A small grain of positive policy:
Posted : 22/04/2025 11:24 am
Last night we watched the film - 'Where the Crawdads sing'. It's a wonderfully filmed (from the book) coming of age piece set from 1953 to the late 1960's. But what struck a cord for me, was the way the women of that time were portrayed. Most of the males, even the very young ones, were chauvinistic, misogynistic and bullies.
It brought to mind that this is what the orangefaced gibbon would like to regress to. Those dark ages when women were barely allowed an opinion, had mostly to grin and bear their lot and be chained to a kitchen sink under the eye of their male keeper. imo of course.
Posted : 22/04/2025 1:51 pm
Quite glad I don't live in the USA.
Posted : 22/04/2025 7:53 pm
Quite glad I don't live in the USA.
Looks like the video has been removed from Reddit, and the link in the comments to it on YouTube isn't working either.
I'm assuming from the comments he's done a simple comparison of the actions of the Nazis in the 1930s to the actions of Trump so far, which isn't exactly a revelation to those of us who have followed the thread for a while.
Posted : 22/04/2025 8:14 pm
Here it is on YT.
I'm assuming from the comments he's done a simple comparison of the actions of the Nazis in the 1930s to the actions of Trump so far,
Yes and no. He's suggesting that sending people to life imprisonment in El Salvador for having the wrong tattoos is just to distract attention.
My hope is that Trump is so incompetent that he fails to actually build concentration camps on the territory of the USA. Otherwise anything is possible at this point.
Posted : 22/04/2025 10:07 pm
He's suggesting that sending people to life imprisonment in El Salvador for having the wrong tattoos is just to distract attention
I read it more as setting the pretext for imprisoning them in the US instead and therefore making them available for slave labour, as per the 13th Amendment. Double whammy of turning his base even more against the rule of law:
"SAD! These loser liberal judges are back at it, trying to stop me from sending these CRIMINAL immigrants where they belong, in the great high security prisons of El Salvador. Can you believe it folks? These disgusting liberals want them HERE, in YOUR neighborhoods! But we can still beat these DISLOYAL so-called "judges". I'm building the biggest, most beautiful supermax prisons, right here in the US. We'll send these illegal, CRIMINAL immigrants there instead! Put them to WORK for us! Keep them OFF OUR STREETS!"
Posted : 23/04/2025 12:05 am
oldnpastit reacted
Tesla boss Elon Musk says he will cut back his role in Donald Trump's administration after the company's profits and revenues plunged during the first three months of the year.
from the BBC article.
while I think the government needs less Elon, I’m not sure that getting extra Elon is really what Tesla needs!
Posted : 23/04/2025 7:59 am
while I think the government needs less Elon, I’m not sure that getting extra Elon is really what Tesla needs!
My thoughts exactly. If they can't see that he is the problem and not the solution....
Posted : 23/04/2025 8:10 am
The orange buffoon has folded on the tariffs.
What a loser.
Posted : 23/04/2025 8:42 am
from the BBC article.
while I think the government needs less Elon, I’m not sure that getting extra Elon is really what Tesla needs!
I find it odd that neither the Beeb nor the Guardian mention his nazi salutes, and cosying up with far right parties as being part of what's could be denting their sales.
Posted : 23/04/2025 10:13 am
kelvin reacted
TBH isn’t he making JD Vance the new Tariff czar/tsar 🙂
Posted : 24/04/2025 7:17 am
Looks increasingly like Putin knows full well that he can now do whatever the hell he likes with total impunity as far as Trump is concerned.
The start of the war was Ukraines fault, the continuation of this war is Ukraines fault, and Donald not getting a Nobel Peace Prize is now Ukraines fault. Poor old Russia is blameless in all this.
Posted : 24/04/2025 11:43 am
Del and MoreCashThanDash reacted
while I think the government needs less Elon, I’m not sure that getting extra Elon is really what Tesla needs!
