Ian Dunt

Either they didn’t think about the effect of the invasion on oil and gas prices or they did and didn’t care. I wrote a paper once distinguishing malice, recklessness, negligence, and incompetence. Sometimes you get them all at once.

Cor, sure would feel great right now if we were self-sufficient in renewable energy, and laughing at all the rubes reliant on global oil supplies. We'd have a bit of a swagger in our step today.

This godforsaken idiot piece of shit.

Rabobank on the unfolding worst case scenario:

I thought this was a joke, but "Ms Badenoch has ranked MPs based on how well they are performing on X" is an actual quote from this article.

Perhaps if either of them possessed a trace-element of strategic foresight, rather than a jumble of nasty intuitions, they wouldn't get themselves into this kind of situation.

I wonder if Farage and Badenoch are having a little think about whether they should have been so gun-ho about supporting this war. You sure that's going to be a popular long-term position pal?

This Is What Destroying the Vaccine Market Looks Like A shocking move by RFK Jr.’s team has the industry spooked—for good reason.

“hypocrisy isn’t the main issue here. Rather, it’s the loss of reliable federal support for vaccines, and how that loss is already dissuading companies from developing new shots that could someday protect hundreds of millions of people from dangerous, even lethal infections.”

Hello from haulage where tomorrow I'm phoning every customer to jack up their rate cards which otherwise would last for the year. Cheers Don, useless wanker.

Just when there were signs the UK economy was turning a corner, Trump does something else to absolutely fuck it. And then he has the gall to question whether we're a good ally.

Just fascinating to see Blair, a man whose reputation was ruined by the Iraq war, advocate joining a war that is exponentially stupider and more chaotic. How is it possible to learn nothing from the worst mistake of your life?

It's extremely clear that the US doesn't really have an objective here except to inflict maximum pain, and attacking water supply is going to end catastrophically for the entire region. It's not just a war crime, it's approaching a crime against humanity.

Exactly 3 years ago, Georgians fought back hard against the first tabling of the Russian law (Foreign Agents law). Two nights of intense crackdowns and clashes resulted in the withdrawal of the bill.

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📷 Raymond Red Rodgers

Iran's FM condemns US attack on Qeshm's freshwater desalination plant, warns of grave consequences US President Donald Trump announced that Iran promised not to attack its neighbours anymore

Multiple news outlets are reporting a US attack on an Iranian #desalination plant.
If verified, this violates international law protecting #water systems during wars, and it sets a dangerous precedent, given intense dependence of Gulf countries on desalination.
timesofoman.com/article/1691...

I think it's tempting to see this as hyper-Atlanticism but I think really at root it's a bunch of imperial nostalgists who desperately want to be alive in an era when Britain Roolz The Wavez. The hyper-Atlanticism is just a veneer for that.

I’m pretty astonished Badenoch and Farage both decided to get lockstep behind Trump as he walks off a cliff.

They've either allowed the use of their bases, or spoken in favour of the intervention, or cast it in traditional military terms. This approach encourages further recklessness. Going softly on Trump doesn't work. Only international ostracisation has any chance of success. Sanchez gets it.

The only sensible course is complete dissassociation with what's happening and global middle powers opposition to facilitating it. But I've found Starmer, Carney, Albanese and Merz lukewarm at best.

Perhaps we'll get lucky this time but what about the next? He's clearly developed a taste for adventurism. One of them will blow up in his face and his response will be emotional and unprepared.

I don't think this is a long term conflict. Trump doesn't have the attention span nor the resilience to withstand public disapproval or economic pain. What concerns me is that events spiral out of control as a result of Iranian retaliation.

Absolutely pitiful. Zero serious thinking at the top levels of the political class. Just a desire to be as slavish as possible.

Trump’s appetite for military adventurism and risk-taking seems undiminished and at this point I’m guessing will only be curbed by disaster.

These people are fucking dimwits and they embarrass us as a species.

I am OBSESSED with calling him hegsworth, I can't not do it

Yes it's total nonsense but I found it very enjoyable nonsense. I kinda admired her.

I've been the UK explaining-the-madness correspondent for Late Night Live for eight years. This week, for the first time, I went into the studio. It was oddly moving. It's been such a privilege being a small part of this great show.

Pretty difficult to refute a single thing in this perfect assessment of where the f**k we are, from @iandunt.bsky.social:

I remember when ‘Brexit Means Brexit’ became a way for silly people to insist that they supported something they could neither justify nor explain. Obviously the context is very different, but something similar is already happening with the ‘war’ in Iran. And it’s mostly the same people doing it.

Anyone who wants Britain to join the war in Iran needs their head examined They don't know what they want to achieve, why they're doing it or what the consequences might be. They are lost in the void.

Anyone who wants Britain to join the war in Iran needs their head examined open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/...

Sidebar but I am reading about India/Pakistan partition and boy religious nationalism leads to some really bad places, probably should stick with liberal pluralism.