leicsmac

Sadly, barring a massive degree of societal change in direction, I can offer no compelling evidence to the contrary there. Accurate.

Fair to say, though I wouldn't underestimate the degree of inequality that exists within the first world alone, as well.

That's fair - there's far more money and resources wasted on "defense", for instance. It does all however seem so very vapid, though.

Speaking personally, I think it's absolutely fine to get a bit annoyed at people so privileged and shallow that the biggest concern they appear to have in their lives is "what am I going to wear so the sycophantic press and peers will suck up to me?" when vast swathes of our species struggle to even satisfy the lowest part of Maslows Hierarchy.

I hope that you're right on this one. There may be too many people that dislike Trump for good egotistical bombast but are perfectly fine with a lot of his policy base.

Somewhat scarily, they might think (and might have reason to think) that is enough to get elected in the current political climate.

Right. We're not in the middle of a global biodiversity extinction event and public services aren't being critically underfunded to the point of choosing lives, is it?

The VE Day parades are impressive. There's a lot of messaging about remembering so such horrors that were witnessed eighty years ago would never happen again, but I don't think that's the real problem - it's the people who do remember and want to repeat it because this time, they think their ideology will win.

Certainly, but then I think that the degree of consequences that I'm referring to (viz. anywhere from very bad to utterly absolute) means whoever is left behind won't be either too discerning or too reticent about handing out blame.

... and as an addendum to this, should the worst happen as a result of those bad faith actors having power (as it may well), then it's not only those bad faith actors who will be held responsible for all the pain and suffering that ensues.

... does the incel intern running that account know what a red lightsabre means?

March and April rainfall for the UK at mostly less than 50% and in a lot of places lower than 30% average. Might be another tough season for farmers and those that rely upon them.

Zhao overruns a pot and then has a fly or somesuch buzzing around him and misses the next shot. The snooker gods sometimes have a sense of humour.

...how badly do some people want the world to burn in the same of their own self-interest?

The official White House Twitter account is like an edgy teenage incel being as offensive as he can to piss people off. Where is any kind of decorum, or even the appearance of it?

Ah, yes. And only then when the subject is not likely to retaliate in any withering way.

Yes, there's a reason decapitation strikes are frowned upon by practically all nations.

I really hope that you're right in that's how it plays out. I mean the ones trying to put a veneer of respectability on it, possibly for the benefit of audiences outside the US (rather than the hardcore ones who wouldn't bother as you say, they're totally at home with the human cost of what he's doing).

People who like to carry water for him by saying things like "it's not that bad, you're overreacting" might be. Giving him a lot of the benefit of the doubt by implying there's even that much of a plan tbh.

On the subject, the proposed Trump budget plan: - State Department: -84% - National Science Foundation: -56% - EPA: -54% - HUD (housing): -44% - Labor: -35% - Interior: -30% - Health & Human Services: -26% - NASA: -24% - Education: -15% And here’s what gets a boost: - Defense: +13% ($113 billion more) - Homeland Security: +65% (+$42 billion) Everything from science, housing, health, and the environment slashed, while the military-industrial complex cashes in.

You make a strong case here. I guess we'll see how the landscape is in a couple of years, but if Reform do remain as popular with the GE coming up I do think that angle should be pursued then, particularly if Trump (as he no doubt will) has caused a great deal of damage by then.

That makes sense, the environment is better for it. Here's hoping that you're right on that one.

Hopefully so, but I fear that's an ongoing thing - for a while the UK had such a positive consensus on that matter, but now that looks on very shaky ground.

On the topic: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4vz9jed5lo Hardcore nationalist getting pissy that nation with history of that nationalism and how badly it ends understands that and takes measures to safeguard against it.

But in all reflection on the above, big congratulations to Albanese. Like in Canada, the more Anglosphere/OECD nations reject hardcore nationalists, the better.