Comments by "Ash Roskell" (@ashroskell) on "Russian Says 46% of their Refineries Destroyed by Ukraine" video.

Since you ask, we British distrust and treat our billionaires with suspicion and distain. We want them out of politics, hence their interference tends to be far lower profile. This is why Musk stands out in Britain as much as he does in America, but far fewer see him positively here. As always, thank you, Jake.
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@tiesurcess3639 : That’s an excellent suggestion. I used to feel all the anger, outrage and even a genuine physical revulsion whenever I listened to him talking, until I just skipped any news story that played him talking, knowing I’d get a summary directly anyway. Then, I began to realise that his actual words didn’t matter anyway, since they could change so easily within the same speech, let alone the same day. Never has it been more pertinent to say, “Don’t believe what he says, believe what he does.” Now, I just feel deflated and depressed even at the sight of him, let alone listening to him whine and ramble. Jake summarises the Russians and others, even after playing the subtitled clips and, knowing this, you can skip bits if you’re in a hurry. Not that I would ever encourage that. It’s just something I noticed when I was in a hurry. That’s the solution for many of us. Well said. I hope Jake takes you up on that.
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@ : BTW, before you answer, you might want to research the background? Since the Cold War started in the 1950’s, it was America’s policy (under all presidents) that Western European powers would allow them to direct international security for America’s interests, which is incidentally what made them grow in power, and in return for allowing America to call all the shots America took charge of all (most of the) military outlay, contributing the lion’s share so as to maintain control of international policy. The Korean War, The Cold War, the Viet Nam War and many other conflicts all took place under this American doctrine. It worked very well for all parties concerned . . . politically, or with regard to international policy making, that is. If America withdraws from NATO or simply shrinks its role, Europe will take up the slack, at the cost of America’s leading role in the world. This will affect US domestic wealth directly, since military might and wealth go hand in hand in developed, democratic countries. Industrial capacity will have to wind down in the US for all the tertiary and related industries. Hey, look. It was America that wanted it that way. If they can dress up giving up their influence in the world to look like they’re taking care of their own people first, convincing them, even while they get poorer while their politicians get richer, that will cause far fewer headaches for the rest of the world than it will for Trump. They will be over their biggest realignment issues by the time Trump has left office. And it will be a far humbler president that comes to do business with Europe thereafter. All I’m saying is, have it your way. But don’t try to kid yourselves that America has been helping out the idle Europeans. We gave you what you asked for, and you did very well out of it. You don’t want to be the most powerful nation any more? Fine.
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@ : Your grammar suggests you might be an AI? Since you are routinely breaking grammatical rules that apply to all Indo-European languages. But, let me ask. If you suggest that Trump is addressing domestic priorities over foreign policy, then why is he dismantling the very mechanism by which domestic policy is implemented? He intends to get rid of at least 2,000,000 federal employees inside of his first year. Why did he not improve the working American’s lot in his first term? Don’t tell me, “Covid,” since he thinks that’s a myth.
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@bradmiley : It’s the very thing that has made America so great, as in, “great world leader,” “great economic powerhouse,” and, “greatest world power.” I don’t think America really wants to lose that power and influence. Nor do I think they will, despite what some might say. They need a presence on the world stage in order to guarantee all that MONEY. Even if the people don’t really share in that wealth. That brings us back to not believing what Trump says, rather than what he does. He will see US power diminish over USAID, for instance, find others to blame, and start reintroducing it, quietly. That’s my guess. Or, maybe we will see an actual decline in American power in the world?
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@ : Though you speak with a wonderful sincerity and clarity, I have to tell you that you are wrong about Musk. You see that he is only serving himself, which is true. But his interests could not be further from, “aligned,” with ours; yours. He IS THE, “oligarch,” and has entered US politics in exactly the same way that Russian oligarch’s rode the coat tails of Putin. He wants to dismantle the overseers; the offices that deal with accountability, ethics, public integrity. He wants to rid America of anyone who watches the watchers. And his interests are only aligned with trump’s for that reason. Yet it is people like you who will suffer. As you will, sadly, come to see.
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