Let us take a walk around the world and see what is happening.
Student protest is part of the work of being young. Focus matters. Some of the protestors in the US and Canada are using “fuzzy logic.” They support Palestinians but are not sure about Hamas (they should be – they are the enemy). They don’t like Netanyahu (but then, neither do many Israelis). Some are abusing Jews. Others are upset about being upset. It’s a bit of an ideological mess – what Janet Daley (Daily Telegraph) refers to as more of a cult than a focused, organized protest. They aim to persuade their institutions to divest from investments that have Israeli connections, but in fact they mean Jewish connections – not the same thing. Time to end it.
Hamas will be forced to leave Qatar if they do not agree to the peace pause deal with hostage exchange now on the table. Israel will not end the war, the war cabinet says, until the war aims are all met – none have been to date. It will pause. The US wants the war to end within a fixed time – four months. Not looking good. Talks are ongoing in Cairo, with Hamas saying it wants it all to stop.
In England, local electors sent a strong message to the ruling Conservative Party – “You’re done!” The party lost over 390 seats and control of several councils – the swing to Labour exceeded 26% in several jurisdictions. The swing was so big, even a bloke called Karl Marx won a seat in Brinnington & Stockport. They also lost a byelection in Blackpool. Sunak knows he’s done. The party will be dramatically defeated when the next general election is called. It cannot come too soon. Apocalypse now!
In London, Sadiq Khan (53) has won a third term as Mayor of London – a victory for the Labour Party. He was MP for Tooting (2005-2016) and first won the Mayoralty in 2016. A lawyer, he has dealt with some major issues related to policing and transport and now has to reduce violent crime, especially knife crime, which is sharply on the rise.
In Scotland, John Swinney looks like he will be the new-again leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party (he was the “most boring leader of all time”, according to the late Sean Connery – he was SNP deputy leader and later leader) – the third in 15 months. He replaced Humza Yousaf – the Liz Truss of Scottish politics. He will not be there long. The SNP are also among the political walking dead in the UK.
Trump has made very clear that, if he wins, mass deportations will start on Day 1. He is talking about between 10-15 million people being frog-marched out of the US. This will come with concentration camps, military presence on US streets and mass arrests. He is also promising to pardon all January 6th convicts. The man is a fascist disaster. He also, according to court reporters, farts a lot. Civil war is never too far away in the US (some suggest it never actually ended).
The auditing firm for Trump Media and the auditor’s owner were charged with “massive fraud” by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The auditor agreed to be permanently suspended from practicing as accountants before the SEC, and also agreed to pay a combined $14 million in civil penalties. This comes after two executives pleaded guilty to insider trading.
One of the greatest writers of my lifetime – Paul Auster (77) has died. Beautiful writing, great creative fiction, and powerful stories. He will be missed. His New York Trilogy will stand the test of time. He had over thirty books to his name all full of carefully crafted prose and sharply honed ideas. My own favourite is Oracle Night (2003) – about a novelist's discovery of a mysterious notebook that leads him into a labyrinth of nested stories and alternate realities. Sad to see so many icons pass.
Pope Francis, who vowed to be celibate when he took his priesthood vows, is to speak at a conference in Rome which is focused on understanding why birth rates are falling all over the world. One reason: more and more young people are choosing not to have children on the grounds of cost, challenge and risk-avoidance. This is the third time Pope Francis has spoken at this annual event.
Living in Edmonton, it is hard not to notice that the NHL team here – Edmonton Oilers – are doing rather well in the Stanley Cup – beating the LA Kings in short order. Next up: Vancouver for the next round. This goes on for seemingly ever.