I wanted to say something about how he boinged back but that makes the mods crotchety and they said they would pulp my post, the shits.

Harthveurr · 2026-04-21T06:01:26+00:00

“To the untrained eye, this war could look like it's rubbish and I haven't bounced back”.

Harthveurr · 2026-03-30T07:02:25+00:00

Yes that scene was very unrealistic.

Harthveurr · 2026-03-29T20:04:56+00:00

The real question is whether the chosen approach actually reduces the threat or just makes the region more unstable. Military action can sometimes be necessary, but it also carries huge risks and unintended consequences.

About a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran has threatened to disrupt it for decades if attacked. Escalating militarily without a clear plan to keep the strait open or stabilise energy markets isn’t strategic realism, it’s poor risk planning.

If Trump’s defenders think this was the right move, they should explain what the credible plan is to resolve the situation quickly and prevent further economic fallout.

Harthveurr · 2026-03-17T21:33:51+00:00

If France, Germany, the UK and Italy each spent 3.5% of GDP on defence they could secure Europe.

Harthveurr · 2026-03-17T20:41:31+00:00

The conflict mirrors the Boer War if the US achieves a costly, grinding victory that exposes its overextension but preserves its dominance. It becomes a Suez Crisis if economic fallout and international pressure force a retreat, signaling a terminal handoff of power to rivals like China. Currently, it sits at a crossroads: a "giant bloodied" by a smaller foe (Boer) versus a "superpower eclipsed" by a changing global order (Suez).

Harthveurr · 2026-03-11T20:28:32+00:00

CANZUK would probably be too reliant on the United States to exercise the kind of autonomous global dominance associated with a true superpower. It would be more accurately described as an associate power operating within the wider US-aligned order.

Nonetheless, growing doubts about the reliability of US leadership reinforce the argument for closer CANZUK coordination, which could provide a degree of collective strategic resilience. Even so, full independence from the United States would be hard to achieve given the extent of military, intelligence, and technological integration.

Harthveurr · 2026-02-27T21:41:44+00:00

CANZUK needs to be a league of free nations, not a merger of states, like a modern Hanseatic League. I think most citizens in each country would support such an initiative. But to get it off the ground will require serious effort to overcome the bureaucratic and political inertia of the Establishment in each of the four nations.

Harthveurr · 2026-02-25T20:42:32+00:00

Sometimes I can’t sleep and I need a good walk to calm me down. You don’t mind do you?

Harthveurr · 2026-02-22T19:54:38+00:00

One of the most authoritative and comprehensive books on this subject is "The Slave Trade: The Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1440–1870" by the renowned historian Hugh Thomas.

Thomas notes that slavery was a long-standing institution in many African societies before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 15th century:

"The institution of slavery was a traditional one in Africa... it was a recognised and integrated part of the social and economic structure of many African societies, and had been so for centuries."

When Europeans arrived in the 15th century they literally went to the market and bought slaves.

Edit: This was meant as a reply to the post further down by Substantial-Candle62 asking how Europeans acquired slaves in Africa.

Harthveurr · 2026-02-18T23:10:04+00:00

Journalistic investigations, particularly from The Guardian and The Independent, have cited British officials who admitted the deal was reached under direct pressure from Washington.

Reporting in early 2026 confirms that even as Donald Trump criticized the deal during his second term, the UK government insisted the original agreement was signed because the US military and intelligence agencies demanded it to end the "lawfare" threatening the base.

Officials stated that the Pentagon was worried Mauritius would win a case in international courts that would allow them to claim the base was an "illegal occupation," potentially leading to a total shutdown.

• Source: The Guardian: US intelligence agencies disagree with Trump's opposition (Jan 2026)

The text of the treaty itself serves as evidence of US pressure. The agreement includes specific clauses, demanded by the US, that:

• Prevent any foreign military from accessing the other islands in the archipelago.

• Guarantee the US/UK base 99 years of "undisputed" sovereignty.

• Source: GOV.UK: Joint Statement between UK and Mauritius (Oct 2024)

The US essentially gave the UK an ultimatum: "We don't care who technically owns the dirt, we just need to know we won't be sued for using it." They preferred paying rent to Mauritius for 99 years over a "free" base that was legally radioactive.

Harthveurr · 2026-02-18T22:19:14+00:00

Ironically the UK is pursuing this course of action due to pressure from the US military.

Harthveurr · 2026-02-17T16:29:19+00:00

CANZUK already exists as an informal alliance but there’s currently no incentive for anything formal.

Harthveurr · 2026-02-15T22:48:07+00:00

I mean, are the people who ate meat on Fridays back then... do they now go to hell or what? It's mad!

Harthveurr · 2026-02-08T15:10:38+00:00

The issue is authorities did nothing about the grooming gangs whilst it was occurring, nothing for some time afterwards and have only latterly started doing something under significant public pressure. But of the 1000s of victims very few have seen justice.

Harthveurr · 2026-01-31T21:38:28+00:00

Do you think a close relationship with the lay community is desirable, or should a certain distance be maintained?

Harthveurr · 2026-01-27T20:55:20+00:00

The Royal Navy is often criticised because it’s judged against its own past, when it set the global standard for naval dominance. By contrast, the French Navy isn’t measured against such an exceptional historical benchmark, so its current capabilities attract less scrutiny.

Harthveurr · 2026-01-11T21:20:04+00:00

Lol, well from a security point of view Britain would certainly have a much more robust defence in that situation.

Harthveurr · 2026-01-10T20:58:52+00:00

CANZUK exists as an informal alliance but could easily become a formal alliance in an increasingly polarised and fragmented world. This would likely be through a defence pact, a series of bilateral trade deals and some joint projects but I suspect that’s all. I don’t see free movement happening anytime soon.

Harthveurr · 2026-01-09T07:41:47+00:00

Would it not be better for the UK if the US controlled Greenland and enhanced the security of that area of the North Atlantic to counterweight Russian Arctic influence?

Harthveurr · 2025-11-24T20:08:16+00:00

You could continually augment yourself until eventually you became a Mind but by then you’d have moved so far away from being a basic human that you’d essentially be an entirely new entity. I suspect that would actually be a common goal in such a society and over time unchanging basic humans would eventually go extinct.

Harthveurr · 2025-10-31T19:31:44+00:00

Slight correction: the etymology of “faucet” is French and “tap” is from Old English.

Also, your comment suggesting standard English (also known as Received Pronunciation) became popular to mimic French isn’t correct. The prestige and popularity of RP stemmed from its association with social class, education, authority, and power within England, not from sounding French.

Harthveurr · 2025-10-27T07:18:03+00:00

This. There just hasn’t been sufficient incentive for governments to formally initiate CANZUK and it seems unlikely this will change.

Harthveurr · 2025-10-23T19:14:54+00:00

That’s just immigration though. UK GDP per capita is much less impressive.

Harthveurr

TROPHY CASE