Utah judge orders new congressional maps for 2026 in another redistricting twist
“The judge ruled that GOP legislators illegally disregarded voters who passed a ballot measure banning gerrymandering. The state currently has an all-Republican House delegation.” https://x.com/sahilkapur/status/1960172887249219598
This, together with Newsom's ballot measure, suggests a possible future path to multilateral disarmament on gerrymandering (unilateral is, obviously, just political suicide). Future ballot measures implementing independent districting commissions, but (like the Newsom measure) conditional, in this case on a given number of states doing the same, would provide a means for the states (as opposed to the federal government) to sort out the mess.
Anti-wokeism is about being selfish, nasty to others, intolerant, and racist.
Which sums you up to a tee.
The Democratic problem is perhaps that they're not explaining themselves in simple language, as you just did.
Not just that: the GOP or GOP-minded have got a large amount of control over the new media, and much of the traditional media is either aligned with the GOP/Trump, or have bent the knee to Trump.
Also, the Trump Circus so dominates the story - including over here - that it is hard for them to mould, or create, the story.
A crucial difference you touch on briefly is that when Truss started the Trussterfuck it was very easy to remove her.
For Trump to be removed, there are two options:
1) Invoke the 25th Amendment. This requires Vance to persuade half the cabinet that Trump is off his head (or at least, get them to admit that Trump is off his head) and then either instantly lock him up without access to email or any other sort of communication for a month or persuade two thirds of the House and the Senate to concur. I'll file that under 'will happen the day Cummings shows some intellectual humility.'
2) Death.
As (2) hasn't happened yet and hasn't even come close apart from Mr Crooks, we must assume there is no Deep State that will arrange matters, and the Indira Gandhi option seems improbable.
So we're stuck with this nonsense for four years.
Republicans in Congress could do plenty to push back, as can Republican states and the Supreme Court. The US system has plenty of checks and balances if someone wants to use them.
I'm not saying they WILL, but they COULD.
And the lawyers who falsified court paperwork to convict postmasters they knew to be innocent could have a crisis of conscience, admit their guilt and resign.
A crucial difference you touch on briefly is that when Truss started the Trussterfuck it was very easy to remove her.
For Trump to be removed, there are two options:
1) Invoke the 25th Amendment. This requires Vance to persuade half the cabinet that Trump is off his head (or at least, get them to admit that Trump is off his head) and then either instantly lock him up without access to email or any other sort of communication for a month or persuade two thirds of the House and the Senate to concur. I'll file that under 'will happen the day Cummings shows some intellectual humility.'
2) Death.
As (2) hasn't happened yet and hasn't even come close apart from Mr Crooks, we must assume there is no Deep State that will arrange matters, and the Indira Gandhi option seems improbable.
So we're stuck with this nonsense for four years.
Republicans in Congress could do plenty to push back, as can Republican states and the Supreme Court. The US system has plenty of checks and balances if someone wants to use them.
I'm not saying they WILL, but they COULD.
It's interesting that when my daughter was doing her A levels (she is 25 this year) they were taught about the checks and balances in the US between the President, the Supreme Court and Congress. One of the disadvantages with it being it potentially prevents getting things done. It appears if you are malign you can override this stuff. There don't seem to be any checks and balances on what Trump does now. The Supreme Court and Congress are neutered.
Anti-wokeism is about being selfish, nasty to others, intolerant, and racist.
Which sums you up to a tee.
The Democratic problem is perhaps that they're not explaining themselves in simple language, as you just did.
Not just that: the GOP or GOP-minded have got a large amount of control over the new media, and much of the traditional media is either aligned with the GOP/Trump, or have bent the knee to Trump.
Also, the Trump Circus so dominates the story - including over here - that it is hard for them to mould, or create, the story.
Hence Newsom's gambit.
The other Democratic problem is that significant parts of what should be a coalition don't understand the necessity of coalition in an FPTP system.
Words on the list that I've used include Overton Window, cisgender, patriarchy, othering, postmodernism, stakeholders, food insecurity, deadnaming, heteronormative, intersectionality. The Telegraph appears to have been triggered by the list.
Words on the list that I've used include Overton Window, cisgender, patriarchy, othering, postmodernism, stakeholders, food insecurity, deadnaming, heteronormative, intersectionality. The Telegraph appears to have been triggered by the list.
And "triggered" is another word on the list.
Nah, everyone uses triggered these days. Bothsides.
Anyone very very excited by the Reform presser this morning?
They are going to solve the migrant crisis with one simple easy policy.
It is so simple that it beggars belief that no politician or civil servant had thought of it previously.
Stopping small boats pales into insignificance against His Majesty's Government's plan to make murder illegal or at least launch a pilot study into whether anyone can be arsed to read past the headline.
Crackdown on ‘honour’ crime to be launched by government ... In 2021, pregnant Fawziyah Javed, 31, died when she was pushed from Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh by her husband after she decided to leave the marriage.
New statutory guidance and a legal definition of honour-based abuse will be brought in to help combat the crime, the government has said.
Sorry, I've done the Jess & Yvette show an injustice. Their's is a three-fold plan – a pilot study; a glossy poster; and more work for under-employed social workers and teachers so we can blame them next time.
Any information on what it is about the existing laws around murder, abuse, etc that makes them inadequate for the honour-based defences?
Good morning, everybody.
There was the case of a retiring government lawyer, who in her parting message, proudly announced that she had prevented any prosecutions for FGM.
Sometimes you need a version of Mrs May announcing that all reported incidents of X will be investigated.
Nigel Farage will testify before US Congress on Sept 3, highlighting UK free speech concerns. Lucy Connolly’s imprisonment over an X post will be at the heart of his case. https://x.com/now_onearth/status/1959613396585971751
How much are you betting that he will totally misrepresent English law when he appears?
He is a traitor.
He’s seeking help from the relatives. It’s what people do in families. It’s the least treacherous thing imaginable
And right now the US is led by the most Anglophile administration in many decades
What utter bullshit.
To be fair it’s not unprecedented. Viktor Yanukovich sought help from the relatives in 2014, and the results were strikingly effective.
Yes, it was two fingers and carry on Vladimir.
The response to Yanukovich was “yes, come and stay with us here and we’ll go in and take Crimea”. So it was pretty successful.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
The dollar is up against the euro on the week. I was fully expecting it to be down a few cents on the basis of the thread header.
I guess money talks and the underlying strength of the US economy is still a greater factor in trader's minds than Trump's follies. At least, for now.
The US system, and political setup are very different, though. Those numbers can reverse themselves remarkable quickly (as they've done many times in the past).
Words on the list that I've used include Overton Window, cisgender, patriarchy, othering, postmodernism, stakeholders, food insecurity, deadnaming, heteronormative, intersectionality. The Telegraph appears to have been triggered by the list.
And "triggered" is another word on the list.
I can safely say I have never used any of those words, with the possible exception of 'stakeholder' as in stakeholder pension. There are a couple which I don't even understand. I note Casino uses OW and T so does that make him more woke than me?
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
The dollar is up against the euro on the week. I was fully expecting it to be down a few cents on the basis of the thread header.
I guess money talks and the underlying strength of the US economy is still a greater factor in trader's minds than Trump's follies. At least, for now.
I am accused of being obsessed with the Lib Dem’s by posters here who are obsessed with Trump and Reform.
When markets speak, people should listen to them. Not their political prejudices.
Anyone very very excited by the Reform presser this morning?
They are going to solve the migrant crisis with one simple easy policy.
It is so simple that it beggars belief that no politician or civil servant had thought of it previously.
Stopping small boats pales into insignificance against His Majesty's Government's plan to make murder illegal or at least launch a pilot study into whether anyone can be arsed to read past the headline.
Crackdown on ‘honour’ crime to be launched by government ... In 2021, pregnant Fawziyah Javed, 31, died when she was pushed from Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh by her husband after she decided to leave the marriage.
New statutory guidance and a legal definition of honour-based abuse will be brought in to help combat the crime, the government has said.
Sorry, I've done the Jess & Yvette show an injustice. Their's is a three-fold plan – a pilot study; a glossy poster; and more work for under-employed social workers and teachers so we can blame them next time.
Any information on what it is about the existing laws around murder, abuse, etc that makes them inadequate for the honour-based defences?
Good morning, everybody.
I think it's that the defence of provocation has been applied far too widely (i.e. at all), and so it has been argued that the killers in these cases are temporarily not in their right mind as a result of the "provocation"/"insult to family honour" and consequently not culpable for their actions.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
A crucial difference you touch on briefly is that when Truss started the Trussterfuck it was very easy to remove her.
For Trump to be removed, there are two options:
1) Invoke the 25th Amendment. This requires Vance to persuade half the cabinet that Trump is off his head (or at least, get them to admit that Trump is off his head) and then either instantly lock him up without access to email or any other sort of communication for a month or persuade two thirds of the House and the Senate to concur. I'll file that under 'will happen the day Cummings shows some intellectual humility.'
2) Death.
As (2) hasn't happened yet and hasn't even come close apart from Mr Crooks, we must assume there is no Deep State that will arrange matters, and the Indira Gandhi option seems improbable.
So we're stuck with this nonsense for four years.
Republicans in Congress could do plenty to push back, as can Republican states and the Supreme Court. The US system has plenty of checks and balances if someone wants to use them.
I'm not saying they WILL, but they COULD.
It's interesting that when my daughter was doing her A levels (she is 25 this year) they were taught about the checks and balances in the US between the President, the Supreme Court and Congress. One of the disadvantages with it being it potentially prevents getting things done. It appears if you are malign you can override this stuff. There don't seem to be any checks and balances on what Trump does now. The Supreme Court and Congress are neutered.
Democracy is fragile which is why malignant state actors are happy to push the boundaries especially Iran. And the resulting pushback becomes another area of criticism of democracy. Farage is just an instrument (also known as a tool)
Can I give a big shout out to the classy Newcastle fans who gave a sixteen year old boy abuse for scoring a goal.
No wonder you're happy being run by a country who executes teenagers and murders dissents.
#FreeIsak
Sorry, you support a team that forces children to work ?
I am given to believe that 16 is over the age of football consent. Provided that parental consent is given and the correct jumpers for goalposts.
It's actually the season in which they turn 16. I think Arsenal wanted to play Max Dowman last season!
AIUI they can't sign a professional contract until 17, so they're on apprentice terms. So it seems a big risk for the player, potential injury and loss of career earnings, does anyone know if these kids are covered for that? If not I'm surprised their parents/agents allow them to play.
Words on the list that I've used include Overton Window, cisgender, patriarchy, othering, postmodernism, stakeholders, food insecurity, deadnaming, heteronormative, intersectionality. The Telegraph appears to have been triggered by the list.
And "triggered" is another word on the list.
I can safely say I have never used any of those words, with the possible exception of 'stakeholder' as in stakeholder pension. There are a couple which I don't even understand. I note Casino uses OW and T so does that make him more woke than me?
Whenever the word Stakeholder is used,
1) I assume that someone is ducking actual responsibility. 2) who is holding the hammer?
Words on the list that I've used include Overton Window, cisgender, patriarchy, othering, postmodernism, stakeholders, food insecurity, deadnaming, heteronormative, intersectionality. The Telegraph appears to have been triggered by the list.
And "triggered" is another word on the list.
The issue here isn't so much sounding woke as sounding overeducated and wonky. It turns a lot of people off. Eg if you talk about a society that for all the progress over recent decades remains one in which wealth and power resides mainly with men, you'll have a chance of getting through. But if you unleash the word "patriarchy" - or even worse *The Patriarchy* - you'll be speaking only to those already in your space and you'll repel, irritate or anger the rest. Ditto with "white privilege". Don't go there unless you want to repel, irritate and anger (which you might want to do tbf), talk instead of the obstacles still faced by people of colour and esp black people. Come a long way on racial equality, not there yet etc etc. This is the PC way to make your point.
Words on the list that I've used include Overton Window, cisgender, patriarchy, othering, postmodernism, stakeholders, food insecurity, deadnaming, heteronormative, intersectionality. The Telegraph appears to have been triggered by the list.
And "triggered" is another word on the list.
Nah, everyone uses triggered these days. Bothsides.
And I wouldn’t have had Overton window as woke. Surely it’s a term that’s mainly used with glee by anti-wokes when commenting on ever-more edgy positions taken by their heroes.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
A crucial difference you touch on briefly is that when Truss started the Trussterfuck it was very easy to remove her.
For Trump to be removed, there are two options:
1) Invoke the 25th Amendment. This requires Vance to persuade half the cabinet that Trump is off his head (or at least, get them to admit that Trump is off his head) and then either instantly lock him up without access to email or any other sort of communication for a month or persuade two thirds of the House and the Senate to concur. I'll file that under 'will happen the day Cummings shows some intellectual humility.'
2) Death.
As (2) hasn't happened yet and hasn't even come close apart from Mr Crooks, we must assume there is no Deep State that will arrange matters, and the Indira Gandhi option seems improbable.
So we're stuck with this nonsense for four years.
Republicans in Congress could do plenty to push back, as can Republican states and the Supreme Court. The US system has plenty of checks and balances if someone wants to use them.
I'm not saying they WILL, but they COULD.
It's interesting that when my daughter was doing her A levels (she is 25 this year) they were taught about the checks and balances in the US between the President, the Supreme Court and Congress. One of the disadvantages with it being it potentially prevents getting things done. It appears if you are malign you can override this stuff. There don't seem to be any checks and balances on what Trump does now. The Supreme Court and Congress are neutered.
They're not neutered, they are subservient.
Either or both of them could stop Trump tomorrow, but at the moment they refuse to act. I assume they think their interests are aligned.
I am not sure that is true.
