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All the talk about Trump
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They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything. |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything."
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't???? |
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By *otMe66Man 1 day ago
Terra Firma |
These are my thoughts too.
I think the main reason for such hesitancy from Europe is down to "Europe" itself.
What I mean is that most people (and the EU itself) view Europe as the EU, and that has led to no joined up thinking on military defence should Europe become exposed, other than being part of NATO and a flimsy PRESCO agreement.
Trump may have inadvertently started the beginnings of a full independent European defence force and with it the end of future Russian aggression and an over reliance on US military muscle. |
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Sticking to your principles comes with a cost - but only if you have principles and can't be bought.
Plenty of people think everything has a price, even another person's conscience.
When they encounter those who will not yield to intimidation or bribery, they tend to resort to force to get what they want.
Might is right? Right? It works for democracies and autocracies.
Why be hindered by principles? |
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"Trumps eyes are eastwards, I think there will need to be an American 'backstop' as part of any peace deal but I think it will have a time limit..
But all may change in less than four years.."
But, America regardless of who is commander in chief won't fully pull out of Europe because doing so loses influence which they won't give up on..
Getting many European countries to increase their defense contributions is a good thing regardless of how it's achieved.. |
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By *otMe66Man 1 day ago
Terra Firma |
"Trumps eyes are eastwards, I think there will need to be an American 'backstop' as part of any peace deal but I think it will have a time limit..
But all may change in less than four years.."
That is a sticking point surely?
I do not understand why Starmer would say a US backstop is needed when Trump has been clear that he wants Europe to sort out Europe.
When I see "backstop", I'm expecting a presence or at least as agreement between Putin and Trump that Russian forces will not attack.
The only concern Trump has, is securing the money owed to the US, nothing more. |
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"Trumps eyes are eastwards, I think there will need to be an American 'backstop' as part of any peace deal but I think it will have a time limit..
But all may change in less than four years..
That is a sticking point surely?
I do not understand why Starmer would say a US backstop is needed when Trump has been clear that he wants Europe to sort out Europe.
When I see "backstop", I'm expecting a presence or at least as agreement between Putin and Trump that Russian forces will not attack.
The only concern Trump has, is securing the money owed to the US, nothing more."
All I see is a group of countries who are unwilling to look after themselves despite the threat that uncle Sam isn't going to do it anymore. NATO without the US can handle Russia but they need to have the will to use the weapons and I don't think the politicians have the guts for it |
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By *otMe66Man 1 day ago
Terra Firma |
"Trumps eyes are eastwards, I think there will need to be an American 'backstop' as part of any peace deal but I think it will have a time limit..
But all may change in less than four years..
That is a sticking point surely?
I do not understand why Starmer would say a US backstop is needed when Trump has been clear that he wants Europe to sort out Europe.
When I see "backstop", I'm expecting a presence or at least as agreement between Putin and Trump that Russian forces will not attack.
The only concern Trump has, is securing the money owed to the US, nothing more.
All I see is a group of countries who are unwilling to look after themselves despite the threat that uncle Sam isn't going to do it anymore. NATO without the US can handle Russia but they need to have the will to use the weapons and I don't think the politicians have the guts for it"
Agreed, I touched on that further up  |
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"Trumps eyes are eastwards, I think there will need to be an American 'backstop' as part of any peace deal but I think it will have a time limit..
But all may change in less than four years..
That is a sticking point surely?
I do not understand why Starmer would say a US backstop is needed when Trump has been clear that he wants Europe to sort out Europe.
When I see "backstop", I'm expecting a presence or at least as agreement between Putin and Trump that Russian forces will not attack.
The only concern Trump has, is securing the money owed to the US, nothing more.
All I see is a group of countries who are unwilling to look after themselves despite the threat that uncle Sam isn't going to do it anymore. NATO without the US can handle Russia but they need to have the will to use the weapons and I don't think the politicians have the guts for it"
That is about the it there is not the will.
