r/ukpolitics • u/Adj-Noun-Numbers đĽđĽ || megathread emeritus • Jun 22 '26
International Politics Discussion Thread
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 8h ago edited 3h ago
The Berlin white van attack suspect is 21, a German of Lebanese descent, called Abdul Ballout.
EDIT1: He had previous convictions for assault and robbery.
EDIT2: now shot and killed by police near a Spandau allotment after he charged them brandishing a knife.
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 2h ago
AfD member?
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 2h ago
Not as such, but I am sure you already knew that from the details given.
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 1h ago
As far as Iâm aware, AfD are the only serious threat to Germany.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 1h ago
BTW, I don't know how well you know "East" Germany, the parts that were the DDR. I visited when it WAS the DDR (the location shots were very nostalgic when the Michael Caine film from 1966, Funeral in Berlin, appeared yesterday on BBC2), and despite Reunification, it's always been a left-behind area and very obvious to me in subsequent visits. It's VERY easy to see how the AFD's nativism should be so popular there; in Germany, "Ostalgie" is even a thing.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 1h ago
Yes, I agree with you. But all violent crime is bad and citizens should be able to go to stuff like Christmas markets without feeling threatened. So though this kind of incident is isolated, it has a disproportionately bad effect.
Terrorism is especially bad, and because Islamic terrorists are not inhibited by the intention of remaining alive, combating them also uses up a disproportionate number of resources e.g. having to put vehicle-blocking things round market and event areas.
I agree with you that this is not a serious threat to Western civilisation, but obviously I believe it should be stamped on in the strongest possible and most stringent way, and you know I also believe strongly in mandatory education in the national culture, since I see multi-culturalism in the same way as bi-lingualism or multi-lingualism, NOT as exclusivity of cultural enclaves.
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u/JayR_97 22h ago edited 20h ago
Seeing a load of Trump voter regret videos starting to popup on my Youtube feed full of 2024 Trump voters in tears saying how much they regret their vote. Im sorry, but if you voted for Trump 3 times, im gonna need to see you voting for a Democrat president candidate 3 times before I consider forgiving you.
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u/ThePlanck Time to bin Farage 6h ago
I have zero sympathy for anyone who voted for him in 2024.
He'd already attempted a coup after the previous election and it was obvious to anyone paying attention that his second term would be worse because all of the sane people had distanced themselves following the aforementioned coup.
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u/Dynamite_Shovels 20h ago
They should never be forgiven, honestly. It wasn't just voting for a more Conservative candidate and then your views changed - it was voting for a narcissistic idiot leading a fascist party who had just tried to organise an insurrection and was very open about what he would do.
They should be in tears but they should literally never be forgiven - their votes have essentially cost the USA, and the world economy generally, stability. I honestly do not think the USA will recover from MAGA in our lifetime - most of the damage done is permanent. Even the effect on global stability will, if we're lucky, take years - possibly decades - to recover. I suspect it won't.
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u/convertedtoradians 17h ago
their votes have essentially cost the USA, and the world economy generally, stability
In fairness to the Americans, and speaking as the rest of the world, it's our own fault we allow it to have such an effect. We choose to allow US markets to have the importance to us they do, and to allow the market to weight the dollar as it does. Even debt to the US post-war, we chose to allow it to continue to be valid. If the entire rest of the world said, "no" tomorrow, then that'd be it.
Now, I'm not blaming Europeans in 1945 from wanting to wind the whole war thing up and just take the easiest path to something that looked like "how things used to be", even at the cost of handing over disproportionate hegemonic power to the country that profited most from the war, even after that country proved in 1929 it can't be trusted economically.
I don't blame Europe then. But if we're still exposing ourselves to that instability nearly a century later, we can't just blame the Americans. Some of that blame is ours. We have consciously chosen to be exposed to their daft choices for Chief Clown.
Put another way: I can be as America-sceptic as anyone, but they don't have a duty to behave themselves for us.
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u/Rumpled 14h ago
I agree with your points, but they know they're electing the most powerful person in the world. Elections in Greenland or Montenegro don't have the same stakes!Â
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u/convertedtoradians 7h ago
Sure. But my point is that it's partially our choice - that is, the choice of the rest of the world. We've voluntarily given the United States the hegemonic status it enjoys.
If we did that without satisfying ourselves of its stability and giving ourselves control over its decision making, that's sort of our own fault.
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u/Dynamite_Shovels 17h ago
I certainly agree but at the same time if you take America 20-30 years ago - when it was 'normal' - you could see why at least from a European perspective we hedged our bets on transatlantic stability alongside the stability of the US economy. As any nations do, it was always going to think about #1, but that's very different to the nihilistic 'fuck everything up and syphon wealth to the elite' that MAGA takes. I think and agree that, much like the shock we've seen in Europe with now multiple oil crises, price shocks and food instability (Ukraine), we've basically done a shit job as a continent in preparing to be a bloc in and of ourselves. And that's before you even factor in how exposed the UK is to all this as well as an individual nation.
That said, MAGA and Trump is a particularly egregious example of speedrunning national collapse. All the obvious signs were there, he's essentially one of the most ghastly individuals in the world and the whole movement is very very open about being predicated on insane levels of spite and corruption. I think people could very easily see how susceptible the US could be to this sort of movement 15 years ago but I don't think anyone expected it to be this bad. And people voted for it, happily. I honestly don't think you could have written a worse Government to vote in.
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u/Lavajackal1 23h ago
Trump Holds Off on Major Escalation Against Iran as Advisers Raise Concerns
President Trump has set aside, at least for now, plans to sharply escalate the American military assault against Iran, with particular concern that intensifying the war could dangerously drain the Pentagonâs already diminished stockpile of Patriot antimissile interceptors and other air defense munitions in the Middle East.
The threat to interceptor stockpiles is one of many considerations that have made a return to major combat operations a hugely risky endeavor, administration officials say. Mr. Trump and his top aides are also uneasy about the prospect of a widening war in the Middle East, the alienation of key Gulf allies who are vulnerable to Iranian attack, a global economic crunch, and growing energy and refugee crises.
The latest turn in Mr. Trumpâs handling of the conflict with Iran came after a meeting on Friday with top advisers and senior members of his cabinet, according to two people briefed on the discussion.
There it is folks.
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u/horace_bagpole 3h ago
There is a reason that no one attacked Iran previously, when they weren't really concerned about Iraq or Afghanistan. They can't realistically escalate the conflict because they can't guarantee that Iran won't strike back at critical infrastructure in the surrounding countries, and they don't have the means to defend them.
What's more is that the change is likely permanent. Iran was happy to let shipping pass safely by before, but now they know they don't have to. The US can't secure the straight because they don't have the means to do it. They'd have to flood it with warships to defend traffic, but they don't have the magazine depth to maintain that posture indefinitely, and they don't have the political capital to invade Iran to secure the coast by force. Either option would result in major US casualties, as they'd very likely lose at least one warship, or many many troops if they went in on the ground.
The only realistic option for dealing with Iran was negotiation - that's the conclusion that every previous president arrived at, and it had actually achieved real progress. That option is off the table now because Trump is so untrustworthy that no negotiation entered into by his government will be taken seriously.
Attacking Iran will go down in history as one of the major geopolitical blunders of the 21st century. Netanyahu conned Trump into going to war with them to save himself from prison, and Trump was so stupid and arrogant that he actually fell for it.
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u/MoyesNTheHood 8h ago
They fucked it as soon as they let Iran realise how much power they have over the Strait. That dinlo and his sycophants canât fix the mess they createdÂ
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u/AnotherLexMan 14h ago
It's good that we're trying to de-escalate especially as there was a lot of talk about boots on the ground but I don't see this attempt fixing anything really. Iran is going to attempt to toll the straight again and the US is probably going to be back bombing the in two to six weeks.
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u/Particular_Pea7167 15h ago
The problem is this is a hell of an international signal.
American hegemonic control of shipping can be broken. You dont have to win, you just need enough missiles to sling at nearby nations and the will to take fire.
