Conscription, Trump and NATO

The issue of conscription has come up in the news.  The official reason is the threat that Russia poses. To be fair, Russia does not pose much of a threat at present. Most of its available troops are tied down in Ukraine.

But that is at present.  I think that Trump will be elected this year and I do not trust him to defend Europe if Russia decides to liberate the Baltic States in the way that it has with bits of Moldova and Georgia.  If that happens, the USA may or may not fulfil its obligations as part of NATO, that is of course, if it stays part of NATO.

The odds are that the conflict in Ukraine will be resolved if Trumps takes power with the surrender of yet more Ukrainian territory, and that means that Russia will then rearm and prepare for its next land grab.

Jess Phillips on Rwanda

As those who have read my views on this topic know, I am in favour of deporting those who cross the channel to Rwanda.  

This is once we have a system were asylum applications can be processed abroad in a quick and fair manner.  I would be stricter on some applications, one patient I have seen fled Iraq to come here after falling out with a family in the town he lived in.  I think it is wrong for him to come here when he could have moved to another part of Iraq.  To put things in context, the surgery I work in has lots of women who have had to flee relationships due to feeling unsafe, some of whom are still subject to harassment.  I do not see them claiming asylum in France etc.  I do think that it is silly that those in Afghanistan who helped UK forces directly, or by serving in the Afghan security forces before the Taliban took it over, are not given automatic rights to live here. So while I would make it easier for some asylum seekers to enter the UK, I would make it harder for others.  Also, it is silly that the UK government is not working with other countries across the globe to come to a fairer solution to this as this is not just a UK issue.

But Jess Phillips has communicated things so well in Parliament in a few short minutes. 

The nanny state and teeth

Labour have been criticised for trying to ensure that children are taught how to brush their teeth. We are in a nation where it is harder for people to access NHS dentistry than it was in 2010, not that it was easy back then. 

We are luckier in Colchester compared to other areas on this matter, but it is interesting hearing Conservative politicians criticising the plans of Labour on this when they have made things worse for so many. 

What did Ed Davey and Keir Starmer know about the Horizon scandal?

The Conservatives and others are having a great time blaming Keir Starmer and Ed Davey for the Horizon scandal. This morning, on the Today programme, I heard that the CPS dealt with three cases when Starmer was in charge. These cases, sadly, resulted in prosecutions, based on the inaccurate information the courts were given. 

When a miscarriage of justice takes place on such a scale, it is right that we look into the causes. But just as we do not hold the judges and the juries in the cases to be liable for this, I do not think that we should hold Ed Davey or Keir Starmer to be liable either. People lied, many were lied to and too many lives have been ruined. Justice will involve trying to get to the truth, not blaming those with no blame. 

Does it matter what Trump and Bill Clinton did on Epstein island?

More allegations have been made about how famous men had sex with women on Epstein Island.

There is no doubt that the allegations are horrific, but based on how the law was interpreted at the time, a question of what action would have been taken at the time comes to mind. Some have denied the allegations (as they have in the past), some are dead. But I think that any who are guilty of dishonourable behaviour will get away with it.

Look at Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. One has boasted at that he can get away with, another misled the world about a consensual affair. Both got away with allegations at the time.  I do not think that these new allegations, even if proven, will result in any consequences for those named. Time will see if I am right or not I guess.

Wokeism

I have seen a YouTube video looking at Ricky Gervais and his comments on people being woke.  Needless to say, it has caused offence.  My view is that some, who consider themselves woke, will argue about smaller details while ignoring a bigger more pressing matter, as shown in the joke.  

‘I think the people who most use the phrase ‘woke’ are the ones that are the most censorious’

Armando Iannucci discusses writing satire and the need to challenge audiences with @vicderbyshire#Newsnight pic.twitter.com/RZekHywpvR

— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) January 4, 2024

It is not something that I come across often, but I do at times in my job.  My children will say that I cannot use a term now and while language does evolve (look at how the the term gay is used in the Narnia books and what it means how as one of many examples).  The issue of how SOME people who use the term 'woke' has been used to censor others has been raised by Armando Iannucci.

Basically, when it comes to making society fairer and more just, it does involve discussion, listening to the concerns of others and trying to find a solution that is the least worst option.  

