back to article Is it really the plan to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal? It's been a weird week

We all know the US's incoming president, Donald Trump, has gone off-script in a way that is almost comical. Gulf of America? Make Greenland great again? Taking over the Panama Canal? Unfortunately, there's a method to his pronouncements. After all, he was elected president, and millions of Americans think he's God's gift to …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Money talks

    And yet also, speech is apparently free.

    1. Rich 2 Silver badge

      Re: Money talks

      I completely agree with you, This whole pile of ordure is exposing just how utterly amoral, spineless, and corrupt the likes of Zuk, Musk, etc are. Not that it comes as any surprise at all - I’m just impressed by the bare-faced unapologetic cowardly way it’s playing out.

      Zuk is a psychopath (and if that conjures up images of axe-wielding loons then I encourage you to go and look-up what the word actually means), which makes his toadying-up to the Great Orange One all the more interesting and exposes exactly where his morals lie (not that we didn’t know already - he doesn’t have any). Obviously Musk is getting a job out of it, so his toadying is less surprising.

      Utter shitesters the whole lot of them.

      As an aside, I was interested to read Zuk’s reasons for getting rid of moderators from his web shites; something to do with “getting back to original values”. I’m sure I’ll be corrected if I’m wrong but wasn’t his first version of faecesbook put up so his fellow collage mates could vote on which of the girls were hot? Yep - that’s where his “original values” lie

      1. Tron Silver badge

        Re: Money talks

        A corporation is not an expression of your personality or your politics. If you run a large business you have 4 things to do to protect it. 1. Make a profit, 2. Protect it from competitors, 3. Protect it from activist shareholders who want to kill its sustainability to make a quick buck, and 4. Protect it from your government. At any given moment, one or other will require your focus. We all know what Trump is like, so to protect their companies from him, this is what they have to do. And if you were in their position, it is what you would do. Or would you run a Jolly Roger up the corporate flagpole, call Trump names and refuse to pay your taxes? That wouldn't end well.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Money talks

          Add in:

          5. Protect it from activist shareholders who want to make it 'sustainable' and 'inclusive' to appease their own virtue and kill it in the process

          1. JoeCool Silver badge

            Re: Money talks

            Activist shareholders are a natural element of corporate capitalism.

      2. rg287 Silver badge

        Re: Money talks

        Zuk is a psychopath (and if that conjures up images of axe-wielding loons then I encourage you to go and look-up what the word actually means)

        All billionaires are sociopaths. I say this without malice or judgment as such - it's a simple clinical observation. If they're not a full on diagnosable sociopath then they exhibit sociopathic tendencies.

        Most of us - if we found a niche and started a successful business - might sell out when it hit a few million. After all, £15m is more than enough to retire to a nice house and buy a boat, go sailing or skiing, race cars or make cheese - indulge your passion. Maybe you do really well. Maybe you fork Signal and sell it to Meta for a cool billion.

        But after that? Billionaires are literally wired differently. They're the half who didn't become serial killers. They're the ones with a love of money (root of all evil). For a billionaire there is no such thing as "enough". They have a narcissistic and sociopathic tendency to always prove themselves - they're fundamentally insecure. They can't look at a billion quid and go "Nice, now I can relax". They have to go on to the next thing and try to turn it into two billion. Or two hundred billion.

        And it's not like "being successful" or "working hard" is a bad thing, but to have as much money as Bezos (who could give $100,000 to each of Amazon's one million US workers and still retain half his fortune!), or even "minor" billionaires like Anthony Bamford or Richard Branson (<£10Bn) and not have thought "I'm just gonna go have fun now" is a bit weird, and a bit sad. I guess business is their idea of fun. But we have to remember that all of them - without exception - have engaged in criminality along the way. Whether it was Branson's tax fraud and screwing over business partners (shades of how Jobs treated Woz), or Lord Bamford's anti-competitive practices (to say nothing of Gates/Microsoft). And as for Elizabeth Holmes... well she made the mistake of defrauding other billionaires. The patient fraud charges were not upheld, just the defrauding investor charges. Dear America - sort yourselves out.

        You don't get to be a billionaire by being ethical. You can be rich, but not a billionaire. Look at James Timpson - worth ~£200m. When Covid rolled around, he told his staff "We will look after you. Noone is getting sacked. We're getting through this together". Meanwhile JCB made a thousand people redundant instead of simply furloughing them (and sacked off their line staff, who are in large part employed via an internal agency so that they can be disposed off without redundancy proceedings - actually employing people is so gauche, with NI and pensions and all that palaver!). On paper, Bamford is a more successful businessman than Timpson, but we know which one history will treat more kindly. Which one displays sociopathic tendencies and which naive fool is only worth millions...

        1. Frankly

          Re: Money talks

          Great comment!

          In the psychological study of personality, Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy are collectively known as the Dark Triad.

          You might not want to be married to someone with those traits, but they would probably make a great CEO.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Money talks

            they make shitty CEO's

        2. LVPC

          Re: Money talks

          When you're a billionaire you can't afford to have any real friends. They got shed along the road to riches.

          So what's it like not having any real friends? Just look at them - lonely people, broken inside, striving for more money because the only thing they can trust (or even understand) is their bank balance. Bunch of war losers.

        3. DJ

          Re: Money talks

          Yes, it's a lengthy list, but you left out the ever-lovable Mr. Buffet, among others.

          (If you're not a farmer in the American mid-west, check out "The Fine Print" by David Cay Johnston)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: speech is apparently free

      unless it is criticizing Elongated Muskrat on Twitter. Then you get banned in a flash.

      He (Elongated Muskrat) is so thin skinned that makes Trumpo's skin the thickness of whale blubber.

      The President of Mexico is fighting back against the Orange Jesus. Her speech claiming a large chunk of the USA using the 1607 map is a doozy.

      Then the Drumpf Junior trip to Greenland was all staged.

      Trump is not making any friends. I think that his next moves (After the 20th) will be :-

      1) Withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord

      2) Withdraw unilaterally from NATO.

      Several NATO members will probably give Trumpo the finger and tell the US that its bases are either 'No longer required' or 'You gotta pay for them'.

      He will take his toys home like the child that he is.

      1. Justthefacts Silver badge

        Re: speech is apparently free

        Fully agree with the undesirability of Trump, but this bit ends only one way:

        “Withdraw unilaterally from NATO. Several NATO members will probably give Trumpo the finger and tell the US that its bases are either 'No longer required' or 'You gotta pay for them'.

        NATO = broadly USA + Canada + EU + UK.

        Canada and the UK are siding with USA. It’s delusional to think otherwise. For two decades, most of the EU have hated USA much more than Russia, you see it on this forum 100%. They’re not keen on Putin…..but if the only choices are Putin or USA, it’s Putin every time.

        Possibly it is time for everyone to be honest. EU + Russia is the new bloc. A economically failing one; but that’s where we are. Despite all floof, 2024 was a *record year* for EU imports of LNG from Russia. Highest ever. Germany currently exports more munitions to Russia, than to Ukraine. It is what it is.

        1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

          I'm glad you've found yourself a fantasy world that you like.

          1. Bebu sa Ware
            Facepalm

            a fantasy world?

            Plagiarized from Orwell's 1984, I suspect. Don't people have original delusions nowadays and must resort to half inching theirs from old classics?

          2. Justthefacts Silver badge

            I don’t even know which bit you are disagreeing with?!

            #1 You think Canada and the U.K. are going to side with the EU against USA? Seriously?

            #2 You think that the people of the EU hate Russia more than the USA? Seriously? Sure, you don’t like either of them….but you *are* being forced to pick a side. In WW2, we backed Stalin against Hitler. Doesn’t mean we liked Stalin. Look at your own posting history. 90% of your own posts are anti-USA. All of your comments about Russia are anti-Russia, fair enough. But you post 10:1 more anti-USA than anti-Russia. As far as I can tell, you are representative. You constantly post that Trump is like Hitler. Do you believe that Putin is worse than Stalin, who was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions? On what basis, according to your own views, would you side with Trumps USA against Putin’s Russia? Makes no sense.

            #3 You deny that this was a record year for EU LNG imports from Russia?

            https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/09/european-imports-of-liquefied-natural-gas-from-russia-at-record-levels

            https://ecfr.eu/article/breaking-free-why-ending-russian-gas-transit-via-ukraine-strengthens-eu-energy-security/

            The Guardian is a pro-EU newspaper, and the ECFR is literally published by the European Commission. The facts are not disputed by your side.

            So, I don’t even know which bit you are disagreeing with. You just don’t like the logical outcome of your own position, and would prefer nobody says it out loud

          3. Justthefacts Silver badge

            Also: Are we still not mentioning that the literal actual Nazi Party, are about to take power in Austria this coming week? Founded by the actual Nazi Party leadership, with the Nazi Party constitution, led by Volkskanzler(!) Kickl who personally signed the “Friendship Agreement” with Putin’s United Russia party. In which the two sides agreed to exchange information and to hold regular joint consultations.

            https://www.politico.eu/article/austria-herbert-kickl-russia-vladimir-putin-european-union-fpo-chancellor-ovp/

            Or did EU Commission instruct you to pretend this isn’t happening, and hoping that nobody outside the EU finds out about this stuff?

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Its called democracy.

              And the German govt has been sucking up to Russia for a very long time.

              1. Justthefacts Silver badge

                It *is* democracy, you are absolutely right. For a long time, people have confused democracy with liberalism both economic and social; and that “the people” are never authoritarian and fascistic. In reality, fascism frequently arises in democracies. The German *people*, are largely pro-Russia, especially in the East. And their govenrment represents them. Which is exactly what I said.

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  "In reality, fascism frequently arises in democracies"

                  Very true, and we have been seeing this in the US and Canada as well as in Europe where far left activists manage to gain power through the democratic process and then go full on authoritarian when they don't get their own way. We have the German establishment trying to work out how to ban AfD and the EU is famous for its do-overs until it gets the democratic result it wants. There are stories that antifa had massed some 10,000 protesters at the AfD convention last week. Its GREAT publicity for AfD, same with the absolute meltdown some have had over the thing on X.

                  The far left would not have to resort to violence if their policies actually worked.

                  1. ThomH Silver badge

                    > Its GREAT publicity for AfD, same with the absolute meltdown some have had over the thing on X.

                    Based on your other nonsense claims, I'd posit that we can at least accept that you're an expert on "things posted on X".

              2. hoola Silver badge

                Germany and to a lesser extent some other European countries have been making use of one very beneficial export, Gas.

                If that gas was not so cheap then they would not have cosied up to Russia in the first place.

        2. Blogitus Maximus

          Re: speech is apparently free

          Your nickname is a misnomer.

        3. Alumoi Silver badge

          Re: speech is apparently free

          ..but if the only choices are Putin or USA, it’s Putin every time.

          And why do you think that's happening? Could it have something to do with the level of idiocy we've seen comming from the US in the last 25 years?

          1. Justthefacts Silver badge

            Re: speech is apparently free

            Hilarious. So, both a) I’m Wrong that the majority of EU do side with Russia against USA

            b) You (and the upvoters) believe that because of the USA’s actions, the majority of the EU *should* side with Russia,

            How do you manage to hold both of these in your head at the same time?

        4. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge

          Re: speech is apparently free

          The HOUSE GOP has tabled a bill to allow Trumpf to enter negotiations to lease Panama. I hope Panama puts a bill of $1000T on a deal.

          These are the same scumbags who complained at Biden funding FEMA with a few hundred million. If the USA had the money, then why will they start cutting Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP etc? These will his their core voters hard. Think I'm lying? Ask Senator Rick Scott for his list of things to cut?

          If you voted for the Orange Jesus, ask yourself how this move will bring down the price of Groceries? Gas? Housing? And all the things that he promised during his campaign events?

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: speech is apparently free

            "why will they start cutting Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP etc?"

            So the rich people and corporations can get bigger tax cuts.

            1. Andrew Scott Bronze badge

              Re: speech is apparently free

              Only true if you believe that rich people and corporations pay taxes to begin with. A lot of people don't pay into SS, and can't collect it later.

          2. hoola Silver badge

            Re: speech is apparently free

            And here lies the dichotomy of popularist political figures.

            They make a lot of noise about what they are going to do but then hide the reality of what they actually will do. Huge numbers of people then vote for them based on repeated shite they see on Social Media and the soundbites that are spewed out until the election.

            This happened with Trump's first term and then Johnson in the UK (Brexit). Fortunately for us Johnson finally walled away when is lies proved too much. That does not mean he will not return.

            Given the size of the Labour majority I think we will see several leadership challenges in the Tory party before the next General Election. There is nothing to prevent the leader of a political party not being an MP. It is only when they form a government that matters.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: speech is apparently free

              Biden was a populist as was Harris. Neither were actually running on real policies (especially Harris) and both were trying, and failing, to get good soundbites. It was all jumping on the 'not Trump' bandwagon as well as platitudes to small yet vocal groups in an attempt to get people to vote for them.

              There are very few politicians now who are not populist.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: speech is apparently free

                "Neither were actually running on real policies (especially Harris)"

                Bullshit, do you believe the shite orange turd tells you

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: speech is apparently free

                  He is a politician, by default he lies. People just seemed to think that Joe and Kamala didn't lie. Heck even the desperately Dem supporting media started to call her out on some of her 'policies'.

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: speech is apparently free

                    so now your admitting he lies, and now your pretending everyone lies to the same extent to pardon those lies.

                    sorry but no, he lies on shit none stop the ratio between the two is like 10000000000000000:1 (that's orange turd 10000000000000000: 1 of all the presidents in USA history combined)

                    citations definitely needed for the rest of that load of bullshit

                    1. Anonymous Coward
                      Anonymous Coward

                      Re: speech is apparently free

                      https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/cnn-calls-out-harris-airing-two-entirely-different-messages-on-israel-and-gaza-depending-on-whether-you-live-in-mi-or-pa/ar-AA1totdi

                      https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/29/politics/fact-checking-harris-cnn-interview/index.html

                      https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/18/politics/harris-policy-specifics-analysis/index.html

                      https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/16/politics/harris-middle-class-tax-cuts-economic-policy/index.html

        5. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: speech is apparently free

          I am sure you think there is *some* truth in your comment ... BUT I am having a real problem finding it ... even in the smallest measure !!!

          I cannot find *ANY* evidence of the EU being in favour of Putin, look at it carefully ... Ukraine is a demo of what Putin would like to do to the EU so there is no upside to favouring Putin at all !!!

          Energy imports from Russia are historical and the EU would like to NOT be reliant on anything from Russia after Putins attacks on Ukraine !!!

          Perhaps you need to examine the reality of the situation in the world and rely less on the 'junk' posted on social media by 'persons/counties unknown'.

          :)

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: speech is apparently free

            "Ukraine is a demo of what Putin would like to do to the EU"

            No. There are very few Ethnic Russians in the EU and apart from some of the small Baltic states (who bloody hate Russia, unlike eastern Ukraine) the vast majority of what makes up the EU has never been part of Russia.

            "the EU would like to NOT be reliant on anything from Russia"

            Well.. you say that but remember when Trump warned the EU about its reliance on Russian gas and he got laughed at? And the EU is still busy importing record levels of Russian LNG right now. After Putin kicked off in 2022 there was no indication of a slowdown of Russian gas usage in the EU. It was the US 'president' Joe Biden who said he'd stop the nordstream pipelines and then suspiciously not long after they happened to just blow up randomly forcing Germany to get involved.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: speech is apparently free

              ""Ukraine is a demo of what Putin would like to do to the EU"

              No. There are very few Ethnic Russians in the EU and apart from some of the small Baltic states (who bloody hate Russia, unlike eastern Ukraine) the vast majority of what makes up the EU has never been part of Russia."

              I did not think I would NEED to explain this BUT it would appear you have been drinking the 'Koolaid' from Putin & conveniently have 'misunderstood' my comment.

              Ukraine and its situation with Russia has NOTHING to do with 'Ethnic Russians', Ukraine has always been a LESSER part of Russia both in the sense of how its peoples were treated & its standing in the USSR of old.

              [Try reading up on the way the Area of Russia that is NOW Ukraine has been treated throughout history by both the Monarchy & the Soviet State of old.]

              Putin does not care about Ukraine in ANY way, he simply wants it to act as a barrier between Russia & the west [Nato].

              In terms of treating the EU like Ukraine, Putin would like to bomb it flat (in his dreams) and ensure that Russia is the only power to be worried about in Europe. NATO is too close and by definition this means the US of A is too close. Putin has dreams of Russia being the power it was when it was the USSR, he has dreams of being a mythical leader of a USSR-like state.

              Hope this helps you to understand the reality of the situation and NOT the nonsense as spouted by Putin, his enablers and myriad 'Helpful Idiots' who abound on the 'InterWebs'.

              :)

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: speech is apparently free

                Indeed, Ukraine is one of the modern made up countries, like the mythical Palestine. And really I don't blame Putin for not wanting NATO/USA that close to Russia. Ever since the end of WW2 and the US pivot to fighting communism they've been antagonising the commies. Missiles in Turkey that kicked off the Cuban missile crisis when the USSR tried to return the favour. Effectively using the entirety of western Europe as a military base while we all sat back and let it happen as it meant we could spend less on our own defence.

                Many 'merkins have and still dream of flattening the red commies.

                1. DJO Silver badge

                  Re: speech is apparently free

                  While the name has changed many time a country with roughly the same borders has existed since 822AD while the region has been continually inhabited since around 3200BC. The city of Kyiv was founded in 482AD, over 650 years earlier than Moscow (around 1140AD).

                  Don't believe the crap from Putin about Ukraine, it has a longer history than Russia.

                  1. 42656e4d203239 Silver badge
                    Coat

                    Re: speech is apparently free

                    Indeed - the Rus (from whom the states Russia and incidentally Belarus took their names) were Norsemen who occupied territory along rivers from the Baltic to the Black Sea. So if Putler wats to revert to historic boundaries, he should be kowtowing to the Nordic countries and wanting to rejoin their communities!

                    If the Rus are a bit far back in time for him, then he should, perhaps, look to his Mongolian friends for leadership/territorial claims becasue, without a doubt, around 1279CE they ruled most of the area Russia holds as sovreign in Eastern Europe (Including where Moscow now is...) and they only went away becasue they got bored/had better things to do back East!

