Cable Forum - President Trump 2.0

Agree with the first half of your sentence, but it went downhill after that.

If nothing else, having an unpredictable narcissist in charge of the US, who changes his mind every time someone speaks to him, makes working closer with the neighbours more important than ever.

It's easy to say that - be closer to your neighbours. But it's necessary to drill down a bit. France, for example, will try to stiff us at every opportunity (which they are taking at Calais).

The only thing the EU can do is tie our hands with their rules and regvulations.

Brexit should have done much better. The politicians are total fools who have not deregulated sufficiently, have given away 12 years of fishing rights for absolutely no tangible benefit ( if you know of one, please tell me).

The ideal situation given the EU and France is that we stand on our own, providing incentives for businesses to develop and grow instead of being taxed out of existence (see our high streets).

Dingbat

19-03-2026 11:01

Re: President Trump 2.0

I’d love to see the evidence that backs up your assertions.

mrmistoffelees

19-03-2026 11:10

Re: President Trump 2.0

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36212672)

Then Starmer should have been working on a viable plan that protects our economy - other than by giving our independence away to the EU.

What in your opinion would be a viable plan ?

Sephiroth

19-03-2026 11:47

Re: President Trump 2.0

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dingbat (Post 36212698)

I’d love to see the evidence that backs up your assertions.

I'm sorry - I don't have the time to provide links to the bleedin' obvious.

---------- Post added at 12:47 ---------- Previous post was at 12:36 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmistoffelees (Post 36212699)

What in your opinion would be a viable plan ?

Given that we have a nutter to deal with in the USA, and looking forward to post-Trump days, we should be doing everything to avoid being foul-mouthed by the current administration.

I buy what Chris said that for each piece of concession we make, Trump would demand more. But that can be diplomatically handled so that Trump's disappointment can be expressed in a way that lets us off the hook. At least we should try.

The objective must be to expand and develop our technology industries and avoid totally missing the AI boat. We shouldn't tie ourselves into the EU's AI straitjacket.

Domestic policy must change so that government spending focuses on economic expansion. Businesses are closing because the cost of operating them are too high and thus unempolyment is rising. Business taxes must be lowered - they are a stealth tax that enable the government to claim that they haven't increased the main personal taxes.

Once wealth is created, tax receipts rise and we can rebuild our welfare architecture.

Something like that - but don't piss off the USA who will be our largest customer. The EU will just try to stiff us - they're only interested on what we can pay in - and you know that.

Dude111

19-03-2026 13:26

Look at how popular our president is!

Ya cant even hear Trump in this video :D

http://youtube.com/shorts/3rsTej8iaU...qzmThRxme1t6xq

Listen to those boos . He is disliked more than Biden.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

Didn't you vote for him

No not at all!!

Chris

19-03-2026 14:52

Re: President Trump 2.0

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36212701)

I'm sorry - I don't have the time to provide links to the bleedin' obvious.

---------- Post added at 12:47 ---------- Previous post was at 12:36 ----------

Given that we have a nutter to deal with in the USA, and looking forward to post-Trump days, we should be doing everything to avoid being foul-mouthed by the current administration.

I buy what Chris said that for each piece of concession we make, Trump would demand more. But that can be diplomatically handled so that Trump's disappointment can be expressed in a way that lets us off the hook. At least we should try.

The objective must be to expand and develop our technology industries and avoid totally missing the AI boat. We shouldn't tie ourselves into the EU's AI straitjacket.

Domestic policy must change so that government spending focuses on economic expansion. Businesses are closing because the cost of operating them are too high and thus unempolyment is rising. Business taxes must be lowered - they are a stealth tax that enable the government to claim that they haven't increased the main personal taxes.

Once wealth is created, tax receipts rise and we can rebuild our welfare architecture.

Something like that - but don't piss off the USA who will be our largest customer. The EU will just try to stiff us - they're only interested on what we can pay in - and you know that.

The problem is he is so capricious that we are neither on nor off the hook regardless what we do. He really is that unstable. We could be his best pal right now and he’d love it, but we’d be bad allies again next week. And then we’d have two aircraft carriers he definitely doesn’t need whilst he’s also cross we won’t send ships to get shot at in Hormuz. He is not a rational actor, and it is a waste of time trying to formulate plans for dealing with him rationally.

