Political Posts

[Red Lion]

2 hours ago, dwy000 said:

Today's the day that all our credit cards lower their interest rate to 10%.  Congratulations everyone. 

Where can I buy trump coin and djt with my credit cards?  

[cwericb]

For 2025, People in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks

 

Who is China's biggest trading partner in 2025?

In November 2025, China exported mostly to United States ($33.8B), Hong Kong ($31.1B), Vietnam ($18.3B), Japan ($14.7B), and South Korea ($12.4B), and imported mostly from Chinese Taipei ($20.3B), South Korea ($17.1B), Japan ($14.7B), Australia ($11.4B), and Russia ($10.8B).

[John Hjorth]

13 minutes ago, Gregmal said:

Probably the same as most. Amusement value.
 

There is next to nothing of material value in the politics thread, outside of some great contras.
 

Please let’s hope, that there aren’t really people here, whom think their political commentary, has any real value…..

 

Greg [ @Gregmal ],

 

That's only and lonely because of the way you're invested [primary US stock portfolio levered in the US, and [as far as I've understood, so far, perhaps I'm wrong about that] US only real estate, also on that applying US leverage].

 

I.e. : I personally don't comment on ICE doings here in this topic, because I'm a Dane, or i.e. crypto currencies outside this topic, because I'm not invested in such stuff.

[cubsfan]

17 minutes ago, cwericb said:

 

Comrade Carney?  You mean  Comrade Trump?

 

Cubs, you are blaming the wrong guy. 

Trump essentially cut Canada off from our main market. 

Therefore we have to look elsewhere for countries that want our products. 

We are not dealing with China by choice. Lay blame on the one who caused this. 

By the way, perhaps you should be referring to Comrade Trump...

Hate to confuse you with the facts but...

 

y

 

Canada, by the way is #17 on the list...........  And you have a problem woith Canada? Look in your own back yard - just more BS from the cult.

 

I really don't blame China Carney - after all, he is just following the wishes of his voters - as it should be.

 

As I have said before - the USA is fast decoupling their dependency on President Xi.  Feel free to do all your trade with the CCP - just watch your back.

 

I doubt China Carney is dumb enough to establish a military alliance with Xi - but he has not fully spelled out what he means by "strategic relationship with China".

 

But he is politically smart to feed the red meat to his Canadian base lest he lose his job.

[SharperDingaan]

54 minutes ago, cubsfan said:

I doubt China Carney is dumb enough to establish a military alliance with Xi - but he has not fully spelled out what he means by "strategic relationship with China".

 

It is pretty clear that "strategic relationship" means Chinese investment in Canadian infrastructure.

 

Build a Chinese auto plant in Canada, and you can manufacture/sell 50,000 units in Canada and export the remainder as NA content. Sure, Orange Boy doesn't want the cheap BYD cars, but lots of others do ....  and Tesla's which are also Chinese made, can now go into the US tariff free 

 

Build a mine or develop an oil reservoir in Canada, and invest in the infrastructure to get it to tidewater, and you will be allowed to export it home as a domestic producer. Whether that be o/g from the west going out the via the Pacific coast, o/g from the east going out via the Atlantic coast, or o/g from the North going out via the NW passage 

 

All of which creates employment in Canada, requires zero US involvement .... and is safe, reliable, and well trod.

 

SD

 

 

Edited January 20 by SharperDingaan

[Spekulatius]

1 hour ago, Gregmal said:

That once again, like we ve seen oh so many other times before, people whom love, just love, telling others they are crazy/in cults/etc for supposedly obsessing over Trump….going absolutely manic, obsessing over yet another subject Daddy Trump told them they need to care about….while I, myself, whom has never really given two shits about Greenland, still have…pretty much no interest in Greenland nor any of the stupid gossip and speculation about it. It is fun watching the puppets get played though! 

To be sure, if someone would come along like Trump to take away your stuff, threaten with war, you would get agitated too.

