A much needed moment of levity..
Step off here for 5 minutes and join a political party. Then go and post some leaflets.
We must ALL take a stand to fight this ****ing idiot and his disciples in this country.
Do something positive.
Once again it's irrelevant that what he says is made up and disconnected from any fact. His zealot followers will parrot him and believe him.
It's going to be a challenging 4 years.
2016 will be viewed as a watershed year in 'western' history.
I heard some political correspondent the other day talking about opposition to RFK Jnr being US Health Secretary as obviously coming from the Left.
I just thought "what the actual ****?"
Since when has sense around vaccination and epidemiology been a so-called rights vs left issue?
Apologists for stuff like this can say what they want, but Brexit, Trump, Bolsonaro, AfD are all cheeks of the same arse. Appealing to deep-seated prejudices amongst some of the most materially well-off populations in history for whom enough will never be enough.
And, at the first time of asking, those populations said "hell, yeah. I'm sick of being nice to people who aren't exactly like me, so **** yeah, let's get nasty".
Making political capital out of the tragic death of 70 odd folks. Ffs man, you are the president of the United States..
And, at the first time of asking, those populations said “hell, yeah. I’m sick of being nice to people who aren’t exactly like me, so **** yeah, let’s get nasty”.
At the "first time" of asking? What on earth are you talking about?
Obviously human beings haven't suddenly changed their character as a species since 2016. If politics has changed dramatically, and it certainly seems to be, then circumstances have changed, rather than some weird global phenomena in which aliens have taken over the minds of humans, or whatever other excuse centrists can dream up for their own failures.
Stop slavishly supporting a failed economic model and you might start getting different political results. Otherwise if you really think it's all down to an inexplicable change in the character of human beings you might as well give up politics..... what would be the point of carrying on?
Once again it’s irrelevant that what he says is made up and disconnected from any fact. His zealot followers will parrot him and believe him.
I'm not sure we need an example, but.. I give you Kurt Schlichter - "journalist", lawyer and the embodiment of whatever the Murican equivalent of gammon is:
A failed economic model that allows a good number of Trump-voting so-called adults to sit in their living rooms behind a mocked up steering wheel and spend hours driving imaginary cars around imaginary tracks?
A failed economic model that has delivered the lowest infant mortality rates and highest life expectancy in history (if you take away self-inflicted ailments)?
Yes there are growing disparities between the mega-rich and the bottom 10%. But in countries where these arsehole populists are striding forwards, that still leaves about 89% in the middle.
It is, viewed broadly, inexcusable and I will never view it otherwise. Sorry.
The helicopter was painted a dark colour and very hard to see. If it was a white helicopter, it would have been much easier to see and maybe 67 people would still be alive. Is there some DEI reason the military paint their gear dark colours instead of shiny white?
A failed economic model that allows a good number of Trump-voting so-called adults to sit in their living rooms behind a mocked up steering wheel and spend hours driving imaginary cars around imaginary tracks?
Yep not a formula 1 fan either but some seem to like it.
Apparently Canadian fentanyl caused “10s of millions” of US deaths: hence the tariffs.
i don’t know where to go next with that one. It betrays such a failure of understanding in so many ways simultaneously, I’m left wondering if it’s deliberate trolling.
When asked today, Trump said tariffs on EU goods (that includes Sweden) are coming.
Apparently Canadian fentanyl caused “10s of millions” of US deaths: hence the tariffs.
i don’t know where to go next with that one. It betrays such a failure of understanding in so many ways simultaneously, I’m left wondering if it’s deliberate trolling.
it’s trolling. Even the dea knows that the vast majority of fentanyl enters the USA through its sea ports and that it doesnt start its journey in Canada.
Having said that, a fentanyl lab was recently busted in BC. it is believed to be connected to a Mexican drug cartel. I think it had the ability to produce the ingredients for fentanyl as well as the final product.
I’ve read thst a lot of MDMA consumed in the USA is made in Canadian with the precursor chemicals coming from china.
Odd- pharma company I worked for supplied a lot of fentanyl to the. We were a UK factory but had Swedish owners.
I think and hope that the fentanyl that is sold on the street isn’t redirected legal supplies.
The world is so ****ed up.
Wonder when the reality of who picks up the final bill for tariffs will hit home?
Hope Mark Carney turns the lights off in New York. Trump’s messing with someone who’s got a brain.
Am I right in thinking he's favourite to take over from Trudeau but only until the nationwide election? His party then not the favourite to continue... I have no clue how the Canadian system works!
