Am I alone, or just marginally paranoid, in wondering whether there isn't something slightly suspicious about the ship 'collision' off the Humber yesterday? After all, it's not as though the tanker was moving. It was anchored. Even in fog it must have been visible for some distance.
Many years ago I met the captain of a large oil tanker and he explained the stopping distance for boats like this huge.
You can see the object but there’s bugger all you can do to stop or change direction.
In the oil company, where I used to work, they would promote captains, when they retired from the sea at 50, to senior managers.
Great fun to work for.
One guy - retired from even the office, but working part time - was a very fierce Norwegian. Who’d run down an Iranian speedboat during the tanker war in the 80s.
Apparently they’d done the usual “stop or we shoot” crap. He’d had the helm put hard over.
Tankers don’t turn so much as slide sideways with emphasis. So Iranian boat met the side of the tanker - 250ktons moving at a dozen knots….
Thank you! The phrase "slide sideways with emphasis" is going straight into my phrasebook!
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
It’s somewhat softer than the beatings we took randomly from prefects in the middle of the night for the fun of it - would have been nice if someone had shouted rammy as we might have had a chance to run.
And softer than being dragged randomly into tubs of cold water, piss, mud and sometimes added semen whilst dressed for lessons or at 3 in the morning.
Could go through the other soft and fancy joys but off for a monocle fitting.
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
Softies. When my wife was at school she got a free school lunch for being a dinner monitor. When the doors opened everyone would sprint forward. She found a good kick in the balls of one of the front runners would cause a sufficient pile up behind to allow a queue to be formed.
"In the latest souring of relations between the North American neighbours, Mr Trump announced he would impose 50pc tariffs on all steel and aluminium coming into the US from Canada."
Telegraph blog
RIP the Anglosphere.
Just for a bit of fun - a hypothetical Pan-Anglosphere Election!
According to the most recent Anglosphere election results (with Canada and Australia pending), and with a total electoral college distributed proportionally by population (unlike the present US system!), but "winner-takes-all" at State level (like the present US system):
Remember - this just for a bit of fun!
USA (50 states plus DC) 538 electors (2024), but distributed proportionally 310 Radical Right, 228 Radical Left
US Territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.) 6 Electors, ie. 5 for Puerto Rico, 1 at large for the others (2024) 6 Radical Right
UK (4 "states", ie. the Home Nations) 109 electors (2024) 109 Radical Left (oh, well!)
UK Dependencies and Territories, 1 at large Elector (elections 2019 to 2025) 1 Radical Centrist Dad (most elected representatives are unaffiliated)
Canada (13 states, including Quebec) 60 electors (2021) 49 Radical Left, 11 Radical Right - of course, will change later in the year!
Australia (6 states plus Canberra, the Aus external territories are included in NSW and WA) 42 electors (2022) 34 Radical Left, 8 Radical Right - of course, will change later in the year!
Singapore (1 city-state) 9 electors (2020) (I have included Singapore because at the 2020 Census they are 48% English speaking "at home" (main language), compared with 32% in 2010) 9 Radical Right - probably won't change later in the year!
New Zealand (1 state, ie. the main islands plus the three territories) 8 electors (2023) 8 Radical Right
Ireland (1 state) 8 electors (2024) 8 Radical Right
Remember - this just for a bit of fun!
TOTAL: 781 Electoral Votes for the whole Anglosphere Federation:
420 Radical Left (53.8%) 360 Radical Right (46.1%) 1 Radical Centrist Dad (0.1%)
And the "Populist" Vote:
114,004,295 Radical Left (50.6%) 107,322,582 Radical Right (47.6%) 3,946,274 Radical Centrist Dads/Moms (1.8%)
If Trump is going to adopt English as the official language of America then he should be paying royalties to England. Obviously we'll let Canada use it for free because a) they're nice and b) half of them prefer French anyway. https://x.com/EricIdle/status/1899181937148956955
They may claim a discount because they don't use it or spell it properly.
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
If Trump is going to adopt English as the official language of America then he should be paying royalties to England. Obviously we'll let Canada use it for free because a) they're nice and b) half of them prefer French anyway. https://x.com/EricIdle/status/1899181937148956955
They may claim a discount because they don't use it or spell it properly.
They should pay extra for such impertinence. Even @Luckyguy1983 would agree with that.
Are any of those the Democratic Presidential candidate, or Democratic candidates of any sort?
But the Dems won't disown these nutters.
The GOP won't disown nutters who want to invade NATO allies, aid Russia against Ukraine, treat a measles outbreak with vitamin A, or several dozen other nutty ideas. Indeed, they don't just fail to disown them, they've put them in control.
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
You are a braver punter than I am. Despite all the problems Reform UK are currently having, by-elections are rarely good news for incumbent parties.
But Labour got 22,358 with Reform second on 7,662. That's a big gap.
In the polls, Labour are down 27% (but rising) and Reform are up 73% (and falling).
Apply that and you get Labour on 16,321 and Reform on 13, 255. That's the raw figures. Obviously the turnout will be a lot lower so both parties votes will be a lot lower than this. Will Labour suffer because their exMP punched a guy. I don't think so. He's not standing again. Will Reform suffer because of their internal row? Not much but a little. And Labour probably has a better local "machine" to GOTV.
So with a boosted 7/5 on Labour, I'm content to bet.
I'm not saying you're wrong! (And, indeed, I hope you're right.) I note, however, that by-election swings are frequently well beyond any change in the polling.
What about that Aukus? That's a dodo now, isn't it?
On a serious note that is a future problem for us too. I make it small odds on that one of the UK, France or Germany falls to these nutters in the next decade.
Whatever defensive grouping we can build together has to be flexible enough to deal with that.
