I won’t rehearse further points about YouGov as a polling organisation. Suffice to say this is a large sample and opposition to Trump’s imperial adventures has grown by 10% in the last week. Only Reform supporters are in favour. The margins are sufficiently large for the poll to be correct even if not absolutely correct (highly likely, it is only a poll)
Tony Blair’s comments that Starmer should have done what he did with Iraq in 2003 and just back Trump over Iran have not gone down well.
Of course Starmer is in effect backing Trump by letting the US use British bases, its his note of even the slightest dissent that irks Blair.
The MP quoted in the Mirror front page Jon Trickett is one of the small number of left Labour MPs but the significance of it appearing as the Mirror’s front page splash should not be ignored. There is a space for those opposed to Trump’s war to organise in.
Meanwhile the Times Editorial (9th March 2026) calls Blair’s views ‘sensible’. The Murdoch owned paper is of course Tory supporting
Last week Farage held a Chagos boat party in a small space on one of the vessels moored by the Thames Embankment in central London. It was stunt organised by the hard right site Guido Fawkes. A video on the site shows Farage holding a large gin and tonic and a small crowd of fans.
Farage claimed that he was flying to Mar-a-Lago on Friday 6th March to have dinner with Trump and discuss the Chagos Islands. He did travel (who paid will have to be disclosed in due course, it won’t have been Farage). However he did not either meet or have dinner with Trump, who the Financial Times reports (9th March) had changed his plans and was elsewhere. Farage it seems had simply been invited by a member to be a guest at Mar-a-Lago that day.
Farage has quite frequently claimed to be meeting Trump when the reality shows he was simply wandering around in the vague vicinity of the President. On Friday he didn’t even manage that.
This of course is not the real Allister Heath, Editor of the Sunday Telegraph but a random headline generator from the New World. The difference between the generator and Allister’s actual headlines is marginal
Country Joe McDonald (1.1.1942-7.3.2026) is famous for his anti-Vietnam War anthem I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ To Die Rag, as relevant now with Trump’s imperial adventures in Iran as it was in the late 1960s
Country Joe McDonald who wrote one of the great anti-war songs, I Feel Like I’m Fixin to Die Rag, about the Vietnam War has died aged 84
Country Joe McDonald – Wikipedia
A determinedly political singer he also had in the late 1960s one of the great anti-imperialist moustaches
As yet more US soldiers die in Trump’s illegal war in Iran Country Joe’s anti-war message speaks across the generations
Country Joe McDonald who wrote one of the great anti-war songs, I Feel Like I’m Fixin to Die Rag, about the Vietnam War has died aged 84
Country Joe McDonald – Wikipedia
A determinedly political singer he also had in the late 1960s one of the great anti-imperialist moustaches
As yet more US soldiers die in Trump’s illegal war in Iran Country Joe’s anti-war message speaks across the generations
Blair: still not learning the lessons of Iraq 2003
The Guardian has reported remarks that Tony Blair made at a lunch on Friday to the effect that Britain should always support the US’s imperial ambitions come what may. That is exactly what he did with Iraq in 2003 (a war Keir Starmer opposed). He seems to have either forgotten or still prefers to ignore the outcome of the lengthy Chilcott Inquiry which reported in 2016. It found that there had been major issues with Blair’s position.
Given that US planes are in fact using UK bases both in England and the Middle East to prosecute Trump’s war with Iran it might queried what the issue is.
In reality Trump and Netanyahu (who has disappeared from view) has very few supporters for his Iran adventure and clearly thought strapping the UK to a warplane would help. There is a partial parallel with Harold Wilson’s position on the Vietnam War. He supported the US but declined efforts by President Johnson to get him to commit British troops. Like Starmer he did allow the US to use British military bases.
Blair is still not learning from the history of the Iraq War and clearly does not want to. Starmer appears mindful of it, or has been reminded of it. Protests will need to keep reminding him
Guardian 8th March
At a private lunch event on Friday, the former Labour prime minister said Keir Starmer “should have backed America from the very beginning” and let the Trump administration use British airbases, adding: “If they are your ally and they are an indispensable cornerstone for your security … you had better show up when they want you to.”
The Ambridge Socialist
8th March
International Women’s Day. Is Helen heading for a happy ending?
Helen is pondering the future. She has turned down an offer to run a new organic creamery owned by a rock star and has put a bid in for a new house. At the same time there is Finlay and the croft… Helen’s liberation is at stake
Grundys at War and the Young Ones
Amber has had a scan and new Grundy is on the way. A cause for celebration but Eddie and Will are struggling. The Ambridge Socialist’s sympathies are with Eddie more than forelock tugger Will. However a truth and reconciliation session seems to have worked.
Ruairi
Alice is feeling sympathetic for Ruairi which is rather better than Brian managed. However he plans to remain at Blossom Hill Cottage for the moment pondering the times and his crimes
In Other News
Joe Grundy’s favourite biscuit has been revealed: Garibaldi
Great news: the Cider Club is re-opening
Allister Heath is the Editor of the Sunday Telegraph. The random headline generator produced by New World is usually close to Heath’s own random thoughts…
Brewdog UK was sold to US company Tilray on 2nd March. 484 workers were sacked on the spot and 38 bars closed.
The CEO of Tilray Dwight Simon has held a briefing for US business analysts
He said there were plans to re-open four of the bars on a franchise basis (Brewdog has a number of franchised bars which remain open) and was interested in attracting franchisers. There were also plans for a new bar at Heathrow Airport.
The Brewdog distillery whose closure was announced recently is set to reopen
Simon noted that while Brewdog had the capacity to brew 2 million barrels it was running at 670,000 barrels in 2024. He saw room to brew Tilray’s US brands such as Shock Top and Sweetwater at Ellon.
Tilray bought Brewdog for a cut price £33m after it went into administration. Private Equity stakeholder TSG got no return
CEO James Taylor and Chief Operating Officer Lauren Carroll continue to be employed to lead a growth plan
Away from the CEO talk a US analyst noted that it remained to be seen how Tilray fares with a ‘damaged brand and a downtrodden workforce’….
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