Trumps latest comment.

[Omegstrat6]

Maybe Trump's "excursion" (I'm sure he meant to say "incursion" but we all know how illiterate he can be) is the real beginning of the end for him? The war is clearly not supported by most Americans and whilst the late night tv hosts are unsurprisingly ripping into his hypocrisy and narcissism, tellingly, even the conservative media are now asking questions.

Trump is totally unable to answer the two most common direct questions that Americans and others want to answers to-what is the hard evidence of any planned Iranian attack and what are the objectives of his actions?. His response is -as expected-to berate the press for being either "stupid" or spreading "fake news" and demanding that his sycophantic head of the FCC reign them in and get them to only put out "patriotic" reports, and berate his allies for not supporting his war and failing to adhere to the NATO charter. (His grasp on history and Geography has always been poor but maybe he took one of his naps or diaper moments when he was struggling to understand what Article 5 meant?)

He can brag, lie and demonstrate ignorance over so many things but many Americans are belatedly waking up to him, especially as the vast majority are now going to be a lot worse off than they were thanks to the inevitable hike in oil prices his actions have led to. A recent FT report also indicates that many anti-regime Iranians who had openly celebrated the US/Israeli attack at first are now far more muted as they see the impact of all this ordnance on their homeland.

That higher US military advisers didn't foresee that the first thing Iran would do in retaliation would be to threaten the strait is surely inconceivable. That lessons weren't learnt from Vietnam (risking multi million dollar Phantoms against a VC on a bicycle with a rocket launcher), Iraq-especially Iraq!-or Afghanistan is similarly unbelievable. All the Intel coming out of the war in Ukraine clearly demonstrates 1) that advancements in cheap drones and robotics can be very effective even if your enemy has a lot of very expensive hi-tech weaponry and 2) that if sufficient numbers of the people you are fighting are fully committed to a cause then any victory will neither be quick nor complete. Surely those with the relevant experience would have at least tried to tell their Toddler in Chief all this, surely the world's strongest military isn't led by such moronic incompetence? Oh wait...alcoholic Pete Hegseth (the man who blew millions of tax dollars on fruit basket stands, lobster tails and select King crabs) is Trump's chosen US Secretary for War😂

It's long been known that whoever has Trump's ear last is the one he is most likely to listen to. The open resignation letter of Joe Kent, former head of US Counterterrorism, a man who served in Special Forces and the CIA and a great Trump supporter in the past, makes no bones about which voices he believes these were-Netanyahu and the pro-Zionist lobbyists.

The regime in Iran is indisputably hateful but Trumps actions -certainly egged on by Bibi-have already inflamed tensions in the region, impacted on the fuel costs for America's European allies and helped fund Putin's failing economy. Personally, I'm with those who say it's his mess, he can clear it up himself but I suspect that we will all feel the impact of his decision for some time to come.

In the meantime, Trump himself will continue to try and brag, lie and belittle his way out of this but you can already tell that he is becoming increasingly desperate to find an off ramp with the mid-terms coming up. When he does eventually find one (maybe further distractions over golden curtains and the remodelling of the East Wing/ ballroom perhaps &#128512 then I suspect that we will sadly all be involved to some extent in clearing up the mess his actions will have left behind😞

[baggieal]

Maybe Trump's "excursion" (I'm sure he meant to say "incursion" but we all know how illiterate he can be) is the real beginning of the end for him? The war is clearly not supported by most Americans and whilst the late night tv hosts are unsurprisingly ripping into his hypocrisy and narcissism, tellingly, even the conservative media are now asking questions.

Trump is totally unable to answer the two most common direct questions that Americans and others want to answers to-what is the hard evidence of any planned Iranian attack and what are the objectives of his actions?. His response is -as expected-to berate the press for being either "stupid" or spreading "fake news" and demanding that his sycophantic head of the FCC reign them in and get them to only put out "patriotic" reports, and berate his allies for not supporting his war and failing to adhere to the NATO charter. (His grasp on history and Geography has always been poor but maybe he took one of his naps or diaper moments when he was struggling to understand what Article 5 meant?)

