US

[Booney]

We rely heavily on the US for defence and let's see how he gets along with Xi Jinping before we say it'll have no impact on us.

The US needs Taiwan more than it needs China and I’m pretty sure Trump will do whatever it takes to keep Taiwan as a free country. Hence they need us and unfortunately many feel we will be sucked into any altercations with China

Exactly. I didn't mean Trump / Jinping directly, I meant lets see what Trump does to upset Jinping in the region.

[RB]

That's the concerning part...

Trump appealed to the common man, Harris rolled out elites who have nothing in common with them.

"Elites" in the American political discourse being educated people who are not right wing.

[Jimmy_041]

For the un-educated in this space.. what implications would Trump's win have on Australia?

I'm probably a bit naïve but I can't really say I've noticed a lot of difference in life regardless of who is President (with the exception of course of Afghanistan).

I agree there will be minimal impact.

From an economic perspective, Trump has been clear that he is interested in protecting america, and will look to impose significant tarrifs on imports.
This could lead to a downturn in China's output if their exports into America decline, which could see a decrease in demand for Australian raw materials.
Naturally this would weaken the aussie dollar.
There was a sharp drop of roughly 1.3% yesterday as the market looks to bake that scenario in already.

A weaker AUD makes our imports more expensive, and also increases the demand for our exports, both actions are inflationary, so you could see the RBA continue to have concerns about inflation and therefore be more reluctant to drop interest rates, or even worse, increase them again.

I think that's probably a step too far, and I don't think we will see rates rise in the short term, but yes, thats a potential conclusion if Donny goes hard with his proposed tarrifs and other forms of protection.

Listening to a US commentator early last night, not only did the Biden Administration keep the Trump tarrifs on China, but they increased them.
He also addressed the left fear mongering that Trump would impose tarrifs on Australia.
He said the same thing was trotted out 8 years ago and never happened.

Another said that American women would probably keep the vote despite the Harris campaign ads that Trump would take their vote away.

We do need a mis/disinformation law but only for politicians and their lackeys

[Booney]

We do need a mis/disinformation law but only for politicians and their lackeys

Agreed. Then we can confirm if "they're eating the dogs and eating the cats" or not.

[Ronnie]

All societies need a combination of sensible progressives and sensible conservatives. Not all values and traditions are worth preserving, in the same way not all change is good or desirable. i also think very few people are completely in one box or the other.

[Jim05]

We do need a mis/disinformation law but only for politicians and their lackeys

Agreed. Then we can confirm if "they're eating the dogs and eating the cats" or not.

You haven’t been to Bali if you haven’t eaten dog meat
It actually tastes good too

[Jimmy_041]

I wont be getting racing tips off this bloke

Another socialist academic living in a bubble but knows everything
No doubt MSM are at fault - his opinions are always correct like all of them

https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/opini ... election-2

[Booney]

We do need a mis/disinformation law but only for politicians and their lackeys

Agreed. Then we can confirm if "they're eating the dogs and eating the cats" or not.

You haven’t been to Bali if you haven’t eaten dog meat
It actually tastes good too

True story - hand on heart.

Dad was a ships watchman on the wharfs for years, late 70's to 90's, they were basically security guards who sat at the top of the gang plank and made sure people coming on and off were legitimate and could be there. Most ships they'd get fed on, night shift you'd get breakfast, days you'd get lunch, arvo's you'd get dinner.

He's been dished up this plate of pork and veggies, gravy and fresh bread one night and scoffed it down. The cook comes back a bit later to collect the plate and my old man "Oh, nice". Old mate with no English nods and smiles. "Oink Oink good"

"No ah no, a woof a woof" Dad reckons he was feeding the fish in about 8 seconds.

He later spoke to one of the blokes on the dock who saw the cook feeding a stray some scraps earlier in the week.

[wenchbarwer]

We do need a mis/disinformation law but only for politicians and their lackeys

Agreed. Then we can confirm if "they're eating the dogs and eating the cats" or not.

You haven’t been to Bali if you haven’t eaten dog meat
It actually tastes good too

True story - hand on heart.

Dad was a ships watchman on the wharfs for years, late 70's to 90's, they were basically security guards who sat at the top of the gang plank and made sure people coming on and off were legitimate and could be there. Most ships they'd get fed on, night shift you'd get breakfast, days you'd get lunch, arvo's you'd get dinner.

He's been dished up this plate of pork and veggies, gravy and fresh bread one night and scoffed it down. The cook comes back a bit later to collect the plate and my old man "Oh, nice". Old mate with no English nods and smiles. "Oink Oink good"

"No ah no, a woof a woof" Dad reckons he was feeding the fish in about 8 seconds.