All the talk of a Russian financial crisis and everyone is now looking for peace. Putin needs to be hit at his weakest not let him have time to re-coop re-build. Cripple the County might just lead to change from within 🤔 |
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"Trumps eyes are eastwards, I think there will need to be an American 'backstop' as part of any peace deal but I think it will have a time limit..
But all may change in less than four years..
That is a sticking point surely?
I do not understand why Starmer would say a US backstop is needed when Trump has been clear that he wants Europe to sort out Europe.
When I see "backstop", I'm expecting a presence or at least as agreement between Putin and Trump that Russian forces will not attack.
The only concern Trump has, is securing the money owed to the US, nothing more."
America has been part of NATO since it's inception, structures and operational procedures won't change massively but even a reduction will take time to implement..
Yes on the latter point it's what he was saying in his first term, he's upping the ante as well as signalling to China a bigger possible presence in that area.. |
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"Trumps eyes are eastwards, I think there will need to be an American 'backstop' as part of any peace deal but I think it will have a time limit..
But all may change in less than four years..
That is a sticking point surely?
I do not understand why Starmer would say a US backstop is needed when Trump has been clear that he wants Europe to sort out Europe.
When I see "backstop", I'm expecting a presence or at least as agreement between Putin and Trump that Russian forces will not attack.
The only concern Trump has, is securing the money owed to the US, nothing more.
All I see is a group of countries who are unwilling to look after themselves despite the threat that uncle Sam isn't going to do it anymore. NATO without the US can handle Russia but they need to have the will to use the weapons and I don't think the politicians have the guts for it"
European countries have plenty of history of military interventions long before America declared independence and since then, yes the period since the end of WW2 saw a massive growth in American forces not only on our continent and since the cold war supposedly ended Europe has reduced (too far) in its military capabilities the will to use what they and we have shouldn't be assumed to not be there.. |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????"
GDP size and the government having money to spend on stuff aren’t the same thing.
The UK is still a large economy (though falling down the league tables by the year) but that doesn’t mean (a) that its population is rich (we aren’t) or (b) that the government has any money to spend on foreign escapades (the UK government is broke).
It all depends on how well the government has managed its finances. In the UK’s case there has been epic fiscal mismanagement over decades. |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????
GDP size and the government having money to spend on stuff aren’t the same thing.
The UK is still a large economy (though falling down the league tables by the year) but that doesn’t mean (a) that its population is rich (we aren’t) or (b) that the government has any money to spend on foreign escapades (the UK government is broke).
It all depends on how well the government has managed its finances. In the UK’s case there has been epic fiscal mismanagement over decades."
Or political will. Dress it up how you like |
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By *otMe66Man 1 day ago
Terra Firma |
"Trumps eyes are eastwards, I think there will need to be an American 'backstop' as part of any peace deal but I think it will have a time limit..
But all may change in less than four years..
That is a sticking point surely?
I do not understand why Starmer would say a US backstop is needed when Trump has been clear that he wants Europe to sort out Europe.
When I see "backstop", I'm expecting a presence or at least as agreement between Putin and Trump that Russian forces will not attack.
The only concern Trump has, is securing the money owed to the US, nothing more.
All I see is a group of countries who are unwilling to look after themselves despite the threat that uncle Sam isn't going to do it anymore. NATO without the US can handle Russia but they need to have the will to use the weapons and I don't think the politicians have the guts for it
European countries have plenty of history of military interventions long before America declared independence and since then, yes the period since the end of WW2 saw a massive growth in American forces not only on our continent and since the cold war supposedly ended Europe has reduced (too far) in its military capabilities the will to use what they and we have shouldn't be assumed to not be there.."
Europe has clouded its collective mind with the EU, and nobody knows who is in charge. |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????
GDP size and the government having money to spend on stuff aren’t the same thing.
The UK is still a large economy (though falling down the league tables by the year) but that doesn’t mean (a) that its population is rich (we aren’t) or (b) that the government has any money to spend on foreign escapades (the UK government is broke).
It all depends on how well the government has managed its finances. In the UK’s case there has been epic fiscal mismanagement over decades.