Watched his news night interview last night. He certainly comes across with the right mixture of plain speaking combined with the intelligence to back it up!
He has to call an election and his party is likely to lose
Though if he's taking a common sense and "assertive" position regarding Trump and tariffs, that may attract/retain a fair bit of support
Even MrsMC – who deliberately avoids winding me up with political stories she know will wind me up – couldn’t help but tell me that Trump had said was all the fault of Biden and DEI policies.
You've a lovely day for building a new patio!
America getting to the 'finding out' stage more quickly than I thought. Mainstream media (even ones that fawned over Trump) getting purged out of governement departments, Musk apparently harvesting federal personnel data, presumably to profile and dismiss minority hires. Swingeing tariffs on allies and major trading partners that will undoubtedly hurt US consumers. Trump signing whatever executive order the Project 25 mob stick in front of him, shaky hands and all.
Fascinating to watch how quickly government can be dismantled. Terrifying, but fascinating.
I see we're on page 666 of the thread now. It's hard to tell whether the evangelicals are backing Trump because they think he is God's appointee, or because, as the Beast, his arrival heralds the end times.
Page 666!
Dammit I was planning to get the first post on this page with
has to call an election and his party is likely to lose
Hopefully Carney gets in with enough time to save the Libs and keep right leaning mini Trump inspired Polievre out.
I wonder what a 25% tariff on Canadian oil will do?
https://bsky.app/profile/chadbourn.bsky.social/post/3lh5asepems26
He has started bombing caves earlier than he did in his last term.
*Not posting like from Twitter*
I wonder what a 25% tariff on Canadian oil will do?
Depends what the external vs internal oil balance is and also what is suitable for what.
Plus sadly you need to consider the ****wits who voted for him. If the price of diesel for their "trucks" which are roughly the same size as an artic but used solely to get them to a drive through goes up he can just blame, well, anyone but them and the orange ****wit they voted for.
The public everywhere are dumb as a bag of spanners.
What's the word for a statement that embodies the view it states?
Someone suggesting on Bluesky that it’ll put 40-60c on the price of a ‘gallon’ of ‘gas’. Which, one would assume, won’t make eggs any cheaper.
Putting 25% tariffs on potatoes and oil is going to push up the price of french fries
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-25-tariff-potato-industry-nov-2024-1.7394781
I hope for his sake that Trump supporters aren't too fond of MacDonalds.
I hope for his sake that Trump supporters aren’t too fond of MacDonalds.
Its clearly the fault of the deep state and the trans lesbian paralysed dwarfs (dont ask me to explain this but just take it as gospel, well when I say gospel I mean the interpretation of gospel which would have christ crucified again as a commie but this time would nuke him as well to make sure).
Although oddly enough not the fault of the orange ****wit with an alien on his head.
There's a lot of nasty stuff not making the front page of the news:
BBC News - US federal websites scrub vaccine information and LGBT references
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkj8gx1vy6o
Can we close this thread on page 666....start a new one, close that on 666....
Oil is basically a fungible commodity. The dumb ones are those who think it matters “where it comes from”
Is that actually true? I thought that the stuff from Canada was a heavier crude oil that American refineries were set up to work with rather than the lighter stuff they produce themselves.
The dumb ones are those who think it matters “where it comes from”.
Blimey, I feel as dumb as a Trump supporter now. 🙁
I thought that the stuff from Canada was a heavier crude oil that American refineries were set up to work with rather than the lighter stuff they produce themselves.
There'll still be basically the same mix of oil on the market, it's just that Canadian oil will be much more expensive in the U.S. so it will tend to be shipped to other countries, which is more expensive. The U.S. will have to import oil from different suppliers, so the shipping costs will increase for them too. All this will do is mean that oil has to be shipped longer distances and will become more expensive for everyone. We'll see how the stock markets look tomorrow, I can't imagine this will cause them to rise.
I hear that nice Mr Putin has some cheap oil for sale.
Fascinating to watch how quickly government can be dismantled. Terrifying, but fascinating.
I find it incredible that he can just carry on issuing these executive orders by what seems like the thousands and none of it has to before congress for approval?
It seems like he's more like some kind of Emporer than a Preseident. It shows how fragile democracy is if he can just carry on doing so, completely unchallenged, especially in the case of things like tariffs that have such huge implications.
I read a quote from him this morning that said "tariffs don't fuel inflation, tarrifs fuel success!"