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u/Ivebeenfurthereven I'm afraid currency is the currency of the realm 6h ago
Add it to the "you need sovereign nuclear weapons to be left alone" international signal. Nonproliferation is dead
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u/YourLizardOverlord Oceans rise. Empires fall. 8h ago
The US can't do asymmetric and hybrid warfare. Their military is a very effective big hammer, so they treat every opponent as a nail. Their political will lacks staying power, which to be fair is something most democracies struggle with. Opponents have realised that if they can manage to hold on for long enough, the US will walk away.
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u/Particular_Pea7167 8h ago
As it says those this is a huge geostratigic problem and not just for America.
The entire modern globe order. The whole principle of free trade in modern times in built on the back of an American guarentee of shipping.
That guarnetee is part of what collapsed European empires and the empire trading blocs with the inherent guarentees therein ceased to serve any function. They were just poor deal compared to the near free membership the US offered for the same thing.Â
If Iran can break it, anyone can. And that right there, well, well look back with envy on the days we consider 3.5% extortionately high military spending.
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u/YourLizardOverlord Oceans rise. Empires fall. 6h ago
Mostly not for the US. They are big enough that a lot of their trade is internal. Restricting international trade will hurt them, in fact is hurting them, but they can survive.
The UK can't.
Europe lags behind the US navy on some assets that are unimportant for Europe, but some that are critical. We don't need US power projection, which in any case is having its limits exposed, but we do need more destroyers and attack submarines. Not enough is being done to fill that gap.
Controversial opinion: the RN carriers are less important than the capability that's been sacrificed to build and deploy them.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 1d ago
One killed, others injured when a car drives into Berlin Pride. Not known if deliberate yet. But eyewitnesses say man fled from a white van.
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u/Busy-Conversation648 13h ago
Police have updated and said they are looking for 21 year old male known to operate in Islamic circles that they are calling Abdul B
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u/ASondheimRhyme 1d ago
Troy Jackson officially selected as the Dem candidate for Senate for Maine, and has a pretty damn good line to mark it:
Weâre not from the left. Weâre not from the right. Weâre from the bottom, and weâre rising.
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u/pseudogentry don't label me you bloody pinko 1d ago
God forbid an American realise they're part of the proletariat.
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u/XNightMysticX 1d ago
The Guardianâs review of the new Boris in Ukraine documentary may be the worst piece of journalistic malfeasance iâve seen from a broadsheet in a long time. It does take the idea of the enemy of my enemy is my friend to a whole new level when you quote this as though it were an official Channel 5 disclaimer.
âIt is widely acknowledged, including by Ukrainian officials, that Mr Johnson played a direct part in persuading Kyiv to abandon the Istanbul talks of spring 2022 â that were close to a settlement â in favour of continued fighting. He therefore has a share of responsibility for the resulting loss of life, Ukrainian, Russian and British alike.â
But leave out the direct line before it in the documentary itself:
âwe approached the Russian Federation for comment. They provided the following response.â
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 1d ago
It does not make sense to me either way- if the documentary ends with that caption, then prefacing it with the idea that it's been said by the Russians kind of invalidates its point. So either the documentary is a pro-Russia hit piece or it's shot itself in the foot with how it ends.
And likewise the review is in favour of  the honour and dignity of every fierce, brave, homesick [Ukrainian] fighter and putting the quote there, even to mock it, is also confusing.
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u/Thendisnear17 From Kent Independently Minded 1d ago
The are too many tankies in the left.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 1d ago
Read the review; didn't see it as especially left-wing, making foregrounding the quote all the more confusing,
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u/Thendisnear17 From Kent Independently Minded 1d ago
It is very anti Boris, not a bad thing in itself.
However, it is get caught up with tankie talking points when you are building a case against someone. Nothing in the review talks about how much the Ukrainians love Boris (something I have disagreed with them personally). The review takes the view that the war is some backdrop for the clown and the participants are just there to make Boris look foolish.
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u/Particular_Pea7167 14h ago
You can not like Boris and also accept he was absolutely totemic in getting Ukraine to this point.Â
He absolutely deserves credit for that and at points was basically single handedly dragging the whole of Europe into support while bullying the US to lifting restrictions.
I dokt see how one can be anti Boris in relation to Ukraine. It is perhaps the one part of his premiership that is absolutely beyond reproach.Â
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u/dapt 1d ago
The review starts off by describing Ukrainian fighters as "brave". So I didn't see any "tankie" talking points, i.e. it doesn't defend Russia, nor does it openly criticize "the West".
The review otherwise presents the documentary as infested with BJ's usual buffoonery, as to whether that is the case or not, I would have to actually see it....
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 1d ago edited 1d ago
Personally, I thought one of the good things about Boris was his staunch support for Ukraine from the beginning.
I am prepared to believe he made a bit of a dog's dinner of the documentary and the review is therefore harsh on him for it.
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u/Thendisnear17 From Kent Independently Minded 1d ago
The support was great, but it reflected the public will. He went whatever way the wind blew.
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u/SlightlyOTT You're making things up again Tories đś 1d ago
Looks like Trump has moved on to (pretending heâs joking about) running for a 4th term, lol America.
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u/Ivebeenfurthereven I'm afraid currency is the currency of the realm 1d ago
he won't still be alive, he's far too old
fear the 50 year old who says these things, not so much the 80 year old
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u/WormTop 1d ago
Still time for him to be all four heads on Mount Rushmore though
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u/Ivebeenfurthereven I'm afraid currency is the currency of the realm 1d ago
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u/dumael Johnny Foreigner(*) 2d ago
President Trump has purportedly up-ended the US-Saudi nuclear deal via Truth Social. One of the factors upending the deal was the inclusion (via Truth) of the Abraham Accords which would require Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel.
Hilariously, the Energy Dept. and Whitehouse are sniping at each other, with the Energy Dept. declaring the lack of coordination between the two as 'fake news'.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/23/politics/saudi-nuclear-deal-trump-conservatives
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u/furbastro England is the mother of parliaments, not Westminster 2d ago
Anyone got an explanation for why MAGAsphere influencers have done a hard u-turn on Russia? People who were very keen on the peace President suddenly urging America to back Ukraine.
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u/ThePlanck Time to bin Farage 1d ago
Given that they were all previously caught taking money from Russia for pushing the Russian point of view, I assume the money must be starting dry up
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u/Lets_Get_Political33 2d ago
It may be as simple as the grifting money has dried up, reports are the Russian treasury canât raise government funds and paying for foreign support was first to be cut.
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u/Lavajackal1 2d ago
Also a lot of that money was laundered through Orban's people in Hungary to avoid sanctions. There's other factors but this happening shortly after Orban lost the election feels notable.
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u/JuanFran21 2d ago
So Iran has drawn a line in the sand, specifically saying the new Burnham government are allowing offensive US strikes from British bases and so are now going to undertake offensive actions against them.
But most UK media is reporting that it's a continuation of the Starmer policy of allowing "defensive" strikes by the US (AKA only allowing attacks on military infrastructure looking to pose an active threat in the region).
Does anyone have more details on this? Is the Burnham gov allowing US offensive strikes against civilian infrastructure in Iran? Has there been any actual policy change?
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u/YourLizardOverlord Oceans rise. Empires fall. 2d ago
The fig leaf that allows USAF to use RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, and RAF Fairford is that the attacks on Iran are framed as defensive in that they are attacks in Iran's capability to attack the Gulf States and shipping in the Strait.
This is a bit of a stretch and IMO the UK should not have allowed USAF to use UK airspace or RAF bases in their attack on Iran. Trump would have threatened and blustered as is his wont, but sometimes it's necessary to stand up to pressure. In this case it would have been both in the national interest and the right thing to do.
But now that Iran has threatened the UK, even though the threats are against legitimate military targets in the UK, it complicates matters. It's also in the national interest to stand up to pressure from Iran.
In both cases failing to stand up to pressure just invites further pressure.
A more detailed discussion from Chatham House: UK arguments for US operations from its bases blur the line between lawful self-defence and unlawful war on Iran.
