Today's developments in Washington have caused a change of heart here.
There is nothing I wish to discuss further about that unbelievable kindergarten show, and - reluctantly - I now feel that my previous post was both ill-considered and inappropriate. With apologies, and my thanks to everyone who contributed, I've decided to pull it. My personal boycott will quietly continue, but I do not wish to dignify what is going on over there by paying attention.
Good luck to you all.
The lunatics have taken over the asylum
ReplyDeleteGood Soldier Svjek -
DeleteI reckon that happened a good while - decades - ago.
MSFoy -
I don't know whether you saw my response to your posting, but I hope it was not the reason for your pulling it. I thought what you had to say was compelling and timely.
Cheers,
Ion
It's truly unbelievable?
ReplyDeleteGoddamit I asked you not to turn on the radio!
ReplyDeleteJust as a parting comment, I note the UK finally finished paying America back for the Second World War in 2006. (£86m final payment). With friends like that who needs enemas. lol.
ReplyDeleteWell done. Totally agree. A sad day!
ReplyDeleteInteresting you mention that JBM - a mate of mine said he watched a YouTube thing on that very subject recently - we get all the banging on about Lend Lease etc. but the US made an enormous profit out of the Second World War, while most of the European countries were impoverished by it and the Russians did 90% of the fighting. (Sorry if that last part offends anyone but I think we tend to forget the Soviet contribution, particularly in light of the last few years - I believe 90% of German soldiers killed during the war died fighting the Red Army)
ReplyDeleteKeith - the best known quotation along these lines, I think, is US historian Stephen Ambrose's "balance sheet" summary towards the end of the old Thames TV series "The World at War". Ambrose does make the preliminary observation, though, that by far the most important result of the end of WW2 was the removal of the threat of Fascist world domination. The longer term effects, of course, we may debate and watch unfolding! [By the way, what on earth was wrong with Ambrose's teeth? - he splutters his way through the interview sessions. And, while we are on this thread, his sweater wasn't up to much either. I am allowed to say these things, since I am a fan]
DeleteIn the context of "The World at War" and its subject matter, I wonder what FDR would have made of DJT? Something seems to have slipped, brothers and sisters. FDR did not negotiate like a mob boss, as far as I know.
Of course the US made a packet out of WW1 as well, indeed there are arguments that they only joined in at the end to protect their investments as a defeated UK and France would probably not have acknowledged their massive debts. Certainly revolutionary Russia didn't recognise any debts incurred by the previous czarist regime. Unfortunately for us the US had appreciated the risk and had us act as middleman and so we were left holding those debts as well.
DeleteI like to think we'd have done the same had the boot been on the other foot. After all, states only ever act in their own interest and if anything useful does come out of the current crisis it might just be the recognition that there is / was no UK-US special relationship, just a convergence of interest.
Unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteLee.