So it seems that the 'Biden crime family' claims have been confirmed.
Very silly. Did you right wingers miss Trump's pre-Presidential life, his Presidency, his sedition, his trials including the adjudicated rape trial and his currency scam.
That just means we have a Trump crime family to go with the Biden crime family.
I have just seen Trump at some event pardoning the Jan 6th traitors today and he is apparently "pissed" over the Biden family pre-emptive pardons. Presumably that means he was going for them and he is "pissed" that he can't.
This circus is going to be worse than anticipated.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
His first term was hardly a raging success.
A lot of Trump's economic policy will be inflationary. He will want big tax cuts (mostly for the rich and business but it'll still widen the deficit further); he'll struggle to cut costs because Congress and beneficiaries; he wants low interest rates; he wants big tariffs. Every economic theory points to that leading to prices rising, probably pretty quickly given how little slack there is in the economy at the moment.
A commentator has just said tariffs will be payable by the country's government's and not the exporters
Is this generally understood ?
Just means HMRC will* have to set up a new system to do the collection from the exporters and the payment for any exports to the US. Anything else would be a massive subsidy to the exporters from the taxpayer.
Just think what could go wrong .....
*Assuming, of course, this commentator is right.
I agree and not sure how accurate his comment it
Having said that ... I sometimes order stuff from overseas. And there is an increasing tendency worldwide to make the overseas firm collect the (in this case) UK VAT and, if applicable, import duties and pay the UK customs. Now in a way this is good because the parcel doesn't have to sit around waiting for HMRC to levy taxes and then the Post Office to get the money off me with an admin charge of £10 or £16, which is a huge pain for small orders.
Not the same thing, of course, but the logic of getting the foreigner to do all the work and cough up in advance is there. So I wonder just a little bit. Especially if the Usonians can say, not a single penny did an American pay in tariffs.
That’s just the case where the overseas firm chooses to import the goods itself (usually using a customs agent) because otherwise it would lose customers post-Brexit.
It's actually nothing to do with Brexit - this is Japanese stuff for instance that I'm talking about. The changeover began at about the same time, though.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
LOL.
I don’t expect you to understand. But don’t say you weren’t warned. There are vastly more people in this country who are amenable to small state economics, a deterrent defence policy and secure borders than there are who currently admit in that poll that they are favourable to the new U.S. government. If it succeeds on its own terms, that sentiment will shift quite significantly and the consequent impact on UK politics might not be in the direction you would like.
A commentator has just said tariffs will be payable by the country's government's and not the exporters
Is this generally understood ?
Just means HMRC will* have to set up a new system to do the collection from the exporters and the payment for any exports to the US. Anything else would be a massive subsidy to the exporters from the taxpayer.
Just think what could go wrong .....
*Assuming, of course, this commentator is right.
I agree and not sure how accurate his comment it
Having said that ... I sometimes order stuff from overseas. And there is an increasing tendency worldwide to make the overseas firm collect the (in this case) UK VAT and, if applicable, import duties and pay the UK customs. Now in a way this is good because the parcel doesn't have to sit around waiting for HMRC to levy taxes and then the Post Office to get the money off me with an admin charge of £10 or £16, which is a huge pain for small orders.
Not the same thing, of course, but the logic of getting the foreigner to do all the work and cough up in advance is there. So I wonder just a little bit. Especially if the Usonians can say, not a single penny did an American pay in tariffs.
That’s just the case where the overseas firm chooses to import the goods itself (usually using a customs agent) because otherwise it would lose customers post-Brexit.
What very often happens is that the firms set up U.K. websites that handles the taxes as part of the import. So the customer doesn’t get a bill.
One of my daughters hit this, when she thought she’d got a better price buying a jacket direct from Canada (I think).
Comes on stage bouncing and cheering like a toddler Says this is what victory feels like and thumps the lectern like a pre-teen Does the Duce salute twice and says "my heart goes out to you" Gets giddy about a Murican landing on Mars and plants the flag twice in a madly over the top way Sounds very Sarfafricaan at times
Not remotely a Nazi salute. Just a small child innocently doing the most inappropriate thing at the most inappropriate time because doesn't know any better.
I must say it looks a little different to me.
Musk is often socially inept, but here it looks.a little as if he suddenly feels released to wear that as a badge of pride, and simultaneously play the Trumpian game of deniable provocations. Don't forget thst he often seems very desperate to go along.with whatever Trump is doing, at public events.
Twix are busy editing Elon's "totally innocent, not a Nazi salute at all" out of his speech
You are quite deranged if you think elon musk just gave a heil hitler salute on stage. And with that I bid you adieu, there is little in the way of useful predictive insight on these pages on days when emotions run high.
Twix are busy editing Elon's "totally innocent, not a Nazi salute at all" out of his speech
You are quite deranged if you think elon musk just gave a heil hitler salute on stage. And with that I bid you adieu, there is little in the way of useful predictive insight on these pages on days when emotions run high.
Let’s say Trump imposes a 20% tariff on a thing. That means the person importing the thing has to pay 20% of its value to the US Government
In other words, tariffs will put up the price of everything Murica imports which has one slapped on it. Which may be an awful lot of stuff.
The “China will pay the China tariff” suggestion was latched onto by low information Trump voters who mystified and then angry in vox pops when the usually smart arsed interviewer explains it to them
Indeed.
What's not clear is if Trump even understands this. He seems to view a trade deficit as money one country pays another and therefore which those countries "owe" the US, as opposed to people in one country enjoying the purchase of items they want from people in another country.
It isn’t about whether Trump understands it. It’s about whether his voters understand it. Slap a 20% tariff on Chinese imports and your iPhone costs $200 more. Not a vote winner! But say we’re bringing jobs home to Murica and China will pay? A vote winner.
When it all goes tits up and your iPhone costs $1,200 not $1,000? Blame the Biden crime family or someone else.
A 20% tariff wouldn't result in iPhone prices rising 20%, because a lot of the price of the iPhone is gross margin. If it costs $500 to "buy" the iPhone from Hon Hai, then that adds $100 to the cost of the iPhone, rather than $200.
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
A lot depends: I think the moves he makes on border security will be popular.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
Twix are busy editing Elon's "totally innocent, not a Nazi salute at all" out of his speech
You are quite deranged if you think elon musk just gave a heil hitler salute on stage. And with that I bid you adieu, there is little in the way of useful predictive insight on these pages on days when emotions run high.
Well, no need for them to edit it out then, that's good news.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
The theme of Trump 2.0 is grift.
The Tech Bros think they are going to be in on the action, but only if they pay their dues to the Big Dog...
