[Crabcakes]

To be fair to the Jez army, I’m not sure anyone saw their latest wheeze coming - circulate pictures of “Russian bombing” or “Ukrainian children standing up to Russian soldiers”, wait for people to question them because something looks off, then unleash the clumsy “gotcha” that it’s actually a picture of Palestine bombed by Israel/a Palestinian child and an Israeli soldier, followed by a massive leap of logic that everyone who is disturbed by Russian aggression but who isn’t in the same breath condemning Israel is a racist hypocrite.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I saw "you lot never cared about Donbas" before. People like Oz Katerji (who they hate most) have been talking about Donbas, I'd be surprised if the Jez Army had mentioned it much, seeing it's not exactly a situation that reflects well on Putin.

[mattomac]

Starmer worse than Putin

They’ve got their hopes up on a report that is probably going criticise both sides and will be then claimed as a whitewash.

Wish Aylett would fuck off like the rest of them, they try and claim without them campaigning Labour will be nothing, but I think it would be a bonus.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Ha ha ha.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Laura Pidcock's former sidekick. Bait and switch from Putin-friendly bollocks today to "a legitimate tradition". Complete with sly insinuation that NATO is indeed partly responsible. Alas, no time to ruminate on why all those countries thought "NATO, yes please!"

This stuff is like taking a quote from eg Richard Nixon at the time of detente and saying "Look! Starmer's to the right of Nixon!"

[Youngian]

The latest heroes of the left for sage advice appear to be Kissinger, George Kennan and John Mearsheimer. They’ll all from the realist school of IR from a US viewpoint. Nascent democracies might be desirable but are a luxury and are often a nuisance to wider geopolitical stability. They think in terms of big powers carving up spears of influence like the post Napoleonic Congress System. Well tough shit and thankfully its not a view Biden holds. Or sane Republicans but they’re history.

[mattomac]

I really am not sure what the issue with NATO expansion is if the opposite is this can happen at any time.

And NATO from what I saw weren’t expanding any time

[Tubby Isaacs]

Recent interview with Mearsheimer here.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/ ... in-ukraine

It's "don't poke the Russian bear" stuff. Not very anti-imperialist.

[RedSparrows]

I really am not sure what the issue with NATO expansion is if the opposite is this can happen at any time.

And NATO from what I saw weren’t expanding any time

'Countries want to join a defensive alliance run by governments they prefer to Russia' shouldn't be a controversial point.

The difficulty comes in NATO's fudged approach in the past: 'article 5 buuuuut we'll also do this and this'.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

The Predictable Weasel has bottled it, as predicted.

We would be so much better off if we just ejected the SCG MPS. It would add 5% to our polling at a stroke.

[Tubby Isaacs]

There's actually a split in the SCG, as there was in the nineties over Bosnia. Only 11 backed Stop the War's letter, and only McDonnell was down to speak at this rally. Abbott was flailing around trying to explain the development of her position yesterday, but it didn't sound like she's much appetite to stay on board with them. They're a spent force, let them wither.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Though, like it or not, Labour will need support from the left. Some of the SCG can still do a job for Labour. The 25 or so who swerved that letter have some judgement at least, and I'm sure a few of could do a job for Labour. If I were Starmer, I'd be mindful that you only need to blow the bleeding doors off on this one.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Remember those Socialist Action guys kicked out for being socialist?

[mattomac]

I see their top notch analysis is on show this morning.

[Youngian]

There’ll always be more important things

[Cyclist]

She's been"doing a lot of thinking for several months".

No dear. You've spent several months trying to have an original thought.

[Crabcakes]

“I would like to be a big, famous fish in a tiny, stagnant backwater rather than a minnow in a river where I might have to put in some effort to get upstream”

Give it a few months and you’ll probably be able to get a 2 for 1 on her and Jez. The downside being you’ll get the same speech twice.

[Tubby Isaacs]

She's a Stop The War fan. Would have got some rather awkward questions at selection meetings in the current climate. Lots of people coming through as candidates not will not have supported invading Iraq, so she couldn't pull that one either.

As others have said, this is like me turning down an audition to play Hamlet at the Globe.

[mattomac]

Didn’t fancy a third defeat in what should be a straight forward election for a third time (see also her resignation on the NEC).

[Abernathy]

Mailwatchers will no doubt remember Corbyn’s “warning” about Vladimir Putin when Russia attacked people in Salisbury and Amesbury with lethal Novichok poison. Mostly because it consisted of suggesting that we should send a sample of the Novichok to Vlad and asking him to check whether it was some of his stuff.

Thank Dawkins that Abbott’s political career must surely be nearly over.