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Dave Smith

@davesmithskvn.bsky.social
46 followers 21 following 749 posts

Watching the world go by with an increasing sense of disbelief.

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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
17/ In the meantime countries not currently under their thrall had better prepare for conflict with an actively hostile USA - probably in 18 months to 2 years. www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10...
aljazeera.com
Ukraine accuses Elon Musk’s SpaceX of throttling Starlink terminals
Officials say ability to block Russian drones restricted as Kyiv reels from second night of ballistic missile attacks.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
16/ The US seems to be taking up where Orban's Hungary left off. The promotion of a global, oligarchic, self-enrichment club - and using tax-payers cash to do it. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Germany warns US against election interference with Maga-aligned grants scheme
Friedrich Merz responds to US project offering grants of up to $3m in Europe to address ‘sovereignty, migration and censorship’
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
15/ Those in the West are not used the ruling class focussing entirely on self-enrichment rather then national interest. Its a common theme between MAGA/Reform UK/AfD/National Rally: Laws shouldn't apply to them. thehill.com/homenews/adm...
thehill.com
US, Russia talks on Ukraine involve oil deal tied to Kushner, Witkoff: Report
The Trump administration’s ongoing discussions with Russia to end the Ukraine war now include a multibillion-dollar oil deal that would benefit Middle Eastern business executives tied to the lead U…
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
14/ Once the North has been taken and Europe sidelined, the two oligarchies can work together for each others mutual enrichment. www.intellinews.com/kushner-dmit...
intellinews.com
Kushner, Dmitriev discuss US investor for Russia's Nord Stream pipelines
US envoy Jared Kushner and Putin adviser Kirill Dmitriev have discussed bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream gas pipelines to Germany, Reuters ...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
13/ Which brings us on to Russia. The other breathtakingly corrupt autocracy run for the benefit of an oligarchy. Trump likes the cut of Putin's jib. He is a "role model". ...and Putin will know exactly what to say. www.cnbc.com/2026/10/13/t...
cnbc.com
Trump's diesel deal with Russia equals less than two weeks of U.S. demand
President Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russia comes as he is under pressure to reduce fuel prices with the U.S. midterm elections less than a month way.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
12/ The scale of corruption by the US Administration is breathtaking. The transformation of the US into an autocracy similarly breathtaking. It seems all actions are for the benefit of an oligarchy favoured by the pharaonic leader. bsky.app/profile/rinc...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
11/ So where is all this coming from? A resurgence of "Manifest Destiny". The God-given-right of a certain race (white American settlers) to tame the Wild West. This would be a second wave: North. Make America Great Again! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifes...
en.wikipedia.org
Manifest destiny - Wikipedia
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
10/ If the US was to start vacuuming up Northern places, the Europeans would not be happy. It certainly seems the US has decided to disengage from Europe in advance. The reasons given may not be the true ones. www.reuters.com/business/aer...
reuters.com
Pentagon policy chief tells NATO allies U.S. wants European-led defense of continent
European officials questioned whether the gesture was real, symbolic or a tactic.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
9/ Trump "misspeaking" Iceland several times during his Davos speech in February doesn't appear to have been an error. www.reuters.com/world/americ...
reuters.com
Iceland summons US ambassador after Trump posts map showing island under American flag
Iceland summoned the U.S. ambassador on Monday after President Donald Trump posted an image on social media showing the island and other countries covered ​by the American flag, local broadcaster RUV ...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
8/ The misdirection about minerals restarted immediately. www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10...
aljazeera.com
Trump says oil, gas and mineral exploration to begin in Greenland
The US president also praises the security advantages of last month's deal with Denmark and Greenland.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
If there is a plan to annex Canada, a bad-faith deal such as this will do just fine. bsky.app/profile/dave...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
6/ During an invasion of Canada, Europe will want to resupply Canada so being able to fly over Greenland will be key. Unfortunately Denmark / Greenland came to a deal to allow the US additional "Trojian Horse" bases. www.reuters.com/business/aer...
reuters.com
What is in the US-Greenland-Denmark security deal?
Here are some key components of the deal, which adds to a 1951 US-Danish pact on Greenland's defence.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
5/ The Canadians have noticed. There is little they can do as it is key to Trump staying in power. The grievances are invented. There is no concession that will make it all stop. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
cbc.ca
ANALYSIS | A U.S. invasion of Canada? There's a contingency plan for that | CBC News
An American invasion of Canada? A top U.S. commander calls the idea preposterous. Prime Minister Mark Carney isn’t laughing. Donald Trump’s threats and talk of a 51st state have pushed Ottawa to revis...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
4/ The manufactured conflict with Canada continues to amp up. This will probably continue until Trump starts some sort of armed conflict in Q3 2028 as an excuse to postpone US elections. abcnews.com/Politics/tru...
abcnews.com
Trump calls Canada 'one of the worst countries' to deal with amid ongoing trade war
The president mentioned the "good deal" that fell apart during the 11th hour of trade talks with Canada last week.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
3/ The hoped-for flood of oil has failed to materialise (due to decrepit infrastructure). Half Venezuela's production going to the US is 0.5m bpd. Canada, whose crude it was intended to replace, currently ships 4.5m bpd to the US. www.reuters.com/business/ene...
reuters.com
About half of Venezuela oil output now goes to US, Under Secretary Haustveit says
U.S. Energy Under Secretary Kyle Haustveit said on Tuesday that about half of Venezuela's oil output is now ​being exported to the U.S.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
2/ No elections in Venezuela any time soon. A Soviet-style puppet regime would suit both Trump and Rodriguez. www.reuters.com/world/americ...
reuters.com
Venezuela's promised elections face long delays, sources say
Venezuela's long-awaited vote may not happen for a year or more due to planned overhauls of the courts and electoral ‌authorities, according to five political sources and analysts, despite Acting Pres...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
1/ Its been 9 months since we looked at the "worst case" on Trump, Greenland, Venezuela, Canada. Lets see what's happened since. bsky.app/profile/dave...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
I fear we may be entering an era when the US is explicitly on the opposite sides of conflicts from other "western countries". They may have little interest in or expectation of European deals other than a future "bait and switch" timed to do the most damage.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Here we go again... www.reuters.com/business/aer...
reuters.com
Patriot interceptor deliveries to Poland will be delayed, top general says
Deliveries of some US weapons systems to Poland ​are set to be delayed, ‌including interceptors for the Patriot air defence system, Polish army operational commander ​General Ireneusz Nowak said ​on M...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Through the PURL scheme... My understanding was that the US had halted shipments because they had run low themselves due to Iran. Lots of money had been sent but the goods were not turning up. See also Switzerland - 5+ year delay. www.defensenews.com/global/europ...
defensenews.com
Patriot production delays prompt Switzerland to seek European air-defense fallback
The country will also buy fewer Lockheed Martin F-35 jets than initially planned after unit costs of the fighter increased.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Am I missing something? "Could stop paid-for weapons shipments to Ukraine". Didn't they stop them months ago? There's no real prospect of them restarting this decade.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"critically low"? We only attempt to have about 2 weeks worth in storage max. www.energy-uk.org.uk/fuelling-the...
Graph of gas storage capacity by European country. UK under 20 days. Netherlands 200 days.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
abcnews.com/Politics/mik...
abcnews.com
Mike Bloomberg spent more than $1 billion on four-month presidential campaign according to filing
The billionaire former mayor of New York City spent an unprecedented sum of money of his roughly 100-day White House run.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The term "infrastructure" is not a spell that removes inflationary pressure. www.cmcmarkets.com/en-ie/news-a...
cmcmarkets.com
Is AI driving inflation? The artificial intelligence boom adds pressure on the Fed | CMC Markets
AI investment in data centres, chips and power infrastructure may be adding to US inflation pressure, complicating the Federal Reserve’s path towards rate cuts.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I fear that is not the case. "Printing money" leads to inflation whatever you spend it on. Same goods, More money -> one unit of money buys less of the goods.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
www.history.co.uk/articles/jus...
history.co.uk
'Just print more money': History's worst cases of hyperinflation
There have officially been 55 hyperinflation events around the world since 1900.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
"rise has been steep" because England took the day off on Monday. France and Italy yields also rose roughly 0.2% in a week but more gracefully. Their rates are lower because the ECB rates are about 1% lower than BofE. tradingeconomics.com/united-kingd...
