Chris Lee

They are slap bang between Green and Reform. Let’s see what happens as we near a national election when all parties are scrutinised more than a by-election…

Country centre not (maybe) Labour centre.

Labour got elected not because they were Labour but because they were not Tory. Understand that and you know where he has to govern for this term… the centre…

Cough “special relationship” cough (not that this is doing well). Don’t think our Navy is anywhere near and no one expected Iran to be launching missiles like sweets …

And Trump sows more division by deliberately praising France. Of course Trump wants regime change in UK as well so he’s happy to add a bit of “needle” just for kicks…

Nope

I am an aging pensioner and i am struggling to find one that is politically and socially responsible and not pandering to right or left?

👏👏👏

Not from what is shown in deployment maps…

Newspapers that told their readers austerity, Brexit, Johnson & Truss would be brilliant are attacking the British Prime Minister for not unquestioningly following a lunatic President into an illegal attack. And on social media, he gets attacked from the other 'side' for doing the precise opposite!

I agree. He stated he refused to sanction the use of the bases for the original strikes (angering the US administration) but he now calculates he needs their support to take out remaining weapons that will be used against UK regional interests, since the hot war is on and Iran is lashing out.

I’ll take your word on the verifications ahead of the conflict. We’ll soon see about the subsequent use of the bases, as they will be monitored by the media.

I’m not aware UK bases incl. Cyprus were used to support US transit operations ahead of the attacks. Now however they can be used for defensive purposes (of UK assets) and given Starmer’s statement i can imagine each action will pass through a filter against that line -less he get called out on it?

You have no idea yet how the bases will be used. Let’s revisit this later when we do…

Welcome to grown up politics

Quite the contrary.

Attack Israel and USA - not every other nearby country.

Spain always says no.

Because Labour supporters have an unrealistic expectation of why he was elected in the first place - as a centrist alternative to Tory rule…

You should be- you have all their much loved characteristics…

I don’t believe it was - the case for non-intervention in something that would start a conflict is a different calculus to what needs to be done in support of your regional assets/people at risk from that conflict.

Gosh - i think you missed the “X” platform button there…

It wasn’t a U turn and it’s lazy journalism…

The future of astronomy is both on Earth and in space The future of astronomy is both on Earth and in space

Excellent reposte to a recent Space News Commentary about moving #astronomy into space as the way to live with mega constellations spacenews.com/the-future-o... @royalastrosoc.bsky.social

Fabulous 👏👍 - Sorry i could not join your sketching at Astrofest but there was so much other stuff to enjoy - “a kid in a sweet shop”. Mind you, it’s been a few years since i sketched Clavius 😉

And then remind the Committee that their PNT, Comms and Wifi depended on developments arising from this research community- amongst many other “must haves” in our daily lives today.

I find it weird we invest in large scientific infrastructure (a “good thing No 1”), fund access to these across the science sector (a “good thing No 2”) and then constrain funding to the very researchers (physicists and astronomers) for whom these facilities are primarily aimed at? 🤔🤦🏻‍♂️

We said that about so many things over recent years. Satellites and drones and AI but hey look what’s happening in just 5 years… let’s see for the next 10-20 when “Mars” is supposed to happen…

Basic science can be done slowly- we can wait. Its not worth a life … the reality is they need something to do while they are there for other reasons… and that is a different narrative.

OK sure- For me i prefer to be a junior partner while developing a distinctive European space agenda that focuses on other challenges- and i fear the costs otherwise will not command wide enough support. We are not US and China - both defence-driven economies where these mission play strongest.