Or political will. Dress it up how you like "
And if I can make an additional point, EU welfare spending is 26% of GDP, the US spends 18%, Russia 12%. What price the defence of the realm? Or individual nation within the EU/Europe |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????
GDP size and the government having money to spend on stuff aren’t the same thing.
The UK is still a large economy (though falling down the league tables by the year) but that doesn’t mean (a) that its population is rich (we aren’t) or (b) that the government has any money to spend on foreign escapades (the UK government is broke).
It all depends on how well the government has managed its finances. In the UK’s case there has been epic fiscal mismanagement over decades.
Or political will. Dress it up how you like
And if I can make an additional point, EU welfare spending is 26% of GDP, the US spends 18%, Russia 12%. What price the defence of the realm? Or individual nation within the EU/Europe"
It’s a similar point.
The UK is spending lots of money on shit (benefits, overseas aid, net zero) so it’s got no money for defence.
It can raise taxes (destroying the economy), borrow more (markets are nervous and eventually it just eats into public spending more) or cut public spending.
Successive UK governments don’t want to, or can’t, do any of these things so they are stuck.
Where the money is coming from for increased participation in Ukraine I’ve got no idea. They don’t know either. |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????
GDP size and the government having money to spend on stuff aren’t the same thing.
The UK is still a large economy (though falling down the league tables by the year) but that doesn’t mean (a) that its population is rich (we aren’t) or (b) that the government has any money to spend on foreign escapades (the UK government is broke).
It all depends on how well the government has managed its finances. In the UK’s case there has been epic fiscal mismanagement over decades.
Or political will. Dress it up how you like
And if I can make an additional point, EU welfare spending is 26% of GDP, the US spends 18%, Russia 12%. What price the defence of the realm? Or individual nation within the EU/Europe
It’s a similar point.
The UK is spending lots of money on shit (benefits, overseas aid, net zero) so it’s got no money for defence.
It can raise taxes (destroying the economy), borrow more (markets are nervous and eventually it just eats into public spending more) or cut public spending.
Successive UK governments don’t want to, or can’t, do any of these things so they are stuck.
Where the money is coming from for increased participation in Ukraine I’ve got no idea. They don’t know either."
My point is that the economic and military power is there within the EU/Europe but is the political will there to actually use it? I don't believe so. For example, Russian ships are often shadowed in the channel amongst other areas and are suspected of tampering with sea bed cables but because of plausible denial, nothing is ever actually done. If the shoe were on the other foot (not that I think our govts have the gumption to do it) do you really believe the Russians would simply shadow and follow? I very much doubt it. One is aggressive, the others are passive by nature. |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????
GDP size and the government having money to spend on stuff aren’t the same thing.
The UK is still a large economy (though falling down the league tables by the year) but that doesn’t mean (a) that its population is rich (we aren’t) or (b) that the government has any money to spend on foreign escapades (the UK government is broke).
It all depends on how well the government has managed its finances. In the UK’s case there has been epic fiscal mismanagement over decades.
Or political will. Dress it up how you like
And if I can make an additional point, EU welfare spending is 26% of GDP, the US spends 18%, Russia 12%. What price the defence of the realm? Or individual nation within the EU/Europe
It’s a similar point.
The UK is spending lots of money on shit (benefits, overseas aid, net zero) so it’s got no money for defence.
It can raise taxes (destroying the economy), borrow more (markets are nervous and eventually it just eats into public spending more) or cut public spending.
Successive UK governments don’t want to, or can’t, do any of these things so they are stuck.
Where the money is coming from for increased participation in Ukraine I’ve got no idea. They don’t know either.
My point is that the economic and military power is there within the EU/Europe but is the political will there to actually use it? I don't believe so. For example, Russian ships are often shadowed in the channel amongst other areas and are suspected of tampering with sea bed cables but because of plausible denial, nothing is ever actually done. If the shoe were on the other foot (not that I think our govts have the gumption to do it) do you really believe the Russians would simply shadow and follow? I very much doubt it. One is aggressive, the others are passive by nature. "
Exactly if you watched C4 RAF a Russian fighter warned UK jets it was close to a Russian Air space if the enterd they would be destroyed.
