Proud Swindonian. Millennial. History Loving Councillor. Fan: STFC and Marine, Film, Chess. Travel, Rock & Metal, Real Ale, Welsh Rugby. Posts are personal.
Fantastic social tonight. We welcomed Alex Burghart MP to Swindon. Great speech to navigate the days of opposition and eventually return to government. The association is still thriving. Labour are bad. Reform don't offer solutions. The Lib Dems are nowhere. ๐ฝ๐
20 March 1993. Johnathan Ball (aged 3, left) and Tim Parry (aged 12, right) were killed when 2 PIRA bombs, hidden in litter bins, detonated on Bridge Street, Warrington, near to the main shopping centre. A further 56 people were injured during these terrorist attacks.
Bad news for Starmer and Macron. Vance confirms the only US security guarantee in Ukraine will be the mineral deal. He also plays down British & French peacekeeping troops as โ20k troops from some random country that hasnโt fought a war in 30 or 40 yearsโ.
The sheer ignorance of @JDVance is breathtaking. Which country was first to offer its troops to the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq? Balkans. Sierra Leone. Falklands. What an absolutely ignorant blowhard.
Seven years ago today in Salisbury, a former Russian military officer and his daughter Yulia, were poisoned by Russian agents on the orders of Putin, with the deadly nerve agent Novichok. Both spent weeks in a critical condition in hospital. A Wiltshire police officer, Nick Bailey, was taken into intensive care after attending the incident. Later that year, my constituent Dawn Sturgess, an innocent member of the public, died following contact with debris casually discarded by the Russian agents. When we reflect on the loss of life and the audacity of Russiaโs actions we should be left in no doubt about the character and outlook of Putin. In todayโs changing world we need to build an enduring security arrangement with our neighbours in Europe to protect ourselves from future threats and attacks. Russia is not our friend and we must be prepared for all manifestations of their malevolence in future.
The Special Relationship depends on the US to be committed to helping our allies. We cannot let Putin win. America must not stop its support for Ukraine and must be committed to the US-UK diplomatic relationship.
Churchill would be disgusted and will be turning in his grave tonight. The free world must stand up bullies and thugs. The UK stands with Ukraine. ๐ฌ๐ง๐ค๐ป๐บ๐ฆ
Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace.
We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
I really tried to give Trump the benefit of the doubt. I really hoped he'd be a strong leader. What we actually have got is Putin's puppy attacking the man who has been desperately defending his people against that monster in Moscow.b
Once again, Trump and Vance demonstrate that the concept of leadership of the free world, exercised by so many of their predecessors, is entirely beyond them. Slava Ukraini.