Let’s say Trump imposes a 20% tariff on a thing. That means the person importing the thing has to pay 20% of its value to the US Government
In other words, tariffs will put up the price of everything Murica imports which has one slapped on it. Which may be an awful lot of stuff.
The “China will pay the China tariff” suggestion was latched onto by low information Trump voters who mystified and then angry in vox pops when the usually smart arsed interviewer explains it to them
Indeed.
What's not clear is if Trump even understands this. He seems to view a trade deficit as money one country pays another and therefore which those countries "owe" the US, as opposed to people in one country enjoying the purchase of items they want from people in another country.
It isn’t about whether Trump understands it. It’s about whether his voters understand it. Slap a 20% tariff on Chinese imports and your iPhone costs $200 more. Not a vote winner! But say we’re bringing jobs home to Murica and China will pay? A vote winner.
When it all goes tits up and your iPhone costs $1,200 not $1,000? Blame the Biden crime family or someone else.
A 20% tariff wouldn't result in iPhone prices rising 20%, because a lot of the price of the iPhone is gross margin. If it costs $500 to "buy" the iPhone from Hon Hai, then that adds $100 to the cost of the iPhone, rather than $200.
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
If you onshore assembly but the components are made in Asia you are either going to complicate production, or do so little in the US that you might as well have not bothered.
Providing they go easy on the thought-police stuff (never a guarantee) this policing bill could be a success for Labour politically.
Where is Kemi on this? I mentioned weeks ago that they should get on the front foot on crime, embracing the 'crush crime' campaign, as it was an all-encompassing issue that pisses off Waitrose shopping Lib Dems (who they inexplicably want to continue to pander to) and Wetherspoons patrons alike.
Instead the USELESS lot of them are sitting on their USELESS behinds, and they're not going to have any response to this crime and policing bill except to vote for it.
So why don't they get their finger out and develop a good crime and justice policy and put it out there, so that when Labour's bill comes out it will either be deemed a copy, or it will be different and they can point to theirs being better.
Did I say the word USELESS??
There’s zero point developing policy on something like that immediately before the government is about to publish their own bill. Of course they should oppose, and point out areas that would be done differently, but they don’t yet net to be a government in waiting.
Uarrghhhhhhhhh.
YES THEY DO.
They DO need to look like a Government in waiting - that's the point of an opposition!
Kemi doesn't have two years to fart around finding herself whilst her shadow cabinet is essentially the mangled entrails of Sunak's cabinet and all they have to talk about is reminiscing about how they were much better - they who earned the mother of all election defeats.
Let’s say Trump imposes a 20% tariff on a thing. That means the person importing the thing has to pay 20% of its value to the US Government
In other words, tariffs will put up the price of everything Murica imports which has one slapped on it. Which may be an awful lot of stuff.
The “China will pay the China tariff” suggestion was latched onto by low information Trump voters who mystified and then angry in vox pops when the usually smart arsed interviewer explains it to them
Indeed.
What's not clear is if Trump even understands this. He seems to view a trade deficit as money one country pays another and therefore which those countries "owe" the US, as opposed to people in one country enjoying the purchase of items they want from people in another country.
It isn’t about whether Trump understands it. It’s about whether his voters understand it. Slap a 20% tariff on Chinese imports and your iPhone costs $200 more. Not a vote winner! But say we’re bringing jobs home to Murica and China will pay? A vote winner.
When it all goes tits up and your iPhone costs $1,200 not $1,000? Blame the Biden crime family or someone else.
A 20% tariff wouldn't result in iPhone prices rising 20%, because a lot of the price of the iPhone is gross margin. If it costs $500 to "buy" the iPhone from Hon Hai, then that adds $100 to the cost of the iPhone, rather than $200.
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
It’s not iPhones which are going to matter; it’s the cheap stuff (clothing, for example) which makes life affordable for the not very well off. They’re the ones who most felt the effect of inflation under Biden, and helped kick the Dems out.
It’s not iPhones which are going to matter; it’s the cheap stuff (clothing, for example) which makes life affordable for the not very well off. They’re the ones who most felt the effect of inflation under Biden, and helped kick the Dems out.
Those MAGA hats are going to be waayyyyy more expensive...
It's not really emotion, from my point of view at least.
To summarise m, it lookas if if he might have sudddenly realised, in the spur of a moment, that being socially inept or "wrong", can be immediately converted into being anti-socially and edgily provocative a la Trump, especially if an ambiguous, or deniable context.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
A lot depends: I think the moves he makes on border security will be popular.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
You're absolutely right on the impact of the tariffs. The interesting question is whether the Trump administration can sell them despite this. We all know the problems with protectionism, but if governments are able to sell a tariff policy as protecting native workers, developing industries at home, resolving unfair practices, bringing countries to the negotiating table... these are arguments that are unfashionable (and I happen to generally disagree with them), but if the government can persuade people that they benefit from them... then it becomes an interesting new front in political discourse.
Let’s say Trump imposes a 20% tariff on a thing. That means the person importing the thing has to pay 20% of its value to the US Government
In other words, tariffs will put up the price of everything Murica imports which has one slapped on it. Which may be an awful lot of stuff.
The “China will pay the China tariff” suggestion was latched onto by low information Trump voters who mystified and then angry in vox pops when the usually smart arsed interviewer explains it to them
Indeed.
What's not clear is if Trump even understands this. He seems to view a trade deficit as money one country pays another and therefore which those countries "owe" the US, as opposed to people in one country enjoying the purchase of items they want from people in another country.
It isn’t about whether Trump understands it. It’s about whether his voters understand it. Slap a 20% tariff on Chinese imports and your iPhone costs $200 more. Not a vote winner! But say we’re bringing jobs home to Murica and China will pay? A vote winner.
When it all goes tits up and your iPhone costs $1,200 not $1,000? Blame the Biden crime family or someone else.
A 20% tariff wouldn't result in iPhone prices rising 20%, because a lot of the price of the iPhone is gross margin. If it costs $500 to "buy" the iPhone from Hon Hai, then that adds $100 to the cost of the iPhone, rather than $200.
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
If you onshore assembly but the components are made in Asia you are either going to complicate production, or do so little in the US that you might as well have not bothered.
The counter argument is that by pulling production onshore, you encourage “dragging” further component production onshore.
This was the argument given by the Raspberry Pi people when they wanted the duty on components to match that for finished goods. So that making Raspberry Pis in the U.K. would be competitive.
At the moment we actually penalise people trying to bring such things onshore.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
LOL.
