General News Thread

[Jattdogg]

10 minutes ago, WigstonWanderer said:

If Trump does what he says he’ll do and adds initially 10% tariffs upping it to 25% later, there won’t be much choice, as goods from the UK, etc won’t be able to compete and exports to the US will dry up anyway.

 

Appeasement won’t work with Trump. He’s a bully and will always come back for more. Give him your lunch money and he’ll be back tomorrow for your trainers and phone.

 

Canada has the right idea. The rest of the democratic world needs to say whatever, flatter him, etc, but work as rapidly as possible to increase trade between themselves and isolate the US, at some stage imposing reciprocal tariffs. Increasingly, if we have to deal with autocracies, China is looking like a much more pragmatic, technocratic, stable and reliable trading partner.

Fully agree. I know its not ideal for us Canadians right now but we are fooked if we do, fooked if we dont so stick with reliable allies and partners. Constant shifting of the goal posts isn't helping anyone.

Edited 20 January by Jattdogg

[Foxdiamond]

26 minutes ago, danny. said:

The same lone nut that the CIA was closely monitoring for months before the assassination and who lied about ever doing that for decades before, and who were caught out last year. Yea, must be a tin foil hat nutter to believe anything other than the official narrative there. 

The same nut that tried to kill General Walker, killed JP Tippet and tried to pull out a gun to shoot a police officer when arrested in the cinema.

[WigstonWanderer]

On 18/01/2026 at 17:22, leicsmac said:

From what I can tell his current line of thought is "steady on old chum, I like you and what you're doing but what you're doing right now doesn't make it easy for my popularity".

To which Trump would say “sorry, who are you again?”

[st albans fox]

8 hours ago, Sampson said:

I remember an old Hardcore History podcast from the pre-2016 populist era where Dan Carlin was wondering whether the reason people liked to believe conspiracy theories is it is more comforting and conversely makes the world feel safer if you think there’s some secret at the top planning it all rather than it’s all just random chaos’s that could change tomorrow.

 

It was in reference to the assassination of JFK and saying for a lot of people he thought thinking it was a planned conspiracy of high up people from the shadows is more comforting and weirdly feels safer than just one random nutter with a gun can just completely change the direction of the world in a few seconds like that.  
 

I think this “Trump is playing 4d chess” stuff is much more comforting and makes people feel safer to think there’s genuinely planning behind the world. Rather than the scarier and much more chaotic alternative that it genuinely is just an 8 year old child - but instead of crying that hes not allowed sweets before bedtime, he’s smashing up the world order and an 80 year alliance apart just because he didn’t get a meaningless prize that its clear to most people would’ve been a farce if he’d won it.

I don’t think he has the mental capacity to play 4 D chess 

but he sometimes gets lucky 

 

someone described his negotiating technique as being akin to lobbing a bomb into a room and then seeing who was left to talk to - very much one step at a time without much forward thinking whatsoever. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

Da, da, comrade Trump.

 

In case you doubt Trump isn't in Putin's pocket...

 

'Europe is at a total loss': Russia gloats over Greenland tensions - BBC News

 

https://share.google/2KqXZvz9SCD5mbLxa

 

[Lionator]

37 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

Da, da, comrade Trump.

 

In case you doubt Trump isn't in Putin's pocket...

 

'Europe is at a total loss': Russia gloats over Greenland tensions - BBC News

 

https://share.google/2KqXZvz9SCD5mbLxa

 

He isn’t and long term US stationing missile defence on Greenland is a massive threat to Russia as it would destroy strategic nuclear parity (which is actually incredibly dangerous). 
 

But Putin will probably be out of power then and they’re just soaking in the European leaders completely humiliating themselves 

[Lionator]

7 hours ago, Jattdogg said:

Fully agree. I know it’s not ideal for us Canadians right now but we are fooked if we do, fooked if we dont so stick with reliable allies and partners. Constant shifting of the goal posts isn't helping anyone.

I’m surprised how competent Carney seems. Most countries are a basket case at the moment but he seems like the right one for the moment. Cosying up to China isn’t ideal BUT they’re the second most powerful country on earth, they’re power projection is soft not hard (for now) and Xi is an honest, reliable geopolitical operator. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

NATO should send combined troops "on training manoeuvres" in Greenland.

 

Or, at least those NATO countries that aren't USA. Pretty sure Canada would be up for it.

[Bellend Sebastian]

There's a lot going on in this and I am absolutely not saying he's right, but it's interesting all the same. Apologies if already posted:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/18/tech-ai-bubble-burst-reverse-centaur

[Lionator]

44 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

NATO should send combined troops "on training manoeuvres" in Greenland.

 

Or, at least those NATO countries that aren't USA. Pretty sure Canada would be up for it.

That would only make things even more dire 

[kenny]

8 hours ago, Super_horns said:

Looks like all isn’t well in the Beckham household.