In fairness, Trump may not have managed to do anything about the price of eggs but he sure is making American stocks a lot more affordable to the average American.
Aaron Fritschner @Fritschner Republicans snuck a provision into the rule for the CR that would preemptively surrender congressional authority to block tariffs.
When House Republicans vote for this rule today, they will also be voting to support Trump's tariffs and all the resulting damage to the US economy
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
That was a good game. I used to ghost through down the side. It worked until it didn't.
Couple of concussions and a broken arm (not mine) that I can recall. No one actually killed.
My son's school's playground has a load of old tyres in it, sized from tractor to go-kart. This has led to a series of games he calls "Tyre wars", the rules of which appears to change (and get more violent) as he progressed through the school.
Are any of those the Democratic Presidential candidate, or Democratic candidates of any sort?
But the Dems won't disown these nutters.
The GOP won't disown nutters who want to invade NATO allies, aid Russia against Ukraine, treat a measles outbreak with vitamin A, or several dozen other nutty ideas. Indeed, they don't just fail to disown them, they've put them in control.
All very true, but, if you have a daughter, this might trump all of the Republican nonsense.
What about that Aukus? That's a dodo now, isn't it?
On a serious note that is a future problem for us too. I make it small odds on that one of the UK, France or Germany falls to these nutters in the next decade.
Whatever defensive grouping we can build together has to be flexible enough to deal with that.
That's a good point actually. All the commentary kind of assumes there's a core sane group of nations who will stay that way.
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
That was a good game. I used to ghost through down the side. It worked until it didn't.
Couple of concussions and a broken arm (not mine) that I can recall. No one actually killed.
My son's school's playground has a load of old tyres in it, sized from tractor to go-kart. This has led to a series of games he calls "Tyre wars", the rules of which appears to change (and get more violent) as he progressed through the school.
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
That was a good game. I used to ghost through down the side. It worked until it didn't.
Couple of concussions and a broken arm (not mine) that I can recall. No one actually killed.
My son's school's playground has a load of old tyres in it, sized from tractor to go-kart. This has led to a series of games he calls "Tyre wars", the rules of which appears to change (and get more violent) as he progressed through the school.
He'll miss that once he goes to secondary.
Will he go to a rugby-playing school? We used to play casual 'games' in the asphalt-surfaced playground.
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
You are a braver punter than I am. Despite all the problems Reform UK are currently having, by-elections are rarely good news for incumbent parties.
But Labour got 22,358 with Reform second on 7,662. That's a big gap.
In the polls, Labour are down 27% (but rising) and Reform are up 73% (and falling).
Apply that and you get Labour on 16,321 and Reform on 13, 255. That's the raw figures. Obviously the turnout will be a lot lower so both parties votes will be a lot lower than this. Will Labour suffer because their exMP punched a guy. I don't think so. He's not standing again. Will Reform suffer because of their internal row? Not much but a little. And Labour probably has a better local "machine" to GOTV.
So with a boosted 7/5 on Labour, I'm content to bet.
The rising and falling part of your post isn't clear to me.
What about that Aukus? That's a dodo now, isn't it?
On a serious note that is a future problem for us too. I make it small odds on that one of the UK, France or Germany falls to these nutters in the next decade.
Whatever defensive grouping we can build together has to be flexible enough to deal with that.
That's a good point actually. All the commentary kind of assumes there's a core sane group of nations who will stay that way.
Yeah, people are still massively complacent and getting their event probabilities out of whack because we have lived our lives in remarkably and unusually stable times. They really need some gamblers to help with strategy.
In fairness, Trump may not have managed to do anything about the price of eggs but he sure is making American stocks a lot more affordable to the average American.
Hey he’s also making the cost of eggs look reasonable when you compare the cost of eggs to the rapidly increasing prices of other products
Some first thoughts on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill:
1. The reforms taken from the Banner Review are good and should slightly reduce the cost and delay created by judicial review; 2. Reducing the scope for arbitrary behaviour by planning committees is probably sensible, though its impact on the overall level of development will be modest; 3. The reforms to Habitats Regulations are excellent and will unlock a substantial wodge of development at no net cost to the environment; 4. Legally requiring that NPSs be kept up to date probably is useful and will reduce scope for JRs, however silly it may be that we need primary legislation to ensure that Government updates its planning policies in line with its own laws; 5. Tighter deadlines for infrastructure consenting are a good idea provided the Planning Inspectorate is resourced to meet them. 6. The powers proposed for development corporations over transport functions are obviously sensible - somewhat astonishing that these did not previously exist.
This does not cover everything - I am still studying other parts of the document. But 4 and 5 above were proposed in my own report on 'Accelerating Infrastructure', so it is especially nice to see them here.
Downsides: like many, I am discomfited by the CPO reforms, which reflect a somewhat 'Charles I' approach to government. Does sharply cutting the compensation people receive when their homes are seized for development really help create a politically durable coalition for building?
There are also missed opportunities here, e.g. for reform of consultation law, legitimate expectations, Aarhus rules, and the spectacularly useless EIA system.
Overall however, these reforms seem to be positive. They should make infrastructure consenting somewhat faster and less glitch-ridden than it is currently. https://x.com/SCP_Hughes/status/1899496109468168303
Josh Wingrove @josh_wingrove The US is now picking a fight with snowbirds --
"Canadians who are in the United States for 30 days or longer will soon have to register their information with the United States government, according to a notice obtained by ABC News."
In fairness, Trump may not have managed to do anything about the price of eggs but he sure is making American stocks a lot more affordable to the average American.
Hey he’s also making the cost of eggs look reasonable when you compare the cost of eggs to the rapidly increasing prices of other products
There will no doubt be an eggseggutive order on that.