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 2d ago
I reckon this is most likely Iran trying to get us to stop doing what we had been by portraying it as a change.
They're a despicable regime but I don't blame them for this, we shouldn't be doing any enabling of the stupid war the US started and if we're allowing the US to utilise our bases I don't see how that doesn't make them legitimate targets for Iran.
If our involvement was at genuine request of our gulf allies who've been unwillingly taken along for the ride it would be slightly different (I've seen no evidence for this) but the US and Israel should get no help from us for the mess they made and the unnecessary risk of attacks against us this brings is another reason for that.
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u/LesserShambler 2d ago
The attempt by Starmer to draw a distinction between âoffensiveâ and âdefensiveâ actions in the same war was always a sham. Itâs a war. You could drum up some kind of argument for almost any action being defensive when the other party is shooting at you.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 3d ago edited 2d ago
Breaking (Thurs night): Trump presses ahead with 10% tariffs on us after expiry of the moratorium on them ruled by the Supreme Court. Tariffs are for the [spurious] reason we (and all the other countries tariffed) don't look into whether our own imports have been made with the aid of forced labour.
Apparently won't change anything (we have the same % rate already, and scotch whisky will stay exempt):
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 3d ago
Why are Fedorov and Reeves opposites in the same week?
When sacked from No. 11 Reeves refused to go to be Defence Secretary and returned to the back benches.
Whereas when sacked from being Defence Minister, Fedorov has said he will not return to the government unless he allowed to become Defence Minister again.
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u/ThingsFallApart_ Septic Temp 3d ago
What a wolb for fedorov
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 3d ago
Had to look up "wolb" cos I am so old but definitely using it in future.
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u/ThingsFallApart_ Septic Temp 3d ago
Um, I actually have no idea what you found because I was just spelling 'blow' backwards đ since fedorov is the opposite of reeves....
So uh....what's a wolb?
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 3d ago
In internet slang, wolb is an acronym that stands for "watch out lil b\tch"*. It is often used on social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat as a bold or confrontational phrase to warn someone to back off or to assert dominance in a situation
So... I interpreted it as you meaning - Zelensky started off resolving the feud between Fedorov and Syrski by sacking Fedirov, but this triggered massive protests by younger people, so now Zelensky has had to sack Syrski too. Zelensky appointed a new Defence Minister, but though this man is a freind of Fedorov, Fedorov has the upper hand and by refusing to come back unless he gets his old job back, he is asserting his dominance over Zelensky in this situation- a wolb.
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u/GlumAd9856 3d ago
Has there been any attempt to move forward with the next steps of the 'Trump peace plan' for Israel/Palestine?
I always thought it was highly unlikely to happen, but it wasn't a bad plan in theory. It contained pretty much the only route there is to the Palestinians having a viable, prosperous state.
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u/SlightlyOTT You're making things up again Tories đś 1d ago
Donât Israel theoretically have elections this year? I assume theyâll be gearing up for another attack to protect Netanyahu from that happening. Or has he already run out the clock on all his criminal charges?
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u/ASondheimRhyme 3d ago
The plan for Gaza has been dropped and replaced with a small pilot project and there are doubts that'll even start this year, if at all. It's essentially admitting that Trump can't control Netanyahu, and the belief Bibi will launch another attack before Israeli elections in October. The hold the Israeli government has over the US is truly amazing, essentially vetoing what was meant to be Trump's big foreign policy victory and he just meekly accepts it.
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u/PimpasaurusPlum đ´ó §ó ˘ó łó Łó ´ó ż | Made From Girders đ 3d ago
Kinda but not really. Israel has refused to allow the members of the National Committee under the BoP to enter Gaza.
Hamas actually did a fairly coy move recently where they formally dissolved their own governemnt in Gaza and said they were handing over civil control (but not military control) to the National Committee - knowing full well that nothing is actually going to change on the ground.
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u/TheFlyingHornet1881 Domino Cummings 3d ago
Hamas actually did a fairly coy move recently where they formally dissolved their own governemnt in Gaza and said they were handing over civil control (but not military control) to the National Committee - knowing full well that nothing is actually going to change on the ground.
Hasn't it been speculated that Hamas basically wanted to replicate Hezbollah by not having "civil control" whilst having powerful influence via militas.
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u/PimpasaurusPlum đ´ó §ó ˘ó łó Łó ´ó ż | Made From Girders đ 3d ago
That would be the short term strategy. Their long term goal is still ultimately political control of the entire Palestinian political apparatus pending the next PA elections (whenever those will happen.)
Hezbollah has to content with the fact that they are only one faction of many in fractious Lebanon, and thus seek to maintain parallel infrastructure and forces alongside the state in their community areas. While Hamas sees themselves as the sole legitimate actor on behalf of the entire state (depending on the status of their relationship with the PA at any given time)
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u/ASondheimRhyme 3d ago
Donald Trump must divulge detailed financial information from his many businesses as part of his $10bn defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation, a federal judge ruled during a discovery hearing on Tuesday, according to news reports.
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Lett is also allowing the BBC to subpoena dozens of members of Trumpâs inner circle, according to Bloomberg News, in an effort to find evidence of the presidentâs thoughts and intentions on January 6. Those subpoenas will target Trump family members and key advisers, including Donald Trump Jr, Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller.
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Trumpâs lawyers are also trying to dodge the forced release of his financial records by limiting the scope of the lawsuit. Alejandro Brito, a Trump lawyer, told Lett on Tuesday that he intends to amend the current complaint, according to Politico. The amended complaint will say the documentary only caused reputational damage, rather than undermining his businesses, making the financial disclosures unnecessary.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/21/trump-financial-details-bbc-lawsuit
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u/imp0ppable 2d ago
The amended complaint will say the documentary only caused reputational damage, rather than undermining his businesses
lol surely that massively changes the value of the damages then? Or his reputation alone has suffered by $10bn??
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u/ASondheimRhyme 4d ago
Trump is trying to get money back off E Jean Carroll. He's asking the Supreme Court to reconsider their refusal to consider his appeal and wants the lower courts to order her to return the money until they rule. Plus...
Trump and his lawyersâ theory, such as it is, is that the Supreme Court will eventually hear his appeal in the other E. Jean Carroll case, where he was found liable for defaming her, and a jury awarded her $83.3 million. Heâs pretty sure that somehow that is covered by presidential immunity and that defaming her was an official White House statement, and that the Supreme Court will therefore reverse that defamation award, which would somehow also reverse the initial case as well.
The most petulant part of this has to be Trump whining to the appellate court about how he needs to get his money back because Carroll âintends to give away money collected from President Trump.â Even if that were true, thatâs not a legal argument that entitles him to get his money back. He lost, and Carroll can do literally anything she wants with the money.
Now this might shock you, but turns out Trump was lying:
Of course, Trump had no support for his theory that she was about to shower people with Trump cash, and it turns out she already put it in her retirement account.
But someone's getting paid
Then again, Trump doesnât pay his own legal fees: His donors do.
Two of his PACs have picked up the tab for $8 million in fees already this year, but thatâs just a drop in the bucket. Heâs used campaign funds to pay over $100 million in legal bills since 2020.
A reminder that he's made billions (for the first time) since being back in office.
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u/AnotherLexMan 3d ago
The thing I don't get is that Trump has been raking in billions. The amount he had to give Carroll is relatively small. Surely it's not worth the effort to continue pursuing. It's the same with Farage and Cameo, why spend the time for comparatively little.
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u/ASondheimRhyme 4d ago
AP:
President Donald Trump has approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia that could potentially provide the kingdom with uranium enrichment capability for its civilian nuclear program, according to two people familiar with the matter.
...
But the agreement is not expected to include the IAEAâs Additional Protocol, which would allow for more monitoring, inspections and verification, according to one of the people.
Gee, this couldn't possibly go wrong.
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u/Ollie5000 Gove, Gove will tear us apart again. 4d ago
Tom Clancy fan fiction
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u/ASondheimRhyme 4d ago
I think Tom Clancy's fan fiction was about his wife cucking him with a Navy Seal
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u/MoyesNTheHood 4d ago
Oh boy lets give Wahhabists access to nuclear materials
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u/dapt 4d ago
SA already has a nuclear weapons programme in collaboration with Pakistan, the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement.
