Keir's on the phone to Trump - a man he probably despises - trying to salvage the situation because he knows US military aid can be shut off overnight and you're all worrying about his tweets. I'm sorry but - ThreadSky

generalboles.bsky.social • 3 days ago

Keir's on the phone to Trump - a man he probably despises - trying to salvage the situation because he knows US military aid can be shut off overnight and you're all worrying about his tweets.

I'm sorry but

Comments

jydenham.bsky.social•3 days ago

The same calculation might have occurred to all the European leaders who nonetheless did feel able to offer unconditional support to Zelensky. Need to let go of the British exceptionalism that says we are the only people who really understand.

feelingantsy.bsky.social•3 days ago

Someone suggested America should provide nukes to Taiwan, S.Korea and Japan.

I think it’s an interesting idea but I’m no expert.

What do you think?

onlyoneplanet.bsky.social•3 days ago

Every other European leader seems to have found their voice. But Keirs on the phone. Right.

plod1.bsky.social•2 days ago

Absolutely
Feel sorry for the king. Think he despises Trump.

mykl.sparkle.blue•3 days ago

His team are desperately trying to wrest his phone off him so they can bang out an anodyne tweet.

haylibop.bsky.social•3 days ago

So glad there’s some sense on here. We all understand the dire situation Zelenskyy was out in today but I don’t think this was his finest hour. Let’s home something can be redeemed.

laskajan.bsky.social•3 days ago

Right, but there is nothing to be salvaged. They are going to cut off the military aid and Starmer won't be able to anything about it.

leightond.bsky.social•3 days ago

It was about showing the people of the UK that the UK is publicly unified with Ukraine, and that our Prime Minister is leading the way with that.

30 seconds is all it takes, and it's unlikely to be Starmer typing the message out in the first place.

adamboal.bsky.social•3 days ago

The 'feelings' of the people of the UK, don't outweigh getting the most optimal outcome for the people of Ukraine. Creating the most diplomatic flexibility to achieve that aim is the most important thing.

leightond.bsky.social•3 days ago

I agree. But I also don't see the difficulties in getting the media person to do a 30 second task that stops people asking questions that also takes attention away from the matter at hand.

paullypops.bsky.social•3 days ago

Starmer isn’t a one man government. It shouldn’t be beyond him (or his government) to be the diplomat and still reinforce his support for Ukraine ….. and not necessarily via a tweet.

But thanks for the snide remark anyway.

generalboles.bsky.social•3 days ago

He has literally spoken to Zelensky on the phone. Support isn't measured in tweets it's measured in billions of £££ of military aid and desperate arse-kissing diplomacy with the world's most thin skinned man on a Friday night.

ianrobo.bsky.social•3 days ago

for a parody account and more on the right than me I love you !! this is sanity in a mad social media world thinking the world is easy. He gave a clear statement of support to Ukraine like he always has done ... people need to chill !!

onlyoneplanet.bsky.social•3 days ago

Support is standing up and being counted when it matters. It matters tonight.

sinurata.bsky.social•3 days ago

Maybe we should just wait and see what European leaders actually do before jumping to any conclusions. It is actually fairly easy to whang out a statement saying "we support Ukraine". They're going to have to back it up with something concrete in terms of military support.

will99.bsky.social•3 days ago

Time to cut bait……

generalboles.bsky.social•3 days ago

Right enough of this, I need a break from watching Americans betray their allies so I'm going to watch #TheTraitorsUS

Night all xx

feelingantsy.bsky.social•3 days ago

😂👏👏

fieldbean.bsky.social•3 days ago

Take all of 5 seconds to order an NCO to knock out a supportive post.

ottocr.at•3 days ago

Support is also measured in how you comport yourself in your public statements. That’s why UN votes are so closely watched. So far this week Starmer has failed to stand up for Canada and tonight he has been a back marker on Ukraine, and this is seen and judged by the world. This stuff does matter.

columnist.bsky.social•3 days ago

Let’s see what happens over the next day or so.

fromtherocks.bsky.social•3 days ago

Yup. I imagine it's frantic. Everyone has lost their w/e.

Anyone see a Bailey Bridge? (my uncle did this on the Rapido at Cassino)

snellarthur.bsky.social•3 days ago

In practical terms the US military aid is in the supply chain from stuff gifted by Biden. Making phone calls will make no difference to arms to Ukraine this week or next.

donbb56.bsky.social•3 days ago

let's not forget, the US has been supplying Ukraine with all their old Best Before shit arms and supplies. the US is keeping all the top notch stuff for themselves, presumably for when the civil war breaks out

generalboles.bsky.social•3 days ago

Is there a short or even medium-term solution to America pulling support that I'm not aware of?

richardmorrey.bsky.social•3 days ago

I found the Starmer Whitehouse visit nauseating but this is unfair on Starmer. He has been very vocal.and clear in his support of Ukraine in the past few weeks.

ottocr.at•3 days ago

Sure. But not tonight. Nor did he say what he should have said when questioned about Canada as he sat next to Trump. I am not criticising Starmer’s Ukraine policy I am criticising his Trump policy.

