tonbridgebrit

So, billions of dollars of aid are being sent to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

What's happening ?  Tax-payers dollars in America used for foreign aid. The aid is not actually about buying food, and giving it to Africans and others, for free. The aid is about buying military hardware from US companies, and selling it at a subsidised price to Israel and Taiwan. And give it to Ukraine.

Why on earth is Taiwan getting weapons, subsidised by US tax-payers ?  As for Israel, all of us know, Israel has got the latest weapons from America, because it's being paid for by Americans.  No way can Israel afford all the weaponry they get from America.

6 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I thought is was those guys seen at Charlottesville, in brown uniforms, carrying torches, waving swastikas flags, goose marching, giving their Nazi salutes and chanting ‘Jews will not replace us’ - and killing folk.

 

Or at least I did until the then President declared ‘there’s good people on both sides’.

 

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/nazis-racism-charlottesville/536928/

Charlottesville ? 




You mean these people here ?  Well, that IS a swastika. A Hitler sign.

We've got to hit the Nazis, and hit them hard.
World War Two was fought to remove the Nazis. And we'ill do it again if need be.



We don't want this man's ideas coming back.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68833783

The above is from BBC News, came out about six hours ago.   "The proposed law is set to deliver the much-delayed plan to send some asylum seekers to the east African nation. The two Houses of Parliament have been in a protracted stand-off over the final wording of the bill. The legislation had been expected to clear its final stages on Wednesday, but another vote is now expected on Monday."

So, it's not certain to get through. I think all of us know that this whole Rwanda thing is not going to work. It's going to cost loads to deport each person. The Sunak government won't be in charge by Christmas or New Year. The chances of even one person being deported during Sunak's time are unlikely.

Is it really the case that vast numbers of people have turned up in South East Asia, and become slaves ?  These people flew long distances, thinking about a lucrative job ?  I'm not saying the above story is made up, I just feel something is not right about the story.

If organised crime wanted to get people, lock them inside buildings, force them to work, well, why bother to encourage people to fly from all over the world, to South East Asia ?

How about go to anywhere in Thailand, look at whatever young tourist on a lonely road, attack him and abduct him ?  Take him to a building, and have him locked up in a building, and force him to work ?  Or indeed, young back-packer is in a tuk-tuk. Tuk-tuk takes him on a route that's not suppose to be. Stop tuk-tuk at a quite road, four men have been told to be there. And, oh look, young man is now abducted and locked in a building. That would be easier and simpler than luring somebody all the way from some other part of the world, surely ?

2 hours ago, tonbridgebrit said:

https://www.reuters.com/markets/argentina-markets-face-election-hangover-after-far-right-primary-bombshell-2023-08-14/
 

Sorry, the last bit of writing should have been "the continued destruction of the Argentine peso".

https://www.reuters.com/markets/argentina-markets-face-election-hangover-after-far-right-primary-bombshell-2023-08-14/


So, it was back in August this year, when Milei stunned the world by getting 30% of the vote at the primary election.
From the above Reuters news,  "Argentina's government devalued its currency by nearly 18% on Monday while the benchmark interest rate was raised by 21 percentage points to 118%, the central bank said, as financial markets reeled the day after a shock primary election result."  This was back in August.

And since then, the currency has carried on falling. Milei actually winning the election about a month ago really has seen the continied destruction the Argentine peso.

10 hours ago, stevenl said:

A bit harsh to blame Mileii for the economic collapse.

Hello. Argentina has had a messed up economy for decades now.
Milei was high in the polls prior to the election, and speculators were getting ready for the currency to weaken. Milei then actually wins the election, and this has caused the currency to crash.

People are not sure if Milei really is going to carry out the absurd ideas that he talked about during the run-up to the election.  Right now, there are signs that some of the absurd ideas are going to be done. And hence, Argentina's currency has dropped considerably.

Milei will probably not carry out all the absurd ideas he talked about, but still, he will carry out some.