I don’t expect you to understand. But don’t say you weren’t warned. There are vastly more people in this country who are amenable to small state economics, a deterrent defence policy and secure borders than there are who currently admit in that poll that they are favourable to the new U.S. government. If it succeeds on its own terms, that sentiment will shift quite significantly and the consequent impact on UK politics might not be in the direction you would like.
If someone wants "small state economics, a deterrent defence policy and secure borders", fair enough. Those aren't my priorities, but I'm happy to debate the issues and then we'll see who wins at the next UK election. I'd love to be in a world where a US President had just taken office who is going to deliver sensible policies along those lines.
Trump is nothing like that. He is going to deliver grift, corruption and chaos. He will run up a huge deficit, not "small state economics". He wants to pull back from NATO, the core of the West's deterrent defence policy for three quarters of a century, and is even talking about invading two other NATO members. He'll sell out Ukraine to Putin. Trump spent his 2016 campaign saying "Build the wall", and then didn't, and I'm sure he'll deliver exactly as much this time around.
The divide in politics today is not between small or big state economics, it's between rational people who respect the rule of law and democracy, and a bunch of authoritarian, conspiracy theory-believing oligarchs.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
The theme of Trump 2.0 is grift.
The Tech Bros think they are going to be in on the action, but only if they pay their dues to the Big Dog...
I suspect their main driver is they don't want a sniff of anti-trust action.
They are all too big and have too many monopolies in their respective sub-markets and they know it.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
A lot depends: I think the moves he makes on border security will be popular.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
Though if he starts arresting and deporting the nice lady who cleans and watches the kids on Thursdays that may cause problems. Especially when the wife can’t get cover for the yoga class.
Bit like the tariffs - if he goes as far as he is saying, he will be breaking a lot of stuff.
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
IIRC Apple already tried onshoring manufacturing for the TrashCan Mac Pro.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
A lot depends: I think the moves he makes on border security will be popular.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
Yes, I have ditched my stocks that look most susceptible to sanctions and trade war. The market is at an all time high so a good time to take some profits and pause for thought.
Canada for example has plans to specifically tariff red states again.
People are missing the point about Musk and the salute. It's not that he's a Nazi - he isn't. It's that he's a ticking PR time-bomb that sucks oxygen from Donald Trump every time he explodes. And Trump won't tolerate that for long.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
A lot depends: I think the moves he makes on border security will be popular.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
Though if he starts arresting and deporting the nice lady who cleans and watches the kids on Thursdays that may cause problems. Especially when the wife can’t get cover for the yoga class.
Bit like the tariffs - if he goes as far as he is saying, he will be breaking a lot of stuff.
The impact on some farmers could also be pretty severe, with knock on effects on the price of food.
A commentator has just said tariffs will be payable by the country's government's and not the exporters
Is this generally understood ?
You export a 1000kg of finest Anglesey wool to USA in a big box. The price is $1000. When it arrives on New York docks a man comes up and puts a stamp on the big box and charges $200 otherwise it doesn't come in. That money is paid by HMRC (not you) because HMRC is the national customs authority of the UK.
You now have a problem because your big box now costs $1200 and fewer people will buy it.
HMRC have a problem because they just had to shell out $200.
Americans now have a problem because their favourite Anglesey wool is 20% more expensive and their tootsies are no longer as warm.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
The theme of Trump 2.0 is grift.
The Tech Bros think they are going to be in on the action, but only if they pay their dues to the Big Dog...
I suspect their main driver is they don't want a sniff of anti-trust action.
They are all too big and have too many monopolies in their respective sub-markets and they know it.
Bezos was looking like a creepy mannequin at the inauguration, and moving his head from side to side like a Thundebirds puppet.
Musk looked almost uncontrollable at the mention of Mars, like a child on a pogo stick. These odd characters will define the next four years.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
A lot depends: I think the moves he makes on border security will be popular.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
Though if he starts arresting and deporting the nice lady who cleans and watches the kids on Thursdays that may cause problems. Especially when the wife can’t get cover for the yoga class.
Bit like the tariffs - if he goes as far as he is saying, he will be breaking a lot of stuff.
The problem with populists of whatever hue.
Yes, the first-order things they propose, whether it's tax cuts and small government, strong borders and no foreigners, free owls for all or no more building, are popular.
It's the consequences of those things that always turn out unpopular.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
A lot depends: I think the moves he makes on border security will be popular.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
Though if he starts arresting and deporting the nice lady who cleans and watches the kids on Thursdays that may cause problems. Especially when the wife can’t get cover for the yoga class.
Bit like the tariffs - if he goes as far as he is saying, he will be breaking a lot of stuff.
The problem with populists of whatever hue.
Yes, the first-order things they propose, whether it's tax cuts and small government, strong borders and no foreigners, free owls for all or no more building, are popular.
It's the consequences of those things that always turn out unpopular.
It's often not even the consequences. They often don't even deliver those things in the first place.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
A lot depends: I think the moves he makes on border security will be popular.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
Though if he starts arresting and deporting the nice lady who cleans and watches the kids on Thursdays that may cause problems. Especially when the wife can’t get cover for the yoga class.
Bit like the tariffs - if he goes as far as he is saying, he will be breaking a lot of stuff.
The impact on some farmers could also be pretty severe, with knock on effects on the price of food.
Though if he shuts down the farming of monsoon crops in the California desert, he may accidentally save the ecosystems of several states.
The UK is the second most attractive country for investment behind the US, signalling a climb up the rankings, according to an annual survey of global business leaders by the consultancy PwC.
Published at the start of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, the survey of almost 5,000 chief executives from 109 countries puts the UK in second place, ahead of China, Germany and India.
That marks the highest ranking for the UK in the survey’s 28-year history – up from fourth in 2024 - and appears to belie some of the gloom that has hovered over the economy in recent months.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
LOL.
I don’t expect you to understand. But don’t say you weren’t warned. There are vastly more people in this country who are amenable to small state economics, a deterrent defence policy and secure borders than there are who currently admit in that poll that they are favourable to the new U.S. government. If it succeeds on its own terms, that sentiment will shift quite significantly and the consequent impact on UK politics might not be in the direction you would like.
Trump isn't about small state economics. He's a big borrow and spend merchant.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
IIRC Apple already tried onshoring manufacturing for the TrashCan Mac Pro.
It was a disaster
Because literrally hundreds of companies contribute to making something like an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Every component part is itself a product of multiple companies doing various bits of manufacturing, assembly, and testing. When you move the product assembly far away from where the components and subassemblies are made you simply add to the cost, increase delays between stages, reduce communication, and usually end up making a worse product.
