Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Ruth Davies is coming ye ken,ye ken!

Ruth Davies is coming ye ken,ye ken!

Love it :0)

The U.S. share of total NATO defense spending increased over the past year, from 71.9% to 72.3%.
Only five member countries — the United States, Greece, the United Kingdom, Estonia and Poland — meet the required threshold of 2% or more of GDP devoted to defense. France is almost there at 1.8%. Most, including Germany, are closer to the 1% mark.
The worst in the EU is Luxembourg with O.4%. Luxembourg is of course the home of Jean Claude Juncker, the boozy President of the European Commission who likes to warn everyone else about making their fair contribution.
He who also said ‘We will need to teach Trump what Europe is and how it works’. What a joke. It doesn't work except for self serving jerks like Juncker.
Trump is quite right. Countries should step up their contributions or drop out of Nato. There again if they do step up their spending, the EU will no doubt simply play musical chairs with budget contributions so that the usual mugs get to pay the bill in the end. Roll on Art 50.

Manuel.

I am not putting May in the same bag as Chump, Fauxpage, or Boris.

Compared with them I think she appears relatively honest and has picked up a bad hand to play.

I think she should have thought a little more about Brexit and been more honest about the problems of "leaving" when she was elected party tory party leader.

Rather than hoping to get away with a throw off "Brexit means Brexit".

I think at the moment estimating the problems and consequences of leaving the EU are still being "evaluated".

Considering "50" years of "deals" and renegotiating them in a hostile atmosphere is not a job for the faint-hearted.

Also, I wonder if she has the health (late-onset type 1 diabetes) and stamina for the prolonged job. Also, a fragmented tory party which will become even more fragmented when the "boys" don't get what they want.

We will see.

-==-=-==

Ps.

For grown-ups, today's Observer is an interesting read.

Manuel,

If you haven't read it already I think this was an interesting summary of one of the future problems;

"Now is not the time for the US to abandon Nato – nor should its European allies go it alone"

Jens Stoltenberg Secretary General of Nato.



https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/12/us-must-not-abandon-nato-europe-go-alone-jens-stoltenberg

Did the article mention costs Fred?

Not properly...only hinting at increasing contributions.

The yanks shoulder 70-80% of Nato's costs, and they've had enough. Time for €uropa to pony up.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/president-donald-trump-christoph-waltz-grace-period-president-a7414691.html

Christoph Waltz shuts down claims that Donald Trump should be allowed a 'grace period' as president

'You can’t unsay what has been said,' says the actor

New York Times 1932

Have you been on that cheap beer again Hays? You will be having nightmares of Nigel and the Donald knocking on your door. Lighten up, it may never happen.

Farage is no threat.

Gees Hays, I bet your a riot at parties!

Its been rumoured that haystack is a bank clerk called herman von rumpuy,
Yes him that got put in his place by NIGEL FARAGE...

Good week for Putin: days after US election, leaders allied to his United Russia Party take over in Estonia, Moldova & Bulgaria.

Moldova election was today.

hay at least putin is a leader unlike the coward called Cameron he had no balls a gutless wimp
farage as balls and guts and a real leader . trump is the hero of the west another man with balls ,

hay you must be a lib wimp if you do not support the men with balls

TRUMP WILL BE A GREAT LEADER , WE THE WEST HAVE NOW AWOKEN FROM A BAD DREAM , OF THE BARMY WHITE HATER , AND WINSTON WILL BE BACK IN THE WHIYE HOUSE , THE BARMY HATED CHURCHILL BECAUSE HE WAS WHITE

BARMY WAS NO FRIEND OF THE UK the man is rotten a isis supporter ,

FARAGE , to be trumps advisor on EU policy that's great news. merkil to be removed next year

good morning fred

i'll check out the guardian article later
meanwhile .....

i think TM has been honest from the off
having been elected party leader, she declared very clearly that it was her obligation to honour the result of the referendum and activate article 50 and beyond, fighting as hard a corner on behalf of the country as she could ..... we'll leave JC out of this discussion as he would be a meaningless distraction

no one - well very few anyway - is denying that a very rocky road lies ahead, and certainly no one but no one knows exactly where that will lead us
however, just as we all have to live with the fact Trump as president, so now with brexit and beyond

while MPs could vote against the activation of article 50, that is likely to end up with them individually having very bloody noses, unless they know for sure their constituents voted to remain

I don't know why you bother with Fred he will just carry on moaning , nothing constructive to say ever, still as you wish.

you may not have noticed, but he and i now (usually) have quite interesting and sensible dialogue

I must have blinked cyners.

No cynic i have not noticed ,are you sure your not going ga ga ,maybe a visit to the shrinks in order ;)