I make a prediction. I think the policies will not benefit Argentina. The collapsing Peso is not going to recover. Yes, now that the peso has collapsed, we might, might, see reasonable inflation in Argentina over the next few years. But we're also going to see a harsh recession because of the massive government cutbacks that are likely to take place. I hope my prediction does not come about, but I think it will.
 

And with Argentina's currency collapsing to almost zero, it might be cheaper for sex tourists to go to Argentina rather than South East Asia.

Latin American women rather than East Asian types ?  Yes, this is what Milei has done to his country. And to think, half of all people in Argentina are backing this man. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry.

On 12/14/2023 at 8:15 AM, placeholder said:

Yes, the quality of the speed in Thailand is reportedly abysmal. I've read that it's adulterated with caffeine. It's way past time for the government to enact laws guaranteeing its quality.

Look at the report.  Washington left Afghanistan, the Taliban took Afghanistan back, and, oh look, poppy cultivation dropped 95%.  Basically, US soldiers leaving Afghanistan was a Blessing in Disguise.

Heroine is a deadly product. And here's you, trying to make it look like that heroine is not that dangerous.

We, as people of planet earth, we must fight this war against heroine, opium, morphine. It really is a highly lethal product. Yes, fentanyl is also highly lethal. America is plagued by fentanyl, America has to stamp out fentanyl, anybody producing or selling fentanyl in America should be given life imprisonment or put on death row. But let's not pretend that heroine is not damgerous.
 

14 hours ago, Morch said:

 

Chinese can be pretty racist. Especially in mainland China.

Racism from mainland Chinese ? Chinese in Hong Kong show just as much racism, or almost as much racism.  The only reason they show less racism is because they've had more contact with the rest of the world, compared to mainland Chinese.

And, Chinese in Hong Kong are more aware and careful when projecting a negative image to Americans and others.  Mainland Chinese are more likely to think "so, we're annoying you with our actions and behaviour, it makes no difference to us "  . 
Or, they simply don't realise people are being annoyed.   

16 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Not so good for the Americans that had their jobs exported to China so the 1% could exploit Chinese workers to get richer.

Yes, a reduction in America and Britain's manufacturing sector generates un-employment. But cheaper imported goods benefits everybody in America and Britain.
And the new un-employed ?  Reduce the number of cheaper migrant workers, have local people doing them jobs. And because a lot of them jobs are jobs that locals don't want to do, well, simple, bump up the wages.

So, no more working in a factory. Bearing in mind a lot of the goods imported are basic low-value products. Like furniture (chairs, tables, beds, etc) and clothes (underwear, socks, t-shirts, etc) .  And yes, mobile phones, flat-screen televisions, etc. People will be allowed to collect un-employment benefit, or get a job if they want to. And, oh look, nobody wants to be a hotel cleaner. But hotels will definitely still exist, hotels need cleaners, well, bump up the wages to encourage people to be hotel cleaners.

On 11/30/2023 at 3:32 AM, placeholder said:

Whatever his moral failings were, and it was Kissinger who, among other things, gave the Indonesian the go-ahead to invade East Timor, what's worse is his utter inability to understand that ultimately it's economics that drives world affairs. He was blindsided by the collapse of the Soviet Empire. When he did try to grapple with economics he got it wrong. He believed that private enterprise would inevitably  turn China into a democracy.

I've noticed your other posts on Asean Now, and I do think it's funny that you've put this up.  

Yes, ultimately, it's economics that drives world affairs. Kissenger is highly regarded by the Beijing government. It was Kissenger and Nixon who removed the barrier between America and China. Mao Zedong was still there when this happened. As you said, it's all about economics. It's good for America that trade exists between America and China. And good for China.

Did Kissenger believe that economic growth in China would turn China into a democracy ?  I don't think he did. I reckon that he knew that China is harmless. I reckon he knew that China is not wrong to have Tibet and the South China Sea. He felt that what goes on in China is basically, to do with China. He saw the massive economic benefits of huge trade between America and China. Benefits for both America and China.



Above is a photo of Henry Kissenger and Xi Jinping. Kissenger visited China lots of times.  

On 11/29/2023 at 4:24 PM, KhaoNiaw said:

 

Considering these rebel groups are receiving arms and support from the Chinese government in their current attacks, I wouldn't mind betting who they would align themselves with.   

And if it was Washington backing the rebels, the rebels would be aligned with Washington.

It's good that America has not backed the rebels, or any rebels at all. Washington usually makes the situation worse if it gets involved.

11 minutes ago, Wobblybob said:

Have you a link to these people shouting "sieg heil", Robinson was peacefully in a cafe drinking coffee and waiting for his breakfast when the two tier police approached him, he was there as a journalist covering the peaceful demonstration and nobody had a problem with him being there, only the Old Bill. Is it up to the police now who attends demonstrations, they don't seem to have a problem with the demonstrators that are dressed as terrorist and chanting Allah Akbar plus from the rivers to the sea. It makes you wonder who gives the order to arrest peaceful protesters yet ignore death threats from others, lets have a bit of consistancy please.

The freedom of the press is fine as long as it's a left wing press.🥴

Hello there. You have to bear in mind that the organisers of the event didn't want him to be there.  

From the report   (the organisers had)  "been clear about their concerns that the man’s attendance, and that of those who were likely to accompany him, would cause fear for other participants.

“The same view has been voiced by others.

“As a result he was spoken to and warned on more than one occasion that his continued presence in the area was likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress to others.

“He was directed to leave the area but refused to do so.”

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/tommy-robinson-sprayed-police-during-212238462.html

So, back home in England, there was a protest against anti-Semitism.  Tommy Robinson was there, but the organisers didn't actually want him there. Below is a newspaper photo of Tommy Robinson being arrested.





The report says " Organisers Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “No thanks. The drunken far-right thugs who came to ‘protect the cenotaph’ on Armistice Day, some of whom shouted ‘Sieg Heil’ or hospitalised police officers, are most definitely not welcome.”  "

Six million Jews died in the Holocaust. They don't want people shouting 'Sieg Heil' at their event.

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

That's no reason to allow undocumented immigrants to stay. If they had qualifications actually needed, they could come by legal means.

 

The real problem is that countries don't force the lazy to work and don't pay enough to get those that want to work to do the jobs that are given to illegals.

 

Anyway, in the not too distant future robots will do those jobs and millions of culturally different will end up existing on a pittance as not legally in the country. A recipe for chaos.

"don't pay enough to get those that want to work to do the jobs that are given to illegals."

This bit I agree with. Let's look at Texas, USA. Rich people want cheap labour. A simplified picture is this. A man wants somebody to cut the grass in his back garden. He can get somebody who is born in America to cut this grass, or, a migrant worker, or illegal immigrant. He wants the cheapest option. Hence, the real reason why America is not carrying out a mass-deportation of illegals is because, the illegals are cheap labour.

Forcing the lazy to work ?  Well, I'm not in favour of cutting and reducing state benefits. But yes, reducing such benefits will force people into jobs.

If the cheaper migrant labour was to disappear, well, it would force companies to pay higher wages. But that's not going to happen. Rich people and big companies have far greater power over government than poor or average workers. And yes, what's happening in Britain is a diluted version of what's happening in Texas, America.

The Dutch should be carefull, just because you voted for whatever stuff, that don't mean to say it's going to happen. Look at Britain. And whatever anybody says, Holland's not leaving the EU. And there isn't going to be a reduction of immigrants entering Holland.

Let's all smirk, "did you really reckon that democracy is actually there, did you really reckon, whether your views are good or bad, did you reckon you'ill get things your way, even if you do make up a considerable percentage of the population ? "  .

On 11/14/2023 at 1:49 PM, placeholder said:

You mean like Laos did?

 

 

Or Sri Lanka?