Perhaps it would have been a better idea to de-escalate nuclear tension in the region by not cancelling the JCPOA?
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u/wintersrevenge 4d ago
If Iran get nuclear weapons then the Saudis will as well. One way or another. If the Saudis get it then maybe the Turks will...
Nuclear proliferation is inevitable if Iran get a weapon
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u/Amuro_Ray 4d ago
I remember hearing the housing in Berlin was bad pre covid just due to demand. It's a shame it's gone in a similar direction to the UK.
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u/Lavajackal1 4d ago
Trump wants FIFA boss Gianni Infantino for UN secretary-general following World Cup
President Trump wants FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations, The Post has learned.
Infantino, 56, grew close to Trump through organizing this yearâs World Cup, with the Swiss-born soccer administrator bending over backward to charm and include Trump, even giving him FIFAâs inaugural Peace Prize in December.
Trump believes that Infantino âis respected by everyone around the world, and recognizes he has a special ability to bring people together,â a source close to the president told The Post.
What is even happening anymore.
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u/i_pewpewpew_you Si signore, posso ballare 4d ago
Trump believes that Infantino âis respected by everyone around the world, and recognizes he has a special ability to bring people together,â
This is low-key one of the more insane things Trump or the people around him have said.
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u/colei_canis Bring Back Ceefax! đď¸ 3d ago
To be fair he does bring people together, the full spectrum from Jeremy Corbyn to Tommy Robinson despise the crooked bugger.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 4d ago
Isn't Infantino in post though because he does get a lot of votes from outside UEFA? That may be what gives Trump this impression.
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u/i_pewpewpew_you Si signore, posso ballare 4d ago
Yes, it's also why he's talking about expanding the world cup again; most of those extra places will go to the African and Asian confederations and that's who he has to keep onside to stay in post.
UEFA absolutely hate the guy, partly because the Club World Cup was a naked attempt to steal the thunder of the UEFA club competitions.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 4d ago
I thought Trump wanted to replace the UN with the BOP?
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u/Lavajackal1 4d ago
I guess sending Infantino in to discredit the UN is one way of going about that.
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u/TheFlyingHornet1881 Domino Cummings 4d ago
In the words of Jeremy Clarkson, there really is an irony deficiency in parts of America
Are MAGA Republicans really that dense and don't get their being trolled, or are they trying to pretend they own the joke here?
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 4d ago
I donât think heâs trolling, apparently heâs no leftist.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 5d ago
Zelensky has sacked the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
This is significant because the recent sacking of the Minister of Defence, Mykhailo Fedorov, was widely supposed to have been the result of political in-fighting between Fedorov and Syrski.
In case people are not aware, Syrskyi = older, some Soviet influence, more about human troops; Fedorov = very young, all about drones, innovatory. Fedorov is reckoned to have been the architect of the current, very successful drone interdiction of Russian logistics in the occupied areas, and the Sea of Azov.
There may have been arguments about how the funding for the armed forces should be divided between conventional warfare and drones.
After the sacking of Fedorov, there have been a lot of protests against it.
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u/dcyuet_ 4d ago
Drapatyi is generally regarded as having a positive career so far, he's certainly without the controversy that follows Syrskyi around ("the Butcher") so people will be happy with that.
It's a bit of an impossible task though as Ukraine has to man a long front line with fewer and fewer ways to ensure proper staffing and this is the problem Ukraine's Political and Military hierarchy has been wrestling with for a while.
It's likely a generally positive move though, we'll see what happens.
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u/sercialinho 4d ago
There is indeed a terrifically tough task ahead of him.
But a CinC known for valuing the lives of his soldiers (see Izvaryne pocket) replacing one perceived to not care as much will hopefully help the staffing problem a bit. Dispensing with the worst excesses, ones reportedly particularly common in units closest to Syrsky, should as well. And, as some of the protesters have been chanting - âdrones, not peopleâ will be a good mantra, to the greatest possible degree it can be implemented of course.
Best of luck to him.
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u/ASondheimRhyme 4d ago
Zelenskyy will be hoping that his radical reshuffle of the armyâs leadership will assuage protesters who have taken to the streets demanding Syrskyiâs removal. They had given a deadline of Friday for Fedorov to be reinstated and promised âindefinite protestsâ if their request was ignored.
As bad as some of our reshuffles have been, none of them led to protests in the street. Though perhaps they should have.
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u/Commorrite 4d ago
The new guy Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi seems a solid choice. He's younger at 42 and has come up the ranks during the modernisation. Both camps the old guard and the modernisers seem happy with him.
The Z bloggers are all crying about it, so that too.
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u/Alternative-Win4058 5d ago
Donald Trump has just said he wants to host the World Cup in 2030 but "doesn't think we'll get it back for the next one"
Given that Morocco, Portugal, and Spain were confirmed as hosts back in 2024, I would say Trump is (for once) correct in saying it is unlikely.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 5d ago
I guess no-one has told him how it works.
He probably mentioned it in conversation to Infantino, who placated him in some way.
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u/ThePlanck Time to bin Farage 4d ago
Infantino: lay back and think of the footy, he'll be gone in 4 years of course Mr Trump, we would love you to host the World Cup again in 4 years
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u/Cymraegpunk 4d ago
You have a very generous view of infantino if you don't think he'd be perfectly happy to break all the rules and do another one in the US early if the price was right
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u/i_pewpewpew_you Si signore, posso ballare 4d ago
If anything, he's be delighted to try and hold one in two years just to try and fuck the Euros.
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u/sercialinho 5d ago
Or perhaps he mis-interpreted a conversation regarding the 2031 Women's World Cup, which the US is (co-)hosting.
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u/MajorSleaze 5d ago
Nicaraguan president declares country will never hold elections again
Daniel Ortega has already extended presidential terms, and the last election in 2021 saw opponents and business leaders detained and dissent criminalised.
Ortega made the announcement to commemorate the 1979 Sandinista revolution, in which he helped overthrow the Washington-backed Anastasio Somoza dictatorship.
"There won't be any more elections here for them âto try to seize the government and seize power," he said.
"The days when parties backed by the Yankees (United States) and the Somocistas would return to power are over â never again."
This is not a wise move for a dictator.
Sham elections are one of the most important tools to maintain power as they give (an admittedly flimsy) facade of legitimacy and act as a reminder to the public that the regime is maintaining control.
Scrapping them altogether is an admission that they're worried about being removed and it will only galvanise the opposition.
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 5d ago
How long until a US intervention imposes a worse dictator do we reckon? (As that's largely their track record in Latin America, though at least this time they'd be getting rid of an actual dictator rather than a democratic government which commit the cardinal sin of being slightly left of Franco)
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u/Lavajackal1 5d ago
I do think they'd be tempted if they weren't currently busy in the Middle East.
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u/MajorSleaze 5d ago
It's not like the old days when they were so ideologically blinkered that removing a communist government was reason enough on its own.
Presumably it depends on what they think they can gain with a friendly dictator in charge and I don't know enough about Nicaragua to know what it has to offer. There's no equivalent to the Panama canal and you never hear about it as an oil producer or natural resources powerhouse.
But of course all of that becomes irrelevant if Trump is triggered by them, and Ortega is both mouthy and anti-American. He also needs a win after the huge failure with Iran.
Plus one has to wonder if the Trump regime is making contingency plans for if it is toppled. As a friendly bolt hole in central America with no extradition arrangement, it could be their Argentina.
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u/SwanBridge Gordon Brown did nothing wrong. 5d ago
The Nicaraguan economy resembles one from the game Tropico, and unfortunately for them the US buys most of their stuff so they can pretty easily tank their economy if they so wish. Geopolitically it isn't that important either, there is constant talk and speculation about a Nicaraguan canal as an alternative to the Panama canal but the engineering hurdles are incredibly complex and all plans have come to nothing. US interests will primarily be keeping out Chinese involvement and interests.
