It's hard to know exactly what an appropriate response to this is in relation to the USA, but I do know one thing: the meeting of European leaders this Sunday could not have had a clearer impetus.
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
Unfortunately Germany won't be in a position to promise increased defence spending because that utter shit Merz refused to talk about reforming the debt brake on any of the dozen times the outgoing government asked him to consider it over the last year or more.
Whether something can be done before the new parliament (that has a 1 third blocking minority AfD plus die Linke) convenes isn't certain. Today die Linke threatened to go to the constitutional court if an attempt is made using the old parliament.
But you know there are historical reasons Germany is reticent to get involved in war in Ukraine. Why don’t you just be honest and explain to us that you understand that, rather than hide behind those reasons in your criticism of Merz?
Huh? Should I bother answering this? I'll just say your reply to me doesn't address anything I wrote in any way whatsoever and leave it at that.
John Bolton @AmbJohnBolton Trump and Vance have declared themselves to be on Russia's side in the Russo-Ukraine war. This is a catastrophic mistake for America's national security. And let's be clear: Trump and Vance now personally own that policy. It is not the view of a majority of Americans of either or no political party.
A lot of people know deep down that the Trump Admin is behaving shamefully with regard to Ukraine, but don't want to admit, even to themselves, that America is being dishonorable, so they fixate on matters of no consequence, like Zelensky's manners, to distract their consciences https://nitter.poast.org/conor64/status/1895566772956508440#m
We know what Blair and Brown would have said. We know what Cameron would have said. Would know what Major would have said, and we definitely know what Thatcher would have said (tbh her words would be ringing in Trump’s ears from yesterday). We know Wilson would have spoken out and we know Attlee would too. We can be certain what Churchill would say.
John Bolton @AmbJohnBolton Trump and Vance have declared themselves to be on Russia's side in the Russo-Ukraine war. This is a catastrophic mistake for America's national security. And let's be clear: Trump and Vance now personally own that policy. It is not the view of a majority of Americans of either or no political party.
It is worth remembering that Russia has an economy smaller than Italy.
The UK, Europe and other allies should stand steadfast behind Ukraine even without the USA. Let's answer the question Trump asked Starmer yesterday - yes we can defeat Putin without you.
We wanted to do it with you, but if need be without you then yes we can do it.
Ukraine should have our full and unconditional support and Russia should be comprehensively defeated. Even without America.
I'm not sure anyone else is supplying cruise missiles to Ukraine either. It's just bizarre for you to claim that Scholz won't send weapons to Ukraine when Germany is actually second only to the US in supplying military aid to the country.
John Bolton @AmbJohnBolton Trump and Vance have declared themselves to be on Russia's side in the Russo-Ukraine war. This is a catastrophic mistake for America's national security. And let's be clear: Trump and Vance now personally own that policy. It is not the view of a majority of Americans of either or no political party.
We know what Blair and Brown would have said. We know what Cameron would have said. Would know what Major would have said, and we definitely know what Thatcher would have said (tbh her words would be ringing in Trump’s ears from yesterday). We know Wilson would have spoken out and we know Attlee would too. We can be certain what Churchill would say.
Over to you Prime Minister.
Except all of those PMs would have been equally cowardly, except Wilson and Atlee.
For 80 years the US has been the linchpin of the Western alliance. Now in a matter of weeks it has done an 180 degree turn and seems to want to ally itself with Russia rather than against it.
Were I an Israeli politician, I'd be saying to myself: if the US can do this to long-standing allies, if it can betray a country invaded by those wanting to obliterate its existence, my country can't be certain it won't do the same to us too, one day. And from that realisation policies will flow, policies many of us will not like at all.
The US can no longer be trusted.
It is interesting. I think many of us have said before that no country can or should be trusted. There are no friends, only mutual vested interests.
What has changed is that the current dickhead in charge in the US has no idea what the best interests of his country are, nor does he care.
He is compared to many people - Hitler, Mussolini, the Tango Man who jumps up and slaps you - but actually he models himself on Louis XIV. The man who apparently claimed 'L'État, c'est moi'. Trump believes this and therefore believes that anything that advances himself and his ego does the same for his country.
We have had many decades of 1st world countries including and especially the US acting in self serving ways which also help the rest of us. The US has stopped serving itself and started serving the Great Orange Loon.
Perhaps we should be thankful that Trump is so crudely blatant about it.
If Trump was cunning he could be far more dangerous.
