The presidency of Donald Trump has left such a wretched stench in Europe that it's hard to see how, even in four years, Joe Biden could possibly get America's most important alliance back on track.
Regardless, the Trump era has left Europeans with little choice but to wait and see how much of a priority Biden places on reclaiming America's place on the world stage. And they will use the four years of relative quiet under Biden to build safeguards against the all too real possibility of another Euroskeptic firestarter winning the White House in 2024.
The mistake that people make that “America leading the world” does not mean “America doing whatever European politicians want”.
Trump was more effective on foreign policy than many give him credit for. Was it three countries he bullied/bribed/cajoled into signing peace treaties with Israel?
Trump did a good job with Israel and the Middle East.
But I am struggling to see the other foreign policy successes. Yes, he was right that China needed to be confronted. But the practical effect of America's isolationism was that China filled the void in much of the world, and America ended up withdrawing almost all its China tariffs with nothing achieved. (Indeed, worth noting that the US in 2020 will have the worst current account deficit since 2008.)
Trump was also right that Europe needs to do more to defend itself. But he didn't really care about Europe doing more: he wanted the Germans to either cut the Americans a check or to buy more American arms. He would almost certainly have caught more flies with honey than with his vinegar.
And North Korea and Russia were emboldened by Trump, and neither have stopped their meddling. A concerted global effort to stop North Korea exporting illegal drugs might have been backed by everyone. Instead, that pretended they would stop their nuclear programme and didn't.
Of course, the MSPs have a vested interest in that they - or some of them - are aspiring to the Imperial cursus honorum in the Imperial capital - via Commons to a peerage. It's not as if moving to the SNP will do any good in that respect, given SNP policies. And SKS in his desperate need to pander to the English voter all fired up with Tory propaganda about Scotch thieves in your pocket is not helping with his denial of a referendum. As Wendy Alexander - arguably the last really competent leader SLAB had before she was stabbed in the back - shows, one can want to have a referendum even if you don't believe in independence.
And how about getting into bed with Mr Johnson and Mr Gove in the independence issue? It'll be SKS and Brexit again, only worse (because it also brings up Brexit which is increasingly toxic in Scotland).
I suspect that puts them somewhat out of kilter with the membership as a whole, what is left of it after the SNP and Scottish Greens have taken large bites out of it. (And much more so with the voters too, But this is a leadership election.)
Are the unions still involved like last time? If so, then perhaps scratch Mr Sarwar? If I had to bet, I'd go for Ms Lennon if I had to, but my gut feeling is some youngster is more likely to win, as soneone else suggested on PB the other day.
Weirdly, a SLabber who has made it to the Premier League of the Lords wants to do the return trip. I just can't see the logic as she hasn't a scooby of winning, unless she wants to raise her profile for an indy Scotland? Of course I've not understood SLab logic for quite some time.
'A penchant for peers: Scottish Labour picks third member of Lords as Holyrood candidate‘
I was thinking that SLAB were running out of MSPs to elect for leader - never mind MPs. But that's only indirectly related. Even so ... does she think she'll be thrown out of the HoL on indy?
In the event of Indy I’d imagine that there’d be a certain ‘as useful as tits on a bull’ feel for Scottish peers, but that shouldn’t be a novelty for SLabbers. I guess the idea of a reborn & rejuvenated Scottish Labour Party post Indy may have its attractions.
If a future Labour government allowed indyref2 and Yes won then all Scottish peers should of course leave the Lords just as all Scottish MPs would leave the Commons.
If Scots decided to become independent then they can have no further say in the politics of the rUK
One thing that I find slightly peculiar is why some still persist in describing Russia as the "third superpower" - which seems a bit farfetched now.
Because, despite its feeble economy, it is geographically too large to be described as a regional power, and still maintains very large nuclear armed forces ? Its superpower status is certainly questionable and probably fragile, but it remains a threat to many countries, owing to its belligerence.
And agreed, David’s article is thought provoking.
Surely Russia is a threat because of fragile it is. An external battle keeps the internal issues hidden as everyone has something else to focus on.
Also fragile as Russia is (politically, economically), I imagine Putin keeps its armed forces in a state of preparedness, largely because he seems quite keen on using them in various parts of the world. I read that they have c.1300 fighters, I imagine more than 4 of them are combat ready.
Obviously the EU needs a more coherent defence policy, possibly an NEBTO (North East Baltic Treaty Organisation) with its own shoulder flash? That’ll go down well in certain quarters..
Personally I worry about Russia more than China. The willingness to engage in border conflicts and assassinate opponents abroad point to a dangerous recklessness. By contrast, China in its foreign policy seems a fairly standard large power - attempting to gain trade advantages and use money to promote its image is hardly unique behaviour. Their authoritarian internal behaviour and disgusting treatment of the Uighurs reflects the fact that they're an autocracy (as does the instinct of the Wuhan authorities to squash the first reports of Covid), but not an especially threatening one to Britain IMO. I think it's right to be wary in dealing with China and especially Russia, but not to start from a basis that they're looming enemies.
It's quite difficult to separate a reasonable analysis of the actual risks from the look-squirrel attempts by Western leaders in difficulty - Trump in the most obvious example but he's not alone. During the Cold War, both sides issued blood-curdling warnings which proved to be somewhat exaggerated (no credible account of either side ever actually getting close to attacking the other has ever emerged). The alliance with America had obvious benefits in basic security but also implicated us in numerous unsavoury interventions; if we take a more dispassionate view of each other in future it may be no bad thing - good friends rather than an uneasy married couple.
With the most obvious exception of the Cuban missile crisis.
There is an equally obvious potential flashpoint in Chinese claims on Taiwan, and the resolution of that seems rather less simple than the mutual backdown over Cuba. The US would find even the peaceful absorption of Taiwan by the mainland (unlikely anyway) extremely difficult to accept, given the island’s domination of high end semiconductor manufacturing. That would be for them (and the rest of the West) a strategic debacle.
Point of order. The "peaceful absorption " is the stated end goal of both sides. They merely differ on who would be the absorber and who absorbed.
The ROC already has a democratically elected government. They just have a temporary issue with insurgents occupying some of their territory
Not sure if we are still doing this one but... anecdote alert. Saturday morning shop. Greengrocer in shopping mall lots of everything. Waitrose - very well stocked, no signs of any empty shelves. Seems no difficulties in this part of wilts. And looked suspiciously like the set up for corona vaccination in the car park next to the surgery, so fingers crossed for that too...
WOW , unbounded talent on that list for sure. I could put up a donkey and it would be 1/100 immediately.
I expect Gordon Brown would dent the SNP hopes of an outright win
Tainted by his promises of federalism in and immediately after 2014. Instant attack line.
Also why bother? He's always seen himself as a 'British' politician. Being the branch manager of a non-independent SLAB won't appeal to him. And he does deserve to enjoy his retirement.
One of Scottish Labour's primary problems is that they have almost disappeared from view. It's not only Leonard's fault, he has followed a few reasonably anonymous predecessors, but he took anonymity to a new level as evidenced by the continued mockery of what his name actually is.
I don't think for a million years Brown is going to be the new SLab leader, but he's the only name on the list who would definitely deliver any cut-through, any reason to sit up and take notice of the party. And given his predisposition to endless Broonterventions from the sidelines he might as well at least try and intervene constructively. But it's neeeeever gonna happen.
One day either Scotland will vote for independence, or the SNP will finally implode and/or fade from power, at which point Scottish Labour will probably find a new lease of life largely by default, but I can't see much of a proactive route back into the game for them.
WOW , unbounded talent on that list for sure. I could put up a donkey and it would be 1/100 immediately.
I expect Gordon Brown would dent the SNP hopes of an outright win
Tainted by his promises of federalism in and immediately after 2014. Instant attack line.
Also why bother? He's always seen himself as a 'British' politician. Being the branch manager of a non-independent SLAB won't appeal to him. And he does deserve to enjoy his retirement.
One of Scottish Labour's primary problems is that they have almost disappeared from view. It's not only Leonard's fault, he has followed a few reasonably anonymous predecessors, but he took anonymity to a new level as evidenced by the continued mockery of what his name actually is.
I don't think for a million years Brown is going to be the new SLab leader, but he's the only name on the list who would definitely deliver any cut-through, any reason to sit up and take notice of the party. And given his predisposition to endless Broonterventions from the sidelines he might as well at least try and intervene constructively. But it's neeeeever gonna happen.
One day either Scotland will vote for independence, or the SNP will finally implode and/or fade from power, at which point Scottish Labour will probably find a new lease of life largely by default, but I can't see much of a proactive route back into the game for them.
If they stay on their current Union Jack route they will never be back. They need to become a real Scottish labour Party and have some policies for Scotland. Currently as an insipid branch office for British Labour they are justly reviled by the majority of people. You only need to listen to that clown Starmer to understand he knows nothing of Scotland and the idiots up here pushing his Tory lite tack are doomed.
Can't disagree with that malcolm. But zero likelihood of it happening.
Their attempts to out-Union the Scottish Conservatives do more damage to them each time and yet each time they try even harder than before. Truly, the definition of insanity.
Of course, the MSPs have a vested interest in that they - or some of them - are aspiring to the Imperial cursus honorum in the Imperial capital - via Commons to a peerage. It's not as if moving to the SNP will do any good in that respect, given SNP policies. And SKS in his desperate need to pander to the English voter all fired up with Tory propaganda about Scotch thieves in your pocket is not helping with his denial of a referendum. As Wendy Alexander - arguably the last really competent leader SLAB had before she was stabbed in the back - shows, one can want to have a referendum even if you don't believe in independence.
And how about getting into bed with Mr Johnson and Mr Gove in the independence issue? It'll be SKS and Brexit again, only worse (because it also brings up Brexit which is increasingly toxic in Scotland).
I suspect that puts them somewhat out of kilter with the membership as a whole, what is left of it after the SNP and Scottish Greens have taken large bites out of it. (And much more so with the voters too, But this is a leadership election.)
Are the unions still involved like last time? If so, then perhaps scratch Mr Sarwar? If I had to bet, I'd go for Ms Lennon if I had to, but my gut feeling is some youngster is more likely to win, as soneone else suggested on PB the other day.
Pretty desperate if it is Lennon, she is really really dire.
Very impressed by the ramp-up in the vaccination programme so far. If we keep this up we'll be amongst the first in the world to be able to return to normal, albeit we shouldn't loosen restrictions too early in the meantime.
A question for those following the vaccination ramp-up more closely, is 500,000 per day, including weekends, an upper limit of what is realistic? Or will we be able to keep increasing it over January/February? It will be interesting as to what proportion of the population we can vaccinate over the next 10-12 weeks before the second doses start to slow the pace of first jabs.
It depends on vaccine deliveries. So far there are suggestions that this might top out at 3, 4 or 5 million (or more) a week. Increasing the scale of the vaccination program to use that seems possible. If we can do 1/3 of a million a day now, 1 million a day does not seem ridiculous.
Remember that the second shots are coming - so at some point double capacity will be useful.
Of course, the MSPs have a vested interest in that they - or some of them - are aspiring to the Imperial cursus honorum in the Imperial capital - via Commons to a peerage. It's not as if moving to the SNP will do any good in that respect, given SNP policies. And SKS in his desperate need to pander to the English voter all fired up with Tory propaganda about Scotch thieves in your pocket is not helping with his denial of a referendum. As Wendy Alexander - arguably the last really competent leader SLAB had before she was stabbed in the back - shows, one can want to have a referendum even if you don't believe in independence.
And how about getting into bed with Mr Johnson and Mr Gove in the independence issue? It'll be SKS and Brexit again, only worse (because it also brings up Brexit which is increasingly toxic in Scotland).
I suspect that puts them somewhat out of kilter with the membership as a whole, what is left of it after the SNP and Scottish Greens have taken large bites out of it. (And much more so with the voters too, But this is a leadership election.)
Are the unions still involved like last time? If so, then perhaps scratch Mr Sarwar? If I had to bet, I'd go for Ms Lennon if I had to, but my gut feeling is some youngster is more likely to win, as soneone else suggested on PB the other day.
Weirdly, a SLabber who has made it to the Premier League of the Lords wants to do the return trip. I just can't see the logic as she hasn't a scooby of winning, unless she wants to raise her profile for an indy Scotland? Of course I've not understood SLab logic for quite some time.
