46th President of the United States, Joe Biden
Discussion
I hesitate to ask, but can someone summarise Biden's policies, particularly as they might affect the UK ? I have heard that he is less well disposed towards the UK than Trump was (possibly because he is allegedly strongly pro-Irish ?), which might well be reflected in trade negotiations. What about NATO, WHO, UN, China, Russia, ... ?
Lily the Pink said:
I hesitate to ask, but can someone summarise Biden's policies, particularly as they might affect the UK ? I have heard that he is less well disposed towards the UK than Trump was (possibly because he is allegedly strongly pro-Irish ?), which might well be reflected in trade negotiations. What about NATO, WHO, UN, China, Russia, ... ?
On the UK relationship. I work for a US based firm and our house view is that Biden is ambivalent about the UK, and in the long run, will not seek to aggressively exploit UK markets. “ What A Joe Biden Presidency Might Mean For The U.K.”
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/03/929628586/what-a-jo...
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/03/929628586/what-a-jo...
Castrol for a knave said:
Lily the Pink said:
I hesitate to ask, but can someone summarise Biden's policies, particularly as they might affect the UK ? I have heard that he is less well disposed towards the UK than Trump was (possibly because he is allegedly strongly pro-Irish ?), which might well be reflected in trade negotiations. What about NATO, WHO, UN, China, Russia, ... ?
On the UK relationship. I work for a US based firm and our house view is that Biden is ambivalent about the UK, and in the long run, will not seek to aggressively exploit UK markets. Biden may well be less antagonistic towards the EU however if you look at where the UK is geographically then I think the long terms consequences of having an EU and USA who like each other if fundamentally in the UK's best interest.
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Regarding a trade deal the role of president or Prime Minister is to decide if they want their country to do a deal then maybe haggle some of the big stuff at the end, so in a situation like USA/UK where that decision had already been made their role is largely moot as trade deals are done by negotiators from the respective countries foreign office, so any outcome will rely on the depth and breadth of expertise each side is able to marshal. In this respect I'm going to say Biden is more competent but it'll basically be a similar team whoever the president is.
Of far more consequence is the UK's ability to find the required talent and keep it for the duration. Boris and co should by now understand that to get a good deal you need to be able to walk from it but I'm worried about their willingness to do so with the USA. Their own estimates are predicting only a 0.16% GDP boost which will be unevenly spread around the UK any may not be in the interest of voters as there will be losses as well as gains within that 0.16%. IMO having the UK government sell us short is a bigger danger than any change on the American side: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51706802
In a scenario where the UK says 'not good enough' and walks I imagine Biden would be better for the UK as he'd be able to accept this without throwing his toys out the pram. On the other hand Trump could possibly have been encouraged in to a preferential deal for the UK by bribing him with some shiny bauble of property in London, maybe we could have sold him a bridge? Which is a better situation for the UK is impossible to tell because we'll never know the counterfactual.
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NATO and China I'm not expecting big policy changes. There's little fundamental difference between Rep and Dem policies other than the mental bit that tended to appear on Twitter. The pivot to Asia started under Obama and Trump's trade secretary, Robert Lightzigher, always had a much longer term view than Trump himself so there's quite a lot of policy continuation from Obama through Trump and likely on to Biden.
The pivot to Asia will continue, if with less bombast, which in turn requires European countries to deal with a smaller American presence with regards to Russia and the middle east as America wants to concentrate on the Pacific. The only real difference is not what Biden will do but how he'll do it, namely by being friends with European countries rather driving a wedge between USA and EU, something I would regard as a strong positive for the UK.
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The Bretton Woods stuff (WTO, IMF, WB) is going to be interesting to see what Biden does. They've had four years to adapt to life without America and are too complex as institutions for us on the outside to really understand what differences Trump has wrought, though I expect Biden will understand their functions and where they fit in to America's interests far better than Trump ever did.
Castrol for a knave said:
Lily the Pink said:
I hesitate to ask, but can someone summarise Biden's policies, particularly as they might affect the UK ? I have heard that he is less well disposed towards the UK than Trump was (possibly because he is allegedly strongly pro-Irish ?), which might well be reflected in trade negotiations. What about NATO, WHO, UN, China, Russia, ... ?
On the UK relationship. I work for a US based firm and our house view is that Biden is ambivalent about the UK, and in the long run, will not seek to aggressively exploit UK markets. 
B'stard Child said:
Alucidnation said:
Byker28i said:
Should we start a new thread - ex potus trump, now Individual #1
f
king hell, what on earth are you going to do now Trump is going?
Eric Mc said:
blackrabbit said:
More capable than you looking at the calibre of your insults and response's. Do I like a large deficit? No. I didn't under Obama either. Difference is I see economic expansion as the way to grow the economy and reduce the deficit. Not use the deficit as a way to re-distribute wealth. If Democrats ever get a tax increase they won't use it to pay down the deficit. Look at the add-ons in the stalled Covid bill right now to see how the Democrats will increase the deficit even further.
At long last you managed to answer the question. It's like getting blood from a stone.So, you are happy with large deficits - as long as they are Republican ones. And being Trump, it's the biggest and best deficit ever. Your man must have really pleased you.
Sadly for you, your man has been exposed for the fraud and idiot he always was. I sometimes wonder what type of idiot persists with support for an even bigger idiot.
Unity in strength?
Byker28i said:
SantaBarbarian said:
As an American, I'm happy to see some return to normalcy.
Joe with his 1967 Corvette, that he has owned for over 50 years.
and again,won't be allowed to drive itJoe with his 1967 Corvette, that he has owned for over 50 years.
If an ex president really wanted to drive on public roads there isn't anything legally stopping them, just very strong words of advice from the secret service.
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