We know what Blair and Brown would have said. We know what Cameron would have said. Would know what Major would have said, and we definitely know what Thatcher would have said (tbh her words would be ringing in Trump’s ears from yesterday). We know Wilson would have spoken out and we know Attlee would too. We can be certain what Churchill would say.
Over to you Prime Minister.
Except all of those PMs would have been equally cowardly, except Wilson and Atlee.
Simple choice: KC should withdraw the invitation.
Nah. You misjudge them. They never had a Trump, but they had their own choices to make.
Blair and Brown lived up to the big challenges.
Cameron used our veto.
Major had inner steel.
Maggie was Maggie.
And Churchill…? You realty think he’d have been a coward?
“[The people] should know that we have sustained a defeat without a war, the consequences of which will travel far with us along our road; they should know that we have passed an awful milestone in our history, when the whole equilibrium of Europe has been deranged, and that the terrible words have for the time being been pronounced against the Western democracies:
"Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting."
And do not suppose that this is the end. This is only the beginning of the reckoning. This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of a bitter cup which will be proffered to us year by year unless by a supreme recovery of moral health and martial vigour, we arise again and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time”.
Trump is vastly worse than Chamberlain who genuinely thought peace was attainable (but was still rapidly rearming in case it wasn't). He didn't actively ally with Hitler and fought him when no alternative was left.
I'm not much of a fan of the US geopolitical role over the last century, but I've always been moved by a speech that Harry Hopkins, US envoy & eventual administrator of Lend Lease and already suffering from terminal cancer, gave at the North British Hotel in Glasgow in 1941. Churchill among others was reported to be in tears afterwards.
"I suppose you wish to know what I am going to say to President Roosevelt on my return. Well I am going to quote to you one verse from the Book of Ruth ... 'Whither thou goest, I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.'"
Compare that to the grifters, cowards, vulgarians and rsoles present in the White House today.
It was bloated and confused. It seemed to want to do a look at the personality of Napoleon through the lens of his relationship with Josephine, but also cover all the main highlights of his political and monarchical career.
The result was that there were overly long stretches on the marriage stuff, and then sudden sharp jumps in major national and international plot points which were not explained, with some occasional truncated battle scenes spliced in (and the Waterloo stuff was, er, interesting). Phoenix is a tremendous actor but he was all over the place, probably as the script was a mess.
It could either have been a character piece, a longwinded dull biopic, or an exciting war movie, but not all three. A film simply about the build up to and aftermath of Waterloo might have been more effective.
“[The people] should know that we have sustained a defeat without a war, the consequences of which will travel far with us along our road; they should know that we have passed an awful milestone in our history, when the whole equilibrium of Europe has been deranged, and that the terrible words have for the time being been pronounced against the Western democracies:
"Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting."
And do not suppose that this is the end. This is only the beginning of the reckoning. This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of a bitter cup which will be proffered to us year by year unless by a supreme recovery of moral health and martial vigour, we arise again and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time”.
Trump is vastly worse than Chamberlain who genuinely thought peace was attainable (but was still rapidly rearming in case it wasn't). He didn't actively ally with Hitler and fought him when no alternative was left.
this is the same look you give the waiter when your grandpa is yelling trying to get something taken off the bill
Is it worth it Marco? It's america and you were a Senator, so you're probably a multi-millionaire and effectively immune from most crimes unless you're as stupid as that corrupt guy from New Jersey.
It's not as though he gets to do what he wants as Secretary of State, as some of the other Cabinet members might in their areas. He has to entirely subordinate himself to Trump's will.
Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!
I remember the final paragraph from William Burroughs "One God Universe" :
"Recollect Pope John XXIII saying, "Like a little soldier, I stand at attention in the presence of my captains." The old army game from here to eternity: Get there firstest with the brownest nose."
We know what Blair and Brown would have said. We know what Cameron would have said. Would know what Major would have said, and we definitely know what Thatcher would have said (tbh her words would be ringing in Trump’s ears from yesterday). We know Wilson would have spoken out and we know Attlee would too. We can be certain what Churchill would say.
Over to you Prime Minister.
Except all of those PMs would have been equally cowardly, except Wilson and Atlee.
Simple choice: KC should withdraw the invitation.
Nah. You misjudge them. They never had a Trump, but they had their own choices to make.
Blair and Brown lived up to the big challenges.
Cameron used our veto.
Major had inner steel.