 

Obviously a big family feud being played out in public and the press will love it all

Reminds me of the Ramsays but in reverse. Ironic that the 2 families are close.

 

The Beckhams should have sent their boy to marry someone famous but with less money like the Ramseys, it would have been better for their brand to have gained a famous DIL for their social media empire.

[Jon the Hat]

3 minutes ago, kenny said:

Reminds me of the Ramsays but in reverse. Ironic that the 2 families are close.

 

The Beckhams should have sent their boy to marry someone famous but with less money like the Ramseys, it would have been better for their brand to have gained a famous DIL for their social media empire.

He obviously doesn't want to play along with Brand Beckham PR anymore, and that is his choice as a grown man.  Clearly his mum and wife don't get on, and that is not much fun.

[Trav Le Bleu]

19 minutes ago, kenny said:

Reminds me of the Ramsays but in reverse. Ironic that the 2 families are close.

 

The Beckhams should have sent their boy to marry someone famous but with less money like the Ramseys, it would have been better for their brand to have gained a famous DIL for their social media empire.

Not sure how Chris and Rosie would feel about that.

[leicsmac]

And now the current US administration is weighing in on the Chagos Islands. 

 

Gods save us from people so arrogant as to treat human life and land like a game of Risk. Particularly when they have the power to cause so much suffering because of that belief.

 

[martyn]

Trump is mates with Milei, probably only a matter of time before he posts something about the Falklands.

[Sampson]

Cue all the Trump apologist politicians who’ve been mysteriously quiet the past few days coming out the woodwork to say how they agree with foreign interference from Trump here in 3… 2… 1… 

12 minutes ago, martyn said:

Trump is mates with Milei, probably only a matter of time before he posts something about the Falklands.

That had definitely crossed my mind recently too.

Edited 20 January by Sampson

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, martyn said:

Trump is mates with Milei, probably only a matter of time before he posts something about the Falklands.

The Malvinas you mean.

[Tommy G]

10 hours ago, WigstonWanderer said:

If Trump does what he says he’ll do and adds initially 10% tariffs upping it to 25% later, there won’t be much choice, as goods from the UK, etc won’t be able to compete and exports to the US will dry up anyway.

 

Appeasement won’t work with Trump. He’s a bully and will always come back for more. Give him your lunch money and he’ll be back tomorrow for your trainers and phone.

 

Canada has the right idea. The rest of the democratic world needs to say whatever, flatter him, etc, but work as rapidly as possible to increase trade between themselves and isolate the US, at some stage imposing reciprocal tariffs. Increasingly, if we have to deal with autocracies, China is looking like a much more pragmatic, technocratic, stable and reliable trading partner.

Don't disagree but cutting trade will have a significant impact on the UK and the rest of Europe whether we like it or not - the Trident programme for starters are serviced in the US so bang goes our Nuclear deterrent!  

[Tommy G]

3 hours ago, Lionator said:

I’m surprised how competent Carney seems. Most countries are a basket case at the moment but he seems like the right one for the moment. Cosying up to China isn’t ideal BUT they’re the second most powerful country on earth, they’re power projection is soft not hard (for now) and Xi is an honest, reliable geopolitical operator. 

He was brilliant in his role at the BoE

[leicsmac]

5 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Don't disagree but cutting trade will have a significant impact on the UK and the rest of Europe whether we like it or not - the Trident programme for starters are serviced in the US so bang goes our Nuclear deterrent!  

Then it comes down to whether or not that's in fact the best bad option when it appears all the other options are worse. 

[Sampson]

5 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Don't disagree but cutting trade will have a significant impact on the UK and the rest of Europe whether we like it or not - the Trident programme for starters are serviced in the US so bang goes our Nuclear deterrent!  

It’s almost at the point where we need to start thinking of it as a wartime economy I think, it will probably have a significant impact in order to build up enough of both a military and economic alliance with the EU, Canada, Australia etc. while we ween ourselves off the US.

 

I’m also not convinced if we let Trump go for Greenland he just stops there.

[st albans fox]

2 hours ago, Lionator said:

That would only make things even more dire 

Apparently all the right people were told about the troops being sent there last week and it seems that whoever should have told trump didnt …….

 

hence his over reaction - which he has doubled down on 

 

and now he’ll be even more annoyed when he hears that the Chinese embassy build in London has been given the nod 

[bovril]

1 hour ago, martyn said:

Trump is mates with Milei, probably only a matter of time before he posts something about the Falklands.

He'll be tweeting out 'Tiocfaidh ár lá' soon the way things are going

[Tommy G]

15 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Then it comes down to whether or not that's in fact the best bad option when it appears all the other options are worse. 

Well we can't buy iphones from Angola can we.

 

Jokes aside I'm with the complete boycott of the US, practically though it's verty tricky in reality

[Tommy G]

https://news.sky.com/story/private-sector-wage-rises-drop-to-a-five-year-low-13496453

 

Public sector wage growth almost double the private sector. Unemployment expected to continue to tick up