This was coming eventually. While I hope the US can get rid of the Mango Mafia and be a reliable partner again, it's impossible to say what the future will hold. Even before the last election, the...
This was coming eventually. While I hope the US can get rid of the Mango Mafia and be a reliable partner again, it's impossible to say what the future will hold. Even before the last election, the fact that the United Healthcare CEO's murder was met with a mix of apathy and even some cheers from the public shows just how ripe the public's discontent is with how the country is run. The political system has failed them, and there are many possible futures for the US.
*widespread glee and catharsis Not intending to have a conversation about the morality, it's just what happened. I can't think of a public murder that was so (near) universally celebrated in the...
and even some cheers
*widespread glee and catharsis
Not intending to have a conversation about the morality, it's just what happened. I can't think of a public murder that was so (near) universally celebrated in the history of the US.
Which further serves to illustrate your point. And neither political party is willing to give the public candidates who will even attempt to address their discontent.
The rest of the world is wise to make their own arrangements while the US sorts itself out.
And this is important: many of the loudest cheers came from doctors and nurses. You know, the people sworn to never do harm. The ones whose jobs are actively made harder by these companies for no...
And this is important: many of the loudest cheers came from doctors and nurses. You know, the people sworn to never do harm. The ones whose jobs are actively made harder by these companies for no damn reason.
It is very much a 'Wicked Witch of the East' situation.
Ding dong, the witch is dead.
Which old witch?
The wicked witch.
Let them know the wicked witch is dead.
Notice how some were still rejoicing the death of a witch while unsure which witch. It's like there was a recognition that having all-powerful beings rule over you wasn't a good thing. I'm definitely stretching this a bit tho.
I have heard more or less convincing theories all my life that the weapons industry and oil industry in USA holds massive political power. The recent moves by Trump isn't good for their business....
I have heard more or less convincing theories all my life that the weapons industry and oil industry in USA holds massive political power. The recent moves by Trump isn't good for their business. Europe will buy less military equipment from US companies and allowing Russia back into the market will add more competition for the fossil fuel companies. Will we see some pressure from these industries or don't they have that much political power?
I would say facts. During the Bush/Cheney administration they basically stopped trying to hide it. Or did such a bad job of it that that the outcome was the same. In many ways the defense and...
theories
I would say facts. During the Bush/Cheney administration they basically stopped trying to hide it. Or did such a bad job of it that that the outcome was the same.
In many ways the defense and energy industries are one and the same, they've been working together for decades and many conglomerates are heavily invested in both.
Their political, and financial, power is pretty much unrivaled. I've been wondering the same thing, when will they get tired of the money Trumpworld is costing them?
The problems of Trump, Musk and Vance remind me so much of the old, absolute monarchies in Europe that their aids basically told them what they thought they wanted to hear and moved around that....
Their political, and financial, power is pretty much unrivaled. I've been wondering the same thing, when will they get tired of the money Trumpworld is costing them?
The problems of Trump, Musk and Vance remind me so much of the old, absolute monarchies in Europe that their aids basically told them what they thought they wanted to hear and moved around that. Except that this time, the aids are fundamentally moving against the interest that brought them into power to begin with.
Putin is somewhat similar, with how the war has actually been pretty terrible for most oligarchs. And the most prominent ones that really did not appreciate it had a minor case of committing suicide by jumping out of a window with three bullets in their back. Then there are the protests in Serbia over corruption, with the final trigger being a train station collapsing. And more recently in Budapest and Istanbul though it's too early to say how effective those'll be. It's pretty clear that people can only tolerate so much corruption and neglect of rule of law though, once the effects really start to kick in. And of course - the inequality that comes with it.
Things are really balancing on a razors edge right now, in more ways than one.
EU to exclude US, UK and Turkey from €150bn rearmament fund In short the EU would prefer to exclude the United Kingdom, Ukraine's biggest ally, from European rearming and defence. We are the...
