On top of the moral reasons, it's increasingly a good practical idea to not have our entire lives dependent on a handful of US-based companies who can lock us out the second Trump gets upset by random world leaders. One day Greenland will wake up and be banned from Gmail or Kindle or something.

There's lots of performative noise about "protecting our women and children!" (note the "our") when its a stick to attack political enemies or immigrants or the Orher. It rarely translates into tangible action because the "concern" is more of a weapon/dogwhistle that evaporates when inconvenient.

net immigration fell by more than half last year and the politics has gone in the complete opposite direction. It's not really about the numbers

He clearly thinks the only votes that matter come via Farage's rhetoric. Starmer's actions are either ideological or cynical but either way he doesn't *want* to change the narrative. He's just part of the Labour/Reform/Tory omniparty.

We already know their collective contempt for immigrants, trans people and the disabled. Maybe we should be asking them all who's next, just so we'll know who'll they'll blame when the current scapegoating doesn't materially change anything.

"Using our flag to divide devalues it."

I'm trying to figure out if that sentence, in the context of what's happening, makes him naive, oblivious, stupid or evil. Or potentially all four.

And well done to Crystal Clean Windows who cleaned it for free

"A huge thank you to Isaac Crystal Clean Windows York Limited. After this incident happened, he kindly came and cleaned our windows for free. We are truly touched by his kindness."

www.crystalcleanwindowsyork.co.uk

I mean, the whole thing is rooted in a moral vacuum and the utter dehumanisation of human beings, but the fact that these people are treated as being leaders in political discourse just shows how doolally this country is becoming.

In what universe does appealing to racism by *giving the Taliban money* make any sense?! "Thanks Nige! Thanks for handing us people we hate and for all the money we won't use to do horrible things, wink wink!" Meanwhile, Starmer's figuring out if he can adapt the idea by throwing in a few jags.

I'm so sorry that this is happening, both for the people currently being targeted and for those, like yourself, who are seeing history repeating and echoing.

It's not that he's evil and deranged - that's obvious. It's that he has such a huge swathe of US society under his spell. Like Farage in the UK, he just gives a lot of people a ready excuse to act out their worst impulses and they love him for it.

It's so frustrating that everyone acts like Farage won the election, including the party that *actually* won the election. It's like politics and the media in the UK exist to be his stenographers, relentless propaganda poking some already nasty corners of the national psyche.

I hate that I'm vaguely defending AI, but... if it's not a bank holiday in Scotland then today isn't a UK-wide bank holiday.

Of course, the AI remains misleading and should therefore still be killed with fire for the good of us all.

And so trans people, migrants and the disabled get thrown to the wolves, as well as whoever comes next. Because a society so focused on demonising and scapegoating isn't going to just stop when trans people aren't allowed out the house or the Navy are blowing up small boats in the Channel.

The sooner we realise that Farage won the election, the better. He's driving the narrative while not having to be responsible for delivering anything. And the media and Labour just go along with it because I can only assume they agree with him.

Played Superman for years and yet completely missed the point.