Then followed in a position where missiles could be fired from.
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Just watching last night's question time and the question of how do we pay for the suggested increased spending on defence was raised. We spend £303bn on the welfare state, £54bn on defence. Say no more |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????"
they could have four or five times the amount of people than russia, difference is the russians feel like there fighting for russia, europeans are not gona put there life on the line for ukraine, even the ukrainians who got out at the start of it all who have now turned 18 are not going back to fight |
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"It is also rumerd putin could go for a bit of Norway next. Then what Trum has given Putin the all clear do what you want. Posably so Trump has a clearway to Green Land or whatever he wants. "
it was also rumoured putin was dying of cancer at one point it was also rumoured they had run out of missiles, it was also rumored that the russians were fighting with shovels because there were no weapons left, whenever i hear rumored now about russia or putin i just put it down to wishful thinking now
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"Just watching last night's question time and the question of how do we pay for the suggested increased spending on defence was raised. We spend £303bn on the welfare state, £54bn on defence. Say no more "
25%+ of the nhs budget is spent on obesity, smoking diseases, alcoholism and drug addict treatment/rehab. £40bn a year
HMRC fails to collect £39.8 billion tax annually
Add 5000 vacant buffer hotel rooms for migrants at £600k a day, and £5bn a year for those here.
10,000 empty Mod Homes while govt spends £2.7bn on homeless temp accommodation
£50M Lammy just gave to new Syrian ISIS govt
No shortage of money |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????they could have four or five times the amount of people than russia, difference is the russians feel like there fighting for russia, europeans are not gona put there life on the line for ukraine, even the ukrainians who got out at the start of it all who have now turned 18 are not going back to fight"
If Europe had armed Ukraine properly over the last three years they would be in a far superior position now. USA bombs flattened Gaza in a month. |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????they could have four or five times the amount of people than russia, difference is the russians feel like there fighting for russia, europeans are not gona put there life on the line for ukraine, even the ukrainians who got out at the start of it all who have now turned 18 are not going back to fight
If Europe had armed Ukraine properly over the last three years they would be in a far superior position now. USA bombs flattened Gaza in a month. "
Agreed...no political will |
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By *abioMan 21 hours ago
Newcastle and Gateshead |
"Is he's made his mind up, why doesn't Europe/EU move on and deal with it? "
He generally hates “blocs” in principle because they have a bigger power point than an individual nation would…
Just plucking 2 countries out .. it would be easier for the us for example to bully a Slovakia as a single entity… than it would to bully a Slovakia as an entity within the EU,
Power economically
It’s the reason why he is targeting certain countries i.e South Africa within BRICS and to an extent the UK when they were in the EU…. Peel of pieces, make it weaker, less influential ect ect
Why do you think he is pulling apart the North American agreement yet again |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????
GDP size and the government having money to spend on stuff aren’t the same thing.
The UK is still a large economy (though falling down the league tables by the year) but that doesn’t mean (a) that its population is rich (we aren’t) or (b) that the government has any money to spend on foreign escapades (the UK government is broke).
It all depends on how well the government has managed its finances. In the UK’s case there has been epic fiscal mismanagement over decades.
Or political will. Dress it up how you like
And if I can make an additional point, EU welfare spending is 26% of GDP, the US spends 18%, Russia 12%. What price the defence of the realm? Or individual nation within the EU/Europe
It’s a similar point.
The UK is spending lots of money on shit (benefits, overseas aid, net zero) so it’s got no money for defence.
It can raise taxes (destroying the economy), borrow more (markets are nervous and eventually it just eats into public spending more) or cut public spending.
Successive UK governments don’t want to, or can’t, do any of these things so they are stuck.
Where the money is coming from for increased participation in Ukraine I’ve got no idea. They don’t know either.
