I dare say the vast majority of Americans are happier with his policies to date, that's what matters. He's trying to negotiatebpeace in 2 areas of conflict but you focus on plastic straws, don't think he's actually passed any legislation on eating cats and dogs yet, but I'm pretty sure it's been illegal here in the UK for centuries. Mental eh?

Wait till fuel prices rise and the price of goods go up when the tariffs kick in, the States isn’t all milk and honey many people live in trailer parks. Trump will look after the Americans but only his very affluent friends.

Wait till, wait till.......Ifs and buts.
What about what he's done now, pretty positive isn't it?
Wait till your mate Starmer does anything positive for us, is it going to be your stock reply of he's only been in power 6 months give him time? Meanwhile the Don is getting serious stuff done in weeks. Who's doing the best job for their country and the wider world?

Ha! No. It only matters in the polls and it only matters until the outcomes are seen. Early days for that.

Also, he has no interest in what is best for Europe, and he could be bad for us. Especially if making peace means he can take on China. Bad, very bad for the world.

Best we can do is for Europe to band together. Strength in numbers. Kick Brexit into touch, sod that, if this is a realist system we need allies and we need strength.

The Don.

The EU is a failing political experiment which expects the USA to pay for and actually provide security for themselves. Wonder why he doesn't seem interested in supporting what he regards as a parasitic drain?

And the U.K. is failing more since it left the EU, currently up to now no benefits, how much has the NHS improved since the U.K. stopped paying the £350 million a week, it’s actually got worse.

Old ground, plenty of benefits since leaving the EU, not least the cessation of free movement. And a drowning man grasping a group of drowning men just means they all drown doesn't it?
A major reason for the problems with the NHS are the growing population, the growing requirements to fund diversification within the NHS, too much beaurocratic staff as a ratio to care staff,

List the benefits then, ending freedom of movement, all that did was create job shortages in the Care Sector and the Hospitality industry as the EU citizens had to return home as they requred visas. Some of these vacancies were filled by the half a million people granted visas in 2023.

Here are some of the non benefits, ask the farmers and the fishermen as they have to employ vets to inspect their produce before it can be exported to the EU, the paperwork required entering or leaving the U.K. by lorry drivers. Kids can no longer study in EU countries even musicians need a visa now.

Any one going on holiday in the EU will have to complete an European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) online before travelling starting in May cost €7 per person.

I await a fiurther list of benefits, oh forgot we got our blue passports back which are printed in Poland.

We can set our own tax rates, we can make our own laws, we can be a sovereign nation again, we don't have to commit our armed forces to the control of an EU army, we can theoretically control who comes here instead of any Tom Dick or Harry, we can protect our vital industries with state subsidies if we choose, and more.
We should have stayed within the trading block but getting out of the political bloc was the right thing to do. Actually we should never have entered the political club in the first place without a referendum.

No shortages down here of workers.Wow 7 euros, breakfast at Gatwick is about £25.How many kids study in the EU,.. Musicians need a visa,so what?

Lot of writing for not much proof of any kind of benefit. Meanwhile Trump shows us what you might achieve with real collective clout.

Think a lot of people in this country said fuck europe, Why would anyone expect the usa to give a damn.

Cutting off nose etc....

Never forget what Nigel said, If we don,t leave europe OUR steel industry will die.

And heres me thinking Govs can plan ahead.
Lets face it, Govs have a BUDGET but ALL seem to mismanage it and pass on the taxes to us idiots, And i don,t blame them after all some voted for them.

What collective clout has Trump got or used?
He's using his Nations strength as an economic and military force.
The EU has never been and never will be a collective of equals - a cartel controlled by Germany and France.

It's a big old federation of states, it's easy to forget even for Americans I think, but their whole structure is steeped in the idea of it. The collective clout having far more power than the individual.

But they're all Americans 1 single nationality and they all speak the same language, their government has 1 set of priorities in the global scheme of things.
The EU is nothing like that and will never become like that. The collective of 27 nations is fine as a trading bloc but will never be a Superpower on the World stage.

Man who lives in Thailand worried sick about the Uk leaving EU. Very odd…..I think you don’t live in the far east at all, but the Far East of Brussels…..
What pay grade are you on in Brussels and when you’re in London in your blue suit outside Parliament is that a second pay rate and or do you do it for nowt.

He asks for a list of benefits which I teplied to with said list and then asks for a list of benefits?
Fishermen are pleased we've taken control of our waters whilst EU fishermen and politicians are pressing for access again. So despite the added paperwork we're protecting what's left of our fishing fleet and more I.portantly our fish stocks.

Why bother Snowy Whatever anyone has to say Kermit hopps all over it. Its not much fun having one small plant pot for a garden.