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
It’s somewhat softer than the beatings we took randomly from prefects in the middle of the night for the fun of it - would have been nice if someone had shouted rammy as we might have had a chance to run.
And softer than being dragged randomly into tubs of cold water, piss, mud and sometimes added semen whilst dressed for lessons or at 3 in the morning.
Could go through the other soft and fancy joys but off for a monocle fitting.
Sounds character-forming. Whatever the rights and wrongs of my schooling there was certainly no semen involved.
Josh Wingrove @josh_wingrove The US is now picking a fight with snowbirds --
"Canadians who are in the United States for 30 days or longer will soon have to register their information with the United States government, according to a notice obtained by ABC News."
Would you be comfortable staying there as a Canadian? Personally I wouldn't.
Second and third generation Japanese Americans were interned in WW2 and lost 90% of their assets. This was the policy:
"I don't want any of them [persons of Japanese ancestry] here. They are a dangerous element. There is no way to determine their loyalty... It makes no difference whether he is an American citizen, he is still a Japanese. American citizenship does not necessarily determine loyalty... But we must worry about the Japanese all the time until he is wiped off the map."
What about that Aukus? That's a dodo now, isn't it?
On a serious note that is a future problem for us too. I make it small odds on that one of the UK, France or Germany falls to these nutters in the next decade.
Whatever defensive grouping we can build together has to be flexible enough to deal with that.
That's a good point actually. All the commentary kind of assumes there's a core sane group of nations who will stay that way.
Yeah, people are still massively complacent and getting their event probabilities out of whack because we have lived our lives in remarkably and unusually stable times. They really need some gamblers to help with strategy.
Yep. I think the Trump madness makes neofascism over here in Europe slightly less likely but it's still a live possibility. Interestingly (if true) I hear that Keir Starmer rates a populist right breakthrough at the next UK election as a one in four chance. Although I don't know how he's defining breakthrough.
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
It’s somewhat softer than the beatings we took randomly from prefects in the middle of the night for the fun of it - would have been nice if someone had shouted rammy as we might have had a chance to run.
And softer than being dragged randomly into tubs of cold water, piss, mud and sometimes added semen whilst dressed for lessons or at 3 in the morning.
Could go through the other soft and fancy joys but off for a monocle fitting.
Sounds character-forming. Whatever the rights and wrongs of my schooling there was certainly no semen involved.
With a spot of proper gentlemanly flage on the side, no leather tawse there.
And character-forming in ways the headmaster carefully didn't explain to mater and pater when they had a look around prior to signing up Boulay ma, mi, tert and min on the dotted line.
Josh Wingrove @josh_wingrove The US is now picking a fight with snowbirds --
"Canadians who are in the United States for 30 days or longer will soon have to register their information with the United States government, according to a notice obtained by ABC News."
Are any of those the Democratic Presidential candidate, or Democratic candidates of any sort?
But the Dems won't disown these nutters.
The GOP won't disown nutters who want to invade NATO allies, aid Russia against Ukraine, treat a measles outbreak with vitamin A, or several dozen other nutty ideas. Indeed, they don't just fail to disown them, they've put them in control.
All very true, but, if you have a daughter, this might trump all of the Republican nonsense.
If I had a daughter, I'd be quite keen for her not to be raped, to be able to have an abortion, and to still get to vote.
In fairness, Trump may not have managed to do anything about the price of eggs but he sure is making American stocks a lot more affordable to the average American.
Hey he’s also making the cost of eggs look reasonable when you compare the cost of eggs to the rapidly increasing prices of other products
The price of eggs is rocketing in the US because more than 150m birds have been destroyed because of bird flu. If only they had a decent vaccine. eh? And tariffs will make it more difficult or expensive to import eggs from elsewhere.
In fairness, Trump may not have managed to do anything about the price of eggs but he sure is making American stocks a lot more affordable to the average American.
Hey he’s also making the cost of eggs look reasonable when you compare the cost of eggs to the rapidly increasing prices of other products
There will no doubt be an eggseggutive order on that.
What about that Aukus? That's a dodo now, isn't it?
On a serious note that is a future problem for us too. I make it small odds on that one of the UK, France or Germany falls to these nutters in the next decade.
Whatever defensive grouping we can build together has to be flexible enough to deal with that.
That's a good point actually. All the commentary kind of assumes there's a core sane group of nations who will stay that way.
Yeah, people are still massively complacent and getting their event probabilities out of whack because we have lived our lives in remarkably and unusually stable times. They really need some gamblers to help with strategy.
Yep. I think the Trump madness makes neofascism over here in Europe slightly less likely but it's still a live possibility. Interestingly (if true) I hear that Keir Starmer rates a populist right breakthrough at the next UK election as a one in four chance. Although I don't know how he's defining breakthrough.
The threat of a communist revolution in America is quite real too. Look at the people cheering on Luigi Mangione and now the vandalism of anything Tesla. The violence will only escalate unless it’s stopped.
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
It’s somewhat softer than the beatings we took randomly from prefects in the middle of the night for the fun of it - would have been nice if someone had shouted rammy as we might have had a chance to run.
And softer than being dragged randomly into tubs of cold water, piss, mud and sometimes added semen whilst dressed for lessons or at 3 in the morning.
Could go through the other soft and fancy joys but off for a monocle fitting.
Sounds character-forming. Whatever the rights and wrongs of my schooling there was certainly no semen involved.
Josh Wingrove @josh_wingrove The US is now picking a fight with snowbirds --
"Canadians who are in the United States for 30 days or longer will soon have to register their information with the United States government, according to a notice obtained by ABC News."
Would you be comfortable staying there as a Canadian? Personally I wouldn't.
