[Abernathy]

That is fucking excellent

[Yug]

Two full days in and they've already done more than the previous three PMs put together.

For the first time in 14 years I've got the feeling that the UK government is actually working for the UK.

[Youngian]

Goodwill in Paris, Warsaw and Berlin. This talk of the UK becoming an isolated centre left outlier is somewhat premature.
When EU centre right leaders welcomed Cameron’s return, that was a sorry signal of how dire relations relations had become.

[Abernathy]

You can already see that that EU leaders seem to be breathing an enormous sigh of relief that the UK at last has elected a positive, cooperative, grown-up government. All that work that Lammy and Starmer did in advance of the election with EU leaders is about to reap rewards. And in retrospect, the ultra-cautious, politically necessary pre-election rejection of any return to freedomm of movement of labour and single market and customs union makes perfect sense. This is a brilliant start. It will take time, but I’ll stick my neck out now and say that the UK will be back as a full EU member by 2034.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I rather agree.
Sadly I will be 85 and probably long gone...

I'd just settle for free movement for people like me, rather than being 3rd worlders.

[Bones McCoy]

Goodwill in Paris, Warsaw and Berlin. This talk of the UK becoming an isolated centre left outlier is somewhat premature.
When EU centre right leaders welcomed Cameron’s return, that was a sorry signal of how dire relations relations had become.

It was always a Camilla Tomminey fever dream.

The right's potential salvation lies in the USA, not in the EU.

[slilley]

There was a large piece on David Lammy in the New Statesman a couple of weeks ago. he has a large contacts book across the globe and since he got the foreign affairs brief he has travelled widely promoting Labour's foreign policy and attitude and outlook. he has done a lot of hard graft preparing for this, as indeed have the rest of the now former Shadow Cabinet.

It is clear that the EU sees the new government as someone grown up they can work with. Jonathan Reynolds yesterday on the media round said there were some simple things around vetinary checks, and student travel that could be improved. Reasonably quick wins which could make a difference quite quickly. The previous Conservative government that used to balk at any sort of relationship with our nearest and dearest, would never think that way. their view was that the beastly EU was always looking to trap us into something we didnt want to be part of. No way to run a supposedly global Britain foreign policy.

[RandomElement]

If Labour can work with the new French government to introduce a policy to help people trying to cross the channel in small boats and devise a working and humane domestic immigration system, it will also help deflate Farage and his fellow travellers.

[Tubby Isaacs]

There was a large piece on David Lammy in the New Statesman a couple of weeks ago. he has a large contacts book across the globe and since he got the foreign affairs brief he has travelled widely promoting Labour's foreign policy and attitude and outlook. he has done a lot of hard graft preparing for this, as indeed have the rest of the now former Shadow Cabinet.

Yep, that's why I didn't buy the "Lammy going to lose his job" stuff.

[Youngian]

Lammy knew Obama before he was POTUS so Keir’s already had the door opened to Biden. Starmer is no slouch when it comes to international networking as tinfoil hat loons on the right and left constantly remind us.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Rachel Reeves saying "there's no money left",, which will no doubt send a lot of people mad. But it's likely a dig at the Tories waving Liam Byrne's not around.

See what she does in the budget, which she's sensibly held off till the regular time. As I enjoy pointing out, borrowing costs aren't rock bottom like in the Osborne era where he pissed away the chance to upgrade infrastructure for virtually no interest.

[Bones McCoy]

If Labour can work with the new French government to introduce a policy to help people trying to cross the channel in small boats and devise a working and humane domestic immigration system, it will also help deflate Farage and his fellow travellers.

Not only that.
Part of the big Farage story is "Europe is moving right in response to 'them', and he can make us part of that movement".

With that movement in defeat, Farage has no foreign policies beyond "Go Trump!", "Send 'em back", and the unspoken "Hail chief Putin".

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yep. Don't do this. You've just won a majority of 170.

[Youngian]

Lib Dems will but what else do they have to do?
People are still on a high after winning an election but would soon burn out on permanent campaign alert.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Sir Peter Hendy, formerly chair of Network Rail, has been appointed Transport Minister in the Lords. You can't say he isn't a heavyweight.

See how this goes.

[Nigredo]

Experts are tolerable again in the public eye?

[Bones McCoy]

Experts are tolerable again in the public eye?

Could-a-had Grayling.

[Crabcakes]

The previous Conservative government that used to balk at any sort of relationship with our nearest and dearest, would never think that way. their view was that the beastly EU was always looking to trap us into something we didnt want to be part of. No way to run a supposedly global Britain foreign policy.

While some of them absolutely felt this - idiots like David “not that one, the shit one” Frost, for example - I think the far worse thing is that many of them didn’t think the things on offer were EU traps, knew they would improve the lives of U.K. citizens, and STILL turned them down because it was far easier to go with the ideology of morons than even attempt to explain otherwise or risk the wrath of Farage and claims of Brexit being undone.

[Andy McDandy]

In the case of Frost, he came across as a teenager in his first car, going "Nyaaaaah!" at pedestrians, going through puddles to splash them, and then hitting a tree.

[Tubby Isaacs]

For a while I've seen a lot of "Labour in 1945 set up the NHS, no excuses!" stuff.

Not do play down that government's achievements, but they inherited war time defence expenditure, which they could reassign to other things fairly quickly. Current situation is that defence spending is much lower and and should probably be higher.

I think somebody needs to take this point. Or perhaps not, maybe it's an online point.