My thoughts exactly. If they can't see that he is the problem and not the solution....
The shareholders arn't really keen on him, for fairly obvious reasons:
https://news.sky.com/story/tesla-investor-calls-for-elon-musk-to-step-down-as-boss-13331499
https://www.marke****ch.com/investing/stock/tsla
You could argue the stock was overpriced, like you could for much of the S&P500, and due a fall, and then came the trade war..
It's like a weird Mexican stand-off between tariffs, investors, Maga and musk, lol!
Also, good job, swear filter, 13/10 🤣 🤣
Posted : 24/04/2025 1:13 pm
Still no sign of Melania 🤔
Posted : 24/04/2025 1:38 pm
Still no sign of Melania 🤔
She was with Trump at the White House over Easter weekend when he gave a great inspirational speech alongside the Easter Bunny. I am not making that up.
Posted : 24/04/2025 1:54 pm
He's starting to make BoJo look like a credible leader 🙄
Posted : 24/04/2025 4:19 pm
He's never been a credible leader and he never will be. Same applies to our Poundshop version. No one can express any surprise over the things Trump does or says. The US electorate re-elected him knowing full well what a reprehensible man he is.
It looks like things are getting very tense between India and ****stan over Kashmir. Admittedly this is the umpteenth time it has happened and it has sparked three local wars. But not since 1999. If these two start going at it, the conflict will put Ukraine and even Gaza in the shade.
What will Trump do? Suggest they sit down over a curry and discuss? Propose turning Kashmir into a large golf resort?
The world needs the US as a moderating force run by serious politicians. Not a basket case run by a geriatric sex offender.
Posted : 24/04/2025 4:31 pm
mattyfez reacted
Interesting that the swear filter picks up the first part of a country name - better safe than sorry, I guess. 🤣
Posted : 24/04/2025 4:34 pm
arsenal
That one slipped through.
Posted : 24/04/2025 4:41 pm
****stan could be anywhere in central Asia really.
Posted : 24/04/2025 5:16 pm
It looks like things are getting very tense between India and ****stan over Kashmir. Admittedly this is the umpteenth time it has happened and it has sparked three local wars. But not since 1999. If these two start going at it, the conflict will put Ukraine and even Gaza in the shade.
What will Trump do? Suggest they sit down over a curry and discuss? Propose turning Kashmir into a large golf resort?
Trump loves a despotic hard man so his tongue will be firmly riming modi’s arse and as modi’s enjoys a bit of Muslim bashing then that just seals the deal.
Posted : 24/04/2025 5:32 pm
Posted : 24/04/2025 5:54 pm
What will Trump do? Suggest they sit down over a curry and discuss? Propose turning Kashmir into a large golf resort?
The world needs the US as a moderating force run by serious politicians. Not a basket case run by a geriatric sex offender.
I would say Trump is in the 'finding out' stage of '**** about, and find out'...
If it wasn't for the blatant market manipulation... this was all costed in, he and his mates can buy and sell stocks, easily knowing they can make a tidy profit...
...this was never out 'making america great again', it was about insider trading an making the ultra rich, slightly more ultra rich. If any 'working person' in the USA thinks the Trump regime will help them, they are in for a very painfull supprise.
Posted : 24/04/2025 6:15 pm
Courtesy independent .co. uk
... when he gave a great inspirational speech alongside the Easter Bunny. I am not making that up.
Posted : 24/04/2025 6:23 pm
Trump loves a despotic hard man so his tongue will be firmly riming modi’s arse and as modi’s enjoys a bit of Muslim bashing then that just seals the deal.
TBF that's probably a pretty good summing up. The Bastard Club in full effect.
Modi banging on about terrorism is particularly disgusting and hypocritical when viewed against the early days of the BJP and his close associates of the time.
Trump is a personal you will meet on a subsequent Tuesday, as is Modi.
Posted : 24/04/2025 9:18 pm
Looks like Trumps tarriffs have backfired spectacularly much as anyone with half a braincould have predicted.
