Ed Wilson

Keir Starmer: Sorry, Mr Blair, but 1441 does not authorise force Keir Starmer: The attorney general has a tricky task in defending the legal basis for war.

Sorry, Mr Blair, but 1441 does not authorise force

- Keir Starmer

www.theguardian.com/politics/200...

Starmer, just now: We will allow the US to use our bases for "defensive" purposes.

Is there a word missing?

When people dismiss an argument as "semantics" (the scientific study of meaning), they don't necessarily mean "sophistry", but what do they mean?

Trump: We'll talk to the new Iranian leaders, Whoever they are. Whoever we haven't killed yet.

And this thing - did I call it a war? - will go on for up to four weeks. Because I don't know what that means.

This map shows widely dispersed dots representing the guesses of US survey respondents about the location of Iran on a world map. 23% placed a dot in the correct area.

Where is Iran?
Each dot represents an American's guess.
pro.morningconsult.com/articles/can... 🌐

And the world subsides a little further into poison.

These ships have now disappeared from the real world, to exist forever on our war-score-board.

Whatever fuel or armaments they were carrying can be forgotten for the rest of time.

feeling compelled to post this new yorker reject from years ago, for some reason

We don’t have much of a “seal in this fight” as they say, but we can appreciate that Shaheed drone suppliers which have killed thousands of Ukrainians, are now being destroyed. Sure, it’s several years too late and the Iran mess may get worse, but we must evaluate the entire scale of chaos -PM A.M.

'Iran must now find "a Mandela or Walesa"'

Unfortunately, we've just blown her up.

If only they hadn't destroyed a large number of such boats delivered to them on a gentle tidal surge.

OK, the Gorton and Denton by-election, I have some thoughts!

Let's take a look at some of the FACTS and burst a few of the more ridiculous takes doing the rounds

But first up, can we acknowledge just what bad losers Reform are?!🤣

Right, let's get started...

🧵 1/

Keir Starmer criticised over stance on US-Israel strikes on Iran UK prime minister has adopted a much more ambivalent approach than other western allies

Lord Peter Ricketts, former head of the Foreign Office:

“If you’re going to attack a country you have to show it is in self-defence and that there is some kind of imminent threat. You can’t make that case here…An indifference to international law is dangerous.”

www.ft.com/content/b988...

Whose job is it then?

John Roberts has created “immunity” as this thing that can be tossed around. If Iranian soldiers are defending themselves they commit no crime. If they have committed war crimes, Americans can’t “immunize” them.

Simi Olaoso of the BBC, on the World Service, parroting Trumpisms as if the man is a serious (as opposed to a dangerous-and-must-be-taken-seriously) world leader...


Aaargh!

I speak as someone who once contracted an unpleasant condition of the digestive tract after using the toilet in a Dubai pub.

My "advice" might be in indirect response to a statement presented as having been made by a female writer, but it's intended more generally, and very indirectly.

Narrow objectives

One of the issues in the report, at greater length.

The report they will publish. Eventually.

They tried to bury this report. This afternoon it broke. The ITV report that has just aired confirms what the Government tried to keep quiet.

open.substack.com/pub/rupertsr...

"lurch to left" = "stop pushing a policy which even our remaining voters are ashamed to be associated with"

US-Israel war on Iran live: death tolls rise in Israel, UAE and across region as Iran attacks continue and IDF strikes ‘heart of Tehran’ Israeli rescuers respond to missile strike in Beit Shemesh; interim successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei named

Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran’s new leadership wants to talk to him and that he has agreed
www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...

But...

Trump says 48 leaders killed in strikes on Iran and operation is 'moving along rapidly'
www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...

... we keep killing them.

It was interesting to be told several times this mornng that Iranians were dancing in the streets of Golders Green last night.

#WATO

#WATO

Where do the missiles which don't "get through" fall? They don't simply disappear.

Can we have a report from Jordan?

#WATO

New post: Why Gorton and Denton is still a good result for Reform
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2026/03/why-...
Some say that the Gorton and Denton result shows how to defeat Reform. It doesn't. The right wing vote was higher, and if repeated in a General Election the right would be very hard to beat.

Just thinking up a few questions to put to John Healey and Priti Patel...

"Which countries should have nuclear weapons?"

(and don't allow the distraction of "well Iran certainly shouldn't")

#BBCLauraK

Priti Patel, who is an actual real life traitor (she held unlawful secret meetings with Netanyahu's govt), and who MI5 declared national security risk, is on #bbclaurak this morning talking about how Labour is weak on national security and supporting Israel's attack on Iran.