Stephen Cusack retweeted
This is how you create leverage to end the war, not with lifting sanctions
Stephen Cusack retweeted
So he spends longer repeatedly telling a reporter he won't answer the question because he doesn't care about those viewers than he would have spent answering the question 🙄
Michigan's Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed confronted @jamesmatthewsky, telling him he wouldn't answer his questions as he wants "zero" votes in the UK.
Watch the heated exchange between the two.
Watch our live coverage of the US midterms➡️ trib.al/BikRSb2
Stephen Cusack retweeted
Incredibly tiresome to see the national broadcaster reporting on itself about…a sports podcast.
More seriously, politicians giving the issue so much attention in a parliamentary committee points to a political class increasingly detached from voter concerns.
This, border poll/reunification issues, care/family referendums, Israel/Palestine get huge attention from politicians and media, while polls show that these are not big issues for voters. Something out of kilter.
Stephen Cusack retweeted
I simply want one politician with the required cojones to say to the Caribbean nations, "Reparations are never going to happen. We owe you nothing. You are asking people who never owned slaves to pay people who were never slaves for something we abolished, at enormous cost to this nation, 200 years ago."
Stephen Cusack retweeted
Donald Trump is now on course to become the least popular sitting president to face a midterm election in modern American history. Quite an achievement for a man who has spent his entire life telling everyone how enormously popular he is.
According to CBS News, after surveying nearly 80,000 voters, just 38% approve of his performance. Even George W. Bush managed better in 2006, when Republicans were unceremoniously thrown out of control of both houses of Congress.
NBC’s latest polling puts Trump’s disapproval above 60%.
Imagine commanding the attention of an entire nation, and somehow persuading six out of ten Americans that they have had quite enough of you.
Trump promised to make America great again. Instead, he appears to have made George W. Bush look popular.
That takes a very special kind of genius. The sort that Trump himself would undoubtedly describe as unprecedented, historic, and quite possibly the greatest failure anyone has ever seen.
Stephen Cusack retweeted
My Times Radio monologue on The Times at One with ANDREW NEIL today: @TimesRadio
Vote as if my name is on the ballot, President Trump urged Americans in the run up to yesterday’s midterm elections.
Americans did as they were told — and delivered the most decisive repudiation of a sitting president in modern times.
Make no mistake this was a referendum on Donald Trump — which he lost, big time.
His Republican Party was washed away by a blue wave in the House and the Senate. The Democrats will now have comfortable working majorities in both.
There are still about 60 House seats to report. You need 218 for a majority. The Democrats already have 231.
They’re projected to end up with 258 — the widest House victory margin since 1993. In terms of the House popular vote, the Democratic share was 54%, the Republicans 44%. It doesn’t get much more definitive than that.
The Senate was a tougher nut to crack. But with two seats still to report the Democrats have picked up seven gains, lost none, giving them a 54:44 clear majority.
Mr Trump immediately defaulted to rewriting history. As he does.
‘I wasn’t on the ballot,’ he suddenly claimed. ‘If I was, we would have won BY A LANDSLIDE.’ Of course by his own words we know that not to be true.
The man in the Oval Office is almost entirely to blame for his party’s defeat.
At a time when ordinary American families — the kind who re-elected Trump in 2024 — were reeling from soaring prices at the petrol pump and supermarket check-out counter, Trump was droning on about a reflecting pool in Washington, men’s bodies and his White House ballroom project.
Compared to Trump’s delusional campaigning, Marie Antoinette had the common touch.
He had been elected on a promise to foreswear forever wars, especially in the Middle East. A year after his inauguration he launched yet another forever war — in the Middle East.
He promised to get on top of inflation. It rose. All the higher because of what his attack on Iran did to fuel prices. And because his tariffs pushed up prices too.
China would pay the tariffs, he insisted. It was always a lie. By the time they voted yesterday Americans knew it to be a lie. They, not the Chinese, were picking up the tab.
