The current war with Iran happened despite a breakthrough in negotiations between the USA and Iran.
Since being elected for the second time, Trump imposed tariffs on Canada, despite negotiating a trade deal in his first term in office. This apparently was because the first deal was terrible!
The UK negotiated a trade deal with Trump in May 2025, only for Trump to go back on it less than a year later.
There are numerous other examples where Trump has decided not to stick to deals he agreed on, which basically means that there are numerous examples of where he cannot be trusted.
Arsenal started the final really well, pressing The Team That Rhymes With City really well, but the game changed and the pressure our players applied stopped. And then we were beaten, and sadly, I would have to say deservedly so. The season can progress in one of two ways. Arsenal can use this experience to continue to focus and go on to win something this season, or our main rival can be reinvigorated, stop dropping points and catch us. Again.
Trump is not pleased. He considers NATO members to be cowards for not joining in his special military operation.
I rewatched this again. For those who know me, and have read my earlier post on a similar issue, some may be aware I like fantasy Role Playing. I run an online campaign on a play-by post basis on Discord. Well, I run three. One of them has a nautical part to it, hence me watching it.
I still love the film. I will be watching the sequels, but from what I remember, none match the original, though some will have ideas that I will copy.
I love the characters, some better than others. It is a great kids film that adults love. And I am glad I watched it again. In the unlikely event that you have not seen this film, it is well worth watching it.
There are many on the left who are against the UK being part of NATO. It may be a redundant argument soon. Having started the war (or special military operation) against Iran (in my view because of allegations about a thirteen year old girl), Trump has realised that things are not as simple as he thought. The UK is not alone in being reluctant to aid Trump and Israel in this illegal war.
The winners so far in this war are:
Israel as no other US president would allow them to attack Iran in this way. They will not get another chance again.
Russia, as oil sanctions have been suspended, and if the war continues, will remain so.
Trump, as no one is asking him about the allegations involving a (then) thirteen year old girl.
For my research into role playing, I watched this film. I run three campaigns and this offered me the chance to learn for two of them, one being The Curse Of Strahd, featuring one of the most famous vampires in roleplaying, the other being a journey to the Isle of Dread.
Was it an enjoyable film? Yes. Would I watch it again? No. While the Guardian rated it below average, I would disagree, it is an average film. It could have been better, but it could have been worse and it was not.
First of all, family.
We went down to London to see my mother for Mother’s Day. We were to meet my brother, but due to a mixup with times, that was not possible. We were almost late due to issues on the A12, but got there in good time. While my daughter was not there, my Mum was very happy to see my son. My wife had bought her a selection of gifts which my Mum loved. The food was good, parking was available around the corner and the dog loved it as well.
I don’t know if the traffic would have been worse if The Epstein War was not taking place. It was something my Mum did want to discuss, even mentioning that a group of young men, who came into it, might be sent to fight in it.
Which brings me to the next topic, The Epstein War. While prices go up, it will cause harm to our economy. Living in Colchester, we heard some helicopter activity from the nearby base and my wife and I hope that this does not mean we are to help. Trump is an unreliable ally. While the first casualty of war is the truth, Trump is notorious for being ignorant about facts, and lying about them if the facts are inconvenient. An example of this is Trump blaming Iran for the murder of schoolgirls and their rescuers early in this one sided war.
In addition to this, Trump has stated that NATO allies would not come to defend the USA, even though the only nation that was invoked Article Five, is the USA, and allies heeded the call.
Once made aware of this, he lied, stating that NATO forces did not engage on the front, a comment he has since been forced to backtrack on.
Trump has since stated that the UK only joins wars once the US has won them. After that, he has called for the UK (and other nations) to send warships to help get oil out of The Gulf.
Ignoring the ethics of joining in a hugely illegal war, Iran may be able to overcome or bypass any naval escorts with huge waves which overwhelm the defenders. I don’t like the regime in Iran, not just for the way it exports terror, but also for the way it murders its own people. But in this conflict, Israel and the USA are in the wrong, and if anything, I back Iran in its call for compensation as a condition to end the war.
Yesterday, I watched this video. It is about prostitution, a subject I have discussed many times before.
My view remains the same, sex work, ideally, should be safe legal and rare. I suspect it will never be rare, but it should be safe and legal. It should not involve human trafficking, coercion should not be present, and support to help anyone involved in it leave it, if they wish to do so, should be available. And that also includes brothels run by women for women.
