Also In The News - part 3

[MPH]

3 hours ago, bovril said:

Still don't understand the sentiment. You're not voting for the president only and the two parties from what I can see have quite different policy. 

Whilst that should be the main issue it often isn't. An American president wields more power for example than the Prime minister in the UK and is often labeled as ' the leader of the free world'. ' Power'  is at the forefront of the mindset of most Americans and  Having a strong and robust leader is more important  than most qualities. there can be no other explanation why Trump got elected the first time round having had no previous political office or experience - something unthinkable in the UK. So, in short a candidates personality is often what will carry someone over the line. and is often what is compared over  policies.  Whilst in the UK someone like John Major can hold the office

[Free Falling Foxes]

I think the police ought to visit this property.

 

Edited 16 January by Free Falling Foxes

[Trav Le Bleu]

16 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

I think the police ought to visit this property.

 

I see what you're getting at, but most likely it's a house with no loft insulation.

[bovril]

1 hour ago, MPH said:

Whilst that should be the main issue it often isn't. An American president wields more power for example than the Prime minister in the UK and is often labeled as ' the leader of the free world'. ' Power'  is at the forefront of the mindset of most Americans and  Having a strong and robust leader is more important  than most qualities. there can be no other explanation why Trump got elected the first time round having had no previous political office or experience - something unthinkable in the UK. So, in short a candidates personality is often what will carry someone over the line. and is often what is compared over  policies.  Whilst in the UK someone like John Major can hold the office

Now I dislike the Yanks more than most but I can't deny they seem to be doing very well right now. Correct me if I'm wrong but hasn't the US economy grown faster than Europe and China since the pandemic? And in hard power terms they are still well ahead of the field, their nemesis being bogged down in Ukraine. Objectively they are stronger than in 2020. So maybe Biden isn't completely as weak and senile as he seems? Now obviously that's not just down to the president but like a football manager they are the person who gets the praise or criticism. Maybe that economic success isn't being felt by all parts of society, wouldn't surprise me. But I'm not sure how much economic inequality would really motivate someone to vote Republican.

 

Being perfectly honest America is a total mystery to me. 

[Guest David Oldfields Gate]

1 minute ago, bovril said:

Now I dislike the Yanks more than most but I can't deny they seem to be doing very well right now. Correct me if I'm wrong but hasn't the US economy grown faster than Europe and China since the pandemic? And in hard power terms they are still well ahead of the field, their nemesis being bogged down in Ukraine. Objectively they are stronger than in 2020. So maybe Biden isn't completely as weak and senile as he seems? Now obviously that's not just down to the president but like a football manager they are the person who gets the praise or criticism. Maybe that economic success isn't being felt by all parts of society, wouldn't surprise me. But I'm not sure how much economic inequality would really motivate someone to vote Republican.

 

Being perfectly honest America is a total mystery to me. 

Cheap energy. Most are buyers (uk, Germany etc), they are sellers. It's the only ticket in own for driving industrial economies, still.

[ealingfox]

9 hours ago, MPH said:

So Vivek Rameswamy dropped out of the republican race. I don’t think we’ve  seen the last of him. He’s endorsed Trump and 100% buys into his ‘ America First’ policies. You may ask yourself how anyone can be so stupid to endorse trump… well Vivek is Yale AND Harvard educated. So he’s not stupid… but….

 

well I have lived here for 12 years and I still don’t understand American politics. but to be fair there’s Americans who don’t understand American politics..

 

 

Anyway, don’t be surprised to see Trump pick Vivek as his running mate…

 

Had to chuckle at the fact he spent all that time and money twerking for the hard right vote and insisting that Trump-supporting Republicans weren't racist or stupid, only for them to turn around at the first opportunity and say they'd never have voted for them because they think he did 9/11.

 

Still as you say very possible it was all aimed at getting the VP nomination anyway.

[bovril]

2 minutes ago, David Oldfields Gate said:

Cheap energy. Most are buyers (uk, Germany etc), they are sellers. It's the only ticket in own for driving industrial economies, still.

Good point 

[Daggers]

Thoughts and prayers

 

30p Lee and two others resign and all Oz can do is 

 

[FoyleFox]

2 hours ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

I think the police ought to visit this property.

