We lost, but is it all over?

Yes, Arsenal lost. Any semifinal is a tricky tie, and while we have a good record against PSG, it is the result on the night that counts. And we were wanting. I only got to watch the highlights as I had work to do, but I am still hopeful that we can get through to the final. And if we do, I hope we face Inter Milan as I think that Barcelona will tear us to bits. 

Elections in Ukraine and a UN government

Peace is being discussed (again) in Ukraine.  Putin has now agreed in part to the latest plan from Trump, but I think that we should accept the plan from Putin.

Late last month, Putin had proposed that Ukraine was placed under a UN mandate and that elections were held.  I think that this is an excellent ideas and we should work towards the UN taking over all of Ukraine, with elections being held across Ukraine, these being run and supervised by the UN, this including it taking place in areas occupied and/or annexed by Russia.

In addition to this a free and fair set of referendums can be held rather than the fixed ones that Russia held which have been accepted as valid by some in the Trump administration. I suspect that Putin did not have this in mind, but what he said he meant sounds good. 

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

Today, I watched this film with my son in the cinema.  It has been a few years since I last watched it. I still love Star Wars, and while the prequels are not as good as the original three, it was good to watch this. I have to remember that this is a children’s film, though a dark one, a very dark one. I may have commented before that these films have a better plot than the sequels, and that is the case. But episodes seven to nine have better acting and direction, but the plot is wanting. 

Before I watched it in 2020 when Trump was in power, but he did not succeed in destroying democracy. Will he be lucky the second time, a thought which was present when this film charted the descent of he Galactic Republic into the dictatorship of The Empire. 

I think that my son enjoyed the film, it was great to spend time with him. I would like to think that he enjoyed time with me as well. 

Cutthroat Island

This is a terrible film. Do not watch it. I saw it was on Amazon Prime and as I am running an adventure which is sea based, I thought that I would watch it to get some ideas.  Also, it has a decent cast, so I thought that it would probably be good.  It was not.  The Twilight series should have warned me that having a decent cast does not guarantee a decent film, Cutthroat Island predating that awful film series.

The overacting is not as bad as the plot, which is not as bad as the direction.  When it comes to people learning how not to make a film, this is one of the lessons which should be learned from.

Gender and PMQs

PMQ's was interesting.  As many would have guessed, the judgement of the Supreme Court stating that the Equality Act definition excludes transgender women was brought up. I thought that Starmer dealt with it quite well when he called for the debate to be calmer, this link being from Bluesky, this link from Twitter.

There have been lots of different views on this, some of it good some of it not so.  As posted before, I disagree with the interpretation that means that people have to use bathrooms based on biological sex, but it appears that having that view is wrong.

I often disagree with Novara media, and while I do not agree fully with their video, I think that this is quite good.  Notably the issue where trying to discuss matters about inclusion and addressing concerns about prisons and sports was and is viewed by some as being transphobic.  The Rest is Politics have brought up the issue of Trans-Men and the issues they face.  In addition to which they have also discussed how toxic the debate has become.  I would love parliament to debate this so that we can have more guidance on where people who do not conform to their chromosomal make up do when it comes to single sexed spaces.  But I suspect that the reasons that Labour are not keen on this is because of how some vested interest groups would act. 

It will be interesting to see how this progresses.  I do hope that debate about the concerns of this will be civil.  There are many examples of where it can be so.

Brexit is failing the UK

Those who have read my blog may be aware about my views on the insanity that is Brexit.  We have seen how many Eurosceptic parties in EU nations have no longer advocated leaving the EU, or are a lot quieter about it, since they have seen how Brexit has harmed the UK.  The reason for this post is that I was watching this video and thought that it needed to be shared.  That and we need a reminder about Farage told about how we could have a deal like Norway or Switzerland as he is now telling lies that he never said such a thing.

Maybe we should all wear nappies

This was a solution mentioned in jest by my manager at work when I was discussing the recent court case on gender and the interview on Radio Four by Bridget Phillipson. I am viewed by many as being transphobic and I think that the law needs clarity on issues such as the use of toilets and communal changing areas by Transgender people. 

As I have stated before, I am of the view that segregation in toilets, when it happens, should be based on genitalia, but this being a don’t ask, don’t tell rule. Communal changing rooms and showers should also be segregated by genitalia, but for obvious reasons a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell would not apply here. Bridget Phillipson stated that it should be on biological sex, and to be fair, the recent interpretation of the law seems to back her with this.  I do understand the concerns of women, I know of one who speaks out on this after being sexually assaulted in a female toilet by someone with a willy, and in my job, I have spent time treating someone who was a repeat offender with a willy, who identified as female.

But, we do need a fairer system for transgender individuals, notably ones who have completed the surgical transition. It is sad that debate on this is shutdown by many people (on both sides) deciding that the rules on this complex issue are binary. 

The Family Plan

The Guardian and I agree with this film. Forgettable.  My wife and I watched it on Apple TV and while we have watched worse films, there are better ones out there.  Do I regret watching this? No. Would I watch it again? No. Even if channel hopping, this is a film I would move on from.