1andrew1

19-03-2026 15:22

Re: President Trump 2.0

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36212701)

[COLOR="Blue"]

Given that we have a nutter to deal with in the USA, and looking forward to post-Trump days, we should be doing everything to avoid being foul-mouthed by the current administration.

I buy what Chris said that for each piece of concession we make, Trump would demand more. But that can be diplomatically handled so that Trump's disappointment can be expressed in a way that lets us off the hook. At least we should try.

The objective must be to expand and develop our technology industries and avoid totally missing the AI boat. We shouldn't tie ourselves into the EU's AI straitjacket.

Domestic policy must change so that government spending focuses on economic expansion. Businesses are closing because the cost of operating them are too high and thus unempolyment is rising. Business taxes must be lowered - they are a stealth tax that enable the government to claim that they haven't increased the main personal taxes.

Once wealth is created, tax receipts rise and we can rebuild our welfare architecture.

Something like that - but don't piss off the USA who will be our largest customer. The EU will just try to stiff us - they're only interested on what we can pay in - and you know that.

Some sensible points in there but mostly focuses on tackling the symptoms and avoids mentioning the causes that are behind the need to raise taxes - Ukraine War and the need to re-arm, the hike in energy prices due to Trump/Netanyahu, ageing population, growth in adult social care burden and the reduction in GDP when we left the EU.

I think the tax burden needs to be shifted away from taxing employers as that makes Britain less competitive but with an honest penny or two placed on income tax. I get that would be unpopular so would need presenting as a UK security tax top-up or something.

And Trump's USA is not a stable country to bet your economic growth on or your defence either. Because Trump himself is fundamentally unstable. The UK is a world leader alongside France in diplomacy (thanks to their colonial past) and has one of the best relationships with the USA that any country enjoys. But even that's not great.

Sephiroth

19-03-2026 16:59

Re: President Trump 2.0

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1andrew1 (Post 36212719)

Some sensible points in there but mostly focuses on tackling the symptoms and avoids mentioning the causes that are behind the need to raise taxes - Ukraine War and the need to re-arm, the hike in energy prices due to Trump/Netanyahu, ageing population, growth in adult social car burden and the reduction in GDP when we left the EU.

I think the tax burden needs to be shifted away from taxing employers as that makes Britain less competitive but with an honest penny or two placed on income tax. I get that would be unpopular so would need presenting as a UK security tax top-up or something.

And Trump's USA is not a stable country to bet your economic growth on or your defence either. Because Trump himself is fundamentally unstable. The UK is a world leader alongside France in diplomacy (thanks to their colonial past) and has one of the best relationships with the USA that any country enjoys. But even that's not great.

On the taxes point, there is need to raise more money for the investment programme (not welfare). This should be done through the front door and taxes transferred from stealth to direct as part of the investment method.

1andrew1

19-03-2026 20:35

Re: President Trump 2.0

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 36212725)

I think there's quite a bit we agree on here. :tu:

Hugh	19-03-2026 20:54

Re: President Trump 2.0

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cx...rrer=deep-link

Quote:

In a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump was asked why he didn't inform allies about his plan to attack Iran.

Trump responded by raising Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, saying, "Who knows better about surprise than Japan?"

thenry

19-03-2026 20:58

Re: President Trump 2.0

I was watching that live at 4pm UK time. Awkward. At least Trump speaks his mind :shrug:

Carth

19-03-2026 21:37

Re: President Trump 2.0

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenry (Post 36212742)

I was watching that live at 4pm UK time. Awkward. At least Trump speaks his mind :shrug:

oh, has he found it again?

Hugh	19-03-2026 23:10

Re: President Trump 2.0

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenry (Post 36212742)

I was watching that live at 4pm UK time. Awkward. At least Trump speaks his mind :shrug:

That reminds of the old adage "At least, Hitler made the trains run on time"…

It was where the trains ran to on time that was the issue…

"speaking your mind" isn’t a valid excuse for saying something when the mind is a senile dementia-ridden sexually-predatory sociopath - however, if you see that as a good thing, it says more about you than you realise…

1andrew1

19-03-2026 23:18

Re: President Trump 2.0

Quote:

Originally Posted by thenry (Post 36212742)

I was watching that live at 4pm UK time. Awkward. At least Trump speaks his mind :shrug:

Why give him any credit for sharing his racism? :confused: