The world is governed by the value of US 401k pensions plans so Trump will quickly have to proclaim victory and move on. Maybe all these Dubai Brits coming back to the UK is good for the economy. 😀

Maybe I the gulf states should tax all residents so they can offer security, rather than rely on European countries to provide that security.

So Dubai and its British residents who fled the UK because of high taxes, now want us to use British tax payer money to protect them?

I replaced Windows with Ubuntu Linux for our home PCs. Works great, faster and apps are easy to install. UK and EU government agencies should provide incentives to move off Windows.

My kids have dual British and Dutch citizenship and cheer for both Britain and NL. The UK just needs to invest in short track ice skating to rival the NL in the medals table. Ps even less snow in NL but we have ice with an easterly wind in winter.

I do think some of it is cultural. The UK loves managers and then outsources the technical or engineering side. Also lots of universities without the technical engineering colleges that exist in Germany and other mainland Europe countries. Weird as the UK has history in basic engineering.

I work in IT and many of my colleagues have come over from India. They are horrified when they realise they need to find an NHS dentist and they cannot find one. In India their employer provides insurance and they get private care.

It’s funny for me as a Dutchman who was a speedskater as a teenager, hear Carlton comment on speedskating. What he lacks in detailed knowledge on pacing, technique, Dutch team dynamics and history of the sport, he makes up for with his enthusiasm.

Well yes I guess the UK has the class system where people are given the impression they have a vote, but decisions are influenced by money and old boys networks. I came to the UK from NL for more opportunities but am now frustrated with chaos in city design and how companies operate.

I would rather live in the UK as well, but there is a downside to living in a democracy where everyone has an equal vote on everything. Mainland Europa also has more government control where citizens are less free than in the UK.

Janan Ganash from the FT had an honest column around this. Everyone shouts growth but then joins local groups to block HS2 tunnel and train, more immigrant students, house building etc. A friend went to China where the government can build without consulting residents and was amazed with infra.

I was in Hulst for WC Cyclocross last weekend. French influence is everywhere when you look for it. Many words in Dutch have a French origin, food tastes overlap,Hulst is an old town similar to Bruges and “veldrijden” is popular in France”.Maybe being close to Germany is an “above the rivers view”.

Why believe this, but not believe that large Russian and US Corporate donors are behind Trump and MAGA and these people do not have the interests of the average US voter as their number 1 priority.

In NL we once had a new defence minister who boasted about his army days. When they checked records it was a lie, he lasted 2 days in the job.

Western Ukraine is only a war zone because Russia chooses to send its bombs there.

We don’t have to declare war. Just protect big western Ukrainian cities including Kyiv. Free up Ukrainians to fight east and tell Ukraine to stop bombing Russia beyond 30km from war zone.

European countries just don’t have the stomach for the loss of life experienced by both Russia and Ukraine. European counties really should drive into western Ukraine and clear the skies. But they don’t want the risks associated with that as cannot sell to people who like skiing and sunny beaches.

Danish 🇩🇰 pension funds sold US assets last week, so there is money which is hopefully being recycled back into European projects.

He will be remembered as the guy who ensured that European investment and support dried up, which meant an even more isolated and crumbling US.

Just checked my SIPP and my Japan trust shares are up 60% over the last few years. The low yen might hurt the Japanese chance of a foreign holiday or have the latest iPhone but it seems to do miracles for my SIPP.

If it takes bribery, corruption and ego pleasing to get countries onboard and sign a peace treaty and cease fire with Russia then so be it. But it is hardly a platform for lasting peace.

There will be a buyer of US treasuries if the price is right (low). Offer special visas to skilled US staff and reinvest the money in Europe. Might mean losses on US holdings but why invest in US controlled AI and cloud IT? Plus the US market has done well so losses are relative.

Many young people I see (friends of my 18 year old) end up working in a service sector that supports the few people who profit from globalisation and get a good salary. There are fewer graduate jobs available thar have outlook of wage increases as experience increases.

That is assuming European governments think in an economic way. The alternative is they think strategically and sell US holdings to invest in EU tech and renewables. Yes it will drive inflation but mean we can decouple from US in 10 years.

Good speech. Does sound he purposely kept a French accent for a home audience and as a way of saying there are other countries than English speaking.

I work in IT and some of my old colleagues are based in the US. It is really an old colonial mindset where Americans feel the superior people. Guess in the same way Russians feel superior to Ukrainians.

Europe and the UK benefited from decades of global integration and respect for (imposed by the west) rule of law. This is breaking down and the US and China look to assert their dominance. The general population have no idea how this would impact their lives (say the US stops LNG export…).

Not sure tariff LNG would work when the EU needs US LNG to decouple from Russia. Just threaten to boycott the soccer worldchamps and set up an impromptu European champs.

Time for the Norwegian wealth fund to sell some of its > trillion USD of US holdings. Recycle the money back into European clean tech.

Trump turning against Europeans is doing Macron a huge favour. Might allow him to convince French voters that Le Pen is in Trump and Putin’s corner.