[Crabcakes]

If reports can be believed he.
1. Charmed Trump while maintaining UK principles.
2. Took no shit form the gimps in Trumps entourage.

I think it worked in no small reason because Trump likes flattery (obv.), but he can smell a suck-up a mile off. And he quite happily lets them suck up but also clearly resents them/suspects they want something (which, to be fair, is probably right). He likes to be flattered by people he considers equals, and he considers strong people to be equals*. So Starmer taking no shit from Vance likely went down well because I suspect Trump doesn’t like Vance much either.

*obviously his actual equal is some form of whelk that exclusively lives in sewer outlets, but you get the idea.

[Andy McDandy]

"He got slapped. He's looking stupid. Therefore I'm not looking stupid. I WIN."

[Tubby Isaacs]

Starmer's (and previous leaderships) decision to marginalize the Corbyn left as much as possible has its drawbacks but it's certainly paid dividends on Defence. The last thing anybody needs now is a bolus of Jez types causing embarrassment from within Labour. We could easily still be stuck with Dent Coad, Pidcock, Winter and a load more of them.

[The Weeping Angel]

If reports can be believed he.
1. Charmed Trump while maintaining UK principles.
2. Took no shit form the gimps in Trumps entourage.

I think it worked in no small reason because Trump likes flattery (obv.), but he can smell a suck-up a mile off. And he quite happily lets them suck up but also clearly resents them/suspects they want something (which, to be fair, is probably right). He likes to be flattered by people he considers equals, and he considers strong people to be equals*. So Starmer taking no shit from Vance likely went down well because I suspect Trump doesn’t like Vance much either.

*obviously his actual equal is some form of whelk that exclusively lives in sewer outlets, but you get the idea.

Well that has now gone out of the window.

[Abernathy]

Fuck. Trump has thrown a tantrum at his press conference with Zelenssky in the Oval Office, accusing him of “disrespecting” him, with Vance piling on. Absolutely shocking scenes.

[The Weeping Angel]

[NevTheSweeper]

Trump and Putin will inevitably impose a settlement that will neither satisfy Zelensky nor the Ukrainian people. Any hopes of pulling back from this disaster is effectively gone.

[Youngian]

Watch Zelensky when the gibbering gibbon claims 'Putin respects me.'
Europe and it's reliable allies need to develop their own high tech defence capabilities and fast.

[NevTheSweeper]

Watch Zelensky when the gibbering gibbon claims 'Putin respects me.'
Europe and it's reliable allies need to develop their own high tech defence capabilities and fast.

Not only that , we also need to tackle Putin sympathisers at home too.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Could all change next week. But yeah, this is shit.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Unprecedented fuckery.

The White House as Cosa Nostra.

[The Weeping Angel]

Could all change next week. But yeah, this is shit.

Then what are we going to do?

[Abernathy]

Alastair Campbell has just been on C4 news and wasn’t holding back. He accurately assessed Trump and Vance as “thugs” attempting to bully “the bravest man on the planet” (Zelenssky). He correctly called this as very, very serious, and that Putin must be delighted.

It’s a fucking disaster. Trump actually accused Zelenssky of “gambling with world war three”. If anybody’s doing that, it’s the fat orange cunt that really should be in jail, but is somehow in the White House.

[NevTheSweeper]

Could all change next week. But yeah, this is shit.

Then what are we going to do?

WTF?????

Starmer should be making an emergency statement now.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I'll tell him you said so. But he might like a moment to think, rather than react like a frightened rabbit.

[Oboogie]

The White House as Cosa Nostra.

Middle playground, Autumn Term 1978 more like.

[Oboogie]

Whatever we do, it won't be alone, it'll be with our friends and allies.
Starmer is hosting a defence summit this weekend.
Attendees include delegates from France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania as well as Ukraine. Mark Rutte, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa will also attend.
Any statement made prior to the conclusion of that summit is premature.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/ ... nce-summit

[Abernathy]

There is apparently now some talk that Starmer should rescind Trump’s state visit invite.

I can’t see that happening. It’d only make matters worse.

I think the rational, calm, and firm line on the UK’s absolute and continuing support for Ukraine and its people is the right one.

The next question is clearly how we stop Trump from crawling even further up Putin’s colon.

The collapse of his “beautiful” deal to get rights to exploit Ukraine’s mineral resources might just be a useful lever here.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Starmer’s been speaking to Erdogan, per the Turkish Government on social media.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Orban has backed Trump.

So has Matthew Goodwin, in what may not be a coincidence.