World Reacts to Trump's "****hole Countries" Remark

[Batman]

£20 tell me what to bet it on....I've had a good weekend.

Charity of your choice....women's shelter or something.

Hey great idea, but your choice, it's your money.

Honestly, I wouldn't bet. I think it's 50/50 and that what people tell polling and what they actually end up doing are two different things these days.

[Svensson]

"Populism".....that's the word leftists use for democracy when they lose.

Not really in this case. Populism is about the concerns of the common man. Trump is talking populism but his actions are about his billionaire mates, his lunatic logic denying and common sense defying friends and above all, himself.

Tell me Director, why do you think he feels the need to lie about almost everything and on a daily basis?

Cheers.

[Svensson]

and besides, "populism", is not a left vs. right political idea. "populism" on its own is simply stating whose concerns should be a priority but it has in he past taken many different guises.

The Russian populism if 1917 blamed the Tsar for the country's decline and loss in the war and worked to overthrow the ruling elite from the left. The German Populism in 1932 blamed the Weimar Republic for not being able to recover from the 1923 hyperinflation and the 1928 financial crisis and worked to overthrow the ruling elite from the right. The first resulted in a communist dictatorship, the latter in a fascist dictatorship. So "Populism"'s track-record has its blemishes (understatement of the year) and is ideologically flexible.

Therefore, your statement that "Populism".....that's the word leftists use for democracy when they lose." is demonstrably not correct.

[MrBarnett]

and besides, "populism", is not a left vs. right political idea. "populism" on its own is simply stating whose concerns should be a priority but it has in he past taken many different guises.

The Russian populism if 1917 blamed the Tsar for the country's decline and loss in the war and worked to overthrow the ruling elite from the left. The German Populism in 1932 blamed the Weimar Republic for not being able to recover from the 1923 hyperinflation and the 1928 financial crisis and worked to overthrow the ruling elite from the right. The first resulted in a communist dictatorship, the latter in a fascist dictatorship. So "Populism"'s track-record has its blemishes (understatement of the year) and is ideologically flexible.

Therefore, your statement that "Populism".....that's the word leftists use for democracy when they lose." is demonstrably not correct.

Historically, maybe, but that's how it's being used now. Have you been on a long holiday?

[Svensson]

no, but maybe I wish I was....


actually, just to "double-down", the current UK populism manifests itself in Jeremy Corbyn's left-wing takeover of the Labour party. If he wins the next election, the UK right (Tory party) could probably complain that "Populism" has lost them a democratic election.

[Robert]

I'm no fan of Corbyn, but it seems to me that the current debates among politicians over such things as nationalisation or Brexit are just the kinds of debates that a democracy should be having. It also seems to me that the Blairite wing of the Labour Party doesn't have the stomach for the fight. This includes the Blairite voters who, if they wanted, could take out Labour Party membership and outvote the far left members.

As for the Tories, before standing in an election Tory candidates must undergo a medical checkup and, if a backbone is found, it has to be surgically removed before they can stand.

[Batman]

When a far-left pinko is needed to save Britain from itself, that just goes to show how much of a mess Brexit actually is.

[Robert]

Brexit isn't a mess, but our political class is.

[Svensson]

Brexit has't happened yet, so we will have to wait and see how much of a mess it is. However, according to BoJo we should be in this mess "with confidence"

[Robert]

BoJo is a Johnny-come-lately. He together with most Tory MPs was perfectly happy to ride along with the EU until Cameron thought he saw a chance to put Brexit to bed for all eternity by holding another referendum. This Cameron lost and, despite his promise to stay on to handle the withdrawal, he scarpered like the liar he is. We now have an even worse liar handling the negotiations.

Corbyn meanwhile would dearly love to leave the EU, because he knows the EU would never permit him to do the things he wants to do. However, he is trying to be all things to all men.

[Batman]

BoJo is a Johnny-come-lately.

Corbyn meanwhile would dearly love to leave the EU, because he knows the EU would never permit him to do the things he wants to do. However, he is trying to be all things to all men.

