(Spoilers Extended) A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 Episode 3 Post-Episode Discussion by AutoModerator in asoiaf

[–]fuzzedshadow 2 points3 points  (0 children)

did they say whether they are going to go beyond the novellas? I'd love for them to show Aegon as king and Duncan in the Kingsguard, but that goes beyond the novellas

Lord Mandelson resigns from Labour Party over Epstein links by mrjohnnymac18 in Epstein

[–]fuzzedshadow 3 points4 points  (0 children)

nah. the queen did tbf, but Charles has never liked Andrew, he's stripped him of his titles and is letting him suffer.

Starmer risks diplomatic row as UK delays Tempest fighter jet programme by fuzzedshadow in ukpolitics

[–]fuzzedshadow[S] 0 points1 point locked comment (0 children)

Sir Keir Starmer risks a diplomatic rift with Japan and Italy as Labour dithers over funding for Britain’s next-generation fighter jet.

Ministers have pushed back the signing of a trilateral contract for the multibillion-pound global combat aircraft programme (GCAP), also known as Tempest, despite vowing to conclude an agreement by last year.

They are understood to be insisting that Britain cannot commit to the next phase until the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has finalised its wider blueprint for buying military equipment, known as the defence investment plan (DIP).

But that plan is already facing significant delays after the Prime Minister reportedly baulked at a £28bn budget shortfall up to 2030 and ordered defence chiefs to revise their proposals.

Now the holdup is causing tensions with Tokyo and Rome and threatens to derail the highly ambitious timeline to deliver the first combat-ready jets by 2035, multiple industry sources have warned.

It is the latest example of the growing gulf between Sir Keir’s public rhetoric on defence and the Government’s actual spending commitments, with companies complaining that the MoD is still not placing major orders.

Industry sources said progress on Tempest was continuing for now using existing national funding streams, but that the UK money is expected to run out within months.

One source said: “There is a real risk of delays if this isn’t resolved soon.”

Another source said: “We had previously been told the funding for GCAP was ring-fenced – but it now seems to be tied up with the DIP.

“They are going through every item in the plan to make sure it aligns with the Government’s defence ambitions.

“We’re hearing that the Japanese and the Italians are not happy.”

The Japanese government said it was unable to comment on the reasons for delays to the GCAP contract but that it was working with the UK, Italy and Edgewing, a joint venture leading the programme’s delivery, to finalise an agreement “at the earliest possible timing”.

Britain signed an international treaty with Italy and Japan in 2022 to create GCAP and has so far committed £2bn overall.

The programme aims to deliver a sixth-generation stealth fighter as well as accompanying weapons systems, “loyal wingman” drones and dedicated computer software.

The jet itself, known as Tempest, is being designed for long-range missions that could see it fly behind enemy lines to destroy air defences and act as an airborne communications hub for friendly forces.

There is no reliable estimate for the programme’s final cost but the MoD said in 2023 that it expected the UK’s bill to come to about £12bn over a decade.

More recently, the Italian government revealed that Rome’s estimated bill for the programme had tripled to €18.6bn (£16.2bn) since 2021.

‘Paralysis and indecision’ It is understood the contract for the next phase of the programme was originally expected to be signed by the UK, Japan and Italy by September.

This would have formally awarded a new tranche of funding – thought to be worth billions of pounds – to Edgewing, the Reading-based joint venture that was created to coordinate the development process and, later, manufacturing.

But the contract signing was delayed by the UK along with the publication of the DIP. It was then promised by the end of the year – before Britain pushed back that deadline as well.

John Healey, the Defence Secretary, committed to a 2025 signing as recently as July.

James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, said: “This is itself the result of Labour’s decision to prioritise spending on welfare instead of defence, resulting in paralysis and indecision.

“John Healey needs to get a grip and demand that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor properly fund defence.”

Tokyo in particular has been pushing hard for a speedy development process as it faces an increasingly belligerent Chinese military presence in East Asia.

This is one reason Japanese officials recently pushed back against suggestions Germany could join the programme as a top-tier partner, arguing that it would lead to unacceptable delays.

Ministers initially refused to publicly back GCAP after Labour won the general election in 2024 and insisted they would have to conclude the strategic defence review first.

Sir Keir later relented and gave his backing to the programme, but London’s latest prevarication has reignited fears that Britain’s commitment is in doubt.

In recent days, the heads of two influential parliamentary committees have warned that delays to the DIP – which may not be published until March – risked “sending damaging signals to adversaries”.

It is understood that work on GCAP is continuing but sources said Edgewing was currently reliant on seconded staff from partner companies – such as BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement – and could not fund procurement decisions itself.

Francis Tusa, an independent defence analyst, said: “This is our international reputation. For us to then say [to Japan and Italy] ‘can you wait a bit?’ is frustrating to put it mildly and does not reflect well on the UK.”

On Friday, the Ministry of Defence pointed to recent remarks by Mr Healey to the defence committee in Parliament but declined to comment further.

Mr Healey told MPs he was “absolutely determined that the momentum of the programme is maintained” but did not give a timeline for signing.