In short the EU would prefer to exclude the United Kingdom, Ukraine's biggest ally, from European rearming and defence. We are the manufacturer of many of Europe's biggest defense systems including most of its missiles: MBDA (see owners). It seems very strange that the EU is prepared to jeopardise the safety of the whole European continent over fishing rights for France and pushing further immigration.
Talks between London and Brussels on such a pact have begun but have become embroiled in demands for a larger EU-UK agreement that would also include controversial issues such as fishing rights and migration.
This is an EU initiative with EU money to bolster EU defense. It's separate from NATO, even if NATO directly benefits. The US has shown that NATO is not infallible and the EU's obvious response to...
This is an EU initiative with EU money to bolster EU defense. It's separate from NATO, even if NATO directly benefits.
The US has shown that NATO is not infallible and the EU's obvious response to that is to keep things in house. Even so, those missiles are still within NATO and this initiative does not jeopardize the NATO defense umbrella.
Beyond this EU investment, we see a lot of other defense initiatives such as GCAP which does include the UK, Italy, and even Japan. This investment plan does not divest from other collaborative defense initiatives. I think your response is a valid one, but based in emotion that disregards ongoing agreements where the UK is happily engaged in EU and NATO kinetic diplomacy.
Disagreements over fishing rights are a non-military matter.
I'm not sure how this "jeopardizes the safety of the whole European continent" honestly. Investing in our own defense industry doesn't mean the UK's goes away, or that whatever cooperation already...
I'm not sure how this "jeopardizes the safety of the whole European continent" honestly. Investing in our own defense industry doesn't mean the UK's goes away, or that whatever cooperation already exists will disappear. By that token, brexit jeopardized the safety of the continent to a much greater degree.
Personally, I don't see the UK in any way as an enemy, nor do I think any EU country sees the UK as an enemy. I've been looking into moving my various concerns that currently funnel money into the US, out of the US, since it feels immoral to contribute to the american economy (and especially big tech) at this point. Currently I think I will be mostly relying on UK companies. But when I have a choice, I want to support the EU, which is where I actually am!
After the first Russian invasion into Ukraine the UK trained 22,000 Ukrainian military personnel. The UK has done many other things prior to and since Russia's second invasion of Ukraine including...
After the first Russian invasion into Ukraine the UK trained 22,000 Ukrainian military personnel. The UK has done many other things prior to and since Russia's second invasion of Ukraine including being the first country to provide serious weaponary. We've been voted, by Ukrainians, to be the third most-supportive country after Poland and Lithuania. Sources and more info via Wikipedia. For all of the UK's many faults it doesn't feel fair to place any blame on it for insecurity of Europe.
Military investments, spending and capability are reciprocal in Europe. British companies own roughly a third of many European arms manufacturers. It's in everyone's interest for Europe to have strong defences but it's also in everyone's interests for the UK to too.
Of course a defensive pact between the EU and UK must and surely will happen. This will lead to further investments and spending in both directions. It's just frustrating to hear that some member states, mainly France, are placing their own financial interests over that of Europe as a whole by delaying and potentially derailing the defence pact. These things that France wants can absolutely be discussed and agreed with the UK as part of wider treaties with the UK.
Personally, I don't see the UK in any way as an enemy, nor do I think any EU country sees the UK as an enemy. I've been looking into moving my various concerns that currently funnel money into the US, out of the US, since it feels immoral to contribute to the american economy (and especially big tech) at this point. Currently I think I will be mostly relying on UK companies. But when I have a choice, I want to support the EU, which is where I actually am!
That's a perfectly valid view although it's a little disheartening to me as a Brit who builds software. The majority of us in the tech world voted to remain in the EU, want wider cooperation and eventual reunification. Moving further apart makes that less likely. It makes rogue nations like the USA more powerful and is exactly what the current American administration are aiming for.
I understand your perspective now. It's indeed unfortunate that the UK aren't currently politically positioned (as EU members) to push back against France on this matter. To be fair, when it comes...