A massive nationwide poll taken yesterday found that 90% of voters saw the cost of living — affordability — the biggest midterm issue. They thought Trump’s war and his tariffs had made inflation worse.
Six in 10 specifically mentioned the price of food, petrol, diesel; 60% opposed his war, which was unpopular from day one and grown even more unpopular.
Trump responded with a tin ear. ‘Inflation is solved’, he insisted, bizarrely, as the campaign came to an end. Americans knew otherwise.
There are times when the Trump administration and its cronies look like the ruling class in the Hunger Games — living the life of Reilly in palatial splendour and bling while most folk struggle to make a living.
Corruption was an issue in these elections for over 70% of voters.
They see the Trump administration as something of a kleptocracy, the Trump family and its cronies enriching themselves with lucrative multi-billion dollar deals with foreign potentates and billionaires while plain folk struggled with diesel at over $6 a barrel.
Thus did Trump reap what he had sowed. The Democrats won all their target Senate seats and a few others — Kansas, South Carolina — besides.
They will have a majority in the House beyond their wildest dreams.
Stephen Cusack retweeted
Dear MAGA, let me explain something.
You have been taught that anything with the word social in it is communism. It isn’t. Social Security isn’t communism. Medicare isn’t communism. And neither is the public school your children attend or the fire department that saves your house.
Norway and Denmark are capitalist countries. People own businesses, buy houses, make fortunes, invest in stocks and own guns. The difference is that their governments make capitalism work for ordinary people, not just billionaires.
Here is what that means in everyday life. You get cancer. You receive treatment without facing a ruinous hospital bill. Your wife has a baby. She gets months of paid parental leave. Your child wants to attend university. Tuition is free at public universities for eligible students.
You work hard. You get five weeks of paid vacation. You lose your job. There is a safety net to help you get back on your feet And none of this requires giving up your house, your truck, your religion or your freedom.
Now here is the part you really need to understand.
You are already paying taxes. The question is what you get back.
In Europe, more of that money comes back to ordinary families through healthcare, education and financial security.
In America, politicians have convinced millions of working people that asking for those things is socialism, while demanding lower taxes for billionaires is freedom.
You have been persuaded to fight against benefits you would personally enjoy, in order to protect fortunes you will never possess.
Elon Musk does not need you to defend his wallet. Your family needs you to defend yours.
Stephen Cusack retweeted
As respect for authority declines, expect more disorder like this. It was not social conservatives who undermined respect for authority (of parents, teachers, gardai etc). thejournal.ie/dublin-hallowe…
Stephen Cusack retweeted
That utterly nonsensical idea , pushed by a few NGOs and supported by a fraction of a fraction of the actual Carribean population, is somehow getting traction reflects the degree to which a tiny fringe has control over the public discourse in the west.
Britain is open to discussing an apology for its role in slavery, but has ruled out financial reparations.
As King Charles prepares to address Commonwealth leaders, Caribbean governments say an apology alone would not be enough.
jrnl.ie/7212421
Stephen Cusack retweeted
Ireland a hell of an outlier here
Power is Power
The chart below shows electricity prices in Europe just now, priced per MWh. Just horrific and economically ruinous for any modern economy.
The world spends about $4.2 trillion on electricity and this is split between:
• Generation (2/3
• Transmission & Distribution (1/3)
The world spends around $1.5 trillion on capex and $2.7 trillion on opex. The $1.5 trillion capex gets you 1-2% capacity growth each year. So a rough rule of thumb is that every 1% of GDP you spend on power infrastructure gets you 1-2% more electricity.
If you wanted to grow your power supply by eg 8%, you might expect that to cost 6% of GDP. Nobody has the supply chain to do that, if you want to grow this particular supply chain it will cost you more GDP points on second order things.
Now…
Demand for power around the world is booming, because of 3 big technology trends.
