Anyone else terrified!!

No. I really don’t care

It’s easy to be a rich country when your labourers are paid the equivalent of pennies per hour

I agree with you regarding the salaries of labour workers but there is so much more needed to be a rich country than the salaries they’re paid. You need to take your blinkers off.

And don’t ever forget that behind every labourer in the Middle East there’s a company in their country of origin owned and run by their fellow countrymen (government officials included) who are complicit in them being here.

Also, that for every labourer here there’s a handful of others waiting to take their place such is the desire to be abroad earning way more than they earn at home.

Im very mindful of the situation but I’m also a realist.

I'm in the Middle East, the economy here is growing here

That very much depends on where you are in the Middle East and I’m pretty sure the average national from outside of the UAE and Saudi would tell you times are very hard indeed.

I would expect nothing less from Trump. If there's money on the table, he'll be there with his hand out. He's a mafia boss and a mega grifter.

Trump in Noddy Land..

The weekly terrified thread.
Terrified of Trump.
Terrified of Farage.
Terrified of Badenoch.
Terrified of Starmer.
Terrified of Reform/Labour/Conservatives.
Terrified by the court ruling on trans men.
Terrified of changes to benefits/heating allowances/PIP/UC.
Terrified what our town centers have become.

Terrified by the rise of the Far Right! (Classic one that).

Totally agree. I used to be like the OP, I was a bit consumed with it and did what you describe here and am carefree. Still shit my pants at low flying planes tho 😂

What’s dodgy about UAE exactly that isn’t found with this country let alone any other? What isn’t dodgy about politics?

Quite.

Agree the middle east look to be doing well - it seems they are diversifying out of oil very successfully.

I'm in the Middle East, the economy here is growing here. We have companies from around the world pumping money into the economy and creating jobs. Over here it looks like the UK is in a total mess.

Here migrants have to have a job and get tested for diseases, get fingerprinted and get an ID card. There are no benefits everyone works. Migrants make countries here richer because they work and have zero government entitlements.

Before the UK starts criticising other countries it needs to sort itself out. It's universities are closing, all it's best taxpayers are leaving, it's got ridiculous levels of crime, courts are full, it's hospitals are broken, it's got a broken immigration system which is killing it's NHS and Benefits system, it's roads are full of potholes and congested, it's government wants to lower standards in schools, because of net zero madness it's energy bills are 3-4 times higher than the US and 5 times higher than the middle east.

Rather than putting two fingers up to Trump, people in the UK should be grateful for what it gets at the moment

The powerful Arab states are all aruthoritarian regimes. So is China. US is on its way. AI in the wrong hands can be dangerous especially in terms of information and privacy of everyone. People use Meta's AI without realizing that if you ask it a question, it combs the person's entire FB and Instagram history to create a profile and continues to create and update it based on use, and you cannot delete it. Social media based in the states has the private information of people all over the world. All this is simply too interconnected to simply brush it off. You don't have to be hysterical, but it is important to be vigilant. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.

Absolutely 💯

OP, you haven't really said what it is about what Trump is doing in the ME that you find terrifying?

Is it, I was sure it was 5%, but I guess not, I stand corrected.

However, there is really nothing wrong with one member pushing others towards contributing more. The US can't force another country to spend any particular amount. There are obvious reasons that many European countries are looking at significantly increasing defense budgets.

I don’t think you’re ignorant for making the right choice for you, but you’ve come onto a thread where someone’s worried about something and are doubling down on their choice being the issue.

It’s really normal in the times we’re living in to have some level of anxiety about them. Talking about it is some people‘s way of coping. I would also say that talking about it ensures sure that people are aware, at least those that want to be. If we all had our heads in the sand it would be even more dangerous than it already is.

@TempestTost the agreement is 2%

OP, if you must watch news, maybe try and broaden it a little. The BBC is not great on the issue of the US and Trump, they manage to give the impression that everything that happens in that administration is somehow unprecedented and awful. When in fact often other presidents do the same things, or they are completely normal things governments do.

That doesn't necessarily mean they are great, but if you weren't terrified by the same things under other presidents probably they are not so scary under Trump either. Overall, he seems to be much less inclined than other presidents to get into military conflicts, but he does seem to be very focused on staying out from under the thumb of China.

🙄

Another bunch of colonisers.

The Germans (and the rest of NATO) are supposed to spend 5% of GDP on defense, that's part of the commitment they make as part of being in NATO.

Nations are always trying to get other nations to buy their products, that's often a significant part of international relations, if they want certain kinds of concessions or whatever they agree to purchase things like airplanes, age products, medical products, whatever - these kinds of agreements are even a part of international aid agreements.

That's in no way unique to the US, or to the UK.

although the department of defense needs to (dismantle it and rebuild it after checking for bugs) it is NOT a state gift it is a gift to the president who MAY transfer it to the library of congress after his term (but equally could keep it).
as corrupt as corrupt can be.

Former FBI director James Comey is in big trouble tonight…..
after the shell picture he posted!