He can brag, lie and demonstrate ignorance over so many things but many Americans are belatedly waking up to him, especially as the vast majority are now going to be a lot worse off than they were thanks to the inevitable hike in oil prices his actions have led to. A recent FT report also indicates that many anti-regime Iranians who had openly celebrated the US/Israeli attack at first are now far more muted as they see the impact of all this ordnance on their homeland.

That higher US military advisers didn't foresee that the first thing Iran would do in retaliation would be to threaten the strait is surely inconceivable. That lessons weren't learnt from Vietnam (risking multi million dollar Phantoms against a VC on a bicycle with a rocket launcher), Iraq-especially Iraq!-or Afghanistan is similarly unbelievable. All the Intel coming out of the war in Ukraine clearly demonstrates 1) that advancements in cheap drones and robotics can be very effective even if your enemy has a lot of very expensive hi-tech weaponry and 2) that if sufficient numbers of the people you are fighting are fully committed to a cause then any victory will neither be quick nor complete. Surely those with the relevant experience would have at least tried to tell their Toddler in Chief all this, surely the world's strongest military isn't led by such moronic incompetence? Oh wait...alcoholic Pete Hegseth (the man who blew millions of tax dollars on fruit basket stands, lobster tails and select King crabs) is Trump's chosen US Secretary for War😂

It's long been known that whoever has Trump's ear last is the one he is most likely to listen to. The open resignation letter of Joe Kent, former head of US Counterterrorism, a man who served in Special Forces and the CIA and a great Trump supporter in the past, makes no bones about which voices he believes these were-Netanyahu and the pro-Zionist lobbyists.

The regime in Iran is indisputably hateful but Trumps actions -certainly egged on by Bibi-have already inflamed tensions in the region, impacted on the fuel costs for America's European allies and helped fund Putin's failing economy. Personally, I'm with those who say it's his mess, he can clear it up himself but I suspect that we will all feel the impact of his decision for some time to come.

In the meantime, Trump himself will continue to try and brag, lie and belittle his way out of this but you can already tell that he is becoming increasingly desperate to find an off ramp with the mid-terms coming up. When he does eventually find one (maybe further distractions over golden curtains and the remodelling of the East Wing/ ballroom perhaps &#128512 then I suspect that we will sadly all be involved to some extent in clearing up the mess his actions will have left behind😞

Evening Omeg
I dislike Trump myself for reasons of corruption and greed but that said his popularity in the US is still around 39% which is double that to Starmer here.

Taking Trump out of the equation for a moment we can?t afford in my view to upset the US - already there are many over there saying they should pull out of NATO and what do they get in return. Many would say the rest of the NATO Allies should stick the middle finger up to Trump over Ukraine. I agree with the sentiment but along with Poland the US still contribute more support and financial aid than anyone else. If the USA left us to our own devices with Ukraine I believe Putin would advance rapidly as he sees Europe as weak and we are! We are even too scared to touch the billions of Russian assets in Brussels. The UK used to have a military strength feared by most but Christ who would come to our defence now if attacked. It took over a week for one warship to leave to help protect Cyprus and believe me our forces there are embarrassed. I know this first hand because a close family member is there flying a typhoon as Mick knows as he?s seen the photos.

We need the US on side in my view despite thoughts of Trump and whilst many would say we were right not to enter the war - the lack of oil flowing now becomes a collective problem!

This article is spot on in my view;

UK should play greater role in defending Strait of Hormuz, former MI6 chief says
The former head of MI6 says that the UK should be playing a greater role in the Iran war.
Sir Richard Dearlove says: "We have a massive economic and national interest in the Strait of Hormuz."
He explains: "We should be contributing to the security of the Strait, and maybe the Royal Navy has expertise, which would be very valuable.
"Unfortunately, it withdrew its minesweepers from there.
"We're already involved in this conflict. We can't sort of stand aside and say it's nothing to do with us. Unfortunately, it's a lot to do with us."
The government says it is currently considering how to help reopen the waterway after the Iranian regime effectively closed it to Western shipping, with threats of attacks.
The passage is a key route for oil shipments travelling through the Middle East, and has caused prices to soar.