China retuening planes to boeing. Canadians and Europeans stopping visiting the states. Tesla sales plummeting and the Orange shitgibbon having to back down.
Im also loving the claims of negotiations with China flatly denied by China.
The descent into authoritarianism continues with the arrest of a judge however.
Posted : 25/04/2025 11:26 pm
el_boufador reacted
A really good article from someone who fled to the US to escape a dictatorship in Egypt who is now seeing the same slide into authoritarianism
Posted : 26/04/2025 7:51 am
The descent into authoritarianism continues with the arrest of a judge however
Weaponisation of the FBI by someone who’s quite happy to spread porkies
Patel also testified that Trump had authorized 10,000-20,000 National Guard troops to protect the Capitol, much as he had testified in a Colorado court case, in which the judge wrote, “The Court finds that Mr. Patel was not a credible witness. His testimony regarding Trump authorizing 10,000-20,000 National Guardsmen is not only illogical (because Trump only had authority over about 2,000 National Guardsmen) but completely devoid of any evidence in the record.”
I don’t think this is the flashpoint for the night of the long knives just quite yet but it’s definitely not a good sign.
(The Judges are unhappy with ICE turning up at court and arresting people as it’s ruining cases because witnesses and defendenants won’t turn up for fear of arrest)
Posted : 26/04/2025 7:56 am
Looks like Trumps tarriffs have backfired spectacularly much as anyone with half a braincould have predicted.
An illustration (from the cycling world) of how poorly thought through and hastily implemented policy is affecting small US businesses:
Posted : 26/04/2025 8:05 am
It’s definitely all go thou on the dictatorship plan
Attorney General Pam Bondi promised on Friday prosecution for judiciary members who cross the Trump administration.
Attorney General Pam Bondi is rescinding a Biden-era policy protecting journalists from subpoenas, according to an internal memo obtained by Axios. The memo states that the U.S. government has suffered numerous leaks of sensitive and classified information to the media.
Posted : 26/04/2025 8:19 am
Interesting video from Josh at Silca.
In a nutshell, Chinese made electronics will be unaffected if you're big enough to "lobby" the current admission.
The only people hurting over the tarrifs are small US companies and actual US consumers.
Most stuff, when you look at your suppliers suppliers, will still have tarrifs imposed.
Wonder if Josh might be delayed getting home after his next trip abroad.
*None of which is news to anyone capable of a little critical thinking.
Damn you @frogstomp I checked, I promise. Did it really take me 25 minutes to post?
Posted : 26/04/2025 8:27 am
frogstomp reacted
A really good article from someone who fled to the US to escape a dictatorship in Egypt who is now seeing the same slide into authoritarianism
"I have spent the past 25 years watching the US turn into Egypt – from encroaching state power to the increasingly unchecked role of religion in politics."
Donald Trump has been US president for less than a quarter of that time, in contrast half of that time there has been Democrat presidents.
I reckon Trump's obvious lack of pretence simply exposes the myth of American democracy.
Btw the author of that article sounds somewhat racist. I can't imagine that the Guardian would ever have published that article if it referenced black people as often and in a generalised way as she does white people, eg :
White people in the US have a delusional amount of confidence in their government and institutions.
....white people in the US arrogantly shook their heads and said it couldn’t happen here.
Not "some" white people, all apparently. And she probably ignores the fact that even more black people than previously backed Donald Trump in the last presidential election, I don't know because I gave up reading.
Posted : 26/04/2025 8:37 am
MoreCashThanDash reacted
she probably ignores the fact that even more black people than previously backed Donald Trump in the last presidential election
Fun with maths.
Trump did do better with black voters this time... but we're still talking what, only about 10% of black voters backing him? A small backing that's higher than previously even smaller levels of backing.
The big story is that Trump does well with young men, especially those who don't continue their education beyond the minimum. Social media working hard for him there. This problem is coming here as well. Arguably it's probably already here. It's the swing that goes against the old norm of right wing populists only really taking old folks with them in significant numbers.