So unless you can onshore much of the electronics industry of East Asia —which would mean thousands of companies, many millions of employees, and trillions of dollars worth of businesses — then it's probably not worth making the iPhone in the US.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
So unless you can onshore much of the electronics industry of East Asia —which would mean thousands of companies, many millions of employees, and trillions of dollars worth of businesses — then it's probably not worth making the iPhone in the US.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
I suppose it's a matter of faith. But, whatever you do, don't let anyone dump your hard drive:
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
A lot depends: I think the moves he makes on border security will be popular.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
Though if he starts arresting and deporting the nice lady who cleans and watches the kids on Thursdays that may cause problems. Especially when the wife can’t get cover for the yoga class.
Bit like the tariffs - if he goes as far as he is saying, he will be breaking a lot of stuff.
The impact on some farmers could also be pretty severe, with knock on effects on the price of food.
Though if he shuts down the farming of monsoon crops in the California desert, he may accidentally save the ecosystems of several states.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
I suppose it's a matter of faith. But, whatever you do, don't let anyone dump your hard drive:
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
I'm curious as to how much it would cost to dig up the old computer.
Offer Newport council a few hundred million if its successful and it would be ridiculous not to give it a go.
So ridiculous that it might see another party taking control at the next election.
I wonder how Donald Trump feels tonight about being upstaged on his big day.
It is going to be very interesting to see how the Trump/Musk thing works out now that the power relationship has changed significantly - with Trump now having Presidential power.
and with Trump now having tens of crypto billions of his own.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
I suppose it's a matter of faith. But, whatever you do, don't let anyone dump your hard drive:
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
I'm curious as to how much it would cost to dig up the old computer.
Offer Newport council a few hundred million if its successful and it would be ridiculous not to give it a go.
So ridiculous that it might see another party taking control at the next election.
The issue is that it is unlikely the data on hard drive will retrievable, even if it is found.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
I suppose it's a matter of faith. But, whatever you do, don't let anyone dump your hard drive:
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
I'm curious as to how much it would cost to dig up the old computer.
Offer Newport council a few hundred million if its successful and it would be ridiculous not to give it a go.
So ridiculous that it might see another party taking control at the next election.
Not as simple as that. Imagine having your local dump opened up and spread around. And then needing to be put back.
And if the thing isn't found, or someone else does and pinches it, or it's kaput?
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
IIRC Apple already tried onshoring manufacturing for the TrashCan Mac Pro.
It was a disaster
Because literrally hundreds of companies contribute to making something like an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Every component part is itself a product of multiple companies doing various bits of manufacturing, assembly, and testing. When you move the product assembly far away from where the components and subassemblies are made you simply add to the cost, increase delays between stages, reduce communication, and usually end up making a worse product.
So unless you can onshore much of the electronics industry of East Asia —which would mean thousands of companies, many millions of employees, and trillions of dollars worth of businesses — then it's probably not worth making the iPhone in the US.
The problem with that idea is that many things are made with long supply and processing chains all over the world.
Vaccines for example - as was shown in COVID, as they shuffled all over the place.
The Trashcan Mac story was about a poor design and people not knowing what they were doing.
If shortening the chain was so inevitable, then Fords vision of iron mines and rubber plantations at one end and cars rolling out the other would have conquered the world. Yet it failed.
The UK is the second most attractive country for investment behind the US, signalling a climb up the rankings, according to an annual survey of global business leaders by the consultancy PwC.
Published at the start of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, the survey of almost 5,000 chief executives from 109 countries puts the UK in second place, ahead of China, Germany and India.
That marks the highest ranking for the UK in the survey’s 28-year history – up from fourth in 2024 - and appears to belie some of the gloom that has hovered over the economy in recent months.
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
IIRC Apple already tried onshoring manufacturing for the TrashCan Mac Pro.
It was a disaster
Because literrally hundreds of companies contribute to making something like an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Every component part is itself a product of multiple companies doing various bits of manufacturing, assembly, and testing. When you move the product assembly far away from where the components and subassemblies are made you simply add to the cost, increase delays between stages, reduce communication, and usually end up making a worse product.
So unless you can onshore much of the electronics industry of East Asia —which would mean thousands of companies, many millions of employees, and trillions of dollars worth of businesses — then it's probably not worth making the iPhone in the US.
The problem with that idea is that many things are made with long supply and processing chains all over the world.
Vaccines for example - as was shown in COVID, as they shuffled all over the place.
The Trashcan Mac story was about a poor design and people not knowing what they were doing.
If shortening the chain was so inevitable, then Fords vision of iron mines and rubber plantations at one end and cars rolling out the other would have conquered the world. Yet it failed.
(Although that said, the tight integration of Tesla's manufacturing has undoubtedly been a contributor to its success.)
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
Trump and his cohorts are such shameless grifters. It's what the people wanted I guess, but still.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
Like others have said on here, today feels like a very big change in direction for the West. Probably the biggest political shift since the free market really took off in the 1980s.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
A lot depends: I think the moves he makes on border security will be popular.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
Though if he starts arresting and deporting the nice lady who cleans and watches the kids on Thursdays that may cause problems. Especially when the wife can’t get cover for the yoga class.
Bit like the tariffs - if he goes as far as he is saying, he will be breaking a lot of stuff.
The impact on some farmers could also be pretty severe, with knock on effects on the price of food.
Though if he shuts down the farming of monsoon crops in the California desert, he may accidentally save the ecosystems of several states.
Incidentally, one area that hasn’t been mentioned is water rights. For those that don’t know, Mexico has some agreed water rights to water that passes through US territory….
I wonder how Donald Trump feels tonight about being upstaged on his big day.
It is going to be very interesting to see how the Trump/Musk thing works out now that the power relationship has changed significantly - with Trump now having Presidential power.
and with Trump now having tens of crypto billions of his own.
His TrumpMedia and (temporary) Crypto billions, existing only because of his political power, might be the only reason he is truly rich, given his property empire seems to be very shifty and based on him inflating values enormously.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
I suppose it's a matter of faith. But, whatever you do, don't let anyone dump your hard drive:
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
I'm curious as to how much it would cost to dig up the old computer.
Offer Newport council a few hundred million if its successful and it would be ridiculous not to give it a go.
So ridiculous that it might see another party taking control at the next election.
The issue is that it is unlikely the data on hard drive will retrievable, even if it is found.
Indeed, that seems likely.
So the supposed £598m needs discounting by the probability that its no longer recoverable.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
I suppose it's a matter of faith. But, whatever you do, don't let anyone dump your hard drive:
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
I'm curious as to how much it would cost to dig up the old computer.
