John Roycroft

@Randomicky @danobrien20 Our public transport really reflects bad planning and the fact that the Irish population is very dispersed. We lack density and scale which is disastrous for good public transport.

@danobrien20 Your critique might be valid but as residents and visitors know our public transport isn't worthy of a country with relatively high GDP/capita. Arguably this would help not just economic growth but also housing issues and quality of life.

Why this chart is wrong. Five metrics are used to measure 'infrastructure and public services', as per the first image, which shows Ireland to be a total outlier. Start with public capital spending as share of total govt expenditure. (Unfortunately) rich world governments spend only single digit percentages of total government expenditure on capital spending. As it happens, Ireland has the highest share in western Europe. The actual Eurostat data are charted in the second image. What about doctor density? Unlike public expenditure, where I'd claim some expertise, I'm certainly not an expert in health economics. But I've spent enough time looking at the numbers over the years to know that Ireland is not an outlier in the number of doctors it has relative population. Even the OECD healthcare at a glance report that is referenced as a source shows that. The table from the report is the third image. Finally, Ireland has almost no electrified rail. These figures seem correct, but is the energy source of your rail system indicative of the quality of overall infrastructure? I'd argue no, but that's a judgement call. So, two of the five metrics are completely wrong and the inclusion of a third (which happens to show Ireland by far the worst performer in west Europe) is questionable.

@Eustaav @BROKENBRITAIN0 BS

@BROKENBRITAIN0 After seeing the response, I really don't believe that the fuel prices are the underlying problem. Just a surface abrasion that exposed the infection deep inside. The Ireland Government is hiring foreign mercenaries to control its people.

The Irish government is on the brink of COLLAPSE 🇮🇪 Opposition parties have tabled a no confidence motion against the government with MULTIPLE politicians expected to DEFECT and vote to COLLAPSE the current government. This comes following intense fuel protests all across Ireland, with the government deploying the army against their own people. All eyes on Ireland, this could be HUGE!

@Toibin1 You’ve lost the plot. Nobody, including the government Peadar, have the right to deny our movement or the movement of enterprises who are engaged in ordinary exchange and discourse. The rights of protestors don’t surpass mine. Grow up.

I have spoken to the protesters today. They are willing to allow 10 loads of fuel out of Whitegate today for emergency services. This could increase tomorrow if there are positive results from the talks today. The government must engage.

@cavofficer6 @FurkanGozukara It isn’t. It’s the definition of self-interest

@FurkanGozukara In the scale of reliability, favoring the ones who failed to meet their NATO obligations (most still fail), is a joke. Only the United States has always met it's obligations, and that is the definition of reliability.

Massive geopolitical shift. The Dutch Chief of Defence confirms Europe is actively preparing to sideline the US military. They are building an independent defense force using cheap advanced tech because they can no longer rely on the chaotic Trump administration.

@WoodClayton @arenella1 @StarbuckUA What a stupid post. What exactly is Western Europe? You sound like a 1970s USSR commie. There is the EU. And then there is broader Europe. The EU is 450 million people. Broader Europe about 750 million. Mostly Europeans. Travel more. Come to Europe and enjoy civilisation.

@arenella1 @StarbuckUA Western Europe is full of parasites. They are also in civilizational suicides where Muslims are the only people having babies in their nihilistic broken countries. Tragic. Glad we are decoupling. Praying they have a revival. Je suis Charles Martel.

Last night, one of my friends who works for an intelligence service in France, called me to vent about Trump. To sum up his observations: 1] European leaders expected a shit show because of their insider knowledge about all of Trump's flaws. But, Trump's willingness to start a

@Filet314339 @arenella1 Maybe you should read your own constitution. Only Congress can declare war. Since 1942 Congress has mostly authorised military engagements through Authorizations for Use of Military Force rather than formal declarations. Congress has abrogated its own powers. Disgraceful.

The last time the US Congress declared war was in WWII. We have not declared war just like in the Korean, Vietnam, Serbian and Iraq conflicts. All started by executive, Commander-in-Chief decisions. Maybe the Europeans should read our constitution and its guidance over the years before they act like they know something.