BoJo couldn't even solve playing rugby with a kid let alone Brexit. He, like May, has also had two years and listen to what his pal Davis said last week or so... that "all negotiating points will be solved in the last 40 seconds". Well, now we know what he was doing it all along. Oh yeah and look at Reese-Moog who claimed he solved the N.Ireland problem months back.

They are a joke. They never had a plan. They never could keep their promises. They even want to leave the bar and drinks they had and ordered and let everyone else pay for them... and still do business with the same bar again. Also after Brexit, they won't be able to play the EU blame game anymore.

You are exactly right. Corbyn is so far left that the EU wouldn't even recognize his politics and personally he would probably want to stay out of the EU, but Labour seems to have gotten a leash on his far leftist ideas by making sure he carries out whatever they vote for him to carry out. I think Corbyn would abandon his far left ideas to be in power and that is sort of what he seems to be doing. However, we all suspect that if we turned our backs he would whip out a hammer and sickle while wearing a big red cape.

[Limehouse]

BoJo couldn't even solve playing rugby with a kid let alone Brexit. He, like May, has also had two years and listen to what his pal Davis said last week or so... that "all negotiating points will be solved in the last 40 seconds". Well, now we know what he was doing it all along. Oh yeah and look at Reese-Moog who claimed he solved the N.Ireland problem months back.

They are a joke. They never had a plan. They never could keep their promises. They even want to leave the bar and drinks they had and ordered and let everyone else pay for them... and still do business with the same bar again. Also after Brexit, they won't be able to play the EU blame game anymore.

You are exactly right. Corbyn is so far left that the EU wouldn't even recognize his politics and personally he would probably want to stay out of the EU, but Labour seems to have gotten a leash on his far leftist ideas by making sure he carries out whatever they vote for him to carry out. I think Corbyn would abandon his far left ideas to be in power and that is sort of what he seems to be doing. However, we all suspect that if we turned our backs he would whip out a hammer and sickle while wearing a big red cape.

Hi Batman, I agree with most of what you have written don't agree that Corbyn is 'so far left'.

He appears to be far left because politics has slowly marched much further to the right than at any time I can remember (and I am 61).

If you look at his policies, they are pretty mid-stream. He wants to nationalise the railways - so do plenty of Tories. He wants to leave the EU - so do plenty of Tories. He wants to build social housing - so did Harold McMillan.

Certainly, he's left of centre - and he makes Blair look like a true blue Tory but he's far from the radical that is portrayed in the media.

[Limehouse]

I'm no fan of Corbyn, but it seems to me that the current debates among politicians over such things as nationalisation or Brexit are just the kinds of debates that a democracy should be having. It also seems to me that the Blairite wing of the Labour Party doesn't have the stomach for the fight. This includes the Blairite voters who, if they wanted, could take out Labour Party membership and outvote the far left members.

As for the Tories, before standing in an election Tory candidates must undergo a medical checkup and, if a backbone is found, it has to be surgically removed before they can stand.

An excellent post!

[John G]

I'm curious as to what electoral promises Trump has delivered on. Thus, on universal healthcare he said in 2015, "I'm going to take care of everybody. I don't care if costs me votes or not...The government is going to pay for it." I might be wrong but I don't think that socialised healthcare pledge has been fulfilled.

What about immigration? He pledged to build a wall, which Mexico was going to pay for. Where exactly is this wall? How much have Mexico contributed to the cost? Why is the Trump administration deporting far fewer illegals than Obama's? https://www.usnews.com/news/data-min...on-under-trump

On taxes, he said he believed in raising taxes on the wealthy, "including myself", and then proceeded to give himself a huge tax cut.

He also said he would, "choose the best people." However, those "best people" include an Attorney General, who Trump himself described as "scared stiff and missing in action", a staff secretary who was accused by both his ex wives of domestic violence and, most recently, a judge accused of being a rapist!

Oh dear!

[Batman]

Like a well-oiled machine!