Maggie was Maggie.
And Churchill…? You realty think he’d have been a coward?
I didn’t spot Churchill in the list. Of course he wouldn’t. But from about 1984 onwards British governments became unaccountably supine to American presidents. It did t start recently.
It's hard to know exactly what an appropriate response to this is in relation to the USA, but I do know one thing: the meeting of European leaders this Sunday could not have had a clearer impetus.
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
Unfortunately Germany won't be in a position to promise increased defence spending because that utter shit Merz refused to talk about reforming the debt brake on any of the dozen times the outgoing government asked him to consider it over the last year or more.
Whether something can be done before the new parliament (that has a 1 third blocking minority AfD plus die Linke) convenes isn't certain. Today die Linke threatened to go to the constitutional court if an attempt is made using the old parliament.
But you know there are historical reasons Germany is reticent to get involved in war in Ukraine. Why don’t you just be honest and explain to us that you understand that, rather than hide behind those reasons in your criticism of Merz?
Huh? Should I bother answering this? I'll just say your reply to me doesn't address anything I wrote in any way whatsoever and leave it at that.
UK journalism often refers to this German reticence - should we ignore it when UK journalists do this? Or is it a real thing, the sound of German language in Ukraine winds up Pro Russia Ukrainians or something? It’s not all about 2nd WW? is it first WW or prior to that?
I'm not sure anyone else is supplying cruise missiles to Ukraine either. It's just bizarre for you to claim that Scholz won't send weapons to Ukraine when Germany is actually second only to the US in supplying military aid to the country.
I think there's a lot of remembering them (supposedly) being a bit slow at the start.
This evening everyone is talking about it. I’ve never known such universal contempt for a US politician, even in 2003.
Which is why Starmer now needs to do the Love Actually thing (or at least a positive tweet to Zelenskyy). If he doesn’t, he becomes the enemy. Shit, even Jenrick said the right thing today.
It's hard to know exactly what an appropriate response to this is in relation to the USA, but I do know one thing: the meeting of European leaders this Sunday could not have had a clearer impetus.
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
Unfortunately Germany won't be in a position to promise increased defence spending because that utter shit Merz refused to talk about reforming the debt brake on any of the dozen times the outgoing government asked him to consider it over the last year or more.
Whether something can be done before the new parliament (that has a 1 third blocking minority AfD plus die Linke) convenes isn't certain. Today die Linke threatened to go to the constitutional court if an attempt is made using the old parliament.
But you know there are historical reasons Germany is reticent to get involved in war in Ukraine. Why don’t you just be honest and explain to us that you understand that, rather than hide behind those reasons in your criticism of Merz?
Huh? Should I bother answering this? I'll just say your reply to me doesn't address anything I wrote in any way whatsoever and leave it at that.
UK journalism often refers to this German reticence - should we ignore it when UK journalists do this? Or is it a real thing, the sound of German language in Ukraine winds up Pro Russia Ukrainians or something? It’s not all about 2nd WW? is it first WW or prior to that?
What's it got to do with the German constitutional debt brake?
It is worth remembering that Russia has an economy smaller than Italy.
As Elon Musk pointed out earlier today, GDP is just a number and doesn't tell you anything about industrial capacity.
That's not what Elon Musk said.
He said that GDP should be measured excluding government spending: i.e. we should measure private sector GDP.
And that's not a stupid idea, and I think there is no harm in measuring both. (Of course, if you measured Russian GDP excluding government spending, you'd have a very low number indeed, given the extent to which the country's economy is on a war footing.)
Trump has brought the office of PotUS into disrepute in full publicity. He should be ashamed of himself, but he has no shame. He tried to humiliate a leader whose boots he is not worthy to lick. He'll never be able to remove the ordure now stuck on him
He supported Trump. You cannot have supported Trump in an election and back Ukraine. It’s as contradictory a position as a few users here hold.
Your attack on Johnson would only be credible if Zelensky and Ukraine had not name streets after him and welcome him with open arms whenever he goes there
Unprecedented. Shocking. This public verbal spat, this haranguing in the White House of a visiting president is dramatic. Zelensky invited it by being argumentative instead of tactfully steering the exchange in a more positive direction. He has been lionised so much that he has developed an inordinate sense of entitlement. He has lectured European leaders and got away with it. It hasn’t worked with Trump and Vance.
This evening everyone is talking about it. I’ve never known such universal contempt for a US politician, even in 2003.
