Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU • Hacker News Board

Re: Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

#211

Post by dofm » Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 2:33 PM UTC

protocolture wrote: post #134

dofm wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You rely heavily on Australia for both blockbuster and character actors. If they aren’t already British or Irish or Canadian, they are likely Aussies (or New Zealanders - sometimes seems like you barely have any actors of broad ability who you haven’t imported). Margot Robbie, Geoffrey Rush, Hugh Jackman, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Chris Hemsworth (all three Hemsworths!), Toni Collette,…

>Pom >Almost but not quite able to finish the post without whinging. Checks out.

^^ spot the bogan ;-)

No grasp of when to quit while you're ahead.

If I'd wanted to score a negative point I would have listed the trans-national bigot Mel Gibson (only American by birth) along with Mad Max.

(Though that reminds me — in the films list I forgot to mention his debut film Tim, which is a lovely film that definitely had a US distribution and a US co-star)

Re: Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

#212

Post by tim333 » Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 2:35 PM UTC

mindwok wrote: post #12

As an Australian, I have noticed a shift personally in feeling like I identify more with "European" culture, compared to 10 years ago I felt like we were the 51st state and I felt very close with the US. This seems to be shared by others, I remember reading there was a survey that asked Australians who they felt our closest international friend was. The US was the top answer for over a decade, having stolen the crown…

The election of MAGA ten years ago changed US culture in strange ways.

Re: Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

#213

Post by lokar » Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 2:48 PM UTC

marcus_holmes wrote: post #88

lokar wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t know the discussion in Australia, but in Alaska (also having an indigenous population with land ownership) they found solutions. Regional “native corporations” were given large amounts of valuable land, natives were given preferential resource rights (fishing, etc). Not everything is perfect (far from it), but a lot has been done.

Yeah, other ex-British colonies with similar problems are doing great work in reconciling their differences. We could learn from them.

I think in Alaska it helps that the natives have enough votes to be politically relevant.

Re: Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

#214

Post by jmyeet » Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 2:50 PM UTC

YZF wrote: post #169

jmyeet wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By the summer of 2023 when Ukraine's big counteroffensive had failed my own view was that the situation was stalemated and Russia will wait until the West gets bored or the situation changes and Russia's geopolitical position improves. Russia has that option available to it in a way the West doesn't. Sanctions in general don't work. They don't work against enemies. Arguably they only work against allies (eg apartheid…

Or maybe the lesson to Russia is that if the US can't win against Iran how is it going to win against Ukraine? Another angle to look at it is through who does China support (Russia and Iran?). I think your perspective is interesting and not wrong. The weakness of the US (and the west) is emboldening Putin. I do still think the order of events starts with Russia, China and Iran's challenge the post USSR collapse statu…

Russia had a clear theory of victory for the Ukraine war. It's tiered.

The ideal outcome was to install a puppet regime in Ukraine (like there used to be and is in Belarus). They have failed in this.

Failing that, secure a land bridge to Crimea. If the war ends today, Russia has succeeded in this goal. My estimation is that Putin is waiting for this to happen.

It's hard to get good information on the state of the Ukraine war because there is too much bad information out there. NATO Atlanticists and US imperialists push the narrative that Ukraine is on the verge of winning. Likewise, there's Russian propaganda that Ukraine is about to collapse. Consider this: we've heard that the Russian economy is on the verge of collapse for over 4 years now.

IT's funny that you mention Russia not embracing democracy because the West is responsible for that. When the former Soviet states sought guidance from the West, Western banks and governments simply enabled the looting of the former USSR creating the oligarchs we have today. State industries were sold to friends for a pittance (eg [1]).

Russia's theory of victory is easy: just hold onto eastern Ukraine.

The US has no theory of victory in Iran. None. Iran just has to survive.

[1]: https://cepr.net/publications/the-looting-of-russia/

Re: Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

#215

Post by tim333 » Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 2:52 PM UTC

dude250711 wrote: post #2

Do it. Make it less embarrassing for UK to come back too somehow.

Also, speaking as Brit, Australia and Canada getting involved might increase the argument for it being about trade and maybe travel and less about political integration, which the UK was never very keen on.

