It might not seem like the major issue, but the historical illiteracy of an American administration complaining that freeloading Europeans haven't done enough to militarily control the Suez Canal is quite the thing, eh?
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You are correct the USA pulled the financial plug on Britain and France because they were exercising military control of the Suez Canal. I think it was US sec of state Foster Dulles who mocked Britain saying that we had ‘lost an empire and not yet found a role.’ Seems one can’t please the Yanks.
These clowns are not just ridiculously incompetent, but due to their Republican religion, are willfully and aggressively ignorant of damn near everything. They’re perfect tools for Putin, which no doubt is one reason he began purchasing the GOP once he consolidated his throne.
Th hatred for Europe is visceral in large parts of the American right, and is the key thing they have in common with the rulers of Russia. The Kremlin hates European democracy, Mar a Lago hates European representative democracy and social market economics. All are worth defending!
To the Americana’s right Europe is the epitome of snobbish arrogant elitism. Multilingual, well read, nuanced, intellectually superior, fact based. Add to this a degree of freeloading. So everything they fear and despise.
They hate France but they hate the UK more. We can't do a deal with these people, they want to end us.
Farage should have known when he was ostracised in January? Starmer should be aware that Glasman is welcomed because of his links to Israel and McSweeney because he is an Irish Republican?
Statically you are of course right. However an American tourist in London will be met by a wide range of languages should he or she venture on the underground, and even more so on the Overground. On the continent the story is different, though of course there are still areas of monolingual groups.
Same applies on NYC subway. Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam metro too. Even public transport in my home city of Dublin now
Doesn't make US or Ireland a multi-lingual country. Though former is bilingual in reality though the English and Spanish speakers generally live different lives
It's also a bit of these US "alphas" hate the fact that European mean are more attractive to women. Better conversationalists, partners, cooks and lovers.
Yeah and it's really stupid because of course most Europeans aren't any smarter or more cultured than Americans! They think that prioritising Not Doing Wars is weak and not a result of having done wars
That’s simply not true. How many Europeans have never visited another country? How many speak only one language? European primary education is absolutely superior to Americans and college is largely free. They are definitely more educated and cultured than Americans.
As someone who has visited almost all European countries and nearly all US states, the difference is intellectual curiosity. This seems relatively less frequent in America.
Hmm that's not quite what I meant! I was just saying that there's lots of thickos everywhere. Agreed that Europeans tend to be more engaged with foreign cultures etc and US is very insular and this is bad but a lot of this is because one group has to look outwards and the other doesn't.
It’s kind of ancient history now to be fair. But I’m not really sure that the US would like for example increased French meddling in the Middle East even if they didn’t have to pay for it.
Of course not! They just hate Europe because they don’t understand it. They admire Putin and Russia, because they have perfected the corruption they aspire to. Everything else is just meaningless babble.
The UK should have taken the hint from the Suez crisis, as the French did, and never become so dependant on US defence support. Trident is an embarrassment.
And we know we will never be allowed to launch it unilaterally. We could have saved billions by painting some toilet rolls grey and pretending for all the independence in our "independent nuclear deterrent"
The UK has full operational independence, though. The only thing that can't be done independently is replace missiles or do heavy maintenance on them. So in the event of a permanent split, there'd be a 10-20 year race for a new missile or maintenance solution - very doable.
That's a reasonable policy proposal and argument. I just don't want people thinking that the UK requires US permission to use their nuclear deterrent - that's just ridiculous.
Incorrect, though commonly held, belief. The missiles come from a shared pool. This means that the missiles return to the US for periodic servicing. Everything else, from warhead to guidance data to the boats, is in-house.
The British deterrent might not be fully independent, as the French option is, but it is fully autonomous. And what has failed on test? The one bit that depends on the US; this would have impacted future procurement decisions even without Trump.
you know, that one little tidbit from the leak about USA view of Europe isn't the first time these kinds of sentiments escaped from the mouths of Americans (Obama's tenure, no?)
America needs better people in public service. Including Dems
America only ever played at being an ally as long as it suited them. You can see that all the way back to WW2. At least our eyes have been opened now. There was never any special relationship. I hope most people in power knew that.
Yadda yadda, history yadda yadda. But what have the Europeans actually done recently to make America great again?‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ ‼️ 16 exclamation marks.