He later spoke to one of the blokes on the dock who saw the cook feeding a stray some scraps earlier in the week.

Reminds me of an article I read once about street vendors in some Asian countries

Everything was labelled duck for sensitivity reasons for the tourists, until you asked "Duck quack?".

To which they'd reply "No, duck meow"

[Jimmy_041]

Opinion

The working class isn’t woke. That’s a huge problem for the left

Parties of the left must decide whether they will continue to prioritise urban issues or once again embrace the economic challenges facing the working poor. Or both.

Updated Nov 7, 2024 – 2.23pm,
first published at 1.18pm

The 2024 US election has shocked many around the world with Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. But his victory should not be seen as an isolated American phenomenon.

Across many Western democracies, we are witnessing a profound realignment: low-income, working-class voters, once staunch supporters of the political left, are increasingly turning to conservative and populist leaders.

This shift is part of a global trend, a growing backlash against parties of the left, which have moved away from the bread-and-butter economic issues that traditionally united working-class communities and instead focused on the priorities of an educated, cosmopolitan demographic.

In the United States, Trump has capitalised on this disconnection, resonating with voters who feel economically left behind and politically ignored.



Donald Trump has resonated with voters who feel economically left behind and politically ignored. David Rowe

The former blue-collar backbone of the Democratic Party, including Rust Belt states and rural communities, has realigned itself with Trump’s populist message, drawn by his promises to prioritise American jobs, limit globalisation, and tackle the economic stagnation gripping many working-class communities, including many diverse communities.

This realignment has not just reshaped American politics but is echoed across Western democracies, including Australia’s, where low-income voters have similarly been shifting to conservative or minor party alternatives.

The recent Queensland state election offers a striking example of this phenomenon in Australia.

While Labor retained its grip on the inner and middle suburbs of Brisbane, appealing to professional, well-educated, urban voters, it lost ground in traditional heartland seats, where economic concerns and frustrations over cost-of-living pressures took precedence.

Supercharging this sentiment was also a profound belief by some voters that Labor was no longer focused on their economic wellbeing, nor the prosperity of their family and community.

Losing the state seats of Mackay and Rockhampton should have sent shockwaves throughout the Labor Party, right across the country. It did not.

Similarly, in the 2022 Victorian state election, Labor performed strongly in Melbourne’s inner and middle suburbs while bleeding support in outer, traditionally Labor-leaning suburbs.

These were the same communities where very diverse blue-collar workers once found champions in parties of the left, advocating for labour rights, fair wages, and social support systems. Now, these voters and their children are actively seeking ways to rebel against and unseat Labor MPs.

In that election, Labor saw up to a 20 per cent drop in its primary vote in seats that were once secured within the first hour of counting. Again, it should have sent shockwaves throughout the Labor Party. It did not.

This is not just a trend but a redefinition of political identity in Western democracies.

Why are these shifts happening? Why are the now constant warning signs being ignored?

Much of it has to do with the changing face of the left. Across the West, political parties that once represented the working poor now find themselves dominated by members of the educated, cosmopolitan class, especially in large urban centres.

Their priorities have shifted to reflect the values and concerns of their new base: climate action, social justice, and urban housing policies. While these issues are important, the economic struggles of low-income workers, such as rising housing costs, stagnant wages, declining life expectancy, and job insecurity have taken a back seat.

Parties that once fought for the working class are now, in many cases, more focused on social issues that resonate with their new, more urban professional support base.

This trend has deepened the divide between urban and rural voters, and between professionals and blue-collar workers, creating fertile ground for conservative and populist leaders.

Leaders such as Trump, Marine Le Pen in France, and Nigel Farage in the UK have stepped in to fill the void, speaking to those who feel left behind by globalisation, unheard in urban-centric political agendas, and overburdened by rising living costs.

These leaders often frame their campaigns as battles against elitism, globalism, and out-of-touch bureaucrats, promising instead to deliver “common sense” solutions for everyday people.

For parties of the left, this shift presents a major dilemma. Many are struggling to pivot back to the economic concerns of working-class voters because they are increasingly made up of activists, staff, and representatives from urban, middle-class backgrounds.

Their worldviews and policy priorities are shaped in large part by these urban enclaves, making it difficult for them to authentically champion the material concerns of the working poor in rural and outer suburban areas.