Second and third generation Japanese Americans were interned in WW2 and lost 90% of their assets. This was the policy:
"I don't want any of them [persons of Japanese ancestry] here. They are a dangerous element. There is no way to determine their loyalty... It makes no difference whether he is an American citizen, he is still a Japanese. American citizenship does not necessarily determine loyalty... But we must worry about the Japanese all the time until he is wiped off the map."
I know multiple friends who are cancelling or not advancing with plans to visit the US.
“Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
So if Trump wants to make it "illegal" to boycott Tesla, does that mean it will soon be a crime NOT to buy one?
Josh Wingrove @josh_wingrove The US is now picking a fight with snowbirds --
"Canadians who are in the United States for 30 days or longer will soon have to register their information with the United States government, according to a notice obtained by ABC News."
Would you be comfortable staying there as a Canadian? Personally I wouldn't.
Second and third generation Japanese Americans were interned in WW2 and lost 90% of their assets. This was the policy:
"I don't want any of them [persons of Japanese ancestry] here. They are a dangerous element. There is no way to determine their loyalty... It makes no difference whether he is an American citizen, he is still a Japanese. American citizenship does not necessarily determine loyalty... But we must worry about the Japanese all the time until he is wiped off the map."
Don't forget Harry. When Trump invades Canada he will be stuck in the USA as the son of an enemy head of state. Is he interned or does he apply for asylum?
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
“Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
So if Trump wants to make it "illegal" to boycott Tesla, does that mean it will soon be a crime NOT to buy one?
I understand where @RochdalePioneers is coming from, but personally I think there is now a moral reason to boycott Tesla.
Individual citizens have very little power against Trump’s chaos, but we can vote with our wallets. In fact, I think we must.
You are a braver punter than I am. Despite all the problems Reform UK are currently having, by-elections are rarely good news for incumbent parties.
But Labour got 22,358 with Reform second on 7,662. That's a big gap.
In the polls, Labour are down 27% (but rising) and Reform are up 73% (and falling).
Apply that and you get Labour on 16,321 and Reform on 13, 255. That's the raw figures. Obviously the turnout will be a lot lower so both parties votes will be a lot lower than this. Will Labour suffer because their exMP punched a guy. I don't think so. He's not standing again. Will Reform suffer because of their internal row? Not much but a little. And Labour probably has a better local "machine" to GOTV.
So with a boosted 7/5 on Labour, I'm content to bet.
The rising and falling part of your post isn't clear to me.
The Labour share, though well down since the election, is currently rising slightly and I anticipate it will rise more. Conversely, the Reform share, though well up, is currently stalled and I anticipate it will fall a bit.
“Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
So if Trump wants to make it "illegal" to boycott Tesla, does that mean it will soon be a crime NOT to buy one?
I understand where @RochdalePioneers is coming from, but personally I think there is now a moral reason to boycott Tesla.
Individual citizens have very little power against Trump’s chaos, but we can vote with our wallets. In fact, I think we must.
I can't afford to boycott Tesla. Easy to say when you have zero exposure.
“Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
So if Trump wants to make it "illegal" to boycott Tesla, does that mean it will soon be a crime NOT to buy one?
I understand where @RochdalePioneers is coming from, but personally I think there is now a moral reason to boycott Tesla.
Individual citizens have very little power against Trump’s chaos, but we can vote with our wallets. In fact, I think we must.
Yup, as someone who may have previously considered a Tesla when it comes to replacing my car in a couple of years I absolutely won't now. I just have to hope that there's a good EV that isn't Chinese.
What about that Aukus? That's a dodo now, isn't it?
On a serious note that is a future problem for us too. I make it small odds on that one of the UK, France or Germany falls to these nutters in the next decade.
Whatever defensive grouping we can build together has to be flexible enough to deal with that.
That's a good point actually. All the commentary kind of assumes there's a core sane group of nations who will stay that way.
Yeah, people are still massively complacent and getting their event probabilities out of whack because we have lived our lives in remarkably and unusually stable times. They really need some gamblers to help with strategy.
Yep. I think the Trump madness makes neofascism over here in Europe slightly less likely but it's still a live possibility. Interestingly (if true) I hear that Keir Starmer rates a populist right breakthrough at the next UK election as a one in four chance. Although I don't know how he's defining breakthrough.
The threat of a communist revolution in America is quite real too. Look at the people cheering on Luigi Mangione and now the vandalism of anything Tesla. The violence will only escalate unless it’s stopped.
Sounds like a good reason to stop elections and declare Trump Emperor. Quelle surprise.
What about that Aukus? That's a dodo now, isn't it?
On a serious note that is a future problem for us too. I make it small odds on that one of the UK, France or Germany falls to these nutters in the next decade.
Whatever defensive grouping we can build together has to be flexible enough to deal with that.
That's a good point actually. All the commentary kind of assumes there's a core sane group of nations who will stay that way.
Yeah, people are still massively complacent and getting their event probabilities out of whack because we have lived our lives in remarkably and unusually stable times. They really need some gamblers to help with strategy.
Yep. I think the Trump madness makes neofascism over here in Europe slightly less likely but it's still a live possibility. Interestingly (if true) I hear that Keir Starmer rates a populist right breakthrough at the next UK election as a one in four chance. Although I don't know how he's defining breakthrough.
The threat of a communist revolution in America is quite real too. Look at the people cheering on Luigi Mangione and now the vandalism of anything Tesla. The violence will only escalate unless it’s stopped.
Not much "commie" influence with all that. But I can imagine Trump invoking such a threat to justify some sort of sweeping crackdown on dissent. What is it, Tuesday? So probably by the end of the week.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
I do recall moments where some excitable MPs were discussing sending gunboats to defend Gibraltar.