Offer Newport council a few hundred million if its successful and it would be ridiculous not to give it a go.
So ridiculous that it might see another party taking control at the next election.
Not as simple as that. Imagine having your local dump opened up and spread around. And then needing to be put back.
And if the thing isn't found, or someone else does and pinches it, or it's kaput?
Yes, it sounds like it has enormous potential for a win, but the very much more likely reality is it is a shit show and not worth the aggravation.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
I suppose it's a matter of faith. But, whatever you do, don't let anyone dump your hard drive:
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
I'm curious as to how much it would cost to dig up the old computer.
Offer Newport council a few hundred million if its successful and it would be ridiculous not to give it a go.
So ridiculous that it might see another party taking control at the next election.
The issue is that it is unlikely the data on hard drive will retrievable, even if it is found.
Indeed, that seems likely.
So the supposed £598m needs discounting by the probability that its no longer recoverable.
But is that probability 9% or 99% ?
And some risk element for the bitcoin variance in price.
Plus, the council would be insane not to demand an advance deposit, or bond. Which poses its own problems.
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
IIRC Apple already tried onshoring manufacturing for the TrashCan Mac Pro.
It was a disaster
Because literrally hundreds of companies contribute to making something like an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Every component part is itself a product of multiple companies doing various bits of manufacturing, assembly, and testing. When you move the product assembly far away from where the components and subassemblies are made you simply add to the cost, increase delays between stages, reduce communication, and usually end up making a worse product.
So unless you can onshore much of the electronics industry of East Asia —which would mean thousands of companies, many millions of employees, and trillions of dollars worth of businesses — then it's probably not worth making the iPhone in the US.
Forward thinking politicians should announce that everything physically manufactured on the planet will made by robots within thirty years.
So do we as a country build robot factories or do we accept that other countries will do that and we live on new types of jobs or indeed just embrace leisure?
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
I suppose it's a matter of faith. But, whatever you do, don't let anyone dump your hard drive:
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
I'm curious as to how much it would cost to dig up the old computer.
Offer Newport council a few hundred million if its successful and it would be ridiculous not to give it a go.
So ridiculous that it might see another party taking control at the next election.
Not as simple as that. Imagine having your local dump opened up and spread around. And then needing to be put back.
And if the thing isn't found, or someone else does and pinches it, or it's kaput?
Yes, it sounds like it has enormous potential for a win, but the very much more likely reality is it is a shit show and not worth the aggravation.
Quite literally a shit show!
Edit: and *very* unhappy voters anywhere near the dump, whatever happens.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
I suppose it's a matter of faith. But, whatever you do, don't let anyone dump your hard drive:
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
I'm curious as to how much it would cost to dig up the old computer.
Offer Newport council a few hundred million if its successful and it would be ridiculous not to give it a go.
So ridiculous that it might see another party taking control at the next election.
Not as simple as that. Imagine having your local dump opened up and spread around. And then needing to be put back.
And if the thing isn't found, or someone else does and pinches it, or it's kaput?
Its a gamble, likely a long-shot, certainly with expense and aggravation required.
But people gamble on worse things every day and there have been local councils who have bankrupted themselves with worse 'investments'.
On why it may benefit Apple to start "on-shoring" some of its production: A while ago, I sent a letter to Tim Cook, offering to give him a colorful "Free Tibet" bumper sticker -- if he would display it prominently. You will not be shocked to learn that he did not accept my generous offer. (I am going to extend the offer to others.)
As "Emperor" Xi continues his attacks on the US, I expect more and more American consumers to look for products from democratic, friendly, or, best of all, democratic and friendly, nations. For example, the UK.
(For the record: I suspect Apple's small effort at on-shoring recently was intended to fail.)
The issue is that it is unlikely the data on hard drive will retrievable, even if it is found.
As someone who once worked in data recovery, the chance of that drive being usable is zero. Chances of the platters still being readable if transplanted into a donor drive is a tiny fraction of a percent.
Using the money to buy lottery tickets would likely result in a better ROI than paying to dig up the landfill.
Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder · 7h A president’s executive order cannot undo a law or a Supreme Court decision, let alone a provision of the Constitution. Forget that and you do have a dictatorship on day one.
A commentator has just said tariffs will be payable by the country's government's and not the exporters
Is this generally understood ?
Just means HMRC will* have to set up a new system to do the collection from the exporters and the payment for any exports to the US. Anything else would be a massive subsidy to the exporters from the taxpayer.
Just think what could go wrong .....
*Assuming, of course, this commentator is right.
I agree and not sure how accurate his comment it
Having said that ... I sometimes order stuff from overseas. And there is an increasing tendency worldwide to make the overseas firm collect the (in this case) UK VAT and, if applicable, import duties and pay the UK customs. Now in a way this is good because the parcel doesn't have to sit around waiting for HMRC to levy taxes and then the Post Office to get the money off me with an admin charge of £10 or £16, which is a huge pain for small orders.
Not the same thing, of course, but the logic of getting the foreigner to do all the work and cough up in advance is there. So I wonder just a little bit. Especially if the Usonians can say, not a single penny did an American pay in tariffs.
That’s just the case where the overseas firm chooses to import the goods itself (usually using a customs agent) because otherwise it would lose customers post-Brexit.
It's actually nothing to do with Brexit - this is Japanese stuff for instance that I'm talking about. The changeover began at about the same time, though.
It’s potentially Brexit related if it’s Japanese origin. Most Japanese manufacturers used to (actually still do in most cases) import goods into the Netherlands and then ship from there to the rest of the EU. If your sellers had that model then pre Brexit there would have been no customs formalities just an intra-community supply, whereas now a supply from a NL warehouse would have to go through UK customs unless it had been held in a customs (“bonded”) warehouse there.
Since Brexit a lot have been bifurcating supply chains so they still import for EU into the NL but for the UK they either import and store directly, or just do drop-shipments using agents.
No idea if that’s the model your suppliers were using but it’s quite common.
The UK is the second most attractive country for investment behind the US, signalling a climb up the rankings, according to an annual survey of global business leaders by the consultancy PwC.
Published at the start of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, the survey of almost 5,000 chief executives from 109 countries puts the UK in second place, ahead of China, Germany and India.
That marks the highest ranking for the UK in the survey’s 28-year history – up from fourth in 2024 - and appears to belie some of the gloom that has hovered over the economy in recent months.
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
IIRC Apple already tried onshoring manufacturing for the TrashCan Mac Pro.