Re: Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

#216

Post by jmyeet » Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 3:04 PM UTC

rsynnott wrote: post #186

jmyeet wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canada is too intertwined with the US to truly divorce the US or even shift significant trade to Europe. Australia can sell raw materials anywhere but the Red Sea being closed makes it take longer and be more expensive and who is really going to demand raw materials in Europe when the energy crunch hits? And we're bouldering towards that energy crunch (both natural gas and diesel). One of Australia's biggest competit…

> Canada is too intertwined with the US to truly divorce the US or even shift significant trade to Europe. So in 1960, 70% of Ireland's exports went to the UK. By 2000, it was about 25%. It's now about 8%. It's _possible_ to break over dependency on the big neighbour. Today, 75% of Canada's exports go to the US. My view would be that this is a very unhealthy situation, and even in the absence of Trump should be somet…

So in 40-66 years Ireland decoupled its economy from the UK? That's a pretty long timeframe.

Also, the two countries have a very different mix of exports. Canada's primary export is probably energy (it's at least top 3). A small part of that is, say, exporting electricity to northern states (eg from Quebec). You can't really send that anywhere else. The rest of that sector is really crude oil. A relatively small amount is exported by port from Vancouver. The rest goes to US refineries via pipelines.

You're talking a decades-long project to send that elsewhere. And for what? Oil is a global commodity. You'd be selling it to someone else and the US would be buying from somewhere else. What have you really achieved?

Canada also produces raw materials and, in particular, lumber. Now this is important for the US construction sector, particularly building houses. So who are you going to sell that to? US and Canada use lumber because it's cheap. In a lot of other places they don't because it's not readily available or there are other factors that disfavor lumber construction.

Another sector is auto parts that go to Big Three auto makers in Michigan. Where's that going to? Particularly with China eating that sector alive. 99% of cars would be Chinese if it wasn't for trade barriers.

Re: Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

#217

Post by rsynnott » Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 3:49 PM UTC

jmyeet wrote: post #216

rsynnott wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Canada is too intertwined with the US to truly divorce the US or even shift significant trade to Europe. So in 1960, 70% of Ireland's exports went to the UK. By 2000, it was about 25%. It's now about 8%. It's _possible_ to break over dependency on the big neighbour. Today, 75% of Canada's exports go to the US. My view would be that this is a very unhealthy situation, and even in the absence of Trump should be somet…

So in 40-66 years Ireland decoupled its economy from the UK? That's a pretty long timeframe. Also, the two countries have a very different mix of exports. Canada's primary export is probably energy (it's at least top 3). A small part of that is, say, exporting electricity to northern states (eg from Quebec). You can't really send that anywhere else. The rest of that sector is really crude oil. A relatively small amou…

Well, I mean, realistically in 50 years oil exports presumably won’t really be a thing anyway. Canada is likely going to need to at least somewhat reorient away from resources.

Obviously decoupling from the US would take time. But the best time to start is now.

Re: Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

#218

Post by rawgabbit » Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 4:09 PM UTC

mindwok wrote: post #12

As an Australian, I have noticed a shift personally in feeling like I identify more with "European" culture, compared to 10 years ago I felt like we were the 51st state and I felt very close with the US. This seems to be shared by others, I remember reading there was a survey that asked Australians who they felt our closest international friend was. The US was the top answer for over a decade, having stolen the crown…

As an American, because of Trump's actions, I identify more with "European" culture and feel I am a stranger in my own land.

Re: Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

#219

Post by bawolff » Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 4:53 PM UTC

krapp wrote: post #199

bawolff wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Screaming from the rooftop might feel good, but its ultimately not productive. Sometimes i think americans would rather let a problem run its course than fix it, just so they can say i told you so.

If you want to blame someone for Trump, blame the people who kept voting for him instead of the people who didn't.

I'll blame America for it.

Re: Australia says it could follow Canada in forging deeper ties with EU

#220

Post by blululu » Thu, Sep 17, 2026, 5:23 PM UTC

mianos wrote: post #132

blululu wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always felt that Australia felt like a British version of California. Though California is itself a bit exceptional in the context of America. The two places have a lot in common though - not withstanding the fact that everyone drives on the wrong side of the road and uses different power cables.

But you can bend the pins of the power cables and make them fit. :)

True. You can also drive on the right side down there, but the police are quite stuffy about it.