There was also Truss saying the jury’s out on whether France is an ally.
When I was at school we used to line up outside the classroom and then if someone shouted "rammy" people would start pushing from each end of the line until the people in the middle collapsed in a heap on the floor. I bet none of yous soft English bastards got that in your fancy private schools!
That was a good game. I used to ghost through down the side. It worked until it didn't.
Couple of concussions and a broken arm (not mine) that I can recall. No one actually killed.
My son's school's playground has a load of old tyres in it, sized from tractor to go-kart. This has led to a series of games he calls "Tyre wars", the rules of which appears to change (and get more violent) as he progressed through the school.
He'll miss that once he goes to secondary.
When my lad was at primary school, his best mate fell off the monkey bars and broke his arm. My lad took him to the sick bay, where he was sat down while the school tried to contact his parents as he was obviously in some pain. They couldn't get hold of either parent, so the all-healing cold compress was applied until his mum eventually arrived to pick him up, at which point she went absolutely ballistic with the school for not calling him an ambulance immediately. A bit of a tricky one for the school, since it wasn't actually obvious at the time that he'd broken his arm, and it's not like he was screaming the place down.
What about that Aukus? That's a dodo now, isn't it?
On a serious note that is a future problem for us too. I make it small odds on that one of the UK, France or Germany falls to these nutters in the next decade.
Whatever defensive grouping we can build together has to be flexible enough to deal with that.
That's a good point actually. All the commentary kind of assumes there's a core sane group of nations who will stay that way.
Yeah, people are still massively complacent and getting their event probabilities out of whack because we have lived our lives in remarkably and unusually stable times. They really need some gamblers to help with strategy.
Yep. I think the Trump madness makes neofascism over here in Europe slightly less likely but it's still a live possibility. Interestingly (if true) I hear that Keir Starmer rates a populist right breakthrough at the next UK election as a one in four chance. Although I don't know how he's defining breakthrough.
The threat of a communist revolution in America is quite real too. Look at the people cheering on Luigi Mangione and now the vandalism of anything Tesla. The violence will only escalate unless it’s stopped.
The likelihood of a "communist revolution" is approximately zero.
If these policies are carried on a recession is 100% guaranteed.
The turn point is passing - even if they went back to sanity, right now, it would not reduce the probability of a recession below 75% I reckon. The damage is being baked in.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
I do recall moments where some excitable MPs were discussing sending gunboats to defend Gibraltar.
There was also Truss saying the jury’s out on whether France is an ally.
Probably the jury is deliberating right now on whether Trumpian America is an ally...
“Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
So if Trump wants to make it "illegal" to boycott Tesla, does that mean it will soon be a crime NOT to buy one?
I understand where @RochdalePioneers is coming from, but personally I think there is now a moral reason to boycott Tesla.
Individual citizens have very little power against Trump’s chaos, but we can vote with our wallets. In fact, I think we must.
So just to double check, if I don't get a Tesla does that mean I can keep Amazon prime for a few more months......
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
Yes and no, the problem is that on some of the "common sense" stuff that doesn't even rate here like biological men in women's sports and private spaces Trump was the only game in town. Look at the backlash that Gavin Newsom has been facing for stating the bleeding obvious that allowing biological men into women's sports is unfair to the women, this is what fuels people to vote for Trump, there was a repudiation of "common sense" among the left in the US and it completely left them open to simple attacks from the likes of Trump who has parcelled that "common sense" approach with all of the bullshit so people buy it.
The left in the US really need to get real with this stuff and tell the T in LGBT that they aren't women and can't partake in women's sports or use single sex spaces for women. If that upsets some of the far left then that's fine because right now they will win huge numbers in the centre that voted for Trump but are pretty upset about what's been going on.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
I was cursing Brexit again this afternoon, stood once more in a long immigration line at a continental airport!
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
There was a reasonable case (among all the utter nonsense) for Brexit - see, for example, @Richard_Tyndall .
There is no reasonable case for Trump as president. And Trump re-elected is simply insane - while over here, polls show a load of those who voted for Brexit have a degree of regret over doing so.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
I do recall moments where some excitable MPs were discussing sending gunboats to defend Gibraltar.
There was also Truss saying the jury’s out on whether France is an ally.
I distinctly remember Michael Howard suggesting that the UK would acquit itself well in the event of war with Spain.
“Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
So if Trump wants to make it "illegal" to boycott Tesla, does that mean it will soon be a crime NOT to buy one?
I understand where @RochdalePioneers is coming from, but personally I think there is now a moral reason to boycott Tesla.
Individual citizens have very little power against Trump’s chaos, but we can vote with our wallets. In fact, I think we must.
Yup, as someone who may have previously considered a Tesla when it comes to replacing my car in a couple of years I absolutely won't now. I just have to hope that there's a good EV that isn't Chinese.
If these policies are carried on a recession is 100% guaranteed.
The turn point is passing - even if they went back to sanity, right now, it would not reduce the probability of a recession below 75% I reckon. The damage is being baked in.
And sanity is a pretty unlikely option. Even if this particular pile of madness is reversed, it is likely to be replaced by the same people doing different mad things.
Lack of men in gray suits is a major flaw in the US system.
“Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
So if Trump wants to make it "illegal" to boycott Tesla, does that mean it will soon be a crime NOT to buy one?
I understand where @RochdalePioneers is coming from, but personally I think there is now a moral reason to boycott Tesla.
Individual citizens have very little power against Trump’s chaos, but we can vote with our wallets. In fact, I think we must.
Yup, as someone who may have previously considered a Tesla when it comes to replacing my car in a couple of years I absolutely won't now. I just have to hope that there's a good EV that isn't Chinese.