Which is why Starmer now needs to do the Love Actually thing (or at least a positive tweet to Zelenskyy). If he doesn’t, he becomes the enemy. Shit, even Jenrick said the right thing today.
I suspect, but maybe it is hopium, that today's events and optics will be a polling disaster for Trump 2.0.
I said they would over reach and here we are.
The America people are better than this. Just a basic level of civil decency and decorum.
Unprecedented. Shocking. This public verbal spat, this haranguing in the White House of a visiting president is dramatic. Zelensky invited it by being argumentative instead of tactfully steering the exchange in a more positive direction. He has been lionised so much that he has developed an inordinate sense of entitlement. He has lectured European leaders and got away with it. It hasn’t worked with Trump and Vance.
The Indian clips on Youtube are always very anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian.
He supported Trump. You cannot have supported Trump in an election and back Ukraine. It’s as contradictory a position as a few users here hold.
Lots of people - lots of intelligent people - thought that Trump was going to be no worse for Ukraine than Biden.
Just a few days ago I posted that while Trump's Ukraine shakedown was unseemly, it was probably ultimately a good for Ukraine, as it put the US firmly in the Ukraine camp.
I now know I was wrong. I hope Johnson is also having second thoughts about President Trump.
It's hard to know exactly what an appropriate response to this is in relation to the USA, but I do know one thing: the meeting of European leaders this Sunday could not have had a clearer impetus.
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
Unfortunately Germany won't be in a position to promise increased defence spending because that utter shit Merz refused to talk about reforming the debt brake on any of the dozen times the outgoing government asked him to consider it over the last year or more.
Whether something can be done before the new parliament (that has a 1 third blocking minority AfD plus die Linke) convenes isn't certain. Today die Linke threatened to go to the constitutional court if an attempt is made using the old parliament.
But you know there are historical reasons Germany is reticent to get involved in war in Ukraine. Why don’t you just be honest and explain to us that you understand that, rather than hide behind those reasons in your criticism of Merz?
Huh? Should I bother answering this? I'll just say your reply to me doesn't address anything I wrote in any way whatsoever and leave it at that.
UK journalism often refers to this German reticence - should we ignore it when UK journalists do this? Or is it a real thing, the sound of German language in Ukraine winds up Pro Russia Ukrainians or something? It’s not all about 2nd WW? is it first WW or prior to that?
What's it got to do with the German constitutional debt brake?
You seem reticent to explain there is or isn’t this reticence thing to us - why?
Unprecedented. Shocking. This public verbal spat, this haranguing in the White House of a visiting president is dramatic. Zelensky invited it by being argumentative instead of tactfully steering the exchange in a more positive direction. He has been lionised so much that he has developed an inordinate sense of entitlement. He has lectured European leaders and got away with it. It hasn’t worked with Trump and Vance.
Ah, I get it, so if someone is not sufficiently tactful, they should be even less tactfully attacked in return.
The old 'if someone steps on your toe you should punch them in the face' argument.
Unprecedented. Shocking. This public verbal spat, this haranguing in the White House of a visiting president is dramatic. Zelensky invited it by being argumentative instead of tactfully steering the exchange in a more positive direction. He has been lionised so much that he has developed an inordinate sense of entitlement. He has lectured European leaders and got away with it. It hasn’t worked with Trump and Vance.
The Indian clips on Youtube are always very anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian.
Indeed: India has benefitted hugely from buying cheap Russian oil and gas.
I'm not much of a fan of the US geopolitical role over the last century, but I've always been moved by a speech that Harry Hopkins, US envoy & eventual administrator of Lend Lease and already suffering from terminal cancer, gave at the North British Hotel in Glasgow in 1941. Churchill among others was reported to be in tears afterwards.
"I suppose you wish to know what I am going to say to President Roosevelt on my return. Well I am going to quote to you one verse from the Book of Ruth ... 'Whither thou goest, I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.'"
Compare that to the grifters, cowards, vulgarians and rsoles present in the White House today.
I mentioned Fitzroy Maclean the other day. He was sent by Churchill into Yugoslavia to meet with Tito and assess the anti-German operations by both the Communists and the Chetniks who Britain were supplying with weapons and support to fight the Axis.
Maclean reported back that the Chetniks were more interested in cementing their own position in the Balkans and were killing more Yugoslavs than Germans whilst the Communists under Tito were making real progress against the Axis forces. He said that Britain should support Tito but that if we did then Yugoslavia would be Communist aftert the war.
