Politics Thread!

[Mayhem]

Of course it's being spun as a plus by the right wing bots on social media as a $50B saving per year.

[zip accident]

I still think the Ukraine war is Putin trying to force Europe to capture Kaliningrad oblast, which nobody actually wants.

Europe does in my opinion need to arm itself more than it currently has. Which means more taxes.

[PFVA]

Just thinking to myself:
Either they have a fundamentalist Islamic Republic or they bring back the Pahlavi Dinasty?
Don't they have something in between a bit more democratic?

Note: yeah, I'm old enough to remember the Shah's dictatorship and the subsequent Islamic revolution.

[zip accident]

Just thinking to myself:
Either they have a fundamentalist Islamic Republic or they bring back the Pahlavi Dinasty?
Don't they have something in between a bit more democratic?

Note: yeah, I'm old enough to remember the Shah's dictatorship and the subsequent Islamic revolution.

The thing is, they mostly aren't as old as we are.

[F-ZeroOne]

UKIP - yes, still a thing, apparently - have a new logo. Its very subtle about their current political leanings.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... azi-regime

[Little stoned kiwi]

Their defence of it being Christian nationalist isn't any better than the accusation.

[PFVA]

In Qatar?
This gets better and better

The Trump administration confirmed the first sale of Venezuelan oil Wednesday, saying it raised $500 million. It is just the first of numerous sales expected to bring in billions of dollars in the months – and potentially years – to come.

The funds were sent to Qatar, rather than being held in US banks or sent directly to Venezuela, according to a former administration official familiar with the matter.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/15/busi ... le-account

[F-ZeroOne]

Next time, you can invent your own bloody cavity magnetron:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1j8kw866p3t

[KlaxonCow]

And this is why, as I've been saying, the rest of the world has to simply cut America out of trade - and find alternative arrangements amongst themselves - until the Orange King is gone.

Because he's forever going to threaten tariffs until he gets what he wants, like a petulant child throwing a tantrum.

There's no getting around this, as you're not dealing with a rational actor here. He's spent his entire existence here on Earth getting away with everything by being vindictive and threatening people. He does not even comprehend anything else, much less will he respond to it.

The only route out of this is for the rest of the planet to reach a level of interdependent self-sufficiency away from America that when the pissy manchild threatens tariffs again, the response can simply be "that's fine, as we don't get anything useful from you anyway". 20% tariffs! 40% tariffs! 60% tariffs! Who cares, mate? We don't need any of your shit. Feel free to bankrupt your own country, if you really want. In fact, please do so, as a broken hyperinflated economy is the fastest route to get all Americans on side to kick his arse out of office (because we all know - he's openly stated - that he's never going willingly).

(Also consider that, in the history books, Brexit is going to go down as the most insane self-inflicted wound of all time. Because if Trump breaks NATO and then targets the UK as "the 52nd state" (or maybe 53rd, if he targets Canada first) then we didn't just walk away from the largest trade bloc in the world, we walked away from a mutual defence pact. Brexiteers said "don't worry, we have NATO". Except if Trump does annex Greenland then, no, no we don't. Not anymore.)

[PFVA]

Speaking of tariffs:

Free trade treaty between the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) signed.
I know there is drawbacks for EU agriculture and other sectors and for the environment but in the overall still positive thing.
Also a couple of days ago Canada and China expanded their agricultural trade.

It seems the world can continue to function in spite of Mr Trump and friends ideas.

Note: Personally I'm hoping for Brazilian cotton clothing to become available. Maybe not as nice and comfy as the American one but very good too.

[snaff]

EU and Starmer have to make a public fuss about Greenland but behind the scenes they will be increasingly pressuring Denmark to comply with Uncle Scam.

EU needs USA's backing to continue escalating tensions with Russia. Without war they can't justify their continued existence, budget and eastward expansion.

Only the right wing, nationalist parties in Europe have genuine criticisms of Trump in this.

[VNVObit]

And this is why, as I've been saying, the rest of the world has to simply cut America out of trade - and find alternative arrangements amongst themselves - until the Orange King is gone.

Because he's forever going to threaten tariffs until he gets what he wants, like a petulant child throwing a tantrum.

There's no getting around this, as you're not dealing with a rational actor here. He's spent his entire existence here on Earth getting away with everything by being vindictive and threatening people. He does not even comprehend anything else, much less will he respond to it.

The only route out of this is for the rest of the planet to reach a level of interdependent self-sufficiency away from America that when the pissy manchild threatens tariffs again, the response can simply be "that's fine, as we don't get anything useful from you anyway". 20% tariffs! 40% tariffs! 60% tariffs! Who cares, mate? We don't need any of your shit. Feel free to bankrupt your own country, if you really want. In fact, please do so, as a broken hyperinflated economy is the fastest route to get all Americans on side to kick his arse out of office (because we all know - he's openly stated - that he's never going willingly).

(Also consider that, in the history books, Brexit is going to go down as the most insane self-inflicted wound of all time. Because if Trump breaks NATO and then targets the UK as "the 52nd state" (or maybe 53rd, if he targets Canada first) then we didn't just walk away from the largest trade bloc in the world, we walked away from a mutual defence pact. Brexiteers said "don't worry, we have NATO". Except if Trump does annex Greenland then, no, no we don't. Not anymore.)

Even when Trump goes it’ll take years before anyone will trust the US as there’s no guarantee GOP will get a rational candidate

[PFVA]

Intermission, sorry

That noisy, racist, populist right wing party of ours managed to go to the 2nd round of the presidential elections with 23.5% of the votes. Center-left won with 31%.

They got so many candidates at the center left and centre right that split the vote dramatically.

Now that noisy person is shouting he is the new leader of the right.

In a way he is doing something similar to what the group that supports Trump dis with the Republicans. A party takeover,
Without them they can't wind and they end up supporting someone like Trump.

I hope the same does not happen here but I wouldn't be surprised.

On a note as usually the noisy right is winning in the poorest areas of the country and had the majority of the votes in Madeira Island and Algarve.

[Mayhem]

Even when Trump goes it’ll take years before anyone will trust the US as there’s no guarantee GOP will get a rational candidate

Everyone else such as Stephen Miller, has been running the show since the start. Trump is just a dementia ridden puppet thinking he's in charge, saying what he's been told to say or whatever comes out of his decaying brain.

[F-ZeroOne]

Well, his latest is pretty much to demand the Norwegian government give him a Nobel Peace Prize, otherwise he will no longer feel "an obligation to Peace”. Leaving aside that he now sounds like a toddler denied a toy, the Norwegian government aren’t the ones who award the prizes anyway.

What needs to be done is the same thing my mother used to do for me for school sports days - make a certificate up for “Trying Hard” (1). It could be called the Super Gold Henry Kissenger Amazing Special Nobel Peace Prize For Presidents Whose Surname Is Trump P.S. This Is Really Amazing And Unique!!! and maybe that will shut him up.

Do you know who once burst into tears because the Italian government wouldn’t give him a certain kind of medal?

Hermann Goering.

(1) You know the person who was always picked last for school sports teams? I was always picked after them…