Jump to content

Recommended Posts

It's like that Nick Cohen article where he describes how the real danger is those who believe what he says no matter what, and decry anything which disagrees with their point of view as 'fake news', 'lies' or simply irrelevant.


America is drawing itself some very dangerous lines in the sand.

Trump is an illusion, or better a mirage floating on the desert in view. It is the Republican majority we need to be scared of. They (not he) have God on their side. And it is they, I fear, that will do the legislating.


Trump is an innocent: that is the secret of his success (as Dostoevsky noted so penetratingly). He actually believes everything as he slides from one moment to another (no matter the idiocy as each inconsistent belief is as good as the next, and can thus be as truly felt).

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> People like this would have voted Trump, and will

> be applauding everything he's doing. There are

> quite a few of them in parts of America. Scary

> place (in parts).

>

> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p049v0dm


But people like this have always existed. What Trump did was convince working class America that he was their saviour. And unless the Democrats start pulling their finger out to win them back, we will be in serious danger of a second term for Trump.

This is very true. It's all in the mid-terms. If the Dem's do well, Trump is finished; the GOP will have a quiet word with him.


If they fail, and the Republicans still hold the House and Senate, they'll keep him for another term. They don't have any qualms about pulling the rug out from under Trump is they think he's threatening their future chances. But nor do they mind tolerating him so long as they get what they want.


He's keeping the seat warm for Pence, one way or another. The GOP see him as an anomaly, a lesson to be learned for the future.

  • 4 weeks later...

With Russia backing them I think it was a foolish move. Any losses can be made good by Russia, and the idea that Assad is deploying nerve gas without the tacit support of Putin is laughable; Putin is plainly ok with it.


It's a direct challenge to Russia in the region, and shows that the Defence Secretary and National Security Advisor have been able to advance their viewpoint to the detriment (obviously) of Bannon et al. In other words the alt-right party is over and 'normal service' has resumed.


I don't think poking Russia with a stick is a good idea, but then it's the first use of chemical weapons since Trump took office and he plainly thinks he needs to respond. I think this was too much.

I don't have a problem with the act of bombing the airfields per se. My concern is the escalation of force in the face of such trenchant Russian support for Assad. Turkey and Russia patched it up pretty quick when they shot at each other; I'm not convinced the same would happen if US forces got it wrong and killed Russian servicemen. To say nothing of the fact that it rackets up tension regardless.


I don't think nothing should've been done, I think air strikes etc should've been done a long time ago and Russia ha its feet firmly under the table in Damascus now.

I think at that time there wasn't as much support in the country for more foreign adventures. Plus some were starting to ask who or what would fill the vacuum if Assad left. Certainly Lybia and Eygpt were not seem as resounding successes. Tory MP's had their reservations too.


If we were going to hit Assad it should've been at the start, hard. That time has passed and with it our ability to influence the future of Syria. I have no trouble pulverising those responsible for what happened, I just don't think in the grand scheme it will help.

In purely game-theoretic terms (please read this literally) Trump is acting with some acuity. He has become unpredictable. Putin and Xi will have taken note. See endless poker simulations where programmes win against their stupid (even though world-ranked) human 'interpreters' by defying interpretation.


I believe this is current orthodoxy in game-theory terms.


(PS, probably N Korea (though certainly neither Russia nor China) is too stupid to realise - we might fear this, really quite a lot).

JoeLeg Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think at that time there wasn't as much support

> in the country for more foreign adventures. Plus

> some were starting to ask who or what would fill

> the vacuum if Assad left. Certainly Lybia and

> Eygpt were not seem as resounding successes. Tory

> MP's had their reservations too.

>

> If we were going to hit Assad it should've been at

> the start, hard. That time has passed and with it

> our ability to influence the future of Syria. I

> have no trouble pulverising those responsible for

> what happened, I just don't think in the grand

> scheme it will help.


Sense as ever Joe. Nobody who saw the pictures of the gassed children could avoid the natural desire to take revenge on the perpetrators. However, this has been going on for years and nothing's been done - Trump's justification for a complete reversal of his avowed policy of non involvement seemed to be that he'd seen pictures of "beautiful babies" being killed. If the President of the USA is going to risk conflict with Russia on the basis that something he's seen on TV has upset him we're in for a bumpy ride. It looks decisive and strong - only a cynic (me) could wonder if he's decided it's time for a distraction from the absolute dog's breakfast of a presidency he's managed so far - but it's no basis for a coherent foreign policy.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Can’t say I approve but equally staff can vote with their feet. Cabs to collect and deliver - not bad.Maybe Gail’s know something none of us do… Having said that, sure those that are walking in and around Dulwich might prefer cake, hot drinks etc in a venue that is not a pub with the noise from over loud punters… so guess one waits and sees…  Do take some pics or let us know if people are popping in… my guess is yes… 
    • OP has perhaps inadvertently provided free advertising for Gails, drawing attention to Dulwich Gails being open on Christmas Day.
    • Staff get taxis in and out and get paid extra (which I think is x2). Some people like to work on Bank Holidays and others don’t. Some people actively avoid Christmas for personal reasons. Long live freedom of choice! 
    • Here is another article from the excellent Special Needs Jungle (SNJ) with tips for responses to the SEND conversation survey. Including shoe horning in EHCPs which they "forget" to ask a question about in the conversation. And living as we do in Southwark with the huge misfortune of 100% academy secondary schools, some thoughts on this and how unlikely inclusion in mainstream is within the current education landscape. Closing date 14 Jan 2026. And please consider a donation to the excellent entirely run by volunteers SNJ. In my view the government could save money by creating some smaller mainstream secondary schools for kids who can cope in primary school but not  with the scale of secondary, and need a calmer less busy setting. The funding would have to be different - it is currently on a per pupil basis which favours larger schools. But it would undoubtedly be cheaper than specialist provision, and the huge cost to individual children and families (emotional and financial) and to society. https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/tips-help-complete-governments-send-conversation-survey-law/ If anyone wants to take a radical step to help their struggling child, my tip is to move far away: these are the best two schools I have ever visited and in a beautiful part of the country. I only wish we'd moved there before it was too late for my son who had to suffer multiple failings at Charter North and then at the hands of Southwark SEND, out of education from February to October in year 10-11, having already suffered the enduring trauma of a very difficult early life, which in combination with ADHD made his time at schools which just don't care so very unbearable for all of us. https://www.cartmelprioryschool.co.uk/ https://settlebeck.org/ As an add on, I would say to anybody considering adoption, please take into account the education battles that you are very much more likely to face than the average parent. First you have schools to deal with, already terrible; then being passed from pillar to post within Southwark Education, SEND, Education Inclusion Team, round and round as they all do their best to explain why they are not responsible and you need someone different, let's hold another multi-agency meeting, never for one minute considering that if they put the child at the centre and used common sense they would achieve a lot more in much less time without loads of Southwark employees sitting in endless meetings with long suffering parents. It is hard to fully imagine this at the start of your adoption journey, full of hope as you are, but truly education is not for the faint hearted, and should be factored into your decision. You'll never hear from people who are really struggling and continue to do so, only from those who've had challenges but overcome them and it's all lovely. And education, the very people who should be there to help, are the ones who make your lives the most hellish out of everything your child and you face.
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...