Tag: Trump

Taking stock of my share of shares

Holly sh*t what the feck just happened in my bank account it is leaking cash faster than a Trumpian Bull breaks ceramics in a China shop!

Along time ago in a bank account far, far away I started to dabble in buying a type of UK bank account called an ISA (Individual Savings Account). ISAs are seen as a tax-efficient way to save and invest your money. That means you’ll pay no tax on any interest, gains or returns you make. What a great idea I thought. I also thought I could turn a little pot of money into a little bit bigger pot of money with me chipping some in monthly and also with the interest earned on the ISA. The only problem was that at the time I had decided to do this some 15 years or more ago interest rates were so low that in relation to inflation the interest earned was not keeping up with the low inflation rate so it felt like for every year you kept money in a regular ISA it was still in fact degrading over time in real terms.

So like everyone I was looking for a way out of this slightly silly system and so about 5 years ago or longer (I forget how long ago I decided to invest in a type of stocks and shares account with a online stocks and shares company. Again kept my little ISA ticking over to not earn interest on but also started saving into a type of stocks and shares account, again it was small potatoes and did not really have any major success but also did earn a little bit more than when putting money into an ISA so no big wins but no losses either still quite dull I thought really.

But then after a recommendation from a family member I consolidated my many minor pension schemes and cash ISA all into one company in the UK that had a steady higher rate of return for my money than any think I had tried in the past and low and behold I soon started to take interest in the interest and start finally seeing the benefits of my savings whilst at the same time as the stocks market would be stable and go up so would my stocks and shares ISA.

It was all going so well, I would pay a small amount in every week into my account and each week the money as well as the interest would grow. I thought I had finally become an adult without responsibilities that could and was planning for my rainy days and saving for my future. But then comes along President Trump like a bull in a China shop, who after many years of nonsensical speeches and stupid opinions was finally able to put those two things into practice with no less than  a trade war with the rest of the world – a literal economic DO NOT DO under no circumstances economic policy. Oh my the bigger they are the harder they fall kind of economic suicide that he has chosen to inflict on the globe and the US – its quite literally the top number one dumbest thing he could think to do and not only did he think about it he went ahead and did it and now will not back down and spend the next four years saying how it will be other countries and politicians and policies fault for the very dump policy that he implemented all on his own. You wonder how a person can even bankrupt a casino in their lifetime and we now know and start to see just how his logic did that and start to say ahh thats how, that’s why.

Finance and the direction of flow of money, shall always have a flow, an economic flow, it is not personal, it is not prejudicial, it simply flows from what it is able to make from money to who it then  able to buy with money, simple economic rule really on a micro and macro scale.

The barriers Trump is attempting to put up might well speed up or damage even more severely the things that Trump was in fact trying to protect and solve. China has a wall of businesses, bureaucrats, financial clout and desire to beat the US and where as Trump is dismantling the US government machine, China is only getting started with facing its machine up against the US in the trade war of all trade wars that Trump is initiating. Trump put quite simply this is a trade war you cannot and could never win. Just as Brexit saw a painful divorce for Britain from Europe, in a most likely irreversible circumstance so to is Trump trying to divorce himself right now from the economic flows of international finance and trade and oh boy have his shenanigans kicked my savings down right into my stocks and shares! No one can predict where this will end for global stocks or shares or for the US, China or rest of the world just yet. But my money is on the fact that this will not bode well for Trumps Tariffs’ philosophy at all.

Pink Floyd – Money

Blocking the rivers of trade

Stopping the flow of money & watching some rivers of finance run dry, all for an experiment that will fail and a crash and burn to the US economy.

If we were still in George Orwell’s 1984 novel then the great trade war has begun and if it was up to Trump no matter what damage he does he will be reporting this war as a victory. No matter how many jobs are lost he will be reported as improvements and gains and no matter how much money people loose they will be reported as having increased and gained.

The normal rivers of Economic trade being blocked and dammed by Trumpian probable failing economic policies will cut deep. Damaging both economic systems across the globe and Trumps ego and people’s perception of him as an intelligent and knowledgeable business man. Trump likes to see himself as a brilliant business man and an assumption of this brilliance should be a keen understanding of international economics and trade is unravelling before his eyes and stock markets around the world and recessions are on the horizon while his attempt to block flows of trade fails for the USA and rest of the world. Trade and flows of trade will likely find a way even if this is further away from the USA rather than directly to it. Yes, Trump it will be a painful transition for many but what no one can really predict with and clear insight is what the change will look like and what that change ultimately leads too. Will it result in more or less jobs and money in the USA in the long run is yet to be seen.

Economic policies and trade from country to country can be viewed as flowing of goods and services to and from places across the globe. These flows are natural and part of economic cycles. Where there is financial clout to purchase goods and services and where there is an ability to produce and design, market and provide excellent goods and services and then transport them across the globe then these flows of products and services are natural economic eco systems that take place. It’s a consumers market and Trumps policies go completely against the free flow of consumption and he fails to allow the flow of trade and consumption and in my opinion Trumps policies will ultimately fail just like many of his other policies.

But the fact that he sees himself as such a great business man means that this failure will likely hurt him the most as well as his own country the place he is in fact trying to make great again. With the shocks to share and trading markets and likely continued break down in flows of trade and consumption this will be a damming of the river of financial, goods and services trade. Jobs will be lost, goods will go up in price and business will go out of business.   

Trump says that the USA has been treated unfairly, what he is really stating is he does not agree with the economic flows of finance and he is conducting a global experiment that will likely fail for him and cause more damage to USA and global business than good for goods and services. Trump cannot buy rivers of flow and Trump can not force the USA consumer or businesses to by USA goods and services. Freedom of consumption is natural to human markets and trade he’s peddling ideas and views that will fail and meddling in economic markets and trade flows he simply just does not understand. Like a bull in a china shop its likley there will be a crash or two of the economy.

Make America Hate

Trump is an isolationist at heart. There are many things which Trump does not, cannot or has no will to understand when it comes to his world view and he views others as being weak or insignificant, if they do not think and feel the same as him and his outward reaction to those who do not share in his world view is divisive and in the short, medium and long-term extremely damaging to the US, it’s allies and enemies alike. No good will come from Trumps actions and inaction as he seeks to impose his world view on all of us.

With great power comes great responsibility normally and Trump is not responsible to anything or anyone if anything he is a reckless bully or reckless bull in a china shop. His actions and lack of political accountability when signing of executive order after executive order is mind boggling. His overstepping of his executive power with the sacking of state employees, shutting down of government programs is done on a whim and not with any true political oversight judgment or accountability.

With Trump offering trade wars to break up years of stable trading relations and treaties with Canada for what appear to be petty reasoning’s in response to complex problems for the USA e.g. Trump wants Canada to become part of the USA to be used as a strategic asset and profit from this and is punishing Canada for not being part of the USA. Trump is only able to do a lot of the negative things that he is doing because his country the USA is the most powerful trading nation in the world and he is using that power as leverage. If the UK or any other nation in the world tried to do this they would be punished by others and time will see if the US will be punished and how.

His cruel turn on Canada a historic partner and ally is in complete opposition to his views on Russia – Russia really does have an elusive hold over Trump. Not that any conspiracy theorists talk about it but I do wonder if Trumps first wife or current wife could be Russian sympathizers or even agents infiltrating Trumps inner circle and making him a bonified follow of Putin’s Russia as he really does love and respect Russia’s way of doing business and has an affection for Putin.

It’s not just Putin that Trump shows support for he likes and is attracted to the political perspective of authoritarian leaders across the globe and one most damagingly supporting is that of Netanyahu in Israel he does not force a peace deal on Israel and continues to offer them an open-ended offer of arms and a blank cheque to fight against those that wish for autonomy and self governance in Gaza. So he is a man of peace when it suits him in Ukraine but also a man of war when it suits him and the politicians he shows favor to and supports when seeking war in Gaza.

Just a final thoughts I am in no way mad at or wish to upset American citizens the reasons that brought people to vote and not vote for Trump are complex and diverse. I aim to respect and understand what drives people to resort to needing a leader like Trump to vote for whilst at the same time wholeheartedly hating and fearing what Trump is capable of, what he has already done and what he will do next he neither has a moral compass nor proven limits on his power yet.



Trump’s Position: to embrace Putin over Zelensky

Trump is very attracted to Putin’s style of political manoeuvrings and that suits Putin at present – he is also very much moving towards Putin while moving away from Zelensky. Russia will aim to play Trump and his cards for all he is worth until he is spent.

Pass me a cigarette darling

President Donald Trump has said Ukraine not Russia started the war. He’s called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy not Vladimir Putin a dictator. Meanwhile, Trump’s administration is standing down on a suite of tough anti-Kremlin policies.

In just over a month, Trump has executed a startling realignment of American foreign policy, effectively throwing U.S. support behind Moscow and rejecting the tight alliance with Kyiv cultivated by former President Joe Biden.

Trump may argue that by agreeing with Putin and disagreeing with Zelensky’s view of the war that he is in fact remaining neutral but that is just in my mind a convenient lie. Trump knows we must all have perspectives, truths, opinions and sides and all his point to being closely aligned with Putin.

He also implies that he sees Europe as a weak democratic collection of nations very much in the mould of what the USA was before he started trying to make it great again. Describing immigration as in some way diluting the purity of the soul of a society and not in any strengthening it or making it better.

Flows of citizens across the globe are historically natural processes and in no way should be seen as immoral or deviant. The greater the level of upheaval, uncertainty, war and famine that happen this century will result in a greater flow of people across the globe – an America first policy and cutting of aid to the world is short sighted and will only result in more people looking to escape to America to escape the hell created somewhere else on the globe due to Trumps foreign policy’s lack of initiatives or initiatives.

Trumps policies are a direct result of conservative me first view that there is not enough money to solve the worlds problems and so why bother trying to solve any of them. As a fascist capitalist he shows no signs of care or empathy for others wadding in with trade tariffs on other nations to profit from them and taking away foreign aid and assets from them as he has no interest in helping them either, thus increase a cycle of suffering which will lead to more fleeing desperate places and ending up on the doors and shores of the USA.

Never stop fighting, until the fighting is done!

The scenes this week when Trump and his deputy showed their true colours to Zelensky when invited to the oval office was neither a surprise nor justified. They have no interest in the war and are most likely mildly amused by the idea of trying to make a considerable amount of money over carving out a peace deal that they see themselves as the only ones that can broker and make happen. Though countries pay a price for peace for sure – no leader has gone to the negotiation table quite like Trump before.

Would you like a slice Mr President, I hear it’s very good.

One thing I am also finding very interesting at present is the tone of different media sites, if you pay attention some will side with Trump (stop having those sites as a main source of information, if you dare as that’s just propaganda and disinformation for the wealthy and ruthless, some see it as being both Trumps fault as well as Zelensky which also makes me feel uncomfortable as they are just still trying to justify what Trump just did and continues to do it reminds me of a quote which is ‘Well, you can put lipstick on a hog and call it Monique, but it’s still a pig’.

Trumplet Pig getting ready for his next performance

I part of me thought the image above was too much but the fear of the depths of the potential of Trump is a true worry to me and should be to you too. Some news sites really have taken the situation as a serious and unprecedented attack by Trump, which is what it truly and sadly is with an explanation of this story from a news outlet, cannot always explain away the two sides to each argument theory when one such as Trump is being so manipulative of the truth and outspoken in order to try and get his own way and be seen to try and win an argument

Since Trumps election I have found it quite sickening concerning all of the billionaires queuing up to kiss at the hand of the newly crowned king of the USA. Not one of them has an issue with his morality, methods of salesmanship or political perspective, which says just as much about them as it does Trump.

Lest they forgot at the next election in the states their votes will be equal to and not greater that each and every other American citizen. Imagine a world where billionaires were outlawed and their finances confiscated for the greater good. As they don’t care for your vote or your ability to have a job now, why should you care for their ability to be billionaires either.

If Trump is so keen to raise money by excessive and self serving tariffs on the economic industries and places across the globe why not tax mega wealthy of their power and influence instead? In the next four years Trump should not and will not be judged just on how much money he makes or how much power he has – but on what he does with it and what is undone because of it.

Trump now reminds me of the depiction of Al Capone, an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1925 to 1931 as shown in the movie the The Untouchables a 1987 Film starring Robert De Niro (as Al Capone), Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith. It is written by David Mamet and directed by Brian De Palma.

Though in the clip below Al Capone is met with justice I sadly don’t think it likely at present to happen to Trump in his lifetime – Trump is likely to die of old age prior to meeting justice and we have another 4 years of his bullshit still to unravel the world and its workings prior to the end of his presidency.

