mfd101

All happening as predicted & on time. Clockwork precision.

Initiative remains with NK. Usofa's only options are to reimpose strong economic sanctions (including Chinese ones, if still possible!) or reinstate military exercises with SK - either or both of which would mean loss of face for DT. Allround fiasco for Usofa.

Yes, or a remarkably vague version of Brexit in a soft sort of way.

5 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

If it's going to take 10 years to find out, that means very poor verification would be in place. In other words, it would have already failed. 

If Kim has learned from his father - and all indications are that he has - then he can play Usofa & others along for quite some years, with promises, 1 step forward, 1 step back, vagueness, some progress, more demands for trade & funds, threats and so on. Given that he now - apparently - has operational nuclear weapons & weaponized missiles, he can draw all this out for a decade at least I should think.

What, after all, is Usofa's real alternative (putting aside childish trumpetings)? An all-out attack with conventional weapons? or with nukes? I don't think so.

Either Trump is a foolish mouse being played with by a rather unpleasant cat, or he has - mostly despite himself - managed with some basic dealmaking techniques to pull off an amazing coup that noone has managed for the last several decades.

Either way, Kim is entirely in control of the situation. All initiative now lies with N Korea.

As to which alternative it is, time will tell, at least 10 years I should think, long after Trump's exit from office.

All fairly typical of Thais: Pretty good at recovering from catastrophe but hopeless at preventing them in the first place.

1 hour ago, Puwa said:

I don't understand what the first half  of the headline has to do with the second. 

The usual journalistic shortcut. My observation is that the subtleties of the English language escape more and more native speakers (not to mention the non-natives).

She needs to call everyone's bluff (at least amongst the Tories). "Here's the deal. Agree it now or I resign/call an election."

The only useful contribution most of us can make individually to the future of the planet is not to reproduce for the next 50 years.

5 hours ago, Expatthailover said:

That a huge portion of these cuts will go to the big 4 banks who have been ripping the oz public off for years is an utter disgrace.

These cuts to big business rates have been sold on the premise that businesses will lift wage rates and hire more people is the biggest con perpetrated on the oz public since the stolen generation

What has just passed thru the Parliament is a bill - now an Act - for cuts in personal income tax.

The matter of company tax cuts is entirely separate and, at this point, unlikely to procede (unfortunately, in my opinion).

17 hours ago, webfact said:

25 percent incorrectly thought the British government would cover medical bills abroad.

Ha ha. Presumably they got that from their very own Mummies and Daddies. "Never mind, the government will look after you."

This is where the welfare state ends up. Noone responsible for anything.

1 hour ago, maddox41 said:

I'm Australian and China and chines have been buying up Australia for decades  

And the Australian government is to blame all the way back to  Gough Whitlam 

Most universities are funded by Chinese students  most of everythng you buy is chinese made as Whitlam said in the 70 s we don'

Well, we have plenty of experience. First it was British imperialism, then Yankee imperialism, and now it's the Chinese. I'm confident we can handle them if we have our eyes wide open & our brains switched on. Gently gently catchee cake all round.

8 hours ago, keith101 said:

I believe the Chinese are out to buy up as much as they can everywhere in the Asia Pacific region to extend their military to all of the region and using their Huawei Technologies to spy on everyone in the process .

Yes, that's the broad view of things in Canberra.

Yes, it's quite appalling. My b/f and I are going to have to go along to make sure it really is as awful as we think

Right, so where does that leave the government's plan to increase milk consumption? As far as I can tell, it's not even half rational (maybe 20%!).

No not satirical, just stereotypical.

And the reason stereotypes exist? because they have a foundation in truth.

Well-organized citizens would know how to take the law - appropriately, as the source of all power - into their own hands. So far they've shown they can organize demonstrations & get themselves into the media.

I'm waiting breathlessly for the next steps, if any ...

