US Politics

[Teddy Eagle]

I really doubt there was much meaning to it with Trump going on about a United Ireland. You know what he's like. He likes to whip up the crowd like he does and it's headlines for the "Irish American" voters. It also made lefties in Ireland malfunction hearing it.
I don't think there is much appetite for a United Ireland in the north or the south.

And yes you are right it's the same as the UK it's being invaded I've seen it with my own eyes.

Overall he was in the country less than 48 hours and I think it was very successful. The main thing it showed me was the discourse between the MSM and the vast majority of the public in the country who love trump.

Why does every American from the President on down assume all Irish people are Republicans? Even in America a lot of what they like to call Scotch Irish wouldn't agree.

 

[eaglesdare]

Well the Irish may have loved it both proper and the plastics in the US, but the rest of us watched the Trump administration sell Black Hawks to the Argentinians.

Trump can go feck himself.

If this feck wants to spit in our eyes we should close down their US bases and send them home. He could always open one up in Dublin.

That would be fun if he did! 😀 I must have missed the black hawks sale to the dirty argentinians. Looking into it now it's 140 million deal. Seems like good business to me? 😅 I've seen some old news articles of the UK turning down the offer of buying black hawks from the US?

With regards to Argentina and their renewed peaked interest in the Falklands. They must smell weakness in the UK government. You might have heard Andy burnham in PMQs last week say that social security comes above national security? Or somthing along those lines.

Edit: the actual quote was
"Our national security cannot come at the expense of our social security."

 

[eaglesdare]

Why does every American from the President on down assume all Irish people are Republicans? Even in America a lot of what they like to call Scotch Irish wouldn't agree.

I honestly have no idea.

 

[Stirlingsays]

There are more Americans with English heritage in America than Irish.

'2020 Census detailed White responses (people who marked White and wrote in origins): English was the largest group at about 46.6 million (alone or in combination), followed by German (~45 million) and Irish (~38.6 million). English alone was also the top single response. '

They should start putting their weight about after what seems to be continual insult.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

There are more Americans with English heritage in America than Irish.

'2020 Census detailed White responses (people who marked White and wrote in origins): English was the largest group at about 46.6 million (alone or in combination), followed by German (~45 million) and Irish (~38.6 million). English alone was also the top single response. '

They should start putting their weight about after what seems to be continual insult.

yes but you see the English play every baddie in every movie. Plus the War of Independence was very many irish Generals fighting against the English. Anglo-Americans are likely to call themselves Wasps or Americans.
Most US Presidents had british blood....including Trump. But they identify as american. Even while Trump put his foot in it about a United Ireland, he failed to remind the Proddie ulster scots that he is basically one of them.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

the rest of us watched the Trump administration sell Black Hawks to the Argentinians.

Arms manufacturers would sell heroin to their own kids. The UK is every bit as guilty of this. Worldwide.

Fortune favours the brave and the meek do not inherit the Earth. The Argies would have bought their kit from some other seller.

In the book 'Catch 22' Milo Minderbender used to sell military hardware to both sides, and arrange a phoney battle onto the account books and confiscate all the 'allegedly destroyed' kit. Him keeping the money, and then re-selling the confiscated kit.

The military industrial money thing is massive.

 

[PalazioVecchio]

There are more Americans with English heritage in America than Irish.

'2020 Census detailed White responses (people who marked White and wrote in origins): English was the largest group at about 46.6 million (alone or in combination), followed by German (~45 million) and Irish (~38.6 million). English alone was also the top single response. '

They should start putting their weight about after what seems to be continual insult.

that's as ludicrous as a Roman wandering around Romania/France/Spain and complaining about being a downtrodden minority.

 

[Stirlingsays]

yes but you see the English play every baddie in every movie. Plus the War of Independence was very many irish Generals fighting against the English. Anglo-Americans are likely to call themselves Wasps or Americans.
Most US Presidents had british blood....including Trump. But they identify as american. Even while Trump put his foot in it about a United Ireland, he failed to remind the Proddie ulster scots that he is basically one of them.

Yep, I recognise the truth in this.

Doesn't stop me being p1ssed off though.

 

[ASCPFC]

That would be fun if he did! 😀 I must have missed the black hawks sale to the dirty argentinians. Looking into it now it's 140 million deal. Seems like good business to me? 😅 I've seen some old news articles of the UK turning down the offer of buying black hawks from the US?

With regards to Argentina and their renewed peaked interest in the Falklands. They must smell weakness in the UK government. You might have heard Andy burnham in PMQs last week say that social security comes above national security? Or somthing along those lines.