When it comes to directing and plot, they are fine for an action film. The plot could be better, but this film does not aim to be a blockbuster. It is an easy film to watch, it is enjoyable, it has some laughs, but it is nothing memorable.

Can a woman have a willy?

To start off this post, in my opinion, no.  

There are many gender identities, but my view is that a woman cannot have a penis, however a trans-woman can. As I have posted before, I do not think that it is right, or polite, to misgender someone. Many will consider me rude and wrong for refusing consider India Willoughby to be a woman, but I do consider her to be a transgender woman, not as JK Rowling as tweeted, a man.  I have tried to debate this, but sadly ended up blocked (repeatedly). My views on this have evolved with time and I will summarise them.

Just because you identify as something does not mean you are it. Rachel Dolezal identified as being black, despite having two white parents.  Very few people accept the way she identifies herself as correct. 

Other than in schools, the use of toilets by someone who identifies as a different gender is fine. The only time I have seen genitalia in toilets was using the urinals as a child (as an adult, we do not look). However, if women are exposed to male genitalia in that situation, the perpetrator should face the full weight of the law.

It should be up to each sport to decided if transgender competitors can compete based on the gender they identify with. 

Communal changing areas should be subject to segregation based on genitalia.  I have seen to shops where changing areas are unisex and there was an attendant to ensure no theft took place who also would have been a witness if anything untoward happened.

No sex offender with a penis should be in a female jail.

A child who wishes to socially transition at school without informing their parents should be allowed to do so, but just as this applies to a teenager seeking an abortion, that child should be encouraged to involve their parents. But, that child should still use facilities based on biological sex. 

I thought The Newsagents covered this really well.  Not everyone does. But as has been stated before, I am transphobic for having my views. But if anyone is happy to debate this, I am happy to do so on BlueSky. 

We did the double against Real Madrid!

I knew we could beat them, but I also knew this tie could still turn against us. The advantage we had in this tie was the desire of our opponents to play football against us. As under Arsene when we beat them before, few teams can play football against us and if they play a tactical game, it is harder for us to win.

I watched the highlights not knowing the score and took a while to calm down afterwards. While we have beaten PSG before, they will be hard opponents, but I consider us to be the favourites for that game. 

An open day

Today was busy. I went to work to try to catch up on paperwork before taking my son to his open day at The University of Essex. He doubts that he will go here, but it gave him the opportunity to find out about courses.

We met one of his friends for part of it and got to tour the campus. He has been using the library for revision, much like his sister did, but has started to come here at an earlier stage in his A-levels.  I have brought the dog here on several occasions for her walk and my wife studied here for her Masters.

Still it was a nice day. I am not sure how useful it was for him, but it was better to go rather than not. What was noticeable was how well it was organised. The only open day I attended with my daughter was in Bristol and that included a terrible presentation. This was much better, all those presenting to the audience being enthused and being great adverts for the university. It is easy to see why it is a popular place to come when it is sold so well. 

Anyway, I need to keep my fingers crossed for the game tonight.

A day in the woods

 This walk was recommended to me by a colleague at work. When I say a colleague of mine, technically, as my daughter and I work in the same place, it is a colleague of ours.  

I did ask my son and wife if they wanted to come, but both declined.  Which is a shame as it was a lovely walk. With a bit of up and down, it was actually more exhausting than my normal walks which are a lot flatter. My daughter came and we talked about matters, including how she coped with having to do much harder walks on her travels. Leia, our Cockapoo, loved it. This is almost certainly a place we will return to and I will need to thank our colleague for the recommendation.

On to Arsenal and their draw. It was disappointing after our midweek victory, but fans like me would prefer a midweek win, and if we go through to the next round, this draw will be tolerable.

China, Taiwan, the peace dividend and tariffs

Growing up in the UK, I have had to live with the threat of terrorism thanks to the IRA.  In Northern Ireland, once The Troubles ended, the peace dividend has helped communities.  When I was in Sri Lanka, I saw how thanks to peace, how the infrastructure of the North of Sri Lanka was developed and how peace has made things better.  Nations who gain through peace have less reason to resort to war.

China, which has developed its military might, has benefitted from peace.  But it has its eyes on Taiwan.  It has seen the response of Europe and the USA towards Russia when it invaded Ukraine (again) and the cost to the nation.  But if the trade war between Trump and China escalates, we could see China being in a position where it has little to lose through western economic sanctions, if it decides to invade Taiwan.  

There are other ways that China can retaliate towards the USA, but it may decide that it is nothing to lose if things continue to get worse.

What a game

I was meant to go for a dog walk with my son today, but issues with our dishwasher meant that plan was scrapped. When I did go for a walk, Leia met of of her friends on the way back, so we went for a long walk together. That was Louie and his human, Nick. It was longer than I have done in a while and tired the dog out. 

