Free speech, the White House correspondents' dinner, Amber Ruffin and deportations

Free speech was going to be the topic of one of my posts, but today I found out that Amber Ruffin, a comedian, I like listening to (who I prefer to Seth Meyers)

The Best People

Sorry, I do try to ignore the Orangutan in The White House, but this story has to be commented on. Top Trump cabinet members added The Atlantic editor to a chat discussing strikes on Houthis and did not seem to realise until he shared the story.  The person who added the Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor of the Atlantic magazine, may have been Michael Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser.  Though Pete Hegseth is being touted by some as the moron who did so.

In the last Trump administration, many of The Best People went to jail.  The incompetence of this administration was to be expected considering the backgrounds of the people he has appointed, but this level of stupidity may be hard to beat.  But I suspect that they will do their best.  And we have almost four more years of this for them to do so. 

Mississippi Burning

Before my daughter left for her travels we watched films together. My son tends not to watch films with me, instead we watched TV shows and are watching Fresh of the Boat. Anyway, she is back and we watched a film together.

We had been for a walk earlier in the morning, taking the dog to Gosbecks (Leia gets very impatient if we do not park quickly) on a different route to normal. During the walk, she talked about her time travelling and one of the topics discussed was The Vietnam War. So when we got back I suggested we watched Platoon before it leaves Amazon Prime. While searching for it, I noted that Mississippi Burning is also due to leave and mentioned that it was a film worth watching. So she decided to watch that instead. I have watched this many years before. Watching it now has a special relevance considering what is happening in the USA. So many of the issues it brings up could be issues faced today with the resurgence of racism and white nationalism as well as the way Trump has views on how the law should be.

She is back!

My daughter is back after almost two months away.  The dog is very happy, as are the rest of us. There was a worry yesterday when we work up to this message. I relaxed more when I found out that the airport itself was not on fire and I was confident that the airport would be open the next day and that she would get back, but there was always a worry. 

I was under the mistaken impression that as the volcano was to the east of Bali, that flights to Singapore, which is to the west of Bali, would be unaffected, but again this was not the case as some flights were cancelled.

We all missed her, but the dog has expressed it the most.  Anyway, she is asleep on the sofa so I need to wake her up so she can sleep in her own room, 

The oldest profession should be legal

I have discussed this before, notably after Lily Philips had filmed her exploits.  Since then, her 'body count' has been surpassed by Bonnie Blue.  But this is not about that.  It is about how I think that prostitution should be legal.  And not just prostitution, but other forms of sex work as well.

As I have stated before, I do not want any woman (or man) to have no choice but to resort to working as a prostitute, but like it or not, for some men and women, this is how they earn money. What I want is a system to support sex workers, so that they can get the help and support to work in a safe manner, but more importantly, the help and support to get out of the trade if needed. Making sex work legal may also help to reduce sex trafficking as sex workers would be given rights. 

 

There are websites for men to be sugar daddies and many men seek ‘love’ from abroad in a way that many consider to be transactional for too many women. 

In a nation where we are looking at having to cut payments to the most vulnerable, legalisation and regulation of sex work may actually help the economy.  After all, lets face it.  Keeping the current situation has not stopped things.

Abortion and Savita Halappanavar

I watched an interesting video today.  It reminded me of the case of Savita Halappanavar, a dentist who died in Ireland due to the laws it had on abortion.  Her unnecessary death was the catalyst which brought about the change in Ireland which ended the laws banning abortion there.

When the US decided to allow states to make their own choices, many banned or placed huge restrictions on abortion.  And since then, women have died.  

We in Europe do find it strange that the pro-life lobby are willing to allow mothers to die.  But then this is the nation which prefers to have school shootings rather than decent gun controls...  

The Railway Tavern Kelvedon

My wife and I had a pleasant afternoon here.  I had been for a walk with Nick and on the way back, my wife, who was driving back home asked about lunch together.  We discussed different options.  It being a sunny day, one option was to eat in the garden after getting some food locally, but we settled on going somewhere new.  