[Albionic68]

Maybe Trump's "excursion" (I'm sure he meant to say "incursion" but we all know how illiterate he can be) is the real beginning of the end for him? The war is clearly not supported by most Americans and whilst the late night tv hosts are unsurprisingly ripping into his hypocrisy and narcissism, tellingly, even the conservative media are now asking questions.

Trump is totally unable to answer the two most common direct questions that Americans and others want to answers to-what is the hard evidence of any planned Iranian attack and what are the objectives of his actions?. His response is -as expected-to berate the press for being either "stupid" or spreading "fake news" and demanding that his sycophantic head of the FCC reign them in and get them to only put out "patriotic" reports, and berate his allies for not supporting his war and failing to adhere to the NATO charter. (His grasp on history and Geography has always been poor but maybe he took one of his naps or diaper moments when he was struggling to understand what Article 5 meant?)

He can brag, lie and demonstrate ignorance over so many things but many Americans are belatedly waking up to him, especially as the vast majority are now going to be a lot worse off than they were thanks to the inevitable hike in oil prices his actions have led to. A recent FT report also indicates that many anti-regime Iranians who had openly celebrated the US/Israeli attack at first are now far more muted as they see the impact of all this ordnance on their homeland.

That higher US military advisers didn't foresee that the first thing Iran would do in retaliation would be to threaten the strait is surely inconceivable. That lessons weren't learnt from Vietnam (risking multi million dollar Phantoms against a VC on a bicycle with a rocket launcher), Iraq-especially Iraq!-or Afghanistan is similarly unbelievable. All the Intel coming out of the war in Ukraine clearly demonstrates 1) that advancements in cheap drones and robotics can be very effective even if your enemy has a lot of very expensive hi-tech weaponry and 2) that if sufficient numbers of the people you are fighting are fully committed to a cause then any victory will neither be quick nor complete. Surely those with the relevant experience would have at least tried to tell their Toddler in Chief all this, surely the world's strongest military isn't led by such moronic incompetence? Oh wait...alcoholic Pete Hegseth (the man who blew millions of tax dollars on fruit basket stands, lobster tails and select King crabs) is Trump's chosen US Secretary for War😂

It's long been known that whoever has Trump's ear last is the one he is most likely to listen to. The open resignation letter of Joe Kent, former head of US Counterterrorism, a man who served in Special Forces and the CIA and a great Trump supporter in the past, makes no bones about which voices he believes these were-Netanyahu and the pro-Zionist lobbyists.

The regime in Iran is indisputably hateful but Trumps actions -certainly egged on by Bibi-have already inflamed tensions in the region, impacted on the fuel costs for America's European allies and helped fund Putin's failing economy. Personally, I'm with those who say it's his mess, he can clear it up himself but I suspect that we will all feel the impact of his decision for some time to come.

In the meantime, Trump himself will continue to try and brag, lie and belittle his way out of this but you can already tell that he is becoming increasingly desperate to find an off ramp with the mid-terms coming up. When he does eventually find one (maybe further distractions over golden curtains and the remodelling of the East Wing/ ballroom perhaps &#128512 then I suspect that we will sadly all be involved to some extent in clearing up the mess his actions will have left behind😞

Morning Omeg. If this was you suggesting the orange faced man baby may have a UTI then I'm inclined to agree as I imagine he probably has. It would certainly offer some explanation for much of his fuzzy thinking, irritability and generally random thought processes .

[Omegstrat6]

Morning Omeg. If this was you suggesting the orange faced man baby may have a UTI then I'm inclined to agree as I imagine he probably has. It would certainly offer some explanation for much of his fuzzy thinking, irritability and generally random thought processes .