I think the moment they find out is going to be ugly.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
You don't read the "potential civil war", "States seceding", "economic misery" stuff that is so much a feature of the media landscape? Its funny because quite a lot of that comes from your side of the political fence. Indeed won't you telling us about the absolute degradation of large parts of Appalachia and forecasting various doom laden scenarios, only a few months ago?
I am not saying that the US will collapse, but it is certainly in a hell of a mess and Trump is setting the US economy up for something that will make the Lehman bankruptcy and the GFC look fairly normal.
There is an awful lot of ruin in a nation. Doesn't mean it can't be ruined though.
Words on the list that I've used include Overton Window, cisgender, patriarchy, othering, postmodernism, stakeholders, food insecurity, deadnaming, heteronormative, intersectionality. The Telegraph appears to have been triggered by the list.
And "triggered" is another word on the list.
The issue here isn't so much sounding woke as sounding overeducated and wonky. It turns a lot of people off. Eg if you talk about a society that for all the progress over recent decades remains one in which wealth and power resides mainly with men, you'll have a chance of getting through. But if you unleash the word "patriarchy" - or even worse *The Patriarchy* - you'll be speaking only to those already in your space and you'll repel, irritate or anger the rest. Ditto with "white privilege". Don't go there unless you want to repel, irritate and anger (which you might want to do tbf), talk instead of the obstacles still faced by people of colour and esp black people. Come a long way on racial equality, not there yet etc etc. This is the PC way to make your point.
“Privilege” just doesn’t translate across the Atlantic because here it’s so wrapped up in class and poshness.
More generally there are far too many American words, phrases, reference points and culture battles that have infiltrated British politics, from both the woke US college left and the MAGA right.
Words on the list that I've used include Overton Window, cisgender, patriarchy, othering, postmodernism, stakeholders, food insecurity, deadnaming, heteronormative, intersectionality. The Telegraph appears to have been triggered by the list.
And "triggered" is another word on the list.
Nah, everyone uses triggered these days. Bothsides.
And I wouldn’t have had Overton window as woke. Surely it’s a term that’s mainly used with glee by anti-wokes when commenting on ever-more edgy positions taken by their heroes.
As in 'It's great that strong man Putin is chucking his enemies out of windows, if only we could do the same with the wokesters! Only a matter of time surely.'
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
You don't read the "potential civil war", "States seceding", "economic misery" stuff that is so much a feature of the media landscape? Its funny because quite a lot of that comes from your side of the political fence. Indeed won't you telling us about the absolute degradation of large parts of Appalachia and forecasting various doom laden scenarios, only a few months ago?
I am not saying that the US will collapse, but it is certainly in a hell of a mess and Trump is setting the US economy up for something that will make the Lehman bankruptcy and the GFC look fairly normal.
.
Exactly what do you think he is setting the US economy up for ?
The markets don’t agree with you.
Maybe you’re doing a Peter Schiff or Ray Dalio and calling a crash knowing, eventually, you will be right both of who having called correctly 30 of the last three recessions.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
You don't read the "potential civil war", "States seceding", "economic misery" stuff that is so much a feature of the media landscape? Its funny because quite a lot of that comes from your side of the political fence. Indeed won't you telling us about the absolute degradation of large parts of Appalachia and forecasting various doom laden scenarios, only a few months ago?
I am not saying that the US will collapse, but it is certainly in a hell of a mess and Trump is setting the US economy up for something that will make the Lehman bankruptcy and the GFC look fairly normal.
There is an awful lot of ruin in a nation. Doesn't mean it can't be ruined though.
Spoiler: no states are going to secede from the USA. Nutter
Somebody cocked up on one of these mini-roundabout painted flags, and ended up with a Danish Flag.
Some of them definitely don't have the red lines at right angles. As someone posted locally, they look more like a St Patrick's cross. Of course, there might be a misunderstanding and that's the intention!
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
A mirror image reverses some of the characteristics of the original, of course.
And this does look a bit like a mirror image to me...
A crucial difference you touch on briefly is that when Truss started the Trussterfuck it was very easy to remove her.
For Trump to be removed, there are two options:
1) Invoke the 25th Amendment. This requires Vance to persuade half the cabinet that Trump is off his head (or at least, get them to admit that Trump is off his head) and then either instantly lock him up without access to email or any other sort of communication for a month or persuade two thirds of the House and the Senate to concur. I'll file that under 'will happen the day Cummings shows some intellectual humility.'
2) Death.
As (2) hasn't happened yet and hasn't even come close apart from Mr Crooks, we must assume there is no Deep State that will arrange matters, and the Indira Gandhi option seems improbable.
So we're stuck with this nonsense for four years.
Republicans in Congress could do plenty to push back, as can Republican states and the Supreme Court. The US system has plenty of checks and balances if someone wants to use them.
I'm not saying they WILL, but they COULD.
It's interesting that when my daughter was doing her A levels (she is 25 this year) they were taught about the checks and balances in the US between the President, the Supreme Court and Congress. One of the disadvantages with it being it potentially prevents getting things done. It appears if you are malign you can override this stuff. There don't seem to be any checks and balances on what Trump does now. The Supreme Court and Congress are neutered.
They're not neutered, they are subservient.
Either or both of them could stop Trump tomorrow, but at the moment they refuse to act. I assume they think their interests are aligned.
I am not sure that is true.
I think the moment they find out is going to be ugly.
It is worth remembering the Supreme Court had two chances to stop Trump becoming President last year - once when asked to strike him from the ballot, and once when asked to rule on Presidential immunity.
On the first, they bottled it although with plausible reasoning.
On the second, their reasoning was literally insane and can only be explained by the desire of a majority of justices to prevent Trump from facing trial for his crimes.
Congress has also had two chances to get rid of him. On the first impeachment trial, that was the Dems going off at half cock and it is understandable it was rejected. On the second, McConnell demonstrated he is a coward as well as a fool by not whipping the Republicans to vote for conviction despite overwhelming evidence and the gravity of the charges.
The framers of the Constitution never foresaw a scenario where one criminal could exert complete control over all three branches of the government through a variety of dodgy means. But that is what Trump has. And when you control all three branches, those very checks and balances suddenly work *against* democracy because there is nowhere left to turn to to stop a dictator and no mechanism to do it legally.
I'm not comparing him to Hitler, but I'm getting strong Louis Napoleon vibes (without the sense of humour or the personal courage).
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
"In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism?"
IMV the main reason the USSR collapsed was that it lied to itself. It spent decades lying throughout the government: targets were set, and if you failed to meet your targets, you were out of a job. Or worse. So if you fail to meet those objectives, you cheat or lie. The component you make is made from tofu dreg instead of the proper material; you made 1,000 instead of the real 700. And if you do that once, the chances are you will have to do it again and again.
And that's what we're starting to see in the USA. From tech billionaires lying about their tech, to the government trying to control figures.
It may take some time, but if they continue like this, then yes, there is a comparison.
Sitting in my sitting room with shelves cleared. Going away for a few days
When I get back all the walls will be a different colour entirely. It’s a slightly unsettling feeling
Turquoise?