I am under no illusions about the darker side of the profession, but this video is worth watching.
As many of you know, I am considered a transphobe by many as I do not consider a transman to be a man, or a transwoman to be a woman. But I would never support the action in the video. Such toxicity and intimidation should face punishment by the law just as it has in the past.
Just remember the timeline.
In a June 2024 interview with Fox News, Trump talked about releasing the Epstein files, but did talk about “the phony stuff” it might contain.
In June 2025, Elon Musk tweeted that Trump featured in The Epstein files. The tweet has since been deleted.
In November 2025, Trump was forced to release the files in an increasingly rare show of support by both parties.
Just before the latest attacks on Iran, reports of missile files of allegations linking Trump to improper conduct with an underage teenager were released.
Then the not-a-war started, which has worked to divert the attention of most of the world.
And now the files are visible to all, in a redacted manner. But I doubt many will talk about this as the bombing of Iran will get more attention, which means that the objective of the conflict has been met.
I agree it needs to be reformed. Most people on it need it, but there are a minority who abuse the system.
But there are several issues to bear in mind when it comes to improving the system.
Rates of poverty for those who are working is too high.
Too many people are forced to have to use foodbanks.
The development of AI is going to make it harder to get jobs.
In 2025, Iran was attacked by Israel, the USA joining in afterwards. At the time I commented about how UK bases were not being used in the attacks, notably how bombers had to fly from the USA to bomb Iran.
This time, thanks to Iran retaliating against other nations, the UK is to allow UK bases to be used by US forces to strike the missiles being used to attack nations other than Israel. Not allowing full use of UK bases has annoyed Trump and also there are many in the UK who think we should be backing the USA fully. Needless to say, many think that we have gone too far in supporting the USA.
What both sides do not mention is that Starmer did not allow UK bases to be used to attack Iranian missile sites and launchers when Iran were only retaliating against Israel in 2025.
To be fair, it should be up to the media to point this out, but either they have not noticed, or do not care. My views on the media bias against Labour have been posted before and I suspect the media will be happy to let Labour get castigated by both sides again.
Anyway, if the wag-the-dog theory is true, it has worked. While all the Epstein documents were meant to be released, it is reported that some are missing, notably documents relating to an unsubstantiated claim involving Trump and a 13 year old.
And on the topic of scores, Arsenal won today, which I am grateful for, but the holding in the penalty area confuses me. My understanding is that defenders should not hold onto attackers, but it may be that Arsenal got lucky again.
While the drive was exhausting, it was worth it. The picture is taken from when my wife and I had lunch while my car was charging. Our dog got to eat as well, and we may return here if the weather is good (they do not allow dogs inside).
Labour lost and considering the seat they lost, they lost badly. Many have stated that the seat would have been won if Andy Burham had been allowed to stand, but if he had, Labour would still face a nightmare in the local elections in May.
Yes, it looks as if it will be a two way fight between Reform and The Green’s in those elections, but the next general election is not until 2029.
A change in leadership may bring about a better communication strategy but it will not overcome the media bias against Labour.
While Your Party have made significant steps to fighting in the next General Election in 2029, they may have just as negligible an effect on The Green Party that Restore Britain will have on Reform UK.
PMQs today was interesting. Of the many things that came up, the one I want to address today is drugs and legalisation.
I have stated that I feel that they should be legalised and regulated, but Starmer raised an important point, that being date-rape drugs. While his view in PMQ's is that drugs should not be legalised and regulated, I do think that he is right about date rape drugs like GHB and flunitrazepam (also known as Rohypnol). I had a chat with my daughter about this later in the day. We both agreed that drugs like this should not be legalised as the idea of legalisation and regulation is about risk reduction to the user.
It is because of this, that I do not think that there is a point in the legalisation and regulation of anabolic steroids. Drugs ruin peoples lives, and making them legal will not stop them doing so, but doing so may help reduce some of the harm that they cause. Also, it will probably reduce the rates of drug related crime and has seen to have advantages abroad.
So far, we have been blacklisted by The Tories (I debate them) and Jehovah’s Witnesses. I want to know how we can get Reform to block us as well. I do not believe in being rude to them, I believe in robust debate to hold them to account, which, as I have posted before, is something our media do not do.
