Trump Re Ukraine

[Justin Passing]

Why is Trump so disliked in the UK?

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem.

For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace - all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.

So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing - not once, ever.

I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility - for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.

But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is - his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.

And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults - he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It?s all surface.

Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront.

Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul.

And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist.

Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that.

He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat.

He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully.

That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.

There are unspoken rules to this stuff - the Queensberry rules of basic decency - and he breaks them all. He punches downwards - which a gentleman should, would, could never do - and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless - and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority - perhaps a third - of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think 'Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy? is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

* Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

* You don't need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.

After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of ****. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum.

God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid.

He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart.

In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws - he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish:

'My God? what? have? I? created?

If being a **** was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set."

"A few things spring to mind"
Didn't spring you your mind, did it, you're just parotting some facebook hero called Morag.

 

[Justin Passing]

there is a solution to the threats Trump is making about withdrawing USA support

when the war started in Feb 2022, Europe froze Russian assets..........there are currently $287b held in banks, Europe could release those funds and give them to ukraine to continue financing the war

I heard something on R4 to the effect that "EUrope" - whoever that was intended to mean I don't know - is already using the interest payments from those billions to pay for the loans (not grants, like from the usa) used to supply Ukraine with arms.
So it appears to unavailable.

 

[Notch7]

I heard something on R4 to the effect that "EUrope" - whoever that was intended to mean I don't know - is already using the interest payments from those billions to pay for the loans (not grants, like from the usa) used to supply Ukraine with arms.
So it appears to unavailable.

yes thats correct -theyve been able to grant permission to use the interest.

here is Bill browder, anti corruption campaigner, who is the head of the Magnitsky Global Justice Campaign talking about the possibilities of using the frozen assets

Bill Browder has been been talking to European leaders about this and there is some momentum in that direction

 

[Notch7]

"A few things spring to mind"
Didn't spring you your mind, did it, you're just parotting some facebook hero called Morag.

Do you agree with the following:

Trump has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace

or do you think Trump is a man of integrity and honour?

 

[denso13]

(not grants, like from the usa)

Trump wants his $350m of grants (made up figure) paid back in rare earth minerals. He has demanded that Zelensky signs the agreement.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

I heard something on R4 to the effect that "EUrope" - whoever that was intended to mean I don't know - is already using the interest payments from those billions to pay for the loans (not grants, like from the usa) used to supply Ukraine with arms.
So it appears to unavailable.

It was also mentioned on the QT Ukraine special last night. One of the audience who spoke was a young woman whose parents are still living near the front line. She broke down whilst trying to speak.

The reality of war.

It disgusts me. And, although it's what needs to happen and they are the people tasked with doing it, it also disgusts me seeing our incompetent leaders flying here there everywhere for meeting after meeting, serious tone engaged to camera, point with thumb not index finger, 'we are committed to ...' meanwhile innocent citizens die, or are left as the sole survivor of their family, etc.

 

[denso13]

meanwhile innocent citizens die, or are left as the sole survivor of their family, etc.

Pootin is the only one who can fix this, and today if he wanted to. Others can only express their disgust, in reality there is nothing much they can do about it.

 

[Sunshine32]

Either Zelensky takes the deal or the war is escalated.

 

[denso13]

Sell the rights to Europe, Russia and China. Negotiate with Pootin on where the borders should be and stuff the orange ****.

 

[Sunshine32]

Sell the rights to Europe, Russia and China. Negotiate with Pootin on where the borders should be and stuff the orange ****.

Only China and the US can really handle Russia. Europe aren't really in the game in my mind.

 

[Notch7]

Either Zelensky takes the deal or the war is escalated.

if Zelensky takes the deal Putin will rebuild his military and in a few years we will see him invade Moldova, the Baltic states as well as expand in Ukraine.

surrendering to Putin how will escalate the war further


how do we know this?

A = history

 

[Notch7]

Only China and the US can really handle Russia. Europe aren't really in the game in my mind.

so the answer is for America to step up and support getting Putin out of Ukraine

but that wont happen because Trump is an ally of Putin

its funny how the Trump / Reform / Brexit supporters are now all on Putins side

 

[denso13]

Only China and the US can really handle Russia. Europe aren't really in the game in my mind.

Irrelevant when handing out mineral rights. Trump should be told to do one.

 

[Sunshine32]

so the answer is for America to step up and support getting Putin out of Ukraine

but that wont happen because Trump is an ally of Putin

its funny how the Trump / Reform / Brexit supporters are now all on Putins side

The US has to make Putin a frenemy in my mind because the bloke cannot be handled in any other way.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Only China and the US can really handle Russia. Europe aren't really in the game in my mind.

We need to get ourselves in the game. Ex top military guy on QT last night said UK, over past 30 years (so under both political parties), has depleted our defences and spent the cash elsewhere.

Now we, and EU countries, have been caught napping and we'll have to play catch up and quick.

Meanwhile, we have Starmer et al. saying 'we're committed to looking at an increase to 2.5%' or whatever. When? After how many years? Will there be a task force set up to look at this? Delivering a report in 2030 about whether or not 2.5% is achievable?

Joke, complete joke.