I’ve gone for a very bold blue. Hick’s Blue. Slightly nervous
But I’m bored of these polite greys and creams and greige. I’m not getting any younger and I want to turn my flat into something radical - opulently weird. Stage set for Act 3
Halfway there but this is a big step
I guess if I hate it I can always paint it back. There is that
Words on the list that I've used include Overton Window, cisgender, patriarchy, othering, postmodernism, stakeholders, food insecurity, deadnaming, heteronormative, intersectionality. The Telegraph appears to have been triggered by the list.
And "triggered" is another word on the list.
The issue here isn't so much sounding woke as sounding overeducated and wonky. It turns a lot of people off. Eg if you talk about a society that for all the progress over recent decades remains one in which wealth and power resides mainly with men, you'll have a chance of getting through. But if you unleash the word "patriarchy" - or even worse *The Patriarchy* - you'll be speaking only to those already in your space and you'll repel, irritate or anger the rest. Ditto with "white privilege". Don't go there unless you want to repel, irritate and anger (which you might want to do tbf), talk instead of the obstacles still faced by people of colour and esp black people. Come a long way on racial equality, not there yet etc etc. This is the PC way to make your point.
“Privilege” just doesn’t translate across the Atlantic because here it’s so wrapped up in class and poshness.
More generally there are far too many American words, phrases, reference points and culture battles that have infiltrated British politics, from both the woke US college left and the MAGA right.
Enough.
It's time to take back control or we won't have a language anymore.
Utah judge orders new congressional maps for 2026 in another redistricting twist
“The judge ruled that GOP legislators illegally disregarded voters who passed a ballot measure banning gerrymandering. The state currently has an all-Republican House delegation.” https://x.com/sahilkapur/status/1960172887249219598
This, together with Newsom's ballot measure, suggests a possible future path to multilateral disarmament on gerrymandering (unilateral is, obviously, just political suicide). Future ballot measures implementing independent districting commissions, but (like the Newsom measure) conditional, in this case on a given number of states doing the same, would provide a means for the states (as opposed to the federal government) to sort out the mess.
How independent will these 'independent' commissions be ?
California's 'independent' commission produced a map which gave 43 Dems and 9 GOP in 2024.
By comparison when Obama won in 2008 California elected 34 Dems and 19 GOP.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
You don't read the "potential civil war", "States seceding", "economic misery" stuff that is so much a feature of the media landscape? Its funny because quite a lot of that comes from your side of the political fence. Indeed won't you telling us about the absolute degradation of large parts of Appalachia and forecasting various doom laden scenarios, only a few months ago?
I am not saying that the US will collapse, but it is certainly in a hell of a mess and Trump is setting the US economy up for something that will make the Lehman bankruptcy and the GFC look fairly normal.
There is an awful lot of ruin in a nation. Doesn't mean it can't be ruined though.
Spoiler: no states are going to secede from the USA. Nutter
The day after a scorching and beautiful bank holiday Monday - it’s suddenly cooler and grey. The streets look busier. A kind of sad stirring. And I’m off for the first of some autumn travels
What a lovely summer, tho. All that gorgeous cricket. Wonderful sunshine. Picnics
Unless Congress or the courts back the president, she remains in office, and any attempt to block her participation in votes would invite litigation that markets will read as chaos. The precedent matters more than the personality: if a president can redefine “cause” as “I don’t like your stance,” then Fed independence collapses, and every future rate decision becomes hostage to electoral politics.
Unless Congress or the courts back the president, she remains in office, and any attempt to block her participation in votes would invite litigation that markets will read as chaos. The precedent matters more than the personality: if a president can redefine “cause” as “I don’t like your stance,” then Fed independence collapses, and every future rate decision becomes hostage to electoral politics.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
You don't read the "potential civil war", "States seceding", "economic misery" stuff that is so much a feature of the media landscape? Its funny because quite a lot of that comes from your side of the political fence. Indeed won't you telling us about the absolute degradation of large parts of Appalachia and forecasting various doom laden scenarios, only a few months ago?
I am not saying that the US will collapse, but it is certainly in a hell of a mess and Trump is setting the US economy up for something that will make the Lehman bankruptcy and the GFC look fairly normal.
There is an awful lot of ruin in a nation. Doesn't mean it can't be ruined though.
Spoiler: no states are going to secede from the USA. Nutter
The citizens of an independent nation of California, the fourth largest economy in the world, would be much better off in that independent nation than having to fund a mass of ungrateful red states.
I suspect Oregon and Washington would be interested in joining them, giving a great trade bloc of West Coast plus Mexico plus Canada.
The more fascist Trump's tendencies get, the more attractive it will become.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
"In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism?"
IMV the main reason the USSR collapsed was that it lied to itself. It spent decades lying throughout the government: targets were set, and if you failed to meet your targets, you were out of a job. Or worse. So if you fail to meet those objectives, you cheat or lie. The component you make is made from tofu dreg instead of the proper material; you made 1,000 instead of the real 700. And if you do that once, the chances are you will have to do it again and again.
And that's what we're starting to see in the USA. From tech billionaires lying about their tech, to the government trying to control figures.
It may take some time, but if they continue like this, then yes, there is a comparison.
No there really isn’t. There is no valid comparison at all. It’s unintelligent bollocks from ignorant, silly people demented by Trump
Is America changing fast? Yes. Does it have major problems? Yes, but it is also incredibly rich and powerful. Is it like the USSR in 1985?
HAHAHAHAHAHA no
A much more interesting comparison is this: America is like Rome as it shifted from Republic to imperial monarchy
Unless Congress or the courts back the president, she remains in office, and any attempt to block her participation in votes would invite litigation that markets will read as chaos. The precedent matters more than the personality: if a president can redefine “cause” as “I don’t like your stance,” then Fed independence collapses, and every future rate decision becomes hostage to electoral politics.
Sitting in my sitting room with shelves cleared. Going away for a few days
When I get back all the walls will be a different colour entirely. It’s a slightly unsettling feeling
Turquoise?
I’ve gone for a very bold blue. Hick’s Blue. Slightly nervous
But I’m bored of these polite greys and creams and greige. I’m not getting any younger and I want to turn my flat into something radical - opulently weird. Stage set for Act 3
Halfway there but this is a big step
I guess if I hate it I can always paint it back. There is that
True - but the psychological damage from getting something so completely in your power and important to you wrong could be incalculable.
Unless Congress or the courts back the president, she remains in office, and any attempt to block her participation in votes would invite litigation that markets will read as chaos. The precedent matters more than the personality: if a president can redefine “cause” as “I don’t like your stance,” then Fed independence collapses, and every future rate decision becomes hostage to electoral politics.
Sitting in my sitting room with shelves cleared. Going away for a few days
When I get back all the walls will be a different colour entirely. It’s a slightly unsettling feeling
Turquoise?