'A penchant for peers: Scottish Labour picks third member of Lords as Holyrood candidate'
Why not a Lab-Lib pact at the Scottish elections? One candidate per seat, joint list.
Culturally Labour is incapable. I think there may even be something in the party constitution preventing such a formal alliance? Labour supporters, do I have that right?
Then they should change the constitution. The Tories undoubtedly represent a section of Scottish opinion, but there is no way they can be standard-bearers of a pro-Union front.
Lab and Libs need to stop wasting time opposing each other, despite no doubt historic enmities.
Best they could do is fill a taxi, both English parties and useless with no policies for Scotland. They should fold.
WOW , unbounded talent on that list for sure. I could put up a donkey and it would be 1/100 immediately.
I expect Gordon Brown would dent the SNP hopes of an outright win
Tainted by his promises of federalism in and immediately after 2014. Instant attack line.
Also why bother? He's always seen himself as a 'British' politician. Being the branch manager of a non-independent SLAB won't appeal to him. And he does deserve to enjoy his retirement.
One of Scottish Labour's primary problems is that they have almost disappeared from view. It's not only Leonard's fault, he has followed a few reasonably anonymous predecessors, but he took anonymity to a new level as evidenced by the continued mockery of what his name actually is.
I don't think for a million years Brown is going to be the new SLab leader, but he's the only name on the list who would definitely deliver any cut-through, any reason to sit up and take notice of the party. And given his predisposition to endless Broonterventions from the sidelines he might as well at least try and intervene constructively. But it's neeeeever gonna happen.
One day either Scotland will vote for independence, or the SNP will finally implode and/or fade from power, at which point Scottish Labour will probably find a new lease of life largely by default, but I can't see much of a proactive route back into the game for them.
WOW , unbounded talent on that list for sure. I could put up a donkey and it would be 1/100 immediately.
I expect Gordon Brown would dent the SNP hopes of an outright win
Tainted by his promises of federalism in and immediately after 2014. Instant attack line.
Also why bother? He's always seen himself as a 'British' politician. Being the branch manager of a non-independent SLAB won't appeal to him. And he does deserve to enjoy his retirement.
One of Scottish Labour's primary problems is that they have almost disappeared from view. It's not only Leonard's fault, he has followed a few reasonably anonymous predecessors, but he took anonymity to a new level as evidenced by the continued mockery of what his name actually is.
I don't think for a million years Brown is going to be the new SLab leader, but he's the only name on the list who would definitely deliver any cut-through, any reason to sit up and take notice of the party. And given his predisposition to endless Broonterventions from the sidelines he might as well at least try and intervene constructively. But it's neeeeever gonna happen.
One day either Scotland will vote for independence, or the SNP will finally implode and/or fade from power, at which point Scottish Labour will probably find a new lease of life largely by default, but I can't see much of a proactive route back into the game for them.
If they stay on their current Union Jack route they will never be back. They need to become a real Scottish labour Party and have some policies for Scotland. Currently as an insipid branch office for British Labour they are justly reviled by the majority of people. You only need to listen to that clown Starmer to understand he knows nothing of Scotland and the idiots up here pushing his Tory lite tack are doomed.
Can't disagree with that malcolm. But zero likelihood of it happening.
Their attempts to out-Union the Scottish Conservatives do more damage to them each time and yet each time they try even harder than before. Truly, the definition of insanity.
Of course, the MSPs have a vested interest in that they - or some of them - are aspiring to the Imperial cursus honorum in the Imperial capital - via Commons to a peerage. It's not as if moving to the SNP will do any good in that respect, given SNP policies. And SKS in his desperate need to pander to the English voter all fired up with Tory propaganda about Scotch thieves in your pocket is not helping with his denial of a referendum. As Wendy Alexander - arguably the last really competent leader SLAB had before she was stabbed in the back - shows, one can want to have a referendum even if you don't believe in independence.
And how about getting into bed with Mr Johnson and Mr Gove in the independence issue? It'll be SKS and Brexit again, only worse (because it also brings up Brexit which is increasingly toxic in Scotland).
