Last bit on this because it tripped up some folks at @lawgunsmoney.bsky.social... there is generally speaking a divide both in law and theory between crimes in war (jus in bello) and crimes of war (jus ad bellum).
I've seen people treat this as a get out of jail free card, but it's not.
Iran is retaliating right now by attacking US military bases in the region.
US could withdraw from the Middle East entirely and so not have bases (in Kuwait, Saudi, UAE, etc) in range, but otherwise Iran gets a say in whether the war continues or not.
Labour will never want a system that lets voters choose between different Labour candidates. They probably want something like the new Welsh system; the easy way to do that is to use counties and cities as constituencies and vary the number of MPs, rather than trying to draw up new boundaries.
Then you can introduce amendments in the Lords to pick the PR system of your choosing, and, again, the Commons will rubber-stamp that in preference to getting forced back to FPTP.
It also gets you personally out of the hard bit, which is determining which PR system to pick. Because given a straight up-or-down vote between any PR system and FPTP, the number of MPs whose vote would depend on the specifics is in single digits.
I think that allowing a free vote for Labour MPs on a LD or Green amendment to an Elections Bill (there's one most years) is probably the easiest approach. Labour splits on this anyway, but if the PM comes out personally in favour then you can blame the minor party for not putting a referendum in.
I think this is a good approach pragmatically - call a free vote, say you are personally voting in favour but your party's MPs can make their own minds up. There likely is a majority in the Commons, no need to whip the vote.
How - realistically - could a different Labour PM in summer 2026, or other actors in the political system, explore proposing + introducing any significant electoral changes *before* 2029 or for the election after next?
“MAGA’s fundamental shared quality is a total lack of theory of mind for other people” is a theory that keeps getting validated by reality - look at almost every decision they’ve made in the war with Iran, and how they seem constantly surprised by the unanticipated actions of other parties.
I'd like to note that Mayor Mamdani's team write superb alt-text.
I wrote up some thoughts from yesterday.
Wolves have only lost two full-length matches at Wembley: 1939 FA Cup Final (months before WW2) and 2019 FA Cup semi-final (months before Covid). Probably best for the world if we don't get there this year.
Firefly decided to do Space Orientalism and said "will this do?"
Three-Body Problem as actual Space Eastern?
They should ask him, under oath, to rate the nostrils out of ten.
Not one of these ghouls knows a trans kid, understands anything about the actual circumstances or humanity of trans kids, or gives a shit. To them, trans kids play a purely symbolic role: they are a Weak Other that can be abused as form of collective self-soothing. So fucking gross.
Woul Clinton on your ass qualify as Butt Her Emails?
Garner is the only person that could think of Ambrose as little! I'm 190cm and Curtly makes me feel small.
Most non-American sports have only had Halls of Fame relatively recently: we didn't really have the concept until it crossed over from US sports culture, and that was late 90s / early 00s thanks to both more international TV and the rise of the early internet.
That says more about the Hall of Fame than about him - they were refounded in 2009, admitted everyone from the previous incarnations that year and didn't do any new admissions until 2010, so that was his first year of eligibility.
It's the World Baseball Classic. It's hardly the Ashes, mate.
Garner had one of the greatest nicknames ever in sport: "Big Bird".
Unfortunately, “Yo brother, legal team confirmed we can’t work with minors rn” is an instant classic
Last Republican president without a recession: Calvin Coolidge.
Ford didn't manage a new war in the Middle East, before that: Hoover.
15 years ago I was pro AI rights and argued that we should define consciousness quite loosely when we were deciding who should get rights etc
But after five years of the bullshit AI we've got, I think anyone who thinks it's conscious is an absolute mark
Progressives in the UK who still haven't got the message: the TERFs are now trying to bankrupt the Greens through repeated litigation, with a fresh round dropping now they're demonstrably a credible choice in elections.
Join the dots. "Feminist" transphobia is a vassal of fascism.
Oooh, I'm intrigued mow
Is it something about Heated Rivalry?
Oh yeah, dietary: "senza glutine" is one of the few dietary restrictions that Venice is really good for. Coeliacs will be fine there.
If you're really short on money, you can stay in Mestre and come in by train each day, but the last train is a bit earlier than I'd be 100% happy with.
