I honestly feel like I'm cracking up watching this happen in real time. Even a year ago, the supporters of a major world leader making Nazi gestures on stage would have felt bafflingly stupid. Now it's just "oh, another one". Germany just came within a 9% vote share of electing a far right party again. Germany! France turned down the fascists, the UK did too, but not to the point where they're not emboldened. The countries in which millions died fighting facism just three or four generations ago are turning to these morons in droves. I don't know how we reverse this trend when critical thinking and learning from history aren't working, and when the Left and the media are being practically useless in opposing it.
It's making me re-evaluate WW2 and just how fragile the political landscape was in terms of the mainstream far-right parties in countries like the UK and the US, such that a fascist voting surge before the war could have resulted in us being lumped with the Axis nations. Hitler wasn't uniquely despicable in that time, he was just the most successful at being fascist. If he hadn't foolishly invaded the USSR, if Japan had ignored the US, or if FDR had decided to ingore the European theatre, the Allies would have been screwed.
So I find it terrifying that we're plummetting into a similar situation, only with fools and villains in charge of the most powerful military on the planet. I don't think WW3 is inevitable, because WW2 wouldn't have been inevitable if everyone had just gone along with Hitler and appeased him. Fascism is making a come-back and it's in danger of winning without a fight.
So I find it terrifying that we're plummetting into a similar situation, only with fools and villains in charge of the most powerful military on the planet. I don't think WW3 is inevitable, because WW2 wouldn't have been inevitable if everyone had just gone along with Hitler and appeased him. Fascism is making a come-back and it's in danger of winning without a fight.
That's definitely a concern of mine too. Europe's in a pretty fragile state at the moment. If Russia were to invade a NATO state, I think we could push it back without America's help, but Europe is fragmenting and its people leaning towards nationalism, and it's possible that that won't be the case after the next round of elections. Trump and Putin are going to be trying their best to pull Europe apart country by country so they can get their grubby little mitts in.
I don't think war is inevitable, or even likely at this point. I agree with Dave in that it feels like Europe may actually do something about increasing military spending now that it's painfully obvious that the US aren't going to have our backs. I think there's every possibility that a single era-defining event changes the status quo. Maybe Trump pushes too far causing Europe to come to its senses, hell, maybe Putin slips and falls backward seventeen times onto a kitchen knife before his cut-rate balcony construction comes back to bite him. We're not out of resolve yet, but it's concerning how that doesn't feel like a given.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7435pnle0go
I was listening to something the other day and it mentioned that all the people who fought fascists in WW2 are pretty much gone now, the living memory of what happened is almost gone as well. And here we are watching it rise again in real time. I think it's only a matter of time before individual European countries start to cave to the pressure and abandon Ukraine.
I think it's only a matter of time before individual European countries start to cave to the pressure and abandon Ukraine.
I recall one of Trump's big arguments against US involvement with NATO was that the US contributed more when other countries didn't. It's going to be interesting to see whether European nations have that same argument. The UK just agreed to up its defence spending by an extra 0.2% of GDP to 2.5%, and we're lower than only Poland, Estonia and the US already. I think it's pretty obvious that we can't rely on US involvement with the organisation, Trump could leave at any time, so are other countries going to join us? It's more important than ever to have a strong NATO, and it could be a pretty obvious wedge for an opponent to hammer in to push EU nations apart.
Excellent visual breakdown (with ATC) of what happened here:
Seems to be pilot error - the white plane was told to hold short of 31C, they read back correctly after initially getting it wrong then proceeded to cross 31C anyway, where the other plane was coming in to land.
Yeah, I kinda figured it was going to be pilot error. The signage for taxiways and runways is always extremely clear and their readback of the instructions was clear and correct. They can't really have confused 31C for 31L.
It's less dangerous than the video makes it look as the visibility was excellent and there looks to be about 600m between the touchdown spot and that taxiway for both aircraft to react. Given the touchdown speed of that style of aircraft (30m/s) and that distance, there's about 15-20 seconds of separation if the airliner doesn't bother to reduce speed, and the private jet crosses the runway in about 6. The only way there'd have been a collision was if the smaller aircraft had actually stopped in the middle of the runway.
It's still a stupid mistake that should never have happened.
The pilot sounded flustered or distracted, hence the initial mistake in the read back and the cock up that followed, but he also must have failed to visually check the runway before crossing. No matter how much pressure you’re under, nothing should take priority over safety in aviation - taking a minute to get things in order and clarify the instructions is preferable to endangering god knows how many lives, regardless of who it mildly inconveniences.
At any rate, this is one of the few things I’m not sure can be blamed on Trump.
There are quite a few comments from experienced pilots saying this kind of thing happens often, and isn't necessarily due to cuts making it worse type thing.
This minerals deal with Ukraine is sketchy as hell. Trump’s ‘plan’ appears to be to threaten to leave NATO and abandon the west, then see what he can get in return for defence. He’s turning the US from the leader of the free world and defender of democracy into the largest mercenary organisation in history, where defence goes to the highest bidder.
He’s turning the US from the leader of the free world and defender of democracy into the largest mercenary organisation in history, where defence goes to the highest bidder.
That's pretty in-keeping with his character. His transactional approach to literally everything means that "soft power" is just a term in a history book that he hasn't read; he's always going to demand something of equal or greater value in return. As much as everyone's seeing his siding with Putin as an indication that he's compromised in some way, it could always just be another negotiating tactic with no concern given to the consequences. It hasn't helped that European leaders have cited US peacekeeping forces as an essential part of any deal made to end the war, strengthening his bargaining position.
Yes, it's sketchy as hell, but that's Trump all over isn't it. Watch him strip-mine Ukraine and then back out of the deal because "the minerals are worth less than we were told" or some other bullshit.
