Chris Rivers

Midweek Update #1: What Are The US And Israel Trying To Accomplish? (It May Be Different). US Public Opinion And War, A Decisive Result; How Long Will This Go On? One Issue Matters Most

“Trump has no interest in ‘regime change’ as classically defined. Indeed, he wants to keep an oppressive & dictatorial regime in place, just simply replace the leadership group to someone more amenable to him”

phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/midweek-up...?

Destroying the Iranian Navy and Iran’s ability to launch and make missiles is a short term and useless strategic goal. It is worth noting that neither changing the regime nor destroying Iran’s nuclear capability is in that list.

Keir Starmer to publish first wave of Peter Mandelson files today It comes after the government agreed to MPs' demands last month to release thousands of documents relating to Lord Mandelson's appointment in 2024 as ambassador to Washington

Starmer is to publish the first wave of ‘Mandelson Files’ relating to the peer’s 2024 appointment as the UK ambassador to Washington. He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office after allegations he leaked sensitive information to paedophile Epstein.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Labour MP says her rape case took 1,088 days to reach court Charlotte Nichols revealed she was raped at an event she attended as an MP, as she spoke out against the government's plans to restrict the right to a jury trial.

MPs must have stronger protection…
“She revealed she was raped at an event she attended as MP. Her attacker was acquitted at trial 3 YEARS later but she found 'closure' after a civil process resulted in a compensation order & a finding that she was a 'blameless' victim”

news.sky.com/story/labour...

@labourlist.bsky.social
“The only way to stop Britain being left at the mercy of the markets is to end reliance on fossil fuels - which is what the government's net zero strategy aims for. Not only will this be good for the planet, it will save money for households.

“Farage wants to double down”

Sánchez began his speech by remembering the 193 victims of the terror of 11-M: "There is no better way to honour their memory than to be here today fighting hatred"

11-M was the 11th March 2004 Madrid train bombings by islamists.

“The 2022 Brown Commission recommended that the second chamber have ‘electoral legitimacy’ and be ‘markedly smaller than the present Lords’. However the Lords seems set to continue the trajectory of modesty and incrementalism”

Interesting article! It explores the extent to which the Lords can be said to act as a chamber with expertise in the UK's territorial constitution post-devolution.

Yep. Brit bars are not the best in Spain. But they *all* do the Full English!

The superstitious hierarchy are the next to go, surely?

President Zelenskyy: Russia may send troops to Iran. Russia is already supporting Iran with drones and will definitely support it with missiles. And it is certainly helping now with air defense.

📹: @caolanrob.bsky.social

Rob Ford - brilliant article!

~Labour: Into the Valley of Death?~

“Reviled on the right, loathed on the left, Labour are charging towards Electoral Death”

swingometer.substack.com/p/gorton-and...?

Trump said this week that Iran was 2 weeks away from having a nuclear bomb. This is what he said in July.

He won’t. That would make him even more unpopular.

Far right, not hard-right, FFS!

“We’re in a Schrodinger’s tariff right now.” One proclamation says “a 10% tariff on the rest of the world,” the next post says “a 15% tariff literally effective immediately,” then the White House pretends he never said it.

The crack team who brought you the trade war are now in Iran.

A ‘Reform petrol station’?
Petrol has now been politicised.

He’d maybe check with Putin too… TACO can’t make decisions unless other dictators first give him the nod.

The Trump administration keeps repeating they “totally destroyed Iran’s nuclear program”. It’s a line that’s designed to deflect.

What really matters is Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium which is enough to make 10-12 nukes.

The bombing last June failed completely. It’s still there.

Texas, which already leads USA in electricity generation from natural gas, coal & wind, has passed California to become the leader in utility-scale solar. But California continues to lead the country in electricity from small-scale solar, (any project with capacity less than 1 megawatt).

Hereditary peers to be removed from Lords as bill passes The bill abolishes the 92 seats reserved for peers who inherit their titles through their families.

The government is offering life peerages to replace hereditary peers, to the Tories. As a result, the Tories have withdrawn their opposition to the bill. Up to 92 hereditary peers will leave the Lords when the current session of Parliament ends in May.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

“As head of the beyt for many years under his father, Mojtaba Khamenei built very close ties with the Guards, particularly second-tier commanders who have replaced the top generals killed in the war.
The Guards finally have what they sought for years: full control.”

All due to Trump.

Tien (25) beats Fokina (16)

Front page of the Miami Herald yesterday. As it should be.

Philippines & Czech flags: it was confusing when two tennis players were on court!

Sánchez: "Feijóo and Abascal say 'no to everything', except for the war"

The tension between PP and Vox is evident in the second electoral debate of Castilla y León.

Ukraine retakes territory as Russia’s buffer zone strategy falters, official says Officials say Ukraine has regained almost full control of the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Ukraine says it has regained almost complete control of its eastern Dnipropetrovsk region and recaptured several hundred square kilometers of territory in recent counterattacks.