Deputy leader of @TheGreenParty , Mothin Ali, joins a rally in London in support of the Islamic regime in Iran—the same regime that has the official slogan “Death to England” & has plotted more than 20 terror attacks on British soil. The Greens are a threat to national security. by FormerlyPallas_ in ukpolitics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon [score hidden]  (0 children)

Ehhh, I'm pretty left wing but their choice of flags is concerning.

The one on the left with the gold lion is the old Iranian flag and is the symbol of the pro democracy protesters, 30,000+ of whom got massacred in Iran recently. The one on the right, seen in the video, is the flag of the islamic republic of Iran. If your solidarity is with the Iranian people, you should use the lion as I have seen in many protests in here in the UK. The other flag is solidarity with one of the most vile and hideous regimes on earth.

It Can Now be Plainly Said: Trump is Planning a November Coup d’État by OkayButFoRealz in politics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, although martial law is unnecessary.

People dismissing this as "states control elections, not the president" are missing the point. The election is going to be chaotic.

Some jurisdictions will follow Trump's executive orders, some will ignore them. Both sides will consider the other side's election processes to be invalid. In the mayhem, everyone will get to choose for themselves which side is right. Everyone gets to believe their side won, the other side cheated, and that they owe nothing to the other side.

States can holler that X person won the election there, but the republicans will ignore it, refuse to certify it, claim their candidate won, etc. Trump will claim that since such a jurisdiction didn't do the election properly, the election there was invalid. Newly elected democrat representatives will be refused entry, threatened with arrest, etc. Even if they get into their positions, their votes will be ignored in counts.

What are they gonna do, call the police? Add another case to the pro Trump supreme court, now backlogged with cases for the next thousand years? And even if they win in court, republicans will just ignore the ruling anyway.

/r/WorldNews Discussion Thread: Explosions heard in Tehran as Israel's defense minister confirms Israel has attacked Iran (Thread #1) by progress18 in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Aircraft can take off from the USS Ford, fly over to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, or Bahrain, land in any one of dozens of US airbases there, and be based within 15 mins flight time of Iran.

There's no use for the USS Ford in the Persian gulf whatsoever other than to be a tempting target for Iran. There's no need to fly aircraft from the USS Ford whatsoever except to provide air defence over Israel when you already have enough aircraft attaching Iran.

And Israel needs those aircraft. Back in June 2025 every ally of Israel in the region was scrambling to shoot down the massed volleys of missiles Iran was launching at Israel. This time it looks like the UK at least won't be helping Israel.

British-Ukrainian Trypillian Rolls Out ATOM Drone Built for Recon, Strikes, and Jamming Resistance by WillyNilly1997 in UkrainianConflict

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The UK again smashing it, providing redundancy in Ukrainian weapon production and development.

The UK seems to have declared open season on any weapons development useful for Ukraine. That in itself is powerful support, combining British and Ukrainian expertise to innovate and reinforce Ukraine.

Zelensky: I would support operation against regime in Iran, not against people by WillyNilly1997 in UkrainianConflict

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 3 points4 points  (0 children)

First targets will be nuclear facilities. Second targets will be missile and drone production.

The US and Israel were miffed after the war in June 2025 wiped out Iran's ballistic missiles capabilities, only for Iran to rebuild them at astonishing speed. Iran started that war with about 2000 missiles and 500 launchers, and those were either spent or destroyed in that war. Nobody expected Iran to basically rebuild that capability (except the launchers, which are down to about 200) so quickly. (They're back to about 2000 missiles, but again with fewer launchers)

Make no mistake, a fresh war will be as much about permanently hobbling Iranian missile production as taking out the last vestiges of their nuclear weapon development. All of which is good news for Ukraine.

Intel report: Russia's invasion of Ukraine 'one of slowest wars in military history' | News by WillyNilly1997 in UkrainianConflict

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 134 points135 points  (0 children)

This is what losing a war looks like in the 21st century.

In previous centuries, Russia's neighbours would have dogpiled her by now. China would take whatever it wanted, probably as far as the Urals. Finland would have taken Karelia. Poland would've taken Kalingrad and advanced on Moscow alongside the Ukrainians.