Problem is that their primary audience is even thicker than they are - so they know they can spout any old crap and most of the following idiots won’t know it’s rank horseshit.
Consider that Germany wasn't allowed to re-arm until 1955 they have done quite well getting to a higher level of defense spend than England, and they don't even have a nuclear submarine fleet.
@mrjamesob.bsky.social
Like many people I've just given up expecting any sensible comments to come out of the mouths of these people. I'm desperately sorry for the further horrors that probably lie ahead for the people of Ukraine if the Trump administration continues down the path of selling out to the Russians.
The Musk/Putin/Trump America is now an authoritarian regime, not an effective, democratic administration.
A *select* cabinet of corrupt crooks and misfits are in place to divert, distract the world - while Project 25 is implemented, at breathtaking speed.
Seeing is believing. Who stops this madness?
It’s the puerile pathetic willy waving between the wide-boys, including TG, and the gravity of a situation in which they’re high-fiving each on the successful slaughter of unarmed civilians
Perhaps it’s because the victims aren’t white it matters less
I wasn't around for the Suez crisis, but didn't Britain try to maintain control through a military confrontation with Egypt and the US refused to back the UK which couldn't pull it off further cementing the decline of the British empire.
Yup, with France & Israel.
And Ike Eisenhower no less was POTUS at the time (VP, Nixon!) and he was worried about the optics of western imperialism. The irony!
Yes, socialist, secular, LGBTQI-loving liberal democracies. By and large very true and the Antichrist to the single-minded Christo fascist cult that controls the thought processes of half the American population.
Their incompetence is writ large and a symptom of their inward looking history teaching. If Americans had an ounce interest in anything but themselves maybe they’d produce and elect better more worldly rounded politicians. Mind you our crop aren’t much to write home about either.
Maybe Brits should look in the mirror before mudslinging at Yanks and their ‘inward looking history teaching’.
Anyone fancy a review of how the ‘Empire’ is dealt with in our schools?
Considering the heavy involvement of European military during the 1950's during the Suez crisis, the American administration does not know what it is talking about.
The historical background of Suez was not lost on me. Or how the French reaction to it now means that Europe might be able to rearm without US support…
To be fair, this is the same historically-illiterate VP who thinks that Britain and France ‘haven’t fought a war for 20 or 30 years’ and doesn’t know that Art. 5 has been invoked only once; to defend the USA.
Some blonde woman answering questions in the White House basically said the French should know their place as without the US they would be speaking German.
Here in the US we call her “Press Briefing Barbie”. Her name is Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary. Everything she says is either a lie or spoken out of utter ignorance.
They're coming across as a bunch of intellectually challenged high school jocks, making up for their inadequacy by bullying anyone who's not like them (wrong skin colour, girls, girly swots/nerds, etc). Picking fights with any they see as smaller and weaker, boot-licking the powerful, strong.
Also the fact that there are international and another EU specific task forces protecting shipping in that area already. this probably wasn’t all about shipping it was to stop Isreal getting targeted by drone strikes from Yemen. But military planners never told the executive as it’s too complex
If Israel wants to wage war on everyone in the region, whilst committing genocide in Palestine, it feels kind of laughable that it somehow should be protected.
Just to fact check your message. It was Israel who was attacked by Yemen and Lebanon on Oct 8, day after Israel was attacked by Gaza. It was the other countries piling in which made it a multi nation war. Israel didn't respond for weeks so others had a choice to stop. They didn't choose this
Thanks for your input. I'll be sure to bear it in mind next time I see women and children being slaughtered and America standing fully behind Israel and protecting it from the mighty Yemen.
Israelis descend to their basement shelters about twice weekly in response to rockets from Yemen. Yes, they’re not being massacred in great numbers, unlike the Gazans, but 2-3 nationwide rocket alerts per week isn’t nothing either. Too bad Hamas won’t allow Gazans into their extensive tunnels.
The houthis were not attacking anyone at this time. They were honouring the ceasefire in solidarity with Gaza. The American attack actually signposted that Israel had the Green light to break it too.
Thanks for prodding me into realising I have forgotten what little I ever knew about the Suez Crisis, so I have dug out an old BBC documentary named “Suez- a very British Crisis” and am revising my grasp of it…
It is scary to think about this truth. MAGA follows Trump so blindly because he is the personification of the God they want, a God of the Old Testament, mandating worship and smiting any opposition.