The location was pleasant, or would have been but for the ducks, or rather Leia, our dog, wanting to kill the ducks.  I enjoyed my food, but my wife chose poorly and did not enjoy hers as much.  But parking was easy and I would return again.  

The best bit was spending time with my wife though. 

Reforming welfare

The government want to cut welfare and reduce the cost to the state of supporting people.

I agree and disagree with them. In my job, I do come across a few who can work and do not seem to want to. But most of those who are on benefits need them, either because they are in low paid jobs, or because they are not able to work.

Poverty increased under the Conservatives, not just for those out of work, but for those working as well. Yes, the government is right in that we should be helping people to come off benefits and back into work, and yes the government is right in that too many need “encouragement” to do so. BUT the Conservatives oversaw a huge rise in Foodbanks, and too many people have health issues preventing them from working properly. While waiting lists are coming down, it is hard to get people back into work when it takes so long to have health issues (that limit the work they do) addressed.

What I would like to see is a Universal Basic Income for adults born in the UK. 

The pub quiz

Nick and I presented our local pub quiz last night. My wife did not attend as she was tired from a weekend of spring cleaning. Sadly I did not present it as well as I would have liked. In general the quiz was too hard, something I will need to rectify if we get to present it again.

And doing this meant that I did not get to watch the highlights of the Arsenal game. We won, which is good, but the question of if we would have beaten better opposition comes to mind. Like us, Chelski has no striker, but we adapted to that better than they did.

It was good to score again from a set piece, this time it was a corner. That may be how we defeat Real Madrid when we face them in the European Cup. 

Captive

There are several films with this name. This film was made in 2023 and is not worth going out of your way to watch. 

When I watch a film, I am looking for several things. Is it made well? Does it tell a different story? Those are just two things I look for, there are others, but basically this film offered next to nothing new.  There are many better films out there, and while there are also worse ones, few horror films have so little scares. This review gave it two out of five and I would have to agree.  I would not go out of my way to watch it, but if there was nothing else to watch, it is an almost adequate time filler. 

The look of love

Another interesting film. Not one I would watch again, and one where it would have been more interesting to have a female perspective when it came to making it, considering the topic relates to pornography (and related matters). 

The Guardian rated it three out of five, and I would say that is fair as is the description of it being “shallow but watchable” which is surprisingly accurate.

I am not sure that anyone who is not interested in the area of Soho, or remembers the influence that Paul Raymond had with publishing. It is amazing to see so many British stars making the film. So, yes, shallow, but watchable.

King Kong

Watching this last night brought back memories of when I had watched King Kong before.  I like this film but never got round to watching it on the big screen, probably because my daughter was only a few months old.  I do remember talking to a friend of my wife who was upset when "the monkey died" (which was my words) but I had not watched the film and did not realise just how good it was.

Yes, the film has some stereotypes which would probably not be in film now, especially as I suspect that the inhabitants of the pacific ocean do not look like the natives on Skull Island. And the CGI is dated.  But it is by far the best of the more recent King Kong films.  

Yes, even with it being so long, I would watch it again, but if I had to make a choice, I would watch it until the capture of King Kong.

Anyway, while I do not want to focus on the insanity of Trump for the next four years, this is a clip I had to share, because it made me laugh so much!  It is the best line on this tariffs that I have heard.  

Picture This

As a family (without my daughter) we watched this. I did not think that I was going to like it as I did not think that it flowed well at the beginning, but it improved.  The ending of the film was predictable, but the journey to that point was not the usual one that a RomCom takes. Needless to say, not everyone likes it, but the three of us did. I would say that the weakness was the predictable love interest, but the strength of the film is some of the other characters.

Next to Arsenal. What a game. We should have scored more than the amazing goal that Rice did score, but we were also lucky not to concede loads as well. We are not going to win the title, and I doubt that we will win in Europe, but I think that we can beat Real Madrid, if we face them in the next round.  

A Quiet Place: Day One

First of all, family. My son went to London yesterday with friends and had a great time. My wife was a bit nervous as it was his first time doing so, but as I pointed out he was with friends and would be doing his soon anyway. With my daughter in Bali, this helped her anxiety, and s being busy cleaning the house distracted her as well.

