On the health front, I’ve had a slightly troubling hiccup recently with dizzy spells and a loss of balance. It may be connected to my ears, or perhaps it’s another gift from dementia.
Our ever-helpful GP suggested I come in for a kind of “MOT,” which we booked without difficulty. I was also invited for my annual flu jab, which I’m very much in favour of.
While Sal was away at a charity lunch in London, our eldest, Alex, came by for lunch. We had a good, quality chat. He’s very bright, and being in his forties, he always gives me a sharp, younger person’s perspective on politics. He’s generally closer to Labour and the Greens than I am, but like me, he dislikes incompetence and constant negativity.
For example, he said that in its support for local communities and high streets, Labour should talk less about what they plan to shut down and more about what they’ll build up and encourage. Later, we watched GB News together, catching a frustrating debate about benefits and pensions.
Like many of his generation, he feels mine has been given unfair favouritism by successive governments, while his has been left with the short straw. I can see his point.
Internationally, Donald Trump dominated the news last week. His state visit and press conference included bizarre claims linking autism with paracetamol (Tylenol), which the medical and scientific communities quickly and thoroughly debunked.
He also delivered a marathon speech to the UN General Assembly, Castro-length, as Alex remarked, recalling when he saw Castro speak in Cuba back in 2000 for nearly five hours!
Alastair Stewart: A troubling week on the health front. Perhaps it’s another gift from dementia
| GB NEWSThat said, Trump hit a few targets. He pointed out that some European nations claim to back Ukraine against Russia while still funding Russian aggression by buying oil and gas.
He also challenged the UN, asking what purpose it really serves; angry letters and resolutions don’t bring global peace. He called for an end to the arms race and to the development of biological weapons.
By contrast, President Zelenskyy told the UN that more arms were exactly what Ukraine needed. He even pledged to share his country’s drone technology with other threatened states.
Meanwhile, Russian fighter jets entered Latvian airspace, prompting Trump to warn that NATO might shoot down future trespassers, a terrifying escalation.
The whole situation reminded me of my childhood in Scotland, when my RAF father often played cat-and-mouse with Russian bombers skirting the North Sea coast. That shadow still lingers today. Zelensky warned early on that Putin wouldn’t stop at Ukraine unless repelled. It seems he was right.
On the home front, Andy Burnham told The Telegraph that Labour MPs were urging him to challenge Keir Starmer. As Alex observed, it will be interesting to see if one of his Manchester colleagues offers him a seat. But even for Andy, competent, charismatic, and popular as he is, a by-election victory is no certainty.
We are living through turbulent and fascinating times, both globally and domestically. The King of Spain, speaking eloquently at the UN, celebrated the contributions of Sephardic Jews to Christian Spain, stressing that all were welcome, even those from the former diaspora. He also expressed heartfelt sorrow about the suffering in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the UK formally recognised a Palestinian state, as promised. That may make Starmer’s Prime Minister’s Questions less repetitive, but it has cost him some love and respect in Washington.