I’ve gone for a very bold blue. Hick’s Blue. Slightly nervous
But I’m bored of these polite greys and creams and greige. I’m not getting any younger and I want to turn my flat into something radical - opulently weird. Stage set for Act 3
Halfway there but this is a big step
I guess if I hate it I can always paint it back. There is that
True - but the psychological damage from getting something so completely in your power and important to you wrong could be incalculable.
Or so you wish
I’d rather fail in a dramatic act of impossible interior decor bravery than be some timid accountant type who chooses soft magnolia again
However I may be sobbing in a week, and it turns out you’re right, so I’d better shut up and get packing
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
You don't read the "potential civil war", "States seceding", "economic misery" stuff that is so much a feature of the media landscape? Its funny because quite a lot of that comes from your side of the political fence. Indeed won't you telling us about the absolute degradation of large parts of Appalachia and forecasting various doom laden scenarios, only a few months ago?
I am not saying that the US will collapse, but it is certainly in a hell of a mess and Trump is setting the US economy up for something that will make the Lehman bankruptcy and the GFC look fairly normal.
There is an awful lot of ruin in a nation. Doesn't mean it can't be ruined though.
Spoiler: no states are going to secede from the USA. Nutter
Unless Congress or the courts back the president, she remains in office, and any attempt to block her participation in votes would invite litigation that markets will read as chaos. The precedent matters more than the personality: if a president can redefine “cause” as “I don’t like your stance,” then Fed independence collapses, and every future rate decision becomes hostage to electoral politics.
In the USA everything is designed to make lawyers richer.
Something I read the other day said that the USA is run as a business, not as a country. The people aren't so much citizens as captive customers. Interesting take.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
You don't read the "potential civil war", "States seceding", "economic misery" stuff that is so much a feature of the media landscape? Its funny because quite a lot of that comes from your side of the political fence. Indeed won't you telling us about the absolute degradation of large parts of Appalachia and forecasting various doom laden scenarios, only a few months ago?
I am not saying that the US will collapse, but it is certainly in a hell of a mess and Trump is setting the US economy up for something that will make the Lehman bankruptcy and the GFC look fairly normal.
There is an awful lot of ruin in a nation. Doesn't mean it can't be ruined though.
Spoiler: no states are going to secede from the USA. Nutter
The citizens of an independent nation of California, the fourth largest economy in the world, would be much better off in that independent nation than having to fund a mass of ungrateful red states.
I suspect Oregon and Washington would be interested in joining them, giving a great trade bloc of West Coast plus Mexico plus Canada.
The more fascist Trump's tendencies get, the more attractive it will become.
I mean, even you - a relatively sensible poster - are infested with this mental fungus. No, California is not going to secede
Unless Congress or the courts back the president, she remains in office, and any attempt to block her participation in votes would invite litigation that markets will read as chaos. The precedent matters more than the personality: if a president can redefine “cause” as “I don’t like your stance,” then Fed independence collapses, and every future rate decision becomes hostage to electoral politics.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
"In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism?"
IMV the main reason the USSR collapsed was that it lied to itself. It spent decades lying throughout the government: targets were set, and if you failed to meet your targets, you were out of a job. Or worse. So if you fail to meet those objectives, you cheat or lie. The component you make is made from tofu dreg instead of the proper material; you made 1,000 instead of the real 700. And if you do that once, the chances are you will have to do it again and again.
And that's what we're starting to see in the USA. From tech billionaires lying about their tech, to the government trying to control figures.
It may take some time, but if they continue like this, then yes, there is a comparison.
No there really isn’t. There is no valid comparison at all. It’s unintelligent bollocks from ignorant, silly people demented by Trump
Is America changing fast? Yes. Does it have major problems? Yes, but it is also incredibly rich and powerful. Is it like the USSR in 1985?
HAHAHAHAHAHA no
A much more interesting comparison is this: America is like Rome as it shifted from Republic to imperial monarchy
Radicalised by X Leon rejecting a dramatic dystopian prediction in favour of 'it'll probably be boringly alright'? The world is arse over tit.
Sitting in my sitting room with shelves cleared. Going away for a few days
When I get back all the walls will be a different colour entirely. It’s a slightly unsettling feeling
Turquoise?
I’ve gone for a very bold blue. Hick’s Blue. Slightly nervous
But I’m bored of these polite greys and creams and greige. I’m not getting any younger and I want to turn my flat into something radical - opulently weird. Stage set for Act 3
Halfway there but this is a big step
I guess if I hate it I can always paint it back. There is that
True - but the psychological damage from getting something so completely in your power and important to you wrong could be incalculable.
Or so you wish
I’d rather fail in a dramatic act of impossible interior decor bravery than be some timid accountant type who chooses soft magnolia again
However I may be sobbing in a week, and it turns out you’re right, so I’d better shut up and get packing
I'm not as it happens a "harmonious neutral shades with pops of colour" type of person. I like mismatch and jumble.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
"In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism?"
IMV the main reason the USSR collapsed was that it lied to itself. It spent decades lying throughout the government: targets were set, and if you failed to meet your targets, you were out of a job. Or worse. So if you fail to meet those objectives, you cheat or lie. The component you make is made from tofu dreg instead of the proper material; you made 1,000 instead of the real 700. And if you do that once, the chances are you will have to do it again and again.
And that's what we're starting to see in the USA. From tech billionaires lying about their tech, to the government trying to control figures.
It may take some time, but if they continue like this, then yes, there is a comparison.
No there really isn’t. There is no valid comparison at all. It’s unintelligent bollocks from ignorant, silly people demented by Trump
Is America changing fast? Yes. Does it have major problems? Yes, but it is also incredibly rich and powerful. Is it like the USSR in 1985?
HAHAHAHAHAHA no
A much more interesting comparison is this: America is like Rome as it shifted from Republic to imperial monarchy
That shift was kinda happening under Richard Nixon. But then Watergate blew him up, and the constitutional proprieties were re-established and observed. No more imperial presidents. And you couldn't get less imperial than Gerald Ford or Jimmy Carter.
But, at the end of the day, Americans want a strong president. And at herd level they are, evidently, not too bothered by the loss of the tethers and the restraints. The people who are, or should be, are the political classes. And the media. And they were the ones who did for Nixon.
But, as we have seen, Trump has engineered a takeover of the Republican Party, and the media has been shattered by the internet and Trump's onslaught against MSM.
The framers of the Constitution never foresaw a scenario where one criminal could exert complete control over all three branches of the government through a variety of dodgy means. But that is what Trump has.
Only because they let him.
The courts or congress could dethrone Trump tomorrow.
That they have chosen not to for partisan reasons doesn't mean they can't when they figure out they should.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
"In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism?"
IMV the main reason the USSR collapsed was that it lied to itself. It spent decades lying throughout the government: targets were set, and if you failed to meet your targets, you were out of a job. Or worse. So if you fail to meet those objectives, you cheat or lie. The component you make is made from tofu dreg instead of the proper material; you made 1,000 instead of the real 700. And if you do that once, the chances are you will have to do it again and again.