It was a disaster
Because literrally hundreds of companies contribute to making something like an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Every component part is itself a product of multiple companies doing various bits of manufacturing, assembly, and testing. When you move the product assembly far away from where the components and subassemblies are made you simply add to the cost, increase delays between stages, reduce communication, and usually end up making a worse product.
So unless you can onshore much of the electronics industry of East Asia —which would mean thousands of companies, many millions of employees, and trillions of dollars worth of businesses — then it's probably not worth making the iPhone in the US.
The problem with that idea is that many things are made with long supply and processing chains all over the world.
Vaccines for example - as was shown in COVID, as they shuffled all over the place.
The Trashcan Mac story was about a poor design and people not knowing what they were doing.
If shortening the chain was so inevitable, then Fords vision of iron mines and rubber plantations at one end and cars rolling out the other would have conquered the world. Yet it failed.
(Although that said, the tight integration of Tesla's manufacturing has undoubtedly been a contributor to its success.)
Major tariffs will undoubtedly lead to some manufacturing being onshored to the US. The secret is to put just enough assembly onshore to meet the origin requirements.
Tariffs generally mean more localised manufacturing and final assembly. It’s by no means a given that it’ll be net bad news for everyone - generally speaking it’s potentially good for the protected industry (so long as the components and materials they’re importing are not heavily taxed) and bad for the consumer.
The dynamics here are very different to Brexit. The US is a vast market that companies want access to. The UK’s manufacturing was often only competitive if it was serving the whole of Europe not just the domestic market. So with no deal we’d have risked losing a lot of manufacturing, whereas with a big tariff wall the US would probably gain production, albeit at the expense of consumers and inflation.
Remains to be seen if the consumer impact outweighs the employment impact. It’ll fuck up the rest of the world though, and probably suppress US goods exports.
Sigh... I so nearly made it through the day without hearing anything about the inauguration.
Personally I think it's Trump's immigration stuff that will blow up the economy. Serious inflation incoming. That said, I'm kinda pleased Republicans can do what they want. Hopefully it's a case of people needed to see how bad their ideas are in practice before coming back to normality.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
For the love of god don't buy the unofficial Lorenzo Sewell cryptocurrency.
I suppose it's a matter of faith. But, whatever you do, don't let anyone dump your hard drive:
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
I'm curious as to how much it would cost to dig up the old computer.
Offer Newport council a few hundred million if its successful and it would be ridiculous not to give it a go.
So ridiculous that it might see another party taking control at the next election.
Not as simple as that. Imagine having your local dump opened up and spread around. And then needing to be put back.
And if the thing isn't found, or someone else does and pinches it, or it's kaput?
Its a gamble, likely a long-shot, certainly with expense and aggravation required.
But people gamble on worse things every day and there have been local councils who have bankrupted themselves with worse 'investments'.
I’m most impressed with those councils that have bankrupted themselves over property.
Which has been a one way punt for decades (for vaguely sane deals) and a market where the councils in question have a lot of local power.
Good evening all you Trump sane washers. Can you please explain Elon's authentic Nazi salute?
This circus is not going to end well is it?
Socially challenged and self-described autistic man realises that anti-social and inappropriate, social errors can instantly be turned into edgy and provocative , in the context of that kind of hardcore Maga audience that he was talking to.
Good evening all you Trump sane washers. Can you please explain Elon's authentic Nazi salute?
This circus is not going to end well is it?
There was doubt about that?
For me the scariest thing remains the Supreme Court declaring Presidents immune, that genuinely seemed to surprise many legal commentators. Just what might this or future Presidents do?
Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder · 7h A president’s executive order cannot undo a law or a Supreme Court decision, let alone a provision of the Constitution. Forget that and you do have a dictatorship on day one.
Did he miss Biden's tweet asserting that an unratified amendment was the law of the land?
Just hours after blessing the inauguration of Donald Trump, Pastor Lorenzo has launched his very own $Lorenzo crypto and invoked God for the marketing.
Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder · 7h A president’s executive order cannot undo a law or a Supreme Court decision, let alone a provision of the Constitution. Forget that and you do have a dictatorship on day one.
Yes but isn't that where the Trump team are taking the overuse of executive orders? You issue the order, you try to implement it, the court strikes it down, you complain about it, you build a mass of opinion around trying to change the law to enable you to implement it, you fuel more grievance at "the system" to sustain you.
Good evening all you Trump sane washers. Can you please explain Elon's authentic Nazi salute?
This circus is not going to end well is it?
The chumps are struggling because they can't blame a slip of the hand when he did it twice.
Doesn't look like a Hitler salute to me.
It wasn't a Hitler salute.
And it's pretty dumb that we're debating whether or not it was.
Seems all rather desperate from the opponents.
Trump is going to be a total fucking disaster but it isn't going to be because he will get his henchmen to go from arena to arena recreating late 1930s German uniforms, greetings or salutes.
The majority of western countries could end up with Trump-like leaders pretty soon. And all because the establishment leaders/parties wouldn't do things that most ordinary people support like securing borders, taking crime like shoplifting seriously, etc.
Good evening all you Trump sane washers. Can you please explain Elon's authentic Nazi salute?
This circus is not going to end well is it?
The chumps are struggling because they can't blame a slip of the hand when he did it twice.
Doesn't look like a Hitler salute to me.
It wasn't a Hitler salute.
And it's pretty dumb that we're debating whether or not it was.
I would say there is a difference to saying he performed a Nazi salute vs he performed something that was reminiscent of a Nazi salute accidentally.
Mocking the latter could be taken too far and end up looking silly (rottenborough is right that the game will need to be raised to actually take on these clowns), but he is the richest man in the world and a giant egotistical crybaby, so he can afford to take a few jibes about it and frankly could use some vicious mockery if it helps him dial back his silliness.
He's been around for years and may well be an unusal man, you don't achieve what he has by being an average joe, but he seems to have been deliberately acting like a shitbag for several years, presumably because he can, and it's just getting sad and takes away the benefit of the doubt for him when he looks to do something terrible.
At least with Trump you know it's utterly sincere, if awful. Elon is always performing. When you do that, sometimes it blows up like one of his rockets.
The majority of western countries could end up with Trump-like leaders pretty soon. And all because the establishment leaders/parties wouldn't do things that most ordinary people support like securing borders, taking crime like shoplifting seriously, etc.
Funny how the blame is always on those who fail to prevent the Trumps rather than the Trumps themselves. Cannot win really.
Edit: That's not a call for reflection, it's shifting responsibility and agency away from Trump types and those who back them - yes it needs to be understood and the Democrats and those like them have made choices helping to lead to people making the opposite choice, but the actions are not theirs.
