@phloggen @pascal_f @SuneAuken
It's difficult to know how to respond to this. On the one hand, you make some valid points. On the other hand, you add a lot of unhelpfully emotive characterisations of what is a political process. There may be people whose tempers will take a generation to cool, but should they be anywhere near the political decision making process?

@SuneAuken @pascal_f @phloggen
The good news is there's already a strong, united response to the threat from Russia by the E.U. and the U.K. that is not dependent on the U.K.s membership to the E.U.
So when it comes to the eventual question of the U.K. rejoining, it will be about the usual candidacy questions of alignment and compliance as @phloggen outlined above.

In the U.K. the good news is that only 14% of people don't want a closer relationship with the E.U.

The bad news is that every one of those 14% of people seems to have a column in a right wing newspaper...

#RejoinEU

@SuneAuken @phloggen
It's a good point, but it's not so much that it's an overlooked point in the U.K. It's more that we haven't even got to that point yet. We're all still a bit stuck on the first point of whether we should ask to rejoin. One step at a time.

@SuneAuken
Yes to all this. We're over the hump and now the U.K. is slowly but unstoppably arcing back towards the E.U. It's the will of the people.

#RejoinEU

@SuneAuken @MugsysRapSheet

Here's another one for the Trump dementia files. This one is multitasking. By KD Nerak on Blue sky.

In Romania, the exit polls have got centrist Dan ahead of far right Simion.

Nicușor Dan 54.1%
George Simion 45.9%

Still a long night ahead in Romania.

#RomaniaElection

After a stormy day, a rainbow has just appeared over Bucharest.

#RomaniaElections

"In Russia, oil prices are falling and sanctions are strangling their exports. They are left with two options: end the war to limit spending, or resort to printing money, which will destroy their economy.
This is not just a budget crisis; it is a systemic failure that could transform their economy and the conflict they are fueling. The numbers do not lie, and they scream disaster."

https://kyivinsider.com/russian-economy-enters-full-collapse-mode/

@SuneAuken
It is. Also, the fun part that Trump will hate to be reminded of is that Pope Leo has about 1.4 Billion followers. Who's got MASSIVE CROWD SIZES now?

@SuneAuken
Yes, there is talk that they deliberately picked an American pope as a counterpoint to Trump and an example of how an American can be a godly unifying force. I wasn't in the conclave, so I don't know for sure, but I like the redemptive narrative.

@SuneAuken
Well, it's an awkward one and we have to get the balance right. Yes, we could say he has a mixed heritage and has a very international outlook, but that wouldn't upset the Trump supporters who need to know he's American as apple pie and he is coming for their sins.

@SuneAuken

I was a bit worried about having an American pope for a minute, then I saw the glowing endorsements from the American right and I knew we'd be ok.

@SuneAuken
From your lips to Elon's ears.

@SuneAuken
Yes, I think you and I are very much in the minority of people thinking these results are being interpreted in massively overblown ways. Reform voters are currently turning up to vote while the other party voters aren't. That's all.

I don't want to downplay the significance of Reform's gains in the elections last week.

But. These were local council elections where the turnout was around 30%. We should be more concerned about voter's disillusionment with the other parties and the general disengagement with politics rather than Reform's big victory.

Reform didn't win. The other parties lost.

#UKPolitics

Here in the U.K. after we've all been hit by the Political Earthquake of Reform winning soooo many local council seats, let's have a look at the total number of councillors by party, and see if we can ever recover from this devastating event.

Labour - 6131
Conservative - 4413
Lib Dem - 3197
Independent - 1962
Green - 859

Reform - 799.

It's almost as if people are talking up Reform.....

#UKPolitics