 

Sri Lanka hands over port to China to pay off debt
Hambantota port was signed over to Beijing on a 99-year lease because Sri Lanka cannot repay Chinese loans it took out to build the port in the first place

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/asia/sri-lanka-hands-over-port-to-china-to-pay-off-debt-1.684606

 

Lots of other examples out there, too.

 

Other countries and lending institutions look at the feasibility of a project before lending money. China lends money to corrupt governments regardless of the feasibility of projects. When the loans can't be repaid, China demands harsh concessions. It's called a debt trap.

What's happening ?  China is simply carrying out a diluted version of what America and Europe did to the Third World back in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.  As in, give out aid and loans with strings attached.



https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sri-lanka-still-debt-restructuring-talks-with-creditors-2023-10-11/

Above is a link from Reuters. Yes, correct, China is the biggest single creditor nation to Sri Lanka. But let's look at the details. From the report,  "Among bilateral creditors, Sri Lanka owed China $4.7 billion with debt to India standing at $1.74 billion. Japan, a part of the Paris Club group, was owed $2.68 billion. Sri Lanka has debt outstanding of $5.65 billion to the ADB and owed $3.88 billion to the World Bank."

So, India and Japan are also countries who have given loans to Sri Lanka. ADB is the Asian Development Bank. By the way, the reason why the Beijing government can hand out such big loans is because of the giant trade surplus that China has with the USA.  

On 11/14/2023 at 11:16 PM, heybruce said:

"Beijing will not send any of it's soldiers into Myanmar" but "Washington will back whatever groups that are against a pro-Beijing Myanmar government.Washington will back whatever groups that are against a pro-Beijing Myanmar government."

 

Total nonsense.  The dictatorship has always worked with China and China has always supported it, bought from it, invested in it and sold weapons to it.  Other than feeble protests against gross humanitarian abuses and lip service about democracy, what has the US done to or for Myanmar?

You want to talk about how Burma/Myanmar is fully connected to China ?   I suggest you look at a country that is next door to Myanmar, a country where the government has allowed a flood of Chinese tourists and Chinese manufactured goods to enter, a country that has allowed major infra-structure projects to be carried out by China, a country that the anti-China Brigade wants to call it a new name, the new name being "Chailand". 

The truth, for decades, the Myanmar government has carried out a policy of isolationism.  The Myanmar government does not like Washington, and they also don't like Beijing.  Hence, Myanmar has not been flooded by Chinese tourists, unlike Pattaya, Pattaya has been flooded with Chinese tourists.

So, how comes Washington, during the last four decades, why has Washington not given weapons to whatever anti-government rebels in Myanmar ?  You have to bear in mind the whole picture. Washington's track record in supporting whatever rebels in whatever country has been patchy or indeed, disastrous. Washington knows this. That's one reason why the US government has not got involved in Myanmar.

Supporting (actually, creating and supporting) the Contras in Nicaragua back in the 1980s. Arming and traing the Mujahadeen rebels in Afghanistan against the Russia/Communist government in Kabul. Backing the rebels in Libya against Gaddafi in Libya, and backing and arming the rebels in Syria. By the way, Assad in Syria is still there.  What does it all lead to ? Basically, a civil war in a country, and the civil war drags on. Would Myanmar today be a better place if the US government had of created and sponsored a civil war, going on for a decade ? Off-course not.

What's another reason, as to why Washington has not armed whatever rebels in Myanmar ?  Well, Washington understands that rebels should only be supported if they have a reasonable chance of success. In Myanmar's case, the government does have great strength. Actually, the cynics will say this. What if the Myanmar government does get removed ? All it means, is that, Myanmar becomes an action replay of Thailand.
Yes, Myanmar becomes a country flooded with Chinese tourists and importing a mountain of Chinese goods.

And why would Washington want that ? Well, Washington doesn't. Well, Washington is certainly not going to pay for, for Myanmar to become an almost Chinese economic colony.