+Just back from a little trip to The Hague and Amsterdam, happily surviving a rough North Sea on the ferry from Newcastle. It would have been quicker to go from Hull, but in line with the ex-Transport Secretary’s advice I am continuing to boycott P&O. I hope DFDS treat their workers with greater respect. I wonder if on my next trip to The Hague Netanyahu will also be paying a visit. And if he does, and is convicted of war crimes as he should be, where will he serve his sentence? There always seems to be space available in HMP Belmarsh. Never one to miss an opportunity Israel has been bombing Damascus. I wonder if this will encourage friendly relations between the ‘new’ Syria  and Israel?
 
+In a comment tuned into the nineteenth century U.S. doctrine of Manifest Destiny, which sought the continual territorial expansion of the U.S., Trump has expressed the view that Canada could become the 51st state. Somebody should tell him that the U.K. already has some claim to that title. Trump if challenged over his (repeated online) remarks will no doubt dismiss them as just a joke. He’s been here before with his suggestion that the U.S. should buy Greenland. I wonder if Trump can spell ‘sovereignty.’ Canadians may be a bit worried that Prime Minister Trudeau rushed down to Mar-a-Lago to meet the imbecile, although I imagine this had more to do with Trump’s tariff proposals than this other nonsense. Whatever. Even now one Canadian might be preening himself to become Trump’s imperial overlord of the new ‘51st state.’ I refer of course to the convicted criminal Conrad Black, whose delusional ambitions I doubt are blunted in any way by his decrepitude. I am only joking.

In a piece on the BBC News tonight we heard how the French government is likely to collapse in a couple of days’ time. Judging by the report, and an interview with a conservative commentator, this is all because Marine Le Pen, leader of the Front National (or whatever they call themselves these days) is unhappy with the government’s budget. But Prime Minister Michel Barnier has pushed it through without a vote, which means there will now have to be a confidence motion in the government. Because no-one supports Le Pen and her neo-fascists, the no-confidence motion will come from the Left and Le Pen can support it or not. But there was no time in the report given to the views of the Left, or what its leader may or may not do. It was almost as if they didn’t exist, despite them having more MPs than any other party. Perhaps post-Corbyn the BBC believes the left has ceased to exist anywhere and that becomes a fait accompli, sort of thing.

Some rather pathetic arguments are being developed to counter the growing demand for the legalisation of assisted dying. One of these is that it’s going to cost the NHS a packet to administer (in every sense of the word). Health Secretary and man of faith Wes Streeting has apparently ordered civil servants to weigh up the costs. Now, all-round loyalist media performer Pat McFadden has suggested that patients who want to take the route of assisted dying may have to pay for the privilege. Why, he asks, shouldn’t this be considered when people are prepared to go to Switzerland to die (where it costs £15,000 apparently)? Despite his Catholic upbringing, McFadden actually voted for the second reading of the bill, so perhaps his comments now are suggestive of how some MPs voted ‘aye’ perhaps with the intent of sabotaging it later. To suggest that paying for assisted dying could be contemplated in the NHS begs the question ‘what other NHS services could be charged for?’ The NHS already spends an awful lot of money helping people to die (but it’s done discreetly). Going down the open assisted dying route is more likely to save the NHS money than otherwise. I might just add that doctors, i.e. GPs already charge for a wide range of services relating to their patients, as anybody who has sought a health power of attorney for a relative will know.

+De rigueur it is that the Tories should make hay (forgive the pun) from Transport Secretary Louise Haigh’s resignation over some minor criminal offence committed before she was an MP. It has to be said though that her cards were marked a while back when she supported a boycott of P&O Ferries because of their nefarious employment practices. Starmer quickly slapped her down then. Perhaps somebody in Downing Street is responsible for dragging up Haigh’s criminal past now to get rid of her. By all accounts Starmer knew of it when he appointed her. That in itself tells us a lot about the man’s hypocrisy—having previously prevented practically anybody he didn’t approve of becoming a parliamentary candidate because of mildly leftwing social media posts or retweets made when they were six years old (a slight exaggeration there). So, the Tories will do what they can, but if Starmer’s original acceptance of Haigh’s conviction is at the centre of their assault they might ask themselves whether they should endorse another criminal, Mr Donald Trump. The circus rolls on. In the meantime I shall continue to boycott P&O Ferries.
​
+I think I must have inadvertently crossed a virtual picket line yesterday, posting an item to Canada. It seems Canadian postal workers are on strike. Perhaps my item will not cross a picket line when it gets there.

+The topsy–turvy world of politics is certainly delivering a few laughs at least. Today’s news sees the slayer of Ed Balls, Dame Andrea Jenkyns jumping into Reform, in a bid to become Mayor of  ‘Greater Lincolnshire’ (greater than what I ask?). Naturally, Nigel Fartage was jubilant: ‘Speaking at a press conference this morning, Farage said: “Now we said that when we hit 100,000 members the lucky winner would go out for a pint for Lee Anderson. Now I fear that was deeply inaccurate. The use of the singular strikes me as being very unlikely with Lee. And by sheer coincidence the 100,000th member happens to be a former Conservative Member of Parliament."' (GB News 28/11/24) What a prize! A pint with 30p Lee—does he know the price of a pint these days?