At least we get to concentrate on Europe now

Yesterday I was sad towards the end of the day.  Arsenal lost against Liverpool.  I was hoping to watch it with friends, but sadly I felt a bit unwell and therefore felt that it would be best not to spread germs.  This also applied to the pub quiz later which I also missed.  Going back to the match, looking at all the chances we missed in the first half, it probably is time to buy another striker as Havertz does not seem to be the player we need.  

My son has returned to school, revelling in the fact that he has no mock exams while my daughter has them herself.  She has taken breaks by driving my car.  Apparently, on the videos that she is watching, many learn to drive in a Honda E.  She is much better than I was when I was learning to drive, but she was not too pleased when I said that I might try to get my son to learn to drive soon after he is able to do so.

Anyway, time to go home now as I have just finished at work.

Priscilla

My wife and I watched this last night. We had differing views about it, though it would have been more appropriate for the film to be named Elvis and Me, the memoir the film was based on.

I have to admit, that when my wife suggested that we watched it, I thought that she meant Priscilla Queen of the Desert. I was pleasantly surprised when I booked the tickets to see what she wanted to see.

It addressed the issue of how the underage Priscilla met Elvis, her being 14, him being 24, though the actual age difference was not mentioned. Like in the Elvis film that we had watched a while ago, it told of a story of nothing improper having taken place at that age. I am not sure the same story would have been told if Priscilla Presley had passed away, but then such a retelling may not be accurate anyway. I thought it showed the issues she faced really well, her being alone, the affairs and the drugs as well as the love both had for each other.  My wife did not like the way he was shown in the film, but this is her story, not his. 

The reason I think that it should have been renamed is that ignored so much. The relationship between her and her parents after the marriage was ignored, it briefly touched on her bringing up their daughter, and of course, the film ended once she left him.

Bloating

My wife was really nice and bought us bread and a jam doughnut for me. The bread she bought was awesome and as I have done before, I ate most of it for breakfast. And then I experienced bloating. I have never really been troubled with it before, but this was quite marked, so much so that my wife enjoyed being able to balance cups and a bottle on my stomach! The kids enjoyed making fun of me, but the bread was awesome and certainly worth it. 

Striking Junior Doctors

After being elected in 2010, the government cut the number of places in Medical Schools. In 2016, we had the first Junior Doctors strike. The government also abolished the NHS bursaries for groups such as student nurses. They have reversed decisions on the numbers of doctors and nurses being trained but they way they treat staff has resulted in many leaving, either leaving healthcare completely, or many have left to work abroad. 

The bottom line when it comes to the Junior Doctors strike, is that the UK can continue to train doctors for nations like Australia and New Zealand, or we can do something to retain the GP’s and Consultants of the future. The 35% increase that is being asked for, is one that is staged over several years, not a hit to NHS finances now.

There are some who blame those who strike for the state of the NHS, or want to hold strikers accountable for patient harm, but they ignore how the NHS is faring under the Conservatives when there are no strikes. 

The sad thing is that the Conservatives have been ruining the NHS for so long, that many cannot remember how it used to work so much better when Labour was in charge of it.

James Cleverly and jokes

I am in a strange situation where I am backing James Cleverly. There has been outrage over a joke he made, this being a Date Rape one about his wife. 

According to reports first published by the Sunday Mirror newspaper, Mr Cleverly told some guests there that “a little bit of Rohypnol in her drink every night” was “not really illegal if it's only a little bit.” It also says he laughed that the secret to a long marriage was ensuring your spouse was “someone who is always mildly sedated so she can never realise there are better men out there.”

I understand that some people will be offended by the joke, especially when it is reported out of context, but like many jokes, such as that which Jimmy Carr got into trouble before, it needs to be viewed in context

Shakespeare in Drag

When I met up with my family on Saturday, one of my brothers stated that JK Rowling was a thoroughly unpleasant person.  I did not challenge him on this, though my two children knew that I wanted to.  It was a family meal and while I do feel strongly about her views, I agree with a lot of them.

However she is often given a lot of stick for increasing transphobia which does exist.  I am not sure if this is due to the increased visibility of non-binary people, or the way that people are trying to discriminate against them (in ways that JK Rowling and I would disagree with). 

What was interesting was this video on how gender boundaries have been blurred for a long time. 

Also, just in case those who are more transphobic than me try to say that trans issues have not been present for a while, this video is of interest.