 

There was a case in Northern Ireland, not far from where we lived. Police helicopter saw a roof like this, Sent a few colleagues to visit and it was a full blown cannabis farm. 

[MPH]

1 hour ago, bovril said:

.

 

Being perfectly honest America is a total mystery to me. 

 

I've lived here for 12 years and parts of it still is to me

 

i think part of the problem is they speak English, dress somewhat the same and that  stops them from getting a free pass with regards to clear cultural differences.  Go to Africa or parts of the Middle East  and they’ll say something a bit weird or behave a certain way and that’s ok because they’re from Africa or the Middle East..

 

 

[Sly]

What people tend to forget, is that the United States is so large.

 

Can you imagine if all of Europe joined up as the United States of Europe one day and we had to vote for a President.

 

Britain, Spain, France, Italy, Ukraine, Bulgaria,  Switzerland etc, all have different principles and cultures. The USA is no different to that in principle.

American citizens also aren’t as well travelled to experience other cultures. Only 26% of them have visited 5 countries +

 

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/06/americans-who-have-traveled-internationally-stand-out-in-their-views-and-knowledge-of-foreign-affairs/

 

Compares that to the UK for example

And you’re up to 69%. 

[Jon the Hat]

The problem it seems to me with the US presidential system right now is the man the people want is (Strong!  so Strong!) seems unable to appoint competent people to do the actual work as he falls out with them every 5 minutes, while he man in the job they think is not up to it (old, weak, cant speak properly) is actually a political master at surrounding himself with competent people who are doing the actual work as they are in some sort of effective consensus.  This is what happens when you have thousands of appointed leaders in all arms of government, instead of a competent professional civil service.

[foxes1988]

1 hour ago, Sly said:

What people tend to forget, is that the United States is so large.

It's only large in a geographic sense.  I think people conflate that with with being culturally more diverse which I don't see.

 

1 hour ago, Sly said:

Can you imagine if all of Europe joined up as the United States of Europe one day and we had to vote for a President.

The USA in Europe would be like Britain being spread across all of Europe. Instead of having vastly different cultures in every nook and cranny.

1 hour ago, Sly said:

Britain, Spain, France, Italy, Ukraine, Bulgaria,  Switzerland etc, all have different principles and cultures. The USA is no different to that in principle.

 

I would say culture wise and principles wise it's much 'smaller' and 'less diverse' than europe.  With the country being so young it has to import it's cultural diversity rather than it develop naturally over 1000s of years like most of the rest of the world.

1 hour ago, Sly said:

American citizens also aren’t as well travelled to experience other cultures. Only 26% of them have visited 5 countries +

 

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/12/06/americans-who-have-traveled-internationally-stand-out-in-their-views-and-knowledge-of-foreign-affairs/

 

Compares that to the UK for example

And you’re up to 69%. 

 

 

 

 

[Guest David Oldfields Gate]

26 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

The problem it seems to me with the US presidential system right now is the man the people want is (Strong!  so Strong!) seems unable to appoint competent people to do the actual work as he falls out with them every 5 minutes, while he man in the job they think is not up to it (old, weak, cant speak properly) is actually a political master at surrounding himself with competent people who are doing the actual work as they are in some sort of effective consensus.  This is what happens when you have thousands of appointed leaders in all arms of government, instead of a competent professional civil service.

Sadly competent civil service doesn't exist which is a real shame and why we end up with a shite show of politics as they are basically arguing over which way to put the bin out, because no one has put the bin out.

[Lionator]

The extremely confusing thing for me is that Trump achieved nothing in his four years as president which to me means people only want to vote for him on vibes. Like what did Trump actually do as president? 
 

Biden aside from disastrous Middle East policy has domestically reduced unemployment by a considerable amount and invoked the new new deal which has been fantastic for American infrastructure. 

Edited 17 January by Lionator

[Jon the Hat]

5 minutes ago, Lionator said:

The extremely confusing thing for me is that Trump achieved nothing in his four years as president which to me means people only want to vote for him on vibes. Like what did Trump actually do as president? 
 

Biden aside from disastrous Middle East policy has domestically reduced unemployment by a considerable amount and invoked the new new deal which has been fantastic for American infrastructure. 

The economy did well under Trump too, wages > inflation, low interest rates etc. and without the massive economic stimulus.  He also clamped down on immigration which Biden has let run riot - very popular with the majority of Americans.  A lot of people still want to drain the swamp!  And they don't give a shit about him personally - and they can see the hypocrisy of the Democrats who said F all about Bill Clintons indiscretions.  I dont think it is that hard to see his appeal - and the Democratic left have left themselves wide open with their overly liberal attitudes imo.  Its a shame but I think he will be back as President this time next year.

[Lionator]

1 hour ago, Jon the Hat said:

The economy did well under Trump too, wages > inflation, low interest rates etc. and without the massive economic stimulus.  He also clamped down on immigration which Biden has let run riot - very popular with the majority of Americans.  A lot of people still want to drain the swamp!  And they don't give a shit about him personally - and they can see the hypocrisy of the Democrats who said F all about Bill Clintons indiscretions.  I dont think it is that hard to see his appeal - and the Democratic left have left themselves wide open with their overly liberal attitudes imo.  Its a shame but I think he will be back as President this time next year.

Wasn't that the case everywhere though? Interestingly Biden has kept inflation low in America compared to everywhere else. I liked your earlier comment about Biden having a good team despite his obvious senility. The Dem's on the day after the 2020 election really should've been trying to find a successor for 2024, I think someone even as average as Newsom would win as he would run rings around Trump.

[SkidsFox]

Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I really think Trump's health is going to decay badly this year (partly because of poor choices he's made). The Republicans really need to think hard about their alternative leader.

Having said that Sleepy Joe doesn't look too resilient either.  

[Zear0]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/17/bronson-battersby-two-year-old-boy-died-of-starvation-curled-up-next-to-dead-father

 

One of the saddest things I've read about in a long time.  Many horrors in the world currently, but having a child of similar age makes it more relatable and impactful.  Awful.

Edited 17 January by Zear0

[ClaphamFox]

3 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/17/bronson-battersby-two-year-old-boy-died-of-starvation-curled-up-next-to-dead-father

 

One of the saddest things I've read about in a long time.  Many horrors in the world currently, but having a child of similar age makes it more relatable and impactful.  Awful.

Indeed. Utterly gut-wrenching. I don't even want to imagine what that poor boy went through in his last days.

[Foxdiamond]

1 hour ago, ClaphamFox said:

Indeed. Utterly gut-wrenching. I don't even want to imagine what that poor boy went through in his last days.

I read this too and like you find it too awful to contemplate

[bmt]

6 hours ago, SkidsFox said:

Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I really think Trump's health is going to decay badly this year (partly because of poor choices he's made). The Republicans really need to think hard about their alternative leader.

Having said that Sleepy Joe doesn't look too resilient either.  

I think Trump will win the election and then die mid-term. I think he's in better shape than Biden though who I do genuinely think has the early stages of dementia (which was a lucky guess from Trump imo) - he has made so many gaffes and doesn't seem to pick up on them. Nonetheless, a poster the other day did convince me on the whole he has been at least somewhat effective as President.

[Leicesterpool]

Trump i think needs to come back, biden as put usa to sleep. Makes you think two guys one late 70s and another 80s are looking to running a country. Honestly this the best America can do. As ive always said If Trump was in charge Ukraine would have been invade Putin seen and good opportunity whilst the likes of Biden and Mad Boris was in charge in the west.

Edited 17 January by Leicesterpool

[Trav Le Bleu]

7 hours ago, SkidsFox said:

Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I really think Trump's health is going to decay badly this year (partly because of poor choices he's made). The Republicans really need to think hard about their alternative leader.

Having said that Sleepy Joe doesn't look too resilient either.  

Injecting bleach?

[FoxesDeb]

2 hours ago, Zear0 said:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/17/bronson-battersby-two-year-old-boy-died-of-starvation-curled-up-next-to-dead-father

 

One of the saddest things I've read about in a long time.  Many horrors in the world currently, but having a child of similar age makes it more relatable and impactful.  Awful.

I don't understand why more wasn't done when contact couldn't be made on 2nd Jan? Why did it take another week before they were found? 

 

What a sad society we live in these days