😂Indeed 68, that might explain a few things! I was thinking more along the lines of incontinence from the other end though. Have you not seen those clips of him sitting behind his desk in the Oval office, flanked by his normal bunch of sycophants and giving a press conference when there appears to be a kind of farting noise, the woman immediately behind him screws up her face and aids very abruptly clear the press from the room? 😁

[baggieal]

😂Indeed 68, that might explain a few things! I was thinking more along the lines of incontinence from the other end though. Have you not seen those clips of him sitting behind his desk in the Oval office, flanked by his normal bunch of sycophants and giving a press conference when there appears to be a kind of farting noise, the woman immediately behind him screws up her face and aids very abruptly clear the press from the room? 😁

😂😂
On another note - I wonder whether Melania sees any action 😅

[Albionic68]

😂Indeed 68, that might explain a few things! I was thinking more along the lines of incontinence from the other end though. Have you not seen those clips of him sitting behind his desk in the Oval office, flanked by his normal bunch of sycophants and giving a press conference when there appears to be a kind of farting noise, the woman immediately behind him screws up her face and aids very abruptly clear the press from the room? 😁

.

Got be honest. No, I haven't seen or heard him Trumping along. In fairness it's very rare I ever watch his interviews. Hard to believe the future of the so called free world is in the hands of such an apparently dangerous sociopath with no qualms about how agencies within his own government close down protest.

[Omegstrat6]

Evening Omeg
I dislike Trump myself for reasons of corruption and greed but that said his popularity in the US is still around 39% which is double that to Starmer here.

Taking Trump out of the equation for a moment we can?t afford in my view to upset the US - already there are many over there saying they should pull out of NATO and what do they get in return. Many would say the rest of the NATO Allies should stick the middle finger up to Trump over Ukraine. I agree with the sentiment but along with Poland the US still contribute more support and financial aid than anyone else. If the USA left us to our own devices with Ukraine I believe Putin would advance rapidly as he sees Europe as weak and we are! We are even too scared to touch the billions of Russian assets in Brussels. The UK used to have a military strength feared by most but Christ who would come to our defence now if attacked. It took over a week for one warship to leave to help protect Cyprus and believe me our forces there are embarrassed. I know this first hand because a close family member is there flying a typhoon as Mick knows as he?s seen the photos.

We need the US on side in my view despite thoughts of Trump and whilst many would say we were right not to enter the war - the lack of oil flowing now becomes a collective problem!

This article is spot on in my view;

UK should play greater role in defending Strait of Hormuz, former MI6 chief says
The former head of MI6 says that the UK should be playing a greater role in the Iran war.
Sir Richard Dearlove says: "We have a massive economic and national interest in the Strait of Hormuz."
He explains: "We should be contributing to the security of the Strait, and maybe the Royal Navy has expertise, which would be very valuable.
"Unfortunately, it withdrew its minesweepers from there.
"We're already involved in this conflict. We can't sort of stand aside and say it's nothing to do with us. Unfortunately, it's a lot to do with us."
The government says it is currently considering how to help reopen the waterway after the Iranian regime effectively closed it to Western shipping, with threats of attacks.
The passage is a key route for oil shipments travelling through the Middle East, and has caused prices to soar.

Morning Al, hope you are good

Don't disagree with a lot of what you have posted.

The opening lines of Sun Tzu's Art of War are something like "The art of war is of ***** importance to the state. It is a matter of life or death, a road either to safety or to ruin". In other words, being able to have the capability to defend itself should be a cornerstone of any country. We ignore this advice at our peril.

The end of the Cold War and growing stability and prosperity in Europe led to a kind of complacency over military investment by many, not least the UK. There might not have been the need to maintain the same levels as at the height of the Cold War but successive governments from Labour, through the Coalition and then the more recent Conservatives have eroded our military capabilities far below any minimum requirement. We no longer have either the numbers in personnel nor hardware and, on top of that, the MoD have been guilty of squandering millions on failed or overpriced projects. It is not only embarrassing, it is dangerous. But it is hardly all down to Starmer who is trying to increase defence spending in very tough economic times.

Whilst Europe allowed its defence expenditure to dwindle (not least because it stupidly thought that post -traditional Communist Russia and China would no longer pose such a threat to them), America kept investing in its military. Their Cold War involvement in Korea and Vietnam were over but they had eyes on the Middle East particularly. They tried to sell it as them being the protectors of democracy, but really it was about protecting their own assets there (oil especially) which often meant regime change to one that they could work with. It didn't matter whether these regimes were authoritarian or not, just that they could provide stability in the region and be ones friendly to the US.