Now onto the title of this post.  This is an enjoyable film. I have yet to watch the second film in the series, and the first was much scarier, but I would recommend this to science fiction fans who liked the first film.  I love the different lead character (compared to other science fiction films), though the pet on a lead does annoy me as I am sure it would make a noise.

If you want a film to scare you, this is not it. But despite that, it is enjoyable with a decent script, characters and direction.  I would not compare it to the first film in the series, but would compare it to another science fiction “end of the world film” that film being Cloverfield. 

An Alliance With China?

Novara Media have done a piece on how Europe should consider getting closer to China now that America and its America First policy is leaving Europe to fed for itself.

It forgets several things.  One is the way that China has been accused of engaging in genocide.  

The other relates to the concerns that China has been linked to the damaging of undersea cables in the Baltic. 

Europe needs to look to itself, not China when it comes to ensuring that Russia does not invade yet more nations. 

Star Trek: Section 31

It is not often that I come across a film that is so bad, but it is.  It has some plus points, it has good special effects and it means that Star Trek V; The Final Frontier is no longer the worst Star Trek film.  

The plot was predictable, the characters were unimaginative, but the worst bit, was how they ruined the character of the evil Terran Empress Philippa Georgiou Augustus Iaponius Centarius.  The series Star Trek Discovery has lost its appeal to me, but while that lacks inspiration, it is not awful like this film.   

Section 31 in Star Trek is known for amazing operatives, which means that they would not have a moron on the team, like the film had.  Also when it come to how Philippa Georgiou came to rule the Terran Empire at the beginning of the film, that made no sense when you see how career advancement takes place in Mirror Mirror and the other Star Trek episodes which feature the Mirror universe. 

I made a mistake in watching this film.  Take my advice and do not watch it.  

The Gorge

A very disappointing film.  I liked the horror themes in it, how The Hollow Men would come and how the land in The Gorge looked, but that was about it.

The film starts well, but rapidly starts to fail.  Normally, I do not include spoilers in my review, but I am going to have them now so I can get my rant over. The character is dropped away from The Gorge, making their way to the place that they are meant to guard.  But, when there, they have food, and have to work to restock ammunition.  Which leads to the question of how the ammunition gets there.  Somewhere that well stocked will need people to stock it up, which means that they fly the supplies in, and if so, why not fly the replacement guards in.

Also at the end, when the characters escape by getting up the cavern wall, why do the defences not kill them the way they kill The Hollow Men?

There are very few reasons to watch this, and considering that there are much better films out there, watch them instead. 

Who needs a striker?

I should have posted yesterday about how Arsenal may not need Saka as much. Nwaneri is amazing. While I do not think that he is as good as Saka, he is almost as good.  But Saka is 23, while Nwaneri is only 17.  Both should improve as they get older, but Saka has been doing this and while Nwaneri should do the same, Arsenal has seen talent not reach its potential before and I hope that Nwaneri learns from the mistakes of those before him without repeating them.

Anyway, what an awesome result.  For those, like me who missed it, the highlights are on the links below.  I would favour playing Real Madrid in the next round as they are more likely to play football against us, which means we have more of a chance to beat them.

And just for the record, I do think that we need to play with a striker.

This weekend

Yesterday we took my son to London for a treat. He had wanted to go to a particular restaurant there and do some other things. As the restaurant was not dog friendly we had to take Leia to the dog sitter before we left. The drive down was interesting due to fog, but that cleared up when we were in London.

We returned to Maltby Street market and had some breakfast before taking him to the shops he wanted to go to.  We made it to the restaurant in good time and had an amazing meal. We all loved the chicken, but our views diverged when it came to other dishes.  We also got to have an interesting cocktail (mocktail for me) before our lunch.  My Mum was not happy that we did not see her, but there was no time as after Lunch, we took my son to Spitalfields market where he loves to shop.

Today, we rested, though my son was working for his A-Levels. Sadly I have come down with a viral infection so I was  not able to do the long walk I usually do on a Sunday. Fingers crossed that I will be better for tomorrow! 

