StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Fair points all round. I just can't shake the feeling that Iran is taking a terrible risk here. It would suit a lot of people in certain governments if the Iranian regime were to fall; or at least if its nuclear programme were to be disrupted. Giving them an excuse, however thin, is inherently risky...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/14/fate-of-middle-east-hangs-in-the-balance-as-israel-mulls-its-next-steps Fate of Middle East hangs in the balance as Israel mulls its next steps Julian Borger in Washington Joe Biden is believed to have urged restraint, and Tehran deems the matter ‘conclu...

Britain has a transphobia problem, and Labour is pandering to it. I'm not sure how that problem came about; beyond it being a media-driven moral panic. But I do have a sneaking suspicion that at least some anti-trans hate is transferred anti-gay hate. Gay people are more accepted in Britain than eve...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/04/israel-ultra-orthodox-jews-haredim-benjamin-netanyahu-court-military-conscription-gaza-war ‘I will never join the army’: ultra-Orthodox Jews to defy Israeli court order As their military exemption ends, tensions divide the country and threaten to topple ...

For Biden, this is not a simple matter. Ordinarily, siding with Israel would be a politically safe position to take. But things have changed. Looking in from the outside, there seems to be a lot of anger among Americans about the war; with Muslim and Arab-Americans being particularly anti-war. At le...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/26/benjamin-netanyahu-joe-biden-un-security-council-resolution-ceasefire-gaza Netanyahu has been spoiling for a fight with the US. He may not survive this one Alon Pinkas The UN vote for a Gaza ceasefire shows Biden’s administration has finally lost...

A further development. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/26/plan-end-ultra-orthodox-students-military-exemption-row-israel Plan to end ultra-Orthodox students’ military exemption sparks row in Israel For years Haredi men have been allowed to continue Torah study, but proposal could force so...

ISIS is still claiming responsibility for the attack. It's the "why" that confuses me. Daesh has been vowing to strike Russia for years because they propped up Assad and thus provided major contribution to the defeat of their Caliphate. And now was a good time to do it. Russia's security ...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/25/un-gaza-ceasefire-vote UN security council votes to demand immediate ceasefire in Gaza Resolution passes in a first after US abstains in significant break with Israeli government Julian Borger in Washington Mon 25 Mar 2024 15.37 GMT The UN security counc...

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/mar/11/lee-anderson-joins-reform-uk-after-losing-tory-whip-over-khan-comments Lee Anderson joins Reform UK after losing Tory whip over Khan comments Former Conservative MP and ex-deputy chair claimed Islamists had ‘got control’ of London mayor Peter Walker D...

Labour gained 107 votes in Wellingborough and the Tories lost 24,869 compared to 2019. So it's not really people voting for Labour more than they did, just conservative vote collapse. I haven't seen how it went in Kingswood but not surprised if that too is more a result of cons not voting. However ...

It's Peter Mandleson's 'Southern Strategy' all over again. The most convincing (short) explanation I've ever heard for British voting patterns came from James Hawes 'The Shortest History of England'. He concluded that British voters have traditionally voted on national or regional lines, defined by ...

https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-replacing-lost-battle-tanks-100-month-offensive-ukraine-uk-2024-1 UK MOD estimates Russia is getting 100 tanks a month, equivalent to current loss ratio, allowing them to keep up their strength at a time when Ukraine access to future munitions is jeopardised d...

This is unsettling to say the least, but I do wonder about the practicalities of enforcing it. For one thing, the Presidency is not the only institution out there. There is also the Senate and Congress, and the State legislatures. Regardless of who occupies them, they've existed for a long time, and...

A Happy New Year to all, and some new developments. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/31/eve-of-election-year-rishi-sunak-faces-dilemma On the eve of an election year, Rishi Sunak has a dilemma: at what point should he lose? Isabel Hardman Whether in May or autumn, the prime ministe...

Either the Tories are addicted to culture war, or the idea of structural racism has them seriously spooked. Possibly both.

Parliament has voted for a second reading of the bill; by 313 votes to 269; or a 44 majority. No Tory MPs voted against the bill; though some abstained or were absent. The next debates are expected to take place early in January. It would seem the Tories don't want to risk a leadership contest or a...

Parliament has voted for a second reading of the bill; by 313 votes to 269; or a 44 majority. No Tory MPs voted against the bill; though some abstained or were absent. The next debates are expected to take place early in January. It would seem the Tories don't want to risk a leadership contest or an...

It certainly won't happen while Netanyahu is in charge. On the other hand, it does look like he's going to be forced out; if only for the screwup that started the current crisis. The big question is what happens after that. The Knesset has 120 seats, with 61 needed for a majority. The parties work o...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/04/israel-palestine-is-the-two-state-solution-the-answer-to-the-crisis Israel-Palestine: Is the two-state solution the answer to the crisis? Harriet Sherwood Sat 4 Nov 2023 12.00 GMT The “day after” the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza may still be week...

A bit of good news from Poland. https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/oct/17/poland-election-donald-tusk-reaction-europe-latest-updates Poland publishes final election numbers as results suggest opposition parties could form coalition – Europe live 08.50 BST Polish final election numbers publi...

It's not so much forgetting as vested interests getting in the way. In the case of Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, it could be down to a certain sympathy for Russia and/or Putin; or because they want Russia as a protector. It could also be nothing more than pandering to farming interests over Ukraini...

I rate it as Not Bad . Not as good as it might have been, maybe; but not a total disaster either. I'm not sure what else Thrawn could have done here. Despite a fairly genre-savvy plan, our heroes still managed to catch up with him; and they managed to ride through his turbolaser fire. He didn't have...

For those who think that appeasing Russia will somehow will bring peace in Ukraine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkc9QQQ0NWk Not supporting Ukraine enables Russia to commit genocide That's a bonus as far as american conservatives are concerned. Looks like Slovakia has gone for a Pro Russian anti...

Regarding the Night Troopers themselves, a lot of YouTubers are assuming that they're zombies or some other form of undead. I would say not, because they don't act like Nightsister zombies we've seen previously. They could be Nightbrothers, or from the same species as those bandits; drafted in to r...