[Politics] Donald Trump, US President

[Pavilionaire]

I watched the joint Trump / Netanyahu press conference live on Sky last night and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

So Trump's plan is to turn Gaza into "The Riviera of the Middle East"?! Apparently, to take the state over, level it, rebuild it, then to repopulate it with people "from all over the world".

This is on the back of him saying he wants Canada to become the 51st state, he needs Greenland for America's security, he wants to take over the Panama Canal and he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

I think he's making a fool of himself.

Even assuming the ceasefire persists and all of the Israeli hostages are returned, there is the problem of a destroyed , dangerous Gaza and two million people that are currently displaced. Egypt and Jordan have both said they cannot cope with those numbers. Quite simply, there is no choice but for these people to return to Gaza.

Moreover, Trump does not seem to understand sovereignty, or the concept of homeland. For the world's policeman, this is very worrying. How can he tell Putin to keep out of Ukraine, or China to lay off Taiwan / Outer Manchuria, or stop Netanyahu from taking over the West Bank?

And where does this all leave "The Special Relationship"? The UK's government is completely at odds with all of Trump's territorial pronouncements.

 

[schmunk]

So Trump's plan is to turn Gaza into "The Riviera of the Middle East"?!

It'll be like the Torquay of Israel.

 

[A1X]

So Trump's plan is to turn Gaza into "The Riviera of the Middle East"?! Apparently, to take the state over, level it, rebuild it, then to repopulate it with people "from all over the world".

We know he’s well in with the Saudis, I assume he’s inspired by their new resort cities they’re currently building (Neom I think it’s called) and fancies one for himself

 

[carlzeiss]

Do you make the same claim about (e.g.) Tesco? After all, technically their money is actually our money which we hand over in exchange for things to be provided. It’s no different to the Government, only where Tesco provides bread and milk the Government provides hospitals and roads.

Slight difference in that when we shop in Tescos the goods that we choose to purchase we get to take home to consume and or use .
The money that we pay to the government in the form of taxation we have no say as to how they decide to spend it .
For example £133 million in year to Pakistan for who knows ?

 

[Insel affe]

I watched the joint Trump / Netanyahu press conference live on Sky last night and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

So Trump's plan is to turn Gaza into "The Riviera of the Middle East"?! Apparently, to take the state over, level it, rebuild it, then to repopulate it with people "from all over the world".

This is on the back of him saying he wants Canada to become the 51st state, he needs Greenland for America's security, he wants to take over the Panama Canal and he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

I think he's making a fool of himself.

Even assuming the ceasefire persists and all of the Israeli hostages are returned, there is the problem of a destroyed , dangerous Gaza and two million people that are currently displaced. Egypt and Jordan have both said they cannot cope with those numbers. Quite simply, there is no choice but for these people to return to Gaza.

Moreover, Trump does not seem to understand sovereignty, or the concept of homeland. For the world's policeman, this is very worrying. How can he tell Putin to keep out of Ukraine, or China to lay off Taiwan / Outer Manchuria, or stop Netanyahu from taking over the West Bank?

And where does this all leave "The Special Relationship"? The UK's government is completely at odds with all of Trump's territorial pronouncements.

Just wait until he turns his fat orange head in our direction.....

 

[Pavilionaire]

We know he’s well in with the Saudis, I assume he’s inspired by their new resort cities they’re currently building (Neom I think it’s called) and fancies one for himself

Theirs is actually called 'The Line', the working title for his is 'The Strip'.

 

[Berty23]

Slight difference in that when we shop in Tescos the goods that we choose to purchase we get to take home to consume and or use .
The money that we pay to the government in the form of taxation we have no say as to how they decide to spend it .
For example £133 million in year to Pakistan for who knows ?

Actually you do have a say. You get to vote in an election and these people make those decisions for us. That is how it works. Maybe people who don’t like taxes should not be able to employ anyone who has benefited from public services. Good luck finding these people.

We are in society. We don’t have to agree with everything. But we have democratically elected governments and if you don’t like it contact your mp. The idea of our parliament is that we reach consensus of what the majority want. Obviously we won’t like everything but welcome to Society. Maybe we should have a referendum on every bit of government spent? Or would that be stupid?

People look at things through whatever lens they choose and decide some spending is a waste and other is fine. Unless you know all of the ins and outs of every amount of money and what it gets us then you are fine to have an opinion. For example. If we donate 150 million to something but the nett benefit is 300 million in additional trade would you stop it? It is comparable to when people say “remove all administrators from the NHS and have more doctors and nurses” as if it is a great idea. Nice one. Let’s have a doctor keeping the building structurally sound and organising the cleaning and catering. Genius.

 

[Berty23]

Just wait until he turns his fat orange head in our direction.....

One day we might wake up to find that Donald has given us to Putin as a nice island retreat

 

[A1X]

Slight difference in that when we shop in Tescos the goods that we choose to purchase we get to take home to consume and or use .
The money that we pay to the government in the form of taxation we have no say as to how they decide to spend it .
For example £133 million in year to Pakistan for who knows ?

I can vote out the Government. I can't vote out the board at Tesco.

 

[vegster]

I watched the joint Trump / Netanyahu press conference live on Sky last night and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

So Trump's plan is to turn Gaza into "The Riviera of the Middle East"?! Apparently, to take the state over, level it, rebuild it, then to repopulate it with people "from all over the world".

This is on the back of him saying he wants Canada to become the 51st state, he needs Greenland for America's security, he wants to take over the Panama Canal and he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

I think he's making a fool of himself.

Even assuming the ceasefire persists and all of the Israeli hostages are returned, there is the problem of a destroyed , dangerous Gaza and two million people that are currently displaced. Egypt and Jordan have both said they cannot cope with those numbers. Quite simply, there is no choice but for these people to return to Gaza.

Moreover, Trump does not seem to understand sovereignty, or the concept of homeland. For the world's policeman, this is very worrying. How can he tell Putin to keep out of Ukraine, or China to lay off Taiwan / Outer Manchuria, or stop Netanyahu from taking over the West Bank?

And where does this all leave "The Special Relationship"? The UK's government is completely at odds with all of Trump's territorial pronouncements.

Don't bother to try to work out what he's doing, it's impossible on multiple levels. He's crackpot.

 

[Bakero]

For example £133 million in year to Pakistan for who knows ?

I want my £2 back

 

[darkwolf666]

It'll be like the Torquay of Israel.

To paraphrase Basil - "Well may I ask what you expected to see out of a Gaza hotel bedroom window? Sydney Opera House perhaps? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plain..."

 

[Berty23]

Let’s not be nasty to Torquay. I grew up quite close to Torquay and the town holds a special place in my heart as it gave me my first experience of nightclubbing as a spotty 16 year old. I snogged three girls that night and thought I was in heaven. Good times.

 

[carlzeiss]

You are missing all the fun by blocking him. He’s great entertainment, a bit like NSC very own talking dog, not brightest dog mind But entertaining nonetheless.

And that is the very same reason that I have no one blocked here

 

[schmunk]

Let’s not be nasty to Torquay. I grew up quite close to Torquay and the town holds a special place in my heart as it gave me my first experience of nightclubbing as a spotty 16 year old. I snogged three girls that night and thought I was in heaven. Good times.

In Heaven you'd have snogged three boys.

 

[maffew]

The Palestinians signed a memorandum of intent on November 8, 1999 with British Gas and a company linked to the Palestinian Authority, the Consolidated Contractors Company, giving them rights to explore the area.[7][8] The natural gas deposits, found in two small gas fields dubbed Gaza Marine 1 and Gaza Marine 2, have been discovered in September 2000, 36 kilometres (22 mi) offshore, at a depth of 2,000 feet (610 m).[5] The two Gaza Marine fields were estimated to contain more than 1 trillion cubic feet (about 30 billion cubic meters) of natural gas,[9][10] more than is needed to power the Palestinian territories, with potential to export

Its all so cynical and transparent. He's treating Gaza as just another money making scheme for the US, and more importantly one which will no doubt line his own pockets in some way.

He doesn't give a damn about the Palestinians living, as he disingenuously puts it... in a “beautiful area with homes and safety so that they can live out their lives in peace and harmony”.

Those words are utterly meaningless coming from Trump's mouth because we all know how insincere they are. The Palestinians are just an inconvenience to him who are currently in the way of his latest development project and he doesn't really care how they go or where they go as long as they just go.

If he genuinely cared and wanted to help the Palestinians achieve a better life he wouldn't be fervently dismantling US government foreign aid agencies like USAID which is precisely the sort of programme which could try and help the Palestinians achieve ths better life he claims he wants them to have.

Hmmm
Golf courses, probably some air bases, and a few oil rigs, sounds a perfect place to invade/occupy

The unrealized potential of Palestinian oil and gas reserves

Geologists and resources economists have confirmed that the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) lies above sizeable reservoirs of oil and natural gas wealth, in Area C of the West Bank and the Mediterranean coast off the Gaza Strip, according to a recent UNCTAD study.

unctad.org

 

[carlzeiss]

I can vote out the Government. I can't vote out the board at Tesco.

Well that is something i can't do then

 

[Eeyore]

Let’s not be nasty to Torquay. I grew up quite close to Torquay and the town holds a special place in my heart as it gave me my first experience of nightclubbing as a spotty 16 year old. I snogged three girls that night and thought I was in heaven. Good times.

Yes, Torquay is a bit unfair. Paignton, perhaps

 

[Berty23]

Yes, Torquay is a bit unfair. Paignton, perhaps

Oi. That is where I was born!

That said it is a horrible place. Torquay is a bit of a dive now too tbh. The bit around the marina is okay but the rest is not. The other side of Torbay is better around brixham and Churston (where i golfed in my yoof). Although the towns and villages along the river dart are the best bit.

 

[Pavilionaire]

It'll be like the Torquay of Israel.

Trump's 'The Gaza Strip' hotel, complete with letters rearranged, Fawlty Towers-style: