Of course New Zealand needs to defend more on defence. 2% of GDP should essentially be ring fenced for defence spending. But we are up against neo-liberalists who don't want to commit more money for defence. Then there is the woke left who want to transform New Zealand into a pacifist paradise of irrelevance.
Fully agree NZ should invest more in defence. I can personally see that NZDF is getting tighter unlike the MoD said more budget earlier.
This news was just coming out yesterday and basically the CDF said we need to freeze headcount and reduce spending. Unfortunately what we should do and what we actual do are opposite. I doubt the capability will be unavoidably affected.
Trumps presidency will clear. He will be known as a praying God honoring president. He will above all things have THE GOD Factor. I know that will.stir many but in God's scheme of things that will be all that important. HE will herald in a new sense of hope both to the states and around the world. I hope for a season eventually a new sense of stability as the deep state, the corrupt and all connected get exposed. For the liberal they will hate it! But for many it will be a sense of relief that truth and order comes back. No longer this woken essentially and gender trap. Vaccines, big pharma and covid will be sensibly put in their place. Woken essentially and anti science will be gone and this global bullshit put in its place. It's going to be a rough ride for some but an exciting one for others. GODs hand is clearly on trump!!!!
‘If we boost our military now, maybe he’ll be nice to us’, sounds like Chamberlain ‘if we give Hitler Czechoslovakia, we’ll have peace in our time.’ Trump is a massive threat to democracy. He tried once to steal an election, and he’ll try again if he loses this one. He’ll throw Ukraine and Taiwan under the bus, and possibly wreck NATO. I shudder at the thought of him gaining power again.
Appreciate the thought, but not sure Chamberlain really boosted the military (as little has he did) in order for people to be nice to Great Britain, more about being ready just in case. The old adage "si vis pacem, para bellum" - if you want peace, prepare for war - comes to mind. Also not taking sides as to who the President might be but rather the real politik of what it means if Trump does. I am concerned at this recent statements around Taiwan for example.
My point in referencing Chamberlain was not about military preparedness, at which I’ll agree he failed, but the folly of thinking you can appease dictators, which I strongly believe Trump aspires to be. The wishful thinking that he won’t, brings to mind ‘those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it’. We ignore the plaintive warnings of true Republicans like Liz Cheney, Adam Kitzinger, and David Frum at our peril.
Indeed. Regardless of what we do, he’s promising a 10% tariff on ALL imports, which is madness since it will punish both New Zealand, and the American public.
Thinking hard on who and what we are dealing with, maybe we should stop supporting Ukraine: it is corrupt, undemocratic, and perhaps it should have let Russian speaking areas democratically separate themselves instead of using deadly force to keep then in the Ukraine.
Are you suggestion that only a Russian bot would consider it intrinsically wrong for Ukrainians to bomb Ukrainians simply because some want to leave the Ukraine, to be Pro democracy and anti corruption? We should all be Russian bots then.
Actually I'm Pro NZ. But if the South Island wanted to annex itself to become part of Australia, and our prime minister decided to bomb them into submission, would my protests against such violence make me Pro Australian or Pro democracy?
If Ukraine had employed only diplomatic tactics with the Russian speaking people in the Donbas region, then Putin would not have been given a blood soaked excuse to invade. As it is, he can claim just cause. Ukraine gave him that much at least.
Even if what you’re saying is true, Putin has gone far beyond a measured response to the situation that existed in the Donbas. It’s obvious, like with Hitler, that his territorial ambitions are far greater, and must be vigorously resisted.
Of course New Zealand needs to defend more on defence. 2% of GDP should essentially be ring fenced for defence spending. But we are up against neo-liberalists who don't want to commit more money for defence. Then there is the woke left who want to transform New Zealand into a pacifist paradise of irrelevance.
Fully agree NZ should invest more in defence. I can personally see that NZDF is getting tighter unlike the MoD said more budget earlier.
This news was just coming out yesterday and basically the CDF said we need to freeze headcount and reduce spending. Unfortunately what we should do and what we actual do are opposite. I doubt the capability will be unavoidably affected.
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/07/17/nzdf-eyes-job-cuts-amid-budget-blowout/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1k3gKnvkE55g9wRZnWl_cxMbmTuH0zzZ4jAPO1e81lcv6G7nbdFeZyxUM_aem_0y9cVONcYxtAE1Ni-Pm6AA#Echobox=1721202235
Trumps presidency will clear. He will be known as a praying God honoring president. He will above all things have THE GOD Factor. I know that will.stir many but in God's scheme of things that will be all that important. HE will herald in a new sense of hope both to the states and around the world. I hope for a season eventually a new sense of stability as the deep state, the corrupt and all connected get exposed. For the liberal they will hate it! But for many it will be a sense of relief that truth and order comes back. No longer this woken essentially and gender trap. Vaccines, big pharma and covid will be sensibly put in their place. Woken essentially and anti science will be gone and this global bullshit put in its place. It's going to be a rough ride for some but an exciting one for others. GODs hand is clearly on trump!!!!
‘If we boost our military now, maybe he’ll be nice to us’, sounds like Chamberlain ‘if we give Hitler Czechoslovakia, we’ll have peace in our time.’ Trump is a massive threat to democracy. He tried once to steal an election, and he’ll try again if he loses this one. He’ll throw Ukraine and Taiwan under the bus, and possibly wreck NATO. I shudder at the thought of him gaining power again.
Appreciate the thought, but not sure Chamberlain really boosted the military (as little has he did) in order for people to be nice to Great Britain, more about being ready just in case. The old adage "si vis pacem, para bellum" - if you want peace, prepare for war - comes to mind. Also not taking sides as to who the President might be but rather the real politik of what it means if Trump does. I am concerned at this recent statements around Taiwan for example.
My point in referencing Chamberlain was not about military preparedness, at which I’ll agree he failed, but the folly of thinking you can appease dictators, which I strongly believe Trump aspires to be. The wishful thinking that he won’t, brings to mind ‘those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it’. We ignore the plaintive warnings of true Republicans like Liz Cheney, Adam Kitzinger, and David Frum at our peril.
Indeed. Regardless of what we do, he’s promising a 10% tariff on ALL imports, which is madness since it will punish both New Zealand, and the American public.
Yep, is crazy but that’s Trump. But he’ll look for excuses too. Strap in. Going to be quite the ride.
Thinking hard on who and what we are dealing with, maybe we should stop supporting Ukraine: it is corrupt, undemocratic, and perhaps it should have let Russian speaking areas democratically separate themselves instead of using deadly force to keep then in the Ukraine.
Spoken like a true Russian bot.
Are you suggestion that only a Russian bot would consider it intrinsically wrong for Ukrainians to bomb Ukrainians simply because some want to leave the Ukraine, to be Pro democracy and anti corruption? We should all be Russian bots then.
Actually I'm Pro NZ. But if the South Island wanted to annex itself to become part of Australia, and our prime minister decided to bomb them into submission, would my protests against such violence make me Pro Australian or Pro democracy?
If Ukraine had employed only diplomatic tactics with the Russian speaking people in the Donbas region, then Putin would not have been given a blood soaked excuse to invade. As it is, he can claim just cause. Ukraine gave him that much at least.
Even if what you’re saying is true, Putin has gone far beyond a measured response to the situation that existed in the Donbas. It’s obvious, like with Hitler, that his territorial ambitions are far greater, and must be vigorously resisted.
Hopefully a Trump presidency will help post-liberal politics as a movement develop in New Zealand.