 

But maybe the frog boiling is already happening with caps on interest rates , the government taking a piece of business for free or 25% of NVDA’s China revenues.

 

What is the fundamental difference between rent control and a cap on interest rates? Philosophically and in terms of law, it’s pretty much the same thing.

 

Except people call one thing communism and the other thing MAGA economics and the greatest thing ever.

Edited January 20 by Spekulatius

[Sweet]

29 minutes ago, Spekulatius said:

To be sure, if someone would come along like Trump to take away your stuff, threaten with war, you would get agitated too.

 

But maybe the frog boiling is already happening with caps on interest rates , the government taking a piece of business for free or 25% of NVDA’s China revenues.

 

What is the fundamental difference between rent control and a cap on interest rates? Philosophically and in terms of law, it’s pretty much the same thing.

 

Except people call one thing communism and the other thing MAGA economics and the greatest thing ever.

It is funny to see the like of Bessent telling everyone to calm down and not retaliate when the guy is slapping on tariffs and threatening annexation lol.  ‘Just clam down everyone, don’t try and defend yourself and it will be ok’.

[cubsfan]

38 minutes ago, SharperDingaan said:

 

It is pretty clear that "strategic relationship" means Chinese investment in Canadian infrastructure.

 

Build a Chinese auto plant in Canada, and you can manufacture/sell 50,000 units in Canada and export the remainder as NA content. Sure, Orange Boy doesn't want the cheap BYD cars, but lots of others do ....  and Tesla's which are also Chinese made, can now go into the US tariff free 

 

Build a mine or develop an oil reservoir in Canada, and invest in the infrastructure to get it to tidewater, and you will be allowed to export it home as a domestic producer. Whether that be o/g from the west going out the via the Pacific coast, o/g from the east going out via the Atlantic coast, or o/g from the North going out via the NW passage 

 

All of which creates employment in Canada, requires zero US involvement .... and is safe, reliable, and well trod.

 

SD

 

We want what's best for Canada, China, and Europe - just not at the expense of the USA.

 

Tough to change the world order...

[Luke]

10 minutes ago, cubsfan said:

We want what's best for Canada, China, and Europe - just not at the expense of the USA.

 

Tough to change the world order...

It would be smart for Europe to control greenland and venzuela themselves to get access to these strategic positions. So no - the US is not doing whats the best for europe at all. In fact its the exact opposite - it became ever more clearer that Trump is an adversary that only serves short term selfish interests. 

[UK]

57 minutes ago, SharperDingaan said:

and is safe, reliable, and well trod.

Or: allow this and get free lift / join Maduro in his new 5 star hotel

[RichardGibbons]

Carney's speech at Davos is worth watching or at least worth reading the highlights.

 

It's pretty neat watching someone who's actually capable of playing 4-D chess sit down at the chessboard.

[cubsfan]

1 hour ago, RichardGibbons said:

Carney's speech at Davos is worth watching or at least worth reading the highlights.

 

It's pretty neat watching someone who's actually capable of playing 4-D chess sit down at the chessboard.

 

That's a damn good speech. Canadians should be proud.

[73 Reds]

21 minutes ago, cubsfan said:

 

That's a damn good speech. Canadians should be proud.

Agreed.  Very practical message.  One needn't wonder what he meant by the old "World Order" or their "old, comfortable assumptions".  The US is not defender and protector at any price. 

[Sweet]

1 hour ago, RichardGibbons said:

Carney's speech at Davos is worth watching or at least worth reading the highlights.

 

It's pretty neat watching someone who's actually capable of playing 4-D chess sit down at the chessboard.

It’s actually a good speech, better than I expected and I agree with a lot of it.

 

I have an issue though, because it was people like him that pushed a whole load of ideological bullshit on their populations and just expected us all to take it.  This is partly what gave rise to the wrecking ball that is Trump, gave rise to Brexit, and the current surge in populist parties.

