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ModCen

@ moderatecentrist @feddit.uk

Posts

35
Comments

318
Joined

8 mo. ago

UK Politics @feddit.uk
ModCen @feddit.uk
1d ago

Here is Andy Burnham’s route to save Labour: a new manifesto, a new election and electoral reform

www.theguardian.com /commentisfree/2026/may/25/andy-burnham-save-labour-manifesto-election-electoral-reform

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2d ago

Russian troops liberate Shesterovka community in Kharkov Region over past day — top brass
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ModCen @feddit.uk 2d ago
I believe in democracy which means that people must be able to express their political views without fear or intimidation. That didn't happen in the Donbas:
many residents support a united Ukraine but would have stayed home, both out of fear of rebel gunmen and to avoid lending the vote credibility
You don't believe in democracy or self-determination whatsoever. What you believe in is Russian imperialism. In your view, all methods are justified to expand the glory of Russia. Gunmen intimidating voters is fine. The FSB poisoning Alexei Navalny is fine. Russians protesting against the invasion of Ukraine and being imprisoned for this: that's fine too in your view. The most brutal and oppressive measures are all justified, in your worldview, as long as the glory of Russia is increased.

4d ago

Russian troops liberate Shesterovka community in Kharkov Region over past day — top brass

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ModCen @feddit.uk 4d ago

It's occupation by the imperialist Kremlin regime

4d ago

Russian troops liberate Shesterovka community in Kharkov Region over past day — top brass

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ModCen @feddit.uk 4d ago

It doesn't sound like the referendums in the Donbas were democratic or fair. The following quote is from this 2014 article:

In areas controlled by self-appointed tribunes of the “People’s Republic”, anyone who dares to advocate a united Ukraine, or who backed the revolution that swept away Viktor Yanukovych’s pro-Russian regime in February, runs the risk of being “disappeared”.

6d ago

Labour could beat Reform in general election if led by Andy Burnham, polls suggest

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ModCen @feddit.uk 6d ago

What would be your preferred rate of immigration? I think it might be sensible to say that if immigration happens too quickly then it could overwhelm services like the police and hospitals, but I don't think that means immigration needs to be stopped altogether. There are immigrants in roles we depend on (such as doctors), paying taxes, and in some cases starting businesses and creating jobs.

UK Politics @feddit.uk

ModCen @feddit.uk

6d ago

Labour could beat Reform in general election if led by Andy Burnham, polls suggest

www.itv.com /news/granada/2026-05-20/labour-could-beat-reform-in-general-election-if-led-by-andy-burnham-polls-say

7d ago

Andy Burnham to back electoral reform if he becomes prime minister

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ModCen @feddit.uk 7d ago

I would hope that politicians would bring in laws that benefit the UK, rather than benefit the politicians themselves. But maybe I'm being too optimistic.

1w ago

Taiwan reaffirms independence despite Trump warning

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ModCen @feddit.uk 1w ago

The view of tankies is "I hate imperialism when the West does it, but I love imperialism when anybody else does it"

1w ago

Birmingham council can't reach an agreement to govern. Reform and Labour refuse to work with each other. The Tories refuse to work with Greens. No one wants to work with Islamic independents

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ModCen @feddit.uk 1w ago

One person close to Birmingham Labour said the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) had blocked the possibility of a coalition or power-sharing agreement. In a statement, the local group said the election results showed it was “time for us to reflect carefully on the result, listen to residents, and rebuild trust and support with our communities”.

That sounds very dumb. If a coalition is what it takes to run the council then they should step up and do it. They could join up with everyone except for Reform and the Tories.

1w ago

Taiwan reaffirms independence despite Trump warning

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ModCen @feddit.uk 1w ago

Where are the tankies telling us that Taiwan belongs to the glorious benevolent PRC and that the views of Taiwan's people should be disregarded because they're all evil imperialist Nazis (or whatever it is that tankies believe)? I guess they're all circlejerking over on Lemmy.ml

2w ago

Ukraine ‘entirely justified’ to plan strikes against Russian energy and military targets after Kyiv attacks, Zelenskyy says

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ModCen @feddit.uk 2w ago

I absolutely agree with Zelenskyy that Ukraine is justified in hitting Russian oil infrastructure and military infrastructure, until the Russian military withdraws entirely from Ukraine.

Unfortunately though there are tankies on Lemmy who believe that every single Ukrainian is an evil Nazi who deserves to be murdered by the benevolent Russian regime. That's why I asked "do you agree".

World News @lemmy.world

ModCen @feddit.uk

2w ago

Ukraine ‘entirely justified’ to plan strikes against Russian energy and military targets after Kyiv attacks, Zelenskyy says

www.theguardian.com /world/live/2026/may/15/russian-attack-kyiv-ukraine-europe-live-updates-latest

2w ago

How many of you use cash?

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ModCen @feddit.uk 2w ago

I definitely prefer my card wherever possible. Just tap it on the card reader and you're done. No change jangling around in your pocket. And you can see all your transactions in your banking app later on to see exactly where you've spent money. I want cash to stick around though because some people don't like using cards.

2w ago

Labour needs a battle of ideas now, not a scramble to snatch the keys to No 10 | Rafael Behr

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ModCen @feddit.uk 2w ago

Maybe Starmer could save himself by bringing forward his plans to create a closer trading relationship between the UK and the EU.