I suspect that puts them somewhat out of kilter with the membership as a whole, what is left of it after the SNP and Scottish Greens have taken large bites out of it. (And much more so with the voters too, But this is a leadership election.)
Are the unions still involved like last time? If so, then perhaps scratch Mr Sarwar? If I had to bet, I'd go for Ms Lennon if I had to, but my gut feeling is some youngster is more likely to win, as soneone else suggested on PB the other day.
I have heard a couple of positives about Jackie Baillie here and there. That doesn't seem to tally with her being 8 to 1. If it was on Betfair I would put £5 on her. Knowing virtually nothing about SLABs process, I would probably swiftly lose it though, so perhaps just as well it isn't.
Why not a Lab-Lib pact at the Scottish elections? One candidate per seat, joint list.
Culturally Labour is incapable. I think there may even be something in the party constitution preventing such a formal alliance? Labour supporters, do I have that right?
Then they should change the constitution. The Tories undoubtedly represent a section of Scottish opinion, but there is no way they can be standard-bearers of a pro-Union front.
WOW , unbounded talent on that list for sure. I could put up a donkey and it would be 1/100 immediately.
I expect Gordon Brown would dent the SNP hopes of an outright win
Tainted by his promises of federalism in and immediately after 2014. Instant attack line.
Also why bother? He's always seen himself as a 'British' politician. Being the branch manager of a non-independent SLAB won't appeal to him. And he does deserve to enjoy his retirement.
One of Scottish Labour's primary problems is that they have almost disappeared from view. It's not only Leonard's fault, he has followed a few reasonably anonymous predecessors, but he took anonymity to a new level as evidenced by the continued mockery of what his name actually is.
I don't think for a million years Brown is going to be the new SLab leader, but he's the only name on the list who would definitely deliver any cut-through, any reason to sit up and take notice of the party. And given his predisposition to endless Broonterventions from the sidelines he might as well at least try and intervene constructively. But it's neeeeever gonna happen.
One day either Scotland will vote for independence, or the SNP will finally implode and/or fade from power, at which point Scottish Labour will probably find a new lease of life largely by default, but I can't see much of a proactive route back into the game for them.
WOW , unbounded talent on that list for sure. I could put up a donkey and it would be 1/100 immediately.
I expect Gordon Brown would dent the SNP hopes of an outright win
Tainted by his promises of federalism in and immediately after 2014. Instant attack line.
Also why bother? He's always seen himself as a 'British' politician. Being the branch manager of a non-independent SLAB won't appeal to him. And he does deserve to enjoy his retirement.
One of Scottish Labour's primary problems is that they have almost disappeared from view. It's not only Leonard's fault, he has followed a few reasonably anonymous predecessors, but he took anonymity to a new level as evidenced by the continued mockery of what his name actually is.
I don't think for a million years Brown is going to be the new SLab leader, but he's the only name on the list who would definitely deliver any cut-through, any reason to sit up and take notice of the party. And given his predisposition to endless Broonterventions from the sidelines he might as well at least try and intervene constructively. But it's neeeeever gonna happen.
One day either Scotland will vote for independence, or the SNP will finally implode and/or fade from power, at which point Scottish Labour will probably find a new lease of life largely by default, but I can't see much of a proactive route back into the game for them.
If they stay on their current Union Jack route they will never be back. They need to become a real Scottish labour Party and have some policies for Scotland. Currently as an insipid branch office for British Labour they are justly reviled by the majority of people. You only need to listen to that clown Starmer to understand he knows nothing of Scotland and the idiots up here pushing his Tory lite tack are doomed.
Can't disagree with that malcolm. But zero likelihood of it happening.
Their attempts to out-Union the Scottish Conservatives do more damage to them each time and yet each time they try even harder than before. Truly, the definition of insanity.
Of course, the MSPs have a vested interest in that they - or some of them - are aspiring to the Imperial cursus honorum in the Imperial capital - via Commons to a peerage. It's not as if moving to the SNP will do any good in that respect, given SNP policies. And SKS in his desperate need to pander to the English voter all fired up with Tory propaganda about Scotch thieves in your pocket is not helping with his denial of a referendum. As Wendy Alexander - arguably the last really competent leader SLAB had before she was stabbed in the back - shows, one can want to have a referendum even if you don't believe in independence.