Edit: the actual quote was
"Our national security cannot come at the expense of our social security."

If sap Burnham loses or negotiates away the Falklands, he'll be as popular as Mary Tudor.

 

[silvertop]

Why does every American from the President on down assume all Irish people are Republicans? Even in America a lot of what they like to call Scotch Irish wouldn't agree.

The Irish diaspora in the US still believe the island of Ireland has not moved on from the Black and Tans.

They have no clue that half of the country has been a republic for a century.

They simply cannot compute the concept of unionism and their passionate loyalty to the Crown.

US politicians tap in to this ignorance.

The only difference this time is it is usually Democrats. The Republicans generally know where their bread is buttered in terms of alliance. You wonder why this one has decided to throw his hat in the ring Kennedy style.

 

[silvertop]

Arms manufacturers would sell heroin to their own kids. The UK is every bit as guilty of this. Worldwide.

Fortune favours the brave and the meek do not inherit the Earth. The Argies would have bought their kit from some other seller.

In the book 'Catch 22' Milo Minderbender used to sell military hardware to both sides, and arrange a phoney battle onto the account books and confiscate all the 'allegedly destroyed' kit. Him keeping the money, and then re-selling the confiscated kit.

The military industrial money thing is massive.

I saw on my loop (but did not read) an Islamic attack on Israel claiming they "armed Argentina". Trying to get Brits onside in an anti Israel post.

Truth is, if any country can sell its arms they will to almost any buyer. The US must sell a whole lot of kit to Argentina, as does Israel (and possibly us?). It's just trade.

Take the 1982 conflict. By far our closest and most loyal ally in the conflict was France (certainly not the - at best - ambivalent Americans who were happily supporting an awful despotic Junta). Yet we were being pounded by French made Mirage jets and Exocet missiles.

 

[HKOwen]

I saw on my loop (but did not read) an Islamic attack on Israel claiming they "armed Argentina". Trying to get Brits onside in an anti Israel post.

Truth is, if any country can sell its arms they will to almost any buyer. The US must sell a whole lot of kit to Argentina, as does Israel (and possibly us?). It's just trade.

Take the 1982 conflict. By far our closest and most loyal ally in the conflict was France (certainly not the - at best - ambivalent Americans who were happily supporting an awful despotic Junta). Yet we were being pounded by French made Mirage jets and Exocet missiles.

London Transport had a very good engineering business back in the 80's , successful internationally. They were originally awarded the first Taipei mass transit project. This was subsequently cancelled and awarded to a French company connected to a French entity that agreed to transfer Exocet technology to Taiwan. The UK would not sell any weapons to Taiwan pre 1997 , they were desperate to get the Harrier VTOL capability. Such does the world work

 

[ASCPFC]

I saw on my loop (but did not read) an Islamic attack on Israel claiming they "armed Argentina". Trying to get Brits onside in an anti Israel post.

Truth is, if any country can sell its arms they will to almost any buyer. The US must sell a whole lot of kit to Argentina, as does Israel (and possibly us?). It's just trade.

Take the 1982 conflict. By far our closest and most loyal ally in the conflict was France (certainly not the - at best - ambivalent Americans who were happily supporting an awful despotic Junta). Yet we were being pounded by French made Mirage jets and Exocet missiles.

It's not a secret what the US did anymore and you are incorrect. I am able to tell you.

MI6 had to have intelligence officers selling fake exocets to undermine French sales - in France. Unfortunately, even without live warheads, the fuel propulsion system burned out ships.

The US actually gave over it's GPS system ( early day Motorola satellites) so that the UK had locked in coordinates of forces - friend and foe. There was very little artillery.
How did it do so much accurate support?

They had to do it secretly due to US/ Argentina relations. They became economically entwined afterwards. However that went.

The US also relayed what Chile was reading on its radar. When planes took off in Argentina, Britain was getting warning. Didn't always work - the bombers always get through. If you're willing to lose enough.

Then there was Ascension. It was previously a British base. When it was used for refueling and resupply it was nearly entirely a US base. We can argue about the fall of the empire but it remains that the US sanctioned that resupply.

The main issue with the Falklands was little more than Government cuts. If British armed forces had been much better equipped there would have been far less casualties. The main thing is how good the soldiers/ sailors/ Airmen were. That was what won it.

 

[HKOwen]

If sap Burnham loses or negotiates away the Falklands, he'll be as popular as Mary Tudor.

Mary was very popular initially then the mood turned after she started mass murdering Protestants

 

[ASCPFC]

Mary was very popular initially then the mood turned after she started mass murdering Protestants

Actually, she lost Calais. There was also a famine in the North. And she married Philip. Really, really unpopular moves. Calais was considered an absolute disgrace. Philip was considered the enemy We've been sold a silly reducted version of history.
Her main popularity came from the inaction and suffering of the final years of Elizabeth I. Again, reducted history. She was not popular in the end. The Armada was brief recourse for happiness but the country was in a state. Even the sailors just starved on their ships. People rejoiced when she died and were hopeful.
Only to have their hopes dashed.
In Ireland they will have been sure to want Mary, of course.

 

[Teddy Eagle]

Actually, she lost Calais. There was also a famine in the North. And she married Philip. Really, really unpopular moves. Calais was considered an absolute disgrace. Philip was considered the enemy We've been sold a silly reducted version of history.
Her main popularity came from the inaction and suffering of the final years of Elizabeth I. Again, reducted history. She was not popular in the end. The Armada was brief recourse for happiness but the country was in a state. Even the sailors just starved on their ships. People rejoiced when she died and were hopeful.
Only to have their hopes dashed.
In Ireland they will have been sure to want Mary, of course.

Calais a disgrace? No wonder they're used to it.

 

[Mark B]

I wouldn't be to concerned with the Blackhawks. It is four Blackhawks and it doesn't include the M134 or any other weapons. Falklands are also at the absolute range of a Blackhawk and that is one way mission.

State Department Press Release on it: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/u...f-black-hawk-helicopters-to-argentina/4053849

Oddly enough, I got a chance to go along the Argentine/Chilian border to work with the Argentine military the year before I got to go to Croydon to hang out with the TA (which is why I'm a Palace fan). My summary of the trip: Almost died on three different occasions (mortar went short, bus almost fell into a glacier, and plane lost an engine). I watched them get drunk in the field and light fire barrels during night operations, zero night vision and of a battalion of armored vehicles they had 8 M113s available which is the easiest armored vehicle in the world to operate. Country was beautiful, the people were nice and getting their ass kicked in the Falklands has emotionally scared their entire military.

My assessment of the Argentine military is that they would get their ass kicked by the Salvation Army, let alone the British Army. I can understand people getting angry at Argentina getting anything, but it is the equivalent of being angry at a Special needs person. They can say a lot, they just can't actually do any of it so it is meaningless ranting on their part.

 

[ASCPFC]

I wouldn't be to concerned with the Blackhawks. It is four Blackhawks and it doesn't include the M134 or any other weapons. Falklands are also at the absolute range of a Blackhawk and that is one way mission.

State Department Press Release on it: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/u...f-black-hawk-helicopters-to-argentina/4053849

Oddly enough, I got a chance to go along the Argentine/Chilian border to work with the Argentine military the year before I got to go to Croydon to hang out with the TA (which is why I'm a Palace fan). My summary of the trip: Almost died on three different occasions (mortar went short, bus almost fell into a glacier, and plane lost an engine). I watched them get drunk in the field and light fire barrels during night operations, zero night vision and of a battalion of armored vehicles they had 8 M113s available which is the easiest armored vehicle in the world to operate. Country was beautiful, the people were nice and getting their ass kicked in the Falklands has emotionally scared their entire military.

My assessment of the Argentine military is that they would get their ass kicked by the Salvation Army, let alone the British Army. I can understand people getting angry at Argentina getting anything, but it is the equivalent of being angry at a Special needs person. They can say a lot, they just can't actually do any of it so it is meaningless ranting on their part.

That is indeed the assessment of the Argentine armed forces. However, would you think this regime would stand up for the Falkland Islanders? I wouldn't trust them to not negotiate it away due to a slight threat. A small breeze would knock this government over.

 

[eaglesdare]

That is indeed the assessment of the Argentine armed forces. However, would you think this regime would stand up for the Falkland Islanders? I wouldn't trust them to not negotiate it away due to a slight threat. A small breeze would knock this government over.

The government would end up paying them to take it away!

 

[Stirlingsays]

That is indeed the assessment of the Argentine armed forces. However, would you think this regime would stand up for the Falkland Islanders? I wouldn't trust them to not negotiate it away due to a slight threat. A small breeze would knock this government over.

I don't have much faith in Labour no, but we have a quite powerful base there.

Would they fight? I mean, it's their whole point......but with today's military I couldn't tell you.