The three main characters do not have much chemistry, which is a shame considering that I actually think that the film had potential. The different beginning was refreshing, but it never managed to take advantage of it. It has great scenery, I would love to visit the hotel in it, but as it transformed into a normal rom-com, bits of it became more painful. I did not warm to most of the characters and to be honest, was glad it was over. My son decided that although we wanted to watch it as a family film, it was not worth it, so he went to bed. As I do not think it is worth it, watch the trailer. Doing so means that you will watch most of the best bits.
Some, have felt that she should not be allowed to say what she wants and have edited her words to distort her message. It is sad that many have decided to play to the saying that the first casualty of war is the truth. I don't like lies, including those being made by those who are against Israel (as opposed to the current government) or those who are against Palestinians (as opposed to Hamas). If we are to bring about the just peace envisioned in The Oslo Accords, truth needs to be treasured, not distorted.
It is an interesting day, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested. I am surprised that the same has not happened with Peter Mandelson though. It is right that one is being investigated for giving (or trading) information to Epstein but I wait to hear why both have not been brought in.
The government, who had asked local authorities if they wanted to delay elections, have been forced to reverse their position by a legal challenge from ReformUK. They could have fought this in the courts, but legal advice stated that the government position was unlikely to succeed. Rather than delay things which would cause more hassle for councils, as well as waste taxpayer money in fighting the case, the government backed down. But it is not being reported as that. At the very least, when it comes to headlines.
As I have posted before, many consider me to be a transphobe. I consider a TransWoman to be a TransWoman, not a woman, just as I consider a TransMan to be a TransMan and not a man. Cisgender individuals do not spend their lives experiencing Gender Dysphoria the way that those who are non-binary do. Men need to be taught not to rape, something that is not as much of an issue for TransMen who are more likely to be raped than rape. A TransWoman has to grow up with a penis, this brings about experiences that a woman will not have. Equating the experiences of someone who is non-binary with a cisgender individual minimises what that person has had to go through.
Palestine Action are in the news again. Many consider their actions to be just, and I have discussed how I disagree with this before. They have engaged in direct action to vandalise companies which have been helping Israel murder Palestinian civilians. But they have also engaged in direct action which has done nothing to aid those being murdered in Gaza, and may have helped Russia instead.
Well, actually, it is also Brighton.
My son had an open day at the University of Sussex, one which we drove him to. We started later than we planned, but made good time and arrived when we were meant to. We also made it with one charge of my electric car, though we had to charge it soon after arriving there. My wife, dog and I went to Lewes, which we had forgotten we had been to before. My wife recognised it first, but later, when we passed a shop the kids had wanted to go it, I remembered it as well. The dog loved it, loads of new smells and new places to walk. My wife found an old bookshop and later we went to a dog friendly café where she ended up accidentally buying some very expensive soap!
Anyway, we are now tired and need to rest. I suspect we will be returning here in the next year or two.
The weekend has been an interesting one. Yesterday we did some driving, in the rain which tired us out. My wife and I met some friends while my son stayed over at a friend’s. So this morning I had a headache. So we rested, which I needed as I have not been feeling 100% in the last week. My wife though has had a worse week, having to manage a broken tap and the resulting leak on Thursday. I would think that the highlight of her week was the roast chicken I cooked today.i used to make it years ago, it I returned to old habits today, something my son, who now has a cold, appreciated.
First of all, my daughter made a surprise visit on Friday, leaving earlier today. When I say surprise m the only two in the house who did not know she was coming was me and our dog. My son had asked about things we could do on the weekend, and although I mentioned Monopoly, I said it was no fun without his sister being present as I would not be able to turn one against the other, which is how I win.
I was rung as they were to collect a takeaway from Gaia in East Bergholt. I did say they should take a picture and send it to my daughter, but I did not know she was with them. When they got home, they insisted I came home as well. On getting home our dog ran towards me as she normally does then literally skidded, as she ran back into the living room, which is unusual. I went in, gave my wife a hug and then after putting clothes in for washing, came back to find my daughter in the room! It was really nice that the family was all together for the weekend. We had lunch in Grunisburgh and my wife made streak for us all for dinner, even the dog.
Getting into work today, two people greeted me by laughing about the result as soon as I stepped through the door. It did not stop there. Even patients have been talking about it. The only thing I can say back to them is that we are still top of the league. Hopefully that will last...
Andy Burnham has been blocked from standing as an MP for Labour. I do not know if it is the right or wrong thing to do, but what I do know is that him replacing Starmer as leader has risks as well as benefits. The main advantages of having him as leader is that he has shown that he is capable in his role a Mayor of Greater Manchester but more importantly, he is a great communicator.
