US Politics Thread | Page 657 | Vital Football

US Politics Thread

danvilla2 said:
I was reading about this yesterday and the challenges for the EU of which there were a couple (will try and find the link if I remember where it was published). The EU had no idea this was being discussed along with France, so they’re a bit embarrassed about it all.

The English speaking countries are arming up to the Chinese, which leaves the EU countries in a difficult place. There are very different priorities and thoughts across the European capitals, as the EU isn’t a recognised defence force and some countries would rather investment in different places than sort out geopolitical issues (understandable). The article mentioned an “EU defence” system being talked about again.

Secondly, the EU are trying to build closer economic ties with the Chinese. With Britain and the US stabbing one of the biggest EU military powers in the back, it could become a difficult choice if it comes to China versus the US (though they’d obviously back the US).

The EU can’t even deal with Russia with any force or backbone, so they’re pretty powerless at present when it comes to the issue of China.
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It probably makes sense financially for EU members to have a joined defence.

The real issue for the EU is that they don't need an outward facing army. There is absolutely no threat to any of the member states. EU armies have always been set up to defend their countries from other EU members but that threat is gone now. The big scary bogeyman of Russia is never going to invade an EU member, as much as the right wing hacks wish otherwise.

So if the EU coordinates defence spending, what is this army going to do?

Most likely this army is going to go tangle itself up in African conflicts. I can't see that being a good result for anyone.
 
The US is trying to set up a NATO-style co-op for China with Japan, Australia, and India as primary cosigners. I don't know where I saw it but the US has to protect Taiwan because TSM has a near-monopoly on microchips/semi-conductors under 20nm. I think they produce like 70-80% of the world's supply and supplys are already highly constrained. Its one field where I think China is still massively lagging.

I enjoy this guys videos, listenable voice and informative stuff about regions and stupid things most people don't care about.

 
CDX_EIRE said:
The US is trying to set up a NATO-style co-op for China with Japan, Australia, and India as primary cosigners. I don't know where I saw it but the US has to protect Taiwan because TSM has a near-monopoly on microchips/semi-conductors under 20nm. I think they produce like 70-80% of the world's supply and supplys are already highly constrained. Its one field where I think China is still massively lagging.

I enjoy this guys videos, listenable voice and informative stuff about regions and stupid things most people don't care about.

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Absolutely mad the tsunami in 2004 cost nearly 1/4 million lives. The scale of that one always amazes me, as you sort of forget it and then hear it again. An ex of mine was in Sri Lanka at the time of that, went elephant riding on the day if the tsunami which took them away from the hotel, luckily
 
Interesting read, that, Mike. The two suing him are actually pro-choice, and they have done it to force the courts to nullify the law.

I suppose it will go all the way to the Supreme Court, where the 6 far right judges will dismiss the whole thing and say Texas can do what they want.
 
What do we make of the AUKUS agreement? Is it just a fancy cover to sell enormously expensive submarines to Australia?

I have to say, the Chinese are really terrible at diplomacy. If they had buttered up Trump and given him a few token concessions to take back to his base, the global economy would have continued on as it had (in their favour). Now their economy is hitting the skids and they have talked themselves into being surrounded by hostile neighbours.
 
BodyButter said:
What do we make of the AUKUS agreement? Is it just a fancy cover to sell enormously expensive submarines to Australia?

I have to say, the Chinese are really terrible at diplomacy. If they had buttered up Trump and given him a few token concessions to take back to his base, the global economy would have continued on as it had (in their favour). Now their economy is hitting the skids and they have talked themselves into being surrounded by hostile neighbours.
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I would guess the French subs are more like defensive / stay-at-home and patrol home waters type subs. The UK ones probably have a much larger range and capabilities and can protect trade routes as well as take the offensive.

What the fuck do you want with a nuclear-powered sub unless it's to protect interests further afield. To me thats an investment beyond just protecting national interests. I think you're protecting interest abroad and even international interests too.

Probably another reason its okay to pull out of Afghanistan, create a new cold war in the pacific and throw our 300MM a day keeping them from grabbing foreign territory.

Australia was concerned the conventional submarines it ordered from France would not meet its strategic needs before it canceled the multibillion defense deal in favor of an agreement with the United States and the United Kingdom earlier this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Sunday.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/19/australia/aukus-australia-submarine-deal-concerns-intl/index.html
 
HeathfieldRoad1874 said:
Remember the dodgy audit being conducted in Arizona, by a bunch of partisan Trump supporters?

Well, the results are in, and...drumroll...they found...that Biden won.

Indeed, they found that he won by a bigger margin than originally thought.

😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
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Still, it doesn't matter. Biden stole the election. Masks cause covid. The Afghanistan withdrawal was a disaster and Biden is senile.
 
BodyButter said:
Still, it doesn't matter. Biden stole the election. Masks cause covid. The Afghanistan withdrawal was a disaster and Biden is senile.
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Are you saying Biden isn't senile, because he does have some high profile senior moments and he frightens me as much as the other bugger did.
 
wittonite said:
Are you saying Biden isn't senile, because he does have some high profile senior moments and he frightens me as much as the other bugger did.
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I don't know if he is or isn't. I'm not a Biden fan boy but he hasn't put a foot wrong for me so far. Perhaps he is a dotard like the other fella but he has a great team of advisors?
 
He may have early signs of dementia, but it's hard to tell because of his stutter. It is common for this to cause your train of thought to get lost, because you are trying to avoid words you can't say.
 
He's no where near as lucid as he was 30 years ago for instance but that could all just be down to the aging process rather than dementia.
 
I was listening to a debate on LBC last week as to whether the UK should have an elected head of state to replace the Queen who she goes.


You only have to look at America for the answer, 300 million people and the best they can come up with is Biden and before him Trump.

who would we come up with Ant and bloody Dec knowing they way we vote
 
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