You can't reason with stupid, I suppose
Interesting graphic in the NYT today
Hard to read that infographic, judging by the thickness of the line, the uk is exporting about as much to the US now as before 2016, the line thinned between but that is misleading as so did Vietnam which looks to have risen considerably. Also as its a percentage it depends how much the US imports have risen or fallen in that period, it doesn't necessarily mean that UK exports have fallen to the US just that other countries have been able expand their markets more.
iirc, the UK sold a lot of financial services to the US, and given the rise of the US stock market in the intervening years, you would expect that the UK should have been able to do well in the past 10 years in that trade, we know that financial services companies have moved to Dublin and Frankfurt, but would that really affect the trade to the US in terms of the UK being in or out of Europe, I really don't know.
But there is a lot of context missing from the graphic, it is about American imports rather than UK exports, and not a lot can be leaned from it in isolation.
I find it incredible that he can just carry on issuing these executive orders by what seems like the thousands and none of it has to before congress for approval?
I think a lot of it does, unfortunately the fascists also have control of congress so that really only slows down the process, the biggest challenge is going to be the legal route, several proclamations have already been blocked by courts (firing the inspector generals and the spending freeze) but we don't know how that will end up with the stacked supreme court.
As fascinating as it is watching them, I realy wish we were watching it and learning lessons, we desperately need to strengthen our own democracy, we saw during the torie years that too much is dependant on our leaders doing the right thing, that there is very little legal power to oblige them to do, we are also under attack by the financial interests that created the mess in the US, removing the oligarchs power from political financing needs to happen now.
I find it incredible that he can just carry on issuing these executive orders by what seems like the thousands and none of it has to before congress for approval?
An 'executive order' on its own may not actually achieve anything. Trump likes them because signing them and holding them up makes him look like a king issuing royal decrees. But I've heard them described as a glorified press releases, they don't in themselves change or create new laws, they signal the intent to do so and the next step is to do some actual work. Trumps less keen on doing actually work and more keen on spending the mornings in bed watching Fox and Friends. Some of the orders he's issued so far are for actions that aren't within the presidents / federal government's remit anyway. But even ones that are theres still actual work to do to bring their stated aims into being.
Many of his orders were resisted or overturned last time round, but there are also ones that, beyond writing the idea on a piece of paper, he didn't actually pursue them any further, there was no need (or even opportunity) for congress or the Supreme Court to challenge or ratify them because actually nothing further came of the idea.
He's playing the flood the field with shit game much as before, but I think a big difference is this time round people broadly know now that a lot of this stuff either won't happen, or Trump will walk them back himself if he gets the sense that they'd make him look bad, and I think people are largely happy to wait to see whats actually real and focus their energy on that
Hard to read that infographic, judging by the thickness of the line, the uk is exporting about as much to the US now as before 2016, the line thinned between but that is misleading as so did Vietnam which looks to have risen considerably.
I don't think the UK really changed much at all on that graph. Slightly less now than before. Even where the line appears thinner it's actually the same height at any given point, just looks thinner because of the downward slope.
Same amount, just a lower percentage, mainly due to Vietnam & Taiwan going up.
New name for the Gulf
"On Thursday, the Trump administration
ordered the US agriculture department to
unpublish its websites documenting or
referencing the climate crisis."......
From Guardian
“On Thursday, the Trump administration ordered the US agriculture department to unpublish its websites documenting orreferencing the climate crisis.”……
First they came for the LGBTQ+ community and I said nothing because I wasn't LGBTQ+
Then they came for the climate scientists, and I said nothing because.....
Seriously, the quicker the world finds the balls to get behind Canada in "standing up to the bully" and leaves the US to fester in it's own shit rather than get dragged down to their level the better.
If I remember correctly, the freedom of speech in the constitution is rather clear about the Government not restricting freedom of speech, which this clearly is, so once again the evangelical constitutionalists are failing, I wonder of fox news is going to point that out....
Let's get this to number 1 kids.
New name for the Gulf
I noticed Google Maps hasn't changed it yet. Even if I pretend to be in the US.
First they came for the LGBTQ+ community and I said nothing because I wasn’t LGBTQ+
Well I've said plenty as have many people, problem is that's not really enough and I'm a bit stumped for a next step.
Lower taxes but private healthcare on the US model - sorry Donald, **** off.
Why mention the military? Which of Canada’s neighbours might attack… oh.
Well I’ve said plenty as have many people, problem is that’s not really enough and I’m a bit stumped for a next step.