Italy bond yield rising about 0.2% in a week.UK bond yield rising about 0.2% in a week, but sharply because of bank holiday.France bond yield rising about 0.2% in a week.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
We, as a nation, could just borrow less from them. But that would require us, as as a nation, to spend less or tax more.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
“.. Tesla stock has gained roughly 50% over the past five years." Tesla stock has also lost over 10% in the last four years & 10 months... tradingeconomics.com/tsla:us
Tesla stock chart showing it currently trading lower than it did in early Nov 2021.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The canonical example - from 9 years ago! www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/art...
bbc.co.uk
The most unenthusiastic news report ever
The most unenthusiastic news report ever
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
BBC radio (and similar media) are only ostensibly about politics. They are really about 'justifying their own job' -> seeking audience share -> generating engagement. If small boats is what 'generates engagement' then small boats it is. Nothing to do with public affairs / running the country.
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Reposted by Dave Smith
Shipwreck @shipwreck75.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
This 👇
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Reuters has spoken to a number now returning to Morocco. They don't all seem to be refugees. www.reuters.com/world/africa...
Several hundred people could be seen returning to Morocco through border posts and holes in the fence, with some saying they could not find food or shelter in Ceuta.
"Honestly, I don't even know why I came, and now I'm going back," a young Moroccan man, who said he was from Tangier, told ​Reuters. "I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday, even though I brought some money with me ... What we're doing is neither good nor enjoyable."
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
This could also be the Telegraph doing what the Telegraph does: telling its elderly right-wing readers what they want to hear. The US & Australia had similar moves today (through France and Italy didn't). tradingeconomics.com/united-kingd...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Is it not reasonable if its not the formal meaning of sovereignty? dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/e...
dictionary.cambridge.org
sovereignty
1. the power of a country to control its own government: 2. the power of a…
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I may be taking this a bit too seriously but the good people of Clacton are probably also uninterested in the Crown and Treaty Pub in Boris Johnson's old constituency, Uxbridge. Its also not binface's binface. Its AI slop based on old "policies". bsky.app/profile/paul...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Clacton voters are not like Bluesky users. In 2024 28% voted Tory (after 3 years of Johnson then Truss and Sunak) in addition to the 46% who voted Farage. To many, Farage is their salvation and will tune out criticism - Trump style.
Results of Clacton constituency in 2024. 46.2% to Farage. 27.9% Tory.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
And will have to be back home in Paris in time for curfew or her carriage will turn into a pumpkin. Or something like that.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Yikes www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lFX...
youtube.com
Why birth rates are falling everywhere all at once | FT
YouTube video by Financial Times
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
I think we've been over that one. They assume a role that precludes them from being an MP. Many would say Farage has been doing that in many ways for a long time... news.sky.com/story/nadine...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
bsky.app/profile/dave...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
The tag is to monitor 1 year of house arrest. She will probably have to be at her home for most of the day (times to be decided). Not so easy to run for President. www.reuters.com/world/europe...
reuters.com
French court opens door for Marine Le Pen to run for president, with ankle tag
A French appeal court on Tuesday upheld Marine Le Pen's conviction for misusing EU funds but shortened her ban on running for ‌public office, in theory preserving a path for the far-right leader to ru...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Given his associates love of crypto, he's got to be launching a meme coin. Perhaps alongside a range of NFTs?
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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
The average life expectancy of a new Russian recruit—from arrival at a training ground to death in a combat zone—lies somewhere between 10 days and three weeks. Once sent onto the battlefield, they survive an average of 20 to 35 minutes. @peterfrankopan.bsky.social foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/25/r...
foreignpolicy.com
As the Tide Turns Against Putin, Beware the Drowning Man
Like a struggling swimmer, he may take desperate measures to stay afloat.
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Reposted by Dave Smith
Razzball @razzball.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
my kind of Jubilee, the Japanese national team vs. 100 kids
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Its currently 28C and sunny in Kerch. That footage may be a bit old. www.timeanddate.com/weather/ukra...
Current weather for Kerch, Ukraine: 28C, mostly sunny. Not overcast and drizzling as in the video.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I fear that may be old footage. www.timeanddate.com/weather/ukra...
Current weather forecast for Kerch. Showing strong sunshine and 29C. Not overcast, raining with people wearing autumn coats.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Other views are available. bsky.app/profile/geor...
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
You don't think that having an election might be an indication that they should have a "comprehensive strategy" prepared (manifesto) and be able to "appoint the people who they can trust to deliver"? www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/ci...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
How the civil service prepares for a general election | Institute for Government
This explainer considers the preparation the civil service undertakes during an election period.
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Dave Smith @davesmithskvn.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Its remarkable The National still has our attention. Less than 2,000 physical copies a day and less than 10,000 digital subscribers at last count. www.abc.org.uk/product/18179
The National subscription data from ABC.
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