And that's what we're starting to see in the USA. From tech billionaires lying about their tech, to the government trying to control figures.
It may take some time, but if they continue like this, then yes, there is a comparison.
No there really isn’t. There is no valid comparison at all. It’s unintelligent bollocks from ignorant, silly people demented by Trump
Is America changing fast? Yes. Does it have major problems? Yes, but it is also incredibly rich and powerful. Is it like the USSR in 1985?
HAHAHAHAHAHA no
A much more interesting comparison is this: America is like Rome as it shifted from Republic to imperial monarchy
Radicalised by X Leon rejecting a dramatic dystopian prediction in favour of 'it'll probably be boringly alright'? The world is arse over tit.
I’m not sure it will be “boringly alright” - I never said that. The 2020s have been anything but boring and that looks likely to continue
It’s more that “really successful countries do not break up or collapse in a heap”. The USSR collapsed because it was an economic car crash, with a history of gulags and oppression and dissent, and it was falling ever further behind its rivals and unable to deliver basic living standards to its people
Unless Congress or the courts back the president, she remains in office, and any attempt to block her participation in votes would invite litigation that markets will read as chaos. The precedent matters more than the personality: if a president can redefine “cause” as “I don’t like your stance,” then Fed independence collapses, and every future rate decision becomes hostage to electoral politics.
A crucial difference you touch on briefly is that when Truss started the Trussterfuck it was very easy to remove her.
For Trump to be removed, there are two options:
1) Invoke the 25th Amendment. This requires Vance to persuade half the cabinet that Trump is off his head (or at least, get them to admit that Trump is off his head) and then either instantly lock him up without access to email or any other sort of communication for a month or persuade two thirds of the House and the Senate to concur. I'll file that under 'will happen the day Cummings shows some intellectual humility.'
2) Death.
As (2) hasn't happened yet and hasn't even come close apart from Mr Crooks, we must assume there is no Deep State that will arrange matters, and the Indira Gandhi option seems improbable.
So we're stuck with this nonsense for four years.
Republicans in Congress could do plenty to push back, as can Republican states and the Supreme Court. The US system has plenty of checks and balances if someone wants to use them.
I'm not saying they WILL, but they COULD.
It's interesting that when my daughter was doing her A levels (she is 25 this year) they were taught about the checks and balances in the US between the President, the Supreme Court and Congress. One of the disadvantages with it being it potentially prevents getting things done. It appears if you are malign you can override this stuff. There don't seem to be any checks and balances on what Trump does now. The Supreme Court and Congress are neutered.
They're not neutered, they are subservient.
Either or both of them could stop Trump tomorrow, but at the moment they refuse to act. I assume they think their interests are aligned.
I am not sure that is true.
I think the moment they find out is going to be ugly.
It is worth remembering the Supreme Court had two chances to stop Trump becoming President last year - once when asked to strike him from the ballot, and once when asked to rule on Presidential immunity.
On the first, they bottled it although with plausible reasoning.
On the second, their reasoning was literally insane and can only be explained by the desire of a majority of justices to prevent Trump from facing trial for his crimes.
Congress has also had two chances to get rid of him. On the first impeachment trial, that was the Dems going off at half cock and it is understandable it was rejected. On the second, McConnell demonstrated he is a coward as well as a fool by not whipping the Republicans to vote for conviction despite overwhelming evidence and the gravity of the charges.
The framers of the Constitution never foresaw a scenario where one criminal could exert complete control over all three branches of the government through a variety of dodgy means. But that is what Trump has. And when you control all three branches, those very checks and balances suddenly work *against* democracy because there is nowhere left to turn to to stop a dictator and no mechanism to do it legally.
I'm not comparing him to Hitler, but I'm getting strong Louis Napoleon vibes (without the sense of humour or the personal courage).
The gazette wants me to write ANYTHING I LIKE about America
I have no ideas. Cmon PB give me ideas. You guys are good for that. No I’m not going to write about states seceding. That’s barmy
You could write a piece on the political journey of my mother-in-law in Connecticut. From young right-on sixties liberal hippie chick to, erm, right-on 2020s liberal aged divorced spinster. Actually, she hasn't moved that far politically. Or indeed geographically. But she's a hell of a cook.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
It’s a measure of your madness that you can write a sentence like this
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
"In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism?"
IMV the main reason the USSR collapsed was that it lied to itself. It spent decades lying throughout the government: targets were set, and if you failed to meet your targets, you were out of a job. Or worse. So if you fail to meet those objectives, you cheat or lie. The component you make is made from tofu dreg instead of the proper material; you made 1,000 instead of the real 700. And if you do that once, the chances are you will have to do it again and again.
And that's what we're starting to see in the USA. From tech billionaires lying about their tech, to the government trying to control figures.
It may take some time, but if they continue like this, then yes, there is a comparison.
No there really isn’t. There is no valid comparison at all. It’s unintelligent bollocks from ignorant, silly people demented by Trump
Is America changing fast? Yes. Does it have major problems? Yes, but it is also incredibly rich and powerful. Is it like the USSR in 1985?
HAHAHAHAHAHA no
A much more interesting comparison is this: America is like Rome as it shifted from Republic to imperial monarchy
Radicalised by X Leon rejecting a dramatic dystopian prediction in favour of 'it'll probably be boringly alright'? The world is arse over tit.
Long resisted this but here I go with a debut Yes Minister offering:
I extrapolate to foresee what others cannot You are prone to wild hyperbole He is a raving lunatic completely detached from reality
The gazette wants me to write ANYTHING I LIKE about America
I have no ideas. Cmon PB give me ideas. You guys are good for that. No I’m not going to write about states seceding. That’s barmy
How New Yorkers including Jews (as evidenced by my pal and his Jewish wife who I saw at the weekend) are remaining resistant to the smearing of Mamdani by MAGAs and the Dem establishment?
In case it hasn't been posted. Maybe the weather had something to do with it but when discussing a dip post-Rwanda announcement in 2022 someone on here told me it was never the weather. Now Labour's in charge maybe those rules have changed.
The USSR collapsed because it was an economic car crash, with a history of gulags and oppression and dissent, and it was falling ever further behind its rivals and unable to deliver basic living standards to its people
This is not the USA
Ok, let's look at the list
economic car crash - Trump is well on his way to that
gulags - check
oppression and dissent - check
falling ever further behind its rivals - see below*
unable to deliver basic living standards to its people - working on it, assuming you mean healthcare and education for example
*Japan Post just announced they will no longer deliver mail to the United States, joining Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, France, and Sweden. Among all the other things, "The President has screwed things up so badly that the world's other rich countries won't deliver mail to us anymore" really should end it immediately.
So, yes, the USA is not like the USSR, yet, but Trump badly wants it to be.
Trump is getting quite close to the consequences of his stupidity. US employment numbers already flashing red for a recession, now the absolute fuckwittery of the racist attack on the Fed (for, dear reader, that is what it is). Seems like US Inflation is going to be well into double figures within six months if this clown keeps going. That adds up to a nasty dose of stagflation, and with so many Us workers living pay check to pay check, there is going to be an awful lot of misery out there.
