Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Well, that's just added 25% to the cost of buying a Range Rover in the US.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 7:06 pm And where there is (in theory) some welfare infrastructure, the money can end up in funny places. From America's poorest state:

In February 2020, the office of the Mississippi State Auditor arrested six people it accused of mishandling federal funds disbursed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, including the department's former director. In May, the auditor's office released a report identifying $94 million in questionable spending by the department, much of it being funneled through two nonprofits, the Mississippi Community Education Center and Family Resource Center of North Mississippi.

The auditing investigations have found that the money was made available to several high profile figures for various purposes, including three retired athletes: former professional football star Brett Favre and former wrestlers Brett DiBiase and Ted DiBiase Jr. The revelation of the state investigation also triggered a federal investigation.

Yeah I read about that. One of the reasons why Trump is becoming unpopular is because of what Elon is doing to social security. Americans especially elderly Americans are very fond of social security and trying to mess around with it is going to end badly for you as Dubya found out in 2006.

Well, I suppose it could be worse. We could be Bangladesh, who got 37%. Those fuckers, ripping off America by busting their arses making cheap (and presentable quality) clothes for Americans.

They've listed Norfolk Island separately from Australia of which it is a (very small) part. Has somebody been watching Martin Clunes islands documentaries? Surprised they haven't mentioned Unst, Shetland in that case.

Then again, they did manage to stick tariffs on some uninhabited islands.

EU and Turkey are in a customs union, but the EU got 20% and Turkey 10%,

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 9:31 pm Tariffs are even madder than expected. 20% on the EU, 10% on the UK. So maybe Starmer's approach worked.

God know what happens next.

I would imagine that for every sentence praising Starmer there will be a hundred 72 point BREXIT BENEFIT!!!!! headlines.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 9:40 pm What can you do with this stuff? Ignore and try and improve trade with other countries, I suppose.

Yes, pivot to making USA the seller of last resort.
And hope they don't drive too far down the Monopoly cul-de-sac.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 10:54 pm EU and Turkey are in a customs union, but the EU got 20% and Turkey 10%,

So export everything German, Czech and Irish (nominally?) through Turkey?

I suppose we are all international trade experts now, but similar anomalies now exist with Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Unless it is horse shit, I can't think of anything that Liechtenstein actually exports. The yanks are clearly in no need for any more.

Killer Whale wrote: ↑Thu Apr 03, 2025 11:51 am
So export everything German, Czech and Irish (nominally?) through Turkey?

Yep. Or do a fraud that makes it look like you're exporting through Turkey.

kreuzberger wrote: ↑Thu Apr 03, 2025 12:05 pm Unless it is horse shit, I can't think of anything that Liechtenstein actually exports.

The connector manufacturer Neutrik is registered in Liechtenstein...

The Weeping Angel wrote: ↑Wed Apr 02, 2025 10:04 pm

Yeah I read about that. One of the reasons why Trump is becoming unpopular is because of what Elon is doing to social security. Americans especially elderly Americans are very fond of social security and trying to mess around with it is going to end badly for you as Dubya found out in 2006.

Isn't social security in the US basically only pensions? Bush's first Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, made a sane case for privatization but it was very unpopular.

Mississippi's case here was money for poor people, which ended up (among other things) going towards a volleyball arena at Southern Miss. So naturally that barely shifted the dial.

Absolutely mad, especially for poor countries. How are eg Lesotho, which has pretty close to the highest tariff supposed to be able to afford American products? The average wage is $650 a year.

I somehow get the impression that rather a lot of people have still to catch on to the extent to which Trump’s capricious actions on import tariffs are going to be quite astonishingly damaging, both to ordinary American consumers but also to literally millions of people, particularly poor and vulnerable people, throughout the rest of the world.

Ursula von der Leyen gets it :

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/pressc ... ent_25_964

President Trump's announcement of universal tariffs on the whole world, including the EU, is a major blow to the world economy.

I deeply regret this choice.

Let's be clear-eyed about the immense consequences.

The global economy will massively suffer.

Uncertainty will spiral and trigger the rise of further protectionism.

The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe.

