Election Year or Fear!

[MadAmster]

It seems that Trump has put tariffs on 2 African islands whose only inhabitants are penguins. The man's a comic genius.

[Andy_Faber]

It seems that Trump has put tariffs on 2 African islands whose only inhabitants are penguins. The man's a comic genius.

The BBC News had that on last night and had a split screen of Trump holding up his bookies board on the white house lawn and a pack of King Penguins waddling about on the ice, presumably looking for a Tesla to key. Comedy gold, give whoever thought of that a bafta!

[SithHappens]

Maybe he's looking for a new home for his Navy Seals?

[Andy_Faber]

Over here, Tesla is tanking. Kellys Expat shops, who sell US and UK staple foods, are struggling to sell their American wares and are saying they will struggle even more if they have to put prices up. Thank God UK items are still selling, they say. I spent 110 in their Wassenaar store last week. Pies, sausages, Branston pickle, a dozen beers from Marston's to Greene King to Theakstones... cheddar, red lestah. Left the Cadbury fruit and nut as they are now part of the Mendelez group... Yanks. All the US owned multinationals are seeing sales decrease in store from Lays chips to Kelloggs, Quaker, Bud, Heinz. No huge amounts as yet but I suspect it will grow if Fartface doesn't reconsider.

Admirable but difficult to sustain beyond obvious US branded products. Your next flight to UK will be on an American plane powered by an American (well 50 % anyway) engine for instance. When you get here if you use a taxi you can always turn away the Tesla, chances are your next cab will be of the traditional English Taxi shape, ok made in England but all profits to Geeley from that exemplar of human rights, China.

[SithHappens]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2xey4m2ygo

[ramAnag]

so the BBC are useless then? Brilliant, cheers.

[Ramshank72]

Maybe he's looking for a new home for his Navy Seals?

Is that the tough nut seals, or the trans seals?

I think, and with no bias politically or personally, he's making a massive mistake (I don't care who leads the USA and I don't care how much of a dick they are personally) . The British Empire, the most successful and largest empire in history (fact) was built on establishing trade routes, building infrastructure agriculture and education, and exploiting cheap labour/produce... ie establishing globalisation. Whereas competitor attempts (Spanish, French, Dutch, German... etc) was built on extortion murder and pillaging.. guess which was more successful? History doesn't lie.

[MadAmster]

Admirable but difficult to sustain beyond obvious US branded products. Your next flight to UK will be on an American plane powered by an American (well 50 % anyway) engine for instance. When you get here if you use a taxi you can always turn away the Tesla, chances are your next cab will be of the traditional English Taxi shape, ok made in England but all profits to Geeley from that exemplar of human rights, China.

For about a year now I've been flying in with EasyJet on Airbus A320s made by EADS, a French/German/Spanish company. No idea who makes the Cross Country trains I use getting from BHX to Derby and back.

It's easy to cut some US goods out but not always. Off to Fuerte again at the end of May and that might be on a Boeing but that's probably a few years old and they will have had their profit out of it some time back

I'll cut out as many US goods as possible. Currently looking at switching to Signal to replace FB Messenger and WhatsApp. Going 100% away will depend on all those I want to stay in contact with also changing products.

I'll stick with Scottish single malt so they can stick their bourbon where the sun don't shine.

Also looking at moving away from Windows to a different OS. It'll take time but, until the Orang Utan in Chief has gone or he stops being such a ****, I'll be moving away from US goods and services.

[Andy_Faber]

For about a year now I've been flying in with EasyJet on Airbus A320s made by EADS, a French/German/Spanish company. No idea who makes the Cross Country trains I use getting from BHX to Derby and back.

It's easy to cut some US goods out but not always. Off to Fuerte again at the end of May and that might be on a Boeing but that's probably a few years old and they will have had their profit out of it some time back

I'll cut out as many US goods as possible. Currently looking at switching to Signal to replace FB Messenger and WhatsApp. Going 100% away will depend on all those I want to stay in contact with also changing products.

I'll stick with Scottish single malt so they can stick their bourbon where the sun don't shine.

Also looking at moving away from Windows to a different OS. It'll take time but, until the Orang Utan in Chief has gone or he stops being such a ****, I'll be moving away from US goods and services.

Ah, touche on the flights, my guess was wrong!

I?m interested in why you choose to do this wrt USA but not China? Or maybe you do

[Trickytreesreds]

Is that the tough nut seals, or the trans seals?