Posted : 26/04/2025 3:08 pm
MoreCashThanDash reacted
she probably ignores the fact that even more black people than previously backed Donald Trump in the last presidential election
Fun with maths.
Trump did do better with black voters this time... but we're still talking what, only about 10% of black voters backing him?
And if you add to that Asian and Hispanic voters, who are not considered to be white voters in the United States, it doubles the amount of nonwhite voters that backed Trump.
But okay, let me make exactly the same point by providing an alternative comment....
"she probably ignores the fact that two thirds of Kamala Harris's voters in the last presidential election were white, I don't know because I gave up reading.
The point is that not all white people behave the same, something which her easy generalisations of white people clearly doesn't recognise, and which imo is a tiny bit racist. Certainly if someone made similar comments with regards to black people as a whole being arrogant and delusionary it would be considered racist.
Posted : 26/04/2025 4:44 pm
The only people hurting over the tarrifs are small US companies and actual US consumers.
I guess this is the 'medicine' or 'pain' that Trump referred to.
Playing devil's advocate, what possible outcome could Trump be hoping for which could justify this level of pain?
Did he think somehow that the US administration would collect the tarrifs and redistribute them, or was he hoping that US industry would rapidly 'on-shore' overnight?
Posted : 26/04/2025 5:13 pm
what possible outcome could Trump be hoping for which could justify this level of pain?
Did he think somehow that the US administration would collect the tarrifs and redistribute them
IIRC, Trump has stated the tariffs will (eventually) lead to a much smaller income tax burden. I'm somewhat sceptical that this will happen...........
Posted : 26/04/2025 11:21 pm
So basically, absolutely everyone is racist, for some reason or other
Ok… gotcha
Carry on…
This Donald Trump bloke? A bit racist? What do you reckon?
Posted : 26/04/2025 11:50 pm
IIRC, Trump has stated the tariffs will (eventually) lead to a much smaller income tax burden. I'm somewhat sceptical that this will happen...........
Sceptical because it is unlikely that the tariffs will be maintained, certainly not at the level that Trump envisaged, but otherwise feasible imo.
If you see Trump's tariffs as some sort of purchase tax then something similar occured in the UK. In the late seventies the standard rate of VAT was 8% and the basic income tax rate was 35%.
After the postwar consensus went out of the window and the neoliberals seized power VAT was massively increased over a period of time to allow cuts in income tax.
The reason income tax is so much lower now is because purchase tax is so much higher.
Posted : 27/04/2025 12:01 am
That really is a truly remarkable photograph in so many ways. And even if it doesn't necessarily signal a change (hopefully it will) I reckon it become an iconic picture of the time and will remain etched in people's minds for a very long time.
Posted : 27/04/2025 12:16 am
That really is a truly remarkable photograph in so many ways.
Yes, totally agree. Discussed this my mildly interested cycling group today and felt that maybe I'm a little more emotional engaged than they are.
Posted : 27/04/2025 12:20 am
He's had a pile-on of Republican Senators this week, whom he'll need for the inevitable impeachment(s), e.g.
“IVE SEEN ENOUGH KILLING OF INNOCENT UKRAINIAN women + children. President Trump pls put the toughest of sanctions on Putin. U ought to c from clear evidence that he is playing America as a patsy.” Sen. Chuck Grassley Rep (TwitterX)
Republican Bills in US Congress. This one has 55 sponsors and co-sponsors in the Senate and 26 in the lower house
“Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025” To impose sanctions and other measures with respect to the Russian Federation if the Government of the Russian Federation refuses to negotiate a peace agreement with Ukraine, violates any such agreement, or initiates another military invasion of Ukraine, and for other purposes. Sen. Lindsey Graham Rep
Big Republican donors have been open this week too
“The United States was more than just a nation. It’s a brand. It’s a universal brand, whether it’s our culture, our financial strength, our military strength and we’re eroding that brand right now.
