There Is No 'Art' In Wheeling And Dealing

Lotta folks think that there's some mysterious 'art' and voodoo involved in business. There isn't. It's all about simple leg work and reaching out and doing what your customers need you to do. The big wheeler-dealers have three things going for them - they hustle, they are comfortable talking to strangers, and they have rudimentary smarts. Some have been incredibly lucky, most have taken financial chit kickings at least a couple times in their lives.

But ultimately the big deals are just the same as the little ones, the only difference is scale. The principle, stated timelessly and elegantly is this: money talks, and bullshit walks.

Our fairy princess prime minister isn't in this pic

although he was in the room.

He's in the back while the adults talk.

In any negotiation the weaker party is almost always the more bellicose and belligerent. Merkel is trying to 'loom' over Trump. Look at all the crossed arms. And look at Trump - what a shit head, you can see he's trying not to smirk or laugh or smile at these antics. He's been here before, he's had to take chit from people like this in the past - and now... he doesn't have to take anything off them. They know it too. All of this is just theatre for the gulls at home. Many people hate this kind of stuff but I enjoy it. The theatre is ramping up. All eyes are riveted on the actors. Imagine the tension!!!

And it's all bullshit.

Trump is sitting on a resurging country. Unemployment is diving, wages are edging up, markets are recovering. Instead of bathing the White House in all the frooty colours of the rainbow, and crusading for the right of 40 year old men to pee beside 7 year old girls in the washrooms, the nation is focused on making a buck and ensuring the prosperity of their citizens.

Here in Canada, we have only two provinces that ever make any money, and they finance the rest: Alberta and Morontario. Sometimes BC can break even. The rest are all money and welfare sucks, with the worst being Queerbec. Morontario finances went mildly into the red under their last premiere - Dalton McSquinty. He was succeeded by an elderly lesbian harridan who drove the province into penury. One economic engine out. Alberta was going great guns; people flooded in from the eastern provinces to take advantage of the economic boom - and smuggled their stupidity in with them. When the economy blurped - these imported idiots voted in our elections and we got the NDP, led by a career public school teacher and cunned stunt - Rachel Notely. She promptly taxed the oilpatch into penury and now we don't have any revenue coming in either. Another economic engine out. None of this is a secret, it's all a matter of public record. We know it, Trump knows it, and you can bet the guys pulling Turdo's strings know it too.

And they are scared spitless. Their free ride is over. They've run the country into the dirt, their biggest trading partner is tired of paying their way and getting treated like chit in return, and it's time to renegotiate a few things. For our leaders the fear isn't Trump - it's their people at home that will lynch them if things get much worse. Everyone and his dog knows Justin will be kicked to the curb in the next election provided somebody doesn't shoot him first.

These are the realities that are behind the theatre going on at these talks. I would posit the new deal has already been cut, and that what is going on right now is mere acting for the cameras. Canada's free ride is over for sure. Trump will have thrown a few crumbs and Team Turdo will jump on them and their lickspittles in the press will claim them as major victories. Wouldn't be surprised at all if it goes the same for the Krauts and Euros.

So there it is in print. We shall see how accurate I am shortly.