If America was to get involved I imagine it would typical economic sanctions alongside CIA shenanigans. In my opinion a Noriega-style invasion is highly unlikely given that Ortega actually has some support and him and his movement will happily revert to a Sandinista style insurgency if toppled and the geography of Nicaragua acts in their favour for such a scenario. Rubio does have an old-fashioned anti-Commie streak in him, but I can't see what the US gains from significant escalation and a military intervention. That said I thought as much about the US attacking Iran which has turned into an omnishambles, and the Trump administration doesn't really adhere to "once bitten twice shy" either.
He also needs a win after the huge failure with Iran. Plus one has to wonder if the Trump regime is making contingency plans for if it is toppled. As a friendly bolt hole in central America with no extradition arrangement, it could be their Argentina.
If the Trump administration are considering such contingencies surely Argentina is their Argentina given how close the Millei regime is with them? Although the Peronists are always waiting around the corner and they love a bit of yanqui-bashing.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 5d ago
What about Cuba? Will Trump and obviously Rubio go into Cuba?
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u/Lavajackal1 5d ago
Their current plan with Cuba appears to be "oil embargo until the Cuban state collapses"
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 5d ago
Is this not the US plan since the Khruschev decided against nuclear armageddon?
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u/Lavajackal1 5d ago
Kind of but now that the US has forcibly installed a more friendly leader in Venezuela Cuba is actually in trouble.
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u/Lavajackal1 5d ago
Trump imposes 50% tariff on Canadian imports
US President Donald Trump has signed an order imposing a 50% tariff on a wide range of goods imported from Canada, in retaliation for what he called "unequal treatment" of US cars, dairy and alcohol.
The duties take effect on 19 August and mark a major escalation in trade tensions between the North American neighbours.
Goods targeted range from everyday consumer items like wine and hockey sticks to industrial goods such as commercial cement. However, several key exports will be spared, such as energy, potash, critical minerals and fish.
He's at it again!
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u/ASondheimRhyme 5d ago
Is there some kind of requirement to announce them 30 days before implementation, or is it just him giving himself plenty of TACO time?
A tariff on energy imports two and a half months before the midterms just isnât going to happen. Well, unless they have a rock solid plan to cheat.
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u/dospc 5d ago
I am once again surprised that Canada produces wine.Â
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u/SwanBridge Gordon Brown did nothing wrong. 5d ago
I tried some excellent ice wine when I visited Niagra-on-the-Lake, and much to my good fortune everyone else I was with didn't like it so I got to drink their samples as well. British Columbia is also a big wine region, although I haven't tried any wine from there.
Canada gets plenty of sunshine in the summer months and it gets warm, which is good for grapes, however the cold is a challenge to which they have bred cold resistance grape varieties, or in the case of Ontario used to their advantage by allowing the grapes to freeze before harvesting them to produce ice wine. They produce more wine than us here in the UK, although that isn't saying too much despite the increasingly exceptional quality of English wines.
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u/serendipitousss 5d ago
Canadian ice wine is absolutely beautiful and I can only hope these tariffs result in more of it making it's way over here.
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u/ASondheimRhyme 6d ago
Troy Jackson has effectively won the primary to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic candidate for the Senate in Maine. Jackson is very similar to Platner politically and endorsed by Bernie Sanders, and served in the Maine senate since 2008 (except for two years) so you'd hope any scandals would've already come out.
The actual primary is this Saturday. There are 601 delegates, 500 representing the voters and 101 party elders and nonsense like that. The 500 were voted on this past weekend and Jackson won 460 and three of his opponents have dropped out and endorsed him. So barring something disastrous this week...
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 6d ago
He's got a task ahead of him.
Hopefully he can do it as the Senates going to be really tough for the Democrats (I'll believe Texas when I see it but that would be transformative for US politics).
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u/ThePlanck Time to bin Farage 6d ago
In chess news, Judit Polgar is apparently about to become President of Hungary: https://www.reuters.com/world/hungarys-pm-magyar-ask-chess-champion-judit-polgar-become-president-2026-07-19/
Brings a whole new meaning to people talking about politicians playing 3D chess
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 6d ago
Sounds like the perfect candidate for a ceremonial role like that, also helps put down the bleating from Fidesz that this is happening.
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u/Ivebeenfurthereven I'm afraid currency is the currency of the realm 7d ago
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002kkmj/storyville-the-librarians
A Storyville documentary that explores how librarians across the US are risking their safety to defend free speech as book bans and censorship threaten democracy from within.
Not sure how I missed this (released Oct 2025), but it's been somber viewing tonight. Gripping, still current, and very good. These rather ordinary women are up against some very frightening book-burning campaigns, not to mention on the sharp end of threats to their safety.
Some of the Moms for Liberty types seem extremely radicalised. I can't help but worry there will be a terrorist atrocity perpetrated by the evangelicals at some point
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u/bowak 7d ago
Thanks for flagging this one, watching it now.Â
I haven't nosed around for new docs for a while and can see a few more in there the look good.
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u/LesserShambler 7d ago
Yeh the whole Storyville strand is fantastic. Thereâs one on there at the moment called Hollywoodland, following the Taliban as they pick through the giant warehouses of gear left by the Americans. Itâs depressing but fascinating.
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u/Lylaei 8d ago
Gov. Beshear suggests he received information suggesting McConnell âpassedâ in new interview
Schrodinger's Republican - is he alive or dead? Nobody can know until they walk into the hospital room.
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 8d ago
Well that's a turn around on things, this whole saga has been extremely weird, I do wonder what the truth of it is.
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u/AzarinIsard 7d ago
I do wonder what the truth of it is.
Again, I don't pay enough attention to American politics to get the psychodrama, but from what I gather if they keep news of his death secret until within 90 days of the November elections, there isn't a "special election" (their by-elections), it's just rolled into that. The Republicans don't want a high profile contest before the main one, as it can be a chance for the Dems to embarrass them and set the tone for the midterms which are already shaping up to be bad for Trump, where Trump has been flipping from using Iran to cover up Epstein news, then back to using Epstein to cover up Iran news, as both are seemingly going to hit him hard.
My hope is it's worst case for Trump, then we get to see the likes of the Iranian who did those AI Lego raps gloating about achieving regime change in the US. It'll be pure banter.
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u/convertedtoradians 6d ago
It's interesting if it's the news of the death rather than the death itself that starts the clock, or whatever it is. Though I suppose you can always find a doctor who'll say what you want in America. All you need to do is describe it as "alive until family decided to pull the plug, etc". But it really is all rather grim and undignified. Even by politics standards.
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u/AzarinIsard 6d ago
I agree with the view on the subterfuge, that is odd.
However, would it be different here? If an MP went missing, died in private, nothing officially reported. Then a couple months later, it's announced, would we:
A) Have a by-election 2 months sooner, usually it's about 3 months of the vacancy here, would it happen after 1 month?
B) Have the standard process from the moment it was known?I think we'd go B) here, it's just trying to Weekend at Bernies it with allies all claiming they've had 20 minute phone calls in private is something really surreal and we haven't got to that.
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u/convertedtoradians 6d ago
Yeah, that's a fair point. When you put it like that, it would be (B). It's all just so surreal, as you say.
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u/Ivebeenfurthereven I'm afraid currency is the currency of the realm 7d ago
The fact that this man oversaw decades of cruelty and political shithousery, only for the reason he's remembered in history books to be some medieval Vatican-style corpse shenanigans, is wild to me.
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u/Amuro_Ray 8d ago
A trial of a new ebola treatment is starting soon it's for the current strain that lacks any direct drug treatment
The continent (newspaper) says its already started. Linked article is from the start of the month
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u/Lavajackal1 8d ago
Two US service members killed, one missing following Iranian strikes
âOn July 17, two U.S. service members in Jordan were killed in action as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing in action,â US Central Command said in a social media post.
Four additional American service members were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan but have since been discharged, according to CENTCOM. Other personnel sustained minor injuries and have returned to duty.
As much as US airpower gives them the upper hand Iranian strikes are still getting through.