11 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

hold on a minute. i'm a bit confused. what about the thai judges kid who got done in oxford street not long ago?

so it is a criminal offence right

Probably (I guess) an offence under common law already, but the legislation would make it black-letter law so noone in any doubt and (perhaps) increases the penalty ...

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Unless it involves politics or ethnic identity.

Let's just agree that the journey from the ridiculous to the sublime is a whole lot tougher than the other way round. For both parties.

2 hours ago, GOLDBUGGY said:

Canada has gained its independence from Great Britian 150 years ago, but in all this time it has never learnt to be independant, and especially when it comes to the United States. Canada depends on the United States too much, and I have been saying this all my life. 

 

Take Oil for instance. Canada Exports a lot of Oil. But when the Storage Tanks fill up in the United States Canada is forced to sell their Oil at huge discounts. Only to have our Brothers in the States load this Oil onto Tanker Ships and sell it at huge profits. Why?

 

It is because in 150 Years, Canada has never built an Oil Pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast ( a mere 1,000 kilometers) or to any Ocean to ship there own Oil to Japan, China, and the Far East..Yet have extensive pipelines throughout the USA and as far as Mexico. 

 

Canada has a way over abundance in Natural Gas. For the past 20 years the hottest market out there has been Liquified Natural Gas or also known as LNG. I recall Big Shots from Austraila (Santos) coming to Canada in 1982 and our Gas Plant, to see how it was run, as they didn't have any in Austraila at this time. Now Austraila has some of worlds largest LNG Plants and Exports many Tons on LNG to Japan and other Asian places for huge profits.

 

So how many LNG Plants does Canada have now after this 20 year period? Zero! For the same reason is that all there Gas Pipelines goes to the United States and as far as California, but not one to the West Coast and Asian Markets. But in the United States they have many LNG Plants, as they now can take Canadian Natural Gas at a huge discount, Liquify it,  and again send this on a LNG Tanker to sell this at a huge profit on the Open Market. 

 

It is because Canada has depended on the United States for most of there trade that they have become very volnerable. Trump may be many things but he is a Business Man First and when it comes to business he is not that stupid. He knows that if they stop buying Canadian Oil or Gas, when they already have enough of there own right now, what are they going to do about that? Do you think he is afraid of hurting somebodies feelings? That Trudeau doesn't like him? He would just laugh about that. As Business is just Business and nothing personal! 

 

Canada! You slit your own throat! So maybe grow up after 150 years and be independent! Heaven knows you have most of the worlds natural resources in Canada to do that with. From Oil to Diamonds! From Gold to Wheat! From Telecommunications to Cars! From Baseball to Ice Hockey! And on and on and on! .     

Yes, I remember arguing with my Canadian cousins back in 2004/2005 at a time the US Congress was placing or threatening to place duties on imports of Canadian timber ('lumber'). I pointed out that the whole world was short of timber - Japan, China, Korea, India, Europe ... - and Canada had it in abundance. So how come the Yanks had them over a barrel instead of the other way round?

My cousins agreed that Canada had perhaps become complacent & lazy ...

1 hour ago, Orton Rd said:

True, can't imagine crazy Hillary sitting there shaking Kims hand

The problem with Hilary is that she isn't crazy. And so would not have had the courage or the perspective to make this happen.

It takes at least 1 crazy to shatter the 60 years of frozen history & start the process of moving forward. Where will it end? Noone knows, but better to start than to do nothing.

Hilary probably never heard the saying: If I'm not making mistakes, it's because I'm not doing anything.

I think reasonable people might agree that (1) Trudeau is a dork & a lightweight, and (2) Trump is a vile & disgusting human being who might nevertheless, despite himself, produce a few good outcomes simply by destroying the various status quos (economic & strategic).

On the other hand, George W Bush tried that in the Middle East - let's throw all the pieces up in the air & see where they come down - and that didn't turn out too good.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Kim had arrived hours earlier in a plane loaned by China

Yes, and stuffed to the gunnels with listening devices!