Get over it

+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.