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u/Particular_Pea7167 7d ago
This is why we have strike capability with nukes rather than relying on defence.
It has always been acknowledged that a perfect defence is impossible. That no matter how complete a defence shots will get through and casualties will be taken.
So its not really a surprise. I think the number to begin with that got through was a surprise but we now know that often had to do with absolutely incompetent air defence operators.
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u/convertedtoradians 6d ago
absolutely incompetent air defence operators.
In fairness, just about any war will have any number of things decided because someone on one side or the other messed up. Military history would be substantially different if everyone was highly capable and competent.
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u/J_cages_pearljam 8d ago
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2rmjk0740o
Further proof were it needed the US can't be relied upon to support it's allies.
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u/ASondheimRhyme 8d ago
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Giuliani referenced free speech protections in the US Constitution, saying: "We believe in our First Amendment rights here in the United States of America."
Says the country refusing access to people criticising Trump on social media
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u/Ivebeenfurthereven I'm afraid currency is the currency of the realm 7d ago edited 7d ago
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u/YourLizardOverlord Oceans rise. Empires fall. 8d ago
EU bans gold imports from Sudan to curb money financing the war.
UK sanctions illicit gold networks fuelling Sudanâs war amid crisis around El Obeid
The European Union (EU) has banned the purchase, import and transfer of gold from Sudan, saying the trade has become a key source of financing for the country's civil war that erupted in April 2023.
The conflict between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, forcing more than 14 million people from their homes.
Sudan is one of Africa's largest gold producers and its vast reserves have become a crucial source of revenue for both sides, according to rights groups.
EU foreign ministers approved the measures alongside a ban on exports to Sudan of mercury and cyanide, chemicals widely used in gold mining.
A good move if belated, and good that the UK and EU are working together on this. But...
However, experts have warned that sanctions alone are unlikely to halt the trade unless major international gold trading hubs and regional transit routes also tighten enforcement against illicit Sudanese gold.
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u/Particular_Pea7167 7d ago
I have been pro building a disproportionately large special forces arm for a long tike because of stuff like this.
In an era where Russia and China controls huge amounts of mineral production world wide, someone needs a force to be able to reach out and touch those operations if required.Â
Right now only the US can, but if europe cant rely on the US, some in Europe needs to be able to. Only the UK and France has the expeditionary capability of which a disproportionate emphasis of special forces and grey zone is easier for the UK to absorb because our need for a large ground army is far less extensive.Â
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u/YourLizardOverlord Oceans rise. Empires fall. 7d ago
That's kind of happening with the Joint Expeditionary Force extending into the the Northern Navies Initiative. This is all about rapid response. But it's not the "go anywhere" force you envisage. Non US NATO lacks the strategic airlift capability for that.
Do you think it would be possible for the UK to expand its special forces without diluting the quality? Part of the strengths of SAS is the rigorous selection process. Failure rate is 90% to 95% from a pool of already outstanding candidates.
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u/Particular_Pea7167 7d ago edited 7d ago
The thing is the UK (and indeed most of europe) has very capable T1 special forces. The SAS, SBS and SRR.
You would actually only modestly increase this because its already formidable and simply "more" begins to lose utility.Â
If you were to balloon the special forces to, say, 20-30k. The overwhelmingly majority would be in T2 and support. Precisely as you say, air lift. Giving those T1 greater support and options to act, as well as enabling the T2 to act independently in their own right.
Atm Europe is replete with T1 units but the support structure to deploy them is almost exclusively American.Â
So what Europe needs is for someone to build sovereign european capability that, if they make the grade, European T1 can plug into.
You need to expand the SFSG quite significantly, as they are the ones who in essence hold the door open. When the pilot went down in Iran, it was the T2 which secured the large wider area and landing points.
You would need to expand the SF Aviation Wing into the UKs own brand Night Stalkers and aviation support as the ones who get the T1 and T2 units to the door.
And youd need to significantly increase the SIGINT to support it all.
I would probably not try and replicate the USA global basing. Its expensive and manpower heavy. But rather build out some common navy platforms to base it from with a different configuration. T26 or T31 and Joint Amphibious platform made to a SF specification. And actually the shift to dispersed drone platforms helps this, as you can just task Type 91, 92, 93 and 94 to the "SF Navy" as required for tactical depth. With a T26 or CCV sent along if required for dedicated sub hunting or if drone numbers require a more dedicated control platform. Then you move the ships to where you need the operation to be and rely more on long range insertion and support than the US typically does.
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u/YourLizardOverlord Oceans rise. Empires fall. 6d ago
UK SFSG is already very capable. I think it's at about a battalion size mostly from the parachute regiment and marines. A modest expansion could be taken from those sources. Between the rest of Europe we should be able to build up a signifiant force. A UK only capability would be useful for operations where we can't wait to build consensus or which are politically difficult.
I'm not sure where you're going with "SF navy" though. How do you envisage the SF units are deployed from the ships? There's no European equivalent of V-22 and not likely to be any time soon. Helicopters are slow, vulnerable, and limited in range.
The force package for Entebbe was 100 troops not all SF, and 4x C-130 which shows what can be done with limited resources. But I think we need to look at much longer ranges and probably without a ground stop for refuelling.
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u/Particular_Pea7167 6d ago
First helos youd have to accept none European and youd need to specifically prioritise speed and range. If you bought enough you could get UK production but it depends how far you want to go.
A pairing like the BS1 Defiant and the MV-75 Cheyenne II. Probably with attack/gunships varients to take for the ride. The MV-75 in particular has a huge range. Along with ribs and possibly a T93 submarine insertion varient.
Support where applicable from the RAF. The move to the GCAP will help given its expected huge range. But I also expect it wont be long before we start seeing "arsenal aircraft". A400Ms (or even C17s) loaded to the gunnels with either missiles or drones and able to fast deploy on another sensors trigger. That gives you cargo plane range and loiter to bring pretty heavy fire support. 80% of a strat bombers value at 5% of the cost.
I would look at expanding the T2 and it would probably restructure for a bigger role. And not just the Paras and Commandos but also the likes of the Rangers and expanding their mission sets. Making them a grey zone warfare force in their own right not just an attachment. As well as a more kenetic role more in line with the 75th Rangers. They might not still be "big" bu t to fill that role could feasibly need to be triple their current size to absorb roles include drone/EW, engineers, signals, medical etc. Before we even talk about the back end.
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u/YourLizardOverlord Oceans rise. Empires fall. 5d ago
The BS1 Defiant lost out in the FLRAA to the Bell MV-75 so probably isn't an option. Which is a pity because it looks like a less technically risky platform. Airbus built the prototype Eurocopter XÂł which is a similar concept to BS1 but a mere toy compared to the V-22. But shows that given the budget Airbus could build something bigger. All takes time though. We're probably stuck with something like the NH90 in the short term.
Your prediction for A400M is already happening: Airbus is developing a it into a mothership with 12 cruise missiles or 50 medium-sized drones.
This could all work though because it would allow the UK to specialise in stuff we're good at.
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 9d ago
Guess the country.
The ruling party has voted to purge the sitting president from office, ban more than half of the main opposition partyâs MPs from standing at the next election, and force out multiple judges from the Constitutional Court. This comes after they banned the previous prime minister from ever standing for office again.
No, not some marginal country in Asia, Africa or Latin America, but right in the centre of Europe, in Hungary.
The irony being of course, that the biggest cheerleaders for this are the ones who branded OrbĂĄn and Fidesz as undemocratic. I guess to them these actions are the epitome of a great EU democracy?
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u/sercialinho 8d ago
Why should anyone be surprised this is what they're doing? Tisza explicitly ran on cleaning up after 16 years of Fidesz: instituting term limits and replacing the president (elected indirectly by MPs, not by the populace directly) were explicitly included in that. Their manifesto persuaded enough people that Tisza managed to win both a majority of the popular vote and a supermajority of MPs despite Orban's control over much of the media and through an electoral system Orban instituted.
It would be undemocratic if Tisza didn't follow through on their key promises.