And how about getting into bed with Mr Johnson and Mr Gove in the independence issue? It'll be SKS and Brexit again, only worse (because it also brings up Brexit which is increasingly toxic in Scotland).
I suspect that puts them somewhat out of kilter with the membership as a whole, what is left of it after the SNP and Scottish Greens have taken large bites out of it. (And much more so with the voters too, But this is a leadership election.)
Are the unions still involved like last time? If so, then perhaps scratch Mr Sarwar? If I had to bet, I'd go for Ms Lennon if I had to, but my gut feeling is some youngster is more likely to win, as soneone else suggested on PB the other day.
I have heard a couple of positives about Jackie Baillie here and there. That doesn't seem to tally with her being 8 to 1. If it was on Betfair I would put £5 on her. Knowing virtually nothing about SLABs process, I would probably swiftly lose it though, so perhaps just as well it isn't.
Were you in an asylum.
Well even in the asylum I've heard nothing about any of the others - let alone anything good.
Of course, the MSPs have a vested interest in that they - or some of them - are aspiring to the Imperial cursus honorum in the Imperial capital - via Commons to a peerage. It's not as if moving to the SNP will do any good in that respect, given SNP policies. And SKS in his desperate need to pander to the English voter all fired up with Tory propaganda about Scotch thieves in your pocket is not helping with his denial of a referendum. As Wendy Alexander - arguably the last really competent leader SLAB had before she was stabbed in the back - shows, one can want to have a referendum even if you don't believe in independence.
And how about getting into bed with Mr Johnson and Mr Gove in the independence issue? It'll be SKS and Brexit again, only worse (because it also brings up Brexit which is increasingly toxic in Scotland).
I suspect that puts them somewhat out of kilter with the membership as a whole, what is left of it after the SNP and Scottish Greens have taken large bites out of it. (And much more so with the voters too, But this is a leadership election.)
Are the unions still involved like last time? If so, then perhaps scratch Mr Sarwar? If I had to bet, I'd go for Ms Lennon if I had to, but my gut feeling is some youngster is more likely to win, as soneone else suggested on PB the other day.
Weirdly, a SLabber who has made it to the Premier League of the Lords wants to do the return trip. I just can't see the logic as she hasn't a scooby of winning, unless she wants to raise her profile for an indy Scotland? Of course I've not understood SLab logic for quite some time.
'A penchant for peers: Scottish Labour picks third member of Lords as Holyrood candidate‘
I was thinking that SLAB were running out of MSPs to elect for leader - never mind MPs. But that's only indirectly related. Even so ... does she think she'll be thrown out of the HoL on indy?
In the event of Indy I’d imagine that there’d be a certain ‘as useful as tits on a bull’ feel for Scottish peers, but that shouldn’t be a novelty for SLabbers. I guess the idea of a reborn & rejuvenated Scottish Labour Party post Indy may have its attractions.
If a future Labour government allowed indyref2 and Yes won then all Scottish peers should of course leave the Lords just as all Scottish MPs would leave the Commons.
If Scots decided to become independent then they can have no further say in the politics of the rUK
How do you define a "Scottish peer"?
And does the same logic apply to "Scots MPs"? Such as, for instance, one Gove M.
Any life peer whose main residence is in Scotland or any of the remaining hereditary peers whose ancestral home is in Scotland.
Gove M now lives in England and represents a Surrey seat. If his main residence was in Scotland and he represented a Scottish seat it would have applied to him too.
'Ancestral home'. Can't exclude hereditary peers for that and let Mr Gove in. His ancestral home is Peterborough or Fraserhead - I forget which he said.
It's an interesting speech (worth listening to the whole thing). How do you deal with a huge strategic error like Brexit when you have no prospect of doing anything about it any time soon ?
Blair's answer appears to be to do the stuff you should be doing anyway. Which is boosting internal cohesion and national well-being, while engaging internationally.
He doesn't spell out out, but of course Brexit is the antithesis of that kind of national consensus and internationalism. But you should still aim to do it anyway.
