Trump's Visit !

[Who2]

Now we all know if Mickey Mouse had stood against Trump, Mickey would have won hands down.
Why ? more Americans had heard of Mickey than Trump.
Americans aren't known for rational thought, living with them for a year showed me that.
But protesting against Trump is pretty naive, as the prat's whole life is built around publicity.
Anyhow he won't be coming to London so they say, let the Highlanders deal with him.
Wonder what Mrs Queen will make of him ?
Anyhow only in that Great American Dream all is possible, like a crippled Superman....
Ps: "When you lay down with dogs expect to get fleas"
And what's wrong with President Clint Eastwood or President Harrison Ford ?
"I rest my rant"

[HEPZIBAH]

He will be in London, in as much as that he is staying in Regents Park at the American Ambassador's residence.
He's due to land at Stanstead anytime now.
Hmm. Stanstead...is he flying Easyjet or Ryanair.

For some while I've been trying to imagine the conversations going on between the Queen and Prince Philip over this visit.

It might be a visit of a Trump. I just hope we hold the Trump cards.

[Major Thom]

No need to rest it Dr, true and straight to the point...

[crewmeal]

Hmm. Stanstead...is he flying Easyjet or Ryanair.

Lol no but Ryanair got plenty of free advertising as AF1 passed their hanger at Stansted.

[Who2]

Donald Trump believes Boris Johnson would 'make a great Prime Minister'
Just goes to show how f**** stupid he is, he thinks he's the most power-full American in the World.
NB: 'So did Christopher Reeve.....

[newcastle]

I'm off to pick up a copy of The Sun. Well.....there's a first for everything.

Going by the TV coverage, I assume, in giving his verdict on Theresa May's " Brexit Plan", Trump was briefed by his acolyte Boris Johnson.

His comments on Sadiq Khan may have been briefed by Katie Hopkins.

Who knows. But it's classic Trump, when confronted by a red carpet, to crap all over it.

I expect it'll all be resolved at Chequers when May takes him through the effects of her plan vis a vis any trading relationship with the US. If he can switch on enough brain cells to comprehend.

As regards Brexit, we seem to be moving inexorably towards a no-deal, WTO type withdrawal from EU....on 31st March next year.

I trust all the Brexiteers are ready for that. Maybe an exciting new trade deal with the US will outweigh the disruption in our trade with EU.

Perhaps this should be on the Chequers agenda - with Boris involved as prime minister - in - waiting.

[newcastle]

Mea culpa. We leave EU earlier than 31st March 2019. 29th March 2019 to be precise.

Tick....tock....

[Major Thom]

Seems like Central London is swamped with protesters.

[A-Four]

As I wrote elsewhere on this forum, I stated that Trump would create merry hell at N.A.T.O., and he did. Those members who only pay half of their entitlement, Germany being the prime example avoids paying $20 Billion per year, and yet in the so called diplomatic world thought they were going to get away with it until 2024, when it is expected they would be dealing with a new U.S. president. Trump is no diplomat, but certainly a maverick businessman. He made it quite clear to all of them either start paying the 2% NOW, or else it 4% from the new year. The U.K. is the only major European country that pays the full 2%.

As for his meetings with British Prime Minister May, we see the wonderful example of a business man playing off one member of his staff with another, why the likes of the BBC, ITV and SKY news services have not realised this is beyond belief, few media people seem to realise what this man is all about. At the end of his first term in office this president will save his nation Billions of $ previous presidents have not, he will then give massive tax cuts to the average Joe in America,.....and guess what ? They will vote for him again.

He is now at Turnberry Hotel, which I have actually stayed at, quite a long time ago when it was a British Transport Hotel, in other words owned by the then British Rail. The hotel and golf course (along the coast) are separated by a public road, where the local bus from Ayr to Girvan and Maybole proceeds daily. I only stayed here one night, it was, as I suppose now, one of those places where if you drop something, there is always some one there to pick it up,........not really me. I always remember looking out on to the Irish Sea, there was a huge rock about two miles off shore. Today I noticed from BBC news filming that there has been an extension added to the left hand side of the main hotel building, this to me seems to be a indoor swimming pool, but then again, now Trump owns the place,.........it could be anything. .

[Horus]

I agree with you about him being re-elected, we (or should I say some) may not like him but many Americans do and that is all that matters from their perspective. Neither is a demonstration in London or Scotland for that matter representative of the general feeling towards him, most like myself respect his position as POTUS and not to do so is to disrespect the American people who he represents whether we like him or not.

[newcastle]

Trump certainly has a unique take on diplomacy......preferring crude bullying and threats to warm words of friendship. He is the leader of the most powerful economy in the world, with a military might to match....and you better not forget it. Or else.

And the visit clearly demolished any ideas the Brexiteers may have harboured of a lucrative trade deal with US. Trump is all about "America First".....although I expect the hard line Brexiteers will hang grimly onto their fantasy of a mutually beneficial relationship.......as they did to the idea that Brussels would cave in faced with the prospect of the UK leaving EU.