Churchill, in spite of his famous and absolute detestation of Communists, said that if Tito was killing Germans then Britain should support him and they could worry about the post war settlement later. He wrote a glowing letter to Tito which the Communist leader never forgot and which he used as part of his justification for distancing his country from Russia in the post war era.
For those saying Zelenskyy should have handled Trump differently: put yourself in his shoes. For the past three years he has been in the midst of a war, sleeping little, knowing his country isn't winning. And know he knows he has been betrayed utterly.
I'm amazed he didn't try to punch Vance.
True it’s very easy for commentators to say he should just ignore Trumps comments . I have huge admiration for Zelenskyy , he’s a remarkable man but it’s going to be incredibly difficult to get a deal now unless he makes a grovelling apology to Trump .
It's only Trump (and Putin) who want a deal. What is needed is to continue grinding the Russians' noses into the dirt
This is the great unspoken truth that nobody is latching onto.
This is a time for cool, wise heads. It’s an extraordinarily dangerous moment. The right move is to lower the temperature, but take the lesson and adapt to this new world.
Unprecedented. Shocking. This public verbal spat, this haranguing in the White House of a visiting president is dramatic. Zelensky invited it by being argumentative instead of tactfully steering the exchange in a more positive direction. He has been lionised so much that he has developed an inordinate sense of entitlement. He has lectured European leaders and got away with it. It hasn’t worked with Trump and Vance.
The Indian clips on Youtube are always very anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian.
Much of the world has never cared or always sided with Russia (by being 'neutral' about it). Only Europe and NATO countries cared.
He supported Trump. You cannot have supported Trump in an election and back Ukraine. It’s as contradictory a position as a few users here hold.
Lots of people - lots of intelligent people - thought that Trump was going to be no worse for Ukraine than Biden.
Just a few days ago I posted that while Trump's Ukraine shakedown was unseemly, it was probably ultimately a good for Ukraine, as it put the US firmly in the Ukraine camp.
I now know I was wrong. I hope Johnson is also having second thoughts about President Trump.
I like you - although I don’t agree with many of your posts - and I respect you enough to sincerely ask you, how on Earth did you think Trump would be no worse for Ukraine than Biden?
I am literally flabbergasted that anyone could conclude that.
This evening everyone is talking about it. I’ve never known such universal contempt for a US politician, even in 2003.
Which is why Starmer now needs to do the Love Actually thing (or at least a positive tweet to Zelenskyy). If he doesn’t, he becomes the enemy. Shit, even Jenrick said the right thing today.
I suspect, but maybe it is hopium, that today's events and optics will be a polling disaster for Trump 2.0.
I said they would over reach and here we are.
The America people are better than this. Just a basic level of civil decency and decorum.
But as I say, maybe hopium.
The American people elected him, knowing full well what he was and after Jan 6 gave them a good idea of what he'd try to do.
I'm not much of a fan of the US geopolitical role over the last century, but I've always been moved by a speech that Harry Hopkins, US envoy & eventual administrator of Lend Lease and already suffering from terminal cancer, gave at the North British Hotel in Glasgow in 1941. Churchill among others was reported to be in tears afterwards.
"I suppose you wish to know what I am going to say to President Roosevelt on my return. Well I am going to quote to you one verse from the Book of Ruth ... 'Whither thou goest, I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.'"
Compare that to the grifters, cowards, vulgarians and rsoles present in the White House today.
I mentioned Fitzroy Maclean the other day. He was sent by Churchill into Yugoslavia to meet with Tito and assess the anti-German operations by both the Communists and the Chetniks who Britain were supplying with weapons and support to fight the Axis.
Maclean reported back that the Chetniks were more interested in cementing their own position in the Balkans and were killing more Yugoslavs than Germans whilst the Communists under Tito were making real progress against the Axis forces. He said that Britain should support Tito but that if we did then Yugoslavia would be Communist aftert the war.
Churchill, in spite of his famous and absolute detestation of Communists, said that if Tito was killing Germans then Britain should support him and they could worry about the post war settlement later. He wrote a glowing letter to Tito which the Communist leader never forgot and which he used as part of his justification for distancing his country from Russia in the post war era.
This evening everyone is talking about it. I’ve never known such universal contempt for a US politician, even in 2003.
