JAG

I certainly agree with your final paragraph. Whilst the end result may not result in total bankruptcy, it will certainly hugely diminish the US in terms of global trade. Perhaps rather like the Soviet Union in it's last two decades. Reliant on it's own production, inherently officially hostile to importing, drawn in upon itself, suspicious of ( hostile to) much of the world beyond it's borders yet basically unable to manufacture the modern products it's consumers wanted, and relatively little on offer for export to an increasingly sophisticated outside world.

You should get an award for that post! Something along the lines of: " The Mother of all Senseless Word Salad Rants"!

Perhaps because one of the planks on which they campaigned, and were elected to power, was the intention to sort it out. Of course, their preferred tactics, "smashing the gangs" has proved to be a non starter, but the municipal authorities of Calais are very grateful for the money which has flowed in their direction.

I'm not very clever with money (No! I hear you cry!) but like many I have my UK pension paid into my Thai bank via Citibank. Does that mean that I will get a little bit more sponduliks?

I really don't know, but they clearly mean business - the bloke in charge has hung his jacket on the back of his chair and is working in shirtsleeves!

That is remarkably disingenuous even by your standards Chomper. It is absolutely clear, and made so by several senior figures in the present government, that this massive increase is the result of unfettered and often illegal immigration. The problem? That they, as with their hopeless predecessors, are unable to get their act together to get it under some semblance of control.

A bit late for that! All those long words must have confused them. Still, they can explain that to their constituents at all those town hall meetings they don't attend! Might have to hire a few more blackshirts though! On the main headline - Elon Musk upset! Damned right I can't take any more - I'm laughing so much it hurts! ,

I'm sure all will be clear when they finish examining Hunter's laptop!

Hmm, he may be considering the last few times they went up against the Cambodians. Mind you, they seem to be taking it seriously, the General and his Staff Officers have got their webbing on!

Makes sense - after all, one hardly wants to waste all those doctors shirts!

One might equally ask, why is it relevant? I didn't bring it up, so I suppose you would have to ask @Cameroni, who introduced it into the debate.

I would suggest that you both need to take into account reality. As I said, NATO is an association of Sovereign States. Ukraine is a Sovereign State. Russia has no rights to dictate policy to either. The invasion of Panama is entirely irrelevant - other perhaps than as an example of a strong nation abusing it's strength to bully a weaker nation. Incidentally it was an act widely condemned as being in breach of International Law, both Internationally and within the US.

NATO is a treaty organisation, made up from independent sovereign states, who choose to be members. It is not for Russia to tell them what they can or cannot do, not who can be a member. Ukraine is an independent sovereign state. It has been for the last 34 years - since 1991. It is not for Russia to tell them what they can or cannot do, nor whether they can be a member of NATO, or indeed of the EU. Russia has invaded Ukraine, which I will say again, is an independent sovereign state. It seeks to defend itself against such aggression. That is the simple reality.

And the usual suspects would claim that you are "spewing lies", are a traitor (irrespective of whether you are a US citizen or not) and diagnose you as suffering from a mental illness which they have invented! Let's face it, a hard core are impervious to any logic or arguments. They don't do debate, or discussion; just default to abuse. I have rather come to the conclusion that taking the piss out of them is the only thing left! And boy, is there a rich vein to tap into there!

The Muppet Show had better writers and a more credible supporting cast. About the only similarity with the current Oval Office is the bizarre colouring of the leading character!

I say Eric, is it really necessary to bring up this little manly pecadillo on the part of the free world's great, manly, highly moral, leader? It will only serve to distress all those who hail him as "sent by God". (Google it, there really are some quite entertaining images!) Besides he paid for it -B130,000 as one recalls; true it was with someone elses money but that of course was a mere book keeping error. 130K! Must have been the mother of all happy endings! No, I cannot imagine anyone better suited to advising on marital harmony - after all, he brings a lifetime of experience to the business!

I have been looking to buy an induction cooking hob. I had one from Sinthanee, it stopped working after 18 days, but they said the warranty was only for 7 days, which frankly is about as much use as a chocolate teapot! So I have been looking on Lazada - some well known brands ( or are they?) like "Siemens", "Shapr" " Panasonicr" and "Tafel". Lots of spelling mistakes! They are remarkably cheap, less than B500, and unlike Sinthanee they won't laugh if you bring them back! Incidentally Sinthanee really hide their customer service contacts well! Impossible to find an address to make a complaint to. They have a contact form on their website but don't respond to it!

Brown shoes, oh dear oh dear!

I am British, but I am asking on behalf of an elderly New Zealand friend of mine. "D" is in his late 70s, and moved to live in Thailand on his retirement aged 65. He is married to a Thai, herself a retired nurse. They live - scrape by really - on her pension. He has adult children in New Zealand, and a divorced wife, but they really don't seem to care. He receives no pension whatsoever from New Zealand, despite having "paid in" throughout his entire working life, he was a qualified electrician. He tells me that he was denied at an interview when he applied, because he was moving abroad. His account of the interview was that it was extremely hostile, verging on the vitriolic, and he was very upset about it. Of course that was a long time ago, and beyond pursuing itself, the harpy who condemned him as a dirty old man off to live with a tart is probably herself retired. This seems to me, to be somewhat unjust - as a Brit my government pension is "frozen" at the amount when I retired - but to simply receive nothing? "D" is not particularly articulate, rather shy and completely non "tech/computer savvy". It is my intention to try to pursue this matter for him, using initially an email address which I will generate for him; but first I would like confirmation that, as he believes, he is simply not entitled to any pension. Any kind Kiwi soul who can advise?

What was it Adams said? "They haven't gone away you know"! Still, he ought to know - being a tout and all that.

Just an idle thought - manufacturing steel requires a very large amount of electricity. Given where Pittsburgh is, how much of that electricity is supplied from Canada? Still, I am sure the "stable genius" thought that one through!

Gracious me, I hadn't realised we were already due a Daily Mail expose on Western men with Thai girlfriends! How time flies! I haven't read it, but tell me, is it written from the perspective of an outraged younger feminist or a jealous middle aged journalist?

The whole "Taco" meme, whilst amusing, is also indicative of a significant result to Trump's economic policies (if they can be called that). Wall Street and the rest of the world simply don't take him seriously, the bewildering blizzard of tariff announcements and withdrawals, reductions and increases, which appear to be pulled out of a hat (I was about to say from somewhere else but realise that many readers may be eating their breakfasts) make it impossible for anyone trading with or doing business involving imported goods to plan, invest or function. He excuses it as negotiations, but the ground on which he stands shifts so rapidly and unpredictably that negotiations are meaningless. What he is actually doing is bullying - issuing threats in the hope that people and countries will debase them themselves in front of him: in his own course yet memorable phrase " kiss his arse". The trouble is, that whilst his threatened actions may damage the trading partners economies, they also do damage to the US, real damage. The results in the tourist and automotive industries are early evidence. He may hark back to the "golden era" pre 1914 when economic and trade policy was built upon tariffs, but the world's trade system, and the US economy were way way less interconnected and dependent upon trade then.

Perhaps that would significantly increase political and social dissent and unrest, often a key component in the collapse of "empires".

Indeed - from the man who buried his first wife under a bush on his golf course as a tax dodge!