I'm high functioning autistic. I reckon I know if I'm about to give a Nazi salute. I was socialized that way. It's called masking and is learned behaviour. However. My folks weren't owners of an Apartheid diamond mine. So it's probably a different kind of socialisation altogether.
On topic. It’s still socially unacceptable in the UK to admit you were relieved by the election of Trump, even if he is a bit of a bar steward. Anecdotally I think this is starting to recede. “I wouldn’t have voted for Trump but…” is something increasingly heard.
The But being variously fiscal discipline (relatively), credible deterrence to autocrats, the watering down of DEI, purring animal spirits etc…
One wonders how these British voters will assess the trump project if economically it’s a clear success and if by 2029 we see cargo landings on Mars. How many I wonder will claim that back in 2024 they always backed him over Biden? Not many dare say it today because it remains a thought crime. But I suspect it won’t stay that way for long.
LOL.
I don’t expect you to understand. But don’t say you weren’t warned. There are vastly more people in this country who are amenable to small state economics, a deterrent defence policy and secure borders than there are who currently admit in that poll that they are favourable to the new U.S. government. If it succeeds on its own terms, that sentiment will shift quite significantly and the consequent impact on UK politics might not be in the direction you would like.
Trump isn't about small state economics. He's a big borrow and spend merchant.
Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder · 7h A president’s executive order cannot undo a law or a Supreme Court decision, let alone a provision of the Constitution. Forget that and you do have a dictatorship on day one.
Yes but isn't that where the Trump team are taking the overuse of executive orders? You issue the order, you try to implement it, the court strikes it down, you complain about it, you build a mass of opinion around trying to change the law to enable you to implement it, you fuel more grievance at "the system" to sustain you.
This is straight from the populist playbook.
That only works if the grievance 'at the system' is greater than grievance at you for not achieving things.
Trump's got 21 months to solve more problems than he causes, if not then the Dems take the House.
Timothy Snyder @TimothyDSnyder · 7h A president’s executive order cannot undo a law or a Supreme Court decision, let alone a provision of the Constitution. Forget that and you do have a dictatorship on day one.
Yes but isn't that where the Trump team are taking the overuse of executive orders? You issue the order, you try to implement it, the court strikes it down, you complain about it, you build a mass of opinion around trying to change the law to enable you to implement it, you fuel more grievance at "the system" to sustain you.
This is straight from the populist playbook.
This is why the British constitution used to be much better, before Blair tried to Americanise it. Here a majority government can simply change the law, so there isn't any need for this kind of circus.
Comments
This circus is going to be worse than anticipated.
A lot of Trump's economic policy will be inflationary. He will want big tax cuts (mostly for the rich and business but it'll still widen the deficit further); he'll struggle to cut costs because Congress and beneficiaries; he wants low interest rates; he wants big tariffs. Every economic theory points to that leading to prices rising, probably pretty quickly given how little slack there is in the economy at the moment.
One of my daughters hit this, when she thought she’d got a better price buying a jacket direct from Canada (I think).
Daddy got a customs bill…
Musk is often socially inept, but here it looks.a little as if he suddenly feels released to wear that as a badge of pride, and simultaneously play the Trumpian game of deniable provocations. Don't forget thst he often seems very desperate to go along.with whatever Trump is doing, at public events.
The issue for Apple (and others) is that I explained in my video on bilateral trade balances that bringing iPhone assembly to the US doesn't actually change the overall balance of payments very much, because Hon Hai imports most of the components that make up the iPhone themselves: so the screen may be made in South Korea, the A5 in Taiwan, the camera module in Japan, etc.
The big difference to Trump's first term is the fact that corporate America has really swung behind him. Look at that display at the Capitol today - the big message is that the powerbrokers are on board.
It remains to be seen quite how this develops. Trump's first term was a chaotic four years. This term could be equally chaotic, but the mood music feels very different and it feels like they mean business this time. What it does mean is that we are all in for a very bumpy ride - change doesn't come without disruption.
We don't know how this four years will reshape the West, but it does certainly feel like it will reshape it. Like you, I am not entirely convinced that Trump's vision, approach, mindset is going to stay as unpopular as polling suggests.
On the other hand, I think the likelihood is that if he aggressively imposes tariffs, then other countries will retaliate against the US. And that will be bad for all of us.
The Tech Bros think they are going to be in on the action, but only if they pay their dues to the Big Dog...
YES THEY DO.
They DO need to look like a Government in waiting - that's the point of an opposition!
Kemi doesn't have two years to fart around finding herself whilst her shadow cabinet is essentially the mangled entrails of Sunak's cabinet and all they have to talk about is reminiscing about how they were much better - they who earned the mother of all election defeats.
It was Heil Trump
To summarise m, it lookas if if he might have sudddenly realised, in the spur of a moment, that being socially inept or "wrong", can be immediately converted into being anti-socially and edgily provocative a la Trump, especially if an ambiguous, or deniable context.
This was the argument given by the Raspberry Pi people when they wanted the duty on components to match that for finished goods. So that making Raspberry Pis in the U.K. would be competitive.
At the moment we actually penalise people trying to bring such things onshore.
Trump is nothing like that. He is going to deliver grift, corruption and chaos. He will run up a huge deficit, not "small state economics". He wants to pull back from NATO, the core of the West's deterrent defence policy for three quarters of a century, and is even talking about invading two other NATO members. He'll sell out Ukraine to Putin. Trump spent his 2016 campaign saying "Build the wall", and then didn't, and I'm sure he'll deliver exactly as much this time around.
The divide in politics today is not between small or big state economics, it's between rational people who respect the rule of law and democracy, and a bunch of authoritarian, conspiracy theory-believing oligarchs.
They are all too big and have too many monopolies in their respective sub-markets and they know it.
Bit like the tariffs - if he goes as far as he is saying, he will be breaking a lot of stuff.
It was a disaster
Canada for example has plans to specifically tariff red states again.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-ottawa-mulls-early-announcement-of-retaliatory-tariffs-on-us-goods/
@DPJHodges
People are missing the point about Musk and the salute. It's not that he's a Nazi - he isn't. It's that he's a ticking PR time-bomb that sucks oxygen from Donald Trump every time he explodes. And Trump won't tolerate that for long.
You export a 1000kg of finest Anglesey wool to USA in a big box. The price is $1000. When it arrives on New York docks a man comes up and puts a stamp on the big box and charges $200 otherwise it doesn't come in. That money is paid by HMRC (not you) because HMRC is the national customs authority of the UK.- You now have a problem because your big box now costs $1200 and fewer people will buy it.
