45th President of the United States, Donald Trump. Vol 3
Discussion
https://youtu.be/dYaclR2vdRs
Very mild low key protest, it's ok, I watched the video of a white pendragon with his budgerigar tweeting in the background.
It should be white dragons though, pendragon means leader.
Very mild low key protest, it's ok, I watched the video of a white pendragon with his budgerigar tweeting in the background.
It should be white dragons though, pendragon means leader.
Russian Troll Bot said:
From the person who said they'd chain themselves to the gates of Downing Street if Trump visited
I guess protests are only ok when they fit your ideology
Even calling these nutters "protesters" is likely Lammy being charitable.I guess protests are only ok when they fit your ideology
Attempting a citizen's arrest on the democratically elected mayor because he said some things they thought might hurt Donald Trump's feelings?
mx5nut said:
Russian Troll Bot said:
From the person who said they'd chain themselves to the gates of Downing Street if Trump visited
I guess protests are only ok when they fit your ideology
Even calling these nutters "protesters" is likely Lammy being charitable.I guess protests are only ok when they fit your ideology
Attempting a citizen's arrest on the democratically elected mayor because he said some things they thought might hurt Donald Trump's feelings?
http://metro.co.uk/2017/11/30/mps-want-donald-trum...
twister said:
But was it really clear what he was at the time the votes were cast? I mean, yes, it was clear he was a bit of a loose cannon and far from being a conventional candidate, but how many of the people who knew all of that and still decided he was the best (or at least, the least worst) choice, would similarly have made that decision if they'd known back then that his behaviour over the last year would have been so unpresidential and so damaging to the US's reputation across the globe?
Let's not forget that many people voted for him not because they were pro-Trump, but simply because they were sufficiently anti-Clinton that the prospect of 4 years of Trump at the helm felt like the safer choice. I wonder how many of those voters, having now seen exactly how utterly incapable he is of doing the job, are now thinking that Clinton really wouldn't have been such a bad choice after all...
I get why some people would have voted for him out of genuine appreciation for his policies, people disenfranchised with the existing government, who felt their voices were being ignored by the Washington elite. And if he'd spent the last year working on implementing those policies in a professional, responsible, grown-up way, then things right now would be quite different. But acting as he's done over the last year, constantly firing off ill thought out tweets, making off the cuff remarks without engaging brain first, and making the non-Trump-supporting world (including, remember, at least half the population of the USA itself) wondering just WTF he's going to do or say next... the only thing which amazes me now is how so many people continue to be surprised at how little respect he's given by so so many other people.
Fair pointsLet's not forget that many people voted for him not because they were pro-Trump, but simply because they were sufficiently anti-Clinton that the prospect of 4 years of Trump at the helm felt like the safer choice. I wonder how many of those voters, having now seen exactly how utterly incapable he is of doing the job, are now thinking that Clinton really wouldn't have been such a bad choice after all...
I get why some people would have voted for him out of genuine appreciation for his policies, people disenfranchised with the existing government, who felt their voices were being ignored by the Washington elite. And if he'd spent the last year working on implementing those policies in a professional, responsible, grown-up way, then things right now would be quite different. But acting as he's done over the last year, constantly firing off ill thought out tweets, making off the cuff remarks without engaging brain first, and making the non-Trump-supporting world (including, remember, at least half the population of the USA itself) wondering just WTF he's going to do or say next... the only thing which amazes me now is how so many people continue to be surprised at how little respect he's given by so so many other people.
I would also add that if the reports about dementia are correct then candidate Trump may well have been more mentally capable than President Trump.
I think Bannon said there was a 1/3 chance of him being removed on medical grounds and he worked closely with him for a year.
AreOut said:
Yes, paid flunky reports positively about overweight, mental defective, with allegedly billions of dollars. What a story.968 said:
Yes, paid flunky reports positively about overweight, mental defective, with allegedly billions of dollars. What a story.