Trump was right (though his rhetoric included the normal lies and exaggerations), European NATO countries did overly rely on the US and let the Americans carry too much of the burden and costs to support the alliance. But even then there are nuances. Some multi billion US companies liked the fact that Europe was dependent on them for their weapons and their upkeep-after all, it made them money!

I totally agree that we should forge stronger defensive links with our European partners plus other allies like Canada, Australia and Japan and try and wean ourselves off our over dependence on the US. The latter, however, has more to do with the nature of Trump himself. The relationship between the UK and the US in terms of intelligence sharing and military support and co-operation is long standing and won't just disappear like that. Once Trump is out of office, many will hope for a return to a "normalisation" in the relationship of the two countrys.

As for what Dearlove says about the Strait of Hormuz, I mostly agree with him. Trumps actions have caused this mess but we cannot just say "you started it, you clear it up" and walk away because, from a pragmatic point of view, the repercussions of Trumps Ill-thought out attack will have severe economic consequences for the UK. We need to protect UK interests- but I'm with Starmer in that the caveat must remain that we are not then drawn into the broader war.

The Strait needs protecting, but the very moot point, is how exactly this can be done effectively. Trump seems obsessed with sheer military might but that does not work in many situations. While he is too stupid to realise this, Starmer is not. Trump criticises Starmer for being too weak and wanting time to consult with his team first but just what is wrong with taking a considered approach?

There are no easy solutions. To begin with the UK doesn't have the ships to send in the first place (the last mine sweeper we had in the Gulf returned for a much needed refit in late Jan) and whilst the RN does have the expertise and hybrid anti-mine technology, how do we most effectively deploy this?

Moreover, the Iranians will likely only want to use mines to close the Strait as a last option as they need the funds from allowing tankers from allies such as India to continue to operate. The more pressing issues is then how to defend slow moving tankers laden with highly explosive oil. Can we really do this simply by deploying naval escort vessels anymore? I doubt it. The war in Ukraine has shown that cheap and plentiful drones -both airborne and waterborne-can be very effective against shipping and difficult to protect against. Even small high speed power boats could be used. Warfare is changing and if Starmer has to put UK service men and women in danger surely it is only right that he properly evaluates the risks and potential gains first? Trump's hung-ho attitude might appeal to his gun toting Maga supporters but that hasn't worked out so well so far has it?

I sadly think this is going to be a far more drawn out process before any kind of stability returns to the region. Thanks Donald and Bibi!

[baggieal]

Morning Al, hope you are good

Don't disagree with a lot of what you have posted.

The opening lines of Sun Tzu's Art of War are something like "The art of war is of ***** importance to the state. It is a matter of life or death, a road either to safety or to ruin". In other words, being able to have the capability to defend itself should be a cornerstone of any country. We ignore this advice at our peril.

The end of the Cold War and growing stability and prosperity in Europe led to a kind of complacency over military investment by many, not least the UK. There might not have been the need to maintain the same levels as at the height of the Cold War but successive governments from Labour, through the Coalition and then the more recent Conservatives have eroded our military capabilities far below any minimum requirement. We no longer have either the numbers in personnel nor hardware and, on top of that, the MoD have been guilty of squandering millions on failed or overpriced projects. It is not only embarrassing, it is dangerous. But it is hardly all down to Starmer who is trying to increase defence spending in very tough economic times.

Whilst Europe allowed its defence expenditure to dwindle (not least because it stupidly thought that post -traditional Communist Russia and China would no longer pose such a threat to them), America kept investing in its military. Their Cold War involvement in Korea and Vietnam were over but they had eyes on the Middle East particularly. They tried to sell it as them being the protectors of democracy, but really it was about protecting their own assets there (oil especially) which often meant regime change to one that they could work with. It didn't matter whether these regimes were authoritarian or not, just that they could provide stability in the region and be ones friendly to the US.