Kia/Hyundai seem to have some decent options ?
I think I want to see what Audi come up with that isn't gigantic or maybe Honda or Toyota. Tesla did fill a gap in the market IMO but there's just no way I'll consider one if Elon Musk is still in charge of the company.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
The problem with your analogy is that practically none of the disasters predicted in advance of Brexit came you pass. Whereas if anything we were too optimistic on Trump.
What about that Aukus? That's a dodo now, isn't it?
On a serious note that is a future problem for us too. I make it small odds on that one of the UK, France or Germany falls to these nutters in the next decade.
Whatever defensive grouping we can build together has to be flexible enough to deal with that.
That's a good point actually. All the commentary kind of assumes there's a core sane group of nations who will stay that way.
Yeah, people are still massively complacent and getting their event probabilities out of whack because we have lived our lives in remarkably and unusually stable times. They really need some gamblers to help with strategy.
Yep. I think the Trump madness makes neofascism over here in Europe slightly less likely but it's still a live possibility. Interestingly (if true) I hear that Keir Starmer rates a populist right breakthrough at the next UK election as a one in four chance. Although I don't know how he's defining breakthrough.
The threat of a communist revolution in America is quite real too. Look at the people cheering on Luigi Mangione and now the vandalism of anything Tesla. The violence will only escalate unless it’s stopped.
So it's corporate America's fault? This is a fun game.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
The problem with your analogy is that practically none of the disasters predicted in advance of Brexit came you pass. Whereas if anything we were too optimistic on Trump.
Brexit was a mistake, and a huge distraction at the worst possible time. But that's politics. We'll get over it eventually.
Trump mark II isn't even a blunder; it's sheer madness.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
There was a reasonable case (among all the utter nonsense) for Brexit - see, for example, @Richard_Tyndall .
There is no reasonable case for Trump as president. And Trump re-elected is simply insane - while over here, polls show a load of those who voted for Brexit have a degree of regret over doing so.
I disagree.
There is a “reasonable” case for Trumpism: that long-term policies have perpetuated the US’s status as a debtor nation, and this has deindustrialised the U.S. and left it weaker against geopolitical rivals.
Secondly, that conflict in Europe is a costly distraction from USA’s key challenge in the Asia-Pacific.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
I do recall moments where some excitable MPs were discussing sending gunboats to defend Gibraltar.
There was also Truss saying the jury’s out on whether France is an ally.
It's Truss but without the British mechanisms to put a stop to it.
What would be useful is some way to compare the two administrations - what's equivalent to the 1.5 percentage point increase in 30-year gilts in September '23?
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
There was a reasonable case (among all the utter nonsense) for Brexit - see, for example, @Richard_Tyndall .
There is no reasonable case for Trump as president. And Trump re-elected is simply insane - while over here, polls show a load of those who voted for Brexit have a degree of regret over doing so.
I disagree.
There is a “reasonable” case for Trumpism: that long-term policies have perpetuated its status as a debtor nation, and this has deindustrialised the U.S. and left it weaker against geopolitical rivals.
Secondly, that conflict in Europe is a costly distraction from USA’s key challenge in the Asia-Pacific.
Those are both eminently arguable.
The problem for the US is because the dollar is the world's reserve currency it's been very easy for the US Government to borrow money at reasonable interest rates.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
The problem with your analogy is that practically none of the disasters predicted in advance of Brexit came you pass. Whereas if anything we were too optimistic on Trump.
Brexit has very roughly played out as I expected. Sone of my worst fears (the break up of the union) have not come to pass. The country is poorer, weaker, and more divided than it would have been.
Trump is obviously much, much worse than Brexit. I don’t think many on here were ever particularly optimistic about him, what surprising is more the speed and volatility rather than the general direction.
If these policies are carried on a recession is 100% guaranteed.
The turn point is passing - even if they went back to sanity, right now, it would not reduce the probability of a recession below 75% I reckon. The damage is being baked in.
And sanity is a pretty unlikely option. Even if this particular pile of madness is reversed, it is likely to be replaced by the same people doing different mad things.
Lack of men in gray suits is a major flaw in the US system.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
The problem with your analogy is that practically none of the disasters predicted in advance of Brexit came you pass. Whereas if anything we were too optimistic on Trump.
Brexit has very roughly played out as I expected. Sone of my worst fears (the break up of the union) have not come to pass. The country is poorer, weaker, and more divided than it would have been.
Trump is obviously much, much worse than Brexit. I don’t think many on here were ever particularly optimistic about him, what surprising is more the speed and volatility rather than the general direction.
You can't make an omlette without breaking eggs. Any serious attempt to Make America Great Again will necessarily create some disruption.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
There was a reasonable case (among all the utter nonsense) for Brexit - see, for example, @Richard_Tyndall .
There is no reasonable case for Trump as president. And Trump re-elected is simply insane - while over here, polls show a load of those who voted for Brexit have a degree of regret over doing so.
I disagree.
There is a “reasonable” case for Trumpism: that long-term policies have perpetuated its status as a debtor nation, and this has deindustrialised the U.S. and left it weaker against geopolitical rivals.
Secondly, that conflict in Europe is a costly distraction from USA’s key challenge in the Asia-Pacific.
Those are both eminently arguable.
The deindustrialisation of the US is a diagnosis (shared across the political spectrum). It's not a case for Trump.
And the Ukraine thing isn't particularly costly at all from the POV of the US, who have largely supplied equipment too obsolete to be relevant to the Asia-Pacific theatre. If cost were really the issue, they'd be taking the massive increases in EU defence spending as a win. They aren't.
