OV9

I think a massive part of the problem is the US senate/congress doesn't have an equivalent of Prime Minister's Questions

There is no forum in which a President is ever challenged, questioned, or otherwise in anyway held to account

That and the fact that in the US it's virtually treasonous to even question the greatness of America - most other countries have very free and open argument and dissent about the way the country is functioning

It seems like it's it's impossible to be critical of the US from within the US, it seems almost blasphemous to do so

Not so much the American Dream as the American Myth (that they've collectively gaslit themselves into believing and which can't in any way be challenged or seen as fallible)

PMQs isn’t fit for purpose and so wouldn’t help. I can’t remember the last time any PM answered a contentious question properly on it. Just a waste of time unfortunately.

DaveE wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2026 2:59 pm I think a massive part of the problem is the US senate/congress doesn't have an equivalent of Prime Minister's Questions

There is no forum in which a President is ever challenged, questioned, or otherwise in anyway held to account

That and the fact that in the US it's virtually treasonous to even question the greatness of America - most other countries have very free and open argument and dissent about the way the country is functioning

It seems like it's it's impossible to be critical of the US from within the US, it seems almost blasphemous to do so

Not so much the American Dream as the American Myth (that they've collectively gaslit themselves into believing and which can't in any way be challenged or seen as fallible)

Considering the hugely open and bitter fighting between parties I'd say the opposite.

If Trump, Biden etc had cured world hunger, created free energy for all and had a 100% employment rate the other side would butch and moan and lie.

Dave!

Mito Man wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2026 3:03 pm PMQs isn’t fit for purpose and so wouldn’t help. I can’t remember the last time any PM answered a contentious question properly on it. Just a waste of time unfortunately.

When they don't answer questions, it tends to make the news and be reported on, though - as it stands, in the US, if the president doesn't like a question he gets asked by the press, he calls them a fat pig bitch cunt tranny spazz and bans them from the press pool.

Can't very well do that to a sitting congressperson/senator.

Turns out I was wrong. Not even 24 hours

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/08/worl ... -ceasefire

Israel pissing off the billionaires who are heavily invested in oil is a move that might not end well for them in terms of US support...

Mito Man wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2026 3:03 pm PMQs isn’t fit for purpose and so wouldn’t help. I can’t remember the last time any PM answered a contentious question properly on it. Just a waste of time unfortunately.

PMQs isn't perfect by any stretch, but I would _pay_ to see Trump have to face and answer questions in that kind of forum

The US president is never publicly challenged by members of their own or the opposing party in such a way

And it would immediately expose Trump for the complete incompetent that he is

He’s already been exposed for being a complete incompetent. People over there just seem to be a ruder class with such things not being as important. The politicians there seem to be ok with shouting and swearing at each other. Epstein threw our politics into disarray for a while but it was pretty much water off a ducks back for all the Americans involved.

John wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2026 12:56 pm We have a family friend who lives in Florida who has just been over to visit. According to them there is still a very large percentage of the population who think the orange idiot can do no wrong, bizarre.

Ironically enough, perhaps the strongest argument I've seen for rounding up a portion of humanity and dishing out the kind of punishment the Orange Clown seems to admire so much.

Mito Man wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2026 10:49 pm He’s already been exposed for being a complete incompetent. People over there just seem to be a ruder class with such things not being as important. The politicians there seem to be ok with shouting and swearing at each other. Epstein threw our politics into disarray for a while but it was pretty much water off a ducks back for all the Americans involved.

You're talking about a country that, in over half of it, if a judge signs it off, then a 40 year old man can marry the 15 year old he got pregnant through rape, to 'save her honour'. Or to save the local police chiefs pals son from getting put on on a register, etc. We've all read the stories about the local school sports star who gets off with whatever they want because they have a 'bright future ahead of them', including rape. You won't be surprised to know that a lot of states don't consider marital rape a thing, so if you get married to your victim, they literally can't do anything about it legally, either.

There wasn't an uproar about Epstein in the way we had about Saville because in more than half the US, those laws are fine. A teenage girl getting raped and forced into marriage with their rapist is just a story on page 12 of the local newspaper, next to the weather report.

For most americans this is so normal there are advocacy groups to explain that coerced and openly forced child marriage is wrong actually, the sort you'd expect to find a third world religious fundamentalist shithole.

That’s grim. But I’ve always been of the opinion that they’re ideologically stuck in the past.

It's been a while since I've read a Tom Clancy novel, but this is a rather good prologue
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/p ... -ios-share

What’s Melania up to? Trump must be pissed, started a distraction war and she’s brought it up again. Unless he’s trying to distract from his embarrassment in Iran now.

New stuff coming out? Divorce?

Mito Man wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2026 9:53 am It's been a while since I've read a Tom Clancy novel, but this is a rather good prologue
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/p ... -ios-share

Depressing as fuck. Thanks

His minions are now threatening The Vatican and Pope Leo individually

“We’ll wage war on whoever ever we damn please so pick a side… remember the Avignon Papacy”

There literally is no limit to how low and deranged he can go.

The melania press conference thing is just bizarre.

What’s about to come out?

Does she forget that photographs exist?

Does she think that just like her husband she can pretend things never happened because she said they didn’t?

integrale_evo wrote: Fri Apr 10, 2026 8:40 pm
Does she think that just like her husband she can pretend things never happened because she said they didn’t?

Yes.

integrale_evo wrote: Fri Apr 10, 2026 8:40 pm The melania press conference thing is just bizarre.

What’s about to come out?

Does she forget that photographs exist?

Does she think that just like her husband she can pretend things never happened because she said they didn’t?

Sorry, are you new here? These are not normal times...

It's amazing that interest in the Epstein stuff (by google search results) had dropped quite a lot. Now, with her statement, straight back to where they were before the conflict with Iran.

These people are just.....remarkably stupid.