Bristol and the Avon Gorge by Hotel du Vin

We are in Bristol. Tomorrow we collect our daughter and bring her back to Colchester. This hotel is not as posh as the one in the centre of Bristol, but is in a lovely area for dog walking, which our dog loves. The views from the nearby Clifton Bridge are fantastic as well.  I would definitely return, but I doubt I can walk as easily to restaurants in the town centre from here. 

Does Tony Blair support Starmer?

My view is going to be controversial. I think Blair does support Starmer.  The intervention of Tony Blair in politics today actually raises awareness of what Starmer has done, in a way that Starmer has not been able to get across, to those on the left. 

Thanks to Blair, people have been reminded of the stance of Starmer on employment rights, net zero, the NHS and Trump. 

I do not know if this will bring back voters to Labour, notably from The Greens, but it is free publicity. 

Should Iran negotiate directly with Israel?

The Epstein war has yet to be resolved. Trump is viewed by many as changing his mind and not only being responsible for it starting, but also for it not ending. While I do think that is an issue, another factor is Israel. While people are looking at the Gulf, Israel has been killing in Lebanon and Palestine. I am in a situation where I am backing Iran in these negotiations, a nation with appalling human rights, over Israel, a democracy which has much more human rights for its population. 

Visiting my daughter

My mother has not been to see my daughter in Bristol. So today I took her. My wife was concerned that it would be too much for me to drive there and back in one day. So, I drove to London, picked my mother up, navigated London traffic and went to Bristol. Thanks to the warm weather, I would have been able to make it to Bristol without charging. 

However, from my trip to Manchester last year, I knew how important it was to rest and sleep, so when we got to our usual charging spot, I did put some charge in the car and got a nap. My mother loved seeing my daughter. She got to see her flat and the outside of the house she will be living in next term.  I ached by the time I got home, but as tiring as it was, I am glad she got to visit my daughter.

Send Help

This was a mixed film for me. Like the Guardian review I thought it showed promise, starting well, but ended in a more disappointing manner. Labelled a horror film the gore was more comedic than scary. I am torn between agreeing or saying the Guardian was too harsh in giving it two stars. 

The best bits are the scenery and the first half, until the hunt really. For a film which showed more promise, the end could have flowed better without a change in plot.

2000 years of Antisemitism do not justify the murder of Palestinians

I attended the Palestine protest in Colchester today. With it being to commemorate The Nakba, I was in two minds about attending. The protest talked about how Jews moved to Palestine during the British mandate in large numbers after the horrors of The Second World War. But, it failed to address the issue that Jews have faced over 2000 years of persecution and were forced out of Palestine/Israel. This included mass murder in York and the expulsion of Jews later. It is because of acts like this that I think the state of Israel should exist.

But the reason I attend the protests is because the oppression of Muslims and Christians in Gaza and The West Bank should not continue. Israel is engaging in a process of Ethnic Cleansing and this should not be funded by the west. The protest was interrupted briefly by one man who left, probably because of his daughter. As he left he shouted about Christianity, but he is probably not aware that it is Israel who is oppressing Christian’s. 

David Baddiel once wrote a book Jews Don't Count but sadly, it appears that for many in the West, Muslims don’t. All lives matter equally, be they Jewish, Muslim, Christian basically any or no religion. But some value the lives of one religion as being more important than others. The big mistake that has been made is in not appealing to the American Christian lobby. If they knew how Israel is evicting Christians from The West Bank, Israel would not be funded. 

EDIT - This video includes an interesting view on Israel. 

The Devil Wears Prada 2

We had intended to watch this as a family (without the dog) but my wife is not well, so I watched it with both children. Sadly, they were not keen on walking in, so we drove.  We love The Curzon due to it having decent food and wine, but as I was driving, it was a full fat coke for me and no shared bottle of wine for the children.  My daughter had watched this before, but was happy to watch it again.  I can imagine watching it once it is on the streaming services, but not until then.

It was an enjoyable film with the cutting lines that made the first one so enjoyable. If you liked the first one, then you will enjoy this. While, like so many sequels, it is not as good as the first, it still is worth seeing. 

For those who do listen to an interview with Anna Wintour, I hope this works. Just remember that this was broadcast before the second film was released.