According to YouGov, 63% of Brits support the UK getting closer to the EU without rejoining the EU, the single market, or the customs union. Only 20% oppose this. The opposers are mostly Reform and Tory voters, so let them vote Reform/Tory, while Labour would make itself more attractive to Labour/LibDem/Green voters (maybe SNP and Plaid voters too). This could put Labour on the right track to contending with Reform in the polls. Surely that is needed. If the anti-Reform vote continues to be split between Labour/LibDems/Greens/SNP/Plaid, then Reform have a much bigger chance of winning the next election.

Image of the YouGov stats I mentioned:

UK Politics @feddit.uk

ModCen @feddit.uk

2w ago

How Keir Starmer's plans are going down in the EU

www.bbc.co.uk /news/articles/cwy2k7re9jdo

2w ago

Starmer brings in Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman to ease pressure on him to resign

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ModCen @feddit.uk 2w ago

Proportional representation would be good. I doubt that Labour will bring it in though unfortunately.

2w ago

Starmer brings in Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman to ease pressure on him to resign

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ModCen @feddit.uk 2w ago

Why Labour and Tories?

They're still polling relatively well and by the time the general election rolls around, they could be in better positions.

I think Reform are winning the election too

I guess the problem is that the anti-Reform vote is split among multiple parties. I would guess that Labour is the best-placed party to defeat Reform but yes they would need to make some big changes to pull in Green voters, Lib Dem voters, and even SNP and Plaid voters too.

2w ago

Starmer brings in Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman to ease pressure on him to resign

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ModCen @feddit.uk 2w ago

Okay sure I probably should mention more alternatives. I doubt the Greens will lead the next government, but I suppose it's theoretically possible. Then there are a few alternatives from Labour looking to replace Sir Keir as PM: Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner, and Andy Burnham who I mentioned before.

Personally I think I prefer Labour and also the Lib Dems to the Greens because the Greens apparently want to leave NATO and give up the UK's nuclear weapons. I think the UK should probably keep its nukes until a time in the future (if such a time ever comes) where all nuclear countries negotiate that they will all disarm together.

As for the Labour alternatives to Sir Keir (Streeting, Rayner, Burnham), maybe they could do well. Burnham seems alright. But the disruption might be a bad thing. Shuffling leaders is what the Tories did and I don't think it did them many favours.

3w ago

The media smear campaign against Zack Polanski is working wonders

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ModCen @feddit.uk 3w ago

Russia and China are not going to give up nukes any time soon. If the US under a future president decided to try and negotiate disarmament to eliminate all nukes then that might work. I think that's the only way Russia or China would give up nukes. Until then I think Europe should keep nukes as a deterrent.

So yes, multilateral disarmament could work, and could prevent lots more countries from building nukes. I don't think unilateral disarmament is a good idea though.

3w ago

Starmer brings in Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman to ease pressure on him to resign

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ModCen @feddit.uk 3w ago

Personally I will give Sir Keir a chance. I know lots of people hate him (the left think he's too right-wing, the right think he's too left-wing). I think he's a pretty decent person though. Look at the alternatives - Farage and Kemi Badenoch - who would surely make the UK a more hostile place to live (unless you're wealthy and white of course).

Maybe Sir Keir will ultimately be replaced by Andy Burnham. Burnham seems alright I guess but I don't know tons about him.

3w ago

The media smear campaign against Zack Polanski is working wonders

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ModCen @feddit.uk 3w ago

If you want all countries to give up their nukes then I would agree with that. Perhaps the US could theoretically achieve a world without nukes if they threatened sanctions against countries who keep nukes.

But in reality, if the UK gives up its nukes, no other country will do so. I think Europe should possess nukes for the foreseeable future. Like I said before, if Europe dismantles its nukes, all it would mean is that the US, China, and Russia would suddenly have a lot of leverage over Europe.

3w ago

The media smear campaign against Zack Polanski is working wonders

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ModCen @feddit.uk 3w ago

You think Russia wants peace? Russia has been invading Ukraine since 2014. They launched a war against their neighbour so they could grab its land and subjugate its people. It's imperialism, and who knows when Russia will decide to stop.

Actually yes there are some people in Russia who want peace, and who protested against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Such protests in Russia get you arrested though.

3w ago

The media smear campaign against Zack Polanski is working wonders

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ModCen @feddit.uk 3w ago

I think the sad reality is that countries without nuclear weapons are at the mercy of nations with nuclear weapons. What would be gained if the UK and France, for example, were to get rid of their nukes? There's absolutely no chance that the US/Russia/China will get rid of theirs. So then those countries would have a massive amount of leverage over Europe.

kill millions at the push of a button

I definitely hope nukes are not used. But the threat of vast destruction might be the only threat that the world's authoritarian leaders are afraid of. If those leaders are afraid of nothing then they could launch their own terrible weapons at civilians across the world.

3w ago

The media smear campaign against Zack Polanski is working wonders

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ModCen @feddit.uk 3w ago

I think we can fire them without US approval. Sure it's a problem that the UK is reliant on US missiles to deliver British nukes. France is in a better situation because they have French missiles for their nukes - they're not dependent on foreign missiles.