The failure of diplomacy involving Ukraine will benefit Putin

Well that was an interesting meeting.  The video analysis is one I disagree with in that I think that Vance made things worse rather than was trying to make things better.  It is a shame that so much has been thrown away after Macron and Starmer appeared to get Trump onside when it comes to the conflict.  

I suspect that the consequence of this is that aid from the USA to Ukraine will end.  If this includes stopping Ukraine accessing Starlink, Ukraine will not be able to defend its borders properly.  

We have already seen the US side with Russia over this conflict in the United Nations.  

The west is going to have to step up to replace artillery shells being sent to Ukraine.  On the plus side, doing so may create more jobs and stimulate growth.  

Cutting foreign aid

Starmer has announced cuts to foreign aid, this being to allow the UK to increase defence spending.  It is a horrible decision to make, but it is the least worst of the options.

We cannot rely on Trump to defend us, something I have posted about before.  He has shown that he is willing to ignore the Budapest Memorandum, an agreement signed to get Ukraine to disarm its nuclear weapons with a promise to respect and maintain its borders. His willingness to sell out Ukraine and follow, the line of Putin that Russia is not the aggressor shows that he is willing to ignore reality.

This means that in my opinion, the UK should move to a position where it is not dependent on the US. And that means no more US equipment. So instead of relying on F35’s, we need to produce our own fighters, like the Typhoon.  We will need to work with Europe on GPS navigation and an alternative to Starlink. 

Trump is hoping that the USA will benefit from the increase if defence spending. If we are to buy from abroad, it should be from nations like France, Poland and South Korea. We need more independence from the USA. 

Tik Toc and Darwin awards

Today, I learned about a trend called Vabbing.  Thanks that is to the video which I have attached to this post.  I know that people are under pressure to perform, but this surprised me.  It does make me think if the way to eliminate the world of gullible people is to flood Tik Toc with fatal fads...

I should be very, very angry

We are back at home. My son has college tomorrow and we spent some time watching Fresh Off The Boat together. My daughter, in Vietnam is looking after some of her travelling companions who have come down ill with gastroenteritis. Hopefully she will not get it.

Football, Arsenal lost against West Ham, which means I might be seeing a lot of West Ham fans this week.  We do not do well when we play before our rivals, this being no exception. Watching the highlights, I did not see the vigour that Arsenal normally play with. Which meant that while I was disappointed, I was not very very angry. 

Hambleton Bakery

Today is our last full day in Rutland. After breakfast I took our dog for a long walk. I had taken her on a bit of it yesterday. Today I took her on the rest of it. She loved it. Yesterday she came back a bit muddy but today there was a lot more mud. I guess that is what comes of the longer walk.  My wife was not too happy though.

Afterwards we went for a drive to get some lunch. My wife drove us to Oakham and while we did did somewhere to eat lunch, we could not eat there due to the parking restrictions. My wife and son found a record shop and may have bought a record. I took Leia to explore the town and started to explore Oakham castle, not that it is much of a castle, but the history that I did get to read was really interesting.

We returned to the Hambleton bakery which we had visited the day before. Then there was a lot more choice, but we arrived earlier yesterday. Today the first two dishes my wife wanted were sold out, but my son and I got what we wanted. After that it was a trip to a farm shop and then a drive to a supermarket to get items to clean our messy dog.

Our son is enjoying having a room to himself, and actually had loads of fun in the front of the car while my wife was driving. We have not heard from our daughter but we know she is alive as she responded to a message on the family WhatsApp group. She had been unwell earlier this week and we gave her some advice, but I presume that she is now better and is enjoying Vietnam, hence the silence from her.

Fingers crossed that dinner is a better experience at the hotel today! 

The art of the deal

First of all, the family. My wife, son and dog are taking a few days off in Rutland.  We arrived yesterday but today brought about some changes. We had arranged to have a room shared with my son, but he is taller than me now (just). He slept on a camp bed last night, but did not do well.  So we have paid for him to have a room of his own, but it is in a different part of the hotel.

