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.