They were all in on what we call ‘globalism’.  Open borders, as seen in the US and Europe, and being flooded with unauthorised migrants.  The erection of huge regulation in the pursuit of net zero which only really off-shored CO2 emissions.  The reduction in military spending and the rise of ever larger social programmes.  DEI in education and jobs, as well as pushing ‘rights’ so far that it started to stamp on the rights of others (trans people in female sports).

 

So honestly, part of me is like great, ‘moderation finally’.  The other part is ‘fuck him’, reap what you sow, you could have read this in the tea leaves 10 years ago.

 

But I do like the call for a return to common sensism.  When the political parties actually listened to their electorate.  When we agreed that immigration should be controlled.  That military spending and hard power is important.  When we knew what a man and a woman was.  These were centrist all party issues not that long ago, and people like me have been called ‘far-right’ for wanting a return that.  Late but better than never.

 

 

Edited January 20 by Sweet

[cubsfan]

7 minutes ago, Sweet said:

It’s actually a good speech, better than I expected and I agree with a lot of it.

 

I have an issue though, because it was people like him that pushed a whole load of ideological bullshit on their populations and just expected us all to take it.  This is partly what gave rise to the wrecking ball that is Trump, gave rise to Brexit, and the current surge in populist parties.

They were all in on what we call ‘globalism’.  Open borders, as seen in the US and Europe, and being flooded with unauthorised migrants.  The erection of huge regulation in the pursuit of net zero which only really off-shored CO2 emissions.  The reduction in military spending and the rise of ever larger social programmes.  DEI in education and jobs, as well as pushing ‘rights’ so far that it made no sense no more (trans people in female sports).

 

So honestly, part of me is like great, ‘moderation finally’.  The other part is ‘fuck him’, reap what you sow, you could have read this in the tea leaves 10 years ago.

 

But I do like the call for a return to common sensism.  When the political parties actually listed to their electorate.  When we agreed that immigrant should be controlled.  That military spending and hard power is important.  When we knew what a man and a woman was.  These were centrist all part issues not that long ago, and people like me have been called ‘far-right’ for wanting a return that.  Late but better than never.

 

Brilliant. 

 

And without calling him out on it - he got the message and reversed course. 

 

Totally pragmatic leadership.

[73 Reds]

3 minutes ago, cubsfan said:

 

Brilliant. 

 

And without calling him out on it - he got the message and reversed course. 

 

Totally pragmatic leadership.

Yep.  Maybe we could convince him to talk some sense into our Democratic Party or better yet, relocate here and run for election.

[cubsfan]

1 minute ago, 73 Reds said:

Yep.  Maybe we could convince him to talk some sense into our Democratic Party or better yet, relocate here and run for election.

 

Never thought of that. He would make the DNC leadership look like children.

[73 Reds]

Just now, cubsfan said:

 

Never thought of that. He would make the DNC leadership look like children.

They'd have to get a whole lot smarter and more mature to look like children.

[cubsfan]

Just now, 73 Reds said:

They'd have to get a whole lot smarter and more mature to look like children.

 

LOL - one thing you can say about the Democratic Party - there is not one pragmatic brain in the party - they have all been driven out by the lunatic wing.

[73 Reds]

1 minute ago, cubsfan said:

 

LOL - one thing you can say about the Democratic Party - there is not one pragmatic brain in the party - they have all been driven out by the lunatic wing.

I mean children usually have a natural desire to learn - especially when they make mistakes.  These clowns don't, won't and can't.

[RichardGibbons]

37 minutes ago, Sweet said:

It’s actually a good speech, better than I expected and I agree with a lot of it.

 

I have an issue though, because it was people like him that pushed a whole load of ideological bullshit on their populations and just expected us all to take it.  This is partly what gave rise to the wrecking ball that is Trump, gave rise to Brexit, and the current surge in populist parties.