I think his version of the NATO talks are at variance with reality....as Macron has been quick to point out. His threat to pull out of NATO doesn't accord with his subsequent comments. If it leads to NATO reconsidering its role, that's no bad thing. It's long past its sell-by date and needs a total overhaul. He'll be able to announce to his US audience that the US will no longer be meeting 90% of the cost of NATO.

That's a neat bit of creative accountancy....as , of course, the US pays somewhat less than 90% already !!

Lobbing a grenade at May's Brexit policy hours before meeting her is also typical of his approach. One can only imagine what she thought of his subsequent back-pedalling.

To her credit she vigorously contradicted his blanket denigration of immigration. Possibly he meant refugees. Not that US activities in Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria have anything to do with this. Oh no...immigration is, per se, bad. Odd from the leader of a nation built on immigrants, from a man born of an immigrant woman and married to another.

But, as ever, we need to view Trump's actions and words in the light of the audience he is addressing.....namely US voters where he unashamedly plays on deep seated cultural issues. He's managed to polarise a nation that was previously outlooking and reasonably liberal and united.

We'll have to see how much more damage he can inflict in the next two..or, more likely, six years of his tenure.

As for the protests, they were clearly addressed at the man rather than the country he represents. It's a long standing British habit and one enshrined in our constitution. Many heads of state before him, some undoubtedly more obnoxious, have had to run the gauntlet of derogatory shouts and placards. There's little doubt that the majority of Brits dislike Trump the man. Thin skinned as he is, this must hurt him. Tough.

That Trump's itinerary was carefully calculated to shield him from the sight of them is pathetic....as if he doesn't watch TV. The US media, which he can't control, will also have their say. He'll have to rely on Twitter to get across how "successful" his trip was. Maybe a few photoshopped images thrown in as well?

On to Helsinki and Putin

"Did you interfere in our elections? "No"

"Did you use Novachuk on UK?" "No"

"Are you going to withdraw from Ukraine?" "No".

"That's alright then. Fancy a round of golf?"

[Horus]

Whatever you or I say regarding the man he was voted in by the American people, but like the Brexit vote the Remoaner 'empty vessels' will make the most noise because they cannot accept that ordinary voters have the temerity to challenge the status quo. He speaks for his country and he acts for his country, just a pity we do not have someone with the same determination as him. The fact that he says it like it is annoys those mealy mouthed politicians who refuse to grasp the nettle, Obama holds the record for deporting more immigrants than any other American president, with more than 2 million deportations over a period of eight years and I am still awaiting the howls of protest from 'rent-a-mob' who's idea of protest is to sing crude songs as a communial chant in a public place, says it all really. People call him a misogynist and yet were quite happy to deal with probably the worst misogynist American President ever, namely Bill Clinton. No doubt someone will claim that the 62,979,636 American voters were all wrong, ageing and of course stupid, ill informed and poorly educated as per the Remoaner claim for Brexit voters, they need to get real and realise that the American people under their own system voted him in and nothing we do will change that.

[newcastle]

Trump speaks for his country only in the literal sense that he's head of state with significant executive powers.

His approval/disaproval figures - 37%/58% - are, historically, the worst of any president since records began.

The protests were not about re-running the US election. They were about addressing our distate both for him as an individual and for the policies he wishes to introduce.....policies which many Americans also take issue with and regularly protest against.

[FarleyFlavors]

No doubt someone will claim that the 62,979,636 American voters were all wrong, ageing and of course stupid, ill informed and poorly educated as per the Remoaner claim for Brexit voters

I've pointed this out in the past, but being poorly educated was the single most important factor (above age, race, income etc.) in how people voted for Brexit. If only 3% more of the UK had gone to university, the country would probably not be leaving the EU.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 81441.html

And it's exactly the same story with Trump voters. In highly educated areas, Clinton actually increased the share of the Democrat vote over Obama.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/ed ... for-trump/

[FarleyFlavors]

I always remember looking out on to the Irish Sea, there was a huge rock about two miles off shore.

That'll be the Ailsa Craig - a granite plug that's the source of over two thirds of the world's curling stones.

[newcastle]

WHAT'S TRUE

Statistically, more people were deported from the U.S. during the administration of President Barack Obama than during that of any other president.

WHAT'S FALSE

That statistic was due in large part to a change in how "deportations" are defined rather than to an increase in the number of persons deported.

ORIGIN

During the third and final presidential debate on 19 October 2016, Republican nominee Donald Trump remarked that President Barack Obama “has moved millions of people out … millions of people have been moved out of this country.” As of 2015, more than 2.5 million undocumented persons had been deported by immigration authorities since President Obama took office in 2009, a total which was statistically record-setting. During the two terms of Obama’s predecessor, President George W. Bush, just over 2 million people were deported.

However, that statistic is somewhat misleading, as a significant portion of it was due to a change in the way “deportations” are defined that began during the Bush administration, not in the actual number of persons turned out of the U.S. As the Los Angeles Times noted, if not for that change in definition about what constitutes a “deportation,” the Obama administration likely would not have been a record-setting one in this area.