Today we went exploring, getting some dog food for Leia (we had been told that the dog would be fed by the hotel when we booked it) as well as having lunch in a local bakery.  I went for a walk later with Leia, but came back with my shoes caked in mud.  Dinner has been nice, but my meals have not been as good as I had hoped. Yesterday my pasta was undercooked and today my son and I ordered steak to be served rare, for it to come as medium.  The steak was still good, but was not as good as we wanted it to be.

Now for Trump. He states that he believes Putin when Putin says he wants an end to the war. That is true, but Putin wants the capitulation of Ukraine, something he might get. With the relations between Trump and Zelenskyy worsening, the question arises as to if Ukraine will be invaded after all.  Trump stopping aid to Ukraine is one thing, ending the sanctions on Russia though will be even more damaging.  We saw what a great deal Trump agreed with the Taliban in 2020 about Afghanistan, a great deal that is for The Taliban. Back then he did not include the Afghan government in the talks, just as he has not included Ukraine in these talks.  Based on how well the last deal went, we can expect Ukraine to be speaking Russian in the next few years. 

Does The Manchurian Candidate think that the US started a war with Japan by attacking them at Pearl Harbour?

Donald Trump has done it again. He has grabbed headlines. This time, it is because he has agreed with Putin that Ukraine is at fault for Russia invading it.

There have been many on the left and the right who have argued that Putin is acting in response to the actions of the west, notably NATO expansion. I have discussed how this is wrong before, but am happy to do so again.  If any agreement was made about NATO expansion, the former nations of The Warsaw Pact would have become nervous once Russia liberated Transnistria from Moldova. Appeasement did not work then with Russia moving to liberate Abkhazia afterwards.  NATO expansion occurred after this, and there was a few years of peace before Russia liberated South Ossetia. The policy of appeasement lasted until Russia ‘helped’ Crimea liberate itself in early 2014, Russia starting the war in The Donbas afterwards.  During this conflict Russia shot down MH17 by accident but then denied doing so.  

Russia amassed troops on the border of Ukraine in 2022, and despite saying it would not do so, invaded. Though this time, they waited until after the Olympics (the Winter ones) before they invaded. Like Putin, I did not think that the war would last this long. I, like many across the globe, was surprised to see that Ukraine lasted. 

I want an end to the war, this being one where Ukraine regains its borders. I do not see anything close to that happening and the question now is if Trump will allow Ukraine to be invaded.

When Donald Trump complained about Mexico sending rapists to the US, I did not know that is because he wanted (alleged) rapists imported from Romania!

Apparently, Donald Trump wants the Tate brothers to be free to travel away from Romania.  I doubt he means that the extradition warrant that the UK has against them is to be enforced. 

We in the UK could send our people, not our best. We could send people that have lots of problems, and they could take those problems with them. There would be no need for them to be bringing drugs. And the Tate brothers would not be bringing crime as they have alleged been involved in criminal activity with US citizens already. They are considered rapists by some (though they are innocent until proven guilty). And some, I assume, think that they are good people.

I will admit to being surprised by this, but I suspect that I am going to be surprised a lot in the next four years. 

Leicester City vs Arsenal 2025

What a match.  I am hoping that we finish second.  Will I am hoping that we win the league, but I doubt that will happen. It is nice that we have more than three points between us and the chasing pack, but we have thrown away leads before and can give up this gap.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

My wife and I watched this for our Valentines date.  She had been out earlier to listen to an author she likes and from the sounds of it had a great time there.

As for the film, once I got over the face of Bridget Jones being almost fixed, I enjoyed it.  I know that this will not appeal to some, but if you liked the other three films, you will like this.  I know that I have missed out on some of the jokes as I cannot remember much of the second and third films, but I am sure my wife and I will catch up on them.

It made me appreciate being a father, being grateful for what I have, and yes, it did make me cry.  Yes it had flaws, an example being how quick it was for the school trip to take place, breaking and entering into a barn, and how it snows in London (yet rarely does).  But this film is in essence a fairy tale, and it is a very good one for adults. I am glad I watched it.  It made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me grateful for what I have. 