POC living as White is a charge I've heard levelled at OJ Simpson. Ironic since he got off a murder charge partly due to being black. Other reason being celebrity.
It seems to be a way of saying "Your opinion is not one I like, therefore I strip you of your privileges, on a charge of treason"
See the Thirty of Athens etc for the great depth of this tradition in politics.
No I don't think so. I think it's more to do with attitudes than opinions. A class analogy might be a working class person affecting airs and graces. Used to like going to the dogs, now it's Henley Regatta or nothing.
Now this is proper big news. The likely new leader of the free world. Who in 1950 would have thought Germany would hold that position in 2020? The times they are a changing, no question about it. On which topic I like the Header and especially the title - Europe's Last American. It's fading fast, the sense of kinship between us and the USA. I can vouch for this personally. I used to feel it, even quite recently, but now I don't. I remain fascinated by America but I look upon it as a strange and exotic land. Much of this is because of Trump but not all of it.
I went to school in the US for 2 years and spent the best 4 years of my career on exchange with the USN so I yield to nobody in my admiration and respect for the American people and the ideals of their nation.
However, you'd have to be wilfully blind not see that it's heading for rapid and violently messy decline. The notion that everything's just going to go back to normal once they wheel Joey Sidegrin's bath chair into the Oval Office is nonsense.
Europe and the UK in particular need to think about their strategic posture in a post America world because that's where we are heading at pace.
It's heading for messy decline because of the obdurate refusal of conservatives and liberals to compromise on anything. It would be quite simple to solve the problem, but no-one seems to be interested.
That's where identity politics in a diverse society gets you unfortunately. Lots of binary issues, manufactured outrage and, in America's case, guns lying around.
Can you cite me a policy of the Dems that is in the same ballpark for driving division as the Trumpist Republicans reaction to losing the election?
It seems likely that the new Brazilian variant can escape both vaccine- and infection-induced immunity, and also that within a few months it will reach the UK.
We are vaccinating millions of people per week now, so we will have the people in place to revaccinate the UK population very quickly. We will need to manufacture the new vaccines very quickly, in a few weeks. The plant and machinery required needs to be put in place now, as quickly as the Russians built T34 tanks in 1943.
The regulatory approval needs to be super fast too. If new phase III trials are needed for the new vaccines they will be too late, as the virus could mutate again. Have the lessons yet been learnt from 2020? The only way to beat this virus with vaccines is through speed. If this fails, there will be multiple waves of variants over several years before the virus finally burns itself out.
The article has lots of could, perhaps and maybes.
From the start, many scientists have said getting your COVID jab will become like the annual flu jab as the virus will be endemic and ever mutating.
The whole thing rests on the very tenuous claim that Manaus has had huge numbers of people infected.
I would suggest that in the future it will be more a case of "What should we cover in this years program of whole population vacinnes?"
Yes. When's my jab this year and what is it majoring on? Plus masks remain commonplace, front of mind hygiene, a certain wariness about crowded places.
Comments
But I am struggling to see the other foreign policy successes. Yes, he was right that China needed to be confronted. But the practical effect of America's isolationism was that China filled the void in much of the world, and America ended up withdrawing almost all its China tariffs with nothing achieved. (Indeed, worth noting that the US in 2020 will have the worst current account deficit since 2008.)
Trump was also right that Europe needs to do more to defend itself. But he didn't really care about Europe doing more: he wanted the Germans to either cut the Americans a check or to buy more American arms. He would almost certainly have caught more flies with honey than with his vinegar.
And North Korea and Russia were emboldened by Trump, and neither have stopped their meddling. A concerted global effort to stop North Korea exporting illegal drugs might have been backed by everyone. Instead, that pretended they would stop their nuclear programme and didn't.
Remember that the second shots are coming - so at some point double capacity will be useful.
NEW THREAD
Well even in the asylum I've heard nothing about any of the others - let alone anything good.
Blair's answer appears to be to do the stuff you should be doing anyway. Which is boosting internal cohesion and national well-being, while engaging internationally.
He doesn't spell out out, but of course Brexit is the antithesis of that kind of national consensus and internationalism. But you should still aim to do it anyway.
I'll take that.