richardmorrey.bsky.social•3 days ago

Well he has spoken to Zelensky directly tonight and given his support. Isn't that better than a tweet? I agree his Trump policy is wrong.

jasongass.bsky.social•3 days ago

Completely agree with this take. Everything must be in support of Ukraine, even if it means our PM trying to make the orange one see some sense.

littleoldlady56.bsky.social•3 days ago

There are so many people desperate, absolutely desperate, for this government, and Starmer in particular, to look bad. His office has issued a statement of support for Ukraine within a few hours. I agree with you fully, they are not serious people.

virginiagjh.bsky.social•3 days ago

Precisely

joseybackupnorth.bsky.social•3 days ago

Totally agree

nickpt.bsky.social•3 days ago

Plenty of emergency podcasts this eve though

janetmsageobserver.bsky.social•3 days ago

Well knowing the size of USAF bases in the UK, it won't be quick to withdraw.

garyrae.bsky.social•3 days ago

Here’s the thing. He can do both.

james-oc.bsky.social•3 days ago

I do enjoy the irony of anti-Starmer liberals of Bluesky, who left Twitter en masse, spending their Friday night earnestly bemoaning that Starmer hadn't tweeted anything. It's almost too online.

touchtoomuch.bsky.social•3 days ago

Exactly.

richardmayo.bsky.social•3 days ago

You make a good point here General. Starmer is trying to be a bridge between an irrational but powerful nutcase and the sane rational world. That job takes serious diplomacy and tweets seems a bit irrelevant.

ottocr.at•3 days ago

Not the first British PM to try being a bridge between an irrational but powerful nutcase and the sane rational world.

munroel.bsky.social•3 days ago

I don't blame Starmer - he is try to be a diplomat, trying to maintain contact with both side.

But... he really has no chance.

boredaardvark.bsky.social•3 days ago

Has it ever occurred to you to actually question why Chamberlain did this? 2020 hindsight is a wonderful thing when you haven’t lived through the slaughter of a generation.

bicerin.bsky.social•3 days ago

Oh. You think he was buying time? Hindsight affords insight not revisionist guff. Chamberlain’s own cabinet didn’t agree with him!

https://bsky.app/profile/bicerin.bsky.social/post/3ljbiyyy65c2n

boredaardvark.bsky.social•3 days ago

Wasn’t my point - my view of history comes from growing up living with a grandmother who was born in 1898 and not reading articles written by the toy spitfire generation. But oh god is that article the sort of thing that stands for a well reasoned evidence based case in history?

boredaardvark.bsky.social•3 days ago

Theres thousands of first hand accounts out there - god knows my other half has filed the damn house with them over the last 30 years. I’d ask their opinion but don’t want to sit through the one hour monologue.

ottocr.at•3 days ago

That’s an incredibly patronising reaction. Yes, actually. But hey look we do in fact have the benefit of hindsight.

jasongass.bsky.social•3 days ago

And in doing so bought valuable time for rearmament

onlyoneplanet.bsky.social•3 days ago

I see it’s a night for revisionist nonsense.

jimmyrayreid.bsky.social•2 days ago

Neville Chamberlain increased the size of the army. That is objective fact.

Faced with a war you couldn't win, he probably took the best option available (save spanking them when they crossed the Rhineland)

onlyoneplanet.bsky.social•2 days ago

But it wasn’t a war you couldn’t win as we now know. And we are left with the question of whether earlier strength would have slowed Hitler and galvanised Europe. Bullies are empowered by displays of weakness.

discofornow.bsky.social•3 days ago

Not really

bicerin.bsky.social•3 days ago

That sounds like it was a plan. It really wasn’t. He came back from Munich claiming he’d brought peace. He refused to speed up rearmament - the Nazis used the same time to arm faster. The reality is Chamberlain never really understood what he was dealing with.

https://www.historyhit.com/did-appeasement-bring-the-british-time-to-rearm/

jasongass.bsky.social•3 days ago

This is a fair point. I stand corrected here.

Interesting article

bicerin.bsky.social•3 days ago

There are lots of conflicting views out there of course. I’ve found rather compelling the view that Hitler could’ve been stopped by firm action from Britain & especially France as early as 1936, when just a few thousand German troops marched into the Rhineland in breach of the Versailles Treaty.

commandlinegamer.bsky.social•3 days ago

The fairest thing to say is that Munich was one of several opportunities to check Hitler.

adamcain.bsky.social•3 days ago

Of course you're right, but Trump shut off military aid for 6 months when he wasn't even President.

Absolutely nothing is going to stop him doing it again just because he says he likes a British accent.

UK defence and security establishment are still in denial about the end of Atlanticism.

squillifish.bsky.social•3 days ago

You get someone else to write the sodding tweet for you. Isn't that the sort of thing comms people are for?

borners.bsky.social•3 days ago

This was always going to happen. Starmer decided to con himself he was smart enough to build Brexit Britain on Trump's America to not tell the English that the UK is just a shitty client state.

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