Set our own taxes? Well that went well.
Make our own laws? Tell me what disastrous outrageous laws the EU imposed on us that are destroying economies across the EU.
Protect our vital industries? Worked well with Redcar.
Armed Forces? We've worked in coalitions for ages anyway.
Immigration? Going swimmingly

So then, brexit made a hell of a difference

Way better than I could have put it Poolie Imp and 100% true. They just won't admit it...ever...FACT.

Pretty sure they have a mix of state laws AND federal laws. Works pretty well. We're ALL Europeans and I'm pretty sure the language thing was going OK and won't suddenly start being a problem.

Que?

Sorry. Had some red wine! Not at my most coherent

The difference is I quote facts Leggie, you just use emojis to hide your lack of knowledge.

I don’t live in Thailand but even if I did I am entitled to an opinion Snowy, I am a British citizen.

So did you dream it.

Yes you are entitled to an opinion.
So am I…get used to it.

The benefit in your opinion was ending freedom of movement you mentioned which as I explained was a disaster, how are our fisherman protected, who protects them ?

Economists and analysts at Cambridge Econometrics found that, by 2035, the UK is anticipated to have three million fewer jobs, 32% lower investment, 5% lower exports and 16% lower imports, than it would have had been. The report states that the UK will be £311bn worse off by 2035 due to leaving EU.

Here is another fact in 2016 only 9 people crossed the channel by boat because we were in the EU and couldn’t send them back, now the U.K. can’t.

Still waiting for you to answer the benefits about Brexit after becoming involved in the conversation Snowy, if you can’t don’t make snidely comments about me.

I gave a list of benefits earlier in the thread when you first asked for one?

And anyone who believes that the USA and its government works like the EU really needs to do more research, and accept facts.
27 sovereign nations clubbing together is nothing at all like a single nation. Look at how quickly Trump can change federal law vs how slowly the EU works.
And like it or not, our contribution to the EU budget was 12.5% or 1/8th of the total, there's 27 other countries accounting for the other 7/8ths, about 10 of them being net recipients. So effectively we were paying way more than a fair share and effectively it vastly inflated our already too high foreign aid budget.

And all the money we have saved has went where??
It must have fell down the back of the couch.

Have you not twigged on yet that I don’t give a flying fuck about your tedious catalogue of the ‘benefits’ of the Euro Club……it may arouse you, but anyone who fails to accept a result is just a whining bore in my world.
I thought we were robbed at Cardiff, but by the time I got on the road out of Cardiff my bitching was over…to you the referendum is an itchy sore…so stop scratching or it’ll never get better….any way your leader will have us back in as soon as possible.

Real men make peace, weak men make war.

The neo-liberals in the EU still won't accept it, and want the war to continue. They want to continue sending weapons to Ukraine, that then get sold on to Mexican drug cartels, unbelievable Jeff !

Ok Ivan.

Any more pearls of 'wisdom' or Russian propaganda (via MAGA) you want to spread?

The poorer countries of the EU have been told there's no more free money in the pot for them.What a bunch of bullies they turned out to be.

Not propaganda Tommy, fact ! unlike the use of North Korean troops, who apparently when killed the Russians burned their faces off to avoid identification, how convenient

2035??? I stopped reading right there..

Ukraine absolutely smashed down on corruption because their 'allies' told them they must. I'd say they're probably less corrupt that the US now, they're under so much scrutiny. Over 50bn of the last 60bn aid package was spent on weapons bought from the US, manufactured in a Trump supporting state.

The surviving North Koreans didn't get their faces burned. They didn't respond to Russian. They responded to South Korean intelligence officers though readily enough. They all had papers putting them as being from the same town born on the same day.

bit like overhear then. its a government that gives the poor the most crumbs off the table that will be regarded as being a good one. think thats all most people really expect.

They'll be ignored...EU dictatorship, rules and endless begging bowls aren't up for discussion.

Being out of the EU allowed us to develop and vaccinate our citizens faster than the EU, plus if we'd been in we'd have had to share our sticks with the EU. It's widely accepted that this saved 1000s of lives.

NATO/Putin..Some countries wanting in/out..Trumps tariffs..Massive immigration problems..Unrest in the Middle East...How are the EU as a team going to tackle it all in the long run,jamie?

Wow, took you ages to scrabble around for that one. Which way are you going on this one because your mate Trump thinks Covid is bollocks. I can't keep up.

Spot on.I can't see Emmanuel or Ursula disagreeing with any of this.

That's cos it didn't go far enough. Also at the time there were still US Presidents who knew that European allies were a good thing. Now we dont, fair enough and I'm all for defence budgets being increased and more robust economic policies but it means cock all in isolation.

So are you denying our Covid vaccine development and distribution was a benefit from being out of the EU?