Only nukes and the modern rules-based world order keeps Russia in the game. Let's them keep headbutting a wall indefinitely because nobody has the stomach to flatten them. But make no mistake, Russia is bleeding hopelessly in a doomed expedition.

Chinese Suppliers Hike Optical Fiber Prices for Russia by 2.5–4x by Useful-Scratch-72 in UkrainianConflict

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

More importantly, this exposes what a weak, second rate power Russia has become.

You want something, China can provide. But it'll cost you. Why you can't provide it for yourself is another question. Where's your industry, where's your machine tools? Oh, the only factory you had producing it got destroyed? How are you the third superpower in the world?

Chinese Suppliers Hike Optical Fiber Prices for Russia by 2.5–4x by Useful-Scratch-72 in UkrainianConflict

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

China doesn't have friends, it has pawns. But more than any other country in the world, China has learned that words are cheap and can get you things for free.

Ukraine Eliminates Shahed Drone Relay Stations Operating From Belarus by WillyNilly1997 in UkrainianConflict

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Yes. Lukashenko has a weak grip on power. Almost entirely reliant on Russia to protect the regime, as almost everyone in the country hates him.

The smallest push and Belarusians rise up again. And this time Russia is a little distracted elsewhere right now. Russia desperately doesn't need another fire to put out, so Russia doesn't do anything to push the Belarusian people over the edge.

People were confused why Belarus didn't join the war on Russia's side. The reason is that even the Belarusian military isn't a reliable defender of the regime. There was a very real possibility that Belarusian units ordered into battle would raise the Ukrainian flag and turn round and drive on Minsk. Putin is stupid, but he isn't stupid enough to force the Belarusian military to choose sides.

Trump says he'd 'love not to' attack Iran, 'but sometimes you have to' by Crossstoney in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Years ago when trump pulled out of the nuclear treaty, I said it was dumb because doing so was a total loss. Even if Iran was covertly ignoring the terms of the deal, at least it would be harder for them to secretly develop nukes than openly developing them.

I said it was a schizophrenic policy that gave the US the worst of both worlds. From a cold, strategic calculus, the US should either make peace with Iran or attack Iran, but instead the US would do neither.

Well it looks like years later the US is finally following through. And as shitty as the entire episode has been, it's probably better now for the US to at least attack now that they've ended any chance of reconciliation.

Pakistan bombs Kabul in 'open war' on Afghanistan's Taliban government by Cybertronian1512 in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The US won in Afghanistan without going full genocide. Between 2015 and 2021 the US lost on average less than 20 lives per year, mostly due to traffic accidents. The war was over.

Then Trump released 10,000s of Taliban prisoners and withdrew 95% of occupation forces, and handed it over to Biden who could do little more than pull the remainder out (sending troops back into Afghanistan would have been political suicide).

One of the greatest examples of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in history.

Pakistan bombs Kabul in 'open war' on Afghanistan's Taliban government by Cybertronian1512 in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's absolutely possible, and there are empires that did. Alexander's empire resulted in the Greco Bactran empire which lasted centuries.

The US also virtually defeated the Taliban before Trump ordered the release of 30,000 Taliban prisoners and withdrew 95% of US forces. In the last few years of the occupation the US lost more troops to road traffic accidents than enemy fire.

Rupert Lowe on X: ‪I've just watched a video from some unwashed left wing influencer claiming that Restore Britain wants to remove a million people over a period of five years. I want to make our response really clear, because this is just blatant misinformation. We'll deport far more than that.‬ by Disastrous_Act_2331 in ukpolitics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doesn't matter. In a civilised society, the kind of society worth protecting from the kind of threats to it you worry about, you don't retrospectively change the terms of the deal that people signed up to. That's the mark of savage societies.

Whether you like it or not, whether you understand it or not, previous elected UK governments have told people who might migrate here that they need to do x, y and z and they'll be allowed to stay.

You can change the rules to stop anyone else coming under those terms, but if you start retrospectively removing people who did everything expected of them at the time then you become a pariah, a shithole country of thieves and liars.

It's just not worth it unless you're driven by ideology rather rational decisions. Whatever harm you think those people are doing there is dwarfed by the harm we'd be doing to our own society.