Brexit failing the UK

I was surprised to find that the inheritance tax dodging Jeremy Clarkson has spoken out against Brexit.  I understand that many had fallen for the lies told about Brexit, an example being when Nigel Farage talked about how we could have a soft Brexit negotiating a deal like Norway or Switzerland.  

Like him, I find it hard to understand how people can say Brexit has been a benefit to the UK.  In fact, Brexit has been so bad, that many parties in Europe who had advocated leaving the EU, now do not do so (openly at least).  A big example of this is with the National Front in France.  And the reason for this is because those in Europe can see how we in the UK have harmed ourselves by voting to impose economic sanctions on ourselves. 

Illegal immigrants do the work that others are not allowed to do

Immigration and the stance of Labour towards illegal immigration is finally in the news today.  I was listening to The Newsagents about this and decided that Labour have gone too far. The person being interviewed said that immigration is unmanageable. 

It is right to listen to voters about immigration, it is right to ensure that bad employers do not exploit illegal immigrants. The RECORD numbers being deported should be publicised more, action on rogue employers should be taken and made public.

But, taking the Reform line that immigration is unmanageable is wrong and cannot be excused. 

My son is taller than me

Yesterday was a sad day for me. It was the day my son became taller than me.

For a little while, there has been a debate as to who is taller, but it is now settled. A few weeks ago, we met school friends of my wife and the consensus was I was taller, just.

Now I have to angle my neck (slightly) to look at him when we stand next to each other.  Needless to say, he is happier than I am with this. 

Farage and the NHS

 

Nigel Farage has stated that he wants to end the NHS. Let us look at an alternative…

Has Elon damaged the TESLA brand?

I love my EV.  I will admit that when it comes to fun, my previous Honda was better, but my current Honda EV is more practical for the family, just not for my job.  

My wife took a TESLA on a test drive a few years ago, and did not like it.  Friends of mine have refused to consider a TESLA thanks to Elon Musk, and they have been proven right as his politics have become more and more extreme.

The demographic of people who drive EV's are not really the parties that he has backed.  Admittedly, Musk has turned on Nigel Farage, but Farage has not been in favour of taking action against Climate Change.  But, the AfD in Germany are also Climate Change deniers. 

I do think that the world owes TESLA thanks for showing how electric cars can be so appealing.  But it does not owe anything else.  I wait to see if Musk will get Trump to try to make the EU buy more TESLA's but if he does, I can see that alienating people who wish to switch to electric cars. At least in Europe. His antics may not be an issue in other parts of the world.

Are we really going to remove Christians from The Gaza Strip?

Christians have lived in the Gaza Strip and from what I can understand, Donald Trump wants them to be removed and the land to be given to Israel. I understand that he does not care about the Muslim population of The Gaza Strip, but I am surprised that he wants to evict the Christian population, and also that his plans are supported by Christians in the USA. 

I also wait to see what stance Trump and his supporters have towards the Christian population of The West Bank. Jewish extremists want them removed. Will Trump allow them to be removed as well? 

Keir Starmer ate my hamster

The simple fact is that haters are going to hate.  And Starmer is going to be hated by a lot of people, unless he can show that he has changed our great nation for the better.  

He is hated by those on the right, that being before Musk joined in with this.  And he is hated by those on the left as well.  Needless to say, there are those who are going to love a book which sticks the knife into him.  I will admit that he should communicate better.  Labour has done a lot when it comes to immigration, which is not publicised as much as it can be.  Labour has ended many strikes which were harming our nation.  Hopefully, these changes will help bring about the economic growth our nation needs.

Brexit and the man who sold it to us

Driving into work today, I started to listen to his man telling us about the importance of not being too close to Europe.  He is the one who sold us Brexit.  And Brexit has been such a disaster for us, that parties in France who wanted a Frexit, have had to change their mind on this.  In Holland, the Far Right have had to pull back about Nexit as well. Basically, if Brexit was so good, other nations would want to follow us.  And they don't.

With Reform UK doing well in the polls, I think that they should be shown up for what they are.  The architects of Brexit, which has failed our nation.  