@FeeredBuckP @DylanRatigan They want to invade Turkey? The level of misinformation in the US is staggering. And no you do not disproportionately fund NATO. You’re literally not footing the bill.

@DylanRatigan I’m not a trumper but I agree with leaving NATO. Is reasoning isn’t a good one and they just wanna invade turkey but we still needed to be pulled out of NATO a long time ago. It’s always us footing the bill and doing the heavy lifting.

You know the moment is coming when Europe is going to insist that the American NATO bases leave — and the Americans will freak out and demand they must keep their troops in Europe to protect everyone.

@Wordsofanarchy @JohnGalt4258 @DylanRatigan GDP is a terrible indicator of quality of life. Literally terrible. War spending counts towards GDP. The quality of life in Europe is incomparably better than the US under every heading including life expectancy, education, health care and food standards.

@JohnGalt4258 @DylanRatigan At least maybe that would generate some income/industry for them so they can at least have a GDP equivalent to our poorest states 🤣

@secretchipa @mstrobertson @JohnGalt4258 @DylanRatigan And yet NATO has not gone to war except to offer assistance to the US. And it’s a defensive alliance only. It has also refused to assist Trump in the latest American Middle East debacle. The only war freaks appear to be from the US.

@mstrobertson @JohnGalt4258 @DylanRatigan Only war freaks support NATO. Trump really is unintentionally bringing world peace by threatening to leave NATO lmfao

@Jerry1862556 @JohnGalt4258 @DylanRatigan Europeans can’t get along? We get along fine. The EEC and then the EU have greatly helped. Free movement between EU nations has been great. Everyone in Europe routinely travels to other counties. Flights are relatively cheap and people visit and holiday.

@JohnGalt4258 @DylanRatigan Europeans can't get along. This goes back thousands of years. Americans? Can we? Yes we have our issues but even with those issues we are a diverse nation. Even with immigration, most Americans want it and understand the incredible value however, it needs to be legal and managed

@Shimmelpfennig @JohnGalt4258 @DylanRatigan Nope. Europe has moved on. Literally nobody in Europe wants war. And the EU has been an enormous help in breaking down barriers. Everyone’s Europe routinely travels from country to country. There is little nationalist animus these days.

@JohnGalt4258 @DylanRatigan I give it 30 years before theres another war between one of the two or more. France, Germany, Spain, UK, Italy. They were having wars every 20-30 years until Post WWII Pax Americana.

@LawrenceGaal @stu_pidly @OJoelsen Please provide a source? Google it. He both threatened military action and said that the US may seize it. It was all over the international news. But US news is so insular and controlled by vested interests it probably didn’t feature at all.

@stu_pidly @OJoelsen Please provide your source for "threatening to invade Greenland other than America". Because I follow the news and research everything, and cannot find such threats. Or are you just making stuff up now, @stu_pidly ? For my file.

Greenland 🇬🇱 is not “a poorly run piece of ice.” Greenland 🇬🇱 is far more than ice — it is a democratic society with free elections, rule of law, and a people who determine their own future. We are not a talking point in someone else’s rhetoric — we are a people with dignity, history, and self-government under the Kingdom of Denmark.

@swoody06 @FGSpaceGhost @jdpoc @JPhloog What tariffs? US and European tariffs were all low prior to Trump. Many goods had no tariffs at all. The faux victim-hood and false sense of merit is nauseating.

@FGSpaceGhost @jdpoc @JPhloog like the tariffs and trade restrictions European countries have levied on the US for years?

With all the threats from USA of pulling out of NATO, and pulling out of their European bases, they don’t seem to realise there is a rising ground swell of opinion that they should just do exactly that. Time to call their bluff.

@DennisClouser4 @nessybhoy @Microinteracti1 You don’t spend 60% on NATO. Or anything close to it.

@nessybhoy @Microinteracti1 How is Uncle Sam leeching your taxes, when we're paying 60% for NATO and now can't even use our bases? The UK is doing their bit but many others aren't.