Its a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?
In the meantime the US has a Truss they can't get rid of.
I think US would already be in recession were it not for the AI boom/bubble.
Personally I'm surprised markets remain relatively relaxed about Trump. I'm trying to limit US exposure in my savings. AI exposure too, that one sure looks like a bubble to me.
Can I give a big shout out to the classy Newcastle fans who gave a sixteen year old boy abuse for scoring a goal.
No wonder you're happy being run by a country who executes teenagers and murders dissents.
#FreeIsak
Sorry, you support a team that forces children to work ?
I am given to believe that 16 is over the age of football consent. Provided that parental consent is given and the correct jumpers for goalposts.
It's actually the season in which they turn 16. I think Arsenal wanted to play Max Dowman last season!
AIUI they can't sign a professional contract until 17, so they're on apprentice terms. So it seems a big risk for the player, potential injury and loss of career earnings, does anyone know if these kids are covered for that? If not I'm surprised their parents/agents allow them to play.
I guess you could argue that they're as likely to get injured playing youth football, but it must be a worry!
Sitting in my sitting room with shelves cleared. Going away for a few days
When I get back all the walls will be a different colour entirely. It’s a slightly unsettling feeling
Turquoise?
I’ve gone for a very bold blue. Hick’s Blue. Slightly nervous
But I’m bored of these polite greys and creams and greige. I’m not getting any younger and I want to turn my flat into something radical - opulently weird. Stage set for Act 3
Halfway there but this is a big step
I guess if I hate it I can always paint it back. There is that
When I was in my early 20s I painted my living room a gorgeous rich shade of red. I loved that red.
It was an awful choice for all four walls of a living room though.
Sadly it is the case that the darker the colour you have on your walls the smaller and darker the room will feel. This is fine for a bedroom you won't spend much time in awake, but it's a mistake for any other room.
You can get away with it on one or two walls, depending on how large your windows are, but any more than that will make you feel trapped in a small box.
In case it hasn't been posted. Maybe the weather had something to do with it but when discussing a dip post-Rwanda announcement in 2022 someone on here told me it was never the weather. Now Labour's in charge maybe those rules have changed.
The Times says it was the weather. I hadn’t noticed it was particularly bad. What do you think? Does the weather play a big part?
Six boats packed with people launched from the French beaches on Monday after 212 asylum seekers made the crossing in four boats on Sunday. It represents a renewed surge after ten days of bad weather caused a lull in crossings.
In case it hasn't been posted. Maybe the weather had something to do with it but when discussing a dip post-Rwanda announcement in 2022 someone on here told me it was never the weather. Now Labour's in charge maybe those rules have changed.
The Times says it was the weather. I hadn’t noticed it was particularly bad. What do you think? Does the weather play a big part?
Six boats packed with people launched from the French beaches on Monday after 212 asylum seekers made the crossing in four boats on Sunday. It represents a renewed surge after ten days of bad weather caused a lull in crossings.
The gazette wants me to write ANYTHING I LIKE about America
I have no ideas. Cmon PB give me ideas. You guys are good for that. No I’m not going to write about states seceding. That’s barmy
Anything you like so long as it's not too critical of Donald Trump, I think you mean.
Actually I would happily criticise Trump - he’s a buffoon
However that’s not a very original idea. “Trump is a buffoon”. That’s not going to harvest the clicks
That's my point. For clicks you'll have to tickle your audience-sphere not challenge it. And tbf I wouldn't expect otherwise. You're a working man not a secular saint oblivious to his own welfare.
The gazette wants me to write ANYTHING I LIKE about America
I have no ideas. Cmon PB give me ideas. You guys are good for that. No I’m not going to write about states seceding. That’s barmy
Get them to send you to Idaho. It seems to be the state with the fastest-growing population, but I also read it's experiencing an exodus of obstetricians since banning abortion. As the 3rd most Republican state in the Union, you'd certainly get a sense of whether the Trump heartlands are happy with how things are panning out.
Comments
Anti-wokeism is about being selfish, nasty to others, intolerant, and racist.
Which sums you up to a tee.
“The judge ruled that GOP legislators illegally disregarded voters who passed a ballot measure banning gerrymandering. The state currently has an all-Republican House delegation.”
https://x.com/sahilkapur/status/1960172887249219598
Look at the county and district maps together (a useful Wikipedia feature) and you can see how the gerrymander works.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Utah
This, together with Newsom's ballot measure, suggests a possible future path to multilateral disarmament on gerrymandering (unilateral is, obviously, just political suicide).
Future ballot measures implementing independent districting commissions, but (like the Newsom measure) conditional, in this case on a given number of states doing the same, would provide a means for the states (as opposed to the federal government) to sort out the mess.
Also, the Trump Circus so dominates the story - including over here - that it is hard for them to mould, or create, the story.
I'm not saying they will, but they could.
The other Democratic problem is that significant parts of what should be a coalition don't understand the necessity of coalition in an FPTP system.
And "triggered" is another word on the list.
It’s amazing how I’m now basically the most polite commenter on this site, as the rest of you become utterly unhinged
Bothsides.
Sometimes you need a version of Mrs May announcing that all reported incidents of X will be investigated.
I guess money talks and the underlying strength of the US economy is still a greater factor in trader's minds than Trump's follies. At least, for now.
Those numbers can reverse themselves remarkable quickly (as they've done many times in the past).
And there's no third (or fourth or fifth) party.
Which is why we love you. Or is it loathe? The two are quite easy to mistake at times.
And good morning to you, too.
When markets speak, people should listen to them. Not their political prejudices.
“It’s a crisis in the US, certainly, could it be the mirror of the Soviet crisis 40 years ago?”
In what possible ways does the USA of 2025 resemble the USSR before the collapse of communism? The USA is the world’s most powerful economy, with major control over history’s most revolutionary technology. Its GDP per capita is racing away from the rest of the west, especially Europe. Unfortunately for us
Inflation may be jumpy but Americans now out earn Europeans very substantially. Meanwhile Trump is making sure America does not get involved in any stupid pointless wars - unlike too many of his predecessors
The USA is not the Soviet Union in 1985. You’re all completely bonkers
When I get back all the walls will be a different colour entirely. It’s a slightly unsettling feeling
If not I'm surprised their parents/agents allow them to play.
1) I assume that someone is ducking actual responsibility.
2) who is holding the hammer?
Either or both of them could stop Trump tomorrow, but at the moment they refuse to act. I assume they think their interests are aligned.
I am not sure that is true.
I think the moment they find out is going to be ugly.
I am not saying that the US will collapse, but it is certainly in a hell of a mess and Trump is setting the US economy up for something that will make the Lehman bankruptcy and the GFC look fairly normal.
There is an awful lot of ruin in a nation. Doesn't mean it can't be ruined though.
More generally there are far too many American words, phrases, reference points and culture battles that have infiltrated British politics, from both the woke US college left and the MAGA right.
