There's a large part of me that doesn't care - not just apathetically, but... is "discare" a word?

At the same time... well, I wouldn't mind hearing from some non-insane people on the subject.

No doubt this is going to make things worse in the US, but - other than emotionally/empathically - how much will it actually affect people in the UK and other places?

It will affect all trading and defence partners. Globally, climate change and extreme weather events will worsen as carbon is spewed with wild abandon. The U.K.'s (and Canada's, and, and) frequently supine posture before U.S. foreign policy (viz. Israel) will become more complicated. The proposed excesses of the American far right and their high tech co-pilots may inspire furriners to dabble in same. The probability of a global hot war has escalated. Other than that, nothing to worry about!

Apparently it's a Spanish thing like our word "dialling". The old phone disc I suppose. I looked that up before I realised what you were obviously getting at. 

In the short term I doubt it will mean much for us, other than more news coverage than brexit. I have some friends who have made their lives in the US. They are reasonably apprehensive. He achieved a lot last time, that Biden didn't undo. The dramatic transformation of vast parts of the judiciary to far-right loyalists, including the supreme court, is one of the more obvious changes. Lord knows why Biden didn't change it. He could have. Most of the changes are at the discretion of the president. I think it was his idea of "doing the right thing". Of course, the price of Biden's fit of conscience will fall on those least able to pay it. Twat.

However, as I said, I doubt it will mean much for us - for a while. 

Changes in intenational relationships, how another twat like Starmer and all the dumb twats around him steer things? Who knows? Tarrifs? Trade wars? Ukraine? Israel? 

I suspect the first big change for us will come if/when Trump cuts off US weapons supply to Ukraine forcing European countries to spend considerably more on defense. I think the UK needing a minimum of 75,000 more soldiers was discussed a while ago if Trump was to be elected again. His oft-repeated line about ending the war in 24 hours means him proposing at least a partial surrender to Ukraine. Whether Europe will attempt to fill that weapons gap or hope that a partial surrender of territory will placate Russia, I don't know. I would also expect Trump to attempt to remove the US from NATO fairly quickly.

There's a bunch of nonsense trade ideas he has floated that will affect us also but they will mostly harm Americans because Trump doesn't grasp how tariffs work.

Sorry for how rambling this post is and hello again everyone!

Geopolitically I think it'll be a mixed bag. It's not like Trump will be straightforwardly worse than the Dems are/would be. But broadly not much different. The president doesn't tend to have much say in foreign policy, in reality.

He may pull back from Ukraine but that's got to happen at some point anyway. Russia will lop off some territory, the west will gobble up all the remaining assets as payment for war debts and Ukraine will be the worst possible version of fucked (other than prolonging the war).

But I agree with WIlliam that the biggest danger is the judicial stuff. That's not really Trump, that's something the Republicans have been working on, openly, for decades (and the Dems have utterly failed to respond to). They realised they can bypass congress and use the judiciary to make policy. That's going to mean more ultra-conservative regressive nonsense and more culture war bullshit distracting everyone from actual politics. And we're bound to follow them down that hole like we always do.

 

I mean, yes! They've been at it forever at least since Nixon's days. One of the main movers and shakers during Trump's last presidency was Mitch McConnell. His main task seemed to be travelling the USA organising loyalist judges in local courts. It's a Republican thing that they make no effort to conceal. It's not as though Trump and McConnell even like each other, it comes naturally like supporting capital punishment and opposing public spending (sorry, I mean spending on the public. Giving billions to fellow travellers is fine).

Yup. I don't even think Trump is meaningfully Republican. I don't think he really *has* any particular politics. When he spoke about political issues pre-2016 it was always just regular middle-of-the-toad (leaving that) moderate stuff.

I think he just follows the path of most attention and has ended up here.

He has the emotional maturity of a 13-yo, like so many of his ilk. He is being used by far more sinister, and focused elements, he's their perfect vehicle, a vain, preening, empty vessel.

FWIW a friend of mine from Toronto (not Mr Smith this time) sent me this link. It's an interesting take on things and it has several things I agree with, but I can't help feeling it's a bit like the man persuading himself that his symptoms are just a virus or something: nothing bad.

 

Thanks everyone, and welcome back Jay.

CHYRON (DSMITHHFX) wrote:
> ... nothing to worry about!

Hooray! </selective-reading>