"What made me very cross was when [Defence Minister] Luke Pollard keeps saying 'this was a hard decision'" The Green Party's Caroline Lucas responds to the Government's decision to cut foreign aid to fund an increase in defence spending. #Newsnight - ThreadSky

bbcnewsnight.bsky.social • 8 hours ago

"What made me very cross was when [Defence Minister] Luke Pollard keeps saying 'this was a hard decision'"

The Green Party's Caroline Lucas responds to the Government's decision to cut foreign aid to fund an increase in defence spending.

#Newsnight

Comments

worthsome029.bsky.social•8 hours ago

She can't say it wasn't a hard decision. Wrong decision definitely.

agirlcalleddave.bsky.social•8 hours ago

She’s not wrong in any sense a deeply foolish action by a party who seem to want to carry on the same legacy as the Tories. Sad it not what we voted for.

ajahcurlywurly.bsky.social•7 hours ago

I asked this on the Green Party Facebook, what are you going to cut instead? There's no hiding from this situation, the world is in a dangerous position and we have to have a robust defence!!

jim4102.bsky.social•2 hours ago

Did you watch the clip? She literally said it, tax the acquisitve super rich. Increasing isolation and militarism whilst the billionairies hoover up all the wealth will take us down a very dark path.

petercharles.bsky.social•47 minutes ago

I watched her response last night and she didn’t adequately respond to the point on capital flight. The reality is that, like in European neighbours, we are all going to have to pay more taxes just to fund existing services.

manintaibach.bsky.social•7 hours ago

Please offer an alternative. Take the money out of tax havens is the best answer.

digby-uk.bsky.social•7 minutes ago

The Independent says Starmer needs to find an extra £13bn for defence, but also quotes percentage of GDP and GNI gained and lost for defence vs foreign aid respectively, which, by my arithmetic, accounts for only 6 billion quid.

Erm... mind the gap, Rachel.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-foreign-aid-slashed-starmer-defence-budget-b2704416.html

bella34.bsky.social•8 hours ago

She is right to criticise.
What also made me very cross was Matthew Syed’s condescending attitude.

blshiv.bsky.social•8 hours ago

The only hard part for them was how they planned to make themselves not look like monsters.

nilseriksson.bsky.social•8 hours ago

Well... there's a war on.

aladdinnoons.bsky.social•8 hours ago

@mja66.bsky.social

I’ve long been an admirer of hers as MP. I don’t really understand as leader how she failed to take the party to greater heights. That her successors have is bewildering to me. They’re just not in the same league

zoonie.bsky.social•8 hours ago

I think she's amazing, which is something she was keen to get away from, which of course makes her an even better person - doh!
Seriously though: a one woman powerhouse in the Commons, a sane, decent person who is so willing to put herself on the front line (sigh).

mja66.bsky.social•8 hours ago

I do agree that the current leadership is not as 'impactful' in the public mind as she was and they need to work on resolving that.

The work rate of Jenny Jones and Natalie Bennett in the Lords is phenomenal. But things like that aren't as sexy to the media as Farage on a tractor.

dean5150.bsky.social•7 minutes ago

UK press when Farage on a tractor.

aladdinnoons.bsky.social•7 hours ago

Respect for the ladies you mentioned. Still, to me, they were / are soloists. I just don’t get real “party” feel from them. That may and possibly is what younger generations look for in politicians and reject 2 party system. Fair play if they get off their arses and vote

mja66.bsky.social•8 hours ago

I think organisation at grass roots level is better than it was when she was leader. They fought some really savvy campaigns in the last GE. I used to live in Ellie Chowns's N. Herefordshire constituency and taking that from Tory Bill Wiggin was seismic. And largely fought on local issues.

aladdinnoons.bsky.social•7 hours ago

Maybe because she was stand alone in the commons, her passion and her deportment, I always considered her a person of stature. I’d have campaigned for Greens (in v safe L sear) had there been anyone vaguely in her league with messaging etc. Went to couple of meetings. Such a stoner rabble tbh

mja66.bsky.social•2 hours ago

...succeed at local level and are effective. I know Greens in South Shropshire who are super-organised at local level, influential on the council & have a great rep as being a positive force in the community even amongst non-Greens. The task is to replicate that more widely and less vague stonery!

mja66.bsky.social•2 hours ago

Yes... She very much came across as you describe and they need more of that as opposed to the stoner lot, especially locally to inspire engagement. I'm not convinced this 'joint leadership' (no pun intended!) thing really cuts it. They've a way to go. But as with Chowns at the GE, they can and do...

a-ngela.bsky.social•1 hour ago

She's the best prime minister we never had.

joeysta.bsky.social•5 hours ago

No country should be paying foreign aid to anyone unless you have a budget surplus and very low taxes. Period.

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