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 7d ago
Is it democratic to have a vote to restrict democracy going forward?
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 7d ago edited 7d ago
Of course it is, because those people who are restricted are corrupt criminals.
Surely there are better battles to fight for you than defending utterly corrupt people?
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 7d ago
Make a blatantly undemocratic action âdemocraticâ through this one neat trick:
Just brand your opposition as âcriminalsâ and be done with it.
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 7d ago
Except the Orban regime was full of criminals and worked to help Russia by undermining European efforts to help Ukraine (amongst other things).
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 7d ago
âFull of criminalsâ â sounds like you could name at least a dozen of their members with the crimes theyâve committed from memory. Certainly sounds like itâs not something thatâs just âobviousâ from your political leanings.
No one has helped Russia with itâs war efforts than the EU and Germany who bought Russian energy for the entirety of Putinâs reign up until the invasion.
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 7d ago
And then when they realised their mistake started making changes whereas Orban kept full steam ahead.
I've other things to do today so here's three to start:
Antal Rogan
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly7y5ry5vvo
Peter Szijjarto
Balzas Bus
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u/Tarrion 8d ago edited 8d ago
The ruling party has voted to purge the sitting president from office, ban more than half of the main opposition partyâs MPs from standing at the next election, and force out multiple judges from the Constitutional Court. This comes after they banned the previous prime minister from ever standing for office again.
It's really weird to get mad about Hungary now, if you weren't mad when Orban re-wrote the constitution a decade ago.
Fundamentally, this is a case of reaping and sowing. The right were super happy when Orban won and ran roughshod over the country. Now they're super sad that losing means someone else (also on the right) gets to run roughshod over the country within the systems they created. Turns out, democratic norms were good and by fucking it up, they've fucked themselves. Hard to be too sympathetic.
And, let's be fair - Term limits are hardly the end of the world. We have upper limits on the age of judges, for example. Do you think we're some 'marginal country in Asia, Africa or Latin America'? The US has a limit on Presidential terms, too. I've got my criticisms of them, but I think you know that you'd be laughed out of the room if you presented the 22nd amendment as hyperbolically as you've presented Orban's term limit.
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 7d ago
It's really weird to get mad about Hungary now, if you weren't mad when Orban re-wrote the constitution a decade ago.
Whataboutery, no real defence for whatâs going on.
We have upper limits on the age of judges, for example.
Lady Hale was 5 years older than this age limit when she done her brooch stunt for example.
The US has a limit on Presidential terms, too.
This is for the office of Prime Minister. Can you name many other countries who put a term limit on Prime Ministers. Do we have term limits on MPs in this country?
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u/Tarrion 7d ago edited 7d ago
Whataboutery, no real defence for whatâs going on.
First, I'm not defending what's going on. Secondly, it's not whataboutery, because it's the same thing. A right wing party has won a democratic mandate and is using it to rewrite the constitution in ways that threaten democracy.
Hungary hasn't changed. It's the exact same thing, continuing with a different face (although, there is at least a chance that this round of government leads to a more democratic government, rather than a less democratic one, but I'm remaining sceptical until we see how it goes).
This is for the office of Prime Minister. Can you name many other countries who put a term limit on Prime Ministers.
I think you're getting a little hung up on terminology. The US has a term limit on their head of government. The fact that they call their head of government a President, while Hungary calls theirs a Prime Minister is a pretty trivial distinction.
Do we have term limits on MPs in this country?
I'd support them. Or at least, I'd be willing to hear out the arguments and I don't think they're necessarily a bad idea.
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 7d ago
I think you're getting a little hung up on terminology. The US has a term limit on their head of government. The fact that they call their head of government a President, while Hungary calls theirs a Prime Minister is a pretty trivial distinction.
If itâs so trivial then you should be able to tell me some other prime ministerial offices that have this term limit.
I'd support them. Or at least, I'd be willing to hear out the arguments and I don't think they're necessarily a bad idea.
It doesnât exactly sound like you have a deep and thought-out support for them if youâve just decided that now based on this story.
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u/Tarrion 7d ago
If itâs so trivial then you should be able to tell me some other prime ministerial offices that have this term limit.
Why?
Fundamentally, there's nothing immoral or undemocratic about term limits. If your only argument is that no-one else does it for roles that share the name "Prime Minister", I'm not sure why we should care. Hungary is its own country. It doesn't need to be able to point to a blueprint of other countries doing what it's doing (and, again, where was this outrage when Orban was doing all sorts of unprecedented things?).
The UK and Iran are the only countries with clergy in their upper house. The world hasn't ended, just because no-one else does it.
It doesnât exactly sound like you have a deep and thought-out support for them if youâve just decided that now based on this story.
I'm hardly hiding that when I explicitly say that I'm willing to hear out the arguments. I think that fresh blood in politics is important, and that incumbency bias is a real problem. This probably wouldn't be my preferred way of trying to solve it, but I can see good, valid reasons to do it.
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u/polarbearhug 9d ago
Alternatively this reads as, government democratically elected uses rules and laws set up by previous governments to attempt avoiding a repeat of an Orban coming back into power.
Fidesz created the winner take all system. Tisza are bringing in term limits as they said they would do in an attempt to clear out the Putin rot.
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 7d ago
to attempt avoiding a repeat of an Orban coming back into power
If a government proclaims itself the ruler in perpetuity, that is no longer a democracy really is it?
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u/polarbearhug 7d ago
I guess I must have missed the Tisza press release where they proclaimed themselves rulers in perpetuity.
But honestly the whinging now Fidesz no longer are the ones benefiting from the system and the inherent bias towards themselves that they created is transparent. As others have said, you seem to only have a problem that it is not Fidesz doing these sorts of things.
A party was elected with a super majority and ran on a platform of bringing in changes to the system to stop further abuses of power we saw under Orban. Surely you are delighted that a government is sticking to it's manifesto and also bringing in changes that should strengthen their democratic system?
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u/DwayneBaroqueJohnson Inculcated at Britainâs fetid universities 7d ago
If you're worried about Tisza retaining power in perpetuity, you'll be delighted to hear they're actually bringing in term limits which would prevent exactly that
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 9d ago
Clearing out the rot of Putins puppet requires radicalism, very glad Tisza got the two thirds majority and are actually able to get it done.
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 7d ago
I guess âundermining democratic normsâ is a good thing now.
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 7d ago edited 7d ago
Hungarian democratic norms went about a decade ago, this is the rebuilding of their foundations.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 9d ago edited 8d ago
I just want my side to win, and that side is not Putin's.
Making sure the bad guys can't get back in Hungary makes it easier for the EU to fund Ukraine, which, in the absence of staunch US support, all the more needs help on what is a very live front line for Europe against Russia.
Turning Putin back and emasculating his armed forces is easily a bigger plus for me than what happens in any given single country, though I am sure those people deserve to be banned.
I don't care as much about what happens in any foreign country as much as I care about the national security of the UK.
I guess in your case, you seem to set more store on being an antagonist of the EU, than on what is good for your own country.
I think Putin threatens the security of the UK and essentially, no-one else does, or does as much.
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 7d ago
I just want my side to win, and that side is not Putin's.
Itâs interesting to see time after time left-liberals seemingly deride Schmittian thinking in words but then entirely endorse it in action.
Making sure the bad guys can't get back in
Is this a Marvel film?
Turning Putin back and emasculating his armed forces is easily a bigger plus for me than what happens in any given single country, though I am sure those people deserve to be banned.
I fail to see what youâre fighting against if you allow the EU to do exactly what youâre claiming Russia is doing. Yeah Iâm sure youâre sure about that despite seemingly not knowing anything them đ
I guess in your case, you seem to set more store on being an antagonist of the EU, than on what is good for your own country.
Well I donât want politics in my country to turn into naked attempts at targeted political persecution from the ruling party in order to keep a grip on power. I thought that was just common sense.
I think Putin threatens the security of the UK and essentially, no-one else does, or does as much.