He lost it. Trillions of dollars in guaranteed NATO arms contracts, accumulated over decades, the kind of money that arrives whether you deserve it or not, simply because you were the ally everyone trusted. Gone. Art of the Deal. From the man who bankrupted six casinos. Gandalv / @Microinteracti1

@noahname69 @Microinteracti1 Your middle eastern wars have nothing to do with Nato which is a defence alliance and not an offence alliance. We are all sick and tired of America starting pointless wars.

@Microinteracti1 Actually I would have agreed two weeks ago. But after seeing nato members behavior towards the USA? I don’t want them having weapons made by the USA. They have shown they are not allied with the USA. And we will probably have some military actions with you

@Seymourbutts28 @remarks You don’t handle and pay for 70% of NATO and you never have. You’ve entered a stupid illegal war without any planning or consultation with allies. The allies are bearing the brunt economically. Not you. And you’ve ignored your own military who advised against what is happening.

@remarks Ah cmon!! We only pay for, and militarily handle 70%+ of NATO! You act like it’s unfair for us to be responsible for nearly all of it to protect nations who hate us and block our military flights

JUST IN: 🇺🇸 President Trump calls NATO a 'severely weakened and extremely unreliable partner.'

@Red_State_Rebel @Gumbogumbobonk @Dos5se @OniCamiKun @archer_rs The US entered WW2 in 1941. Two years after the start of the war in 1939. You did so because Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and Japan was allied with the Axis powers including Germany. Europeans have great respect for the US troops who took part in WW2.

@Gumbogumbobonk @Dos5se @OniCamiKun @archer_rs This is our cemetery at Normandy. These are US troops liberating Paris. Your attitude is why we are leaving, we've been in Europe 70 years and you call us names, insult us, spit on us. Not one hint of gratitude ever. You want us to thank you? Fuck Off!!

For all the talk by Trump of what the US spends on NATO some actual facts are helpful. Of $968bn US spend on military, only $33bn is spent in Europe, mostly on US bases which are not NATO bases. The actual US funding of NATO is approx $600m a year, about the same as Germany.

@CultusPater @ges2750 @mikepompeo Such a word salad of BS. Neither Russia or China are capable of taking Greenland. China is in the Pacific Ocean. It can’t take anything in the Atlantic. Russia is militarily dead. Its navy is a joke. Grow up you fantasist.

Greenland isn't really yours; you are colonizers who historically oppressed the native people well into modern times. Eventually, you will not have control of Greenland anymore, you couldn't defend it from Russia and China or anyone else for that matter. Allies pay their bills (NATO contributions), allies, show up when needed, allies stand behind their ally. Majority of NATO has not done this, they cower at home with their early pensions, and socialist Euro-centric views that they are untouchable, only because they have been protected by the US for decades. The US never expected NATO to help out with Iran, that is the point, to expose their hypocrisy. The US helped out Europe with Urkrain/Russian aggression, the EU/UK does nothing while the US secures the world for their benefit.

NATO has been a key instrument in securing America's superpower status. We have every right to insist that our NATO allies pull their weight, but should always remember the principal reason we've invested so heavily in the alliance to begin with: advancing our own interests.

@Chriscvog @BrvLisandro @archer_rs Europe is one of the most educated areas of the world. It’s reading and math comprehension is far superior to the US. Europeans also travel more broadly and are better informed about the world. You live in a bubble of ignorance.

@BrvLisandro @archer_rs It's you who needs to get educated. Euro's and lefties in general have no real education. What you think you know is absolute shit. Sit down.

The speed at which Europe is separating itself from the US is unprecedented. I doubt Trump has understood the trading impact this is going to have across the board for the US economy. Most Americans simply do not understand how deeply their economy and income is linked to the EU

@JeffVisitsEarth @archer_rs Europe has very low tariffs on US goods. And hasn’t responded in kind to recent extortionate US tariffs. For goodness sake a simple google would reveal this. Do you believe everything you’re told by Donald.

@archer_rs They know. Europe tariff's american products out of existence but pretends to export to the US under favourable conditions.