Both have been used as arguments for Trump, but a bare three months into his administration, as a "case", they're obviously threadbare.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
The problem with your analogy is that practically none of the disasters predicted in advance of Brexit came you pass. Whereas if anything we were too optimistic on Trump.
Brexit has very roughly played out as I expected. Sone of my worst fears (the break up of the union) have not come to pass. The country is poorer, weaker, and more divided than it would have been.
Trump is obviously much, much worse than Brexit. I don’t think many on here were ever particularly optimistic about him, what surprising is more the speed and volatility rather than the general direction.
You can't make an omlette without breaking eggs. Any serious attempt to Make America Great Again will necessarily create some disruption.
And the same argument was advanced, sometimes, for Brexit (though not often, since the main message was that there would be no downsides and only considerable upsides).
Drawing a parallel between Trump and Brexit is obvious nonsense. To be fair to Corbyn and Truss, I am not sure even they count as they both respected the rule of law and the concept of global rules.
Trump is something very different. Trump is 19th century thinking in 2025. That’s why he’s a fellow traveller with Putin, and that’s why this is a dangerous moment in world history. We really could go backwards.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
There was a reasonable case (among all the utter nonsense) for Brexit - see, for example, @Richard_Tyndall .
There is no reasonable case for Trump as president. And Trump re-elected is simply insane - while over here, polls show a load of those who voted for Brexit have a degree of regret over doing so.
I disagree.
There is a “reasonable” case for Trumpism: that long-term policies have perpetuated its status as a debtor nation, and this has deindustrialised the U.S. and left it weaker against geopolitical rivals.
Secondly, that conflict in Europe is a costly distraction from USA’s key challenge in the Asia-Pacific.
Those are both eminently arguable.
The deindustrialisation of the US is a diagnosis (shared across the political spectrum). It's not a case for Trump.
And the Ukraine thing isn't particularly costly at all from the POV of the US, who have largely supplied equipment too obsolete to be relevant to the Asia-Pacific theatre. If cost were really the issue, they'd be taking the massive increases in EU defence spending as a win. They aren't.
Both have been used as arguments for Trump, but a bare three months into his administration, as a "case", they're obviously threadbare.
I am distinguishing between “Trump” and “Trumpism”.
Similarly, most supporters of Brexit (Trumpism) moved to a position of “I don’t recognise this particular execution of Brexit (Trump)”.
I'd like to know who was responsible for making American voters so annoyed that they ended up electing someone like Trump as president.
Trump told a lot of lies. Vance and Musk did too. People were told they were lies. They did not care. Trump voters are the only ones responsible for Trump being President. They own the consequences of their decision entirely. No-one else is to blame.
PBers won’t thank me for the analogy, but Trump is Brexit on steroids.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue. Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
The problem with your analogy is that practically none of the disasters predicted in advance of Brexit came you pass. Whereas if anything we were too optimistic on Trump.
Brexit has very roughly played out as I expected. Sone of my worst fears (the break up of the union) have not come to pass. The country is poorer, weaker, and more divided than it would have been.
Trump is obviously much, much worse than Brexit. I don’t think many on here were ever particularly optimistic about him, what surprising is more the speed and volatility rather than the general direction.
You can't make an omlette without breaking eggs. Any serious attempt to Make America Great Again will necessarily create some disruption.
Comments
(Primary school.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_bulldog_(game)
And softer than being dragged randomly into tubs of cold water, piss, mud and sometimes added semen whilst dressed for lessons or at 3 in the morning.
Could go through the other soft and fancy joys but off for a monocle fitting.
According to the most recent Anglosphere election results (with Canada and Australia pending), and with a total electoral college distributed proportionally by population (unlike the present US system!), but "winner-takes-all" at State level (like the present US system):
Remember - this just for a bit of fun!
USA (50 states plus DC) 538 electors (2024), but distributed proportionally
310 Radical Right, 228 Radical Left
US Territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.) 6 Electors, ie. 5 for Puerto Rico, 1 at large for the others (2024)
6 Radical Right
UK (4 "states", ie. the Home Nations) 109 electors (2024)
109 Radical Left (oh, well!)
UK Dependencies and Territories, 1 at large Elector (elections 2019 to 2025)
1 Radical Centrist Dad (most elected representatives are unaffiliated)
Canada (13 states, including Quebec) 60 electors (2021)
49 Radical Left, 11 Radical Right - of course, will change later in the year!
Australia (6 states plus Canberra, the Aus external territories are included in NSW and WA) 42 electors (2022)
34 Radical Left, 8 Radical Right - of course, will change later in the year!
Singapore (1 city-state) 9 electors (2020)
(I have included Singapore because at the 2020 Census they are 48% English speaking "at home" (main language), compared with 32% in 2010)
9 Radical Right - probably won't change later in the year!
New Zealand (1 state, ie. the main islands plus the three territories) 8 electors (2023)
8 Radical Right
Ireland (1 state) 8 electors (2024)
8 Radical Right
Remember - this just for a bit of fun!
TOTAL: 781 Electoral Votes for the whole Anglosphere Federation:
420 Radical Left (53.8%)
360 Radical Right (46.1%)
1 Radical Centrist Dad (0.1%)
And the "Populist" Vote:
114,004,295 Radical Left (50.6%)
107,322,582 Radical Right (47.6%)
3,946,274 Radical Centrist Dads/Moms (1.8%)
And remember - this is just for a bit of fun!
Source: www.781.com
Even @Luckyguy1983 would agree with that.
No one actually killed.
Whatever defensive grouping we can build together has to be flexible enough to deal with that.
@Fritschner
Republicans snuck a provision into the rule for the CR that would preemptively surrender congressional authority to block tariffs.