If parties of the left fail to reconnect with working-class voters, who are diverse, the consequences will be far-reaching. The working poor will continue to align with conservative and populist movements, reshaping political landscapes, as seen in the US, Australia, and beyond.

This is not just a trend but a redefinition of political identity in Western democracies. Parties of the left must decide whether they will continue to prioritise urban issues, or once again embrace the economic challenges facing the working poor. Or both.

Until then, leaders such as Trump will continue to win over the voters the left once proudly called their own.

Vice President Kamala Harris called Donald Trump on Thursday to concede victory.

[tigerpie]

Ironically the man who led an attack on democracy is the beneficiary of it 4 years later.

Been reading up on the AUKUS deal, it seems as though multiple US agencies are entrenched in the deal ( Pentagon, State Department, Congress ) so Trump withdrawing from it will be difficult but his landslide on all fronts means he may just have the power to do it. Then again we're getting stitched up on the deal and even though he's an awful business man he'll see the $3bn we're in for and take it I think. Either way this win could have long lasting impacts on the South Australian economy, something that interests and impacts all of us.

By the term awful business man, you mean he's a rhymes with punt.
Because as a business man he's been pretty successful that you can't deny.
The bloke knows how to get a deal done.
He may well be all the things people are saying but he knows how to work the system.
I'm interested to see what happens now in Ukraine and Russia.

Is claiming bankruptcy 6 times a good business man???

Yes apparently it's worked out for him.
The guys a go squillionaire from making deals.
I'm not saying he's a good bloke however.

[Jimmy_041]

Opinion
World
North America
US Votes 2024

Trump’s triumph is a disaster for virtue-signalling elites

For Europe and the West’s Left-wing elites, the scale of Trump’s triumph, and the fact that his team is much more professional this time, is an existential disaster, the greatest blow since Brexit.

BT.png (205.89 KiB) Viewed 1536 times

Donald Trump’s brand of populist, multi-racial, working-class, highly online, right-wing politics has captured the new centre ground.

America is now Trump country, at war with progressivism, open borders, international bureaucracies, net zero, Jihadism, military adventurism and the left-wing media. The old order is dead, never to be resuscitated; for better or for worse, American politics has finally caught up with globalisation, deindustrialisation, the resurrection of history (contra Francis Fukuyama) and the internet’s explosive rise.

Donald Trump is 78, but he is a very modern politician with an intuitive grasp of how social fragmentation and the rise and fall of institutions can work for him. He has learnt to bypass network news and The New York Times. His brand of populist, multi-racial, working-class, highly online, right-wing politics has captured the new centre ground.

It now looks as if 2016 was a mere dry run, derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic; 2024 is the real deal, a revolutionary moment, a reconstitution and realignment of American and Western politics around fresh principles, many excellent but some much more malign.

Trump thus appears to have clinched the majority of the US popular vote, the first time for Republicans since George W. Bush in 2004 in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The party previously won an overall majority in 1988, when George H.W. Bush triumphed on Ronald Reagan’s coat-tails.

The Republicans have also recaptured the Senate, and may well have retained the House. Trump’s vote in New York state, a leftist bastion, was higher, at more than 44 per cent, than the Tory high points in Britain in 1979 or 2019.

Demographics isn’t destiny. The exit polls suggest a 3-point swing away from Trump for whites, more than cancelled out by a 13-point swing to Republicans by Hispanics, a 6-point swing by Asians and a 12-point shift among “others”, all of whom increasingly vote according to their conservative values and economic self-interest. Trump made massive gains among non-white voters with or without a degree, while Harris won over male and female white voters with a degree.

Zapata County, Texas, which is 94 per cent Hispanic, voted 61 per cent for Trump. Osceola, the most Puerto Rican county in Florida, fell to Trump on a 14-point swing.

Voters are crying out for a crackdown on crime. They don’t want mass illegal immigration, even if they are immigrants themselves. They hate inflation. They want higher wages. They believe in the American dream, and are sick of the Democratic Party’s anti-Western self-loathing, its unwillingness to properly fight Islamism and absurd campus extremism, its hateful normalisation of antisemitism, its anti-meritocratic wokery, its rejection of biological reality when it comes to sex. They are tired of wars, which is fair enough; sadly, Trump’s tragically misguided lack of support for Ukraine is also popular.

For Keir Starmer, the EU and the West’s left-wing elites more generally, the scale of Trump’s triumph, and the fact that his team is much more professional this time around, is an existential disaster, the greatest blow since Brexit.