                    Much as I dislike referring to Wikipedia this page summarises the history of Norse influence over middle Euopean history quite well.

                    There is an equally good (yeh - twice in one post) page on the Mongol Empire here

                    Of course Putler and allies would dispute the established history as it "doesn't really" (arguably, "doesn't at all") fit their narrative.

                    1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                      Re: speech is apparently free

                      Indeed - the Rus (from whom the states Russia and incidentally Belarus took their names) were Norsemen who occupied territory along rivers from the Baltic to the Black Sea. So if Putler wats to revert to historic boundaries, he should be kowtowing to the Nordic countries and wanting to rejoin their communities!

                      Who is this 'Putler' of which you speak? But yes, a fascinating period of history, with some of the Rus settling in Kœnugarðr because that was a handy river crossing to control trade routes. That later became Kiev, and then Keef.. I mean 'Kyiv'. Perhaps as the successor state to the Rus, or even just the Kieven Rus, Russia wants to return to those glory days.. Which is, of course the propaganda. Expansionist Russia invading and destroying Iraq, Libya, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, Panama, Grenada.. And I've probably missed a few. No, wait.. Wrong empire.

                      If the Rus are a bit far back in time for him, then he should, perhaps, look to his Mongolian friends for leadership/territorial claims becasue, without a doubt, around 1279CE they ruled most of the area Russia holds as sovreign in Eastern Europe (Including where Moscow now is...) and they only went away becasue they got bored/had better things to do back East!

                      Sure. And then Starmer could look to the Italians, French, Dutch for reunification, or even those pesky Norse & Scandanavians. A rather important point you're missing though is it's the Russian Federation. Much as the USA is a federation of semi-indepent states. Or Germany, although that's being subsumed into the EU federation. But many of those federations are threatened with regime change, because breaking them up and asset stripping them would be extremely profitable. It's just not far that the Russian Federation sits on all those natural resources that we so desperately want. So desperate in fact that we've passed laws so our industries can't buy them. That'll show those pesky Russians!

                      Of course Putler and allies would dispute the established history as it "doesn't really" (arguably, "doesn't at all") fit their narrative

                      Do you think Ukraine's narrative is any better? Some Ukrainians long for their glory days, hence why some sport the Norse sig runes, just as their ancestors did in the middle of the last century. Some proudly fly the banner of the OUN and chant the same slogans their ancestors did whilst engaging in massacres in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, or the Lviv pogroms. Ukraine still flies the flag of the 1st Galician SS division, and has incorporated the red & black OUN colours in other units banners and insignia.. And then of course there's the very special Azov gang, who borrowed from the SS castle at Wewelsburg and the 2nd SS Panzer Division for their insignia.

                      Is that the history you want to see re-emerging in Ukraine? It took a while and a lot of digital airbrushing to erase the obvious Nazi symbology, and Ukraine has steadfastly refused to apologise for its past, causing a far amount of friction with Poland for example. Ukraine has been pressured to ban that abhorent symbology, but has consistently refused. Why is this? And of course in playground style, when people point out Ukraine has a rather large neo-nazi problem, they point the finger and come up with childish names like 'Putler'.. But of course this also allows Russia to continue with their claimed objective for the SMO, which is to de-nazify Ukraine. The UK recently broke up and arrested a bunch of neo-nazis, yet at the same time, we're bankrolling, arming and training Ukraines. It's all very strange.

                      It's also strange how Ukraine is copying Germany's past. A bunch of thugs gained power and influence, and created a twisted fantasy version of the Germanic ideal, based on Teutonic and Aryan myths. The Banderites in Ukraine are doing exactly the same thing, in much the same places. Ukrainian nationalism very closely mirrors the Nazis, and leads to amusing situations like Zelensky's claim that Ukrainian is his 'mother tongue', yet he still doesn't speak it very well.. But Ukrainians will learn to speak it, or else.

                  2. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: speech is apparently free

                    "The city of Kyiv was founded in 482AD"

                    And has also been part of Lithuania and then Poland during that time.

                2. Ken G Silver badge

                  Re: speech is apparently free

                  That argument about "not wanting NATO that close to Russia" applies to Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Are you advocating they get invaded at the same time as Ukraine or should they wait until after it has been occupied? Because if Ukraine were to be occupied, then Romania, Hungary and Slovakia would be NATO countries bordering Russia.

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: speech is apparently free

                    "Norway, Finland"

                    Never part of the USSR the Warsaw Pact or under communist control.

                    "Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland"

                    These have all been NATO members for 20+ years and didn't cause and issues. The difference being none of these countries contained Russian military bases (Sevastopol) and the vast majority of the people who live there (as I work with a Lithuanian and an Estonian) absolutely HATE Russia and for good reason. Also none of the previously mentioned countries have had their democratically elected leaders overthrown by the CIA.

                    1. Anonymous Coward
                      Anonymous Coward

                      Re: speech is apparently free

                      Finland was inside Russia's 1917 borders, which is where Putin last set his limit, trustworthy sort that he is.

                      I'm glad to hear the majority of Ukrainians don't absolutely HATE Russia though, that should make the peace easier once Putin passes.

                      None of the countries bordering Russia now (or in the near future) have had their democratically elected leaders overthrown by the CIA so I don't know why you threw that in the pot.

                      1. Anonymous Coward
                        Anonymous Coward

                        Re: speech is apparently free

                        Note how the previous post says:

                        "Never part of the USSR the Warsaw Pact or under communist control."

                        Doesn't say 'Russia'.

                        As for Ukraine, don't forget that in the east and in Crimea the population did actually vote that they'd rather be part of Russia.

                        Also remember that in 2014 Viktor Yanukovych was pretty much ousted during a revolution and it is well documented that the US state department had a hand in picking his successor.

                        1. Casca Silver badge

                          Re: speech is apparently free

                          Wow, not one line correct.

                    2. Justthefacts Silver badge

                      Re: speech is apparently free

                      The cretins that allowed the Baltic States into NATO, should be shot.

                      It must be obvious to even the most flag-wavingest frothing-est pro-EU nutter that if Russia walks into Estonia, then we will *not* launch nukes against Russia. Because that is the only “defence” we could possibly mount. And that would invite certain full nuclear retaliation from Russia. All to protect countries which, while they might be lovely and all that, are former members of the Soviet Empire. That would be insanity.

                      I do not believe, for one moment, that any of the nuclear members of NATO would honour the commitment as regards the Baltic States. Neither USA, nor UK, nor France. We just wouldn’t do it. There would be “strong statements” and Big Meetings, and motions in the UN. But everybody understood 70yrs ago that this was wiffle, and that is the ultimate purpose of NATO. Allowing the Balkans into NATO, given that we will *not* launch to defend, just brings into doubt that we would launch to defend Italy or West Germany too. It weakens us, not strengthens.

          2. Justthefacts Silver badge

            Re: speech is apparently free

            The EU Commission do not actually care which ideology “wins” - far left, far right, centre right, centre left. It’s all the same to them. As long as the ruler lets them actually be in charge of running things. The EU Commission have zero interest in what Putin, or Le Pen, or Zemmour, or Macron, or Schlozz does. They are *bureaucrats*, who they “serve” barely impinges.

            If you mean “what do the German people want”. The East Germans want what they have always wanted: “Somebody” should give them factories to work in, for life. The EU give it. And Putin would give it. Plus somebody must make Rules - whether there is any benefit to regulation, conformance is key social attribute. There’s really no tension between EU and Putin’s Russia at all

            Ukraine is *not* a demo of what Putin would like to do to EU. Ukraine is a proxy war between EU and Russia. Russia are destroying Ukraine, because Ukraine were encouraged into declaring allegiance to EU. Putin “just” wants a bunch of territories that he can gift the oligarchs to reward them for supporting him. For the average Czech or Pole or East German, you would not notice being part of the Russian Empire, other than the price of gas would be cheaper. All the laws would be the identical, because why would you think Putin wants to regulate which bin you need to recycle, or incentives for electric vehicle adoption?That’s EU focus and Putin would be quite happy to render unto Caesar for that.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: speech is apparently free

              "Ukraine were encouraged"

              Thats one way to put it ;)

            2. imanidiot Silver badge

              Re: speech is apparently free

              "because Ukraine were encouraged into declaring allegiance to EU" And it's entirely a matter of perspective (and truth) who was doing the encouraging.

              1. Justthefacts Silver badge

                Re: speech is apparently free

                Like every other “accession country”, the EU let it be known that Ukraine would join them, it will be eligible for massive subsidies, or “solidarity payments”.

                The Ukrainians have seen, as has everybody else, the massive financial benefit of German Reunification to East Germany. Ukrainian GDP per capita, before the war, in 2020, was $3700. Yes, the decimal point is in the right place. They have a (real) population of around 52 million - do not be deceived by the current low population, it has a total of 16 million who have fled since 2014’ish.

                No conspiracy theories are required of “influence” or “populist campaigns” or “lies on the back of buses”. If you tell people used to earning $3700 that they can aspire even to the level of *Albania* at $21000…..they are going to make it happen.

        6. Casca Silver badge

          Re: speech is apparently free

          Wow, you really live in your own little bubble...

        7. rg287 Silver badge

          Re: speech is apparently free

          Canada and the UK are siding with USA. It’s delusional to think otherwise.

          What are you smoking and where can I get some?

          In the UK we remember too well Chamberlain waving Britain's greatest Pre-war joke (the Munich Agreement) around and declaring "Peace for our time".

          "This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler Herr Putin, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine."

          I think not.

        8. imanidiot Silver badge

          Re: speech is apparently free

          Why does the EU have to side with either? We can hate both the US AND Putin. There is no way the EU is going to align with Russia/Putin. As for economically failing... Let's just ignore that the last few economic crises we've had have ALWAYS been the fault of the US. I also see no reason why it would be delusional to think the UK might not side with the US. No matter the situation with brexit the vast majority of it's trade is still happening with the EU. Even militarily it's currently more aligned with EU forces than US doctrine.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: speech is apparently free

            "ALWAYS been the fault of the US"

            The dollar status as reserve currency will pretty much ensure this.

        9. LVPC

          Re: speech is apparently free

          If you think Canada will side with the US, you really do not understand Canadians.

          We have zero interest of becoming the 51st state. We have universal health care, like most advanced countries. We have gun control. There is no "right to bear arms." And hate speech is not protected speech.

          Joining the EU would be a far easier sell.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: speech is apparently free

            "We have universal health care"

            If you can survive the wait!

          2. codejunky Silver badge
            Devil

            Re: speech is apparently free

            @LVPC

            "Joining the EU would be a far easier sell."

            I hope thats the equivalent of 'not a hope in hell' because I struggle to believe you guys could be in that bad a state to want to join the EU

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: speech is apparently free

        Or, he will deploy US forces and 'recover' those bases. Along with a nice chunk of territory around, for 'security'.

      3. steviebuk Silver badge

        Re: speech is apparently free

        I'm suprised Greenland even allowed Drumpf Junior to land, instead they should of said "No, fuck off".

      4. Andrew Scott Bronze badge

        Re: speech is apparently free

        Should probably return Texas and California to Mexico. Maybe they'd like Florida back also. I'd vote for that.

  2. Mentat74
    Mushroom

    "it is all about the money"

    Exactly... and it's slowly turning the USA into a capitalist, fascist shiathole of a country...

    1. abend0c4 Silver badge

      Re: "it is all about the money"

      I first visited the US about 40 years ago and the thing that immediately struck me was how (relatively) afraid everyone was - afraid of being sick, afraid of losing their job, afraid of violence and afraid of each other lest some bogeyman cause any of those eventualities to come true.

      What seems to have happened in the intervening years is that not only has that fear been increasingly exported but has been exploited to divide people from each other and prevent an effective response.

      And it is about the money - turning the plebs against each other and casting the rich as the saviours of capitalism and thereby justifying their excesses.

      The antidote to that is of course more support and more personal and financial security via collective provision - the neoliberal European model. Which is why it is under increasing attack. It could even already be fatally wounded - the situation in the UK is that it is politically impossible to raise the revenue needed for the public services that are necessary to ensure economic growth and that's pretty close to game over.

      I think we are going to see an economic war between the US and (at least) Europe as US corporations see the opportunity to demolish European norms in pursuit of greater profit. But the real political issue is the increasing relative poverty of the middle and lower classes which the current trend is exacerbating, not resolving. As the pressure increases to find scapegoats rather than solutions, it could all get very nasty.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "it is all about the money"

        It doesn't help that whats left of Europe's manufacturing industry is busy imploding.

        1. hoola Silver badge

          Re: "it is all about the money"

          And a lot of that is down to the EU burying their heads in the sand over China.

          Whilst energy was cheap European (mostly German) industry could survive When gas prices hit the roof because of two shortages then the game changed.

          Companies looks to cheaper countries to move production. The EU then compounded things by trying to force automotive manufactures to only sell vehicles that most cannot afford.

          This was made worse by the fines on ICE vehicles handing the likes of BYD the European car market on a plate.

          It was wholly predictable 5 years ago but the politicians are so divorced from reality the outcome is also predictable, sadly which massive fallout not.

          As another aside on stupidity in the UK:

          Bus operators could get subsidies to purchase electric busses - all good, there are manufacturers in the UK who make them and this was the point of the subsidy.

          What has actually happened is the procurement process means that the cheapest supplier, naturally the Chinese (Yukon). The reason for this outcome is because the subsidy is applied after tendering so we have given £400 million of tax payer subsidy directly to China.

          1. MachDiamond Silver badge

            Re: "it is all about the money"

            "This was made worse by the fines on ICE vehicles handing the likes of BYD the European car market on a plate."

            Western government has two solutions, ban it or throw money at it. None of them are strategic thinkers.

            The way to encourage more people to replace ICEV's with EV's is to make it easy to own an EV, not ban some brands while subsidizing others. They could make it easy to site and build public charging stations rather than bury companies in endless red tape. A holistic approach to making sure the electrical grid can be evolved to suit. If it's dead easy to go anywhere in an EV, those that can will buy them over time. The "over time" is the big qualifier. No amount of mandates and advertising is going to convince the majority of people. They need friends, family and neighbors that have dived in to give them a thumbs up. Thinking that the vast majority of people can be shifted to EV's in the next 5 years is ludicrous. Why replace your car that works perfectly well for your needs even if it is getting on? I know the cost to drop a used engine in mine with far fewer miles on it is 10% the cost of a used EV. Less to register, less to insure. As an EV proponent, I'm not sending my ICEV to the knackers until it's well and truly used up and then I'll be looking hard at an electric unless they are still stupid expensive due to being propped up by government.

          2. Justthefacts Silver badge

            Re: "it is all about the money"

            No it isn’t. This is the anthropomorphic fallacy. The EU aren’t tanking because *China* are doing anything in particular.

            They’re tanking because the EU policy is catastrophically stupid, and *any* competitor simply needs to not do stupid shit.

            China is just “any competitor”. If it weren’t them, it would be somebody else. In fact, it *is* everybody else too. Indonesia. Singapore. India. Brazil. Thailand. Philippines. Malaysia. All of them are just ripping the Old World economies to shreds in less than a generation.

            If you’re sitting there sawing your own leg off, blaming the guy next to you for not doing so, is kind of missing the point…..

            1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

              Re: "it is all about the money"

              They’re tanking because the EU policy is catastrophically stupid, and *any* competitor simply needs to not do stupid shit.

              Yep, we can very much agree on that. I think it's also why protectionist policies from both the US and EU are doomed to fail, and will affect our economies far more than our competitors.

              China is just “any competitor”. If it weren’t them, it would be somebody else. In fact, it *is* everybody else too. Indonesia. Singapore. India. Brazil. Thailand. Philippines. Malaysia. All of them are just ripping the Old World economies to shreds in less than a generation.

              Plus Vietnam, who seem to be rapidly challenging Taiwan in the tech manufacturing sector. Biggest danger I think is BRICS, which has a queue of nations joining that just happen to represent most of the world's population, and the developing nations. That trading bloc is very much challenging the traditional Western hegemony. Want to trade with the EU? First you must comply with a long list of rules & regulations. Want to trade with BRICS? Much easier.. and the BRICS nations produce an awful lot of the stuff we need.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "it is all about the money"

        > I first visited the US about 40 years ago and the thing that immediately struck me was how (relatively) afraid everyone was - afraid of being sick, afraid of losing their job, afraid of violence and afraid of each other...

        I also thought this when I lived there.

        If there is a defining national trait it would be paranoia.

        Where I lived you left your doors unlocked and we left the keys in the car. Yet I was frequently told about the dark underbelly of drugs, crime, and perversion that apparently simmered beneath the surface.

        About the worst thing I noticed was come the flood of holiday season visitors and some wives would be jumping the fences.

        Crossing the river to Canada a miasma of fear lifts, and the all people are smiling basket weaving idiots tranquilised by whatever Tim Horton sticks in the donut glazing.

        1. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge

          Re: "it is all about the money"

          "Crossing the river to Canada a miasma of fear lifts"

          I have to agree with that, there's certainly a sensation of tension when I drive into the US.

          I drove into the US last year just over the border to pickup car parts & spent Christmas (2022) in Vegas (Witnessed the tent cities & homeless near my hotel) that "unease" it never really leaves me until back over the border.

          I know people in the US living in trailers, with health issues, working & supporting their grand kids as the parents (Usually both parents have long gone separate ways & the kids dropped on the maternal grandmother before they vanish).

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: "it is all about the money"

            So there are no tent cities anywhere in Canada?

      3. ChodeMonkey

        Re: "it is all about the money"

        I had been visiting the US once or twice a year for over 30 years upto the covid pandemic. After which I did not visit at all until last month.

        Boy, has it gone down hill in these last few years. It's the Fall of Rome over there. With those levels of homelessness (which were previously already heinous) no wonder everyone is voting for a demagogue First Felon. Just out of sheer fear and hopelessness.

        1. MachDiamond Silver badge

          Re: "it is all about the money"

          "Boy, has it gone down hill in these last few years. It's the Fall of Rome over there. With those levels of homelessness (which were previously already heinous) "

          That will depend a lot on where you go. Bigger cities cater more to homeless people. It's the newest big business with lots of money to be made. This makes it possible to be homeless. It's a seller's market for the drug trade which will trap plenty in its nets. Canada isn't going to be as popular a place to be homeless as they have real winters with days below zero. Contrast that will Los Angeles (or what's left of it) that shivers when temps drop to <gasp> 10C. Not any noticeable homeless people where I live. Last night it was well below zero and the bird bath froze solid until the solar pump got sun and started circulating water. I need to get a camera on it to watch the birds ice skating as they wait until there's some liquid water.

      4. rg287 Silver badge

        Re: "it is all about the money"

        The antidote to that is of course more support and more personal and financial security via collective provision - the neoliberal European model.

        Neoliberalism is the cancer that is eating away at what's left of Keynesianism and is generally associated with privatization, deregulation, laissez-faire free trade, monetarism, austerity, and reductions in government spending - as popularised by Reagan and Thatcher.

        Whilst highly regarded institutions within European states persist (such as the NHS and social security, which give people the confidence to be entrepreneurial, knowing there is a safety net), they have come under repeated attack from neoliberalism and it is coming time for a new round of neo-Keynesianism in which governments stop fearing fiscal deficit and face up to the deficits of good jobs,1 good education and quality transport - the latter being frequently overlooked in people's rush for education and healthcare, despite being fundamental to people's ability to access those services.

        1. UK unemployment statistics are currently garbage. Notionally we have pretty steady unemployment ~4%. However, this masks the fact that at least another 4% are underemployed, which has major knock-ons. For instance, many students (not counted as unemployed because they're in FTE) would like to do some work - maybe a few hours a week retail or bar work. They can't because a lot of other people are doing that work, and are simultaneously claiming income support because they'd like 40hours/wk but can only get 20. A large tranche of the population are under-employed, and they in turn are locking out a block of people who don't appear in unemployment stats, but are actually unable to access work that they would like to do. This is clearly indicative of problems in our economy and gives a hint as to why our national productivity is low, despite a notionally sound unemployment rate - people are "employed" but not actually working full time. Take your pick as to root causes - lack of investment in skills, manufacturing and the erosion of workers rights, zero hour contracts, etc.

        To take it to absurd levels, we could reduce unemployment to zero by giving every claimant an hour's work a week for minimum wage. We would technically not have any unemployment then - but self-evidently, we also wouldn't have a high-productivity economy. This illustrates the problem we have, which is masked behind the stats quoted in headlines.

        the situation in the UK is that it is politically impossible to raise the revenue needed for the public services that are necessary to ensure economic growth and that's pretty close to game over.

        In straightforward (naive) fiscal/economic terms it's very straightforward to raise this revenue (or borrow via gilts) to invest in infrastructure (tax like it's the 1960s... when the UK had vast growth and improvements to standards of living!) - or alternatively the markets would have no problem lending money for trains, hospitals and schools.

        Politically however, we are still under the shadow of Thatcher's "TABS" policy and this idea that a national government should balance it's books like a household or a local council - which is just patent nonsense for a bunch of reasons (Clinton ran a surplus for several years in the 1990s and was asked to stop before he created a recession - just like when Andrew Jackson paid off the USA's national debt in 1835 and - by restricting private sector liquidity (spending less back into the private sector than the Government collected in taxes) plunged the economy into a recession in 1837.

        Government red ink is our black ink. Trying to run a government surplus makes us all poorer.

    2. Khaptain Silver badge

      Re: "it is all about the money"

      It's always been that way.

      The 1st time I went there , around 1988 , I was immediately surprised by how many poor people there were. I got first hand experience of what a trailer park was. I spent a lot of time in Arkansas, New Orleans, and San Diego. What was extremely apparent were the disparities between the rich and the poor.

      I was disappointed, I honestly expected to visit a country where the largest majority of people lived comfortable lives. This was so far from the truth. Some people live good, the majority just live meh lives and the rest are on the streets or in trailer parks..

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "it is all about the money"

        This is not exactly unique to the US and certainly not a direct result of capitalism. If you go to any large country there will always be a disparity between those who live in the urban areas and those who live in rural areas. Socialist, communist, capitalist.

        In the US most people who live on the coasts don't really have a clue what goes on in the great expanse in between. Apart from maybe visiting the Grand Canyon and some other national parks most coastal inhabitants do not venture into the middle.

        1. Khaptain Silver badge

          Re: "it is all about the money"

          No I don't agree, I grew up in Great Britain, and since leaving 40 years ago I have lived and worked in several countries , most of that time in Europe..

          I have never seen the level of disparity in any of the European countries as I have in the US.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: "it is all about the money"

            Is there a European country as big and with the wealth concentrated in such a relatively small area? The answer is no BTW.

            Try Australia, China, India, Brasil, actually most of South America.

            1. OhForF' Silver badge

              Size matters?

              Why does the size of the countries matter for the gap between rich and poor people?

              If the US is too big to have a more fair distribution of wealth should it be split up into several countries?

              As for concentration of money in relatively small areas we have that in Europe as well, see e.g. Monaco or if looking for investement money London and Frankfurt.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: Size matters?

                "Why does the size of the countries matter for the gap between rich and poor people?"

                Um, distance. The larger the distance the harder it is to get somewhere with better pay. Also lack of opportunity as towns in very remote areas tended to grow up around a single industry.

                For example coal in West Virginia in the USA, farming in the eastern areas of China and various mining in the middle of Australia. The people there are also less likely to have access to education as 1) historically you were probably expected to follow your parents profession and 2) no decent teachers are going to move there and get paid crap while being miles away from their family and friends.

                In the UK you can drive from the south coast to Scotland and only need to stop for lunch. In the US you're probably still in the same state by the time you need supper.

                Unless you are walking, having your nearest big shop 2+ hours away isn't a thing in the UK.

                Now France is special as its poorest areas are part of Paris....

              2. spuck

                Re: Size matters?

                The biggest reason is right in your question: "more fair distribution of wealth".

                In relative terms, the US is still a very young country, and a lot of our history and ethos is based on the idea that the best government is one who gets out of your way and lets you succeed as best you can. Capitalism, for the win. Homesteading, the westward expansion of the 1800s, the 1840s gold rushes, etc...

                The idea of redistributing wealth to be "fair" is completely at odds with such thinking; now that our country is reaching middle age, there is starting to be pressure to think about doing things differently: that maybe you don't have to climb higher only on the backs of your neighbors.

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: Size matters?

                  What is a 'fair distribution of wealth'? Who defines fair?

                  1. Justthefacts Silver badge

                    Re: Size matters?

                    Chimpanzees manage it. Heck, even *marmosets* understand fairness. Your belief that fairness is an imposed value, is totally bogus.

      2. MachDiamond Silver badge

        Re: "it is all about the money"

        "the majority just live meh lives and the rest are on the streets or in trailer parks.."

        You have to take into account what you are measuring against. Owning a home with a good roof, food on the table and a healthy family is fine for many people. A trailer park isn't a bad thing, some are very nice and include lots of amenities. Some aren't that nice. Are rich people happy (when not medicated)? I could have made far more money if I took a job in Silicon Valley. The downside is that the cost of living is so high and buying a home is out of reach for most, it made no sense. I'd have ulcers at the slightest whisper of the company going BK since the nice (rented) home would eat up a good portion of salary and everything else, the rest.

        I'm much happier in my very un-fancy, unimpressive home that I own outright that suits my needs. I'm also not having to put up with a HOA or city that acts like one. The peace of mind makes all the difference.

  3. Eclectic Man Silver badge
    Joke

    Rocks

    "In case you've been under a rock – and if so why didn't you invite me so that I too could have been spared all this?"

    Can I come too, please?

    1. The commentard formerly known as Mister_C Silver badge

      Re: Rocks

      we're gonna have to get a bigger rock

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: Rocks

        Or just send certain people to the 4th rock from the Sun :-)

        1. Scotech
          Joke

          Re: Rocks

          You've just discovered why Musk switched to Trump's camp... He's hoping we'll all get so sick of him we'll all just pay him to take himself and the rest of his crowd off to Mars, and he'll get to live his dream of setting himself up as king of the Martians. Trump might well authorise the bill if its the quickest way to stop Musk hogging the limelight...

        2. MachDiamond Silver badge

          Re: Rocks

          "Or just send certain people to the 4th rock from the Sun :-)"

          Is it important that they get there or is just sending them good enough?

      2. Paul Herber Silver badge

        Re: Rocks

        Hey, let's get another rock, then we can fight about which rock is best!

      3. Casca Silver badge

        Re: Rocks

        With black jack and hookers?

    2. chivo243 Silver badge
      Go

      Re: Rocks

      It's comfortable under here. I push a smaller rock away, sniff the air for a minute, alas, still stinks, put the smaller rock back...

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Trolling or attention-seeking

    So no more "I will end the war in Ukraine in 24h"?

    Or trolling China for Taiwan?

    Or, like Putin: stirring bigger trouble to redirect attention from internal politics.

    Or, he is realizing he cannot do much about neither Russia or China. So let's bully some scapegoat.

    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

      Between trump & Putin this fits only needs the characters replacing to fit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Caricature_gillray_plumpudding.jpg/1024px-Caricature_gillray_plumpudding.jpg

    2. codejunky Silver badge

      Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

      @AC

      "So no more "I will end the war in Ukraine in 24h"?"

      You do remember that Putin was interested in negotiation to end the war and Zelensky changed his position of no negotiation to willing to negotiate thanks to Trumps victory. After that the US authorised long ranged NATO weapons for Ukraine to escalate the war.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

        There goes the neighborhood.

      2. Casca Silver badge

        Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

        putin wants to end the war for the moment so he can rearm and continue and at a later date nothing more.

        1. Justthefacts Silver badge

          Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

          Probably, but that’s irrelevant. The war as it stands is simply unwinnable on the ground by either side. If Russia starts winning, then the West provides more weaponry, just enough to stop Ukraine losing.

          But equally, if Ukraine starts really winning, then it has no choice but to invade Russia to prevent exactly what you are saying a massing of Russian weaponry and army on its border, just as before the invasion. It needs to put up, and enforce, a DMZ. Ukraine needs that DMZ to be on Russian soil, Russia/Trump wants it to be on Ukrainian soil. Unfortunately what we’ve learned from this war is that with modern artillery ranges, it would need to be about 200km wide. Which is literally halfway to Moscow from Ukraine borders. Zelensky would need to do this, and therefore *would* do this, whatever the West requests, and this would automatically trigger a nuclear response from Russia. So, whenever it looks like Ukraine might start winning, Western support is dialled back.

          This has degenerated into a perma-war in Europe. And it is rather convenient, as it has the advantage to US and EU of being an excellent weapons proving-ground, as we haven’t had a near-peer war in over 70 years, so nobody knew what really worked. The minor detail of killing about 200,000 soldiers on both sides so far, is of no concern to any of the three important combatants (Russia, USA, EU). Ukraine and Russian soldiers are simply not consulted as to whether they would like to continue being fed to the meat-grinder. Meanwhile, it’s extremely convenient for the USA in other ways, because it - weakens Russia militarily, and weakens the EU economically.

          So yes, if there is a few-year ceasefire, then Russia will come again. But that’s a few years of no-meatgrinder. And it makes zero difference to the actual end strategic outcome.

          1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

            Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

            Probably, but that’s irrelevant. The war as it stands is simply unwinnable on the ground by either side. If Russia starts winning, then the West provides more weaponry, just enough to stop Ukraine losing.

            It isn't irrelevant in an attritional conflict though. So we can maybe churn out a few thousand rifles a month. Churning out a soldier to train and use those rifles takes at least 18 years. If Ukraine runs out of soldiers, which it is, it can't defend territory, so loses it or has to seek terms.

            It needs to put up, and enforce, a DMZ. Ukraine needs that DMZ to be on Russian soil, Russia/Trump wants it to be on Ukrainian soil. Unfortunately what we’ve learned from this war is that with modern artillery ranges, it would need to be about 200km wide. Which is literally halfway to Moscow from Ukraine borders. Zelensky would need to do this, and therefore *would* do this

            Zelensky would probably try, because he's just that crazy. So last year we had the much hyped (and delayed) Spring Offensive, that was supposed to be a blitzkrieg attack to cut the Russian land bridge to Crimea and provide photo ops for our leaders to sit on a beach on the Sea of Azov sipping cocktails and celebrating a glorious victory. But that ran headlong into the defence lines Russia had prepared and resulted in a pimple on the map around Robotyne. Even though it was clear pretty early on that that offensive had failed, Ukraine kept pouring men & machines into that cauldron, and Russia poured shells, bombs and missiles on those meatwaves.

            Then Zelensky did the same thing with Kursk. What was probably supposed to be a lightning attack to capture the NPP quickly stalled because Russia knew Ukraine was massing for an offensive in that direction. Ukraine diverted some of it's best forces and equipment into establishing this 'DMZ', Russia's been systematically destroying them. Far from creating a DMZ, all Zelensky achieved was creating another self-filling cauldron. Zelensky throws in men, Russia kills them. It's as if Zelensky is trying to help Russia win their attritional campaign.

            Funnily enough (although actually far from funny), Zelensky is doing pretty much exactly the same as Hitler did with his Eastern Front. Hitler also ignored the advice of his General Staff, and wasted resources on an unwinnable fight because egos got in the way and Hitler was determined to beat Stalin. History is repeating itself, even on some of the same battlefields like Kursk.

            But Russia would never agree to a DMZ on their own territory. Ukraine may be forced to. If it doesn't, I suspect the plan is to force that outcome and partition Ukraine along the Dnipr River, possibly allowing Ukraine to retain some territory on the east side. Providing it disarms itself of any missile artillery so the DMZ only has to be wide enough to provide safety from conventional artillery as Ukraine used against their civilian population in the DPR & LPR, which lead up to the SMO.

            If Trump can't negotiate a peace deal, then I suspect Russia will repeat more of the Soviets vs Nazis playbook and repeat their recapture of Odessa, which would also extend their land bridge to Transinistra. Ukraine would then be partitioned along the Dnipr again, leaving a land-locked rump, which wouldn't be viable so the remnants carved up between Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.. just as they were historically. Ukraine goes the same way as Yugoslavia did (ish). Poland would probably be quite happy with that. Yugoslavia demonstrated that maps can be redrawn by the use of force, and I don't think it was any suprise that when Russia announced the SMO, it used pretty much the exact same justification as we did for invading and destroying Yugoslavia.

            1. Casca Silver badge

              Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

              And the hate of Ukraine and defending of you favorite dictator continues...

              1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

                And the hate of Ukraine and defending of you favorite dictator continues...

                As does your stream of one-line bile. I don't "hate Ukraine" because that's just an inanimate object and a concept. I do very much dislike Ukraine's Banderites, and Zelensky. He reminds me of the gauntlet of agressive beggars I used to have to deal with when I commuted. Zelensky is also directly responsible for the senseless deaths of a lot of Ukrainians. And.. Putin was democratically elected. So was Zelensky, but his term expired last year..

                1. Casca Silver badge

                  Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

                  "Putin was democratically elected."

                  And that you really believe that horse shit proves everything. But keep on chilling for russia. Its sad to see someone thinking that the invading country is somehow the side to cheer on.

                  1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                    Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

                    But keep on chilling for russia.

                    Yep, I'm a pretty chill guy. I also know that Russia has a capital 'R'. I think I've also asked you before, but are you a Banderite?

                    Its sad to see someone thinking that the invading country is somehow the side to cheer on

                    I don't see where I'm 'cheering them on'. I am rather more objective than you seem to be and also see the irony in your comment. Did you cheer on our invasions of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Grenada, Panama? Can you point me at a modern map showing the formerly sovereign state of Yugoslavia? No? Of course we dismantled Yugoslavia and erased that country from our maps, just as we're redrawing the maps of Syria.

                    Two wrongs don't make a right, but it's rather hypocritical to whine about what Russia is doing when it's no different to what we've done many, many times over the last 50yrs or so. The supposed 'International rules based order' just doesn't seem to have very clearly defined rules, other than Russia's actions (and our responses) have really messed up that order.

                2. DJO Silver badge

                  Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

                  Putin was democratically elected.

                  Do you really believe that? Because nobody in Russia does. Anyway it's not exactly democratic to murder or imprison any viable opponents.

                  Joseph Stalin — 'Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything"

                  See if you can guess who was in control of the vote counting, I'll give you a clue, his name begins with "P" and ends with "N"

                  1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                    Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

                    Joseph Stalin — 'Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything"

                    Joseph Biden, surely? Funny thing about elections. Look at the results, and look at the large anomaly in votes for Biden during the Trump/Biden election.

                    See if you can guess who was in control of the vote counting,

                    I think you mixed up your Ps and Bs. Oh, and then there was Romania, with their 'election inteference' and simply cancelling the results completely. Which might be coming soon to a Germany near you, if those pesky Germans vote for the wrong party.

                    1. JimboSmith

                      Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

                      Romania, with their 'election inteference' and simply cancelling the results completely.

                      I thought the Supreme Court in Romania had made a judgement about the election based on the evidence presented before it. That tends to be what courts do if my somewhat limited experience of them is anything to go by. They look at evidence, deliberate and then make a judgement, that’s what happened here isn’t it? That’s certainly what my Romanian friend says has happened and they say the Supreme Court is independent. That’s why it is important to have an independent judiciary rather than one that does what it is told, which my Russian friend says happens in Russia. There’s a joke about how the decision for your case is already made before you walk into the courtroom. They say it’s a joke you don’t tell anyone else, because of the consequences if you do.Are you suggesting that the Romanian Supreme Court are not independent?

                      Which might be coming soon to a Germany near you, if those pesky Germans vote for the wrong party.

                      I think unless I’m very much mistaken the courts in Germany already make judgements.

        2. MachDiamond Silver badge

          Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

          "putin wants to end the war for the moment so he can rearm and continue and at a later date nothing more."

          That and spend a good year on more focused training for the troops.

      3. Jellied Eel Silver badge

        Re: Trolling or attention-seeking

        You do remember that Putin was interested in negotiation to end the war and Zelensky changed his position of no negotiation to willing to negotiate thanks to Trumps victory. After that the US authorised long ranged NATO weapons for Ukraine to escalate the war.

