Peter Townend

America has turned on its triends Trump's abandonment of his country's allies is real and will endure Winston Churchill is credited with saying that America does the right thing after exhausting the alternatives. Donald Trump has turned that aphorism on its head. In the past 10 days, he has all but incinerated 80 years of postwar American leadership. Those who thought America was a friend or ally, notably Ukraine and Nato, are dropping once safe assumptions to cope with a world in which America is an unabashed predator. Countries that were treated by Washington as adversaries, notably Vladimir Putin's Russia, are suddenly America's friend. There were hinge moments in history when the US displayed its character as global leader, such as Dwight Eisen-hower's repudiation of Anglo-French imperialism in the 1956 Suez crisis, or Ronald Reagan's 1987 exhortation to the Soviet Union to tear down the Berlin Wall. They defined the world's idea of America. Trump's assertion this week that Ukraine "should have never started" the war is the dark version of those. His account of Russia being provoked to invade Ukraine came straight from Putin's talking points. So too was JD Vance's Valentine's Day speech in Munich in which the US vice-president identified liberal democracy as Europe's real threat from within. These moments will live in infamy. What do they tell us about what is com-ing? First, there should be no doubt that Trump's contempt for allies and admiration for strongmen is real and will endure. During his first term, Trump's instincts were curbed by the more traditional Republicans around him. Trump 2.0 is the real article. It is entirely possible that figures like Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, or Mike Waltz, his national security adviser, still believe in the US-led alliance that each once championed. Their private thoughts are irrelevant. Each displayed fealty to Trump's predatory vision of America at talks with Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia this week. Uk…

Brilliant but devastating editorial in the Financial Times.

“In the past 10 days, he [Trump] has all but incinerated 80 years of postwar American leadership. If you are not at the table, you are on the menu. America has turned.”

23.02.2025 13:48 — 👍 4947    🔁 2045    💬 82    📌 137

Ever since they painted the town red…..shocking.

19.02.2025 08:52 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

The outside of the mansion house in Cardiff.

Silver dragon on a desk in the foreground, people on the desk in the background.

Living room in the mansion house, sofa in the midground with a fireplace on the right hand side, there is a painting of a military figure above the fireplace.

Ornate vase with three figures on the bottom, a dragon in the middle, and two women figures on top. Behind the vase is a mirror.

I visited, as part of my scrutiny work, Mansion House.

It's used today for citizenship ceremonies, weddings and civic events. It contains, and is, a line of Cardiff's history stretching over a 100+ years.

That's why it's important, if the decision is to sell, that process must be absolutely clear.

12.02.2025 17:08 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

From plane to train: promoting low-carbon travel for geography field courses in UK higher education By Ewan Woodley, University of Exeter                                                                                                    The challenges of moving towards low-carbon travel for geogr…

From planes to trains blog.geographydirections.com/2025/01/30/f...

03.02.2025 18:04 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

@andyhit.bsky.social missed this news on the front page of the Daily Mean

18.01.2025 11:57 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

The Indonesian Hospital in north Gaza is no longer treating patients or wounded, the Gaza Ministry of Health said.

🔗: https://aje.io/8dwco1

05.01.2025 22:20 — 👍 359    🔁 234    💬 31    📌 30

THE ELVES ARE PISSED OFF WITH LLOYDS

🐴🌲🐴

XR and Money Rebellion rebels joined Green Santa and his Elves yesterday at Lloyd’s Bank HQ to ask Lloyds Bank to clean up their act!

The Elves are pissed off with Lloyds!

20.12.2024 16:27 — 👍 88    🔁 27    💬 0    📌 0

Sign the petition: Britain is not for sale: don't let the likes of Elon Musk meddle in our democracy 🚨 WORLD’S RICHEST MAN BUYING OUR DEMOCRACY 🚨 Elon Musk is set to pump £78m into Nigel Farage’s party—a sum that would allow Reform to flood our politics with targeted ads. Maybe other countries allow ...

38d.gs/yjlf

02.12.2024 22:00 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

insideclimatenews.org/news/3011202...

30.11.2024 21:08 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

You have lost me there mate

26.11.2024 18:53 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Welsh government urged to safeguard Celtic rainforests Conservation groups’ report warns remaining temperate rainforest sites and ‘vital habitats’ are in poor condition They are rich, damp, dappled places of twisted branches, vivid green mosses and lichens, important homes for rare birds, bats and insects,…

Welsh government urged to safeguard Celtic rainforests

26.11.2024 14:08 — 👍 172    🔁 28    💬 3    📌 3

It wasn’t a good move

23.11.2024 09:35 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Learners should be taught environment conservation through planting trees and other vegetation.
#climateeduc.
#savemotherearth.

22.11.2024 18:59 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

content.schoolinsites.com/api/document...

22.11.2024 02:19 — 👍 49    🔁 9    💬 1    📌 0

Least developed countries are already being hit by disaster Everytime and again due to reluctancy in developing barriers.

21.11.2024 21:21 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Big State and Local Wins for Climate and Conservation in the United States Twelve state and local ballot initiatives were passed by voters in the 2024 U.S. elections, providing more than $18 billion for climate and conservation action.

Here's a list of seven nature- and climate-positive U.S. state ballot measures that were passed in yesterday's federal election -- in California, Washington, Rhode Island, Maine, Minnesota, Louisiana and Colorado.

06.11.2024 16:03 — 👍 3357    🔁 702    💬 33    📌 30