Recent content by tuck1s

The point is, we (the West) didn't need to do any killing. What is your proof that "intervention was needed"?

So we could have just waited, or given them a gentle financial nudge over the edge without bloodshed?

So .. temporary ceasefire. Trump tacitly acknowledging that Iran could charge for vessels passing the straits (pay for reconstruction etc). Surviving regime now has hardliners at the helm (as far as we can tell). Proof of their economic leverage for the whole world to see. A couple of trillion $...

I doubt he remembers anything that clearly. He recently confused Iceland with Greenland. He was convinced that other nations' NATO troops "stayed a little back" in the sandy places, so knows nothing about Sangin. I think you can mark this one down as a persuasion success for the Israel lobby.

For a real mess, you need theocracies fighting. Iran has been a theocracy since 1979. Israel has some theocratic aspects. Hegseth and the other “agenda 2025” nutters are trying to make the DoD a theocracy. Attwood’s “Handmaid’s tale” is relevant.

We’ve whacked the hornet’s nest, there needs to be a clear plan for an end-game. Modern munitions are impressive, but are only useful if there is sound strategy. Otherwise all we are doing is increasing likelihood of terrorist reprisals for decades to come.

Another possibility is that Trump’s team were about to conclude the deal. Trump does bilateral deals, hates multilateral ones. Netanyahu did not want that, so they went.

Yes, but that has to come from inside USA, nothing we can do here in the UK. What strategy our MOD should adopt is a really tricky problem: - F35 fighter is amazing but very expensive, tied to the US for software updates, and less good in some things. Should we look more towards a Euro /...

That's really interesting - thanks for sharing. Another example of UK helping USA.

That's what he meant. Maybe I didn't write it clearly.

Good point. - WW2: They resisted Churchill's repeated asks. Only joined after Japan attacked Pearl Harbour. UK finished paying back Lend-Lease in the 2000s. - Suez: USA worked actively against UK-France interests - Falklands: USA started with a neutral stance, did not want to alienate Latin...

A friend of mine blamed the fuel price rises on “Starmer and his net zero *******s”. Is there any truth to that? He also wants us to join the US strikes because they are our most important ally.

Checked last night - and the rad is now getting warm - similar to the other ones in the house, after getting the lockshield open approx 1 turn. I think the whole system needs a powerflush and a magnaclean. The boiler is a Potterton, quite old now but still working. There's no kettling so that...

Also our daughter's place is built in 1995, smallish boiler for the size of the house, and NO MagnaClean or similar. Open vented system, likely to be full of old crap as well. Even if they don't change the boiler soon, I think they should get a MagnaClean fitted (not by me !!)