Mike Rigg
@mike-rigg.bsky.social
I am wondering whether the net result of Starmer being too decent/soft to ditch McSweeney and McSweeney not being decent enough to fall on his sword will indeed be the end of Starmer. Labour MPs can smell blood in the water. Trump would see Streeting etc as lightweights/inadequate. Not good.
February 5, 2026 at 10:59 AM
I am wondering whether the net result of Starmer being too decent/soft to ditch McSweeney and McSweeney not being decent enough to fall on his sword will indeed be the end of Starmer. Labour MPs can smell blood in the water. Trump would see Streeting etc as lightweights/inadequate. Not good.
Worth remembering Europe was deliberately weakened by (principally) US, Russia and UK demanding disarmament of its largest country, Germany post WWII, which became habit forming. The deal was US would then assist Europe against any threat from Russia. Now USA is complaining about it.
January 23, 2026 at 9:37 AM
Worth remembering Europe was deliberately weakened by (principally) US, Russia and UK demanding disarmament of its largest country, Germany post WWII, which became habit forming. The deal was US would then assist Europe against any threat from Russia. Now USA is complaining about it.
The trouble with that is Sainsbury, Tesco et al have now become used to increasing their prices regularly - not so pre-Ukraine/pre-Covid. It will take a new competitor buying market share to force them to return to their previous habits - and there is no sign of that happening.
January 21, 2026 at 11:18 AM
The trouble with that is Sainsbury, Tesco et al have now become used to increasing their prices regularly - not so pre-Ukraine/pre-Covid. It will take a new competitor buying market share to force them to return to their previous habits - and there is no sign of that happening.
The devil makes work for idle hands - and there are far too many of them when the PM has a massive majority sitting behind him with nothing to do.
November 11, 2025 at 10:29 PM
The devil makes work for idle hands - and there are far too many of them when the PM has a massive majority sitting behind him with nothing to do.
Commentators always forget if a business doesn't make a taxable profit there is no corporation tax (substantially ditto income tax); and NIers is a flat levy on employment paid by loss making and struggling businesses which is far too aggressive. Far better much higher corporation tax and no NIers.
November 5, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Commentators always forget if a business doesn't make a taxable profit there is no corporation tax (substantially ditto income tax); and NIers is a flat levy on employment paid by loss making and struggling businesses which is far too aggressive. Far better much higher corporation tax and no NIers.
Hmm - not sure Farage is in lockstep with Trump here - conversely it's not impossible that Farage has spoken with his American idol and is reflecting a change in US thinking.
October 17, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Hmm - not sure Farage is in lockstep with Trump here - conversely it's not impossible that Farage has spoken with his American idol and is reflecting a change in US thinking.
Also important to remember that £/$ is now 1.3265 having traded for decades in a 1.50-1.60 (ish) range pre-Brexit - so the 10% tariffs put the UK/US terms of trade better than the historical averages - before Farage decided that a country of 66 million people had enough muscle without the EU.
May 9, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Also important to remember that £/$ is now 1.3265 having traded for decades in a 1.50-1.60 (ish) range pre-Brexit - so the 10% tariffs put the UK/US terms of trade better than the historical averages - before Farage decided that a country of 66 million people had enough muscle without the EU.