They were all in on what we call ‘globalism’.  Open borders, as seen in the US and Europe, and being flooded with unauthorised migrants.  The erection of huge regulation in the pursuit of net zero which only really off-shored CO2 emissions.  The reduction in military spending and the rise of ever larger social programmes.  DEI in education and jobs, as well as pushing ‘rights’ so far that it started to stamp on the rights of others (trans people in female sports).

 

So honestly, part of me is like great, ‘moderation finally’.  The other part is ‘fuck him’, reap what you sow, you could have read this in the tea leaves 10 years ago.

 

But I do like the call for a return to common sensism.  When the political parties actually listened to their electorate.  When we agreed that immigration should be controlled.  That military spending and hard power is important.  When we knew what a man and a woman was.  These were centrist all party issues not that long ago, and people like me have been called ‘far-right’ for wanting a return that.  Late but better than never.

 

Yep, I agree with much of what you say.  (And it's not just "people like him". Carney is literally one of the people who pushed the broken ideological stuff.)

 

To me, it's almost like Maslow's Hierarchy of Need applied to nations. It's like, after the Cold War ended, Western nations had successfully achieved the "Esteem" level--they were respected, free, and strong, with no real threats against them. And the citizens themselves were generally prosperous.

 

So then they decided to tackle the "Self-Actualization" level, deciding what made a nation "good". The ended up allowing academics to define "good", academics who had built careers viewing the world through a Marxist lens--the idea that human interactions are primarily about one party oppressing another. This is a pretty insane idea to any human who's actually interacted with another humans, but governments seemed to run to it because they had nothing better to do, it fulfilled "self-actualization", and it helped them villainize groups in a way that would get politicians elected.

 

What the politicians didn't really understand was that that particular road to self-actualization wasn't just virtue signalling. And, as a side-effect they basically tore down the things that made the other levels possible. So, societies are starting to see their hierarchy of needs collapse, and the electorate just wants to shore things up again. Hence, as you say, a move toward common sensism.

[cubsfan]

9 minutes ago, RichardGibbons said:

 

Yep, I agree with much of what you say.  (And it's not just "people like him". Carney is literally one of the people who pushed the broken ideological stuff.)

 

To me, it's almost like Maslow's Hierarchy of Need applied to nations. It's like, after the Cold War ended, Western nations had successfully achieved the "Esteem" level--they were respected, free, and strong, with no real threats against them. And the citizens themselves were generally prosperous.

 

So then they decided to tackle the "Self-Actualization" level, deciding what made a nation "good". The ended up allowing academics to define "good", academics who had built careers viewing the world through a Marxist lens--the idea that human interactions are primarily about one party oppressing another. This is a pretty insane idea to any human who's actually interacted with another humans, but governments seemed to run to it because they had nothing better to do, it fulfilled "self-actualization", and it helped them villainize groups in a way that would get politicians elected.

 

What the politicians didn't really understand was that that particular road to self-actualization wasn't just virtue signalling. And, as a side-effect they basically tore down the things that made the other levels possible. So, societies are starting to see their hierarchy of needs collapse, and the electorate just wants to shore things up again. Hence, as you say, a move toward common sensism.

 

Brilliant.... 2 in 1 day.

[Spekulatius]

2 hours ago, RichardGibbons said:

Carney's speech at Davos is worth watching or at least worth reading the highlights.

 

It's pretty neat watching someone who's actually capable of playing 4-D chess sit down at the chessboard.

Yes, I agree as well. One of the best speeches from a politician that I am aware of this decade. And He is not just talking but doing the right things. Canada is lucky to have him.

 

Europe should take notice. They also should do things together.

Edited January 20 by Spekulatius

[Spekulatius]

Pretty good analysis from Anders Puck Nielsen. I think he right that you cannot work with Trump trying to appease him. It might work short term but lead  to more trouble long term. Just like trying to appease to a bully , it just doesn’t work. I think other politicians will figure it out. Trump is a one trick pony in many respects.

 

[DooDiligence]