Apart from the wars on Iraq I think we've only been involved in our own conflicts and those in support of the US's NATO Article 5 request for assistance in Afghanistan in response to the Al Queda attack on the World Trade Center. We do get involved in training foreign armies but to the best of my knowledge we've only got involved in those that weren't our direct actions. Special Forces may get other jobs but we don't usually get told about those.

Oh dear,  that is such a shame then.   Poor old Tom.
Maybe   ITV  had so many complaints when the news broke about getting rid of him, that they are now offering him a smaller role in a new post.
I don't blame him if he doesn't accept.

Thanks for that info Alex.

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Quote from: Alex on September 12, 2026, 06:02:39 PMSo we now need to rely on the wrinklies to protect the country ?    I despair.

I wonder how many of our soldiers are being sent abroad to fight other countries wars?

This is from his Twitter account

Quote from: Alex on September 13, 2026, 11:29:12 AMListening to Angela Rayner interviewed by Boris's sister, she says this donations cap bill going through parliament will be backdated, they're trying everything to upset Reform's apple cart.  As Ange says, "you cannot buy your way into democracy"      Did the Tories and Labour not give peerages to some of their donors ? Did they not give contracts to Dale Vince who donated 6 million plus to the Labour party, before he switched allegiance ?

I'm just nit picking but she also said "Myself and the Secretary of State for Cabinet Office have also wrote to the Electoral Commission "  I'm sorry but she is deffo cringeworthy.

Come on Reform !!!!

I don't care how many dirty tricks the Uniparty will try, the one thing they cannot do (as long as we still have the right of voting) is to prevent the people from supporting Reform regardless of what money they can or cannot receive.

Should they try it on, the UK will be seen by the rest of the civilised world as no longer a nation of free speech and freedom of choice.  That could even result in riots.

Quote from: Alex on September 12, 2026, 06:02:39 PMSo we now need to rely on the wrinklies to protect the country ?    I despair.

I suppose we do, if some suggestions are true.  One being that many of our young people these days are not interested in working (I'm talking about white British), or perhaps even joining up.  The unfortunate thing for them is that in the not-too-distant future the country will become bankrupt and monetary handouts will dry up, even for the illegal immigrants!

The image in my mind is 'broken third-world Britain', though hopefully Reform could rescue us.

Listening to Angela Rayner interviewed by Boris's sister, she says this donations cap bill going through parliament will be backdated, they're trying everything to upset Reform's apple cart.  As Ange says, "you cannot buy your way into democracy"       Did the Tories and Labour not give peerages to some of their donors ? Did they not give contracts to Dale Vince who donated 6 million plus to the Labour party, before he switched allegiance ?

I'm just nit picking but she also said "Myself and the Secretary of State for Cabinet Office have also wrote to the Electoral Commission "  I'm sorry but she is deffo cringeworthy.

Come on Reform !!!!

Obviously none of the big three parties ever get donations do they? Maybe I should ask Google.

Oh. It seems that they do...


Annual Totals and Recent Figures

• The Labour Party, Conservative Party, and Liberal Democrats raise varying amounts each quarter, tracked by the Electoral Commission.
• In non-election years, overall donations across all UK parties sit around £25 million to £65 million annually, while election years see totals spike much higher (for instance, parties accepted nearly £100 million in 2024). [1, 2, 3, 4]
• Individual quarterly data shows fluctuations: for example, in Q1 2026, the Conservatives accepted roughly £6 million, Labour took in about £4.1 million, and the Liberal Democrats accepted around £3 million (including public funds). [1]

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Sources of Funding by Party
Each party relies on distinct primary funding models:

The Labour Party

• Trade Unions: A substantial portion of Labour's baseline funding traditionally comes from affiliated trade unions through political funds and affiliation fees.
• Individuals and Major Donors: Labour increasingly relies on wealthy individual donors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders.
• Memberships and Small Donations: Regular subscription fees from party members provide steady baseline income. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Conservative Party

• Wealthy Individuals (Megadonors): The Conservatives rely heavily on high-net-worth individuals.
• Companies and Businesses: Corporate donations from firms, financial backers, and private equity or hedge fund figures form a major pillar of Tory funding.
• Memberships and Fundraising Events: Local associations and central black-tie fundraising events contribute significantly. [1, 2, 3]

The Liberal Democrats

• Individual Donors: The Lib Dems raise money primarily from individual supporters and mid-level donors rather than massive corporate or union backers. [1]
• Memberships and Bequests: Membership dues and legacies (gifts left in wills) make up a vital part of their operational revenue.
• Public Funds: All three parties also receive limited public funds for parliamentary work (such as Short Money), though these are distinct from campaign donations. [1]

I don't doubt that the climate is changing. I don't doubt that we'll need to make some big changes for our societies to continue to thrive in comfort. The problem is that the changes many of these greens want to make will leave us in a far more trouble than the changing climate even if ignored will cause us.

We are a technological society. We need energy for that to continue. Current renewables can't entirely replace fossil fuels and we will need to continue to exploit them for some time to come. Maybe until the end on the century. Just how long depends on how ingenious we are.

Fusion power has been twenty years away for at least the last fifty and probably still will be in another fifty. We need to improve renewables and storage of energy but our main saviour will be fission based nuclear power and the greens hate that idea. They'd rather we were eating sun dried cockroaches in our caves while dressed in leaves held in place with hand plaited vines.  Obviously only in areas where our nuts don't freeze off in winter. If they win out then that's exactly what we will be doing.