Also for the most vulnerable countries, which are now subject to some of the highest US tariffs.

The opposite of what we want to achieve.

The tariffs will also hurt consumers around the world.

It will be felt immediately.

Millions of citizens will face higher grocery bills.

Medication will cost more as well as transportation.

Inflation will go up.

And this is hurting in particular the most vulnerable citizens.

All businesses – big and small – will suffer from day one.

From greater uncertainty to the disruption of supply chains to burdensome bureaucracy.

The cost of doing business with the United States will drastically increase.

And what is more, there seems to be no order in the disorder.

No clear path through the complexity and chaos that is being created as all US trading partners are hit.

In the past eighty years, trade between Europe and the United States has created millions of jobs.

Consumers across the Atlantic have benefited from reduced prices.

Businesses have benefited from huge opportunities leading to unprecedented growth and prosperity.

At the same time, we know that the global trading system has serious deficiencies.

I agree with President Trump, that others are taking unfair advantage of the current rules.

And I am ready to support any efforts to make the global trading system fit for the realities of the global economy.

But I also want to be clear: Reaching for tariffs as your first and last tool will not fix it.

That is why, from the outset, we have always been ready to negotiate with the US, to remove any remaining barriers to Transatlantic trade.

At the same time, we are prepared to respond.

We are already finalising a first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel.

And we are now preparing for further countermeasures, to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail.

We will also be watching closely what indirect effects these tariffs could have, because we cannot absorb global overcapacity nor will we accept dumping on our market

As Europeans we will always promote and defend our interests and values.

And we will always stand up for Europe.

But there is an alternative path.

It is not too late to address concerns through negotiations.

This is why our Trade Commissioner, Maros Šefčovič,is permanently engaged with his US counterparts.

We will work towards reducing barriers, not raising them.

Let's move from confrontation to negotiation.

Finally I would also like to speak directly to my fellow Europeans.

I know that many of you feel let down by our oldest ally.

Yes, we must brace for the impact that this will inevitably have.

Europe has everything it needs to make it through this storm.

We are in this together.

If you take on one of us, you take on all of us.

So we will stand together and stand up for each other.

Our unity is our strength.

Europe has the largest Single Market in the world - 450 million consumers - that is our safe harbour in tumultuous times.

And Europe will stand at the side of those directly impacted.

We have already announced new measures to support the steel and cars sectors.

Last week, we limited the amount of steel that can be imported to Europe tariff-free.

This will give more breathing space to these strategic industries.

Now we will also convene Strategic Dialogues with the steel, the automotive and the pharmaceutical sector.

And others will follow.

Europe stands together for our businesses, for our workers,and for all Europeans.

And we will continue to build bridges with all those that like us care about fair and rules-based trade as the basis for shared prosperity.

Tubby Isaacs wrote: ↑Thu Apr 03, 2025 12:42 pm Absolutely mad, especially for poor countries. How are eg Lesotho, which has pretty close to the highest tariff supposed to be able to afford American products? The average wage is $650 a year.

None of these folk will be buying a Cessna or a Hummer.

I'm not the first to speculate:

I wonder whether this is a deliberate bit of disaster capitalism.

1. Create a big slump.
2. Billionaires swoop in with their "made up money" and grab some concrete assets.


Made up Money - borrowing secured against the market capitalisation of their company shares.

I'm not convinced that there is a tiny bit of sense behind the chaos. Everything Trump does seems to be more motivated by pure spite than some 4D chess master plan.

Yep. And with (the nonsense about a third term notwithstanding) I'm not sure there's even any concern about how it affects voters. If he does think of that, he probably thinks that he'll keep them onside with deporting people to El Salvador.

Killer Whale wrote: ↑Thu Apr 03, 2025 2:22 pm I'm not convinced that there is a tiny bit of sense behind the chaos. Everything Trump does seems to be more motivated by pure spite than some 4D chess master plan.

I don't think there's any doubt about that and I think the MAGA ghouls are fully on board with it as well. Yes, it might hurt them but as long as it hurts the people they despise even more, they're absolutely fine with it. There's no reasoning with these people, they're 'all-in' forever.