My point is that the economic and military power is there within the EU/Europe but is the political will there to actually use it? I don't believe so. For example, Russian ships are often shadowed in the channel amongst other areas and are suspected of tampering with sea bed cables but because of plausible denial, nothing is ever actually done. If the shoe were on the other foot (not that I think our govts have the gumption to do it) do you really believe the Russians would simply shadow and follow? I very much doubt it. One is aggressive, the others are passive by nature. "
The security of our sea bed cables was commented on during Question Time (a Ukraine special). |
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"Just watching last night's question time and the question of how do we pay for the suggested increased spending on defence was raised. We spend £303bn on the welfare state, £54bn on defence. Say no more "
How would you address the welfare bill and still be fair to those in need? |
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"Just watching last night's question time and the question of how do we pay for the suggested increased spending on defence was raised. We spend £303bn on the welfare state, £54bn on defence. Say no more
How would you address the welfare bill and still be fair to those in need?"
Security is for everyone so if 10% needs to be cut from the welfare bill for Security then it needs to be cut.
But the UK is a top spender as it is for me it's getting the rest of Europe up to the 2.3% - 2.5% of GDP most of Europe is down around 1.5%.
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"Just watching last night's question time and the question of how do we pay for the suggested increased spending on defence was raised. We spend £303bn on the welfare state, £54bn on defence. Say no more
How would you address the welfare bill and still be fair to those in need?
Security is for everyone so if 10% needs to be cut from the welfare bill for Security then it needs to be cut.
But the UK is a top spender as it is for me it's getting the rest of Europe up to the 2.3% - 2.5% of GDP most of Europe is down around 1.5%.
"
Do you know the ballpark figure for a single person on universal credit? It's not enough to live on, but you go ahead and have all welfare reduced by 10%, after all it just increases personal debt, food bank queues, depressed people and so on. |
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"They can’t do anything about it.
They don’t have the money, military or wherewithal.
So they’ll just do their usual high-minded windbaggery and pretend to be offended by Trump.
Currently a lot of time seems to be taken up by politicians and the media deciding if “Zelensky is a dictator” or not. It’s just typical Europe: more concerned about what people are allowed to say than actually doing anything.
They don't have the money? The EU has a GDP of £20 trillion, second only to the US and 10x that of Russia. In addition they have 2-3 times the population of Russia and this is only the EU, not Europe...and they can't do anything about it? Or they won't????"
Please do not point out the real facts. The "Trump is God" bots go apoplectic. You are not meant to check their version of reality.  |
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By *otMe66Man 11 hours ago
Terra Firma |
"Is he's made his mind up, why doesn't Europe/EU move on and deal with it?
He generally hates “blocs” in principle because they have a bigger power point than an individual nation would…
Just plucking 2 countries out .. it would be easier for the us for example to bully a Slovakia as a single entity… than it would to bully a Slovakia as an entity within the EU,
Power economically
It’s the reason why he is targeting certain countries i.e South Africa within BRICS and to an extent the UK when they were in the EU…. Peel of pieces, make it weaker, less influential ect ect
Why do you think he is pulling apart the North American agreement yet again "
I'm not sure why you are saying Trump hates blocs, it gives the impression it is uniquely a Trump trait...
Throughout the EU’s existence, every US president has used the UK to influence EU policy. Trump is no exception to this.
Obama, Biden and Trump have all tried to influence and weaken BRICS and will continue to do so as all US presidents have done.
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"Just watching last night's question time and the question of how do we pay for the suggested increased spending on defence was raised. We spend £303bn on the welfare state, £54bn on defence. Say no more
How would you address the welfare bill and still be fair to those in need?
Security is for everyone so if 10% needs to be cut from the welfare bill for Security then it needs to be cut.
But the UK is a top spender as it is for me it's getting the rest of Europe up to the 2.3% - 2.5% of GDP most of Europe is down around 1.5%.
Do you know the ballpark figure for a single person on universal credit? It's not enough to live on, but you go ahead and have all welfare reduced by 10%, after all it just increases personal debt, food bank queues, depressed people and so on."
After WW2, when Europe became safe, nuclear weapons provided security and the USA wanted to be world policeman, the UK Government spending on defence understandably fell whilst welfare costs increased.
We are now in a different world. The USA has proved itself to be unreliable and is even favouring our aggressors. They are seeking to coerce payment from a country they undertook to defend that is far in excess of that given. Are we next?
At the same time Russia threatens openly to drown the UK with a tsunami caused by a massive nuclear bomb off the south coast.
The world is very different now. NATO is in disarray. Europe, including the UK, needs to invest heavily and rapidly in its own defence. We should not however buy US weapons. Their stance means they would withold new deliveries and spares if it suited their relationship with their new dictator buddies. |
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“We are now in a different world. The USA has proved itself to be unreliable and is even favouring our aggressors.”
How is Russia our aggressor? We’ve done more sabre rattling toward them (something you are joining along with) than they have to us. Please don’t accuse me of supporting Putin. He’s a problem, but not ours. |
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Pushing Putin in to close political allegiance with China will tip the balance of power in the world seismically. The best long term outcome for the world will see Russia moving closer to the EU politically. What happens now is crucial to everyone’s future. |
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"“We are now in a different world. The USA has proved itself to be unreliable and is even favouring our aggressors.”
How is Russia our aggressor? We’ve done more sabre rattling toward them (something you are joining along with) than they have to us. Please don’t accuse me of supporting Putin. He’s a problem, but not ours."
Check the events in the last 40 years in Europe. Georgia, Chechnya, Crimea, Ukraine. Russia wants to take over other countries. Why stop simply because they are Poland, Latvia, Belgium, France ...... Germany! |
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"Pushing Putin in to close political allegiance with China will tip the balance of power in the world seismically. The best long term outcome for the world will see Russia moving closer to the EU politically. What happens now is crucial to everyone’s future."
Russia will today see it far better aligned with Trump's United States than with Europe. What is Rubio talking about at these secret, unrecorded, talks?  |
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"“We are now in a different world. The USA has proved itself to be unreliable and is even favouring our aggressors.”
How is Russia our aggressor? We’ve done more sabre rattling toward them (something you are joining along with) than they have to us. Please don’t accuse me of supporting Putin. He’s a problem, but not ours.
Check the events in the last 40 years in Europe. Georgia, Chechnya, Crimea, Ukraine. Russia wants to take over other countries. Why stop simply because they are Poland, Latvia, Belgium, France ...... Germany!"
Russia is an abstract concept. It has no wants or needs. You are assigning them to it to be provocative. That is the only basis of your argument. Try starting with 1999 when Putin took power. He’s a man who does have wants and needs. Then we can debate this subject to explore it. |
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"Pushing Putin in to close political allegiance with China will tip the balance of power in the world seismically. The best long term outcome for the world will see Russia moving closer to the EU politically. What happens now is crucial to everyone’s future.
Russia will today see it far better aligned with Trump's United States than with Europe. What is Rubio talking about at these secret, unrecorded, talks? "
We would all like to be a fly on the wall. |
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By *otMe66Man 2 hours ago
Terra Firma |
"“We are now in a different world. The USA has proved itself to be unreliable and is even favouring our aggressors.”
How is Russia our aggressor? We’ve done more sabre rattling toward them (something you are joining along with) than they have to us. Please don’t accuse me of supporting Putin. He’s a problem, but not ours.
Check the events in the last 40 years in Europe. Georgia, Chechnya, Crimea, Ukraine. Russia wants to take over other countries. Why stop simply because they are Poland, Latvia, Belgium, France ...... Germany!
Russia is an abstract concept. It has no wants or needs. You are assigning them to it to be provocative. That is the only basis of your argument. Try starting with 1999 when Putin took power. He’s a man who does have wants and needs. Then we can debate this subject to explore it."
This comment is gold and one that will likely be overlooked. But I’ll add to it.
Putin changed dramatically after his fallout with Bush over NATO expansion. Before that, he was actively cooperating with the US, closing military bases and supporting the US in Afghanistan.
The million dollar question; Was the US right to push NATO expansion onto Russian borders?That expansion either saved six countries from potential Russian aggression… Or it put Ukraine directly in the firing line.
Was it a defensive move, or a provocation that we see today with Ukraine, and did the US anticipate Putin's motivations and knew the expansion of Russia was a primary goal?
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