The Weekend

Nothing I like doing better than forcing myself up early on a Saturday morning to visit Sainsburys.   

I jest.

This however, I had to do as I wished to buy all the heavy stuff in one go.  So, off I hobbled, paid £1 for a trolley, and forced it unwillingly round the shop before the Saturday crowds arrived.  

Arrive they did, but not before I was home again.

As I pushed past women who could not control the trolley as badly as I the price rises in recent weeks caught my eye.  Nans costing £1:25 last week are now £1:50, coffee that was £3:90 not long ago is £4:30, and so on.  The recently arrived manager has moved everything according to shop owners theory and made it difficult to find what is wanted.  I suspect he will be gone soon and the next manager will return everything back to where it began. 

For once the customers were friendlier here than normal, at the checkout the women behind me was laughing as I struggled to get everything out of the trolley.  She followed in similar fashion.  The things one does when the servants have a day off!  

I paid the price willingly, I had my eyes closed at this point, and struggled down the poor condition, sloping pavements back home.  The 10 year old lad who passed in the opposite direction tried hard not to laugh as I began to slide onto the road.  Then followed the struggle to lift the bags out, stop the trolley running away, and after returning the brute, carrying all those bags upstairs and hiding everything.

For some reason I have done nothing else since.

Donald is at it again.  First he declares a war Bibi ordered, then he grumbles about lack of support from the UK, then claims he has won the war and Iran is defenceless.  No he demands the UK and others defend the Gulf for Iran who are defenceless as they are shooting at ships. 

What a mess.  Many military men made clear fighting Iran was a mistake, they are prepared for defence, the US is not prepared for attack on Iran.  Now he is stuck.  This is not helped by the attacks on Israel, which we are not allowed to see, yet have damaged a great deal of Tel Aviv, and possibly has resulted in the death of Bibi Netanyahu.  This of course has yet to be confirmed.

A president who has sex with children, a Russia with those videos of him doing this, an Israeli leader desperate to avoid jail, and we have the recipe for war.  The UK leadership have taken the Israeli cash to obey orders.  Sovereignty I suppose.

War and Peace

The first requirement in any war is a man.  Without a man leading from the top war does or does not occur.  When things happen in the world there is always a man behind them, and I mean man, it is rarely a woman, though that has occurred.

Netanyahu is a man who wishes to avoid jail for corruption, what better way than to start a war in Gaza to avoid court.  That is nearing an end, so lets look at Iran!  Here we have another man, the Ayatollah Khamenei, a man who wishes to keep power, not just for himself but for his band of clerics who now rule Iran.  Two men who are happy to let others die to keep their position.  I read somewhere this morning that as Iranian missiles fall on Tel Aviv Bibi is far away in Greece!  What came to my mind was Churchill standing on top of the roof while Heinkel's bombed London, much to the consternation of his aids.  Bibi himself is far from danger.

There is a belief in Israel that Iran will produce a nuclear weapon and threaten Israel with it.  This is understandable, however, is it a requirement to attack them now, or is Bibi just playing games again, and not too concerned about Israeli's being hit back home?  He is, like Trump and many other leaders, concerned with himself first, his nation second.  What will be the result of this expensive power play?  The people will suffer worst, that's for sure.

A slow drag around town in the sun.  What was noticeable was all the young teens out with mum attempting to dress like a rock star, all pouting accordingly, and the primary school kids just attempting to have fun, either with mum or dragging dad out along to the shops.  

Not much else to see. 

The sun is shining brightly, I see it now from the window, and enjoy the warmth it brings.  There is a new emotion in the air, one based on the arrival of summer and long hot days.  Whether they arrive is another thing of course.

War in the middle east but must people either do not worry as it is a long way off, or have no care for anything outside of their limited lives.  Maybe they are the happiest ones?

Thursday Thoughts

 

Interesting to read how Bernie Ecclestone, the 93 year old one time owner of Formula 1, has been given a suspended sentence for dodging £400 million tax.  A Trust he did not comprehend, I think is the excuse.  He has agreed to pay £650 million to the tax man to avoid jail.

In itself there is not much here in this story, except that a rich man has been forced to pay money to the taxman.  Bernie himself has always been his own man, that's how he became rich, and after paying this cash he will still have millions, if not billions, put aside 'for the family.'  I am left considering why a 93 year old needs so much cash?

He is described as 'frail' in court, but such 'frail' men are often seen on their yachts with young ladies later looking quite frisky.  Remember that Guinness man who developed dementia while on trial and then forgot about it after release?   What does a 93 year old require billions for?  He must have family, he must have friends, but once again I think, had it been me, I would be making positive use of this money.  Maybe of course it is having the riches is where his life is based.  The wealth, the boasting, the power, is what matters, the actual cash means little.  

I wonder when the HMRC will decide to take such action amongst the present cabinet...?

I wonder if Benjamin made a mistake?  We hear from many sides that an attack by Hamas was expected.  Lat night I heard two BBC correspondents mentioning this, and the BBC foreign correspondents are quite good, unlike those in London.   The problems on the border, the jailing of Palestinians, the difficulties in Gaza, the deaths of young Palestinians, all have created tension.  Hamas have been looking for an excuse to launch an attack, did Israel misunderstand this?  

The more I read the more I wonder if Benjamin considered a small outrage by Hamas worth suffering as then he could go in heavy and deal with it, and strengthen his leadership.  He is not one to avoid an excuse to build himself up.  However, the Hamas attack was very creative, totally beyond what was expected, hundreds killed, many wounded, and total shock in an Israel slowly building itself into a 'European/World State.'  The immediate response was expected, but who suffered Hamas or others?

Now there has been created a 'national government' of sorts.  Maybe this will save Netanyahu, maybe not.  Many on Twitter blame him, indeed a poll today almost 60% blame the man himself.  The problem with playing with war is that you can get hurt.  If he overdoes the response now it could go very wrong, much more dangerous for the world that Ukraine, which we now all ignore.     

Prospect

I've just been listening to a podcast on 'Prospect' magazine, featuring a 'Haarez' journalist in Tel Aviv.  It was good to listen to a calm thoughtful 25 minutes, including a big 'bump' in the distance, as she spoke of the situation there.  Well worth a listen.