The Untouchables Movie CLIP – Here Endeth the Lesson (1987)

Europe’s heart vs. Putin’s arsenal and Trump’s ego

Can Europe find what is at its heart as it tries to face Putin arsenal and negotiate away through Trump’s ego and attitude? The next four years of Trump being in power could be painful, worryingly unpredictable and unwrap over 80 years of global rules of law that brought stability in Europe in a way that damages all in the long run. Some might profit from this, whilst many will lose. Elections have resulted in people voting for change, whilst not knowing what that change will look like or more to the point what can be delivered or gotten away with. Change is constant and inevitable in life, you just hope to adapt or improved your present situation facing you.

This present modern phase of political problems and proposed solutions appears to be an age of populism where misinformation, impossible promises are made that cannot be delivered and then a blame game of blaming  “others” for what is happening to you.

The wealthy that are now in the mainstream of political power in Russia and the US are no longer playing from the sidelines anymore but are out in the open seeking to deregulation business, destroy or ignore international trade and climate cooperation and treaties, whilst making it easier for them to make even more money and further line the pockets of oligarchs and multimillionaires across the globe, who or what will they profit from or take power away from when they are profiting from and take power away from the people you are their commodities and it is from what they do to you that they will profit. They will take your freedom, finances and rights of autonomy whilst blaiming others and if need be you for what they do to you!

 The European Union’s world view against Putin and it’s need to try to advocate the defence of  Ukraine is because of a pivotal stand against aggression that threatens the very fabric of international law and European security. When considering both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in this context, the EU’s worldview encompasses concerns about authoritarianism, the undermining of democratic institutions, and the importance of solidarity among democratic nations and their citizens.

The EU perceives Putin’s actions—beginning with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and escalating to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022—as blatant violations of a sovereign nation’s territorial integrity. This aggression is not just an assault on Ukraine but a challenge to the post-World War II international order that prohibits the forcible acquisition of territory.

Putin’s military endeavours are seen as a threat that extends beyond Ukraine’s borders, destabilizing the entire European continent. The EU fears that unchecked aggression could set a dangerous precedent, encouraging other nations to disregard international norms and territorial boundaries. For the EU, supporting Ukraine is synonymous with defending democracy, human rights, and the rule of law right on the edge of Europe. Ukraine also aspires to integrate more closely with Western institutions aligns with the EU’s vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace.

The EU has implemented comprehensive sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy, provided humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, and sought to isolate Russia diplomatically. These actions aim to pressure Russia to cease its aggression while supporting Ukraine’s defence and resilience. The US nwo looks to potentially reward Russia for it’s stance in creating new trade relations with Putin’s Russia and brining Russia in from the political cold by saying it’s war with Ukrain is not it’s fault and generating new business contracts with Russia benfiting Trump’s USA and Putin’s Russia and giving Russia a renewed voice and prestige on the global stage.

The EU’s stance is about more than just Ukraine or Russia—it’s about affirming a commitment to a world order based on rules, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence. By taking a firm position against Putin’s actions, the EU hopes to discourage similar aggression elsewhere and promote a stable international environment.

The situation also raises fascinating questions about the shifting dynamics of global power. How might this conflict influence relationships between other major players on the world stage, like China or the United States? And what could this mean for the future of international alliances and partnerships?

If Russia is seen as winning or having won vs Ukraine will this then embolden China to invade Taiwan, will Trump turn Gaza into a new hot piece of real-estate for the wealthy in the middle east and will trade wars be based on Trump’s might and not upon whether his actions are of those of someone who is in the right.

Quite frankly Trump does not like or approve of democratic niceties or the rule of law which is very much at the heart of what the European Union stands for. Having had two world wars start and bloody the soil of Europe, Europe has learned a considerable amount about the importance of emancipation and freedom from tyranny and the will and power to dominate over others in a way that perhaps Trumps US, has yet to learn and Putin’s Russia has been blind by a will for vengeance against the EU for alleged harm and transgressions done to it due to the defeat of the USSR.

Serving up the world

The authoritarian leaders of the world President Trump, President Putin and President Jinping calving up the world to suit themselves.

It appears history is repeating itself after finding an old and chilling cartoon below.
Adolf would be proud of the trail blazing Putin setting an example for Trump and Jinping

The modern authoritarian leaders are not at war amongst themselves, but are instead at war with us.

Our hearts, our minds, our lands and our lives.