Trump will rightly want Britain and the rest of Europe to spend more on defence: this will ruin Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves’ fiscal plans. If he imposes a 3 per cent of GDP military spending target for Nato, where will she find another 0.7 per cent of GDP? Will Britain allocate more resources to Ukraine if Trump cuts Volodymyr Zelensky off, or will Starmer, humiliatingly, sign up to whatever deal Trump forces upon Kyiv? As to the EU, it will prove itself irretrievably split.

Trump looks set to tackle the Iranian regime, especially given intelligence concerning a plot to assassinate him: what will his reaction be when he realises that Britain refuses to ban the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps?

His administration will have no truck with Britain’s role in the persecution of Israel. The International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice could easily be sanctioned by the US. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees will be defunded, and an assertive US administration will begin to treat those nations that don’t toe the line as hostile.

Gilt yields had already shot up as a result of Reeves’ extra borrowing; the prospect of a higher deficit in the US has sent global bond yields even higher, which will cost Reeves even more in interest payments. Trump will torpedo the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s corporate tax harmonisation scheme, exposing Britain’s lack of competitiveness.

Lower taxes and deregulation in the US will accelerate the exodus of talent and capital from Britain. The Trump administration will react with fury (and potential sanctions) if British competition authorities crack down on US tech firms, or if regulators attack Elon Musk’s X social network. Any decision by Trump to slap massive tariffs on US imports would be a grave error, and push the UK into recession.

With Joe Biden gone, Starmer has lost his biggest environmental ally: Trump wants to frack, and to cancel the Democratic green deal. He wants to quit the Paris Agreement, exposing the net zero project as a sham, ignored by emerging markets and the world’s largest economy alike.

Britain will be pursuing higher prices and extensive rationing just as America opts for cheap energy, and it will be a calamity. Musk, one of Trump’s key advisers, supports decarbonisation, but via technological innovations that protect consumers. That is the right way to create sustainable environmental improvements, but is anathema to Ed Miliband and Starmer’s command-and-control approach.

Starmer will need to make up with the world’s most brilliant industrialist, who keeps tweeting insults at him and dismissing him as “two-tier Keir”. The trouble is that Musk and many of Trump’s other aides now have a dark, dystopian, often exaggerated view of Britain’s problems that could further toxify US-UK relations and destroy what is left of the special relationship.

I miss no opportunity to decry the UK’s numerous pathologies, our lack of robustness towards extremists, our rampant crime and our insufficient protections for free speech. But many Republicans believe in a caricature of Britain and London, and often fail to understand UK law on contempt or incitement. Their critique goes too far, and they regularly retweet nonsense.

Donald Trump is a natural Britophile; his mother was Scottish-born and he loved meeting the Queen. Starmer needs to unleash a charm offensive before it is too late, but the reality is that Trump’s triumph is likely to be fatal for Starmer’s socialistic vision of Britain.

[stan]

Opinion

The working class isn’t woke. That’s a huge problem for the left

Parties of the left must decide whether they will continue to prioritise urban issues or once again embrace the economic challenges facing the working poor. Or both.

Updated Nov 7, 2024 – 2.23pm,
first published at 1.18pm

The 2024 US election has shocked many around the world with Donald Trump’s return to the presidency. But his victory should not be seen as an isolated American phenomenon.

Across many Western democracies, we are witnessing a profound realignment: low-income, working-class voters, once staunch supporters of the political left, are increasingly turning to conservative and populist leaders.

This shift is part of a global trend, a growing backlash against parties of the left, which have moved away from the bread-and-butter economic issues that traditionally united working-class communities and instead focused on the priorities of an educated, cosmopolitan demographic.

In the United States, Trump has capitalised on this disconnection, resonating with voters who feel economically left behind and politically ignored.



Donald Trump has resonated with voters who feel economically left behind and politically ignored. David Rowe

The former blue-collar backbone of the Democratic Party, including Rust Belt states and rural communities, has realigned itself with Trump’s populist message, drawn by his promises to prioritise American jobs, limit globalisation, and tackle the economic stagnation gripping many working-class communities, including many diverse communities.

This realignment has not just reshaped American politics but is echoed across Western democracies, including Australia’s, where low-income voters have similarly been shifting to conservative or minor party alternatives.

The recent Queensland state election offers a striking example of this phenomenon in Australia.

While Labor retained its grip on the inner and middle suburbs of Brisbane, appealing to professional, well-educated, urban voters, it lost ground in traditional heartland seats, where economic concerns and frustrations over cost-of-living pressures took precedence.

Supercharging this sentiment was also a profound belief by some voters that Labor was no longer focused on their economic wellbeing, nor the prosperity of their family and community.