Time to bury that hoary old statistic.

It's true many of Trump's predecessors also had a problem keeping their pecker zipped up although I dont think they displayed the same level of misogyny generally.

Nor did they categorise whole nations as rapists or immigrants as "infesting" the US.

We're all capable of using inappropriate language on occasion. Trump does it routinely and, when challenged, shows no contrition.

His policies may well result in America being great again. At least economicaly.

But then money is far more important to him than America's reputation.

[DJKeefy]

No doubt someone will claim that the 62,979,636 American voters were all wrong, ageing and of course stupid, ill informed and poorly educated as per the Remoaner claim for Brexit voters

I've pointed this out in the past, but being poorly educated was the single most important factor (above age, race, income etc.) in how people voted for Brexit. If only 3% more of the UK had gone to university, the country would probably not be leaving the EU.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 81441.html

If you had seen what I've seen since being back in the UK then you would be voting to leave the EU. just one example to why I voted leave.

I was placed in a B&B which had 12 rooms all except me were Polish, each room was costing £1800 a month (paid by the Gov), all of them was claiming UK benefits yet all of them were working at Amazon, after 2 weeks 2 of them were moved to temp accommodation, luxury flats in the centre of the town. only 3 days passed when they moved a family of Syrians (a man and his 3 sons) into 2 of the rooms (costing £3600 a month) when they turned up the man had a brand new Mercedes and the eldest son a brand new BMW. Later I was moved to some old flats (temp accommodation) which were due to be knocked down in 6 months, so I stayed there 6 month and then was moved to the Luxury flats in the town centre. 115 luxury flats all paid by the government, only 5 in the flats were British people the rest were Polish Romanian and Lithuania, a block of 76 flats opposite were the same, 1 minutes up the road another block with 90 flats were full of the same again (these were all temp accommodation) so people who were placed in these were claiming benefits and waiting for permanent accommodation. I am sure there is some decent EU people but my encounter with these living in these apartments were to screw the government for all they can.

We are a small Country yet we have about 4 million EU citizens living in the UK, they have to live somewhere, that's why we have a housing crisis, probably why the NHS is more stretched too....
There is around 1 Million UK people living in the EU, yet these are spread out in 28 different countries so a much less burden to 4 million in one Country.

Like I said that is just a little example of what made be vote BREXIT
Did I have a RANT

[newcastle]

Anyone with a brain cell - and certainly all remain voters - would have been delighted to take control of our borders, no longer be subject to the ECJ and no longer pay billions to the EU. Who wouldn't ??

But that comes at a price which the brexiteers poo-pooed, but which is coming home to roost.

May's watered down brexit will satisfy no-one and will stymie the objective of worldwide trade deals.

The EU won't budge on its four freedoms....it would imperil the entire project.

We're heading for a " no deal " scenario.

[A-Four]

I always remember looking out on to the Irish Sea, there was a huge rock about two miles off shore.

That'll be the Ailsa Craig - a granite plug that's the source of over two thirds of the world's curling stones.

I am indebted to you my dear FarleyFlavour, thank you.

I went back to the area a couple of years ago but took the train from Ayr down to Girvan and Maybole, so therefore did not go pass Turnberry. I do so remember all those years ago catching a bus outside the hotel towards Girvan. A dear old lady, without even introducing herself wrapped around my legs a tartan blanket. 'Ah, yer must be cold working in that poor dreadful hotel'. I simply said in a very poor Burn's country accent, 'akh, I ken that',............oh so happy days. .

[Horus]

Once again we have the supercilious remarks of privileged people usually to dumb to think for themselves and brainwashed by subversive lefties at university, no doubt the reason we have so many upper class spies and traitors from within their ranks. It is exactly the disdain they show for other peoples opinions that set them aside, “we are correct and you are all uneducated morons” that is and has always been their mantra. Yet these same people will happily accept the largess of one of the most tyrannical regimes in the Middle East, a ruling class that suits them well as they will brook no opposition to their own narrow view of the world, “do as I say, not as I do”. A country who’s main allies are as oppressive and misogynistic towards women as the most backward society on earth. Who implement and practice religious intolerance towards other groups, who openly support and practice torture on their own citizens and foster racialism towards other countries in the region. These are the sort of people that will happily criticise Trump with all his failings whilst leeching off the backs of a poor underclass in an attempt to make their own wealth go even further, but then again if the poor earn little or nothing then we can have a good standard of living, how many of you would still be there if it cost you the same to live as in the UK? So no I don’t need any lectures from the likes of you on the fairness or the morals of Trump or on the educational level of Brexit voters, I am sure the likes of James Dyson and many others would be pleased at your opinion of them, but then again you don’t really have an opinion do you? Just a mantra to follow. I will not comment further as past experience has taught me not to argue with people who consider everyone else’s views, opinions, et al to be less worthy than their own, it is a fruitless exercise.