I'm not sure we can call WH physician Rear Admiral Dr Jackson a paid flunky, but I think we can call whoever actually wrote that statement that, since they miss-spelled Jackson's name 
For comparison with whatever further details are released this week, here is Jackson's last medical on Obama
minimoog said:
I'm not sure we can call WH physician Rear Admiral Dr Jackson a paid flunky, but I think we can call whoever actually wrote that statement that, since they miss-spelled Jackson's name
For comparison with whatever further details are released this week, here is Jackson's last medical on Obama
How on earth could Trumps exam be anywhere near as positive? Weight? Diet? Physical exercise? For comparison with whatever further details are released this week, here is Jackson's last medical on Obama
Tartan Pixie said:
4 Month countdown to torpedo Iran deal: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/12/ir...
This has the potential to be a pivotal moment in world history, one that I don't think many people understand. The euro was designed to be an alternative to the dollar as a reserve currency but this can't happen unless America screws the pooch, something they seem to have been doing with gay abandon ever since the invasion of Iraq. Trump seems to be poised to give the unfortunate pooch another screwing.
Americans have long been renowned for high levels of consumption and debt, something that's paid for via America's position as the global currency printing press plus the depth and flexibility of American capital markets. Any country, company or individual wanting to hold a stock of dollars has to acquire those dollars from America and often those dollars will return to American banks as savings and investments, which in turn makes credit cheaper and easier to obtain for Americans.
The long and short of this financial chicanery is that Americans have become accustomed to being able to consume more goods and services than they produce. Sure this turns up as some scary looking debt figures but the interest on that debt is largely being paid back in to the American economy, so the debt doesn't matter because those interest payments are turning up as pensions, insurance payouts, etc. Debt only becomes a problem when your debt is owned by foreigners and therefore interest is being paid out of your economy instead of in to it.
Without understanding debt you can have no real understanding of geopolitics or the Iran deal, because only once you understand that Iran is the spearhead of China and Russia's attempts to destroy American financial dominance does the picture become clear. As I understand it the plan works something like this:
- Russia and China support Iran militarily and in return Iran keeps pushing for oil to be sold using a basket of currencies that includes a large portion of euros as well as a percentage of roubles and yuan.
- If the eurozone can be enticed in to supporting Iran then it opens the door for the financial and consumption advantages of reserve currency status to be removed from America and instead start accruing to the EU, China and Russia.
- This creates a major financial incentive for eurozone powers like France and Germany to support Iran because if the wider Persian area (Iraq, Syria, etc) can in the future switch oil to a basket system instead of a dollar system it means countries must start stocking euros instead of dollars if they want to buy oil.
- The time scale for this project will presumably be in line with the rise of the AIIB, China's rival to Bretton Woods
- China is already trying to reduce other countries reliance on the dollar wherever it can, eg, Pakistan.
We saw this plan in action during the invasion of Iraq. Saddam decided to sell his oil in euros and, knowing this would shift the global balance of power from America to France and Germany, he engineered a situation where America was diplomatically isolated from the EU and blabbering about freedom fries. It didn't quite work out for Saddam or China/Russia but as a proof of principle it showed that the plan could work.
Since then Iran has been working hard to engage with the EU and you'll note that when sanctions were lifted Iranian diplomats were far more interested in Paris and Berlin than Washington or London, the result of which is the Total deal and Macron publicly warning America not to exploit the recent Iranian protests for geopolitical gains.
As we enter a phase where Trump wishes to renegotiate the Iran deal it will be extremely interesting to see the French position because France seem to be holding a lot more cards than America. Should France and Germany refuse to agree to American changes then America appear to have only two options, capitulate and continue with the deal as it is, or withdraw from the deal in splendid isolation while the world shrugs its shoulders and continues without them.
If Trump's ham fisted diplomacy forces France and the EU in to a diplomatic alliance with Iran it will open the door for the EU to start challenging American financial hegemony. France has already proved it's willing to go to war and cause a migrant crisis in order to protect europe's financial dominance in north Africa so I have no doubt that if there is an opportunity to increase the use of the euro as a reserve currency they will take it.
Like the Iraq war the Iran deal pits EU and American interests directly against each other. For sensible adults this shouldn't create too many problems beyond maybe an escalation of the tit for tat fines the EU and America have been placing on each other's companies (Google, VW, etc). For Putin however it represents an opportunity to drive a wedge between NATO countries and for China it is an interesting development in their global economic game of 'slowly slowly catchy monkey'.