Enough.
The markets don’t agree with you.
Maybe you’re doing a Peter Schiff or Ray Dalio and calling a crash knowing, eventually, you will be right both of who having called correctly 30 of the last three recessions.
Of course, there might be a misunderstanding and that's the intention!
And Good Morning one and all!
That's handy.
And this does look a bit like a mirror image to me...
On the first, they bottled it although with plausible reasoning.
On the second, their reasoning was literally insane and can only be explained by the desire of a majority of justices to prevent Trump from facing trial for his crimes.
Congress has also had two chances to get rid of him. On the first impeachment trial, that was the Dems going off at half cock and it is understandable it was rejected. On the second, McConnell demonstrated he is a coward as well as a fool by not whipping the Republicans to vote for conviction despite overwhelming evidence and the gravity of the charges.
The framers of the Constitution never foresaw a scenario where one criminal could exert complete control over all three branches of the government through a variety of dodgy means. But that is what Trump has. And when you control all three branches, those very checks and balances suddenly work *against* democracy because there is nowhere left to turn to to stop a dictator and no mechanism to do it legally.
I'm not comparing him to Hitler, but I'm getting strong Louis Napoleon vibes (without the sense of humour or the personal courage).
IMV the main reason the USSR collapsed was that it lied to itself. It spent decades lying throughout the government: targets were set, and if you failed to meet your targets, you were out of a job. Or worse. So if you fail to meet those objectives, you cheat or lie. The component you make is made from tofu dreg instead of the proper material; you made 1,000 instead of the real 700. And if you do that once, the chances are you will have to do it again and again.
And that's what we're starting to see in the USA. From tech billionaires lying about their tech, to the government trying to control figures.
It may take some time, but if they continue like this, then yes, there is a comparison.
But I’m bored of these polite greys and creams and greige. I’m not getting any younger and I want to turn my flat into something radical - opulently weird. Stage set for Act 3
Halfway there but this is a big step
I guess if I hate it I can always paint it back. There is that
California's 'independent' commission produced a map which gave 43 Dems and 9 GOP in 2024.
By comparison when Obama won in 2008 California elected 34 Dems and 19 GOP.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_California
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_California
Blue states are finally learning what red states have known all along: you don’t need federal permission to govern.
https://medium.com/@carmitage/its-time-for-americans-to-start-talking-about-soft-secession-8d0183ac94cf
The day after a scorching and beautiful bank holiday Monday - it’s suddenly cooler and grey. The streets look busier. A kind of sad stirring. And I’m off for the first of some autumn travels
What a lovely summer, tho. All that gorgeous cricket. Wonderful sunshine. Picnics
@monetarycomm
Unless Congress or the courts back the president, she remains in office, and any attempt to block her participation in votes would invite litigation that markets will read as chaos. The precedent matters more than the personality: if a president can redefine “cause” as “I don’t like your stance,” then Fed independence collapses, and every future rate decision becomes hostage to electoral politics.
https://x.com/monetarycomm/status/1960182219818885196
I suspect Oregon and Washington would be interested in joining them, giving a great trade bloc of West Coast plus Mexico plus Canada.
The more fascist Trump's tendencies get, the more attractive it will become.
Is America changing fast? Yes. Does it have major problems? Yes, but it is also incredibly rich and powerful. Is it like the USSR in 1985?
HAHAHAHAHAHA no
A much more interesting comparison is this: America is like Rome as it shifted from Republic to imperial monarchy
Supreme Court sides with Trump and declares that mortgage fraud means somebody cannot hold federal office.
Vance immediately becomes President.
Frying pans and fires come to mind.
I’d rather fail in a dramatic act of impossible interior decor bravery than be some timid accountant type who chooses soft magnolia again
However I may be sobbing in a week, and it turns out you’re right, so I’d better shut up and get packing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_city#United_States is just one example.
Obstructing federal laws is, like gerrymandering, an irregular verb.
I have no ideas. Cmon PB give me ideas. You guys are good for that. No I’m not going to write about states seceding. That’s barmy
But, at the end of the day, Americans want a strong president. And at herd level they are, evidently, not too bothered by the loss of the tethers and the restraints. The people who are, or should be, are the political classes. And the media. And they were the ones who did for Nixon.
But, as we have seen, Trump has engineered a takeover of the Republican Party, and the media has been shattered by the internet and Trump's onslaught against MSM.
Interesting times.
The courts or congress could dethrone Trump tomorrow.
That they have chosen not to for partisan reasons doesn't mean they can't when they figure out they should.
I say again, that moment will be ugly.
It’s more that “really successful countries do not break up or collapse in a heap”. The USSR collapsed because it was an economic car crash, with a history of gulags and oppression and dissent, and it was falling ever further behind its rivals and unable to deliver basic living standards to its people
This is not the USA
Here&There
@here_there
·
2h
The rumoured appointment of Torsten Bell leads to a gilt market sell off this am.
https://x.com/here_there/status/1960241678754734533
However that’s not a very original idea. “Trump is a buffoon”. That’s not going to harvest the clicks
Napoleon III was competent
BREAKING 🚨: United Kingdom
UK 30-Year Yield jumps above 5.6%, its highest level since 1998 🤯👀
I extrapolate to foresee what others cannot
You are prone to wild hyperbole
He is a raving lunatic completely detached from reality
Kamala Harris at her closing campaign rally:
"Donald Trump intends to use the United States Military against American citizens who simply disagree with him."
https://x.com/AdamJSchwarz/status/1959668963995996162
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats-last-7-days
economic car crash - Trump is well on his way to that
gulags - check
oppression and dissent - check
falling ever further behind its rivals - see below*
unable to deliver basic living standards to its people - working on it, assuming you mean healthcare and education for example
*Japan Post just announced they will no longer deliver mail to the United States, joining Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, France, and Sweden.
Among all the other things, "The President has screwed things up so badly that the world's other rich countries won't deliver mail to us anymore" really should end it immediately.
So, yes, the USA is not like the USSR, yet, but Trump badly wants it to be.
Personally I'm surprised markets remain relatively relaxed about Trump. I'm trying to limit US exposure in my savings. AI exposure too, that one sure looks like a bubble to me.
It was an awful choice for all four walls of a living room though.
Sadly it is the case that the darker the colour you have on your walls the smaller and darker the room will feel. This is fine for a bedroom you won't spend much time in awake, but it's a mistake for any other room.
You can get away with it on one or two walls, depending on how large your windows are, but any more than that will make you feel trapped in a small box.
Six boats packed with people launched from the French beaches on Monday after 212 asylum seekers made the crossing in four boats on Sunday. It represents a renewed surge after ten days of bad weather caused a lull in crossings.
https://www.thetimes.com/article/e42d8fa0-a796-4cf9-8738-864b98a0d5ca?shareToken=d3d1030ac55488efd080d8c655b54a16
They do seem to be going full-Trump.
One thing that strikes is quite how un-English a politician Farage is. He's a Poujadist really. Maybe it's his French name?