When House Republicans vote for this rule today, they will also be voting to support Trump's tariffs and all the resulting damage to the US economy
https://x.com/Fritschner/status/1899482408862237018
He'll miss that once he goes to secondary.
https://x.com/WarMonitor3/status/1899446449588388020
50% of the replies: "Blame Ukraine."
@atrupar.com
Doug Ford: "It's not even the Republicans I speak to. Behind closed doors, all of them are saying, 'This is crazy, what's he doing.
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lk4fschl7v2c
1. The reforms taken from the Banner Review are good and should slightly reduce the cost and delay created by judicial review;
2. Reducing the scope for arbitrary behaviour by planning committees is probably sensible, though its impact on the overall level of development will be modest;
3. The reforms to Habitats Regulations are excellent and will unlock a substantial wodge of development at no net cost to the environment;
4. Legally requiring that NPSs be kept up to date probably is useful and will reduce scope for JRs, however silly it may be that we need primary legislation to ensure that Government updates its planning policies in line with its own laws;
5. Tighter deadlines for infrastructure consenting are a good idea provided the Planning Inspectorate is resourced to meet them.
6. The powers proposed for development corporations over transport functions are obviously sensible - somewhat astonishing that these did not previously exist.
This does not cover everything - I am still studying other parts of the document. But 4 and 5 above were proposed in my own report on 'Accelerating Infrastructure', so it is especially nice to see them here.
Downsides: like many, I am discomfited by the CPO reforms, which reflect a somewhat 'Charles I' approach to government. Does sharply cutting the compensation people receive when their homes are seized for development really help create a politically durable coalition for building?
There are also missed opportunities here, e.g. for reform of consultation law, legitimate expectations, Aarhus rules, and the spectacularly useless EIA system.
Overall however, these reforms seem to be positive. They should make infrastructure consenting somewhat faster and less glitch-ridden than it is currently.
https://x.com/SCP_Hughes/status/1899496109468168303
PB views ?
@josh_wingrove
The US is now picking a fight with snowbirds --
"Canadians who are in the United States for 30 days or longer will soon have to register their information with the United States government, according to a notice obtained by ABC News."
https://x.com/josh_wingrove/status/1899486639539290394
Second and third generation Japanese Americans were interned in WW2 and lost 90% of their assets. This was the policy:
"I don't want any of them [persons of Japanese ancestry] here. They are a dangerous element. There is no way to determine their loyalty... It makes no difference whether he is an American citizen, he is still a Japanese. American citizenship does not necessarily determine loyalty... But we must worry about the Japanese all the time until he is wiped off the map."
And character-forming in ways the headmaster carefully didn't explain to mater and pater when they had a look around prior to signing up Boulay ma, mi, tert and min on the dotted line.
The man is economically illiterate.
I’d say we are now 50/50 looking at a recession.
So if Trump wants to make it "illegal" to boycott Tesla, does that mean it will soon be a crime NOT to buy one?
Individual citizens have very little power against Trump’s chaos, but we can vote with our wallets. In fact, I think we must.
Conversely, the Reform share, though well up, is currently stalled and I anticipate it will fall a bit.
Reform are not credible.
Every feature of Brexit has its Trumpian analogue.
Including this idea that, actually, it’s the Democrats’ fault.
There was also Truss saying the jury’s out on whether France is an ally.
If these policies are carried on a recession is 100% guaranteed.
The turn point is passing - even if they went back to sanity, right now, it would not reduce the probability of a recession below 75% I reckon. The damage is being baked in.
...as President.
The left in the US really need to get real with this stuff and tell the T in LGBT that they aren't women and can't partake in women's sports or use single sex spaces for women. If that upsets some of the far left then that's fine because right now they will win huge numbers in the centre that voted for Trump but are pretty upset about what's been going on.
There is no reasonable case for Trump as president.
And Trump re-elected is simply insane - while over here, polls show a load of those who voted for Brexit have a degree of regret over doing so.
Utter insanity.
Lack of men in gray suits is a major flaw in the US system.
But that's politics. We'll get over it eventually.
Trump mark II isn't even a blunder; it's sheer madness.
There is a “reasonable” case for Trumpism: that long-term policies have perpetuated the US’s status as a debtor nation, and this has deindustrialised the U.S. and left it weaker against geopolitical rivals.
Secondly, that conflict in Europe is a costly distraction from USA’s key challenge in the Asia-Pacific.
Those are both eminently arguable.
I feel bad for my American friends and relatives for the hell he is bringing on them.
White House says Trump won’t cut Social Security, Medicare after Musk remarks
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5188082-white-house-donald-trump-social-security-medicare-cuts/
What would be useful is some way to compare the two administrations - what's equivalent to the 1.5 percentage point increase in 30-year gilts in September '23?
If that disappears things may change rapidly..
Canada should offer New York and Illinois the chance to join it.
Trump is obviously much, much worse than Brexit.
I don’t think many on here were ever particularly optimistic about him, what surprising is more the speed and volatility rather than the general direction.
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com
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"Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people" -- Karoline Leavitt
https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lk4n3ltaus2y
And the Ukraine thing isn't particularly costly at all from the POV of the US, who have largely supplied equipment too obsolete to be relevant to the Asia-Pacific theatre.
If cost were really the issue, they'd be taking the massive increases in EU defence spending as a win. They aren't.
Both have been used as arguments for Trump, but a bare three months into his administration, as a "case", they're obviously threadbare.
Trump is something very different. Trump is 19th century thinking in 2025. That’s why he’s a fellow traveller with Putin, and that’s why this is a dangerous moment in world history. We really could go backwards.
Similarly, most supporters of Brexit (Trumpism) moved to a position of “I don’t recognise this particular execution of Brexit (Trump)”.