Despite all the bluster from Trump, his world is falling apart.
According to reports from the past day, 76% of Canadians support Mark Carney's position of withdrawing from trade talks with Trump, meaning the country must bear the cost of US tariffs through reduced exports, while being willing to pay the price of additional tariffs on US imports.
Like Iranians, Canadians are refusing to bow to pressure from Trump.
And talking of Iran, although it is apparent that the domestic economy there is suffering considerable stress, as are the people of the country, the likelihood that Trump's latest economic threats, in the form of additional sanctions on countries that trade with Iran and banks that facilitate that process, will have much impact is low. The US regime (appropriately described) is still presuming that the USA holds all the trump cards (pun intended, or not). It does not.
That is because China is all too willing to step into US shoes as the major Gulf power.
It will also happily ignore trading oil in dollars and buy Iranian oil nonetheless.
It will also be delighted to see the loss of US influence in the area, where it is thought that at least 15 US military bases are no longer viable, either because they are too close to Iran to be entirely secure, or because their hosts are unwilling to commit to them in the long term as they recognise the shifting power in the region.
And that shift is clearly indicated by the withdrawal of the US's largest aircraft carrier from the Gulf, where reprovisioning it has become immensely difficult because the facilities to do so are no longer sustainable. The impact on the ship's operational capacity has been extraordinary, according to many reports emanating from the USA.
Meanwhile, for all the stress that has been created within the country, and I'm quite sure that has been real, Iran is holding out, as I suspect Canada will.
And where is the price of all this being seen? As I noted last night in a short post here, the price of this war is being paid within the USA.
Fuel and fertiliser shortages, and resulting price spikes, are developing, as I suggested that they would many months ago.
And Trump might like to claim that the US oil industry is winning from this conflict, but it cannot deliver the oil that the US economy or the world needs. Oil is not a single commodity, as the US consumer is now learning.
What is the effect? That is seen in Trump's poll ratings and in the potential results of the US midterm elections, where it is possible that the Republicans will have a very rude awakening. According to The Economist, Trump's net approval rating is -26, down 0.3 points since last week, with 35% approval, 61% disapproval, and 5% not sure, which in itself is an astonishingly low figure.
So, is Trumpworld, the glittering creation that only exists in the minds of true MAGA devotees, falling apart? It would seem so. Fascism does not survive contact with the population, it would seem. A lot of people in the UK should take note.
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“A lot of people in the UK should take note.” – I understand that Burnt-ham has been doing kneeling exercises (Andy! – do it more elegantly – Donald likes an elegant kneel).
The focus of tRump seems to be fixing the mid-term elections to avoid loss of control, & Scrotum (Supreme court republican of the united maga) seems to be helping.
At least in the interim they will have a state funeral to take their minds off things (Dolly sic transit gloria mundi).
If anyone in America deserves a state funeral, it is Dolly Parton. She was a wonderful human being.
It would be wonderful, but the orange goblin would fund a way to make it about him. His eulogy for his own father was all about him.
Its interesting looking at the difference in crew numbers between the USS Abraham Lincoln – 5500 & HMS Queen Elizabeth – 1600 max
While the Queen Elizabeth is a smaller ship the design maximised the amount of automation so she carries about 75% of the aircraft with about 30% of the crew numbers of a Nimitz class carrier.
That means more space and less supplies to carry for the crew
I am still not convinced the mid-term elections will happen. Maybe Trump’s policies to disenfranchise many, and prevent others from voting by insisting they run the gauntlet of ICE at polling stations, will give him enough confidence to allow elections to happen. But stopping elections because of a national emergency bears much less risk for him.
It’s been pointed out that if Canada was to stop exporting electricity to the US the lights would go out
Sadly the Supreme Court has voted 6-3 to restrict mail in ballots. This is, I read, to disadvantage more Democratic voters.
The gerrymandering, use of Political Action Committees to funnel huge sums to the causes and and candidates favoured by vested interests ( from e.g. the Heritage Foundation) and gaming of the system by voter purging -all happens in plain sight.
When Trump goes and if no similar leader is installed,( which can’t be taken for granted ) the US will need to take a good long look at itself.
And we need changes too. It will not be easy. Badenoch is already telling us why she is against Proportional Representation. And the tabloids will support her.
Much to agree with
The UK air craft carriers are not supplied by UK supply ships, but NATO allies ships. Why? The UK no longer has such ships.
The US built supply bases in the Gulf of Arabia without, it appears, considering that they could be attacked/destroyed.
Trump and the US are following a domination programme. The US told Canada that the trade deal required Canada not to enter into any trade deals with third countries unless the US agreed.
The US view Canada, Iraq, Venezuela etc as assets to be stripped for the financial benefit of the US.
Quite how the US is going to defeat Iran economically when this tactic has not worked in the 20/21 centuries is open to doubt.
The problem for the world is that when Trump goes the US domination policy will continue. especially in the Americas.
The US is militarily weak, about to suffer a serious market correction and will continue to lash out.
The UK elite will actively pursue its role as a US poodle, lacking any ability/desire to face up to the political and economic realities of the rapidly changing world.