I have to admit - even though it’s disastrous for the world economy - and the Iranian regime is brutal towards dissent - I’m kind of enjoying watching the Iranians squeezing Trump’s balls by stopping navigation of the Straits of Hormuz. Once again the US leadership has assumed that overwhelming firepower will make it risk-free to attack a developing country (even more odious, it was a surprise attack while negotiations were in progress) - and once again they seem to be suffering for their hubris. Unfortunately the whole world is suffering with them, not just American voters. But perhaps countries like Australia and Aotearoa, whose governments haven’t spoken out to condemn the Gaza genocide or this illegal war, deserve a share of that suffering.
Any undergrad student in international relations would have been able to point out to Mr Trump the problem with the Str of Hormuz. Iran has issued threats about it before. I was going to write that Iran is no Venezuela, and the risk is that the war results in an even more militant hardline regime. Trump has hardly ever mentioned the Iranian Crown Prince in exile in the US as a potential replacement. All the talk of regime change has been very loose and disorganised. But we pay higher gas prices for this flexing of muscle anyway!
And even if Trump did mention the Prince-in-exile, he's nowhere near a unifying figure in Iran. The whole sordid predicament goes back to 1953 with Mossadegh's overthrow by Cold War & petro politics.
If there's only 1 good thing to come out of the Iran War, it's that Trumpism is even more radioactive than it already was before. And its like-minded lapdog Netanyahuism.
As for Chippy, my thoughts remain the same - good intentions but prone to getting cold feet for the sake of floating voters. Though the previous government he was part of did have the Clean Car Discount, which seemed like a "nice to have" at the time but has since been vindicated by global events.
You mean loony left opposition like the Greens putting forward a coherent and sensible package of measures to reduce the impact of increasing fossil fuel supply uncertainty and increasing prices, both in the short term and the long term?
I don’t think Geography’s Trump’s strong point. One good thing to come of it may be encouraging the shift to renewables.
I have to admit - even though it’s disastrous for the world economy - and the Iranian regime is brutal towards dissent - I’m kind of enjoying watching the Iranians squeezing Trump’s balls by stopping navigation of the Straits of Hormuz. Once again the US leadership has assumed that overwhelming firepower will make it risk-free to attack a developing country (even more odious, it was a surprise attack while negotiations were in progress) - and once again they seem to be suffering for their hubris. Unfortunately the whole world is suffering with them, not just American voters. But perhaps countries like Australia and Aotearoa, whose governments haven’t spoken out to condemn the Gaza genocide or this illegal war, deserve a share of that suffering.
Any undergrad student in international relations would have been able to point out to Mr Trump the problem with the Str of Hormuz. Iran has issued threats about it before. I was going to write that Iran is no Venezuela, and the risk is that the war results in an even more militant hardline regime. Trump has hardly ever mentioned the Iranian Crown Prince in exile in the US as a potential replacement. All the talk of regime change has been very loose and disorganised. But we pay higher gas prices for this flexing of muscle anyway!
And even if Trump did mention the Prince-in-exile, he's nowhere near a unifying figure in Iran. The whole sordid predicament goes back to 1953 with Mossadegh's overthrow by Cold War & petro politics.
If there's only 1 good thing to come out of the Iran War, it's that Trumpism is even more radioactive than it already was before. And its like-minded lapdog Netanyahuism.
As for Chippy, my thoughts remain the same - good intentions but prone to getting cold feet for the sake of floating voters. Though the previous government he was part of did have the Clean Car Discount, which seemed like a "nice to have" at the time but has since been vindicated by global events.
Grant, you quite correctly paint the odious Hipkins as an empty suit.
He has absolutely no ideas , only a continued bleat about everything the coalition proposes to address our fuel security.
Meanwhile Luxon is fighting on two fronts, first against the loony left opposition and secondly against the extreme left wing MSM.
You mean loony left opposition like the Greens putting forward a coherent and sensible package of measures to reduce the impact of increasing fossil fuel supply uncertainty and increasing prices, both in the short term and the long term?
As for extreme left MSM - real examples please.
If John thinks Jim Grenon & Steven Joyce-run NZME is "extreme left", he probably has a large collection of MAGA caps in his wardrobe.
Definitely. The moniker John J Harrison gives it all away.