1. Air Conditioning (yes still) +20% consumption
2. Electric Vehicles +80% consumption
3. AI Data Centers +XYZ% consumption
Different regions have different progress on these three trends. US has a lot of AC, little EV and a lot of DC, Europe has little AC, lots of EV little DC. China has a lot of AC and EV.
Now generation splits into fixed costs for the generator plant (site and technology specific) and variable costs for fuel.
Dispatchable Power Cost, by Fuel Type
1. $6 / MWh - Uranium
2. $19 / MWh - Nat Gas 🇺🇸
3. $22 / MWh - Coal 🇺🇸
4. $40 / MWh - Coal 🇨🇳
5. $90 / MWh - LNG
6. $130 / MWh - Biomass
7. $160 / MWh - Nat Gas 🇪🇺 🇯🇵
8. $200 / MWh - Oil
Fracking has given the US a structural energy cost advantage. If you talk to people in China about what is the most impressive thing the US has done they say “fracking”. The challenge with US Nat Gas is that it’s now fully developed and expansion is sort of tapped out.
What the 21st Century demands is a lot of power, you either have it or you don’t. When you look at planetary scale energy and compute trends you see myriad gigantic arbitrage opportunities.
Interesting times!
Stephen Cusack retweeted
Political leaders' approval ratings.
For reference, Donald Trump is currently polling 39%.
As ever, the same issues dominate voter concerns in Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks poll.
Noteworthy that border poll/Irish unity is usually included as a question offered to those surveyed. In a week when the government launched a major initiative on it, says something that it doesn't even register.
Stephen Cusack retweeted
The clearest of those penalty appeals was undoubtedly the shirt pull on Alexander Isak. No idea why VAR Stuart Attwell didn't send Andy Madley to the screen for that one.
Stephen Cusack retweeted
Ireland sent fourteen MEPs to the European Parliament, and on 8 October only seven of them could vote for a resolution asking Europe to face the Muslim Brotherhood network, its front groups, its youth arms and the EU money that reaches them. Five voted against, both Sinn Féin MEPs, Labour's Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and the independents Luke Flanagan and Michael McNamara, and two did not vote at all.
Back home, the Brotherhood is under no suppression order, and as Deputy Carol Nolan reads the Justice Minister's own answer, it stays free to recruit and raise money unless someone proves it is for terrorism. Half a delegation, no ban, and a network that loves exactly that kind of gap.
Dublin, which half are you?
BTW, the Muslim Brotherhood is banned in the UAE.
Stephen Cusack retweeted
Going to Mass on a weekly basis felt like an "obligation" in 2004? Come off it.
I stopped going to Mass 22 years ago. Every Sunday since I’ve felt grateful to be free of the obligation, writes Séamas O’Reilly irishtimes.com/life-style/pe…
Stephen Cusack retweeted
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Ireland has no fighters, no fast jets of any kind, no serious air defences, subsea defences, nor a properly resourced military. 244m would make quite an addition to the Irish defence budget. Our priorities for Ethiopia are clearly different to Ethiopia’s priorities for Ethiopia. After all, Russian arms dealers private jets and yachts don’t fuel themselves.
Stephen Cusack retweeted
The most amazing aspect of the Israeli elections is the fully participating Arab electorate. Please tell Sally Rooney that Israel is a democracy!
Turnout in Nazareth was 70% - up from just 48% at the last Knesset election. ynetnews.com/article/hym008y…
Stephen Cusack retweeted
My prayers go out to all those who were injured or lost their lives last Friday in the terrorist attack on worshippers at the Orthodox Church of Saint George in Hamoud, Jordan. I express my closeness to the community and the entire country, which is known for its peaceful coexistence and respect between different religions.
Stephen Cusack retweeted
Americans need to understand that by twice electing Trump they have lost two vital things that may take years to even partly restore - trust & respect. Nobody with any sense now trusts America & very few respect them. No doubt many in MAGA don't care, the f. you school of politics, but Americans will all pay a long & bitter price for the gross abuse of decency they have inflicted on the free world. You reap what you sow.