Is Trump being played by Putin?

The United States’ steadfast allegiance to Ukraine during that country’s three-year war against Russia appears to be rapidly eroding under the Trump administration. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19, 2025, referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “a dictator” and inaccurately blamed him for the conflict that Russia instigated as part of a land grab in the border regions of the two countries.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said on Feb. 19 that Trump is trapped in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “disinformation space.”

Earlier this week, the US president claimed America had given Ukraine at least $200bn (£158bn) more than Europe has since Russia invaded the country in February 2022.

Mr Trump said: “I think Europe has given $100bn (£79n)… and we’ve given, let’s say, $300bn (£237bn) plus.”

There are a number of figures available for the amount of money being given to Ukraine by different countries.

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy’s Ukraine Support Tracker shows that countries in Europe have allocated a total of €132bn (£109bn or $139bn) in help for Ukraine.

The tracker shows the US has allocated around €114bn (£95bn or $120bn).

There is also a debate about how much money countries say they have given to Ukraine has actually gone to the country itself.

According to The Washington Post, some of the money given by Washington includes sending money through “drawdowns” from US weapon stockpiles and money to pay US-based defence contractors for equipment.

One thing that has fuelled the fires of anti Ukrainian sentiment by both those on the left and right is the belief that the whole war is a money making scam – the sovereignty of the nation of Ukraine does not matter in this argument and their ability to self determination also unimportant, the more I think about it this perspective is very much one pushed by Putin onto the west and lapped up by President Trump and conspiracy theorists arguing the toss about money spent rather than a democratic right and mandate to defend and have ones own land.

Land, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—those once beautiful values all democracies believed in and aspired to. Such views, though claimed by the right to be at the heart of their ideals, are no longer really recognized, sadly, by Trump’s America or by other rising stars of the right across the globe.

When the Brazilian president offered a chainsaw as a gift to Elon Musk, it carried deeply troubling connotations for me: this was a gift from a country that is razing one of the lungs of the Earth, the Brazilian rainforest, and the president of Brazil presents Musk with the very symbol of what is being used to destroy his own country’s rainforests – it feels like a flagrant display of right-wing fascism, tasteless and defiant, a blatant middle finger to the world under the banner of hate, cuts, and a conqueror’s philosophy.

With the climate breakdown and global warming, there were those that believed that the breakdown of social norms and an increase in wars would occur as the planet warmed and climate change impacted our lives, but I had underestimated and underfeared the true nature of the changes now occurring right in front of our eyes. I knew there would be wars, but I thought they would be over mineral deposits in Africa or oil in the middle east and not economic wars over the sovereignty of whole nations in what was once seen as relatively stable or growing democracies such as Ukraine or even well established democracies such as Canada are not safe against Trumps trade wars. Sadly know where is safe anymore; it’s mental, really, what is happening.

President Trump age 78 & 3/4

How effective a negotiator can President Trump be if he is overly sensitive and interprets diplomatic positions and perspectives as personal attacks? He is unable and unwilling to concede in a war of words where everyone recognizes he is factually incorrect. Labeling Zelensky a dictator is an insult directed at the wrong leader. Putin is the true dictator, yet Trump seems to enjoy the flattery he receives from Russian diplomats and from Putin himself. Trump the new over arching monarch/leader of what was the so called free world has the diplomatic skills of a small child

I remember when Putin decided to invade the sovereign state of Ukraine, not just trying to annex part of Ukraine like a slice of cake, but to gobble up the whole country for himself. It is only through the blood, sweat, tears, and lives of the Ukrainian people that the overthrow of this nation has, so far, been prevented. Trump is not prepared to verbally acknowledge this, as it does not suit his self-serving ego.

Trump acts like a bull in a china shop as he charges into Ukrainian negotiations, asserting to Zelensky that the invasion is Ukraine’s fault while demanding resources from Ukraine, and then lamenting when not provided with the sweet treat assets he seeks in what he calls a peace deal—or more accurately, a demand to end a war. His so-called effective deal-making comes off as hollow, childlike, offensively presented, and poorly timed.

Lake Of Fire (Live) Nirvana

The Importance of Truth

Truth matters, both to us as individuals and to society as a whole. As individuals, being truthful means that we can grow and mature, learning from our mistakes. For society, truthfulness makes social bonds, and lying and hypocrisy break them.