Yes, I was thinking that the Gazans have probably been living there since way before the Exodus and Moses subsequently found the Promised Land. Somewhere between 800 BC and 500 BC perhaps. Obviously I have great sympathy with the Jews and their desire to band together after WW2 and I have no sympathy at all for terrorists and anti-Semitism, but Trump's an idiot and just says the first thing that comes into his big orange head. Did I see a smirk on Netanyahu's face as Trumo spoke? Rather like Putin when they met?
It just amazes me how history is re-written by people and especially when it suits their argument/point of view. I don't condone what Hamas did and like a shed load of supposed freedom fighter they are more or less there for their own power than a cause. Bit like the IRA for example. But, it needs to be remembered how the State of Israel came about and what was lost by others to allow it. The British were there in what was Palestine mainly as peace keepers back in the day. The Israel leadership at that time supported what would be described today as terrorist activity. They basically bombed buildings and conducted armed "resistance" as they would call it. Ben-Gurion was the chap in charge and became the first prime minister of the State they declared. The State which actually consisted of Palestinian land. In a few words they ethnically cleansed the area to create the space for Jews to return to their "promised land". If this was in this Country the population would be furious and there would be factions who would fight to win back their land. Can anyone really seriously blame the Arabs for wanting the same. Now you have Trump declaring his wish to get rid of the rest of them and open up his own luxury resort. Seriously? The man is a feckin joke except he probably isn't joking when he says it. If the USA want another Twin Towers happening then all I can say is let him carry on with his insanity. He will reap the reward for it when every Islamic group with a grudge, and there are loads of them, decide to exact their brand of revenge on their Country. Not only that but lets not stop there. China would like a few bits of real estate in their vicinity and probably Putin wouldn't mind expanding his boundaries a tad. Set the precedent and where does it stop. In a third world war probably. I despair for my Grandchildren I really do.
Israel was in existence until the Roman Empire took over the known world after the Greeks. Many Arab countries have been at each others throats for years.....so unity against Israel is not total.....remember not long back is was Iraq v Iran.....then Iraq invading Kuwait...........They might all shout about the Palestinian situation....but Egypt and Jordan will not get too excited about Palastinians arriving.....or the Lebanon either.....and my old stomping ground Aden now part of Yemen is fighting for survival against its Arab neighbours to the north. Donald Trump as I've said before hasn't read Old Testament history....the depth of the problem between nations in the middle east goes back 3 to 4 thousand years.....not much chance of Trump who has never been a politician only a business man....with the odd golf course here and there ever solving. He is already a few days overdue in stopping the Ukraine war and the best of luck to him in a trade war with China......he needs to stay nearer home and solve the Mexican boarder problem......maybe he needs to take note from China how to build a wall.
It’s not just Gaza with him though is it? Trumps’s a global moron. He’d talking about Canada becoming the 51st state of America. Now firstly Canada is a vast country, born in the same scrap between France and the UK that created America in the 18th century. It also has a sizeable part of its population who, if there was to be a change, would like to see Canada have closer ties with France, if anyone. As well as the UN, it’s a member of NATO, The Five Eyes and the Commonwealth. He also has designs on Greenland, a self governing province of America’s NATO ally Denmark, with which it’s been associated since the 13th century, 500 years before modern America was created. Even leaving aside the native inhabitants who where already there when Columbus rolled up, Vikings are thought to have reached North America in the 11th Century so if anyone has a claim on anyone, it’s the Scandinavians on America, not vice versa. All of this was before the great floods of willing immigrants from Britain, Ireland, Italy and other parts of Europe, together with unwilling immigrants from Africa, made America what is is today, while at the same time, dispossessing the native Indians of everything they held dear And now he rails about illegal immigration….. It might be said that the rules against such colonisation didn’t exist back then. That’s true, but morality did, even if then and now, it’s more honoured in the breach than the observance. America and the West have long stood for a rules based world against the dangerous brigandry of Russia and China among others. Where does this piracy leave the US?
Beware of your insurers. For several years, possibly since we moved in here, I've insured the house and contents with Admiral. In recent years, their renewals have been pretty competitive, given the prevailing rate of inflation, and I've no desire to revisit it because I've got unlimited fabric cover. The cost of rebuilding something like this is an unknown. I've never made a claim. Last August, my daughter got engaged and so a new diamond ring came into the building. It's not astronomically expensive but it is an item that needs to be identified specifically and it has to go on both contents and "travel" cover as obviously she wears it every day. I've just had my renewal - 20% higher than last year, which is a shocker. I got on to them this morning and was told that as I'd made that change, which is tiny compared to the whole of the cover, the computer had automatically reviewed the whole policy and nothing could be done about it. I said I'd have to automatically go elsewhere then. It transpires that something can be done about it and has been done about it so I've renewed. Don't trust them an inch.
Donald Trump has said that he’s spoken to that nice man Vladimir Pumpkin, President of Rutland, and negotiations regarding the future of Ukraine, an independent country that of course Mr. Trump has no right to speak for, are to start soon. Thank goodness we no longer have that senile old fool President Bygone in the White House. He only had two brain cells to rub together towards the end and was wasting his time thinking about world peace and security when there were all those golf courses that could be built on wheat fields in Ukulele once the population has been forcibly relocated to Gaza. President Trump is a whole 4 years younger than President Bygone and has three brain cells although he can’t find two of them: probably down the back of the sofa.
There’s a saying that a man’s character can be judged by those he considers friends. Donald Trump is now apparently supporting not only the January 6th rioters and Vladimir Putin but also Andrew Tate.
So President Trump is saying that President Zelensky could have stopped the war before it started....so it is Zelensky who is at fault all along. Every time Trump opens his mouth Russia demands more without having to do anything. Russia saying..........No to NATO....No to the EU......No to European troops protecting Ukraine borders. Trump comments on Zelensky still being President without holding elections last year......although the country was at war and under marshall law.......so will that be part of a USA/Russia deal that Zelensky is replaced ? The one thing that I cannot argue about is that the UK/EU should be doing more about protecting itself.....that has been obvious for a long time. The UK/EU between them have no real strong leadership to support the Ukraine being part of Europe and to not be swallowed up by Russia. Russia is basically broke...40% of its finance goes into keeping its military strength up to continue the war....you bet Putin wants to win this war by letting Trump do it for him.......the vodka is flowing in Moscow quite freely at the moment.
Yes and it's a fine thing when someone who challenged a valid election result and who has just pardoned those of his supporters that stormed the US Congress building, some of whom had expressed the intention of hanging the Vice-President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, now criticises another democratically elected president who's postponed elections during a time of war. It's also pretty rich when at the same time, that same person is cosying up to Putin, who's held power for 20 odd years by supressing free speech and "disappearing" anyone who seems likely to challenge him. Perhaps that's Trump's new model for the USA. Lastly, it's somewhat hypocritical to fail to criticise Putin for being a dictator whilst at the same time castigating Europeans who wish to ensure that news output has some basis in fact and that social media channels do not encourage teenage suicide, racial hatred, *****philia and sexual abuse, amongst other things.
Looks like WW3 has moved nearer.....the clock is moving towards a minute to midnight....and we have run down our military to next to nothing.....at least we have two (sometimes) Aircraft Carriers .....just a thought....the biggest military in Europe is umm oh yes...Ukraine. PS...Part of Russia is in Europe but most of it is in Asia (so I haven't counted them).....and that is China and N Korean territory ?
With all this going on, I’ve been watching CNN on TV and looking at the Washington Post and NBC online I have to report that their front pages are full of Trump and Musk’s rampage through the government and the resulting court cases. Ukraine is buried deep or not there at all. Did you know by the way that Musk has sacked all the people that ensure the security of American nuclear installations. By accident. It’s the 6 P’s. Poor Planning Produces Piss Poor Performance.
The Chinese must be sitting there gobsmacked at what is happening like watching a tennis match...head swiveling from left to right.....right to left...etc.
Reassuringly, America has chosen now to test fire a Minuteman ICBM 4,000 miles across the Pacific. This was described as a "routine" launch designed to test the system's readiness. It did however coincide with as similar exercise by Russia. "Sabre" and "Rattling" spring to mind.
This would be funny if it wasn’t so frightening. https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/20/politics/analysis-trumps-13-biggest-lies-first-month-2025?cid=ios_app
With Trump in the White House, it’s clear that Europe will have to spend more on defence. It’s important that’s done efficiently - more bang for each buck definitely applies. The UK is already a partner in the AuUKUs project to jointly develop the next generation of nuclear submarines with Australia and the USA. I read a piece the other day about the three (I think) projects currently at the feasibility study stage to produce a late 5th or early 6th generation fighter jet. As was stated, these things are very, very expensive and Europe as a whole needs to agree on one aircraft. What’s going to be most controversial in some quarters is establishing a European missile defence system, learning the lessons of the Ukraine conflict. Currently we rely largely on the Americans and that won’t do going forward. As these weapons we face can travel very long distances, they are no respecters of national borders, so it makes a lot of sense to have one integrated European defence system. I can hear the phrase “European Army” already forming in some mouths…..
We are in a sort of European Army situation now and have been in some ways for years. The majority of Europe are in NATO which vows to defend members which means Armies combine in support. It just isn't referred to as such. I personally don't see much wrong with the idea.
In the defence of Europe, neither do I. There could be significant issues if there were moves to intervene outside Europe. France for example is still prone to intervene in what were its African colonies. Of course, I can remember that we used to do that too… and often such interventions are needed for humanitarian purposes. I expect you’ll remember the massacres of civilians in the Balkans before we got serious and sent in tanks and jets to put a stop to it. Was that wrong? I don’t think so. In fact, we should have done it much sooner.
I see it's possible that Saturday isn't the only time we might be playing Manchester City over the next 15 months or so..... https://www.football.london/premier-league/man-city-115-charges-verdict-31070624
If Trump gets involved in this, then he’s a bigger sleazeball than I thought, which is quite an achievement. Putin offers Russian and Ukrainian rare minerals to US https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gdx7488g5o
