Barkley McKay
1.1K posts
@Barks67
Musician, educator, recording engineer, Waco/Mekon cousin and Jon Langford's longtime little helper. Once in The Pretty Things...
If President Trump wants to take the Falkland Islands away from Britain, then we must reclaim the United States. Perfect way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence. King Charles can announce it to Congress next week.
Exclusive: Sir Keir Starmer's claim that the Number 10 exerted no pressure "whatsoever" over the appointment of Lord Mandelson is expected to be contradicted by another of Britain's most senior Whitehall figures next week Sir Philip Barton, Robbins's predecessor at the foreign office, will give evidence to the foreign affairs select committee on Tuesday Barton was strongly opposed to Mandelson’s appointment amid concerns about his suitability for the role and the “reputations risks” involved He is understood to have been concerned about the way Dame Karen Peirce, the outgoing ambassador, was being treated and thought it was a mistake to replace her given that she was personally liked by Trump and his administration He is also understood to have shared the view of Lord Case, the then cabinet secretary, that security vetting should be conducted before the announcement of the appointment. However he was overruled by Starmer, who announced the peer’s appointment in December 2024. Barton was succeeded by Robbins in January Dame Emily Thornberry, a Labour MP and chair of the foreign affairs select committee, highlighted claims this week that Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s then chief of staff, told Barton to “just f***ing approve” Mandelson’s appointment. McSweeney is understood to deny having sworn at Barton but is said to have expressed his frustration about the delay in confirming a departure date for Dame Karen Pierce, the outgoing ambassador to Washington Number 10 says that Starmer’s comment about ‘pressure’ referred only to the security vetting outcome, not the appointment more broadly. “We don’t accept that asking for updates on the progress of an appointment amounts to pressure in relation to the vetting process or outcome,” a spokesman said. thetimes.com/article/28871c…
For whoever needs to hear this I'm the only Jewish person to lead a political party - third largest in the country. The Daily Mail have been & always will be my enemy - they historically supported fascists & continue to do so. I'll take no lectures from them on Antisemitism.
Too many are too polite to say this. But mass ritual prayer in public places is an act of domination. The adhan - which declares there is no god but allah and Muhammad is his messenger - is, when called in a public place, a declaration of domination. Perform these rituals in mosques if you wish. But they are not welcome in our public places and shared institutions. And given their explicit repudiation of Christianity they certainly do not belong in our churches and cathedrals. I am not suggesting everybody at Trafalgar Square last night is an Islamist. But the domination of public places is straight from the Islamist playbook. Trafalgar Square belongs to all of us. It is a national memorial to our independence and our salvation. Last night was not like a televised football match or a St Patrick’s Day celebration. It was an act of domination and therefore division. It shouldn’t happen again.
Six Palestine Action activists cleared of aggravated burglary over break-in at UK subsidiary of Israeli defence firm bbc.in/4kADbRD
Lord Mandelson's emails to Jeffrey Epstein: * He told Epstein that he had finally persuaded Gordon Brown to stand down and leave No 10 five hours before it became wider public knowledge * He forwarded him an email sent to Gordon Brown disclosing govt was considering selling assets to reduce govt debt. Brown later followed through on the advice * The same email included sensitive discussions on tax policy - tax relief for businesses, potential flagship electoral pledges on tax * Mandelson also gave Epstein advance notice of a €500billion bailout of the Eurozone - he emailed him then spoke to him about it on eve of the announcement * Another email he forwarded looked at how to bolster business lending in wake of financial crisis and included excoriating criticism of Mervyn King