We should focus on what Nigel Farage wants for Britain, an example of which is a Free Trade Agreement with the USA (he said so in the interview), which would harm our farmers. Farmers which Farage says he wants to protect.  We should remind people about how free trade with Trump would mean allowing the US greater access to the NHS. Just a reminder, the US healthcare system and how it fails so many is an integral part of Breaking Bad and why the character turns to making drugs. It is the inspiration for the book (and later film) The Rainmaker, and of course the film John Q. Remind people of what Farage wants, and then they can decide if they want to vote for him.

Trump, NATO funding and Article 5

There appears to be a view that Trump would defend NATO nations in the event that US support was needed.

I think that it is insane to rely on him.  But, saying that, I think that the threat of invasion from Russia is low in the next few years, considering how many casualties Russia has sustained in Ukraine.  My issue is not if Trump would defend Europe (I do not think that he would), but more importantly, will US presidents who follow him decide to go along his populist line.  

Article 5 provides that if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each & every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members & will take the actions it deems NECESSARY to assist the Ally attacked. 

 

Many think that he would obey Article 5. I think that he would and would take the actions that he felt was necessary to assist the ally which had been attacked. Sadly I suspect that such actions would in essence, be nothing.  With this in mind, greater European cooperation on defence is needed, and I am glad Starmer has attended a meeting about this.  

Even Havertz scored!

What a game! The team did really well. I will be honest, I feared the worst.  We have not had the best record so far, but we won! I can go to bed, which will please my wife as I have been shouting while watching the highlights. 

And They're Off!

We woke up early today to take my daughter to the airport for her two months of travelling in Asia. As I type this, she is on a flight to Singapore. I think the dog has taken it the best out of all of us, but Leia has already been looking for my daughter around the house.

My son went though him missing her before, I have been more emotional in the past few days before she went, and it hit my wife at the airport itself.  The photo is what she sent to us from the plane before take off.

We all have our fingers crossed that she enjoys herself and returns safely.

Flo & Joan - A Song for Anti-Vaxxers

Yesterday, vaccination was in the media gain, thanks to Trump and his picks for people to run the USA.  I was talking about this with my daughter.  

She had not seen this video.  So we watched it together last night. I am going to miss her as she travels next month.  I did not really appreciate it, until last night and then she got loads of hugs, today as well.  I think I am irritating my wife more than my daughter now with how much I am going to miss her.  

Learning from history

Today was a day to remember from history.  Sadly, at times, it seems that the wrong lessons have been learned, an example of which is when Hamas decided to record the murder of Israeli civilians to remind Israel about the Holocaust.

On a more personal note, the rise of the far right across the west, with people like Musk trying to make it more acceptable, is another reason why we should never forget what the forces of hatred and intolerance did in the past.  I do not want to be sent to a camp in the future.  

It was not a red card

Arsenal won a game yesterday.  With our injuries, the win was more important than normal, even more so considering we should not have had a man sent off. I know that we are not going to win the title, but finishing second is better than third.

As for the family, yesterday my son and daughter went for a dog walk together.  It is the first time my son has joined us and Leia loved it.  She loves to walk, and loved Gosbecks which is where we took her, but loves it even more if several of us walk with her.  Hopefully, when my daughter travels next week, my son will keep me company on these walks.

Elon Musk and fascism

There is an argument that too many people on the left call those they disagree with, fascist. I agree with this and for a while, I felt that people like Rory Stewart were wrong to call people like Elon Musk fascist. And then Musk gave that salute. Twice. He knew what he did. He knew it would get people talking about it. And that was the straw that broke me.

In the UK, he has supported Tommy Robinson, famously calling out Nigel Farage because Stephen Yaxley-Lennon is too toxic for him. In Germany he has been supporting the AfD. I am not sure I would consider him to be racist (I have suspicions), but he does seem to be suffering from Islamophobia. 

Politics has become more right wing in the UK with Reform UK doing well in the polls. We have seen what has happened in America where they voted an adulterous abuser of women in the office of President over a woman. And I fear that Germany is going to go the same way as Austria and Italy. 

So, Rory Stewart, I was wrong about Elon Musk, and you were right.