Trump was right (though his rhetoric included the normal lies and exaggerations), European NATO countries did overly rely on the US and let the Americans carry too much of the burden and costs to support the alliance. But even then there are nuances. Some multi billion US companies liked the fact that Europe was dependent on them for their weapons and their upkeep-after all, it made them money!

I totally agree that we should forge stronger defensive links with our European partners plus other allies like Canada, Australia and Japan and try and wean ourselves off our over dependence on the US. The latter, however, has more to do with the nature of Trump himself. The relationship between the UK and the US in terms of intelligence sharing and military support and co-operation is long standing and won't just disappear like that. Once Trump is out of office, many will hope for a return to a "normalisation" in the relationship of the two countrys.

As for what Dearlove says about the Strait of Hormuz, I mostly agree with him. Trumps actions have caused this mess but we cannot just say "you started it, you clear it up" and walk away because, from a pragmatic point of view, the repercussions of Trumps Ill-thought out attack will have severe economic consequences for the UK. We need to protect UK interests- but I'm with Starmer in that the caveat must remain that we are not then drawn into the broader war.

The Strait needs protecting, but the very moot point, is how exactly this can be done effectively. Trump seems obsessed with sheer military might but that does not work in many situations. While he is too stupid to realise this, Starmer is not. Trump criticises Starmer for being too weak and wanting time to consult with his team first but just what is wrong with taking a considered approach?

There are no easy solutions. To begin with the UK doesn't have the ships to send in the first place (the last mine sweeper we had in the Gulf returned for a much needed refit in late Jan) and whilst the RN does have the expertise and hybrid anti-mine technology, how do we most effectively deploy this?

Moreover, the Iranians will likely only want to use mines to close the Strait as a last option as they need the funds from allowing tankers from allies such as India to continue to operate. The more pressing issues is then how to defend slow moving tankers laden with highly explosive oil. Can we really do this simply by deploying naval escort vessels anymore? I doubt it. The war in Ukraine has shown that cheap and plentiful drones -both airborne and waterborne-can be very effective against shipping and difficult to protect against. Even small high speed power boats could be used. Warfare is changing and if Starmer has to put UK service men and women in danger surely it is only right that he properly evaluates the risks and potential gains first? Trump's hung-ho attitude might appeal to his gun toting Maga supporters but that hasn't worked out so well so far has it?

I sadly think this is going to be a far more drawn out process before any kind of stability returns to the region. Thanks Donald and Bibi!

Good thanks Omeg. Starmer is only speaking about raising the percentage GDP though because the US told the Allies to get their act together. Where will Starmer find this extra 1%?
You can be sure the illegals or those on benefits will not suffer because of this😭

As you say there?s no easy solutions which is why a super power like Russia can?t defeat Ukraine. The Iran Regime are an ideology who will die until the last.

I was eyeing another trip to Dubai but will put that on hold for now.

[Omegstrat6]

Really quite a few more recent statements from Trump to choose from but I like this one from yesterday's Oval Office press conference.

"The President of the United States, Gavin Newsom, admitted that he has learning difficulties, dyslexia..uh, everything about him is...dumb" 😂😂😂

(Newson is the Governor of California who recently published a book which includes references to the difficulties he had managing with his dyslexia over the years.)

[Omegstrat6]

Morning Omeg. If this was you suggesting the orange faced man baby may have a UTI then I'm inclined to agree as I imagine he probably has. It would certainly offer some explanation for much of his fuzzy thinking, irritability and generally random thought processes .

Just been reminded of a Times Radio (affiliated with the Times newspaper group) interview with American psychologist, Dr Gartner, as part of their Trump Report on youtube. Gartner patiently explains why he believes Trump has both "malignant narcissism" and dementia and provides plenty of demonstrable evidence from Trump's own actions and words to support this view. He will only get worse, he (accurately) predicts.

To many, the above seems obvious but this YouTube clip is now four months old and yet he is still in power and the consequences of his increasingly bizarre decision making are getting ever more dangerous. Why is he still POTUS? Forget his swollen ankles, the weird marks on his hand and neck, even his rumoured incontinence, he clearly is not mentally fit for office.