Molgrips has a point, we keep hearing this sort of trite adage in echo chambers like this, and TBH I find myself caught in a quandary too, if I vote against 'em and speak against 'em and the great unwashed still put them in power WTF are we supposed to do then? Take up arms against 'em? That would be utterly counter productive. The last person that tried to shoot the Donald gifted him a powerful image and along with it some votes no doubt...
TBH I'd worry less about 'merica for the next 4 years, they're done for (at least until the midterms) what concerns me more are the US based alt-right, billionaires and think-tanks turning their attention on our little island, as they've been doing for a while now.
American money and propaganda is becoming about as damaging to our democracy as Russian bot farms...
@kelvin I’m sure this has been mentioned somewhere above but despite Canadians’ current stereotype as cuddly, the Canadian Army was regarded in both world wars and Korea as natural shock troops, and the ferocity of Canadian soldiers in WW1 is why the Geneva conventions exist.
Sauce?
Why mention the military? Which of Canada’s neighbours might attack… oh.
It's pure : "Nice country you got there, be a pity if something were to happen to it" mob talk.
I think Trump fancies himself as a mob boss.
It might be too late for the US, but we must recognise it there, and in parts of Europe, and stop it before it it gathers momentum here.
I'll repeat something someone (the Chief Rabbi, I think) said on thought for the day on holocaust day:
"Never again is not just a phrase we recite, it's a promise we make every day"
I think Trump fancies himself as a mob boss.
He'd be shit at that, too.
As we peer into the 'find out what it really means in reality not words' stage, I'm starting to wonder what lies ahead.
On surface level it is 'what nutty things will be enacted' and how the 'show' continues.
But on another level, what happens when over the next month half of America wakes up to more expensive energy, higher cost of everything, Government functions starting to fail etc.
I'm not understanding enough of the federal and state relationship to know how this plays out in the real lives of people. But I do know that Trumusk will deny it all...
Anyone else feel themselves mildly inclined to avoid American produce?
Can't tell what the trigger is - anger at the majority of american voters, a general distaste for americans/american culture or some sort of coming out in allegiance with nations getting a bit too much Trump attention right now....or a bit of all the above. But I've found myself avoiding products manufactured in american, avoiding 'american' brands and avoiding TV/films made in america or about american culture. Clearly in the multinational, global economy world we now live in there'll be massive holes in my subconscious futile protest...but reducing the amount of obvious yank influence in my life makes me feel a tiny bit less grumpy.
Anyone else feel themselves mildly inclined to avoid American produce
Yes, if only because I'm not really sure what other 'direct-but-polite' action is available. Would like to somehow know/think that we weren't dependent on US exports. Very uninformed sort of knee-jerk reaction but hey.
As a broader aside, why are politicians (on both sides of the Atlantic) so obsessed with diversity and LGTBQ issues? Is there a disproportionate amount of vocal advocacy for diversity that politicians feel obliged to respond to publicly? Is there a vast and disproportionate amount of money being spent on diversity and equality? Or is it just a useful distraction from day-to-day politics?
I suspect it is an incredibly easy target to hit for 'them Vs us'. Take the LGBTQ+ stuff away and those not impacted are instantly seeing themselves as 'us' and they'll feel good. It'll be absolutely awful for those impacted though and will drive them even further away from whatever is their normal.
Just my take on it and I'm not in an informed position, but it does strike me as an incredibly low ground-level hanging fruit to keep driving people and groups further apart.
It is shockingly bad.
I'm definitely already in on the "not buying American for the next 4 years" movement.
Just this week Mrs and I were sorting a holiday for a significant wedding anniversary. There was a very short discussion about America. Well, when I say 'discussion' it was a quite short. Mrs mentioned America, I said, "No way, I'm not putting any of my money into the American economy whilst Tronald Dump and the total £%#&%#÷ Musk involved". Holiday now booked, our dosh is going into the economy of my fellow Europeans.
Been avoiding anything Ape related for years. And absolutely nothing with Tesla on it.
Next car will be European manufacturer (not an American plant in Europe like Ford) or Korean or Japanese.
Every little bit helps !
American money and propaganda is becoming about as damaging to our democracy as Russian bot farms…
At this stage, Trump is just the Useful Idiot. The most dangerous person is the one with all the money. Musk.
Basically at the moment, the US Government is working for the richest man on earth who unfortunately happens to be a narcissist Nazi-sympathiser. If not an actual Nazi.
I’m not really sure what other ‘direct-but-polite’ action is available
I'm hoping that other leaders take note of Hugh Grant's speech in Love Actually calling out the US Presidents bullying.
First leader to refer to Musk as a Bond villain gets my vote