I think, and with no bias politically or personally, he's making a massive mistake (I don't care who leads the USA and I don't care how much of a dick they are personally) . The British Empire, the most successful and largest empire in history (fact) was built on establishing trade routes, building infrastructure agriculture and education, and exploiting cheap labour/produce... ie establishing globalisation. Whereas competitor attempts (Spanish, French, Dutch, German... etc) was built on extortion murder and pillaging.. guess which was more successful? History doesn't lie.

Stop that now, you nationalist pig. You make me sick with your flag waving and saying GB had a massive global benefit.
I hope the reparations come out your pocket

[Trickytreesreds]

Is that the tough nut seals, or the trans seals?

I think, and with no bias politically or personally, he's making a massive mistake (I don't care who leads the USA and I don't care how much of a dick they are personally) . The British Empire, the most successful and largest empire in history (fact) was built on establishing trade routes, building infrastructure agriculture and education, and exploiting cheap labour/produce... ie establishing globalisation. Whereas competitor attempts (Spanish, French, Dutch, German... etc) was built on extortion murder and pillaging.. guess which was more successful? History doesn't lie.

Stop that now, you nationalist pig. You make me sick with your flag waving and saying GB had a massive global benefit.
I hope the reparations come out your pocket

[swaledale]

Admirable but difficult to sustain beyond obvious US branded products. Your next flight to UK will be on an American plane powered by an American (well 50 % anyway) engine for instance. When you get here if you use a taxi you can always turn away the Tesla, chances are your next cab will be of the traditional English Taxi shape, ok made in England but all profits to Geeley from that exemplar of human rights, China.

Mm not quite true, Airbus selling more planes than Boeing, and planes which aren't faulty for a start. Funnily enough in the last 5 years I've only flown on an American plane once.

[swaledale]

Not gonna work though is it, the hyper rich will prevail, and although I'm all for boycotting (in general, as a statement), the current inclination towards criminal damage is embarrassing for the political movement that is driving it, especially as most of the immediate 'hurt' is on their 'own' . You talk a lot about Brexit idiots, but Tesla idiots are on a different level

Pleased to see you're missing out USA, I'm just back from a holiday there and gotta say I was pleasantly surprised in a number of ways especially as I was in an environment where I expected to encounter a constant of loud, impolite folk pushing their politics on me, and I found just the opposite with NO exceptions - thoughtful, polite, more interested in sport, music, our personal backstory and the places we visited than in pushing any worldviews at us. We'll be back, and my guess is prices will be lower all round as it seems Canadians are intending to boycott the places we visit

Regarding phone checks, well yes its something USA border control can do but recent stats suggest only 1 in 10,000 travellers are subject to such checks and the vast majority of such checks are targetted or happen as a consequence of another border check, so I think you're sensationalising there, or rather The Guardian is and you're just repeating. It's also more likely you'd be stopped (and fined) for having an apple in your hand luggage

TBH I've always found Americans to be generally polite and nice to deal with, driving even in cities is much pleasanter than here, drivers happy to allow you to cutting cross 5 lanes of traffic and generally no tailgating.

I've always avoided discussing politics or anything contentious whilst in the states, I'm too conscious of the fact that there are literally millions of guns in private ownership. What I have found, away from the main cities is a population that is incredibly ignorant of the world in general, many who have not even travelled out of state they live in all their lives and with a very narrow perspective on life.

I've travelled widely in a lot of the more remote places, so no real incentive to go there, there are other countries to visit and whislt trump is in power, they ain't getting my dollar.

Totally agree with criminal damage, no excuse for it and your correct in terms of boycotts, but that's why we are where we are today, the "consumer" must have all this stuff, most of which is the price it is because its made in China or Asia, yet bemoan the loss of jobs due to the outsourcing of manufacturing.

I'm not sensationalising anything, a friend of mine was stopped and interrogated for 3 hours, he refused however to give his phone code so they were stumped at that. I'd not disagree that the majority of those entering will not have an issue and of course thats fine unless it happens to be you.

[MadAmster]

Ah, touche on the flights, my guess was wrong!

I?m interested in why you choose to do this wrt USA but not China? Or maybe you do

I also do my bit with the Chinese. I avoid Temu like the plague. I also avoid Shein despite them being Singapore based. Like Temu they are flooding the world market with cheap tat at ridiculously low prices in an attempt to destroy local manufacturing prior to upping their prices to extortionate levels once they've destroyed the competition.

Not avoiding local Chinese restaurants though.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Or MacDonalds and coke? (puke)