Author: Blazingcatfur

Five things to do in Crowborough

How the asylum seekers of East Sussex can fill their days

For the first time in almost a century, when Arthur Conan Doyle was buried in a Turkish carpet in his garden, my hometown of Crowborough is in the news.

For those fortunate never to have been, Crowborough is a small place in the Weald of about 20,000 souls. The cadet training camp, where my school pals and I endured a week of army exercises and tinned rations, has been turned into a migrant hostel for more than 500 asylum seekers, sparking a furious reaction from the local residents. I have much sympathy with them – but also for the young men who have been sent to live there.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inCamp Of The Saints, UK

B.C. premier says it’s ‘treason’ for Alberta separatists to meet with Trump administration

OTTAWA — British Columbia Premier David Eby called reported meetings between Alberta separatists and the U.S. administration “treason” on Thursday, as premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney met in Ottawa to discuss the Canada-U.S. trade relationship.

“Now I understand the desire to hold a referendum to talk about the issues you want to talk about, in Canada we have free speech and that’s important,” Eby told reporters.

Related: Mark Carney expects Donald Trump to ‘respect Canadian sovereignty’ after Alberta separatists met with U.S. officials

And … Doug Ford urges Danielle Smith to denounce Alberta separation: ‘Either you’re with Canada or you’re not’

Speaking of foreign interference …

h/t Mauser

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Western Alienation Separation", "Western Independence"

Trump targets Canadian aircraft in latest tariff threat, says he’ll ‘decertify’ Bombardier jets

U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to slap a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian aircraft and says his administration will “decertify” planes made by Canadian aerospace company Bombardier.

In a post on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump justified his latest trade war escalation by accusing Ottawa of blocking the certification of a series of jets made by U.S.-based Gulfstream.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

New York State Is Headed for a Decade of Population Decline

The net outflow of New Yorkers to other states has topped the 1 million mark since 2020, while the flow of migrants into the Empire State from other countries was even larger than originally estimated during that same period, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

But New York was also hit hard by what the Census Bureau calls a “historic decline in net international migration”—meaning far fewer immigrants arriving from abroad—over the 12 months from July 2024 through June 2025. With New Yorkers continuing to leave the state at a steady pace, a modest two-year rebound in the Empire State’s population came to a halt—with all signs pointing to renewed decline in the second half of this decade.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted inDemography, New York City

‘Not a Canadian anymore:’ Separatist event in Edmonton takes aim at Mark Carney, immigrants

The Days Inn in west Edmonton has a large Canadian flag hung behind the front desk. Throughout the lobby, a visitor can’t escape the signs declaring that the hotel is “proudly Canadian owned and operated,” with red maple leaves to match.

But, on Tuesday night, the conference rooms were filled with separatist supporters. One room was reserved to sign a Stay Free Alberta petition that calls for the province to hold a referendum on independence. In the neighbouring room, lawyer Jeffrey Rath, one of the loudest voices of the “leave” movement, spoke to about 100 supporters.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Western Alienation Separation", "Western Independence", Alberta

EU classifies Iran’s IRGC as terrorists over slaughter of protesters

The European Union has blacklisted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorists over the bloody suppression of anti-government protests, putting pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to act.

France swung its weight behind the proposal on Wednesday night after similar calls from Germany, Italy and Spain.

“If you act as a terrorist, you should also be treated as terrorists,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, adding that the classification puts them “on the same footing” as al-Qaeda, Hamas and Islamic State.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Islamophobia", European Union, Iran

The Golden Dome, a Trumpian con job, is a waste of money for Canada

Golden Dome is back in the news, albeit in an unusual way.

It’s not because Russia or China are building new intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, but because U.S. President Donald Trump worked himself into a corner promising he’d acquire Greenland one way or another, and the inevitable result was economic turmoil, the possible end of NATO, and Prime Minister Mark Carney telling the world the Pax Americana is effectively over.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canada - China's 24th Province", "Canada - USA Tariff Wars"

Starmer would be a fool to follow Carney in embracing Beijing

Sir Keir Starmer recently tried to take credit for his role in Donald Trump’s partial climbdown on tariffs relating to Greenland. Whether he played any meaningful part is debatable.

What is beyond doubt, however, is that Donald Trump will happily reach for the tariff weapon again whenever it suits him. Even against long-standing allies, and especially against those he believes are acting against US interests.

Just look at Canada and the increasingly heated rivalry between Trump and the country’s prime minister, Mark Carney. The president last week threatened eye-watering tariffs of 100pc on all goods and services entering the US.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"Canada - China's 24th Province", "China - Communist Slave State", Canada, UK, USA

Should the Canadian Coast Guard be armed? The jury is still out, but the navy says no

The commander of the navy says there’s no reason — in circumstances outside of war — to arm Canada’s fleet of coast guard ships.

And Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee tells CBC News that in the event of a conflict, there are potential ways the civilian vessels can be quickly given the equipment they need to defend themselves.

The question of whether the integration of the coast guard into national defence has painted a target on the civilian agency is something that has preoccupied Parliament for months.

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by Blazingcatfur••0•Posted in"CAF - Canadian Armed Forces", "RCN"