During the walk, we talked about many things. Nick has stopped listening to politics podcasts as they are too depressing, thanks to The Orangutan. We also talked a little bit about football. While he is not a fan of the game, he appreciated the victory of Arsenal.  I discussed my view that few teams can play football against us and that this was the mistake Real Madrid made in the past, and how I feared playing against Athletico Madrid more as they would play a more tactical game.

The tie is not over. We have to travel to Madrid and they can turn us over there. But we have given ourselves a great chance of going through to the next round. 

Israel assassinated ambulance workers

For those who are unaware, Israel killed some emergency workers. They claimed that the ambulances were travelling without emergency lights and that some of them were Hamas members. However, one of the dead had recorded the drive, showing that they had their emergency lights on. As they pulled over when they saw the ambulance they had come to get, the Israeli troops waiting until they were out of the vehicles before opening fire in what appears to be a lethal ambush.

While the Israeli Defence Forces will claim to investigate this, we know their willingness to kill Palestinian civilians. Some may remember the hostages who were killed by the IDF trying to surrender, deaths which would not have been noted by the mainstream media in the west if they had been Palestinian.

As you may recall, I understood the desire of Israel to act after the horrors of October the 7th, a day where Hamas recorded the murders in a way reminiscent of the way the Nazi’s recorded The Holocaust. But there was a negotiated ceasefire which Israel decided to break when Hamas did not agree to new terms which were demanded by Israel. Sadly, this is going to continue without consequence for the next few years. Things may improve a bit if a Democrat takes Presidential office in four years, but Israel appears to have a free hand in the murder of Palestinians until then. 

Walking on Sunshine

Family first. My son is feeling unwell. He had been out on Friday and my wife is convinced that he picks up something every time he is out late. Apparently the band he went to see were not even worth it!  My daughter took part in vaccinations yesterday and was in a local care home and started to feel depressed afterwards. After watching the film with my wife, I took the dog out for a walk and bumped into her and a friend walking back from their night out on the town.  She sat down and cried about the residents there saying that she would never put us in a home. But she did not get to see the good things about this, something I will discuss with her later today.

Now, the film. It was definitely not the movie event of the year, but yes, it was similar to Mamma Mia. The odds are that if you like this film, which was made in 2014, that you will like Mamma Mia, which was made in 2008. However, the acting is not as good, and the singing it not up to the standards of Mamma Mia (if you erase Pierce Brosnan from the score). It has a very good selection of songs, the scenery is amazing and Leona Lewis’s voice is fantastic. But despite that, I do not think this film is worth watching. My wife enjoyed it and I got to spend time with her watching it. But I will never watch this again. 

Trump, Afghanistan and his deals

It is hard to follow what is happening with international politics when it comes to the USA.  But we can see how things are not going to be good for a while when we look at the deal Trump negotiated in Afghanistan.  

While Biden got the blame for the chaos that resulted, Biden had two poor choices.  Stick to the agreement made by Trump, or break it.  He took the long view in the best interests of America and stuck to the bad deal that his predecessor had negotiated.  

While we can mention how the Abraham Accords were negotiated by Trump, again a great deal for him, one which was terrible for the Palestinians, I think that it is important to remember the consequences of his deal in Afghanistan.

In the years before Trump, I would disagree with my mother about the issue of Afghanistan.  She argued that the west should leave it.  My view was that by staying, human rights in Afghanistan were better and we could help the nation move towards a more tolerant society.  But she got her way, the west pulled out of the nation and now the country is sliding backwards again.  Women's rights are being trampled on, but at least there is 'peace' in the country.  

So do I trust Trump to make a good deal?  For him yes, but his deals trample on the rights of those he considers beneath him. 

Trump and fixing his trade issues

People are trying to make sense of Trump and the tariffs he has imposed.  Basically, he has a government which is not known for intelligence.  Not just with the debacle with the Signal App, but other examples include who he has sent to negotiate with Russia.  

He has imposed a tariff on an island of penguins.  Some are talking about negotiating with him, but this is the man who renegotiated a deal with Mexico and Canada in 2020 and now has decided that they are taking advantage of the USA due to his deal!  

As you can see from the first video, there may be method in the madness that he has unleashed, but anyone who thinks that they can trust him to stick to his own deals is a fool.

In summary, I do not think that Trump realises the consequences of what he is imposing on the people of the USA.  After all, the USA is not able to produce its own coffee, tea or bananas. Even though many things are assembled in the USA, they still rely on components from abroad which means that the price of electrical goods such as mobile phones will increase.  

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) has been dropped from hosting White House correspondents' dinner.  She is hilarious and despite what those who support Trump may say, would have been a great choice to present it. This is an interesting (or alarming) development in a nation where people are being deported for having improper views.  

While free speech is being discouraged in the USA, we, in the UK are under increased scrutiny and it is rumoured that any free trade deal will be dependent on the UK implementing free speech in a manner deemed suitable to Trump and his supporters.  

At this rate, it will be interesting to see if late night shows which are critical of Trump will be allowed to continue to be so.