Which is why Starmer now needs to do the Love Actually thing (or at least a positive tweet to Zelenskyy). If he doesn’t, he becomes the enemy. Shit, even Jenrick said the right thing today.
I suspect, but maybe it is hopium, that today's events and optics will be a polling disaster for Trump 2.0.
I said they would over reach and here we are.
The America people are better than this. Just a basic level of civil decency and decorum.
Unprecedented. Shocking. This public verbal spat, this haranguing in the White House of a visiting president is dramatic. Zelensky invited it by being argumentative instead of tactfully steering the exchange in a more positive direction. He has been lionised so much that he has developed an inordinate sense of entitlement. He has lectured European leaders and got away with it. It hasn’t worked with Trump and Vance.
The Indian clips on Youtube are always very anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian.
Indian Hindutva opinion is some of the most toxic out there. Strongman sentiment that blends Russian bad-guy worship with Islamophobia and Netanyahu cheerleading.
This is a time for cool, wise heads. It’s an extraordinarily dangerous moment. The right move is to lower the temperature, but take the lesson and adapt to this new world.
I genuinely don’t know what Starmer should do. I still think his approach yesterday was the right one although I now have some doubts.
He supported Trump. You cannot have supported Trump in an election and back Ukraine. It’s as contradictory a position as a few users here hold.
Lots of people - lots of intelligent people - thought that Trump was going to be no worse for Ukraine than Biden.
Just a few days ago I posted that while Trump's Ukraine shakedown was unseemly, it was probably ultimately a good for Ukraine, as it put the US firmly in the Ukraine camp.
I now know I was wrong. I hope Johnson is also having second thoughts about President Trump.
I like you - although I don’t agree with many of your posts - and I respect you enough to sincerely ask you, how on Earth did you think Trump would be no worse for Ukraine than Biden?
I am literally flabbergasted that anyone could conclude that.
That's not what I said. I thought Trump would be worse for Ukraine, but I was also willing to go into his Presidency with an open mind.
And the mooted deal, I thought, was -if unseemly- better than nothing for Ukraine.
I did not realise that President Trump would be willing to rip it up in front of Zelenskky.
It was bloated and confused. It seemed to want to do a look at the personality of Napoleon through the lens of his relationship with Josephine, but also cover all the main highlights of his political and monarchical career.
The result was that there were overly long stretches on the marriage stuff, and then sudden sharp jumps in major national and international plot points which were not explained, with some occasional truncated battle scenes spliced in (and the Waterloo stuff was, er, interesting). Phoenix is a tremendous actor but he was all over the place, probably as the script was a mess.
It could either have been a character piece, a longwinded dull biopic, or an exciting war movie, but not all three. A film simply about the build up to and aftermath of Waterloo might have been more effective.
That film already exists, made in 1970 and ironically using the Ukrainian army as there weren’t enough troops to serve as all the extras in Western Europe,
Zelenskyy must be very confident that he is going to get massive support on Sunday. The man is incredibly brave but he is not an idiot and he is carrying his country on his back.
Trump screamed at him that he had no cards. His cutting reply was that he wasn’t playing cards. But I suspect that he had an Ace in his back pocket.
In which event it will be Trump that has overplayed his hand.
Yes, it was risible, and historically highly questionable
Historical inaccuracy can be forgiven if the movie is good.
To take it back to another Phoenix/Scott movie, turns out Emperor Commodus was not, in fact, killed in the Collosseum by a former General a few months into his reign. Who knew? (anyone who's looked at a history book).
For those saying Zelenskyy should have handled Trump differently: put yourself in his shoes. For the past three years he has been in the midst of a war, sleeping little, knowing his country isn't winning. And know he knows he has been betrayed utterly.
I'm amazed he didn't try to punch Vance.
True it’s very easy for commentators to say he should just ignore Trumps comments . I have huge admiration for Zelenskyy , he’s a remarkable man but it’s going to be incredibly difficult to get a deal now unless he makes a grovelling apology to Trump .
It's only Trump (and Putin) who want a deal. What is needed is to continue grinding the Russians' noses into the dirt
This is the great unspoken truth that nobody is latching onto.
Russia is sending meat waves on Donkeys.
Yep. But Trump 2.0 don't want know the reality because they want to crawl up Putin's arse and live in his fucked up universe.
He supported Trump. You cannot have supported Trump in an election and back Ukraine. It’s as contradictory a position as a few users here hold.
Lots of people - lots of intelligent people - thought that Trump was going to be no worse for Ukraine than Biden.