One big disadvantage is that Labour have financial handcuffs thanks to the dire economic legacy that they have inherited from the Tories. The spending plans of Rachel Reeves are accepted by The City and any decision to spend more will result in debt repayments increasing, which means more money to bankers in interest and a smaller proportion to helping people of the country. Also, like it or not, Starmer has managed to save many British jobs thanks to the way he has dealt with Trump.
But what people forget is the way the media is biased against Labour. I have no issues with the media holding Labour to account. Starmer has changed his views on many matters, some of which is right, some of which could be explained with better communication. It is right that the media scrutinise the government. What is not right is the way the media ignore Reform UK. There are numerous examples of where Nigel Farage has been given a pass on matters.
As noted in the video above, Nigel Farage praised the nightmare budget of Liz Truss. His trip to Davos to stick it to the global elites was not one. The Guardian stated that he is listed on the programme for the World Economic Forum as a member of parliament and a representative of HP Trust, which describes itself as the “family office of Sasan Ghandehari” with a portfolio value in excess of $10bn (£7.4bn). His views on how only some people should be jailed for social media posts have also not been challenged or raised either. There are his dodgy finances where he has accidentally forgotten to declare financial interests on time as well has his views on duplicating ICE from the USA.
In summary, Labour has to change the way it communicates, because the media bias against them is killing them in the polls. And a change of leader risks the economic gains we have won.
Trump is forming The Board of Peace. Originally thought to be the next step on the ceasefire process in Gaza, Trump has fashioned it to suit his ego.
While peace has not come to Gaza, the alternative, which is the continued war, is far worse. There are many in Israel who want the war to restart so that Christians and Muslims can be removed from Gaza. I would love a just peace for Palestinians, one that had been agreed many years ago, but sadly this is not going to happen while Trump is in power.
Like many films, I doubt I will watch it again, but it was nice to watch it, even better that all three of use did so together. The Guardian rated it three out of five and I would have to agree with it.
But, it may not come to that. Some NATO members have sent troops to Greenland. Trump is not happy and wants them out. Preventing an invasion keeps NATO together, officially. Is it dead however?
First of all, my wife and I dropped our daughter off in Bristol. We had intended to do this earlier in the day but woke up late. Driving there is my car is the environmentally right option as my car is electric while my wife has a hybrid car. It means that we do get a chance to rest, but this also means the journey takes longer when it charges. It has enough range to get to the services at Reading when driving there, or the services at South Mimms on the way back, but there are no services in between. The dog was not happy when my daughter was dropped off and sulked, ignoring her as she said goodbye. My son did not come as he has a party.
While I can see why she is attracted to The Green Party, but the economic policies of The Green Party are from Planet Truss. We saw the damage that fantasy economics did to the country under her. Polanski has not learned from history when it comes to his policies, not just Zimbabwe, but Germany in 1923.
I don’t agree with Labour on everything. I can see why they have had to take decisions which offend many. I think Labour are wrong on immigration, I think that they were wrong to offer Junior Doctors the highest pay rise in the public sector when pay restoration applies to so many, such as nurses.
But I do think that Labour are the best to run our nation. I hope my mother can see that.
Tommy Robinson has been outed as having an interest in gay love. Personally, I have no issues with it. But it appears that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (his real name) has, as he deleted a tweet where his interest was exposed. He should remember that there is nothing wrong with men who are intimate with other men and men should not be ashamed if they are.
As stated before, I do not go onto Twitter as much. Bluesky is so much nicer, quieter, but is a much nicer place to post.
I have noted though that many have said that JK Rowling is wrong not to speak out about the execution of Renee Nicole Good. But today, I watched a video from Novara Media commenting how she did not speak out against the war in Gaza.
The thing is, JK Rowling did comment about the conflict referring to 'snivelling apologists for rape and murder' but there is a reason why Novara Media may not discuss that. Notably because of the crimes of Hamas against women in the attack. Some have denied that this happened but Hamas has form when it comes to discrimination.
Women's rights in Gaza have been curtailed under Hamas, an example of this is how the UN marathon was cancelled due to Hamas banning women taking part in it.
I did agree with the essay JK Rowling wrote about women and segregated spaces. I do not agree with some of her views on this matter now as I think that she has been radicalised. But she has been vocal in speaking out about women's rights in Afghanistan, Iran and also in the USA. I challenge anyone to say otherwise.
