Elon Musk: Always A Douche

[Tamas]

At least we have had Musk humiliate Farage by tossing him aside shortly after Farage spent all that effort kissing his ass.

[mongers]

At least we have had Musk humiliate Farage by tossing him aside shortly after Farage spent all that effort kissing his ass.

 

Indeed.

[Sheilbh]

Posted the polling earlier but Tommy Robinson is very, very unpopular. Elon Musk is also unpopular. Plus I think people intrinsically get that social media is the surface froth and want leaders who project that they won't be bullied by it or billionaires (this is why, while I think there's a case for a national inquiry, I don't think you can order one now without looking weak).

So I don't think it's a humiliation, I think that's probably quite helpful for Farage - it launders him a bit. He's always been very strategic in policing the firewall to his right - no BNP, no EDL, no Tommy Robinson, no Le Pens. I wouldn't go as far as saying it's a Clause IV moment for him but I think it's in that area, it allows him to draw a clear line between him and Robinson and Musk.

[Tamas]

Yeah right, NOW he will want a clear line but half a day before that he was lauding Musk.

[Sheilbh]

Half a day before Musk wasn't saying "Free Tommy Robinson".

The sweet spot for Farage would be if he could get the Musk money, with the odd fight to show he's not weak or bullyable.

It's the same as Labour leaders occasionally benefiting from a fight with union leaders even though they are the main funders of the party and they are, broadly, on the same side. It helps show independence.

[Barrister]

Yeah I'm not sure it is worthy to be discussed bar say huh, look how he is trying to distract from issues actually facing Americans. I don't need breathless articles on every development 'Trump son travels to Greenland!!!1'

I think we've learned that just ignoring Trump's crazyness doesn't work either.

Trump is the Commander in Chief.  If he does order the US military to seize the Panama Canal - is the military going to say no?  Are they going to 25th Amendment him?  I think not.

Or if he imposes 25% tariff on Canadian goods in order to convince us to join the US?

[HVC]

Canada has really good snipers. Just saying.

[Sheilbh]

I did see the Economist security correspondent asking experts for their views on doing this. Seeing Francois Heisbourg of the IISS and French foreign policy think tank world's assessment is fairly sobering:

François Heisbourg
@FHeisbourg
Panama? Military precedent is 1989 overthrow of Noriega. Darien migration including Chinese angle as a hic et nunc rationale. Global South fury but manageable.  Greenland? Easy:  US already has a military bridgehead (Thule) plus available airports. Politically: creating ...1/3
...local support as in Hawaii (1898) or Panama (1903) is part of US imperial experience. Atlantic Alliance in tatters as unmanageable collateral effect. Canada: not a militarily serious challenge except maybe for guerilla warfare along Alaskan border? Politically: promising...2/3
...sweetheart energy deals to Prairie provinces and helping BC deal with Chinese influence and fentanyl issue. But probably won't work. Collateral damage: end of NATO in North America but manageable (NORAD, NORTHCOMM are the name of the game). Crazy mind games in a Trumpian world

[Richard Hakluyt]

I would imagine that if the USA helped itself to Greenland there is not much Europe could do about it.

It would be the death knell of the alliance that America is the leader of though. A big win for Putin and Xi.

[crazy canuck]

I would imagine that if the USA helped itself to Greenland there is not much Europe could do about it.

It would be the death knell of the alliance that America is the leader of though. A big win for Putin and Xi.

Yeah, and maybe that is why he is doing it.

[mongers]

I would imagine that if the USA helped itself to Greenland there is not much Europe could do about it.

It would be the death knell of the alliance that America is the leader of though. A big win for Putin and Xi.

Yeah, and maybe that is why he is doing it.

He wants to join that exclusive tough guy club.

If he does, here's hoping his regime fails the way Assad's did at the end, rather than outsource state control/suppression to the Zuckerberger* et al.

* can't be arsed to check the spelling.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

I would imagine that if the USA helped itself to Greenland there is not much Europe could do about it.

It would be the death knell of the alliance that America is the leader of though. A big win for Putin and Xi.

Yeah, and maybe that is why he is doing it.

He wants to join that exclusive tough guy club.

If he does, here's hoping his regime fails the way Assad's did at the end, rather than outsource state control/suppression to the Zuckerberger* et al.

* can't be arsed to check the spelling.

a bit faster than half a century would be nice though, in that case.
but for that those DIY snipers will need to learn how to hit a target cause the attempts during the elections were pathetic.

[Josquius]

Jess Philips has been given special police protection after musks threats

[Sheilbh]

Yeah, and maybe that is why he is doing it.

Although worth pointing out, as others have online, Pat Buchanan writing in 1990 calling for the US to annex Greenland and absorb most of Canada. The Panama Canal stuff is a long-standing complaint on parts of the right.

There's a tradition Trump comes from - arguably one with deeper, more long-established roots than America's post-war internationalism through Taft etc (Ike beating him at the convention in 1952 is a very significant moment). It's not necessarily just wanting to impress foreigners, but very American.

[Tamas]

Guys, guys. Nothing will be done regarding Panama or Greenland past sabre-rattling. Stop it. You are embarrassing yourselves.