Losing the state seats of Mackay and Rockhampton should have sent shockwaves throughout the Labor Party, right across the country. It did not.

Similarly, in the 2022 Victorian state election, Labor performed strongly in Melbourne’s inner and middle suburbs while bleeding support in outer, traditionally Labor-leaning suburbs.

These were the same communities where very diverse blue-collar workers once found champions in parties of the left, advocating for labour rights, fair wages, and social support systems. Now, these voters and their children are actively seeking ways to rebel against and unseat Labor MPs.

In that election, Labor saw up to a 20 per cent drop in its primary vote in seats that were once secured within the first hour of counting. Again, it should have sent shockwaves throughout the Labor Party. It did not.

This is not just a trend but a redefinition of political identity in Western democracies.

Why are these shifts happening? Why are the now constant warning signs being ignored?

Much of it has to do with the changing face of the left. Across the West, political parties that once represented the working poor now find themselves dominated by members of the educated, cosmopolitan class, especially in large urban centres.

Their priorities have shifted to reflect the values and concerns of their new base: climate action, social justice, and urban housing policies. While these issues are important, the economic struggles of low-income workers, such as rising housing costs, stagnant wages, declining life expectancy, and job insecurity have taken a back seat.

Parties that once fought for the working class are now, in many cases, more focused on social issues that resonate with their new, more urban professional support base.

This trend has deepened the divide between urban and rural voters, and between professionals and blue-collar workers, creating fertile ground for conservative and populist leaders.

Leaders such as Trump, Marine Le Pen in France, and Nigel Farage in the UK have stepped in to fill the void, speaking to those who feel left behind by globalisation, unheard in urban-centric political agendas, and overburdened by rising living costs.

These leaders often frame their campaigns as battles against elitism, globalism, and out-of-touch bureaucrats, promising instead to deliver “common sense” solutions for everyday people.

For parties of the left, this shift presents a major dilemma. Many are struggling to pivot back to the economic concerns of working-class voters because they are increasingly made up of activists, staff, and representatives from urban, middle-class backgrounds.

Their worldviews and policy priorities are shaped in large part by these urban enclaves, making it difficult for them to authentically champion the material concerns of the working poor in rural and outer suburban areas.

If parties of the left fail to reconnect with working-class voters, who are diverse, the consequences will be far-reaching. The working poor will continue to align with conservative and populist movements, reshaping political landscapes, as seen in the US, Australia, and beyond.

This is not just a trend but a redefinition of political identity in Western democracies. Parties of the left must decide whether they will continue to prioritise urban issues, or once again embrace the economic challenges facing the working poor. Or both.

Until then, leaders such as Trump will continue to win over the voters the left once proudly called their own.

Vice President Kamala Harris called Donald Trump on Thursday to concede victory.

I know it's an opinion piece, but there are some good points there.

Trump appealed to the working class in America and won. This would indicate that yes the working class isn't woke.

Ask the people what is important to them, and I'm not talking about social media influencers or the like.
Ask a construction worker what is important them.
Ask a nurse what is important to them.

I'll think you'll find the answer is a lot simpler than all the BS you hear about in the media.

[mighty_tiger_79]

The woke people are those who have no skin in the game

[stan]

Good onya Krudd
Enjoy your trip home

In a separate statement today, Mr Albanese revealed Australia’s US Ambassador Kevin Rudd had deleted disparaging comments made against Mr Trump from his social media.”

Self preservation mode haha

Gutless.

He should be gone. Albo needs him removed immediately, completely untenable position.

[RB]

The woke people are those who have no skin in the game

What is "woke"?

[Jimmy_041]

The woke people are those who have no skin in the game

or you could be Holmes a Court with plenty of skin in the game, monumental upside + unashamed grifter

[Jimmy_041]

The woke people are those who have no skin in the game

What is "woke"?

Most people misinterpret it

Then again, the definition of a woman is no longer set so I'm not tackling it

[LaughingKookaburra]

Good onya Krudd
Enjoy your trip home

In a separate statement today, Mr Albanese revealed Australia’s US Ambassador Kevin Rudd had deleted disparaging comments made against Mr Trump from his social media.”

Self preservation mode haha

Gutless.

He should be gone. Albo needs him removed immediately, completely untenable position.

Always been a clown. Hard to fathom how he ran our country at one stage.

[Booney]

The woke people are those who have no skin in the game

What is "woke"?

A word used by people who are scared their world will change when something that doesn't effect them at all happens.