        Zelensky passed a law that Ukraine can't negotiate with Putin, so so much for the sincerity of any peace negotiations Zelensky is involved, or has been proposing. Then there's the small matter of Zelensky's term expiring nearly a year ago, so whether he's actually in a position to negotiate. But the reality is terms will be decided over his head, so whatever Trump and Putin might negotiate. But Trump doesn't seem to have a very strong negotiating position. He could lift sanctions, but that wouldn't have much impact unless the EU goes along with that as well.. Which could be good for the economy, but not so great for the 'whatever it takes, for as long as it takes' shower of shite that are the EU's leaders. If 'whatever it takes' is for Trump to give them new orders, that would be rather embarrasing.

        The US could just threaten to withdraw support and dump the whole mess on the EU, which would be par for the course because the EU can't sustain this proxy war on its own. I also think it's unlikely Trump could freeze the conflict after the Minsk debacle.

  5. Gary Stewart Bronze badge
    Facepalm

    Dear world,

    Please excuse our idiot-in-chief elect. All I can say at this point is I didn't vote for him (or Musk) and as the song says "you ain't seen nothing yet".

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Dear world,

      Don't worry, we are just glad that there were not enough of you to vote for Kamala Harris. We are all very glad that the world will be unburdened from the cackling establishment hack.

      1. Antron Argaiv Silver badge
        Thumb Up

        Re: Dear world,

        Ah, but you didn't answer the question, did you? Trump or Harris? For me, it was Harris by a mile, because I've had enough of that orange-faced shitgibbon and his merry band of idiot hangers-on for several lifetimes.

      2. Casca Silver badge

        Re: Dear world,

        Ok moronic AC.

  6. Flocke Kroes Silver badge

    Re: Insane troll logic budget

    Trump's attempt to revise the 2025 budget called for a huge increase in the debt ceiling. This credit is needed to pay for ... huge cuts in federal spending. The revision was blocked by both sides of the house but it did bring other news to the foreground. The US cycles it debts by selling bonds: it sells promises to pay up later for below the nominal value of the bond. How far below face value depends on how much inflation is expected to eat into the bonds value. Potential bond buyers said they would only pay a pittance in future. So, any cuts to federal spending will be blocked by congress, the tax cuts for the rich will be paid for by debt and that debt will be expensive because of inflation.

    The exit polls from the last election showed people voted Trump because they were unhappy with inflation. This time around Trump will cause inflation far faster so will not be able to leave the bill for the next president. He will need a distraction, someone to blame. The current words are to decide who to blame: Canada, Central America or Greenland. The distraction will be a war against which ever country mud sticks to.

    1. Gary Stewart Bronze badge

      Re: Insane troll logic budget

      "He will need a distraction, someone to blame."

      His specialties.

      "The current words are to decide who to blame: Canada,"

      He even has a theme song for that one.

      1. Boris the Cockroach Silver badge

        Re: Insane troll logic budget

        And here it is

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOR38552MJA

        But just for the record, the last time the US invaded Canada, the british turned up in Washington and burned down the white house :)

        1. The commentard formerly known as Mister_C Silver badge

          Re: Insane troll logic budget

          yup. check the lyrics to "the star spangled banner". The "rockets' red glare" refers to Congreve rockets fired from HMS Erebus.

        2. Joe W Silver badge

          Re: Insane troll logic budget

          ... in the war of 1812...

          They ran so fast they forgot to take their culture :p

          1. This post has been deleted by its author

        3. Ace2 Silver badge

          Re: Insane troll logic budget

          We forgive you / them. … Would you mind stopping by again?

        4. Bebu sa Ware
          Windows

          Re: Insane troll logic budget

          But just for the record, the last time the US invaded Canada, the british turned up in Washington and burned down the white house

          A fairly decent wiki article on the Burning of Washington points out that this was in retaliation for the US burning York and Port Dover in Upper Canada but unlike the American actions, mostly sparing private property at the behest of Robert Ross.

      2. MachDiamond Silver badge

        Re: Insane troll logic budget

        ""He will need a distraction, someone to blame."

        His specialties."

        Be fair. That's a universal trait of all politicians.

    2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: Insane troll logic budget

      "This time around Trump will cause inflation far faster so will not be able to leave the bill for the next president."

      I've no doubt the bill will be left for the next president - or, more accurately, the US population at the time of the next president - but there should be little doubt who ran it up.

      1. ArrZarr Silver badge
        Unhappy

        Re: Insane troll logic budget

        Won't stop them blaming the next president when they need to make the painful decisions in '28-'32, assuming the next president is blue, of course.

    3. David Hicklin Silver badge

      Re: Insane troll logic budget

      > He will need a distraction, someone to blame. The current words are to decide who to blame: Canada, Central America or Greenland. The distraction will be a war against which ever country mud sticks to.

      Is this not the usual modus operandi for failing dictators with problems on the home front??

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The unipolar world is officially dead

    The Greenland/Panama Canal/Mexico/Canada talk is the Trump administration setting out the boundaries of America's sphere of influence. This is in recognition of the fact that there are now three great powers in the world the US, Russia & China. Apparently a summit between Trump, Putin and Xi is in the works and will happen some time over the next few months.

    Ukraine will go down as a devastating defeat to the collective West and is about to be wrapped up within the first 100 days of Trump's presidency. Perhaps a rump state in Ukraine will remain, but it will most certainly be Putin dictating terms at this point.

    The big question in all of this is what happens to Western Europe? Without US military backing, and it certainly looks there is going to be a retrenchment on that front, it will become extremely vulnerable to the now combined hostile powers to the East. Europe cutting itself off from cheap Russian gas, at the behest of the Biden administration and their hare-brained sanctions, has proven absolutely catastrophic to the industrial engine room Germany. With no cheap and reliable baseload to speak of, intermittent green energy sources simply do not cut it. With energy prices through the roof and concerns over supply, it's becoming a struggle for people to even heat their homes during a harsh winter! Several of the eastern European states (all with, or in the process of adopting, right-wing populist governments), highly skeptical with the failed Ukraine project from the outset, are now coalescing to form a block which will shortly become a major headache for the EU.

    Unfortunately it's a downward spiral from here on out.

    1. Jim Mitchell

      Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

      Russia isn't a great power in the world.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

        Russia isn't a great power in the world.

        You see, people like you have been saying that since Russia invaded Ukraine. Yet here we are, Ukraine are on the verge of losing, despite receiving over $200 billion in military aid from the West and seriously depleting collective stockpiles in the process.

        What else do you call a country that absorbs that kind of punishment yet emerges victorious, other than a great power?

        1. Paul Crawford Silver badge
          Facepalm

          Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

          What else do you call a country that absorbs that kind of punishment yet emerges victorious, other than a great power?

          Even if it "wins" it will be a rather hollow victory. They lost more tanks than most of the rest of the world had operational, Prigozhin showed they are not the 2nd strongest army in the world, but the 2nd strongest in Russia.

          Why do they absorb such punishment? Something do do with Putin crushing any sort of independent media or right to protest I expect.

          1. Mage Silver badge
            Facepalm

            Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

            Yes, Russia aims to redefine Pyrrhic Victory.

            1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

              Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

              Indeed.

              I take no pleasure at seeing Russia's losses, those are many hundreds of thousands of folks who under different circumstances we would happily sit down with for a drink and a joke. Around 300m from where I work there is a granite monument to the Soviet servicemen who fought and died along side the allies in WW2. But today the asshat that is Putin has condemned them to a fight, and we have to stand up for the right against that.

            2. Like a badger

              Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

              "Yes, Russia aims to redefine Pyrrhic Victory."

              I think our original AC recognises that, but (a) does a Pyrrhic victory harm Russia as a state, and (b) does weeny shortarse Putin care?

              I'm regretfully taking the view that it's no and no.

              Sure, Putler's thrown away half his military, but what does that matter when his fat, stupid, criminal, misogynistic orange chum has just snatched the keys to the White House.

        2. iron

          Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

          A bully picking on someone smaller than them because they can't cut it with the big boys.

        3. heyrick Silver badge

          Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

          "Ukraine are on the verge of losing"

          Yes, and they have been for years due to everybody else being reluctant to get too involved.

          And, yet, the loser hasn't lost just yet.

          "What else do you call a country that absorbs that kind of punishment yet emerges victorious, other than a great power?"

          You're taking about Ukraine, right? Because if I remember correctly, Russia was supposed to walk in and say "mine" and it'd all be over in a week. Instead it has been ages and Russia is needing to borrow manpower from North Korea and they still haven't won. At this point, if Russia wins, it's not "a great power" it's simply a question of having more resources to throw at it. The boy with eighteen conkers will beat the boy who only has five, because he could use up three for every one and still have some left over. That's about where we are with Ukraine, and it's possibly why Putin has been talking about nukes. This attack has shown the mighty Red Army to be mighty in their own minds, Putin isn't going to want them to be seen to have run out of equipment and the like, so the more this drags on the more both sides suffer.

          Russia winning at this point isn't strength or strategy, it's just maths. The strength is in Ukraine holding on as long as it has.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

            "Ukraine are on the verge of losing"

            Yes, and they have been for years due to everybody else being reluctant to get too involved.

            Once again, the West has provided over $200 bn in military aid and even allowed ballistic missile strikes deep into Russian territory which, incidentally, can only take place with targeting assistance from Western technicians - in other words, an act of war.

            Every piece of military hardware Ukraine has requested they have received so I'd like to know your definition of "too involved". Are you suggesting boots on the ground? NATO soldiers fighting the Russians?

            If so, then that by definition makes Russia a peer adversary of NATO and the US and hence proves the point that it's a great power.

            Fortunately, it appears that Trump grasps the route cause of this pointless conflict - the ever eastward expansion of NATO.

            "A big part of the problem is, Russia - for many, many years, long before Putin - said, 'You could never have NATO involved with Ukraine.' Now, they've said that. That's been, like, written in stone," Trump said.

            "And somewhere along the line Biden said, 'No. They should be able to join NATO.' Well, then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep, and I could understand their feelings about that."

            https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-says-he-sympathizes-with-russias-opposition-nato-membership-ukraine-2025-01-07/

            I predict there will be many sad Neocons in the next few months. :)

            1. Like a badger

              Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

              "I predict there will be many sad Neocons in the next few months. :)"

              Fuck off, AC and Russian troll.

              Russia isn't a great power. It has rusting, decrepit military that's decades out of date, it has failed to conquer a relatively small and poorly defended neighbouring country, it has a population (and government) of ageing drunks, it's meddling in the Middle East has just blown up in its face, and it needs to borrow weapons from Iran and troops from North Korea (after the failed plan of hiring scummy Chechen mercenaries, and draining Russia's prisons). It is pathetically reduced to cutting undersea telecoms cables and slurring its words in "we've got nukes yerfuckers, hic" threats

              Population of Russia is about 144m, so smaller than any of China, India, the US, the EU, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, and in a year or two Russia will be smaller than Mexico.

              Empires come and go, arguably the Soviet empire grew fastest in history and vanished fastest in history. What's left is a badly behaved mid-sized nation who's people are afraid to stand up for themselves and throw off the shackles of their dictators.

              1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                Fuck off, AC and Russian troll.

                So Meta is going to turn into El Reg now, is it?

                Firing the fact checkers with no notice while enabling Meta users to use racist, sexist, you name it, terms to insult others is all of a piece.

                Russia isn't a great power. It has rusting, decrepit military that's decades out of date, it has failed to conquer a relatively small and poorly defended neighbouring country, it has a population (and government) of ageing drunks, it's meddling in the Middle East has just blown up in its face, and it needs to borrow weapons from Iran and troops from North Korea (after the failed plan of hiring scummy Chechen mercenaries, and draining Russia's prisons).

                See previous comment. So when this conflict started, it was Ukraine's 1m ma.. person army vs 200k-ish Russians, plus the DPR and LPRs forces. Ukraine supplemented their forces with hiring an assortment of mercenaries from the West, and wherever it could find fresh meat. It's 'borrowed' around $200bn in weapons from the US, and $120bn or so from the EU. It's gone through multiple rounds of mobilisation, mostly Urkraine's ageing and ethnic minority populations, and may now have to lower its mobilisation age to 18. It ran out of volunteers a long time ago, so now it's resorting to snatch squads to 'volunteer' Ukraines unfortunate not to have fled already.

                But Ukraine is now over 20% smaller.

                Russia also stated (repeatedly) that this is not a war of conquest, but attrition. By pretty much any measure, it is winning that battle. Ukraine's forces have been suffering very heavy casualties, haven't been rotated out to rest or reconstitute, and Russia's gains have been accelerating. It has resorted to desperate PR campaings in Kursk that have had no strategic benefit and have wasted Urkraine's blood & treasure. Zelensky claims this was to divert Russian forces away from the Eastern front, which it did, but also diverted Ukraine's forces as well. It obviously hasn't worked because following on from Kursk, Russia's gains in the East have accelerated because Ukraine weakened their own defences.

                Then, of course there's the Ghosts of Korea. Not to be confused with the Ghosst of Kiev, the Heroes of Snake Island, or babooskas knocking down missiles with well-aimed jars of preserves. But Urkraine's claimed 10.. no 20.. no 50,000! DPRK troops in and around Kurks. They've produced no evidence, but that's because they have no IDs, or spetsnaz ninjas are sneaking to the corpses of the DPRK 'meat wave' assaults and burning their faces off.. Or something.

                But now, after months-

                https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjdek713d0xo

                Zelensky's office said in a statement that the Russians "are trying to hide the fact that these are soldiers from North Korea by giving them documents claiming they are from Tuva or other territories under Moscow's control".

                "But these people are actually Koreans, they are from North Korea," the statement from the president's office said.

                Of course they are dear. So after months, Ukraine's managed to produce 2.. count'em.. 2 out of the thousands of DPRK troops allegedly there, and, well, they might actually be from Tuva, where Russians of Asian appearence are common. But those 2 prisoners are either going to be the most protected, or most endangered prisoners in Ukraine because ICRC or UN investigators will (should) want to independently verify their identities, and Ukraine may not want that.

                Also ironic you mention Russia's meddling in the Middle East, which I assume you mean Syria.. Which we absolutely did not meddle with, illegally occupy large parts of it, or arm & train the absulutely-not-al qaeda factions that are now in charge of Syria. They may be content to not attack the western forces there, so long as we keep bribing them I guess. We seem to have helped them create their Islamic State though.

                1. Ace2 Silver badge

                  Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                  You forgot to click ‘Post anonymously’

                2. Casca Silver badge

                  Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                  And the premier Ukrainian hater and russia defender has arrived as usual.

            2. This post has been deleted by its author

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                Lots of anger and expletives, but you still haven't explained why hundreds of billions in US & NATO military aid hasn't produced victory against a supposedly hopeless, pathetic enemy.

                Talk about logical fallacies!

                Let's turn the question around. What has the West actually gained from this endeavour? Why continue a war which could've been ended on terms likely more favourable to Ukraine back in April 2022 with the Istanbul agreement?

                1. Richard 12 Silver badge

                  Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                  If Ukraine had rolled over, then Poland would have been invaded next. Possibly Moldova too. That would have brought NATO in immediately, and Putin would have got the war he so very much desired.

                  Putin made that very clear - he needs a war to justify his ego, much as Trump picks pointless fights to bolster his own.

                  Putin has basically nothing left militarily at this point. It's pretty obvious that his last card is his orange agent in the USA - a very risky one, given Trump's advanced dementia and inability to complete anything. The very definition of a loose cannon.

                  Sadly, the Russian people are already paying the price for Putin's Folly. It will have demographic effects for a century after his death.

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                    Oh lordy, are we really back to domino theory?

                    Are there any ethnic Russians in Poland? Is Poland currently under a Russian backed government with the CIA planning to overthrow it?

                    "Trump's advanced dementia and inability to complete anything"

                    Have you ever listened to Joe Biden?

                    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

                      Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                      "Have you ever listened to Joe Biden?"

                      Of course, and I'm sure everyone is glad thet he can retire now. Shame the Orange one isn't doing the same. Why do you deflect from Trumps obvious mental issues by pointing at Biden? That's the tactics Trumps uses and is using now. He campaigned on "groceries prices", ie inflation, yet wants MORE debt and has barely mentioned inflation since the election. Why would someone who claimed inflation was his number one priority bring in tariffs? Because he know he can't do anything and is deflecting.

                      1. Anonymous Coward
                        Anonymous Coward

                        Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                        "Why do you deflect from Trumps obvious mental issues by pointing at Biden?"

                        Quite simple, Trump has NO signs of mental issues compared to Biden who was showing them when he was VP under Obama.

                        1. Anonymous Coward
                          Anonymous Coward

                          Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                          "Trump has NO signs of mental issues"

                          Actual mental health professionals say otherwise:

                          https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-mental-state-impeachment-psychiatrist-petition-congress-a9232386.html

                          He hasn't got any better in the last five years ... in fact, many professionals have pointed out that he has become much worse.

                          1. Anonymous Coward
                            Anonymous Coward

                            Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                            So says a lot of people who've never met the guy. The same shrink who authored this hit piece has refused to comment on Joe Biden's mental state.

                            She claimed "I do not diagnose without examination and do not speak about public figures in general" when asked about Biden yet somehow is such an authority she can diagnose Trump from afar.

                            Sounds like someone with undiagnosed advanced TDS.

                        2. Casca Silver badge

                          Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                          Wow, you are drinking the trump cool aid by the gallon.

                          1. Anonymous Coward
                            Anonymous Coward

                            Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                            I'm not sure that's cool-aid, looks far too white and sticky

                        3. jockmcthingiemibobb

                          Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                          Turn off any commentary and just listen to any of Trump's off-the-cuff ramblings during his campaign and tell us with a straight face he's not mentally impaired.

                          1. Anonymous Coward
                            Anonymous Coward

                            Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                            His ramblings are EPIC! Maybe if they'd had someone on the other side who could actually talk without a teleprompter (32 days!! hehehehehe! 32 days!) the results would have been different.

                            1. Anonymous Coward
                              Anonymous Coward

                              Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                              talking unhinged bollocks for 32 days isn't really something I'd want to try, as I'm not fucking insane! unlike orange turd!

                            2. HausWolf

                              Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                              The orange turd actually spent lots of time bitching about teleprompters and went on a long rant one of the times his failed.

                              Maybe if his cult followers actually paid attention to him and not the sideshow they would have realized the emperor has no clothes, the Chinese crap he sells the rubes notwithstanding.

                      2. Anonymous Coward
                        Anonymous Coward

                        Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                        "and has barely mentioned inflation since the election."

                        He has stated that he cannot do anything about grocery and gas (petrol) prices, and will not even try.

                        In other words, he lied to the idiots who elected him. As usual.

                    2. Casca Silver badge

                      Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                      There are in the Baltic states thanks to russia. But ignore that will you. AC posting like all russian boot lickers...

                    3. PerlyKing

                      Re: Are there any ethnic Russians in Poland?

                      At the risk of feeding the troll....

                      Are there any ethnic Russians in Poland?

                      Are there any Nazis in Ukraine? As I recall, Putin's given reason for invading was to get rid of the Nazis there. What are the odds that if he ever succeeds, then as soon as his military has recovered it will turn out that Poland (or wherever) is also being run by Nazis and needs to be "liberated"?

                      1. Anonymous Coward
                        Anonymous Coward

                        Re: Are there any ethnic Russians in Poland?

                        Plenty of people are now claiming there are in Austria due to the new government and also claiming that AfD are also.

                        Now prior to 2022 the media was reporting things like this:

                        https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ukraine/11025137/Ukraine-crisis-the-neo-Nazi-brigade-fighting-pro-Russian-separatists.html

                        Nice to see the media flipflopping as they always do.

                      2. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                        Re: Are there any ethnic Russians in Poland?

                        Are there any Nazis in Ukraine? As I recall, Putin's given reason for invading was to get rid of the Nazis there. What are the odds that if he ever succeeds, then as soon as his military has recovered it will turn out that Poland (or wherever) is also being run by Nazis and needs to be "liberated"?

                        Sadly, they're everywhere. See for example-

                        https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqjzj4zrppko

                        The neo-Nazi organisation Blood and Honour, which is linked to parts of the skinhead music scene, has become the first extreme right-wing group to have financial sanctions imposed by the UK government.

                        And similar groups exist in most European countries (including Russia), often affiliated and often sharing information, money, and most concerning.. Weapons. Some of the weapons donated to Ukraine have ended up with neo-Nazi and far right groups in Scandanavia. This keeps the police and security services rather busy, monitoring and tracking the spread of an ideology abhorent to most civilised people. Except Ukraine, where the Banderites and other ultranationalist groups glorify Ukraine's Nazi past.

                        For me, this has been one of the most shameful aspects of this fiasco. Again, Ukraine could address the problem by banning the display of Nazi and neo-Nazi symbols, and proscribing those organisations, just as we do-

                        https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proscribed-terror-groups-or-organisations--2/proscribed-terrorist-groups-or-organisations-accessible-version

                        along with every other civilised country. It would be a simple thing for Zelensky to do, and being Jewish, something you'd expect him to be keen to do. It'll also be something that'll be neccessary as part of Ukraine's accession to the EU.. Along with respecting ethnic cultures, identities, religions instead of 'de-Russification', banning books and other media, seizing churches and church property. I find it disgusting that our 'leaders' can rant about 'far right' groups, yet the EU has poured over $120bn in cash and weapons to one of the worst fascist organisations in the world.

                        But that's politics for you. Our 'leaders' are happy to turn a blind eye to Ukraine's ultra-nationalist problem, as long as they serve as a useful proxy against Russia. If Ukraine de-Nazified itself, it would remove one of Russia's stated objectives for the SMO, and yet Ukraine refuses to do so.

                        1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

                          Re: Are there any ethnic Russians in Poland?

                          "the SMO WAR"

                          Same number of letters without silly abbreviations. It's easy to type. Try it. It might help you understand what it is. History will certainly call it a war. Even the "police action" in Korea is always referred top as a war. History rules!, so long as you learn from it. And yes, "history is written by the victor, blah, blah blah"

                          1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                            Re: Are there any ethnic Russians in Poland?

                            Same number of letters without silly abbreviations. It's easy to type. Try it. It might help you understand what it is.

                            It is actually an important legal distinction, especially wrt Russia's constitution, and one of the many things you don't seem to understand.

                            So presumably you can point me to either Russia, or Ukraine's declaration of war? Germany's Baerbak did once state a while ago that Germany was at war with Russia, but swiftly walked that back because Germany hadn't declared war either. But Russia's constitution limits how it can use their armed forces. So if its in an officially declared war, it can use any resources at its disposal. If war hasn't been declared, it's limited. So (from memory) conscripts and some of Russia's paramilitary forces can't be used outside their own territory. Russia may have cheated a bit because the annexed territories are now Russian. Kursk, being inside the Russian Federation, despite Ukraine claiming it as their own 'historic' lands is an ATO (Anti-Terrorist Operation) so Russia's free to use whatever resources it wants to deal with that. Which includes any partner nations that want to get involved.

                        2. Casca Silver badge

                          Re: Are there any ethnic Russians in Poland?

                          Some of the weapons donated to Ukraine have ended up with neo-Nazi and far right groups in Scandanavia.

                          Debunked...

                  2. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                    If Ukraine had rolled over, then Poland would have been invaded next. Possibly Moldova too. That would have brought NATO in immediately, and Putin would have got the war he so very much desired.

                    On the one hand people like you claim that Putin's army is pathetically weak and on the verge of collapse and in the very next breath you say that it would steam roll across Europe if Putin wasn't stopped in Ukraine. That makes NO logical sense!

                    Also, if it was Putin's objective to start a war with NATO, which would be suicidal by the way, why would he not just attack a NATO country immediately, triggering Article 5? Again, NO logical sense there.

                    Regardless, it's over for Ukraine now and they will have to accept terms far worse than those on offer in Istanbul with much greater loss of territory. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of Ukraine's best men dead and wounded. Hundreds of billions of Western taxpayer dollars frittered away. Energy insecurity and eye-watering prices for Western European citizens and industry.

                    So, once again, how is this outcome better than that proposed in Spring 2022?

                    Putin made that very clear - he needs a war to justify his ego, much as Trump picks pointless fights to bolster his own.

                    More nonsense.

                    Putin's aims have been clear from the start. Chief among them that Ukraine should never be allowed to join NATO. Can you remember when the Soviets put nuclear missiles on Cuba? Yeah, that wasn't acceptable to America and it almost triggered WW3. The situation with Ukraine is directly analogous. Putin has watched as country after country has been subjected to CIA-backed colour revolutions and NATO has crept ever eastward. He drew the line with Ukraine since NATO membership would be an existential threat to Russia.

                    Putin has basically nothing left militarily at this point. It's pretty obvious that his last card is his orange agent in the USA - a very risky one, given Trump's advanced dementia and inability to complete anything. The very definition of a loose cannon.

                    On the contrary, this debacle has pushed Russia into the arms of China. The relationship is mutually beneficial since China knows that if Russia falls they're next in the crosshairs of the American Neocons. China will cater for all Russia's high tech needs and in return be granted access to Russia's vast energy and mineral natural resources. Meanwhile, the BRICS grouping goes from strength to strength with Indonesia being the latest country to join. India is also very happy to trade with Russia, especially when acting as a middleman to get oil out of the country and into the West. So much for those tough sanctions!

                    Lastly, do you seriously believe that Trump is an agent run by Putin? If so, how come the US and Russia didn't unite the last time Trump became president? Why is Russian not being taught in US high schools? Once again, NO logical sense!

                    1. JimboSmith

                      Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                      I've got a Russian ex colleague who has family and friends still in Russia, so I won't going into too much detail about them. They say that the inflation is ridiculous at over 9% and interest rates are insane at 21%. The more financially educated are worried about a recession or worse stagflation but people are worried about saying anything in case they're locked up for it. Butter so expensive criminals are stealing it in bulk, poatoes Coca Cola up 200% in a year, eggs up 30% etc.

                  3. SundogUK Silver badge

                    Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                    Rubbish.

                    Ukraine = not in NATO

                    Poland = in NATO.

                    Putin is an arsehole but he's not stupid. There was and is no chance he was ever going to outright declare war on the US by invading Poland.

                    1. Anonymous Coward
                      Anonymous Coward

                      Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                      why would the USA declare war when putler has installed his orange turd lapdog?

                2. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                  They cannot explain why all this military aid and money laundering has failed to produce anything other than a huge death toll and a complete wasteland in Ukraine. As you have correctly said the whole belief that Russia was not capable of fighting against such weapons turned out to be wrong.

                  "What has the West actually gained from this endeavour?"

                  In the case of the EU, huge instability, economic collapse, energy shortages.

                  In the case of the USA, safely thousands of miles away, BILLIONS of dollars to the military industrial complex, lots of backhanders to politicians, continuation of the revolving door between govt and big weapons manufacturers and as a nice bonus the collapse of Europe as a big player in the manufacturing sector.

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                    "has failed to produce anything other than a huge death toll and a complete wasteland in Ukraine."

                    It has produced nothing? Last time I checked, it has managed to stop Russia from taking over the much smaller Ukraine. That's certainly something!

                    1. Anonymous Coward
                      Anonymous Coward

                      Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                      As said before if the goal was to take over Ukraine it would have happened in 2022. This is simply a tactic to cause chaos in the western world and hugely reduce our stockpile of weapons.

                      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

                        Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                        "As said before if the goal was to take over Ukraine it would have happened in 2022."

                        Really? What happened to the 2 week "special military operation"? It's amazing how 2 weeks can feel like almost 3 years. I must be getting old, time is flying by.

                        1. Anonymous Coward
                          Anonymous Coward

                          Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                          The precedent was set with 2 weeks to stop the spread :)

                  2. This post has been deleted by its author

                3. Casca Silver badge

                  Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                  And another russian AC muppet arrives.

              2. Tim99 Silver badge

                Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                (Apocryphal?) Quote from Stalin at Tehran about winning WW2: "British brains, American money, and Russian blood."

                1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                  Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                  (Apocryphal?) Quote from Stalin at Tehran about winning WW2: "British brains, American money, and Russian blood."

                  Stalin was Georgian, but the Soviets were fighting against Ukrainians during WW2 as well. Strange the way history repeats itself, complete with German panzers burning in Kursk.

                  1. Casca Silver badge

                    Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                    Strange how you turn up with your russian defending and Ukraine hating every time...

            3. C R Mudgeon

              Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

              "Fortunately, it appears that Trump grasps the route cause of this pointless conflict - the ever eastward expansion of NATO."

              What was it that convinced Finland and Sweden to abandon their long-term neutrality? Oh, right -- Russia's invasion of Ukraine. If Putin's goal was to stop "the ever-eastward expansion of NATO", how's that working out for him? In terms of that strategic goal, he's already lost. All that's left for him is to keep sending the youth of his own country and at least one other into a meat grinder in order to -- he hopes -- conquer some territory and thus save face.

              What imperialists like Putin and Trump refuse to accept is that the only people who should have a say over who governs any given territory, be it Ukraine, Greenland or Canada, is the people who actually live there. (I'm not letting the USA off the hook here; they have a long history of imperialism, stretching back at least to 1812. Now, under the very stable orange genius, it's rearing its ugly head again.)

              1. Casca Silver badge

                Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                Sadly the various AC and JE dont understand that and love their strong man leaders...

              2. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                What was it that convinced Finland and Sweden to abandon their long-term neutrality? Oh, right -- Russia's invasion of Ukraine. If Putin's goal was to stop "the ever-eastward expansion of NATO", how's that working out for him? In terms of that strategic goal, he's already lost. All that's left for him is to keep sending the youth of his own country and at least one other into a meat grinder in order to -- he hopes -- conquer some territory and thus save face.

                You need to check an atlas sometime. Sweden is West of many countries that have already joined NATO, doesn't even share a border with Russia and frankly has been a de facto member since the beginning.

                As for Finland, the Russians are equally unconcerned since it's a very poor location from which to launch a serious invasion.

                No, the real threat is Ukraine, with its inviting eastern Steppe through which armies throughout the ages have tried their luck, most notably Napoleon's and Hitler's. Both campaigns ultimately ended in catastrophe and unfortunately Biden and his psychotic band of Neocons failed to learn those painful lessons from history.

              3. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                What imperialists like Putin and Trump refuse to accept is that the only people who should have a say over who governs any given territory, be it Ukraine, Greenland or Canada, is the people who actually live there. (I'm not letting the USA off the hook here; they have a long history of imperialism, stretching back at least to 1812. Now, under the very stable orange genius, it's rearing its ugly head again.)

                There's a growing independence movement in Greenland with people saying that a referendum held today would result in a separation from Denmark. It's also proving a very costly endeavour for the Danes to maintain.

                I expect when the inevitable separation happens, the US will strike a deal to throw the Greenlanders some shekels in exchange for a large scale military presence. It's called realpolitik!

          2. SundogUK Silver badge

            Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

            "...it's simply a question of having more resources to throw at it."

            Which is pretty much the definition of a 'great power.'

        4. Jim Mitchell

          Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

          What do we call them? Evil.

        5. Dan 55 Silver badge

          Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

          Russia has the GDP of Italy (at least it did before, probably not now) and is running out of weapons:

          Russia’s war machine is running on fumes as industry warns of bankruptcies and the Kremlin gets old tanks from movie studio

          Luckily for Putler, Trump's going to save his bacon for him before the facades on his Potemkin war fall over and hit the ground, and all the while Trump's thinking that he's gonna to do a huge deal with the bigliest strong man and por ende Trump's also a bigly strong man.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

            Russia has been running out of weapons since Spring 2022, if you believe the mainstream media. We're three years in and it seems there are still a few gullible people left that buy into the narrative.

            1. Dan 55 Silver badge

              Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

              We believe the mainstream media because it's not nonsense posted on X and Facebook by a troll farm in St. Petersburg.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                We believe the mainstream media because it's not nonsense posted on X and Facebook by a troll farm in St. Petersburg.

                So why hasn't Russia run out of weapons yet, despite the mainstream media and the Ukrainians claiming such since the very start of the war?

                MARCH 2022

                Russian forces have only three further days of fuel, food and ammunition left to conduct the war after a breakdown in their supply chains, Ukrainian military commanders have alleged.

                https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/22/russian-invaders-have-three-days-of-supplies-left-says-ukraine-military

                APRIL 2022

                Given Russia's reliance on Ukraine for military components, UK defence sources say Russia's war effort is in serious trouble.

                Last night a source said: 'Serious amounts of components for Russian weapons systems were made there [Ukraine]. That won't be happening any more.

                'Russia cannot manufacture this equipment itself or import it, so it won't be getting any of these materials any time soon. The hardware expended in Ukraine came from historic stockpiles, developed when there was greater cooperation between Russia and Ukraine.

                'The integration of their industrial complexes meant a severing of relations would jeopardise Russia's ability to sustain military operations. Now they're running out.'

                https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10677711/Russias-war-effort-stalls-Red-Army-replacement-weapons.html

                The Sanctions Are Already Working (lol)

                Russia is in danger of running out of military equipment if it continues its invasion of Ukraine. Catastrophic battlefield losses are rapidly depleting Russia’s existing inventories of tanks, fighter jets, ships, helicopters, rocket launchers, missiles, and other weapons systems, while the sanctions imposed by the democracies are preventing the Russians from replenishing their supplies.

                https://theovershoot.co/p/the-sanctions-are-already-working

                Perhaps it's time to reconsider your blind faith in the MSM?

                1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

                  Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                  If they weren't running out of or running low on weapons, they'd have won by now. They keep throwing meat into the grinder and are even running out of meat and importing it from N.Korea now. Of the drones and missile shot down coming into Ukraine, many are from Iran. If Russia isn't running low on weapons, why are they buying Iranian ones? Why are they buying N. Korean ammunition if their much vaunted war machine and industry is so good?

                  And why do so many Pro-Putin Trumpers post AC?

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                    "If they weren't running out of or running low on weapons, they'd have won by now."

                    If Russia really wanted to 'win', and I'm unsure what a win even looks like apart from driving back NATO/USA influence, there would have been a bright flash over Kiev in 2022.

                    1. Ropewash
                      Mushroom

                      Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                      MAD still standing after 70 years. If there'd been one bright flash over Kiev, then there'd have been about 6000 of them over Russia, EU and US approximately 30 minutes later and most of us wouldn't be here to argue over who 'won'.

                      1. MachDiamond Silver badge

                        Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                        "If there'd been one bright flash over Kiev, then there'd have been about 6000 of them over Russia, EU and US approximately 30 minutes later and most of us wouldn't be here to argue over who 'won'."

                        That would answer the question of whether Russia has been investing the serious amounts of money it takes for maintaining nuclear bomb cores. Enriched fissile material just wants to break down so it can't be left on a shelf indefinitely and still do what's expected. The US has just finished a refurbishment program started under Obama that cost lorry loads of money. "We may be expensive, but we sure are slow".

                        It might also be that rather than a cordial exchange of ICBM's, gloves come off and allies of Ukraine help out with offensive strikes into Russia rather than just contributing materiel for defense. Not a good thing, but a bit short of really bad things.

                    2. Casca Silver badge

                      Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                      Ah yeas, winning by nuclear fall out. Sure AC.

                  2. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                    Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                    If they weren't running out of or running low on weapons, they'd have won by now.

                    They are winning. They're also not fighting the campaign you want, or think they should be fighting. Again it's all about attrition and eliminating Ukraine's ability to wage war. The sad thing is that by extension, it's also winning against the West as well. Our 'shock and awe' sanctions backfired spectaculary, especially in the EU. We have a self-imposed energy crisis, inflation, detoriating standard of living and if we keep up this nonsense, it's only going to get worse.. And Trump knows he has the EU by the balls.

                    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

                      Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                      "Again it's all about attrition"

                      Yeah, riiiight! "Two week 'special military operation''" Funny how you pro-Putin supporters seem to forget that.

                2. Dan 55 Silver badge

                  Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                  And if we are believe Moscow then there are no North Korean fighters used in Russia's invasion of Ukraine because they are certainly not running out of their own to throw in the grinder so why would they ever need North Korean soldiers. So it must just be a couple of lost North Korean tourists that Ukraine found wondering the battlefield.

              2. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                We believe the mainstream media because it's not nonsense posted on X and Facebook by a troll farm in St. Petersburg.

                And troll farms in Kiev are somehow more reliable? Remember the claims that Russias ran out of missiles only a couple of months after SMO started, and had to resort to recycling washing machines? Or Russians charging Ukrainians armed only with shovels? The nonsense is that is us that's running out of weapons, not Russia.

                1. Dan 55 Silver badge
                  Happy

                  Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                  SMO

                  Ah, bless.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

            Russia has the GDP of Italy (at least it did before, probably not now) and is running out of weapons...

            Mark Rutte, NATO Sec Gen, addressed this very topic recently.

            Here's what he said:

            When you look what Russia is producing now in three months, it's what all of NATO is producing from Los Angeles up to Ankara in a full year, and then Russia is not bigger than the Netherlands and Belgium combined as an economy, the two of you together is the Russian economy, and they're producing in three months what the whole of NATO is producing in the year. And don't forget, when you compare Russian numbers, that what you can buy in Russia for the same money is, of course, much more because they do not have our high salaries. They don't have our bureaucracy. They can move at a higher speed, and they have basically created a war economy, and the whole industry is now on a war footing. So don't compare their 8% or 9% defence spending, 1/3 of the of the 8% or 9% of GDP, 1/3 of the whole state budget being spent on defence. When you cobble it all together, it might be less than what the European NATO is doing. But again, you can buy so much more, do so much more, and they have this urgent need to get there.

            https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_232125.htm

            The GDP argument is completely specious. Make no mistake, should the US walk away from the Ukraine campaign, there is no chance for Europe alone to pick up the slack.

            1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

              Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

              The GDP argument is completely specious. Make no mistake, should the US walk away from the Ukraine campaign, there is no chance for Europe alone to pick up the slack.

              Yep. I agree with some of Rutte's comments, but disagree that Russia's economy is on a war footing. He may have just been referring to the defence sector, but he's right that Russia is able to do more, for less because it has a lower cost base. That's true, and I think he should have mentioned policy costs as well as bureaucracy. Our energy costs are far, far higher and defence is an energy intensive business. Plus the general decline in European industries like steel and chemicals, where the EU has also been affected by the sanctions imposed on itself. Russia produces and is self-sufficient in stuff like steel to produce artillery shells, along with things like ammonia and other chemicals needed to produce explosives and propellants.

              And in the UK, Ineos has just announced the closure of the Grangemouth refinery and shutdown of ethanol production-

              https://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/ineos-closes-its-last-remaining-synthetic-ethanol-production-plant-in-the-uk/

              Chemical giant INEOS closed its last remaining synthetic ethanol production plant in the UK last week, citing high energy prices and high carbon taxes as primary reasons behind the decision.

              Which is part of the whole perverse incentives successive UK governments have created for chemical and other manufacturing, along with the insane anti-fossil fuel movement. Ethanol's a byproduct of refining oil, just as many other essential chemicals are. Grangemouth might be turned into an import terminal rather than a production site, and we'll become dependent on imports from.. somewhere rather than being self-sufficient.

              I also think it's a shame that there's no price comparison website. So what is the cost of a Russian 152mm shell vs a 155mm, or cost of 7.62x51 vs 7.62x39. One advantage Russia has is it retained control of core defence industries and could just mothball lines when there was no demand. We privatised ours, eg flogging off Royal Ordnance to BAe, so now it's not quite as easy for the government to just order RO to crank up production. There were also other policy impacts around small arms, like banning a lot for civilian use. Good'ol Radway Grot was always a strange case, ie not intended for the civilian market, but surplus ammunition was sometimes available. One argument at the time, and in the general development of UK firearms policy was civilian shooters helped subsidise ammunition factories. So as an example, I used to shoot 2-300 rounds of 9mm & .38S&W when I was training. Banning (some) shooting across the UK and other EU countries reduced demand, and probably increased the cost to NATO. Russia has some fairly strict firearms laws, but also kept state control, so it could more easily transition from peacetime to wartime production of millions of rounds of 7.62x39

              I don't think GDP is entirely specious given that's a metric flying around at the moment, so Trump's demands for the protection racket that is defence. Increase spending to 3-5% of GDP, or else the US will no longer protect you. But that needs to be spent wisely. The US defence budget is closing in on $1tn a year, but Russia seems able to do much more for much less. Current events have highlighted the weakness of successive rounds of defence cuts though, which have left NATO as something of a paper tiger.. Which other nations that are hostile to our interests have very much noticed.

        6. Justthefacts Silver badge

          Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

          Interesting insight into your world view…..you think Russia is a great power because it can absorb $200bn of losses over several years.

          But actually, $200bn is negligible amount of money to a real great power. It’s less than 1/8th of USA official annual military spending in peacetime.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

            You misunderstood my post. I meant Russia has withstood the effects of $200bn worth of military firepower being directed towards it from the collective West and yet is still on the verge of victory in Ukraine.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

              AC, there is a major problem in your view. Russia hasn't had $200Bn thrown at it.

              Assuming your figures are correct, Russia has thrown its military against $200Bn. And accomplished very little beyond increasing the stock of local scrap merchants.

              If the Ukrainians were trying to reach Moscow and the Russians were defending then you'd have a point. But they aren't. The last advance on Moscow was their own mercenaries, who managed to get surprisingly close very quickly.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                "AC, there is a major problem in your view. Russia hasn't had $200Bn thrown at it."

                True, most of that 200Bn has been redirected into the pockets of politicians and the arms manufacturers.

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                  well considering munitions have a use by date, that would be spent anyway, all that happened is we sent all the stuff that was due to be replaced, might as well have it used for a good cause rather than have to destroy it.

                  So actual cost to west is $0.

                  putler on the other hand just showed everyone how pathetic russia really is.

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

                    But we've also sent them all the new stuff, at great cost. Munitions plants in the US are running full capacity.

                    And even if the munitions were about to go out of date they don't just get destroyed. They go back for refurb to replace the age critical parts.

          2. MachDiamond Silver badge

            Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

            "But actually, $200bn is negligible amount of money to a real great power. It’s less than 1/8th of USA official annual military spending in peacetime."

            If you can buy wholesale.......

            Nobody has ever called US military spending as very efficient. Quite the opposite.

        7. This post has been deleted by its author

        8. This post has been deleted by its author

      2. SundogUK Silver badge

        Re: The unipolar world is officially dead

        1,000+ nuclear warheads says you're wrong.

  8. Howard Sway Silver badge

    What they want is for him not to target their businesses

    Too true. Let's see how well their businesses do once Trump gets going and pisses off their customers. All their public grovelling will be remembered, and might not seem like such a wise move then.

    1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      Re: What they want is for him not to target their businesses

      What they want is for him not to target their businesses

      As illustrated by Ann Telnaes’ cartoon rejected by the Washington Post...

      https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jan/04/washington-post-cartoonist-resigns-jeff-bezos#img-2

      https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jan/04/washington-post-cartoonist-resigns-jeff-bezos

      https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2025/01/03/tech_titans_hide_in_shadows/#c_4989480

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: What they want is for him not to target their businesses

        So she threw a tantrum on social media. I'm sure she was quite happy when Scott Adams got cancelled and was very happy when people got censored on social media. Remember 1A does not apply to private companies.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I’m just a little confused which way politically the author leans

    Could someone clear it up for me?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I’m just a little confused which way politically the author leans

      For some reason, I'm reminded of a cartoon in the current edition of Private Eye...

    2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: I’m just a little confused which way politically the author leans

      Straight reportage is sooo confusing.

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

      2. Jamie Jones Silver badge
        Thumb Up

        Re: I’m just a little confused which way politically the author leans

        Yep. It even confuses Zuck:

        "Fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created,"

        What's that saying? "Truth has a liberal bias"?

        Anyway.... Got to laugh at the poor little Trump/Elon stan, with their panties all on a twist downvoting all the non-delusional posts here. Poor kid... They don't love you back you know!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: I’m just a little confused which way politically the author leans

          I'll just leave this here....

          https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/01/07/five-times-facebooks-fact-checkers-wrong/

          1. Ace2 Silver badge

            Re: I’m just a little confused which way politically the author leans

            Learn the difference between “wrong” and “fantasy.”

            If I say unemployment was 4.3% last month, I would be wrong. It was actually 4.(whatever)%.

            If I say unemployment was 17.8%, the highest it’s ever been in the history of the world, as opposed to 0% like when I was in charge…. That would be orange diarrhea.

            The problem with today’s fact checking is that they call both of those things “untrue” or whatever.

            1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

              Re: I’m just a little confused which way politically the author leans

              "The problem with today’s fact checking is that they call both of those things “untrue” or whatever."

              Yes, there seem to be an aversion to the word "lie" for some reason. Untruths, mis-information etc or, worse "alternative facts" LOL

              Why can't people just be called out as liars any more? Even if they believe what they are saying, that doesn't stop it being a lie. Repeating a lie because you've heard it so often that you believe it doesn't make it true.

            2. MachDiamond Silver badge

              Re: I’m just a little confused which way politically the author leans

              "If I say unemployment was 17.8%, the highest it’s ever been in the history of the world, as opposed to 0% like when I was in charge…"

              The problem with this example is the jobs/employment figures have always been made up, cherry picked or heavily slanted to fit a narrative. In a computerized world, there shouldn't be a need for a massive correction a few months from the release of the first figures. They should also come with footnotes. There's no value in crowing about so many new jobs being created when they are PT/Seasonal and there having been a loss of many more well-paying FT positions.

              There's no point in a politician telling a little white lie when they have a whopper loaded in a buffer ready to go. It might be several news cycles before they're fact-checked and by that time, the lie has done the job it was supposed to.

      3. Casca Silver badge

        Re: I’m just a little confused which way politically the author leans

        Its not easy for AC trumpsters

  10. Mitoo Bobsworth

    Putin will be pissing himself laughing

    And all it took was some trolling & the mass stupidity of the US voting public.

    1. abend0c4 Silver badge

      Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

      It's unfair to uniquely blame the US voters: they started from a more anxious base and experienced the full onslaught of social media first. What has happened is that the social media algorithms have simply rediscovered for themselves the traditional techniques of propaganda and the social media companies have discovered that sensational falsehoods are profitable. What you can blame the US for is the laissez-faire acceptance that profit trumps morality and the public good, but you can also blame other western countries for failing to push back hard enough and soon enough, particularly when it became clear that countries that police their own public debate rather more fiercely were taking full advantage of western laxity.

      We're all responsible for this mess and being keen to point the finger at others is a symptom of what's gone horribly wrong.

      1. Neil Barnes Silver badge
        Big Brother

        Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

        As a certain gentleman in a black uniform liked to say in the thirties and forties: if you tell the lie loud enough and long enough, it becomes the truth.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

          We just had to watch the US media over the last 4 years telling us how sharp and capable Joe Biden is as president.

          1. Casca Silver badge

            Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

            Oh, a trumpster posting as AC as usual

        2. Fr. Ted Crilly Silver badge

          Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

          Ah yes, from the house of Hugo Boss...

        3. MachDiamond Silver badge

          Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

          " if you tell the lie loud enough and long enough, it becomes the truth."

          Or, if you want the new planet to have the name you've picked, just repeat it a lot until everybody starts using it. (Starman Jones, Robert A Heinlein).

      2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

        "sensational falsehoods lies"

        FTFY. Let's stop being shy about using the word "lie" ;-)

        1. MachDiamond Silver badge

          Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

          "FTFY. Let's stop being shy about using the word "lie" ;-)"

          I paid good money for the book of synonyms taking up space on my bookshelf to not get use out of it.

          I find a big difference between those from the US and the UK is the size of the vocabulary they draw from. It being smaller in the US. Of course, it takes many more added vowels to spell equivalent words in GB.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

            Oh there are not that many words like that. But the way you guys pronounce the word solder just really makes my eye twitch. 'soL-der', not 'sodder'.

            1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

              Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

              But the way you guys pronounce the word solder just really makes my eye twitch. 'soL-der', not 'sodder'.

              That seems to be a regional thing, but does sound strange. Another one that I've never understood is 'erbs' vs ''herbs'. One should not drop ones 'h's. But two great nations sometimes divided by a common language.

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. Ace2 Silver badge

        Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

        Post under your real account, coward.

        1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
          Facepalm

          Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

          Are we to assume that "Ace2" is your real name, and allows us to know who you are?

          1. Sandtitz Silver badge
            Facepalm

            Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

            "Are we to assume that "Ace2" is your real name, and allows us to know who you are?"

            Ace2 did not seem to ask for the poster's name, address and shoe size. Only to post under his/her real account.

            Is there a reason you don't select the anonymous button in all your messages, "Phil"?

    3. This post has been deleted by its author

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

      "the mass stupidity of less than half of the US voting public."

      FTFY

      Trump did not receive a plurality of votes.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

        Citation needed.

      2. Mitoo Bobsworth

        Re: Putin will be pissing himself laughing

        @Anonymous Coward

        "the mass stupidity of less than half of the US voting public."

        77,303,573 votes for Trump is mass stupidity - I stand by my words.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Distraction tactics—that's all

    Look how quickly the H1-B debate ended after Trump lobbed hand grenades at Mexico, Canada, and Denmark. And we've silently pivoted from "deport all illegals" to "deport all human traffickers."

    The thing is, everyone (even the conservatives) know this is how Trump rolls. But he is *still* better for the country than another four years of economic ruin, under a party that can't agree on anything besides the number of genders being greater than two.

    1. Like a badger

      Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

      "But he is *still* better for the country than another four years of economic ruin,"

      C'mon, you can't post that AC. Put it under your normal handle, and over the next four years we can see whether you're right and either doff our caps and humbly acknowledge that you were right, or we can mock and taunt you for expecting the orange loon to deliver economic growth for his electorate.

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

        1. Jamie Jones Silver badge

          Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

          That is factually untrue! FFS

          Economy grew more under Biden

          https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8xl5vnlzpwo

          1. This post has been deleted by its author

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

            All skewed by Covid and the diabolical response from democrat run states.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

              so it vanished and their were no deaths like orange turd said in your fucking universe.

              from all the people who had relations die due to orange turd, FUCK YOU

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

        yeah, but he did deliver economic growth last time around. Sure, hes a lame duck now, but if JD Vance wants to run, they both have to deliver something.

        1. ThomH Silver badge

          Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

          It's actually pretty hard to evaluate Trump's net impact on the economy thanks to COVID; you can't do a fair comparison of net GDP growth or anything like that for obvious reasons — especially once you start arguing about the extent to which a President's effect on the economy is the cumulative result of their policies, in which case how much should you weigh the record of a President with a full eight continuous years against one with three years of normal continuity plus one year of global pandemic?

          Regardless, the one thing you can say: every single President back to at least 1960 has delivered growth.

    2. Jamie Jones Silver badge

      Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

      You do realize that the ONLY people talking about the trans issue were the Republicans? They continually said "the dems want to do this [trans issue]" but it was never the Democrats themselves.

      It's easy to fact check this for yourself.

      I thought it was a pretty weak tactic, that would only work on stupid people.

      It seems to have worked on you.

      As for economic ruin, you ain't seen nothing yet! Biden did far more for the economy than trump did.

      Sigh, I have no problem with different opinions, but people who post "differing facts", either out of ignorance, or deceit really piss me off, and are truly responsible for this whole political shitshow

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

        1. Ace2 Silver badge

          Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

          My trans kid got to see a lot of those fucking ads.

          You’re a true coward. Would be a shame if you offed yourself tonight.

      2. nobody who matters Silver badge

        Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

        <.......".....I thought it was a pretty weak tactic, that would only work on stupid people."....>

        There are more stupid people around than you would expect.

        1. KittenHuffer Silver badge
          Joke

          Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

          It is a FACT that 50% of people are of below average intelligence!

          Unfortunately, if we could somehow remove that 50% from the population there would still be 50% that were of below average intelligence!

          -------> it's true but it's also still a joke! Or should it be that it's a joke but it's also still true?

      3. SundogUK Silver badge

        Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

        "You do realize that the ONLY people talking about the trans issue were the Republicans?"

        Kamala Harris is on record saying she would fund federal prisoners wanting to 'transition'.

        So much for 'no problem with different opinions'

        1. ArrZarr Silver badge

          Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

          Why are you putting transition in quote marks there?

          Are you somehow averse to the idea of people transitioning?

        2. HausWolf

          Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

          I hope you realize that helping Federal prisoners transition was a program started under t.rump

    3. martinusher Silver badge

      Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

      Actually, as a wealth manager will tell you, the economy tends to do better under a Democratic administration. Obviously the ruthless tax cutting that characterizes Republican administrations does benefit the better off but increasingly the loot's going mostly to the rather wealthy (less than 1% of the population) but for general economic performance the Dems have it.

      The paradox is that Democrats tend to be more laissez faire than Republicans in that they prefer to leave people alone (which is why you get all the noise about gender and other stuff -- noise it is, too, because most of us just ignore it). They like to regulate corporations more but that's because the kinds of abuses that occur in R. times tend to be increasingly threatening to the overall economy of the country.

      1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

        Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

        Actually, as a wealth manager will tell you, the economy tends to do better under a Democratic administration.

        Depends how you count it.

        Obviously the ruthless tax cutting that characterizes Republican administrations does benefit the better off but increasingly the loot's going mostly to the rather wealthy (less than 1% of the population) but for general economic performance the Dems have it.

        Also depends how you count it. But from the author-

        Then, fueled in no small part by Musk's financial and social networking clout, Trump became president. Since then, Musk, along with another billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy, were chosen to lead the non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency

        I guess there were no billionaires bankrolling or benefitting from the Dems. Or the number of Dems who've never done an honest day's work in their lives, like, I dunno, Biden, or Harris. People who've created wealth & jobs might just just have a better idea what's needed than those who've spent their entire careers suckling at the public teat. Downside is there should be some checks & balances to stop 4yrs of asset stripping & plundering.

        1. ThomH Silver badge

          Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

          > Depends how you count it.

          Surprisingly, agreed; limiting the comparison to post-1980 because Reagan feels like an acceptable turning point, and excluding Trump and Biden to avoid arguments about how to account for COVID, Presidents from best to worst ordered by total GDP growth: Clinton, Reagan, HW Bush, Obama, W Bush. And Clinton and Reagan are pretty much in one tier with 3.4%–3.8% figures whereas HW Bush, Obama and W Bush are also broadly similar with a range of 1.9%–2.2%.

          (if you ignore COVID then Trump is at the bottom of the pile and Biden is almost at Reagan levels, but one suspects that's only because then the global lockdown ends up in Trump's column and the recovery from there gets attributed to Biden)

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

            GDP growth was over 3% for 4 quarters during Trump's first term. Covid just threw a massive spanner in the works as the world desperately tried to stop a respiratory virus with old t-shirts.

    4. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

      Look how quickly the H1-B debate ended after Trump...

      Not if ask Steve Bannon and the Maga faithful...

      "But Musk’s embrace of H-1B visas, which allow companies – such as Musk’s own SpaceX and Tesla – to hire skilled professionals and engineers from outside the US, has been taken badly by other Maga acolytes who are opposed to nearly all forms of immigration"

      https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/12/steve-bannon-calls-elon-musk-racist

      I'm off to stock up on popcorn before there is a rush

      1. MonkeyJuice Bronze badge

        Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

        I know right? This is almost as delicious as the Musk / Zuck cagefight.

      2. ThomH Silver badge

        Re: Distraction tactics—that's all

        Bannon seems to have had a bee in his bonnet about Musk for a few weeks now but I'd be surprised if he still has any sway whatsoever in Trump's inner circle; it feels more like his self-importance is providing a fun story than anything else.

        Bannon was in prison for four months of this year so necessarily wasn't a big contributor to Trump's victory. He was actually punished for his misdeeds so is officially a loser in the Trump lexicon. He also didn't obviously do anything much for Trump during his years out of office.

  12. PhilipN Silver badge

    It's called hubris

    The damage of money and power. Easy to see for those who've followed the Untouchable One's postings on X since he decided he wanted to buy the USA.

    Countless precedents. Khodorkovsy. Jack Ma. And now He Who May Not Be Named.

  13. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    The real news

    Does anyone know the background "issues" of his latest cabinet pick ?

    No me neither, it doesn't seem to have made the news in the last few days

  14. This post has been deleted by its author

  15. HuBo Silver badge
    Pirate

    Flush the throne!

    Trump, and the other billionaires mentioned in TFA, behave more like frequently bent-over salad tossing loyalists of monarchy than democratic republicans bound by a rule of law that applies equally to all imho. They embody a counter-revolutionary sphincter that goes against the spirit of the American, French, and Haitian revolutions (1776, 1789, 1802), among others. Why did "We the people" (of that time) fight so hard to rid ourselves of the all-powerful arbitrariness of medieval authoritarian buffoons only to see our descendants put these inbred anuses back in charge?

    What gives?! Is this Iran or something (1979)? China (1949)? Russia (1917)?

    ¿Dónde Está La Revolución?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Flush the throne!

      Why did "We the people" (of that time) fight so hard to rid ourselves of the all-powerful arbitrariness of medieval authoritarian buffoons...

      Because you weren't one of them, that's why.

  16. This post has been deleted by its author

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Trump talks shit

    The media go bananas (as expected by Trump, hence the shit talking)

    Corporate barons get on their knees. (clutching their money)

    The Trump dog whistling gets the racists and the bigots excited. (Praise be to Jesus!)

    THEN

    Rinse and repeat ad nauseam…

  18. martinusher Silver badge

    Its gloing to be a long four years

    The inauguration has yet to happen and our incoming President is already detached from reality. I'd like to just ignore him and roll with it, in fact I don't have much choice but to do just that, but his (and his acolytes') blathering about our fires is just too much. "Clueless" doesn't even begin to describe our Federal government, its now just a blunt instrument to use against anyone who they don't like.

    A typical example of rampant ignorance is a Republican congressman (from Ohio, I believe) who is calling for withholding disaster aid from California until we've revised our 'forestry policy'. I haven't a clue what he's talking about and I suspect he doesn't either. (Then there's innumerable people who don't know the difference between Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County, much less where anything is.)

    ...and don't get me started about China. We can't compete so we just blather and posture. The only weapon we've got is to punish the US consumer -- taxpayer -- by denying them any technology that might be superior to the crap that's increasingly being foisted on us.

    (I'd contemplate returning to the UK but the weather's crap, the economy's crap and your government's worse than ours -- and thanks to Brexit there's nowhere else to go (its not even worth renewing my UK passport any more --- thanks a bunch, everyone).)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Its gloing to be a long four years

      Your assessment is the the UK is 'Crap' ... probably agree as it now stands BUT give it time and I expect even you will be looking back fondly and wishing you did renew your UK Passport !!!

      General rule, if you are lucky enough to be able to get another countries passport, legally, DO IT !!!

      Escape routes are ALWAYS useful !!!

      Trumpf will exceed expectations in ways you have not thought of, that is a given and is not a 'positive' in any way !!!

      I have great sympathy/empathy for the people of the US of A and its near future BUT I have even greater apprehension about the world in general, Putin & Trumpf is a very dangerous combination ... unconstrained egos without any ability to appreciate anyone elses position ... both are textbook examples of 'Psychopathy in action'.

      Adding in Musk and his Billionaire pals does not make this a good time for any of us, as constraints on Social Media are reduced and its impacts on society are allowed almost 'free rein' because Trumpf will see the political advantage from day 1 and will grab it with both hands.

      Trumpf's last reign was just a 'test' ... now comes the real thing ... May God have mercy ... (If you don't believe in God NOW, you may wish you did over the next few years so you COULD gain some comfort from the praying !!!)

      :)

  19. amolbk

    Isn't it about controlling the Arctic?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_resources_race

    https://hir.harvard.edu/the-arctic-circle/

  20. Bebu sa Ware
    Coat

    First thoughts usually on the money

    Musk said Trump didn't have "the sort of character that reflects well on the United States,"

    Trump called Musk a "bullshit artist."

    While Space Karen was right about Trump I suspect the Orange Floridan does have "the sort of character that reflects the United States."

  21. mark l 2 Silver badge

    Its good to see Zuk and Bezos think that the millions they have donated to Trumps inauguration, couldn't be better spent elsewhere in America.

    They might as well just get down on their knees and actually kiss his arse at this point for all the sucking up they have done since he got re-elected.

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Bezos will probably make changes to the Amazon delivery system so all the drivers arrive at the inauguration at the same time trying to deliver parcels and make it look like the crowds are bigger. On the flip side, with Amazons mis-delivery track record, most of them will probably end up in Washing State instead of DC :-)

      1. ThomH Silver badge

        Trump won just a whisker shy of 50% of the vote this time and has been normalised since 2016, so, getting this in early before the conspiracy theorists* of next week: the inauguration crowds will be bigger.

        * many of whom are equal opportunity. Any dupes will do.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          And? So? Where does it say he has to get over 50% of the popular vote? He got more than enough EC votes, that is all that counts, job done, move on.

          Even when a vote gets over 50% you whinging lefties will still try and twist reality. Brexit got 52% of the vote but the remoaners are all 'but it didn't get 50% of the eligible voter base so it doesn't count'.

          1. ThomH Silver badge

            You're a sad little man, aren't you?

            You're going to see whinging everywhere if any dry restatement of facts counts as whinging in your pathetic little world

            "Oh, boo hoo hoo, somebody said that Trump did better numerically in 2024 than 2016, what a left-wing whinger!"

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Did you just assume my gender?

              Anyway, you made a veiled claim that Trump is somehow not the legit president due to his vote count not meeting some arbitrary requirement that exists nowhere except in your head and the heads of the 'not my president' gang who incessantly whinged between 2016 and 2020 and are now clogging up bluesky.

              You are the one who mentioned 50%, you also incorrectly made the claim that 2016 had normalised not getting above 50% in the popular vote. Old dub-yah didn't hit 50% in 2000 nor did Bubba Clinton in 1992 and 1996.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      the trip to mardalargeo wasn't for kissing his arse, it was for sucking his dick, that's why it was in person!

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Momentary masters of the fraction of a dot.

    “Momentary masters of a fraction of a dot” is a quote from Carl Sagan's book Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. The full quote is:

    “Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot”.

    The quote is a reflection on the human experience and our place in the universe. Sagan's thoughts encourage people to consider their insignificance in the cosmos, while also highlighting the importance of unity and stewardship

    Dictators, billionaires and megalomaniacs must really, really fear death. And there's nothing they can do about it. Nothing.

    1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      Re: Momentary masters of the fraction of a dot.

      Dictators, billionaires and megalomaniacs must really, really fear death. And there's nothing they can do about it. Nothing

      Yes, for all the wealth accumulated by them, they can't stop that, nor can they take the loot with them.

      Not for want of trying to delay the inevitable/turn back time...

      https://duckduckgo.com/?t=h_&q=tech+billionaire+reverse+aging&ia=web

      https://www.businessinsider.com/millionaire-bryan-johnson-swapped-blood-with-teenage-son-young-blood-2023-5?op=1

    2. Roj Blake Silver badge

      Re: Momentary masters of the fraction of a dot.

      I met a traveller from an antique land,

      Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

      Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

      Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

      And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

      Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

      Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

      The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

      And on the pedestal, these words appear:

      My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

      Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

      Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

      Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

      The lone and level sands stretch far away.

      - P.B.Shelley

      1. TimMaher Silver badge
        Headmaster

        Re: Ozymandias.

        Fabulous. One of my favourite poems ever.

        I sometimes use the name as a gaming tag.

    3. MachDiamond Silver badge

      Re: Momentary masters of the fraction of a dot.

      "And there's nothing they can do about it. Nothing."

      They can do things to hasten it.

  23. Winkypop Silver badge
    Alert

    The Great Trumpocalypse is upon us

    Prepare to kiss thy own ass goodbye.

  24. TheMeerkat Silver badge

    Can you stick to IT avoiding your stupid colledge-level politics?

    1. MonkeyJuice Bronze badge
      Pint

      No. it is an important public service to tar-pit these basement dwellers in the comments section, lest they be filling up the boozer.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Then, fueled in no small part by Musk's financial and social networking clout, Trump became president. "

    That is 100% not the root cause. The cause was the extreme left pushing things like gender re-assignment for children, open borders, sexualisation of children, constant wars, debasement of currency and it's effect on people through money printing, leaving Afghans to extremists and giving them a ton of miltary equipment, taking bribes from China, lying about Russia-gate and attempting to take Ukraine into NATO, which had been promised would never happen, thus killing about a million Ukrainians and Russians while promising Ukraine to Blackrock et al. Not to forget stirring up racial division and any other division they can.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      you missed some more lies, "their eating the dogs" when your commenting for a shit bag orange turd liar, please keep all the lies together

  26. SundogUK Silver badge

    No bias here whatsoever...

    So, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, you voted for Kamala then?

  27. PleaseWakeUp

    Capitalism?

    Would just like to set the record straight for some of the younger readers. Capitalism is what made the USA great. Unfortunately most people are not aware that we haven't had Capitalism in the USA for MANY years - it died sometime in the 90's. Back when we did have Capitalism every little town was full of small businesses (because that is what Capitalism allows) and we had medium sized regional businesses. Now ALL of the small town businesses are gone and we have a fraction of the regional companies we once had. What we have now isn't Capitalism it is Monopolies, Cartels, and Collusion. The group of people who control our country (not the voters) also own both of our political parties. And this group no longer just controls our country. Money is power, always has been, always will be. So take a close look at the richest people in your country and figure out what they have in common.

    So before our current rulers took over Capitalism was a VERY good thing - and it still is we just don't have it anymore.

    1. Roj Blake Silver badge

      Re: Capitalism?

      Not quite...

      What you had before was early-stage capitalism, whereas what you have now is late-stage capitalism.

      One of the key aspects of capitalism is that without proper regulation it tends to move wealth into ever fewer hands.

      1. MachDiamond Silver badge

        Re: Capitalism?

        "One of the key aspects of capitalism is that without proper regulation it tends to move wealth into ever fewer hands."

        If we were still in the era of robber-barons, the landscape would once again look very feudal. The decedents of John D Rockefeller would control world oil trade in all likelihood. The US would have have a single company owning all of the railroads and maybe the shipping ports as well.

        JD Rockefeller was leveraging his oil position by also cutting deals with railroads so competitors would have to pay much more to transport their oil to market. When you have no morals or compassion, it's not hard to see how to make sure you will never have serious competition. It's also a matter of momentum. When you can control a certain percentage of a market, it gets easier and easier to control nearly all of it.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Capitalism?

      it died in the late 70's with reagan and his trickle down on you lies, the only thing that trickled down was pissing on the poor, bit like orange turd boy and his russian hookers

    3. Alistair
      Windows

      Re: Capitalism?

      Capitalism back in the 1950's 1960's and 1970's and for a very brief period in the early 80's was

      Well Regulated

      Regan began the dismantlement of the regulatory structures, and it continued with ensuing governments, Mulroney up here, GHBush, and others along the way, GWbush handed the investment banking industry access to the commodities markets, and dismantled the last of Glass-Stegal.

      Both parties in the US are effectively advertising agencies for the investment banks due to a little decision made by the US Supreme court calls Citizens United which has basically decided that the richest citizens get to buy all the politicians they can, and businesses have WAY more money that individuals.

  28. codejunky Silver badge

    hmm

    "In the case of Elon Musk, many would guess that power and money lie at the heart of the new friendship."

    Yup. His preferred candidate (DeSantis) couldnt defeat Trump so he quickly changed to the leading candidate. Probably didnt hurt that he released the twitter files.

    "November and has since made several policy changes at Meta that align with Trump's view."

    He also went on Joe Rogan to discuss the pressure the Biden administration put on them to actively censor factual information. We already knew the platforms were censoring according to government lies but its about time to publicly admit it.

    "They'd be saying nice things about President-elect Kamala Harris in an alternative world"

    I think we all know this.

    "while Trump et al would be having fits about the election being stolen once again"

    How else would Harris win? Its still questionable that Biden won in 2020.

    1. Casca Silver badge

      Re: hmm

      " Its still questionable that Biden won in 2020."

      Only for people like you...

    2. MachDiamond Silver badge

      Re: hmm

      "How else would Harris win? Its still questionable that Biden won in 2020."

      He could have very well have won. The problem was that with voting systems that are very opaque and so many unanswered questions over other irregularities, it wasn't as easy to SEE that the election was honest even if it was. For me, it's just as important that it's very transparent and vigorous efforts are made to make sure eligible voters are the ones casting ballots. Where there's plenty of examples of people driving up to a ballot drop-off box and putting in stacks of ballots, that's an issue. Legally, only the voter can drop off their ballot and some "looking the other way" is applied for somebody dropping off ballots for a single household. To see somebody jamming in stack and stacks is suspicious.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: hmm

        People will still deny that ballot stuffing happened even when you show them the video. Evidence doesn't matter, only feels.

  29. trev101

    No mention of the Tiktok ban with the app serving 179m american users and creators. Zuckerberg openly canvassed and financially supported a ban of its competition whilst Trump has hinted he may waive the ban that ultimately denies americans freedom of speech. Anyone can just open an account and voice their opinion with video. With Tiktok now stating it will not sell or allow it to be taken over it has announced a usa closure that will deny millions of creators any income and leave a vast void for users and creators in the rest of the world.

    1. TimMaher Silver badge
      Windows

      Re: TikTok

      Repent Harlequin, it’s the TikTok ban.

      Then he was a minute late.

      1. tiggity Silver badge

        Re: TikTok

        Upvote for the Ellison play on words

  30. rg287 Silver badge

    Trump's obsession with Panama is very strange. People dress it up as "national security", but those people have apparently not noticed that the Panama Canal is running out of water. Within a decade, there's an even chance that the Canal will be closed to all shipping for a couple of months a year until the water levels start rising again. You'd think they'd be more aware of this looking at domestic water crises like Lake Mead.

    If Trump wants to act in the interests of national security, he should build a new TransAmerican railroad - a modern coast-to-coast freight line paralleled by a high speed passenger line. This would mean that in the event of problems in Panama, ships can unload on one coast and containers can be zipped cross country, all under the total control of the US. Not that unloading in SF, railroading to Baltimore and then reloading onto a ship is ideal - but it's a better option than going all the way down to Cape Horn.

    Of course polar ice will be melting so badly by then that shipping through the Artic Circle may also be an option.

    Nonetheless, an electric high speed line would also reduce dependence on oil, giving resiliance in the event of avgas shortages. Of course most people don't want to travel coast-to-coast, but a 200mph line could provide a neat NYC-LA sleeper service in about 14hours (which is not far off what you spend flying, arsing around in airports and getting transfers at each end, whilst offering a proper lie-down bed and a more comfortable experience generally). And of course being able to travel Chicago-St Louis, St Louis-Nashville or San Antonio-Houston in 90minutes beats the heck out of 3-6hours driving (or 90minutes flying, plus airport time, plus transfers).

    But obviously that won't happen. The idea that you could improve national security through domestic infrastructure investment is nonsense. Security comes through strength and imperialist aggression/acquisition.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I'd say its more about getting navy ships from one side to the other and not cargo.

      Although the Ford class carriers are too big to fit.

      1. rg287 Silver badge

        I'd say its more about getting navy ships from one side to the other and not cargo.

        Trump has mentioned "excessive" tariffs on naval vessels. I'd be intrigued to know just how much of that needs to go on given the USA's extremely large navy and distinct Atlantic/Pacific (and Indian Ocean) fleets. As you say, the new carriers are too big anyway. Indian Ocean fleet can come back "either way" as suits.

        At least naval vessels are built tough and can take on Cape Horn weather more readily than some of the super-sized cargo vessels. Or they can follow an ice-breaker round the top.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Its a time thing. Most ships do not transit the horn itself but go via the Straits of Magellan as its a bit quicker and less prone to major storms. Although at ship speeds it is still WAY slower than via the Panama canal.

          Remember the chaos when a container ship jammed itself in the Suez canal....

          Now when it comes to the USA and Greenland they've already left their mark after crashing a nuclear armed bomber onto a glacier and contaminating it.

    2. Jellied Eel Silver badge

      If Trump wants to act in the interests of national security, he should build a new TransAmerican railroad - a modern coast-to-coast freight line paralleled by a high speed passenger line.