- HMRC have a problem because they just had to shell out $200.
- Americans now have a problem because their favourite Anglesey wool is 20% more expensive and their tootsies are no longer as warm.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/trade-tariffsIgnore me. I am stupid
Musk looked almost uncontrollable at the mention of Mars, like a child on a pogo stick. These odd characters will define the next four years.
Yes, the first-order things they propose, whether it's tax cuts and small government, strong borders and no foreigners, free owls for all or no more building, are popular.
It's the consequences of those things that always turn out unpopular.
“Lorenzo Sewell, the pastor that spoke at Trump’s inauguration earlier today, urged people on social media to buy “the official Lorenzo Sewell” cryptocurrency.”
So unless you can onshore much of the electronics industry of East Asia —which would mean thousands of companies, many millions of employees, and trillions of dollars worth of businesses — then it's probably not worth making the iPhone in the US.
the gulliblevotersNot going to happen in the next 4 years
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj0r0dvgpy0o
'A judge has thrown out a man's attempt to sue a council to recover from a rubbish tip a Bitcoin hard drive that is now worth about £598m.
James Howells had argued that his former partner had mistakenly dumped the hard drive containing a Bitcoin wallet in 2013, and he wanted to access the site and recover the cryptocurrency.
But Newport council asked a High Court judge to strike out Mr Howells' legal action to access the landfill or get £495m in compensation.'
If you haven't seen it, this Vox video on water US in the Western US is absolutely eye opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0gN1x6sVTc&ab_channel=Vox
It is disgraceful.
Offer Newport council a few hundred million if its successful and it would be ridiculous not to give it a go.
So ridiculous that it might see another party taking control at the next election.
And if the thing isn't found, or someone else does and pinches it, or it's kaput?
Vaccines for example - as was shown in COVID, as they shuffled all over the place.
The Trashcan Mac story was about a poor design and people not knowing what they were doing.
If shortening the chain was so inevitable, then Fords vision of iron mines and rubber plantations at one end and cars rolling out the other would have conquered the world. Yet it failed.
Other countries sell holidays to this country and this country sells assets to other countries.
It all balances in the end.
She looks nice on the photo, if in need of a good meal or two, who ever she is.
So it begins again...
So the supposed £598m needs discounting by the probability that its no longer recoverable.
But is that probability 9% or 99% ?
Plus, the council would be insane not to demand an advance deposit, or bond. Which poses its own problems.
So do we as a country build robot factories or do we accept that other countries will do that and we live on new types of jobs or indeed just embrace leisure?
Tech is moving so fast.
Trump is already out of date.
Edit: and *very* unhappy voters anywhere near the dump, whatever happens.
It's encouraging that the young are so keen on politics and arthouse film.
But people gamble on worse things every day and there have been local councils who have bankrupted themselves with worse 'investments'.
As "Emperor" Xi continues his attacks on the US, I expect more and more American consumers to look for products from democratic, friendly, or, best of all, democratic and friendly, nations. For example, the UK.
(For the record: I suspect Apple's small effort at on-shoring recently was intended to fail.)
Using the money to buy lottery tickets would likely result in a better ROI than paying to dig up the landfill.
Timothy Snyder
@TimothyDSnyder
·
7h
A president’s executive order cannot undo a law or a Supreme Court decision, let alone a provision of the Constitution. Forget that and you do have a dictatorship on day one.
Since Brexit a lot have been bifurcating supply chains so they still import for EU into the NL but for the UK they either import and store
directly, or just do drop-shipments using agents.
No idea if that’s the model your suppliers were using but it’s quite common.
This circus is not going to end well is it?
Ah well, back to worrying about the end of the World as we know it.
Tariffs generally mean more localised manufacturing and final assembly. It’s by no means a given that it’ll be net bad news for everyone - generally speaking it’s potentially good for the protected industry (so long as the components and materials they’re importing are not heavily taxed) and bad for the consumer.
The dynamics here are very different to Brexit. The US is a vast market that companies want access to. The UK’s manufacturing was often only competitive if it was serving the whole of Europe not just the domestic market. So with no deal we’d have risked losing a lot of manufacturing, whereas with a big tariff wall the US would probably gain production, albeit at the expense of consumers and inflation.
Remains to be seen if the consumer impact outweighs the employment impact. It’ll fuck up the rest of the world though, and probably suppress US goods exports.
Personally I think it's Trump's immigration stuff that will blow up the economy. Serious inflation incoming.
That said, I'm kinda pleased Republicans can do what they want. Hopefully it's a case of people needed to see how bad their ideas are in practice before coming back to normality.
Which has been a one way punt for decades (for vaguely sane deals) and a market where the councils in question have a lot of local power.
Bit like bankrupting a casino you own, really.
audience that he was talking to.
For me the scariest thing remains the Supreme Court declaring Presidents immune, that genuinely seemed to surprise many legal commentators. Just what might this or future Presidents do?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/17/biden-declares-there-is-now-28th-amendment-there-is-not/
And it's pretty dumb that we're debating whether or not it was.
https://x.com/skyler_higley/status/1881473922627256734?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q
https://x.com/pastorzosewell/status/1881440095825244231
This is straight from the populist playbook.
Trump is going to be a total fucking disaster but it isn't going to be because he will get his henchmen to go from arena to arena recreating late 1930s German uniforms, greetings or salutes.
Never Trumpers: raise your game!
Mocking the latter could be taken too far and end up looking silly (rottenborough is right that the game will need to be raised to actually take on these clowns), but he is the richest man in the world and a giant egotistical crybaby, so he can afford to take a few jibes about it and frankly could use some vicious mockery if it helps him dial back his silliness.
He's been around for years and may well be an unusal man, you don't achieve what he has by being an average joe, but he seems to have been deliberately acting like a shitbag for several years, presumably because he can, and it's just getting sad and takes away the benefit of the doubt for him when he looks to do something terrible.
At least with Trump you know it's utterly sincere, if awful. Elon is always performing. When you do that, sometimes it blows up like one of his rockets.
Edit: That's not a call for reflection, it's shifting responsibility and agency away from Trump types and those who back them - yes it needs to be understood and the Democrats and those like them have made choices helping to lead to people making the opposite choice, but the actions are not theirs.
I reckon I know if I'm about to give a Nazi salute.
I was socialized that way. It's called masking and is learned behaviour.
However. My folks weren't owners of an Apartheid diamond mine.
So it's probably a different kind of socialisation altogether.
How often do you find yourself doing an accidental, chest pump and flat palmed salute?
Trump's got 21 months to solve more problems than he causes, if not then the Dems take the House.