andyscripture.bsky.social
Rugby, F1, playing guitar and choral singing (yes, really). Proud husband, dad and granddad, happily retired and living in Spain.
157 posts
39 followers
48 following
Active Commenter
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Your point was about US internal politics, which is a matter for them. We obviously need to address the Trump/MAGA issue insofar as it impacts the UK and the rest of the world, but the US was crazy/stupid enough to elect him, so they will have to deal with it there.
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They voted Trump in. No matter how awful we think he is, he was democratically elected. It's for them to sort it out.
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Therein lies the biggest issue - many people like to grasp for the simplest explanation/solution to big, complex problems. It's easier than researching, understanding and appreciating the real problems and their nuances. It's then hard for them to recant when they are proved wrong. Look at Brexit.
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Howling at the moon
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Any chance of it being streamed or on Zoom? I'd love to see it but the travel might prove awkward 😁
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👍 Don't get me started on that! It drives me crazy
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Thanks. Tbh, the standard of living is a lot to do with sensible property prices (I'm well away from cities, so we don't have that problem), and food and drink quality and prices (we live simply anyway). Quality is down to lovely people and the climate. I think that cities would be different.
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Nothing is perfect, but as an immigrant into Spain I can only say that my quality of life and standard of living are way higher than they were in the UK.
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Quite apart from the immorality of the policy, the actions of the lickspittle companies affords enlightened employers the advantage of a bigger pool of talent, ie those who have been overlooked in favour of less well-qualified male, white, straight etc candidates. That's a big competitive advantage.
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What's the word for a kakistocracy that's also a kleptocracy? Because that's what the US has now.
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Apart from money, I do wonder whether Trump's world view is of 3 powers (US, Russia and China) carving the world up between them and agreeing to leave each other alone. He is a dictator, no more, no less.
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Agreed, but although Russia is basically a 3rd world country with nuclear weapons, it has plenty of people to feed into the meat grinder that is war, and should the US aid them with weapons or, more probably, technology, there could be a problem.
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An interesting outcome would be if the US and Russia came to an agreement and Ukraine and the rest of Europe ignored it. The US would probably stop providing weapons, but would they actively support Russia? I fear that they might.
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From this side of the pond, a widely-held view (which, sadly, I share) is that the US is in a death spiral, and it's just a question of how badly the rest of the world gets screwed as a result (again, sadly, I fear it will be very bad).
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The states can't compete with Musk's money
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If these people voted for Trump, I have no sympathy whatsoever, as they were quite happy for him to do dreadful things (which he said he would) so long as it was to others and not them. He told them himself what he was like.
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Kindly leave the stage.
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And there you have it. The last piece needed to ensure the dictatorship. America - home to my family from 1642 until my dad moved to Britain - your supine, cowardly politicians, aided by lickspittles and a bought and paid for SCOTUS, have brought you here. God help you now.
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It is pretty staggering
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Could it have been a dead cat speech, intended to deflect from the awful goings-on in respect of the attempt to dismiss the Eric Adams corruption prosecution?
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Desperate actions from a once-great newspaper, presumably the doing of Tony Gallagher.
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They perhaps should have looked at the history of 'Danegeld' in what is now Great Britain. And maybe read Kipling's poem with the same title.
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They are, but when dictators are put under pressure by the people, they have a habit of demonising someone else and starting wars to deflect attention.
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As with any iteration of Game Theory, or "Prisoners' Dilemma", if they stick together and refuse, they prevail. If they stick together and agree to comply, shame on them. Look at what happened to Vidkun Quisling and the fact that his name is synonymous with cowardice and treason.
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I really hope you're right, but as he owns SCOTUS, he's in a good position to do anything he wants and have them say that he's in the right - and even if he isn't, he's immune from prosecution. And in the unlikely event that they ruled against him, who would physically stop him?
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You'd have thought that politicians would have learned from lousy legislation being enacted in the past.
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It's today's paper, so my guess is that she or those who brief her saw an opportunity, but failed to look much further than the headline.
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Very predictable. Trump is king.
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Hmm...
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Absolutely
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The thing is, although ill-advised and thoroughly incompetent, she isn't totally stupid, and nor are Philp, Stride et al. This means that they are simply lying in order to try to attract what they see as their voter base. They disgust me.
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Well, given that Trump owns SCOTUS, I really wonder how this will pan out
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Trump doesn't care - he'll completely ignore the law and the Constitution because he owns SCOTUS, so as checks and balances no longer work, you have to decide what you are prepared to do to keep your liberty. As an outsider, it strikes me that each state needs to act independently, and consider 2A.
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Do people not understand? It's over. Trump will ignore the law, Constitution and Congress, and there is literally nothing to stop him. The supine, lickspittle Republicans allowed him to take office and they are now irrelevant. The US is now just a wealthier Russia. Americans - you did this. Own it.
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From this side of the world it looks like the USA has become a kleptocracy, enabled by a supine Congress. It seems worse than post-Soviet Russia and I have no idea what to expect: acceptance, revolution or civil war - nothing would surprise me.
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I wonder how many Trump supporters actually understand the nature of tariffs, who pays and how it affects the consumers? (My US friends and relatives tell me that the general view is that the foreign manufacturer pays. Cue the shocks).
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Also - and I appreciate that neither of us are US citizens - what would you do if your state was invaded? Fight back or roll over?
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Martial law where? In a state where the NG resist them? If the state is resisting federal overreach, the state is surely within its rights to resist? And if the federal government 'invades' (which is what it would be) I wonder what the other states would do?
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Ha! Of course he wouldn't be a hypocrite, would he? 🙄
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Ah, I didn't realise that. I'm aware of Musk buying votes and the use of social media to undermine the election, but that just plays to the voters' stupidity, bigotry or greed; theystill vote willingly. I wasn't aware of rigging.
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Or 'immigrants', as they should properly be known
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He is a dictator and told everyone before the election that he would be. It would be secession, but is that unlawful?
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Also, I think that Hungary and Turkey are slightly different - they rigged the elections, but the US willingly and knowingly elected a dictator via a legitimate election. Much worse.
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Hence my question regarding the National Guard. If there are state governors willing to defend their states, the picture might change. Not all will, obviously, but it might have an effect
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Presumably you'd like those in state office to do something. Just because they can't do everything doesn't mean they shouldn't do anything. The alternative is to complain from the sidelines and let the bad guys prevail.
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The governor of Illinois has taken the first steps...
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I'm no expert on the US Constitution, but wouldn't this be the reason for 2A (and not to allow the widespread ownership of assault weapons)? If so, can a state governor mobilise the National Guard to resist federal incursion if he/she refuses to abide by Trump's dictatorial edicts?
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As someone with many American friends and family, it saddens me to say that the US people not only elected a king, but one who told you beforehand what he was going to do. He is above the law. He is the law. I fear that the Constitution will be changed and a dynasty established.