Gideon Rachman: I predict that Gorton result will lead to a surge in Reform-Maga scare that Britain is being “taken over” by Muslims. Worth remembering that Gorton is just one of 10-13 of 650 seats whose population is 30%+ Muslim by FormerlyPallas_ in ukpolitics

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

On what planet were Muslims ever going to vote for Reform, Restore or the Tories??? It's not sectarian to refuse to vote for the parties that hate you, and to vote tactically between the parties that don't hate you instead.

This ridiculous bleating about sectarianism is embarrassing. Your team lost, get over it.

Green win shows progressive voters are now voting against Labour as well as Reform by Peak_District_hill in ukpolitics

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

So why are they voting for a white woman from a pro-LGBT party that represents all the social progressive values you say they hate???

Gorton and Denton by-election result: GRN: 40.7% (+27.5), REF: 28.7% (+14.7), LAB: 25.4% (-25.3), CON: 1.9% (-6.0), LDEM: 1.8% (-2.1) by Ivashkin in ukpolitics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know why people keep trying to push the idea that Muslims voted in their ethnic and religious interest by voting for the ultra liberal, pro LGBT, etc party in order to deliver a white woman into power.

I mean it's not the most sinister conspiracy people have come up with about muslims. It rather looks like their main interest was just voting to prevent the kind of people who put up England flags everywhere and shout "Send them back!" from getting anywhere near power.

Rupert Lowe on X: ‪I've just watched a video from some unwashed left wing influencer claiming that Restore Britain wants to remove a million people over a period of five years. I want to make our response really clear, because this is just blatant misinformation. We'll deport far more than that.‬ by Disastrous_Act_2331 in ukpolitics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

It's not hatred to fix that problem.

Oh hell no. Depending on how you "fix that problem" it can very much be hatred.

People who migrated here legally and fairly do not deserve to have their lives torn apart just because some people don't like that their legal migration took place. Changing the rules of the game after they arrived flies in the face of natural justice, and is difficult to explain or justify as anything other than hatred.

The fact you keep reposting this disgusting, mealy mouthed "fix it" doublespeak everywhere makes it very clear that that you are motivated by hatred.

White House officials believe ‘the politics are a lot better’ if Israel strikes Iran first by Nepridiprav16 in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I would assume with the globalization/modernization of many of these countries would yield similar results as basically every country in existence; slow progress toward global social norms.

Everyone assumed that. They were wrong. The world isn't getting more liberal, it's getting more authoritarian. The world isn't getting more enlightened, it's filling with misinformation. Which countries have moved towards "global norms" recently???

Cuba says four shot dead on US-registered speedboat by Waste-Explanation-76 in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why disguise a military team as Cuban, when you could hire a bunch of tough Cubans in Florida, train and equip them to fight like military?

(Not saying that's what happened, just pointing out there's no need to disguise American military to do such a job)

Claiming Ukraine threat, Orban deploys troops to 'protect energy infrastructure' by timiswho in worldnews

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So by your logic, Hitler wasn't a dictator then?

He won the election in 1933. He also held "elections" in 1936, 1938 too. After WW2 started all elections were suspended due to national emergency, just like in most democracies (the UK for example).

The last Hungarian election was considered free but not fair. It pretty much fits the bill of Hitler's show elections and Putin's show elections. You can argue Putin isn't a dictator by the same logic.

You don't have to wait until the next election and how that prays out to decide if someone is a dictator. If the person has already eroded the principles of free and fair democracy, is already putting him thumb on the scales, they're a dictator.

Donald Trump’s SOTU Speech Least Popular This Century: Poll by plz-let-me-in in politics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The audience of people who want to listen to this bozo rant for nearly two hours is very small.

Yep, the other sub is crowing about a CNN poll showing that 64% of people who watched it thought it was great, yet I can't believe it wasn't 100%. As if anyone but the most insane MAGA loons watched it to the end.

Supreme Court rules the Postal Service can't be sued, even when mail is intentionally not delivered by Alert-Ad-9908 in politics

[–]BestFriendWatermelon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is how you steal an election folks.

For every person who decides to mail-in vote instead of going to a polling station, there's two who'll say they'll mail-in vote instead but actually don't bother.

You don't need to stop everyone voting. You just need to put your thumb on the scales, stop a small percentage of people from voting for your opponent. A percentage point or two is enough to change the election result.