      Don't be so sensible. Then again, look at what's happened with California's proposed railroad.. Or our HS2.

      Of course polar ice will be melting so badly by then that shipping through the Artic Circle may also be an option.

      It isn't really melting, but this is probably why Trump wants Greenland to project power around the Arctic. At the moment, Russia has a lot of advantages and has been flexing it's muscles for transits along the North Sea Passage. Russia has nuclear powered ice breakers, none of the other bordering nations do, so you want to use that route, you pay. Plus there was an interesting sinking of a Russian cargo ship in the Mediterranean recently, that just happened to be carrying parts for another ice breaker.

      1. MachDiamond Silver badge

        "If Trump wants to act in the interests of national security, he should build a new TransAmerican railroad - a modern coast-to-coast freight line paralleled by a high speed passenger line."

        There is miles and miles of rail in the US for cargo.

        I disagree about HSR in the US since it's expensive and would only connect cites that are already well connected rather than making improvements to existing passenger lines and adding more passenger routes. Much of what has to be done for HSR could be done for 125mph-class rail. Getting rid of level crossings, having dedicated track, etc. That's cheaper to do at a spec for lower than HSR speeds. People traveling from coast to coast where the destination is the thing are going to fly. It's cheaper and so much faster. Those that want to take a train would be just as happy with something going slower so the scenery isn't blocked off by fencing and things to see are whipping by.

        At the point where passenger rail is serving all of the points where there would be enough traffic, that's when considering HSR might be a good next step. California is proving how much of a boondoggle that it can be. There's already service through the middle of the state. If it connected all the way to Los Angeles, that would make it much easier to ride the whole route without taking a bus. The train would go faster without level crossings as they are doing for HSR and dedicated tracks would speed up the trips as well. Not having a completely segregated route so there's possibilities to switch between freight and passenger tracks to circumvent repairs and maintenance is a benefit. California's HSR IS completely separate from what I've seen.

    3. HausWolf

      trump is being sued for over 100 million in back taxes by Panama because the trump organization failed to pay taxes on hotels they managed for years.

  31. naive

    This article proofs Hypocrisy is invented by woke lefties

    For decades we had billionaires like the James Bond movie villan Klaus Schwab, Soros and Gates undermining our societies by subsidizing leftist policies, and spreading the false climate religion to weaken Europe. Recently Soros paid Hungarian opposition parties countless millions as support for the elections that prime minister Orban won with 60% of the popular vote.

    Now the left is getting a few spoons of its own medicine from mr. Musk, they cry murder. Mr. Elon Musk does it all very publicly, while Soros, Gates and Schwab were trying to destroy the West on a secretive manner, by donating billions to people who are the enemies of a wealthy and prosperous West.

    A new dawn has started in the West, away with the leftist doom scenarios, their horrible gender policies which are hostile to humanity, away with the climate doom saying, away with the limitless immigration of people who hate the West and kill innocent people at random on public places, away with the cancerous communist polit bureau in Brussels after AfD and FN win in Germany and France .

    We are on the threshold into an age of optimism and greatness, where the moldy leftist policies will be extinguished.

    President Trump could indeed be sent to us by God, surviving two assassination attempts, God saved him so he can save us from the left.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: This article proofs Hypocrisy is invented by woke lefties

      "Klaus Schwab, Soros and Gates undermining our societies by subsidizing leftist policies"

      Shhhh!!! we don't mention this!

    2. beast666 Bronze badge

      Re: This article proofs Hypocrisy is invented by woke lefties

      Great post. I couldn't have put it better myself.

      Thanks.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: This article proofs Hypocrisy is invented by woke lefties

      "President Trump could indeed be sent to us by God, surviving two assassination attempts, God saved him so he can save us from the left."

      If Trumpf was sent to us by any supernatural entity ... I would posit it was the 'other' one ... you know the one with the snazzy Red suit & Horns !!!

      More seriously, I would suggest that psychological help is available if you really think that American Presidents are sent by God !!!???

      More and more I am seeing positively 'Batshit' crazy beliefs being spouted by the people who voted for the most powerful leader in the world, I am afraid of where the US of A is going and once again have to remind myself that the film 'Idiocracy' was NOT meant to be a warning from the future !!!

      The Left is NOT aligned with the Devil and neither is the Right aligned with God !!!

      Politicians are in the game for their own ego, no matter what colour flag they stand under and they are sure as hell NOT on your side supported by God !!!

      I really really hope that this is a huge 'troll' because if people really think this way in the US of A we are all doomed

      :)

      1. beast666 Bronze badge

        Re: This article proofs Hypocrisy is invented by woke lefties

        I think you'll find that VVP is the most powerful and respected leader in the world.

        Why do you put an 'f' on the end of Trump btw? Is it some sort of Leftist dog-whistle?

        1. ThomH Silver badge

          Re: This article proofs Hypocrisy is invented by woke lefties

          Yes, all the liberal leftist elites all agreed to use it at their most-recent secret conspiracy meeting, in the basement of a pizza restaurant.

          But, seriously, I just Googled it and it seems like it was one spelling used to refer to the family back in Germany before Donald's grandfather emigrated. So I guess it's an attempt to make him sound less American? Also another alternative historical German spelling, Drumpf, has been used for absurd political comment by the TV comedian John Oliver.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: This article proofs Hypocrisy is invented by woke lefties

          I did not know that you could read a persons political tendency from a single letter 'f', I learned something new !!!???

          If this is true you are so so wrong about mine, perhaps you need to check how it exactly works or something !!!

          Once again the answer to anything you do not like is to attack the messenger 'blindly', rather than deal with the real issues.

          For clarity, as you do seem to be a little hard of thinking (see I can attack blindly as well !!!):

          1.) I am not left, leftist, commie, Pinko, fascist (included as it is a favourite word used against ALL both left & right !!!???).

          2.) The 'f' is the correct spelling of the name. So often in the USA names have been misspelled historically because someone cannot spell !!!

          3.) Having an opposing view does not mean I am politically different than you, just that I have maybe thought about something a little more than you.

          American politics is 100% Tribal and does not deal with the real issues, just which flag are you standing under and if it is NOT the same as mine you are my enemy !!!

          This division works in the favour of the people with the real power as while 'the people' fight each other they continue to rule from on high !!!

          BTW: 'the people' is the same ones alluded to in the 'We the people' of the 'United States Constitution' if you can remember that from school.

          :)

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: This article proofs Hypocrisy is invented by woke lefties

        "Trumpf"

        What has a German machine tool company got to do with this?

        1. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
          Joke

          Re: This article proofs Hypocrisy is invented by woke lefties

          "For decades we had billionaires like the James Bond movie villan Klaus Schwab, Soros and Gates"

          I'm more concerned that you think the above are movie villain's.

    4. MonkeyJuice Bronze badge

      Re: This article proofs Hypocrisy is invented by woke lefties

      username checks out.

  32. Daniel M

    So many words

    The answer to the title is "no."

    As you were.

  33. rotaecho

    And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

    Not one word about how Elon's many love-childs grew up, ide tidied as trans, and then Elon lost his shit.

    Why? Because the education system made his kid trans.

    Not like he was a good attentive father and was there for his kid to help form their mindset on the world, or be aware of changed in his kid.

    No Musk is involved in politics, because he's mad the school didn't parent and babysit while he was whoring out making baby X.

    And this alone makes him another overreaching loony GOPer.

    -An American who didn't vote Trump

    1. jockmcthingiemibobb

      Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

      You can't "learn" transgender or homosexual.

      I've never once thought "hmm, maybe I'll chop my ball off" despite learning about transgender identities. Nor have I considered boning any of my gay friends.

      Although going by TV shows everyone "catches" gay in American prisons so perhaps it's different in the states.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

        Except there is evidence that kids are being told that they have been born in the wrong body as a reason they are having trouble with some aspect of life. Girls with body image issues are being told that they are really a boy, kids that don't conform to the old stereotypical gender norms are being told they must be the other gender and autistic kids who are just confused about lots of things and are desperate for a 'fix' are also being told that transitioning will fix their issues.

        For girls the prospect of puberty and everything that comes with it is too much to cope with. Obviously a supportive family, mental health support etc. would work wonders but instead lets give them the same drug given to Alan Turing as punishment for being gay. Look it up.

        Evidence is also coming to light that 'pausing' puberty can seriously hamper brain development including reducing your ability for reasoning & nuance, impulse control and emotional regulation.

        Its the quick fix. Not long ago it was ADHD and prescribe lots of drugs. Certainly in the US its a great way for clinics to make a fortune.

        1. ThomH Silver badge

          Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

          > Except there is evidence that kids are being told that they have been born in the wrong body

          For the avoidance of doubt, this "evidence" is primarily anonymous cowards citing other anonymous cowards on internet forums, plus those who have something to profit from citing anonymous cowards who have cited other anonymous cowards. It's the Joseph McCarthy meaning of evidence; it's Trump's famous "people are saying", i.e. it's really helpful to him if the stupid and uncritical come to believe this.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

            Except its not. The Cass review, WPATH files, fallout from the closure of Tavistock...

            The left are the ones who rely on what amounts to hearsay, just look at the Jan 6th hearings. The 'evidence' was people supposedly overhearing someone saying something to someone else or 'muh feels'.

            1. ArrZarr Silver badge
              Facepalm

              Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

              Yes, Let's cite examples from how atrociously TERF island runs its trans health clinics as worth the paper they're written on. It was sponsored by a government actively hostile to trans people and the outcome was written for Cass to make her way to, rather than come to a proper independent conclusion.

              The *only* useful purpose that the Cass review has for anybody is for people like you who can trot it out and claim that it's good science when trying to make the case that people learn to be trans because they learned of gender identies.

              I was trans 15 years before I knew that trans was a thing - I just didn't have a word for it at the time.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                "actively hostile"

                Ah, the if you don't support us you are against us argument.

                Do you not see the irony that many people had 'conversion therapy' forced upon them in the past and were forced to take drugs such as lupron and now it is celebrated when a child is prescribed the very same drugs? It feels like we've come full circle. Having grown up in an age where gender stereotypes were pretty much non-existent it feels very strange when you see medical guidance that lists 'doesn't want to play with toys normally associated with their assigned gender' as a way to 'diagnose' children.

                'Yeeting teets' is not something a normal medical professional would post about on tiktok.

                1. ArrZarr Silver badge

                  Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                  "Ah, the if you don't support us you are against us argument."

                  Under Johnson, the proposed blanket conversion therapy ban was modified to specifically exclude transgender conversion therapy from the ban.

                  Truss won the Tory party leadership contest partly due to her harder anti-trans stance than Sunak (look at how Sunak's position changed on the subject as he fell behind in the latter stages of the contest)

                  Truss still blames "transgender activists" for how quickly she was ousted as leader of the Tory party, despite the fact that she lost any confidence the parliamentary Tory party had following her mini budget.

                  My (Tory) MP has voted against any sort of LGBTQ+ rights since he got into parliament in 2010.

                  These are the actions of a group who *are* actively hostile to trans rights (or LGBTQ+ rights in general), and that's before we look at how the NHS GICs have been systematically starved of resources under the recent Tory governments.

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                    What rights are missing?

            2. ThomH Silver badge

              Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

              Ah, so your pretend evidence is Trump-style flooding the zone with BS?

              If anybody can discern what January the 6th, in which Trump's armed acolytes violently stormed the Capitol in reaction to being losers has to do with conspiracy theories about eveybody in education secretly being transgender or a communist or an immigrant or whatever it is this week, fill it in here.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                "armed acolytes violently stormed the Capitol"

                They were pretty much let in and given guided tours of the building.

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                  So it is customary for conservatives to defecate and smear it around the floor on a "guided tour?"

                  What a strange mindset, to do this then to want to ban the dirty dirty transes from using the restrooms now and denounce them as mentally ill sex criminals.

                  Admit these stances are indefensible but they make you feel better.

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                    "So it is customary for conservatives to defecate and smear it around the floor on a "guided tour?""

                    Citation please, and not a 'sources close to'. Actual factual evidence, first hand, with pictures.

                    There is zero actual evidence that this happened. Again this is a hearsay event.

                    Cos if it happened someone with a mobile phone would have taken a picture. Just as they did with the horror that was empty plastic bottles left on the floor.

                2. ThomH Silver badge

                  Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                  What you are saying is untrue. It takes a trivial amount of research to establish this.

                  Vice President Pence said: "The president's words that day at the rally endangered me and my family and everyone at the Capitol building".

                  Speaker McCarthy said: "[Trump] bears responsibility [and should have] immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding".

                  Add to those comments from Republican leadership the widespread photos, videos, police reports, etc and it's pretty clear that the deniers have no credibility on this whatsoever.

                  1. Anonymous Coward
                    Anonymous Coward

                    Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                    What about the people calling for Trump to be murdered? Or SCOTUS judges to be attacked?

                    Heck even AOC said that protest is meant to make people feel uncomfortable. Just not her and her uniparty ilk.

                    1. ThomH Silver badge

                      Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                      Getting desperate there with the topic changes, huh?

                      Here: anybody whatsoever calling for the President to be killed (or similar) should be imprisoned; not liking the person who was won two separate elections is normal political discourse but inciting violence is criminal.

                      Not that you asked, but I could also do without the idiot conspiracy trolls claiming that Trump's victories weren't legitimate for whatever reason. He didn't cheat. Indeed he's the first Republican in twenty years to win the popular vote and the first without incumbency in more than 30.

                      If you want a better country, support democracy. Whether it gets the result you wanted or not. Do not support violence. Do not try to excuse violence or threats thereof just because you dislike the target.

                      This stuff should be basic.

                      1. Anonymous Coward
                        Anonymous Coward

                        Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                        Biden supporters got all bent out of shape about Lets Go Brandon. No-one took a potshot at him.

                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b_sdPEcJps

                        The media has for years pushed the 'Trump is an existential threat to our democracy*' as well as 'Trump is literally <insert hated historical figure here>' and 'this feels like 1930s Germany'.

                        All the right has done is mock the dems over and over.

                        The US constitution allows for people to seek redress from their government. Which is what happened on Jan 6th except it now turns out there were a large number of undercover agitators in the crowd. When the left protests they just smash up random businesses and burn cars.

                        * 'our democracy' is a registered trade mark of the DC uniparty establishment and translates to 'maintain the status quo at all cost'.

                        1. ThomH Silver badge

                          Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                          I think you're too far down the rabbit hole to be saved but, again: even the people most motivated to underplay it, i.e. the Republican leadership who were there on the day, have called the 6th of January a violent mob who endangered safety. Everything else is either people wanting you to like and subscribe or people stupid enough to believe them

                          Not just because Trump's victory was comprehensive — which it was — but simply because it was a victory, agreed that anybody currently using "preservation of democracy" as an excuse to obstruct or worse is just way off base. Like, laughably detached from the thing they claim to care about.

                          It's denial of reality conspiracy nonsense that really gets me irate. Whether that is being applied to Trump's victory or his history.

                          If you asked me to guess? I think both parties are going to overplay their hands in the next four years. My message for the Democrats would be: yes, we already know about his personality. Everybody does. It was already priced into the vote. For the Republicans: you lost a seat in the House; he's a lot more popular than you as a whole. Don't believe the hype about hegemony.

                    2. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                      Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                      Heck even AOC said that protest is meant to make people feel uncomfortable.

                      AOC was also quick to go on TV to talk about how terrified she was, being only moments away from certain death, or worse. So ok, she was in a different building that the protestors didn't enter, but it's the though that counts. Or the optics. AOC of course being the person also filmed clinging to a chainlink fence, wailing at the inhumanity of an empty car park. But luckily the FBI and other agencies had plenty of advance warning about the size of the expected crowds thanks to the number of agents and assets embedded with those groups. So it's just as well Pelosi had the National Guard on standby, ready to act in the event of trouble.. No, wait, it was Trump that offered the NG, while Pelosi carefully examined the contents of her drinks cabinet.

                      S'funny how the person directly responsible for the security of Congress wasn't held in any way accountable.

                      1. Anonymous Coward
                        Anonymous Coward

                        Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

                        "the inhumanity of an empty car park"

                        C'mon man, that empty car park was heartbreaking! It had been separated from its kids!

                        Soo... the DNC and RNC pipe bomber that they still can't find yet have clear video of the person planting both bombs and un-corrupted cell phone data from the towers in the area.... hmmm...

    2. LVPC

      Re: And we skip over Musks real reason he's now involved

      Musk always had kids with Canadian women. Didn't dare disk claims on his fortune by American women and kids in American courts over support.

      If course, Trump wanting Canada as the 51st state blows a hole in that, as they become American citizens.

      And you can't stop 10 million new former Canadian citizens moving to warmer climates in the US, taking American jobs, and laughing about how the "terrible snow disasters" that shut down so much activity are not that big a deal, cuz Canadian winters..

      The US imports almost 1/3 of the oil it consumes from Canada. Trio's 25% tariff threat is nothing compared to the damage caused if Canada turns off the taps - or just puts on a reciprocal 25% export tariff on that oil.

  34. jockmcthingiemibobb

    Just say no

    As Queen Nancy said, "just say no". Vote with your feet and wallet. Don't give these arseholes your money or even your doom-scrolling advertising revenue. As Lemon Musk has already discovered, turning X into a soundboard for his followers isn't particularly profitable.

  35. Sherrie Ludwig

    I just want to know

    Is there a sane country out there that wants two clean old folk, with means to support themselves modestly, we're no bother, honestly....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I just want to know

      Form an orderly queue please ... behind me !!!

      The only comment left to be said is ...

      FFS, stop the world I want to get off !!!

      :)

  36. K.S. Bhaskar

    Distraction is a tool of the con-man

    Remember that the tool of the con-man is distraction. Talk of taking over Greenland and Panama serves to distract the media and the public.

  37. MachDiamond Silver badge

    Geez, I hope not.

    If the US were to try an annex Greenland and/or Panama, it would be bad. It would mean that the US would have more client territories to look after with disparate cultures. If the thought is they are strategic bottlenecks, fine, make plans for that and dust those plans off in the future if they become necessary. There's no value in creating world tension with no outcome that benefits the US in any way.

    The time of empire building really needs to be put behind the human race.

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