+Other news: Lord Mandy (see yesterday’s blog) actually came fourth in the race to be Chancellor of Oxford University, that is he came last. A fitting result. Elsewhere Labour is doing poorly in local elections, a rather silly petition for a new general election is attracting millions of signatories and even the Tories are doing better in the polls. Has this been the shortest honeymoon on record? For some reason lots of people seem to think Keir Starmer is a liar.

In merrie England’s news today a Titanic clash of dunderheads has been settled, and a dunderhead has won. I’m referring to the battle to be Oxford University’s next Chancellor, where Lords Hague and Mandelson squared off for the right to acquire some new ceremonial robes. Lord Hague won and will now be granted the privilege of being a tyke at the Masters’ top table. Meanwhile loser Mandelson will be hoping to lick his wounds in the ambassador’s residence in Washington D.C. The question is, has he licked Starmer’s arse sufficiently to get this top diplomatic post when others more qualified are also in the frame? Perhaps Starmer should remember Peter’s twice forced departure from the Cabinet and his failure, when EU Trade Commissioner, to bring the WTO’s Doha ’development round’ to a successful conclusion. And Mandy’s suggestion that there may be a role for Nigel Fartage in representing UK interests in the U.S. surely disbars the ‘Snake’* from any role?
 
*Mandy’s nickname when he was at London Weekend Television, according to Matthew Parris. 

+I’m fed up with Gordon Brown. To be honest, I’ve always been fed up with Gordon Brown. I wish I’d supported Michael Meacher for the leadership of the party all those years ago. But there we are. What’s got my hackles up now is hearing Brown talking of his opposition to the Assisted Dying Bill which faces its second reading this coming Friday. (0n BBC 4's Sunday programme.) Gordon invoked two reasons for his stance. One was the very premature death of his son. Tragic as this was, it has no bearing on the bill. His son was too young to have possibly had mental capacity to make a decision on assisted dying. In other words, it is my view that Brown was invoking a personal tragedy to muddy the waters with feelings of his own which nobody can or should speculate on.

The second grounds of objection appear to be his faith. Yes, the son of the manse has faith! Well, fairy tales don’t cut it with me. In typical Gordon fashion he called for some sort of Commission to look into the question of how adequate our provision of palliative care is. This is the great Aunt Sally of the opponents of assisted dying. If only your dying torment could be mollified with a bit of TLC all will be well! Well sorry Gordon, I seem to remember that you were Chancellor of the Exchequer for 10 years and Prime Minister for three—so how come palliative care was so neglected in those years? Most palliative care in the UK today is delivered by charities and by all accounts they’re struggling.

Frankly I’d be fed up with anybody who wants to tell me how my life should end, but when they come along with a holy book in hand I’d be inclined to say fuck off! (I apologise for that rare vulgarity of the tongue. It’s not like me at all.) Oh, and Gordon funded our part in the Iraq war didn't he? That was a big exercise in assisted dying . . . 

+I've launched a petition on the Parliament website. Here it is. Please click on the link and support it. This is not a scam, which is why It's here on my website!

I’ve made a petition – will you sign it?
Click this link to sign the petition:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/703466/sponsors/new?token=xAbeW3BXKPViN5BrSvcW
My petition:
Call new Brexit vote with absolute majority of electors voting for final result
(The original Brexit referendum was poorly constructed and in any case was promoted as merely advisory)

CORRECTION: (25/11/24) My apologies to Gordon Brown, the child he lost was a daughter not a son.

+Well done the International Criminal Court for issuing an arrest warrant for war crimes for Netanyahu, along with his former defence minister as well as a leader of Hamas. The problem with the Hamas warrant is that that person is already likely to have been killed by Netanyahu’s gang, perhaps in anticipation of the warrant (joking). Anyway, it appears that the ICC has joined that long list of anti-Semites for daring to scrutinise what’s happening in Gaza. I await with interest to hear from Sir Keir what the UK government’s response is going to be (at the time of writing they’re still awaiting instructions from across the pond)*. Perhaps it’s time for Putin and Netanyahu to organise an alternative summit of leaders who have international arrest warrants against them. That could actually prove to be quite popular, as the international ‘rule of law’ seems to count for less these days. So what will the famous human rights lawyer and toolmaker’s son make of the ICC?

*At the time of writing, only a mealy mouthed UK government statement was available: (Independent 21/11/24):
‘ . . . a spokesman for UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was more equivocal: "We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court, which is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern. This government has been clear that Israel has a right to defend itself in accordance with international law. There is no moral equivalent between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organisations.’ What I wonder does it mean when they say they ‘respect’ the ICC?