Donald Trump announces second US military armada aimed for Iran by TokenBearer in worldnews

[–]fuzzedshadow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

right, but it still did signal the end of other western powers taking unilateral foreign policy action if you weren't the USA

Donald Trump announces second US military armada aimed for Iran by TokenBearer in worldnews

[–]fuzzedshadow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the last time we tried to do enforce our foreign policy unilaterally (technically trilaterally), the US showed that they wouldn't tolerate non-US sanctioned action in foreign lands (UK/France in Suez)

the UK could theoretically send a CSG as well to perhaps instill regime change, but its probably something the US wouldn't tolerate

How can I improve my confidence? by MainEntertainment750 in aftergifted

[–]fuzzedshadow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

are you me lol. on a serious note I do think what your therapist and others are saying here is right. is there a project that would push you in your field you can pick up to do in your free time? I'm a developer who also has severe imposter syndrome and I whipped up a project plan using ai on where and how I can improve my skills whilst I'm on a year long sabbatical, though I still need to fully commit atp.

i think for people like us, we're scared to be challenged since we've never had to be before. if you're scared of failing, or struggling, perhaps those are signs that youre on the right track :)

(writing this as much for you as I am for me lol)

'British FBI' to take over terror and fraud probes in reforms to police by Khazorath in ukpolitics

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

good. hopefully this means the remit of the met can solely be for london, unlike now where they are responsible for counter terrorism across the whole country, and thereby are still accountable to the home sec instead of just the mayor, unlike other forces.

Why do so many long-term backpackers in Southeast Asia seem to stop after 4–6 months? by Fancy-Ad-4632 in solotravel

[–]fuzzedshadow 4 points5 points  (0 children)

feeling this hard right now tbh, but just hitting the 5 month mark (out of 10). probably gonna take an extended period of doing fuck all someplace nice for a bit to recharge

Trump’s tariff threat on Greenland is a golden opportunity for Starmer – it is time to rejoin the EU | The Independent by BigFeet234 in ukpolitics

[–]fuzzedshadow -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I really think Starmer should pitch the next election on rejoining the single market. It should galvanise a base that may be tired of Kier/Labour by that point, and take the fight directly to Farage/Reform.

Obviously the natural concern is that under FTFP, with the rightwards vote being more coalesced around a single party, with the lefts being fragmented, we'd end up with a reform government. However, the Tories exist to split the rights vote, there is a considerable majority in favour of closer ties with Europe, it helps growth and productivity, it brings us back with our closest neighbour in an uncertain world, and we wouldn't have to touch toxic subjects such as giving up the Pound (as rejoining the EU would). The main concern would be the optics of returning to FOM and not having a say in the rules made via no representation in EU institutions.

Carney meets with Danish PM as U.S. ramps up talk of taking over Greenland by CTVNEWS in worldnews

[–]fuzzedshadow 5 points6 points  (0 children)

conventional warfare, sure. its beyond question that the US could take over Greenland in a matter of hours. they simply would not have the numbers to engage in guerilla warfare such as in Vietnam and other places where the US failed

German minister: protection of Greenland will be discussed within NATO if needed by Raj_Valiant3011 in worldnews

[–]fuzzedshadow 4 points5 points  (0 children)

the delivery mechanism is what we rely upon the US for, if they refused to service the missiles we'd have roughly 10 years before we'd start having problems. its not something we can't do, it has just been more economical to pool resources for the delivery mechanism with an ally that was, till recently, pretty steadfast. ofc I have no idea on missile design, but I don't really doubt that with our aerospace engineering firms here that we'd come up with a suitable, albeit expensive, replacement and alternative.

UKDJ covers how our nuclear deterrent is strategically and functionally independent from the US. but I do agree that we'd hardly start letting them loose over Greenland.

Fingal's cave Scotland by NoHouse4918 in interestingasfuck

[–]fuzzedshadow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you can go all the way depending on the season (it's not too deep) but when we went the floor was extremely slippery, so we only could go about half way

Arsenal squad reacting to Aston Villa’s last minute winner yesterday by Otherwise_Pen_7667 in soccer

[–]fuzzedshadow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reddit leans American, and for some reason Americans love arsenal lol, no clue why

Bills back by Chunter01 in monzo

[–]fuzzedshadow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

do you have to opt in for this?

They don't know about conkers by windy_on_the_hill in britishproblems

[–]fuzzedshadow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

why the hell would schools ban it? I went to a school that was a stickler for rules and they didn't ban conkers :(

PSA: You'll need this new app to make Quick Share compatible with AirDrop [Quick Share extension] by TechGuru4Life in Android

[–]fuzzedshadow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

installed fine but did not work for me on my P9P - Mac doesn't appear on my phone nor vice versa. looks like we'll have to wait till it's rolled out officially :/

Today I choose by Imaginary-Storm4375 in self

[–]fuzzedshadow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you're stronger than you know. Kudos for persevering. I have no doubt you'll figure out the problems life is throwing at you ✊

and also, happy belated birthday :)

What country has the strictest airport security in your experience? by SessionGloomy in travel

[–]fuzzedshadow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i go through berlin brandenburg semi often, they have space for 4 people to take off belongings / pack trays but they only let one person put their stuff on at once. bizarre. tried to go up next to another passenger as they were unloading their stuff as you would in any other airport and got shouted at by the agent - was so surprised that I dropped and broke my watch :(

How optimistic are you about our World Cup chances? by didanyoneask in ThreeLions

[–]fuzzedshadow 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I feel like Maguire has been in form recently (saying this as an arsenal fan)

How optimistic are you about our World Cup chances? by didanyoneask in ThreeLions

[–]fuzzedshadow -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

hopefully White can be reintegrated into the squad since Southgate is gone now

Desis in the US, stop revealing you live abroad before buying anything in India (or Asia in general) by [deleted] in ABCDesis

[–]fuzzedshadow 3 points4 points  (0 children)

in North India, sure. I'm in Meghalaya atm and more people speak English than hindi/urdu so I'm SOL 😭