I understand your perspective now. It's indeed unfortunate that the UK aren't currently politically positioned (as EU members) to push back against France on this matter.
To be fair, when it comes to most financial services, I think there just aren't suitable european non-UK alternatives at this time, so don't be too disheartened.
One thing I'm having a lot of trouble finding an alternative for is the absolute worst - Paypal. I don't want to fund the Thiel coven, but I need something I can use to accept recurring payments that can come from a credit or debit card in "any" country (with sane exceptions), and also to send such payments, also internationally. And ideally something not more expensive than Paypal (which is already pretty expensive in 2025). Know of anything?
Do you have an archive link of the FT article? I can think of a few reasons the UK and Turkey wouldn't have immediate access, but would like to read to the article first before I make a judgement.
Do you have an archive link of the FT article? I can think of a few reasons the UK and Turkey wouldn't have immediate access, but would like to read to the article first before I make a judgement.
Thank you! It's... not completely unreasonable I guess given the status of NATO. Though I do think we should keep the door open with the UK and Turkey given the violate situation. Things change so...
Thank you!
Arms companies from the US, UK and Turkey will be excluded from a new €150bn EU defence funding push unless their home countries sign defence and security pacts with Brussels.
It's... not completely unreasonable I guess given the status of NATO. Though I do think we should keep the door open with the UK and Turkey given the violate situation. Things change so much every day though, that I wouldn't rule out some information only shared in the diplomatic backrooms caused this particular play of the EU.
Yeah, when it comes to NATO vs EU, I can see the problems here. This sounds like a 'NATO' problem but NATO has some more unsavory than usual characters these days, so how do you get around them?...
Yeah, when it comes to NATO vs EU, I can see the problems here. This sounds like a 'NATO' problem but NATO has some more unsavory than usual characters these days, so how do you get around them? 'Oh, this is an EU thing' and, well, the UK didn't want to be in the EU anymore which means that, yeah, the other countries can play strong arm with them because they're not on a level playing field... But they chose to leave the pitch.
I haven't seen many people bringing up trump's long running complaint that the other members of NATO don't contribute enough to defence spending. I guess he's getting what he wants now. Was his...
I haven't seen many people bringing up trump's long running complaint that the other members of NATO don't contribute enough to defence spending. I guess he's getting what he wants now. Was his hostile attitude to NATO intentionally trying to cause this? Or was that complaint just thoughtless narrative building?
Most likely, its about him cutting more defense spending and then put the money in the pockets of him and his cronies through tax cuts. Really setting the stage for being considered the most...
Most likely, its about him cutting more defense spending and then put the money in the pockets of him and his cronies through tax cuts.
Really setting the stage for being considered the most corrupt President in the history of the US.
He openly charges 5 million for private meetings, that in and of itself puts him well in the lead. I doubt that will happen but yes please, piss off the defense industry. Even his "drill baby...
He openly charges 5 million for private meetings, that in and of itself puts him well in the lead.
cutting more defense spending
I doubt that will happen but yes please, piss off the defense industry. Even his "drill baby drill" mantra won't save him then.
Oh yeah, Trump and Musk are not nearly smart enough to do what they want to do. Which is impressive considering you don't necessarily need to be smart to be an autocrat. Vance probably is, and he...
Oh yeah, Trump and Musk are not nearly smart enough to do what they want to do. Which is impressive considering you don't necessarily need to be smart to be an autocrat.
Vance probably is, and he may be the biggest hurdle down the line. Though he's also very complicit in this whole mess.
This was coming eventually. While I hope the US can get rid of the Mango Mafia and be a reliable partner again, it's impossible to say what the future will hold. Even before the last election, the fact that the United Healthcare CEO's murder was met with a mix of apathy and even some cheers from the public shows just how ripe the public's discontent is with how the country is run. The political system has failed them, and there are many possible futures for the US.
*widespread glee and catharsis
Not intending to have a conversation about the morality, it's just what happened. I can't think of a public murder that was so (near) universally celebrated in the history of the US.