Given that we in the UK are geographically located between the EU and America and our currency strongly related to the fortunes of both continents I do hope we've got a competent foreign secretary who can help guide us through this situation... Oh f
k.
Man you killed it, but hes annoying the "leftist" so that makes it worthwhileThis has the potential to be a pivotal moment in world history, one that I don't think many people understand. The euro was designed to be an alternative to the dollar as a reserve currency but this can't happen unless America screws the pooch, something they seem to have been doing with gay abandon ever since the invasion of Iraq. Trump seems to be poised to give the unfortunate pooch another screwing.
Americans have long been renowned for high levels of consumption and debt, something that's paid for via America's position as the global currency printing press plus the depth and flexibility of American capital markets. Any country, company or individual wanting to hold a stock of dollars has to acquire those dollars from America and often those dollars will return to American banks as savings and investments, which in turn makes credit cheaper and easier to obtain for Americans.
The long and short of this financial chicanery is that Americans have become accustomed to being able to consume more goods and services than they produce. Sure this turns up as some scary looking debt figures but the interest on that debt is largely being paid back in to the American economy, so the debt doesn't matter because those interest payments are turning up as pensions, insurance payouts, etc. Debt only becomes a problem when your debt is owned by foreigners and therefore interest is being paid out of your economy instead of in to it.
Without understanding debt you can have no real understanding of geopolitics or the Iran deal, because only once you understand that Iran is the spearhead of China and Russia's attempts to destroy American financial dominance does the picture become clear. As I understand it the plan works something like this:
- Russia and China support Iran militarily and in return Iran keeps pushing for oil to be sold using a basket of currencies that includes a large portion of euros as well as a percentage of roubles and yuan.
- If the eurozone can be enticed in to supporting Iran then it opens the door for the financial and consumption advantages of reserve currency status to be removed from America and instead start accruing to the EU, China and Russia.
- This creates a major financial incentive for eurozone powers like France and Germany to support Iran because if the wider Persian area (Iraq, Syria, etc) can in the future switch oil to a basket system instead of a dollar system it means countries must start stocking euros instead of dollars if they want to buy oil.
- The time scale for this project will presumably be in line with the rise of the AIIB, China's rival to Bretton Woods
- China is already trying to reduce other countries reliance on the dollar wherever it can, eg, Pakistan.
We saw this plan in action during the invasion of Iraq. Saddam decided to sell his oil in euros and, knowing this would shift the global balance of power from America to France and Germany, he engineered a situation where America was diplomatically isolated from the EU and blabbering about freedom fries. It didn't quite work out for Saddam or China/Russia but as a proof of principle it showed that the plan could work.
Since then Iran has been working hard to engage with the EU and you'll note that when sanctions were lifted Iranian diplomats were far more interested in Paris and Berlin than Washington or London, the result of which is the Total deal and Macron publicly warning America not to exploit the recent Iranian protests for geopolitical gains.
As we enter a phase where Trump wishes to renegotiate the Iran deal it will be extremely interesting to see the French position because France seem to be holding a lot more cards than America. Should France and Germany refuse to agree to American changes then America appear to have only two options, capitulate and continue with the deal as it is, or withdraw from the deal in splendid isolation while the world shrugs its shoulders and continues without them.
If Trump's ham fisted diplomacy forces France and the EU in to a diplomatic alliance with Iran it will open the door for the EU to start challenging American financial hegemony. France has already proved it's willing to go to war and cause a migrant crisis in order to protect europe's financial dominance in north Africa so I have no doubt that if there is an opportunity to increase the use of the euro as a reserve currency they will take it.
Like the Iraq war the Iran deal pits EU and American interests directly against each other. For sensible adults this shouldn't create too many problems beyond maybe an escalation of the tit for tat fines the EU and America have been placing on each other's companies (Google, VW, etc). For Putin however it represents an opportunity to drive a wedge between NATO countries and for China it is an interesting development in their global economic game of 'slowly slowly catchy monkey'.
Given that we in the UK are geographically located between the EU and America and our currency strongly related to the fortunes of both continents I do hope we've got a competent foreign secretary who can help guide us through this situation... Oh f
k."Vote for me, how much worse can it be"
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