[mattomac]

I thought it would be really useful to centre discussion on this to one post.

[Youngian]

Trump believes giving his patronage to Farage is one in the eye for disobedient Starmer. Carry on Don.

Nigel Farage to meet Donald Trump TODAY as row with Keir Starmer leaves Chagos deal on the brink
https://www.gbnews.com/politics/nigel-f ... deal-brink

[mattomac]

The fact is it's questionable after last week whether he can win enough seats to form a government, Labour won't go to the polls until it looks potentially like they can win election and/or they have to and by then Donald might not be President (the power he may have could be seriously constrained come November anyhow).

As for Chagos deal, the military won't want any disruption on that considering the use of base. It's silliness and I bet the only person who cares are the flagshaggers and Badenoch.

[Andy McDandy]

Fargle may be popular (and I doubt that he's as popular as is reported), but he still has to find enough candidates to win a substantial number of seats. Consider, when Richard Tice is your least toxic person, how much of an uphill struggle that will be.

[mattomac]

He could use those two retired Labour "Grandees".

As I said the Democrats are against this, the way the media would have you believe is that his war or SMO is fully backed by the US people, the more expensive fuel gets those who are in a minority may even decrease. No one is quite sure what the reason for this attack is? At least Bush could force it under the Umbrella of the war on terror.

[Bones McCoy]

He could use those two retired Labour "Grandees".

As I said the Democrats are against this, the way the media would have you believe is that his war or SMO is fully backed by the US people, the more expensive fuel gets those who are in a minority may even decrease. No one is quite sure what the reason for this attack is? At least Bush could force it under the Umbrella of the war on terror.

Watch the red states moan and groan when "gas" hits $2.50.

[mattomac]

Probably blame Gay sex and Nancy Pelosi.

[Samanfur]

I was in GA when it hit $4pg due to Katrina (feeling anxious about whether I'd get out before it hit - I got away with it by 24 hours).

The demand was nothing I'd ever seen before, and my local friends agreed. I wound up on someone's sofa for the first night because we couldn't buy enough fuel in one go to get from ATL-Hartsfield to the city centre hotel.

Americans get very jumpy around petrol prices. It wouldn't take much to see tailback queues like that again.

[mattomac]

Saw a report on it affecting global economies all for what exactly?

They could easily have brought down the Iran regime from within.

Basically Venezuela made them think this is easy.

[Boiler]

Americans get very jumpy around petrol prices. It wouldn't take much to see tailback queues like that again.

It'd help if they didn't drive around in veehickles that did eight to the gallon and actually learned to walk short distances. I was in GA 30 years ago and the owner of an antiques (FSVO) shop told me she'd drive to the post office - a mere hundred yards away.

Shortly after the Olympic Park pipe bomb a mate and I telephoned to ask if the (sadly, now closed ) Engineers' Bookstore adjacent to Georgia Tech was open. "It is," said the person I spoke to, "but several roads are closed." "That's okay," said I, "we'll walk".

"But Sir," came the horrified response, "it's over a MILE away from you!"

[Andy McDandy]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... -netanyahu

Marina Hyde rides in like Eowyn on the Pelennor.

Nigel Farage told reporters curtly: “I don’t follow public opinion.” Weird, because the Reform UK leader has spent his entire career honking that politicians should listen to public opinion.

Kemi Badenoch’s entire demeanour since the war was launched has been that of a teenager who discovered from social media that some of her friends got together without her at the weekend and vaporised an ayatollah. Thursday found the Conservative party leader really drilling down on the nation’s most sensitive nerve, declaring: “It’s extraordinary that Bahrain and Kuwait … are publicly criticising us.” Criticised by Bahrain? Oh the shame. This feeling we’re having must be the same sort of awkwardness Bahrain feels when people remember they arbitrarily lock up dissidents and torture their own people. And is not a democracy.

Good stuff.

[mattomac]

Yup.

Not read much from columnists but Crace and Hyde seem to understand more on this than most of the political class which really does highlight a lot of issues.

[Bones McCoy]

Americans get very jumpy around petrol prices. It wouldn't take much to see tailback queues like that again.

It'd help if they didn't drive around in veehickles that did eight to the gallon and actually learned to walk short distances. I was in GA 30 years ago and the owner of an antiques (FSVO) shop she'd drive to the post office - a mere hundred yards away.

Shortly after the Olympic Park pipe bomb a mate and I telephoned to ask if the (sadly, now closed ) Engineers' Bookstore adjacent to Georgia Tech was open. "It is," said the person I spoke to, "but several roads are closed." "That's okay," said I, "we'll walk".

"But Sir," came the horrified response, "it's over a MILE away from you!"

I've probably shared before about my experience in Nth Carolina.
First time in the states I was a disaster of red-flags through assuming things worked roughly like home.

First weekend, visited the super mall.
A massive long row of shops on two floors, but several "big box" stores on the same land, but not directly connected.
It's all embedded within an enormous car park (obvs).
I carry the culturally insensitive assumption that one can walk 80 odd metres from the main mall to one of the big box-store.
Get pulled over by car-park security - pushy but very polite "Where are you going sir, why aren't you driving".
No firearms pulled, and an interesting chat once their recognise a foreign accent.

Another weekend I drove to the coast to visit Kittyhawk (Wright brothers) and USS North Carolina (Preserved WW2 battleship - with extra alligators).
An early start to cover the miles before the sun got hot.
I stopped for breakfast and fuel in a little town called Warsaw.
Sat myself in a bit of the waffle place with small tables to suit a single traveller.
A bit of a delay, and feeling ignored - finally a young black waitress issues a cautious "may I help you sir".
Again, the foreign accent breaks the ice.
Get served, but she quietly tells me "Over there's where the white folks usually sit".

I suppose some people are raised racially profile a cafe's seating plan, most of us aren't.
I hate to think I caused any discomfort to the black clientele or staff (did they think I was a lone wolf Klansman come to guncrime the place?? - I'll never know).
I had no contact with the white staff or clients, so won't ever know what they thought.

Good news: Kittyhawk and Wilmington N. Carolina were excellent places to visit.
I didn't get shot, and maybe persuaded a few nervous people that every stranger isn't a maniac.

[Youngian]

Speaking of Marina Hyde, her and Richard Osman on their Rest is Entertainment podcast give a fascinating guide to old fogies like me about the rise of the Dubai influencer. And why the Iran War is one hell of set back for them. Osman and Hyde made it clear they don’t wish anyone to be stuck in a city being bombed, not entirely convincingly in the case of Dubai influencers.

[The Weeping Angel]

Trump wants Iran to unconditionally surrender.

[Abernathy]

Trump wants Iran to unconditionally surrender.

Which would suggest that there has been a formal declaration of war. But I don’t think there ever has been.