Just a few days ago I posted that while Trump's Ukraine shakedown was unseemly, it was probably ultimately a good for Ukraine, as it put the US firmly in the Ukraine camp.
I now know I was wrong. I hope Johnson is also having second thoughts about President Trump.
I like you - although I don’t agree with many of your posts - and I respect you enough to sincerely ask you, how on Earth did you think Trump would be no worse for Ukraine than Biden?
I am literally flabbergasted that anyone could conclude that.
That's not what I said. I thought Trump would be worse for Ukraine, but I was also willing to go into his Presidency with an open mind.
And the mooted deal, I thought, was -if unseemly- better than nothing for Ukraine.
I did not realise that President Trump would be willing to rip it up in front of Zelenskky.
I don’t know how you’d go into his Presidency with an open mind. It is baffling. It is quite obvious what Trump was going to do.
People that back Ukraine and back Trump I’m afraid are deluded.
This is a time for cool, wise heads. It’s an extraordinarily dangerous moment. The right move is to lower the temperature, but take the lesson and adapt to this new world.
I genuinely don’t know what Starmer should do. I still think his approach yesterday was the right one although I now have some doubts.
Restate a previous message in public to lower temperature . Plan for the worst in private. The old world is done. You need to buy time.
What struck me is quite how poisonous Vance is. Trump is Trump. But the thought that next in line is someone quite as venomous as that is truly depressing. Feels like the end times.
This is a time for cool, wise heads. It’s an extraordinarily dangerous moment. The right move is to lower the temperature, but take the lesson and adapt to this new world.
I genuinely don’t know what Starmer should do. I still think his approach yesterday was the right one although I now have some doubts.
Starmer should not worry, you can't control the future. He rolled the pitch perfectly for the meeting today.
Comments
"Matt Goodwin
@GoodwinMJ
Zelensky was so bad he made Keir Starmer look like James Bond"
https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1895550859322560779
Thank you, President Trump, for standing up for the American people and our nation on the global stage.
Zelensky was so bad he made Keir Starmer look like James Bond
https://nitter.poast.org/GoodwinMJ/status/1895550859322560779#m
Nearly all the replies positive.
They walk among us.
"Germany's Scholz Reiterates Refusal To Send Taurus Missiles To Ukraine"
https://www.rferl.org/a/scholz-merz-germany-elections-taurus-russia-ukraine/33309168.html
I know there is no easy option for @Keir_Starmer right now.
But leaders from across Europe have backed @ZelenskyyUa this evening while our own Prime Minister has so far been silent
This is the sort of unique situation where having a great speechwriter and strategists really could - temporarily - put Britain in a crucial position.
John Bolton
@AmbJohnBolton
Trump and Vance have declared themselves to be on Russia's side in the Russo-Ukraine war. This is a catastrophic mistake for America's national security. And let's be clear: Trump and Vance now personally own that policy. It is not the view of a majority of Americans of either or no political party.
https://x.com/AmbJohnBolton/status/1895545749896822953
https://nitter.poast.org/conor64/status/1895566772956508440#m
American public: More of this please!
Trump 2.0 is a Putin trojan horse and America has made the most terrible, terrible mistake elected them.
Dark times.
Battle Of Waterloo Scene | NAPOLEON (2023) Joaquin Phoenix, Movie CLIP HD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW_Fb-fkrCk
Shockingly bad.
Was the rest of the film equally terrible ?
Over to you Prime Minister.
She needs tips from PB's main flounce merchants to be honest.
The UK, Europe and other allies should stand steadfast behind Ukraine even without the USA. Let's answer the question Trump asked Starmer yesterday - yes we can defeat Putin without you.
We wanted to do it with you, but if need be without you then yes we can do it.
Ukraine should have our full and unconditional support and Russia should be comprehensively defeated. Even without America.
“What’s the plan sir?”
“That plan? Beat the French”.
Simple choice: KC should withdraw the invitation.
When this all finally plays out, the Guilty Men/Women will be exposed for history to record their names.
If Trump was cunning he could be far more dangerous.
Blair and Brown lived up to the big challenges.
Cameron used our veto.
Major had inner steel.
Maggie was Maggie.
And Churchill…? You realty think he’d have been a coward?
https://bsky.app/profile/samfr.bsky.social/post/3ljbb2jlw4o2d
The time for "diplomacy" has long since passed. I wonder how "diplomatic" Churchill was as we stood of the precipice in 1940...
