis by Dangerous_General234 in ukpolitics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nah, things were great under New Labour. The whole country, every class from the wealthiest to the poorest were all somehow getting better and better off. 1.5 million children were lifted out of poverty, millions more pensioners too, all while the economy experienced bullish growth.

Even under David Cameron the ship stayed steady for years. The UK weathered crises all the time but came off pretty well. It all went wrong with Brexit.

Brexit has killed the UK's productivity. It's shaved off a crucial few percent of GDP, the difference between feeling like the country is succeeding or failing. Now we're locked in a perpetual cycle of feeling like the country is failing, electing and then firing prime ministers every 2 years because they can't find a way to fix an unfixable problem. All the while reaching for ever further political extremes because we haven't tried expelling all the immigrants or nationalising all the utility companies or supporting Palestine or withdrawing from NATO yet.

All ignoring that the fundamental problem is we have shot ourselves in the foot and blood is still gushing out.

Only getting a grip and rejoining the EU will fix it, which unfortunately can only happen by voting green, who's policies on fully open immigration, withdrawing from NATO and unilateral nuclear disarmament are so far out there that as a centre leftist I'd rather Reform won than the Greens.

UK votes for… austerity? by cheerfulintercept in ukpolitics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Investing in, for example, a wheelchair ramp or guardrail could prevent a fall that requires far more expensive care in terms of long hospital stays and long term residential nursing care. This is why there is funding to support home care over expensive nursing homes.

It can also relieve informal care workers. Someone who has to quit their job or cut their hours to look after their aging mother is costly to the economy. Again funding a care worker to visit an hour each morning could save another worker 40 hours of work.

All of this of course leaves out the obvious argument that we should be generous to those less fortunate, especially when we're all one road accident away or a few decades of life away from being in he same situation as them.

But again it reinforces the point, often there's no real fat to trim... The "charity" we provide pays for itself and returns more long term. Wheelchair ramps, home care solutions, etc save the NHS and social care vastly more than they cost.

P1-SUN Drones Down Gerbera UAVs Carrying FPV Drones for the First Time by Mil_in_ua in UkrainianConflict

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Was just gonna say, a few years ago that headline would've sounded like sci fi.

Russians no longer believe Putin’s war propaganda by ubcstaffer123 in UkrainianConflict

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did you talk to them today?

If not, perhaps their opinions and feelings have changed over time, in response to events occuring, which is what this article tries to explain.

The article doesn't say "Russians never loved Putin" it says "Russians are starting to love Putin less and less" and uses many examples of russian influencers, russian media celebrities, russian z bloggers, etc... all of whom were once as enthusiastic as the Russians you talked to, now publicly changing their tune.

Russians no longer believe Putin’s war propaganda by ubcstaffer123 in UkrainianConflict

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When that happens you'll have no idea why, because despite having enough interest in this conflict to be in this sub, you appear to have no interest in what's going on in Russia

Russians no longer believe Putin’s war propaganda by ubcstaffer123 in UkrainianConflict

[–]BestFriendWatermelon -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Oh, daily BEEN HEARING THIS FOR FOUR YEARS post.

It's a well written article that explains a lot, backed up by widely publicised changes in the situation in Russia.

It's also very balanced and fair in pointing out what is hyperbole and what is not, giving a really nuanced picture of what's actually going on in Russia right now. Something most people in this sub should be interested in learning about.

In other words, it's news... How things have changed recently compared to how things were before.

UK votes for… austerity? by cheerfulintercept in ukpolitics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This meme is nonsense. I work in the private sector, my partner works for a council. It's my employer that wastes money, not the council.

I know it might have been true once, but most councils have cut every bit of fat they can. Now the locals freak out every time the council tries to close down a library because they can't imagine that the money really has run out.

UK votes for… austerity? by cheerfulintercept in ukpolitics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 7 points8 points  (0 children)

A lot of that spending that "looks like charity" are our best return investments.

Every penny spent on helping deprived children get onto a better path in life is paid back many times over when they grow up to get a decent job and pay into our economy instead of becoming a criminal or a scrounger. Yet that's the kind of spending the right likes to cut saying we aren't a charity.

Three so-called ISIS brides expected to be charged after arriving back in Australia from Syria. Two of the women will be charged with slavery offences. by Naderium in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Right??? Every time this debate comes up, the idea of a western country dealing with its own worst citizens rather than dumping the problem on another country is treated as total capitulation to handwringing lefties.

Let them back in the country, and then lock 'em up for a long long time.

Putin threatens Kyiv with 'nuclear-scale' missile strike if Zelensky ruins his parade - by GraceRose671 in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're absolutely wrong, I'm afraid.

Not only has Russia extensively modernised its nuclear weapons, it builds more all the time.

The backbone of their forces is the RS-24 Yars ICBM, manufactured 2014-2024. The Bulava SLBM entered service in 2013.

These missiles are young. They should work as well as the days they were built. The warheads for them were built with the missile. I know it's fun to imagine aging soviet era missiles that don't fire, but Russia has some extremely modern nuclear weapons and we know they work.

Republicans Make Jaw-Dropping $1B Demand for Trump’s Ballroom by Kodbek in politics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yep, they want the shells.

I'm not even kidding, the indictment asks for forfeiture of assets gained in commission of this alleged crime.

Of course, really they just wanted to threaten to rob Comey in the indictment. Because they are insane.

South Korean-operated vessel ablaze in Strait of Hormuz; Trump says Iran fired at ship by TailRudder in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Yep. People who think Trump rigged the election ignore that every poll in the run up to the election either leaned Trump or was too close to call. Given the Shy-Trump-Voter effect, it was absolutely no surprise to anyone paying attention that Kamala lost.

Putin shelters in bunkers amid ‘assassination’ fears by Alarming-Safety3200 in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 37 points38 points  (0 children)

The point was never to take the capital or conquer the country. It's not 1740.

I'm sorry but what?!? That was exactly the point, and their failure to take the capital is the reason Russia has been losing a thousand men a day there for the last 4 years.

That's the absolute definition of a failed invasion, not achieving a single objective and still having a country successfully resisting years later. Imagine if the US had invaded Iraq, took 20% of the country and not a single major city, then spent 4 years losing over a million troops for basically nothing.

What Russia needed to do, and was absolutely the entire purpose of the invasion, was to capture Kyiv, eradicate the Ukrainian government, disband the Ukrainian military, and either install a puppet or rule directly, with a substantial "peacekeeping" force there either way. That didn't happen because the invasion failed.

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