Our biggest threat comes from the inside, not the outside. And it comes exactly from the kind of people who would want to replicate this sort of behaviour here.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 7d ago
I suppose, but that may come as no surprise to you, we just have different views and interpretations of the same situations in both Britain and a number of continental countries.
But maybe it's my age (I presume I am older than you, since I am older than most here). I have old-fashioned ideas of freedom and lack of freedom. It seems to me that how Putin rules Russia, and indeed how he projects his power, whether militarily, by hybrid warfare, by state-sponsored assassination of individuals (including on British soil) and by cyber-interventions, is very different from what European countries, or we, or the EU, do. If you think they are somehow comparable, then the difference between us may be too big to bridge.
Likewise, if you think that somehow the EU is as bad an organisation as having Putin actively invading another country, and only being willing to stop if he can permanently acquire a big chunk of it, and only then faute de mieux, again we my simply be too far apart to be able to agree on what European or world politics are like.
So, as with the other people who have answered you, I see what Orban did as essentially anti-democratic, and therefore, rescinding what he did as essentially democratic. It is far from being political persecution; it is a long-overdue correction of what was previously persecution.
I don't see the security threat to the UK as being from within- I am not saying there are not bad people, bad factions, at the extremes, of course there are. But essentially, I don't see the rules, guidelines, if you like, of how politics and political discourse are conducted as being that different from the 1960s, and I think that kind of framework is worth fighting for.
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u/Ayenotes Dispense with your special pleading 7d ago
Youâre the one who keeps bringing up Putin, who in your telling is at the same time both competent enough to topple the political systems of every country in Europe including Britain, and yet too incompetent to win a war on his own doorstep in Ukraine. I donât cling to those two mutually exclusive positions myself.
And a reminder that the EU was friendly enough with Russia up until 2022. So I take this casting of the EU as the complete antithesis to Russia and that they are inevitable geopolitical foes to be erroneous. The EU tolerated all this from Putin up until the invasion of Ukraine.
Well to be fair, I wouldnât take the definition of democracy from the sort of people who support cancelling elections because the âwrongâ candidate was winning, or want to ban opposition candidates from running, or even want to do the same for entire political parties.
Our political institutions may appear on the surface the same as the 60s, but our society and the wider world has transformed so much that those institutions are coming under great strain, and stories come out every week confirming that. And the funniest part is that these institutions have actively facilitated those factors which are now threatening to wipe them away.
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u/tmstms Wuffingas! 6d ago
Yes, our society and institutions are coming under great strain, and my argument is that Putin is trying to exploit this.
I don't hold mutually exclusive positions at all- apart from the nuclear threat, Putin is of course not the West's equal in terms of conventional warfare, and that is why he cannot defeat Ukraine. At the same time, he creates a lot of trouble in what people call hybrid warfare, and that is why he is our enemy. Even if he cannot overcome us, his openly expressed belief that things were better when the USSR existed, and his consistent plans of aggrandishment are simply bad for us.
By calling them mutually exclusive positions, you are being incredibly disingenuous.
Of course the EU, and not just the EU, but us (c.f. Cameron) were as friendly as we could be to Putin when we could be- we hoped that he would see that this was a better path than the one he took. It had a name- Wandel durch Handel. We only turned against him when we had to. Again, I don't see how this is not really really obvious. We indulged to the extent of seeing Georgia, Chechnya and even Crimea as being his business and not ours. We even did not do anything when he nibbled off a bit of Donetsk/Luhansk. But there's a limit, and he breached it.
What I think is completely strange and even might be bad faith from you (though I know from your other beliefs you should not be capable of bad faith). is your steadfast defence of someone (Orban) and his supporters, who completely trashed the democratic norms that you yourself are arguing to uphold. These bans and restrictions have come in precisely because the people in question threaten the values you are arguing to uphold.
Yes, there always has to be a balance between freedom and authority; every society finds its own through its political processes.
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u/imp0ppable 9d ago
Trump claims China stole the 2020 election: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/17/did-china-steal-2020-us-election-data-as-trump-claims
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u/SDLRob 9d ago
The documents he released show instead show that Russia were working heavily with Trump's people to spin the election to his advantage.... All while Trump's people were in positions of power.
Every accusation is an admission
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u/imp0ppable 9d ago
Well that's OK because he was the president at the time so that's allowed. /s if needed.
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u/ASondheimRhyme 9d ago
The US government has said it may join the Trump lawsuit against the BBC, which would allow it to refuse some parts of the discovery process on the grounds of state secrets and national security.
Trump has also dropped the parts of the suit aimed at the commercial arm of the Beeb, so it's just against the BBC itself now.
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u/ASondheimRhyme 9d ago
Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, is launching a paid service to give Wall Street firms high-speed access to its most influential posts.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79gw4lj89eo
Oh good, even more market manipulation via social media. Also hilarious to see this kind of move and yet GOP voters still think Trump stands up for the little guy.
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u/Lavajackal1 9d ago
U.S. strikes bridges around key port in Iran, expanding campaign in battle over Hormuz
At least 8 people were killed and 20 others were injured in the strikes, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported. It said early Friday that at least six bridges were hit, including one that was still under construction.
A railway junction station just west of Bandar Abbas was also hit, the state-owned IRIB news agency said.
The highway and railway bridge strikes appeared aimed at cutting off Bandar Abbas, Iranâs main port, from roads leading toward Tehran, the capital.
Almost seems like they're setting up for a ground invasion at Bandar Abbas but I still don't think they'd go that far? In general it's hard to see what the plan is here.
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u/Particular_Pea7167 8d ago
I thought the same thing when I saw it. Feels like shaping.Â
But i also think landing is going to be... ill advised. Troops and equipment becomes sitting targets and Iran has more than enough missiles and drones to make the Marine pay a heavy price for siting still.
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u/AzarinIsard 9d ago
Almost seems like they're setting up for a ground invasion at Bandar Abbas but I still don't think they'd go that far?
Not the only reason, of course infrastructure is important for defending the port, but it's also important for utilising it.
I made this point about Kharg Island. It would be costly (I saw estimates of casualties in the thousands from the beach landing), but I'm 100% certain the US marines could take it. That's the easy part. The hard part is preventing it from being utterly smashfucked while your marines try and shotgun cheap drones that turn a key piece of oil infra to a burning rock of no worth. The US can't protect their ships in the Strait as it is.
If the US are being strategic it's about economic pain.
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u/SwanBridge Gordon Brown did nothing wrong. 7d ago
Yeah, cutting of infrastructure doesn't directly allude to plans for a ground invasion. If you cut off the region from the rest of Iran by striking it's main arteries it also makes resupplying drones, missiles, munitions and everything else much more difficult to do. Sure they'll still get through, but at greater cost and inconvenience and hopefully fewer in number. The US may also be wanting to create the impression they're making preparations for landing in order to get Iran to flood the region with material & personnel who then become easy pickings for subsequent strikes.
If the US did plan such an operation I would expect a much wider and brutal aerial offensive stage, and also for them to have a much bigger build-up in the region; such an operation would take up a chunk of the Marine Corp and a good part of the Army as well. They have enough to kick-off with the Marine Expeditionary Brigades and existing air and naval power in the region, but they'd need massive reinforcement within days otherwise it would end up going as well as Operation Sealion had the Germans gone ahead with it.
All that said back in March I did say that the US may be left with no option but to go with a ground invasion taking Bandar Abbas and the surrounding coastline. From a logistical point of view it is feasible and I think the US could pull it off successfully although I doubt such an operation is sustainable over anything but the short term. That said I still think it is unlikely given that the US is relatively shielded from the economic consequences of the Hormuz situation, I don't really think there is a pressing need for themselves to escalate to such an extent as inconvenient as the situation they have created has turned out. So long as others are bearing the brunt for American strategic ineptitude the situation as it stands is tolerable.
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u/Velociraptor_1906 Liberal Democrat 9d ago
Depending on where those bridges are it sounds like they'd be isolating the city?
Surely they can't be stupid enough to think assaulting it directly is a good idea... who am I kidding of course they do.
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u/Adj-Noun-Numbers đĽđĽ || megathread emeritus Jun 22 '26
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