Kaja Kallas
@kajakallas
·
52m
Ukraine is Europe!
We stand by Ukraine.
We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the agressor.
Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.
https://x.com/kajakallas
"I suppose you wish to know what I am going to say to President Roosevelt on my return. Well I am going to quote to you one verse from the Book of Ruth ... 'Whither thou goest, I will go and where thou lodgest I will lodge, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.'"
Compare that to the grifters, cowards, vulgarians and rsoles present in the White House today.
The result was that there were overly long stretches on the marriage stuff, and then sudden sharp jumps in major national and international plot points which were not explained, with some occasional truncated battle scenes spliced in (and the Waterloo stuff was, er, interesting). Phoenix is a tremendous actor but he was all over the place, probably as the script was a mess.
It could either have been a character piece, a longwinded dull biopic, or an exciting war movie, but not all three. A film simply about the build up to and aftermath of Waterloo might have been more effective.
"Recollect Pope John XXIII saying, "Like a little soldier, I stand at attention in the presence of my captains." The old army game from here to eternity: Get there firstest with the brownest nose."
Sharpe did it better for a fraction of the cost.
This evening everyone is talking about it. I’ve never known such universal contempt for a US politician, even in 2003.
Which is why Starmer now needs to do the Love Actually thing (or at least a positive tweet to Zelenskyy). If he doesn’t, he becomes the enemy. Shit, even Jenrick said the right thing today.
And do you support Starmer withdrawing the King's invitation to Trump?
https://war.ukraine.ua/donate/
Glory to Ukraine.
He said that GDP should be measured excluding government spending: i.e. we should measure private sector GDP.
And that's not a stupid idea, and I think there is no harm in measuring both. (Of course, if you measured Russian GDP excluding government spending, you'd have a very low number indeed, given the extent to which the country's economy is on a war footing.)
https://x.com/kanwalsibal/status/1895540709366657359
Unprecedented. Shocking. This public verbal spat, this haranguing in the White House of a visiting president is dramatic. Zelensky invited it by being argumentative instead of tactfully steering the exchange in a more positive direction. He has been lionised so much that he has developed an inordinate sense of entitlement. He has lectured European leaders and got away with it. It hasn’t worked with Trump and Vance.
I said they would over reach and here we are.
The America people are better than this. Just a basic level of civil decency and decorum.
But as I say, maybe hopium.
Is there one of them left with a fucking spine?
Just a few days ago I posted that while Trump's Ukraine shakedown was unseemly, it was probably ultimately a good for Ukraine, as it put the US firmly in the Ukraine camp.
I now know I was wrong. I hope Johnson is also having second thoughts about President Trump.
https://x.com/cspan/status/1895563006185980411
The old 'if someone steps on your toe you should punch them in the face' argument.
That makes total sense.
Maclean reported back that the Chetniks were more interested in cementing their own position in the Balkans and were killing more Yugoslavs than Germans whilst the Communists under Tito were making real progress against the Axis forces. He said that Britain should support Tito but that if we did then Yugoslavia would be Communist aftert the war.
Churchill, in spite of his famous and absolute detestation of Communists, said that if Tito was killing Germans then Britain should support him and they could worry about the post war settlement later. He wrote a glowing letter to Tito which the Communist leader never forgot and which he used as part of his justification for distancing his country from Russia in the post war era.
Russia is sending meat waves on Donkeys.
I am literally flabbergasted that anyone could conclude that.
They're not better than this, taken as a whole.
Surprise surprise who’s sharing it.
And the mooted deal, I thought, was -if unseemly- better than nothing for Ukraine.
I did not realise that President Trump would be willing to rip it up in front of Zelenskky.
Trump screamed at him that he had no cards. His cutting reply was that he wasn’t playing cards. But I suspect that he had an Ace in his back pocket.
In which event it will be Trump that has overplayed his hand.
To take it back to another Phoenix/Scott movie, turns out Emperor Commodus was not, in fact, killed in the Collosseum by a former General a few months into his reign. Who knew? (anyone who's looked at a history book).
Can Europe step up?
People that back Ukraine and back Trump I’m afraid are deluded.
Graham is just falling in line, as so many others have done.
That said, I cannot see Victoria Sparz returning to the fold now.
Ukraine at end of Cold War had 1900 nuclear warheads.
JVL - The Bulwark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zma77CqgXUY