+It’s all getting worse. Metro (21/11/24) has issued a step by step guide  about how to survive a nuclear bomb—which is more than what the UK government has done. It’s hard to tell whether journalists at Metro are just having a bit of fun. Be careful about drinking tap water they say—best to filter it through clay soil. Well, you can’t always tell when somebody is not taking the piss. Here’s some more advice, as related by Metro:

‘What do you do when you are told of a nuclear strike? Within 10 minutes of Russia launching a nuclear strike, news channels and radio stations will start broadcasting an emergency warning to the public to seek shelter. With five minutes to go, the Home Office would send a signal to every British mobile phone to warn people of the incoming threat saying: ‘BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND. SEEK SHELTER.’ The safest place to go in that narrow space of time is the basement of a large, multi-storey concrete building. However, if that is not possible, run for the most structurally integral point in a building, such as the central staircase in a block of flats, away from exterior walls. Alternatively, the government recommended in 1980 that families seek shelter in kitchen cupboards.’

Now it seems we have a five, not four minute warning, which in any case won’t be long enough for lots of people  to figure out whether they're getting a joke text from a friend, a scam from South East Asia or a truly horrible ferret up their backside. The best advice of course would be to retire to your wine cellar in the hope that unopened bottles won’t be irradiated. Alternatively, go out into the street and dance naked like a maniac in the knowledge it might all be over a lot quicker.

The great marriage guidance counsellor has died—John Prescott, that is, who valiantly sought to uphold the Blair/Brown wedding vows, a subject he occasionally alluded to in Parliamentary Labour Party meetings. He may also be remembered for brokering the Kyoto climate change deal (at least he took credit for it). Signatories to that deal continued to increase carbon emissions, but at least they said they would reduce them. I wonder if John revelled in the way the media sneered at him. For some time he refused to talk to the Hull Daily Mail. Then there was the time he and wife Pauline took a limo from the Grand Hotel in Brighton to the conference centre a few hundred yards away, allegedly so Pauline’s hair wouldn’t get messed up in the wind. The media delight was as much old fashioned sneering as it was misogyny. He was to his credit no great fan of Mandy, comparing him publicly at one point to a crab. His first run at the deputy leadership was based on his avowed intention to get the party campaigning and recruiting one million members. That was a laugh. His constituency, East Hull was pretty comatose, and it was often said it had more members in the cemetery than alive. But he was a tub thumper of an old school before the age of social media. Very much analogue. I think his ratings went up when he thumped the egg thrower. The moral being don’t throw an egg at an ex-boxer—perhaps that’s a metaphorical summation. 

Just when hordes of people are abandoning Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) one person thinks we should be marching in the opposite direction, and should perhaps take a more emollient attitude to the unpleasant billionaire. Who else but the friend of Jeffrey Epstein and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska? Yes Lord Mandelson sees fit to lecture the UK government on how to make it up to Musk. What’s in it for Mandelson? One can only guess how these things work. Here’s the Independent, 26th October 2008 which may provide a clue:
 
‘Peter Mandelson's last act as European Trade Commissioner was to advocate new trade rules that will directly benefit the Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. Less than a month ago, in one of his final speeches before being recalled to the Cabinet and after he accepted hospitality on the Russian's yacht, Lord Mandelson announced a new EU trade strategy giving multinational companies freer access to raw materials, including scrap aluminium and natural minerals used in the production of the metal. Mr Deripaska owns Rusal, the world's largest aluminium producer, which has subsidiaries in Europe. The companies import both scrap aluminium and aluminium-containing minerals from Africa and India. The new rules would exempt such companies from paying expensive export duties, to the anger of development charities.’

All above board, as they say. Now of course Peter wants to be UK Ambassador to the U.S. To strengthen his bid, he had this to say (reported in the Daily Mail,  19th November 2024):

‘Speaking to The Times' podcast How To Win An Election, Lord Mandelson praised Mr Musk as a 'sort of technological, industrial, commercial phenomenon'. 'It would be unwise, in my view, for Britain to ignore him. You cannot pursue these feuds,' the former Cabinet minister added. 'You can't afford to do it. We should try and kick it into touch as soon as possible. 'If I were the Government here, I'd be asking the embassy in Washington DC to find out who his other British friends are. Who are they all? 'And they've got to be used, I think, as a bridge to Musk. And so that's what I would do. 'You know, swallow your pride, find out who his friends are and try and get into those networks. 'You cannot just continue this feud indefinitely. You've got to get over it. You've got to, he's got to be reintroduced to the British Government.’

But why Musk? It doesn’t appear that he has been given any trade or foreign policy role by Trump (with whom it is reported Mandy has already had lunch with). This ‘feud’ Mandy refers to may be a reference to the actually truthful remarks made by David Lammy (and other now Cabinet Ministers) about Trump’s character and suitability for office a few years ago. What is it about the mega-rich that attracts Mandy like a moth to a candle? And whatever one thinks of Starmer, the ‘feud’ has all been one-way in a stream of insults and taunts from the semi-deranged (in my opinion) gob on X.

P.S. The great industrial Musk ‘industrial phenomenon’ was given a big helping hand by the US government to get started—$500 million it was reported. It would be very handy now for Tesla if Trump follows through on his proposed 60% tariffs on Chinese imports.