July 1987: Donald Trump visits Moscow courtesy of Intourist (KGB) travel agency
Sept 1987: He spends ~$100K on full-page ads in 3 major US newspapers to argue that America should present Western Europe & Japan with a bill for US safeguarding oil tankers in the Persian Gulf https://apnews.com/article/05133dbe63ace98766527ec7d16ede08
Donald Trump NYT ad Wed 2 Sept 1987
"There's nothing wrong with America's Foreign Defense Policy that a little backbone can't cure.
For decades, Japan and other nations have been taking advantage of the United States.
The saga continues unabated as we defend the Persian Gulf,
(continues in alt txt)
Well, I think we can all see that the current American Administration are barely literate, so I seriously doubt their education covered American history, let alone the rest of the world's
Historical illiteracy masquerading as imperial nostalgia is a defining feature of both the US and U.K. these days. Most likely why non-imperial countries are grabbing the future and doing so well.
Yes, I wonder what my late Dad would have made of the free loading Mango Mussolini and his entourage complaining about him and his peers not doing enough, stuck on the Suez Canal in the Empire’s last Hurrah (though with hindsight that was probably Brexit).
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The deal was: US protects, Europe thinks the US is great and stands for freedom, Europeans buy American products to associate with that.
But no longer. US brands, fruit to cars will suffer. Eg #tesla
The demented RW/Reform/ tory mob in the UK.
That's why they've got it in for Canadians.
Farage should have known when he was ostracised in January? Starmer should be aware that Glasman is welcomed because of his links to Israel and McSweeney because he is an Irish Republican?
In fact, far too large a proportion of Europeans are a very long way from being multi-lingual
Doesn't make US or Ireland a multi-lingual country. Though former is bilingual in reality though the English and Spanish speakers generally live different lives
It's something I've noticed with a lot of right wing American men. They are more South American in character and attitudes.
More Peron and Pinochet than Macron and Metz.
Handing out “free” money that should be being siphoned into their pockets.
Sorry for getting so naive world.
We, the US, have been conned by a bunch of rich people.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24023426.fears-warning-rotting-nuclear-infrastructure-clyde/
That's what he believed back then!
This does involve asking the French for help, the ultimate humiliation for any Englishman.
The remaining 40 or so are held by the US at Kings Bay being 'maintained' and 'serviced'.
Would Trump release them if we needed to use them against Putin?
America needs better people in public service. Including Dems
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis?wprov=sfla1
@mrjamesob.bsky.social
A *select* cabinet of corrupt crooks and misfits are in place to divert, distract the world - while Project 25 is implemented, at breathtaking speed.
Seeing is believing. Who stops this madness?
Perhaps it’s because the victims aren’t white it matters less
And Ike Eisenhower no less was POTUS at the time (VP, Nixon!) and he was worried about the optics of western imperialism. The irony!
public transport,less murders.
Happier
as the amount of people this side of the Atlantic who don't think that's a problem
Do you think we could expedite both Trump and Musk's departure from the planet if we convince them that the Canals of Mars were never debunked?
Vance's loathing of liberal Europe is poisoning American foreign policy.
I'll attach them to the tips of both my middle fingers.
That should get the message across.
My second home.
How proud you do make me!
Anyone fancy a review of how the ‘Empire’ is dealt with in our schools?
(Which he did, apparently. It’s in the records.)
I mean who asked that question.
Honest, what the..
https://bsky.app/profile/ottocr.at/post/3ll5eriq2t22k
I honestly have no idea how we can possibly trust them.
All four are viable options.
No wonder it’s rarely mentioned; total guilt, humiliation and national embarrassment…
https://youtu.be/jHx8a3Sx7Mk?...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq6E9BJcs0Y
Sept 1987: He spends ~$100K on full-page ads in 3 major US newspapers to argue that America should present Western Europe & Japan with a bill for US safeguarding oil tankers in the Persian Gulf
https://apnews.com/article/05133dbe63ace98766527ec7d16ede08
I don't think I'll ever be allowed into America ever again
"There's nothing wrong with America's Foreign Defense Policy that a little backbone can't cure.
For decades, Japan and other nations have been taking advantage of the United States.
The saga continues unabated as we defend the Persian Gulf,
(continues in alt txt)
AMANAPLANACANALPANAMA