Hooray for Trump

[pmccarthy]

So the Canadians are going to massively increase their defence spending because they can no longer rely on big brother. And the Europeans are doing the same. Trump was right, the USA was subsidising everyone. Perhaps AustralIa can claw back some of the spending on its Pacific neighbours. Maybe New Zealand will start to pull its weight by reestablishing air and naval capability.

 

 

[facthunter]

They have the same number of people as Melbourne does. USA has one hundred for each New Zealander and selling arms is good for America. 120 billion dollars of them to the Saudi's. JSF and weapons systems to us.. Might slow an invader a day or so. Good investment. Nev

 

 

[Marty_d]

Guns'n'coal... Trump's vision for the future. I see America has fine company in Nicaragua and Syria as the only countries on Earth NOT to sign up to the Paris climate accord. Equivalent standard of leader I reckon.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...Nicaragua and Syria as the only countries on Earth NOT to sign up to the Paris climate accord...

Nicaragua is likely to suffer more than most from global warming; I believe they refused to sign because they feel the Paris Accord doesn't go far enough.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Nicaragua is likely to suffer more than most from global warming; I believe they refused to sign because they feel the Paris Accord doesn't go far enough.

It appears you're right OK. Plus they raised their renewables from 25% in 2007 to 52% in 2016.

 

So Nicaragua has a genuine reason, and the basket case of Syria probably has more urgent things to worry about. Just leaves Trump not signing without any valid reason not to.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

... Just leaves Trump not signing without any valid reason not to.

The Paris Accord was signed by that nasty Moslem, not-born-in-the-USA Obama. For Trump and his dumb followers, that's a valid enough reason.

 

 

[facthunter]

Trump was the main proponent of the "not eligible to be president , not born in the USA Obama" theme. HE admitted it was false but feels no shame. It helped swing things his way, so it's OK. Squeals like a stuck pig if the same is dealt to him. Nev

 

 

[Bruce]

To arm yourself, you need some sense of what the threat is. For example, I can imagine fortifying my house against a thug or two, but not against the Government which would come with all the police and army needed.

 

So what threats is it reasonable for Australia to arm itself with non-nuclear weapons? I personally can't think of any.

 

 

[Marty_d]

To arm yourself, you need some sense of what the threat is. For example, I can imagine fortifying my house against a thug or two, but not against the Government which would come with all the police and army needed.So what threats is it reasonable for Australia to arm itself with non-nuclear weapons? I personally can't think of any.

I don't understand, are you saying that the only threat Australia faces is nuclear?

 

If it comes to being attacked by a rogue nation - let's say Kim Jong-Un's engineers finally manage to bolt together a truly intercontinental missile - then we still don't need nuclear weapons of our own, we just need anti-icbm tech, in whatever form that takes. (Ground launched, aircraft borne laser, satellite borne, etc. We don't need to send a nuke back at North Korea, as soon as they launch in anger at any other country either the US or someone else will turn them into a radioactive wasteland.

 

If the threat we face is ideological, like lone wolf attacks carried out by mentally deficient ars*eholes in the name of IS, then we need excellent intelligence, perhaps some sort of international agreements to assist in shutting terror groups out of the internet (if it's even possible), de-radicalisation programs that work, maybe constant monitoring of anyone charged with terror offences. There's probably a bunch more stuff that better minds than mine can think of.

 

In the unlikely case of a conventional invasion of the homeland I believe our conventional armed forces are well trained and equipped.

 

I don't think we need nukes.

 

 

[storchy neil]

we need excellent intelligence, perhaps some sort of international agreements to assist in shutting terror groups out of the internet (if it's even possible),

 

marty where you going to find a Politian with intelligence oh yeh Poland neil

 

 

[pmccarthy]

I reckon when the sh@t hits the fan, be it North Korea or some future dingbat nation closer to home, then all countries should be able to put naval plus air capability into an allied taskforce or larger to show that we are worthy of defending. And back it up with the capability to provide ground troops. And to contribute to the provision or at least maintenance of military hardware. Australia can do all of that to some extent, but we need to keep checking that budget cuts have not eroded our capabilities.

 

 

[Bruce]

I reckon that the chances of being attacked by Indonesia is just about zero, (there are too many provinces which would use the opportunity to revolt), but the chance turns to exactly zero if they also risked a nuke on Jakarta. A similar argument applies to North Korea.

 

All my generation has been spared a world war because nukes put the war-starters in the front line. So we have to make war against backward places which don't have nukes. And Australia has to tag along behind the US in order to feel protected by US nukes.

 

I say we need our own.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Painful experience has taught us that it makes no sense to prepare for the war we just had. The major short-term danger to our nation is disaffected retards who want to kill and maim innocents. F-35s, even if they work as promised, are not much use against a few suburban louts who hate our way of life.

 

Longer term, a major challenge is the inexorable spread of Islam. Moslems openly talk of Islamising Europe (and promise savage retribution to anyone who once disrespected them).

 

As Europe and Australia throw off the shackles of Christianity, Moslems see this as an opening for them to impose their backward way of life on all of us.

 

 

[facthunter]

A religion based totalitarian state. Surely a" hell on earth" result? No return path possible once you have got it. Nev

 

 

[Yenn]

Of cours we have to gear up for the future. What hope would we have of controlling the jihadists without a new submarine fleet and the new fighter. I don't know what happened to the Abrams tanks, did we get them or was that shelved.

 

We are training the rag heads in Afghanistan, just as we did in Iraq. Must ensure they have all the info about how western forces work.

 

Could all the money spent on these stupid spends be better spent on intelligence about the muslim jihadists?

 

 

[nomadpete]

Are you being cynical, or just practical?

 

I can't tell.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

An interesting analysis of where we're going:

 

How Western civilisation could collapse

 

 

[kgwilson]

Wasn't is Albert Einstein who responded to the question, "How will WW3 be fought" with "I don't know but WW4 will be fought with sticks and stones". That's why if the nukes start flying the only thing to do is put your head between your knees and kiss your arce goodbye.

 

 

[old man emu]

[Marty_d]

I hear Turnbull gave him a serve at the Midwinter Ball. Maybe it's not North Korea's nukes we have to worry about... I can just see little Donny jumping around the Oval office, red-faced, his little hands waving around... "...I don't goddam care if they're an ally! That bastard Trumble has gone too far! Gimme that button or you're FIRED!"

 

 

[storchy neil]

turn bull 0 out off 10 totally waste of oxygen neil

 

 

[facthunter]

Apparently it was quite funny. Maybe he has a potential replacement job as a comedien, (acteur comique) after the part time one he has now, finishes. Nev

 

 

[kgwilson]

The bit I heard on a news snippet sounded hilarious. Trump won't be amused. He has no sense of humour. Has anyone ever seen him smile other than those forced when getting off planes or helicopters. Only lots of round mouth grimaces and little hand finger gestures.

 

 

[Marty_d]

The bit I heard on a news snippet sounded hilarious. Trump won't be amused. He has no sense of humour. Has anyone ever seen him smile other than those forced when getting off planes or helicopters. Only lots of round mouth grimaces and little hand finger gestures.

Apparently the smile was unforced when he had his top aides doing an ass-kissing circle-jerk in his office the other day.

 

 

 

[nomadpete]

Boy, that smile says to me; "I work for the government, I'm here to help you."

 

Or maybe "Just wait 'til ya all get a whiff of that one..."