Which further serves to illustrate your point. And neither political party is willing to give the public candidates who will even attempt to address their discontent.
The rest of the world is wise to make their own arrangements while the US sorts itself out.
And this is important: many of the loudest cheers came from doctors and nurses. You know, the people sworn to never do harm. The ones whose jobs are actively made harder by these companies for no damn reason.
It is very much a 'Wicked Witch of the East' situation.
Ding dong, the witch is dead.
Which old witch?
The wicked witch.
Let them know the wicked witch is dead.
Notice how some were still rejoicing the death of a witch while unsure which witch. It's like there was a recognition that having all-powerful beings rule over you wasn't a good thing. I'm definitely stretching this a bit tho.
I have heard more or less convincing theories all my life that the weapons industry and oil industry in USA holds massive political power. The recent moves by Trump isn't good for their business. Europe will buy less military equipment from US companies and allowing Russia back into the market will add more competition for the fossil fuel companies. Will we see some pressure from these industries or don't they have that much political power?
I would say facts. During the Bush/Cheney administration they basically stopped trying to hide it. Or did such a bad job of it that that the outcome was the same.
In many ways the defense and energy industries are one and the same, they've been working together for decades and many conglomerates are heavily invested in both.
Their political, and financial, power is pretty much unrivaled. I've been wondering the same thing, when will they get tired of the money Trumpworld is costing them?
The problems of Trump, Musk and Vance remind me so much of the old, absolute monarchies in Europe that their aids basically told them what they thought they wanted to hear and moved around that. Except that this time, the aids are fundamentally moving against the interest that brought them into power to begin with.
Putin is somewhat similar, with how the war has actually been pretty terrible for most oligarchs. And the most prominent ones that really did not appreciate it had a minor case of committing suicide by jumping out of a window with three bullets in their back. Then there are the protests in Serbia over corruption, with the final trigger being a train station collapsing. And more recently in Budapest and Istanbul though it's too early to say how effective those'll be. It's pretty clear that people can only tolerate so much corruption and neglect of rule of law though, once the effects really start to kick in. And of course - the inequality that comes with it.
Things are really balancing on a razors edge right now, in more ways than one.
If Europe can successfully fill the power vacuum the US is creating I think this will be a net positive for everyone, including Americans.
EU to exclude US, UK and Turkey from €150bn rearmament fund
In short the EU would prefer to exclude the United Kingdom, Ukraine's biggest ally, from European rearming and defence. We are the manufacturer of many of Europe's biggest defense systems including most of its missiles: MBDA (see owners). It seems very strange that the EU is prepared to jeopardise the safety of the whole European continent over fishing rights for France and pushing further immigration.
"Brexit means Brexit"?
Isn't it totally understandable that the EU is not keen to hand out loans to the UK in light of what happened?
How dare the EU not give us money from their funds that we no longer contribute to unless we sign a defense pact with them!
I think this miiiiight be an uncharitable oversimplification
A bit, but as the linked article says:
I don't need to explain to you that the phrase "such as" implies these are two examples drawn from a longer list of issues.
This is an EU initiative with EU money to bolster EU defense. It's separate from NATO, even if NATO directly benefits.
The US has shown that NATO is not infallible and the EU's obvious response to that is to keep things in house. Even so, those missiles are still within NATO and this initiative does not jeopardize the NATO defense umbrella.
Beyond this EU investment, we see a lot of other defense initiatives such as GCAP which does include the UK, Italy, and even Japan. This investment plan does not divest from other collaborative defense initiatives. I think your response is a valid one, but based in emotion that disregards ongoing agreements where the UK is happily engaged in EU and NATO kinetic diplomacy.
Disagreements over fishing rights are a non-military matter.
Besides, they made their bed.
I'm not sure how this "jeopardizes the safety of the whole European continent" honestly. Investing in our own defense industry doesn't mean the UK's goes away, or that whatever cooperation already exists will disappear. By that token, brexit jeopardized the safety of the continent to a much greater degree.
Personally, I don't see the UK in any way as an enemy, nor do I think any EU country sees the UK as an enemy. I've been looking into moving my various concerns that currently funnel money into the US, out of the US, since it feels immoral to contribute to the american economy (and especially big tech) at this point. Currently I think I will be mostly relying on UK companies. But when I have a choice, I want to support the EU, which is where I actually am!
After the first Russian invasion into Ukraine the UK trained 22,000 Ukrainian military personnel. The UK has done many other things prior to and since Russia's second invasion of Ukraine including being the first country to provide serious weaponary. We've been voted, by Ukrainians, to be the third most-supportive country after Poland and Lithuania. Sources and more info via Wikipedia. For all of the UK's many faults it doesn't feel fair to place any blame on it for insecurity of Europe.
Military investments, spending and capability are reciprocal in Europe. British companies own roughly a third of many European arms manufacturers. It's in everyone's interest for Europe to have strong defences but it's also in everyone's interests for the UK to too.
Of course a defensive pact between the EU and UK must and surely will happen. This will lead to further investments and spending in both directions. It's just frustrating to hear that some member states, mainly France, are placing their own financial interests over that of Europe as a whole by delaying and potentially derailing the defence pact. These things that France wants can absolutely be discussed and agreed with the UK as part of wider treaties with the UK.
That's a perfectly valid view although it's a little disheartening to me as a Brit who builds software. The majority of us in the tech world voted to remain in the EU, want wider cooperation and eventual reunification. Moving further apart makes that less likely. It makes rogue nations like the USA more powerful and is exactly what the current American administration are aiming for.
I understand your perspective now. It's indeed unfortunate that the UK aren't currently politically positioned (as EU members) to push back against France on this matter.
To be fair, when it comes to most financial services, I think there just aren't suitable european non-UK alternatives at this time, so don't be too disheartened.
One thing I'm having a lot of trouble finding an alternative for is the absolute worst - Paypal. I don't want to fund the Thiel coven, but I need something I can use to accept recurring payments that can come from a credit or debit card in "any" country (with sane exceptions), and also to send such payments, also internationally. And ideally something not more expensive than Paypal (which is already pretty expensive in 2025). Know of anything?
Do you have an archive link of the FT article? I can think of a few reasons the UK and Turkey wouldn't have immediate access, but would like to read to the article first before I make a judgement.
This is an archive link.
Thank you!
It's... not completely unreasonable I guess given the status of NATO. Though I do think we should keep the door open with the UK and Turkey given the violate situation. Things change so much every day though, that I wouldn't rule out some information only shared in the diplomatic backrooms caused this particular play of the EU.
Yeah, when it comes to NATO vs EU, I can see the problems here. This sounds like a 'NATO' problem but NATO has some more unsavory than usual characters these days, so how do you get around them? 'Oh, this is an EU thing' and, well, the UK didn't want to be in the EU anymore which means that, yeah, the other countries can play strong arm with them because they're not on a level playing field... But they chose to leave the pitch.
I haven't seen many people bringing up trump's long running complaint that the other members of NATO don't contribute enough to defence spending. I guess he's getting what he wants now. Was his hostile attitude to NATO intentionally trying to cause this? Or was that complaint just thoughtless narrative building?
Most likely, its about him cutting more defense spending and then put the money in the pockets of him and his cronies through tax cuts.
Really setting the stage for being considered the most corrupt President in the history of the US.
He openly charges 5 million for private meetings, that in and of itself puts him well in the lead.
I doubt that will happen but yes please, piss off the defense industry. Even his "drill baby drill" mantra won't save him then.
Oh yeah, Trump and Musk are not nearly smart enough to do what they want to do. Which is impressive considering you don't necessarily need to be smart to be an autocrat.
Vance probably is, and he may be the biggest hurdle down the line. Though he's also very complicit in this whole mess.