If you think of your behavior as a consumer, how many times do you buy a product with a brand on it because you trust that brand?
In the financial markets, no brand compares to the brand of the US Treasuries – the strength of the US dollar and the strength and creditworthiness of US Treasuries. No brand came close. We put that brand at risk.” Ken Griffin, CEO of Citadel. $100mn+ donor (reported in Fortune and CNN)
A few days in Italy would have been a relief
Posted : 27/04/2025 8:02 am
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/26/antisemitism-us-jews-free-speech
And so the irony of the unholy alliance between the Trump administration and the zionist far-right keeps piling on...
Most chillingly, the Trump administration recently sent all staff at Barnard College a questionnaire inquiring if they were Jewish, ostensibly to gauge campus antisemitism. For many, the experience of being asked by the government to self-identify as a Jew was terrifying; as one historian put it: “We’ve seen this movie before, and it ends with yellow stars.”
And pro-israeli zionists unite with anti-semites to, yup, fight anti-semitism....
Meanwhile, many pro-Israel groups seem to tolerate Maga’s proximity to antisemitism. If they didn’t, we might expect to hear more about Vance’s meeting with Germany’s neo-Nazi-linked AfD, Steve Bannon’s singling out of “American Jews that do not support Israel and do not support Maga” as “the number one enemy to the people in Israel”, or Trump’s claim that the Democratic senator Chuck Schumer is “not Jewish” but “Palestinian”.
Although to fair as the opinion piece points out their goals might not be identical, it's more a marriage of convenience. The pro-israeli zionists want to silence all criticism of Israel's ongoing genocide whilst the Trump administration is highly motivated in quashing all dissent :
Ultimately, Trump and many in the pro-Israel movement have allied against free speech in higher education because it is a pillar of an open society that threatens both of them.
Posted : 27/04/2025 8:14 am
IIRC, Trump has stated the tariffs will (eventually) lead to a much smaller income tax burden. I'm somewhat sceptical that this will happen...........
The billionaires in Trumps orbit have a notion that there should be no income tax at all (and certainly not for billionaires) and the idea is that tariff income would replace income tax as the government's source of income. The reason rich people like this idea is it's highly regressive- it's a tax on what you spend not on what you earn. Poor people, out of necessity, spend all their money just to get through life, its also helpful that a lot of people are poor so tariffs on goods put most of the burden of taxation on the poor's shoulders. Wealthy people by comparison can choose how much they spend on goods, and can opt to do other things with their untaxed wealth and income , like save, invest, acquire assets and so on, basically use their wealth to make themselves wealthier.
This is the reason Trump's tarrif campaign has been so sudden and so unplanned. If the aim was to bring the manufacturing of the goods the US consumes back into the US then there would have been some sort of planned and phased approach with a detailed timetable for tariffs as a carrot to incentivised investment in manufacturing. But if you do that then - boom - no tariff income for government, and of course no reduction in income tax. The tariff program has to fail to increase homegrown manufacturing in order to achieve its intended outcome.
Posted : 27/04/2025 5:28 pm
dudeofdoom reacted
At my last count, Trump has given four completely different reasons for the tariffs. First there was "they'll replace income tax" then we had "They'll create lots of jobs and manufacturing will come back to America" which means that they won't get the revenue from point one, third one was "these are temporary to achieve concessions" so will again contradict points one and two, and lastly we heard that he's using them to damage China's economy, like sanctions, so China's going to be unlikely to give the USA what it wants...
Posted : 28/04/2025 7:08 am
You have missed out the other obvious reason, it's the most beautiful word in the dictionary.
Posted : 28/04/2025 8:11 am
Also I think he may have said they were to persuade Canada to join the US.
Posted : 28/04/2025 9:14 am
Trash everything as long as it makes them rich. What could possibly go wrong.
Posted : 28/04/2025 11:01 am
