Asininedrivel
caviar connoisseur
I know right! Going to be some really positive vibes happening in here, but I still think it's worth starting a separate thread given the absolute disaster factory Trump has decided to unleash on us all.
The point of this is how bad do you think it might be? News coverage has swung from remarkably pollyanna to we-are-all-going-to-starve-to-death-by-Thursday, stock markets appear to be pretending it doesn't exist and the political classes are largely behaving very, very cautiously. All set against a backdrop of a gridlocked Straight of Hormuz, 20% reduction in oil and gas supply (which for reference is the same amount demand dropped by in those early weeks of COVID when the world was under house arrest) and set against a conflagration in the Middle East that's of a far vaster scale to any prior shitshow we've enthusiastically entangled ourselves in.
Purely regarding fuel costs (which is - for now - going to have the biggest impact on our lives), I heard an interview last week with the CEO of the Australian Institute of Petroleum who stated several times we are probably okay, but if the oil producers start shutting down refineries (a real possibility of transit routes can't be reopened soon) we're in big trouble with the flow on effects in increased costs and potential fuel rationing for everything delivered by truck (which is basically everything) given how we are geographically at the end of a very long supply chain. And that's not even getting into how much fertilizer comes out of the middle east as well..
The most infuriating about all of this is it was all completely avoidable and yet seemingly inevitable, the eventual outcome of giving the keys to the most powerful and influential nation on earth to an impulsive, arrogant toddler who, by being duped into this war has proven to be even stupider than we thought (and I thought he was largely powered by dementia with a sprinkling of syphillis). Surrounded by sycophants even stupider than he is who no doubt nodded and smiled and gushed oh yes Mr President when he suggested that just by raining a few bombs on Tehran on Saturday Iranians would be holding huge Trump ticket parades and annointing him honoury leader god king by Monday. Instead he has got the world embroiled in a quagmire with absolutely no exit strategy beyond the latest petulant tweet as it escalates by the hour.
Well, I already feel better after that rant, but how are you feeling? What are you planning? I've already seen a surprising drop off of people keen to speed and tailgate around the roads of Melbourne in the last week or so which is kinda interesting. Are you dusting off the plans for a veggie garden? Fast tracking an EV purchase / solar panels? Lobbying your MP to tell Pauline the next time she says Australia should be getting involved militarily that she should be volunteering herself as tribute? Or just burying your head under a pillow and just really hoping that this all goes away (and FWIW I really, really don't blame you if you are).
The point of this is how bad do you think it might be? News coverage has swung from remarkably pollyanna to we-are-all-going-to-starve-to-death-by-Thursday, stock markets appear to be pretending it doesn't exist and the political classes are largely behaving very, very cautiously. All set against a backdrop of a gridlocked Straight of Hormuz, 20% reduction in oil and gas supply (which for reference is the same amount demand dropped by in those early weeks of COVID when the world was under house arrest) and set against a conflagration in the Middle East that's of a far vaster scale to any prior shitshow we've enthusiastically entangled ourselves in.
Purely regarding fuel costs (which is - for now - going to have the biggest impact on our lives), I heard an interview last week with the CEO of the Australian Institute of Petroleum who stated several times we are probably okay, but if the oil producers start shutting down refineries (a real possibility of transit routes can't be reopened soon) we're in big trouble with the flow on effects in increased costs and potential fuel rationing for everything delivered by truck (which is basically everything) given how we are geographically at the end of a very long supply chain. And that's not even getting into how much fertilizer comes out of the middle east as well..
The most infuriating about all of this is it was all completely avoidable and yet seemingly inevitable, the eventual outcome of giving the keys to the most powerful and influential nation on earth to an impulsive, arrogant toddler who, by being duped into this war has proven to be even stupider than we thought (and I thought he was largely powered by dementia with a sprinkling of syphillis). Surrounded by sycophants even stupider than he is who no doubt nodded and smiled and gushed oh yes Mr President when he suggested that just by raining a few bombs on Tehran on Saturday Iranians would be holding huge Trump ticket parades and annointing him honoury leader god king by Monday. Instead he has got the world embroiled in a quagmire with absolutely no exit strategy beyond the latest petulant tweet as it escalates by the hour.
Well, I already feel better after that rant, but how are you feeling? What are you planning? I've already seen a surprising drop off of people keen to speed and tailgate around the roads of Melbourne in the last week or so which is kinda interesting. Are you dusting off the plans for a veggie garden? Fast tracking an EV purchase / solar panels? Lobbying your MP to tell Pauline the next time she says Australia should be getting involved militarily that she should be volunteering herself as tribute? Or just burying your head under a pillow and just really hoping that this all goes away (and FWIW I really, really don't blame you if you are).
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