Kmflett's Blog

The Art of the Deal plays out as Kemi Badenoch backs Tel Aviv & Netanyahu uses the ‘ceasefire’ playbook

The ceasefire in Gaza, while of course anything but, does mean at the moment that less Palestinians are being killed and injured. Some more aid may be trickling through.

For an Israeli Government that consists of hard and far right rogues any agreement is only just a passing point on their wider territorial ambitions for the Middle East. That was underlined by Netanyahu’s September attack on Qatar. It also no doubt reminded Trump that it’s the US that’s the imperial power in the region and it’s the US that arms Israel.

Hence for Tel Aviv a ceasefire does not mean a ceasefire but rather bombing and shooting a bit less. The Tel Aviv playbook dictates that as soon as possible a ‘reason’ will be found to say that the ceasefire has been ‘violated’. Hence currently the aid that is meant to be getting into Gaza now is not getting there.

Whether Trump has the interest to enforce the deal he has done is unclear. The Art of the Deal is all about doing a deal, not what happens after.

Meanwhile as John Crace reports in the Guardian the Commons has been discussing the ceasefire. The result might well be an imperial settlement but that is still better than a genocide. That matters for ordinary Palestinians. Labour and nearly all Tories (and Tice) hoped it somehow works.

Two people stood with Tel Aviv, Kemi Badenoch and the DUP’s Sammy Wilson

One after the other, the Tory MPs lined up to implicitly condemn their leader. Edward Leigh was first to speak. He was concerned not just that Hamas were openly executing Palestinians, but that nothing had been agreed either on ending the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank or on the formation of a Palestinian state. Kemi would have just been happy for the Palestinians to live among the rubble for eternity.

Others soon followed. Andrew Mitchell, Julian Lewis, Kit Malthouse. Even Oliver Dowden couldn’t find a nice word to say in support of Kemi. Their contributions were all measured and constructive. Rising to the occasion. Keir made a point of thanking each and everyone of them. They were from a former Conservative party which he had once known and respected. Another world.

Even Richard Tice came across as the voice of reason. A surreal moment for all of us. You get the feeling that deep down, Dicky is an establishment man through and through. Much more of this and he will be out on his ear from Reform. The only MP to channel his inner Kemi was the DUP’s Sammy Wilson. Kemi should think long and hard about this. If your target audience is Sammy, you’ve almost certainly picked the wrong side.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/14/keir-starmer-back-on-familiar-ground-after-walk-on-part-in-the-trump-show-in-egypt?CMP=share_btn_url

The 500,000 plus who marched for Palestine in London on October 11^th, Italian workers taking strike action and protests around the globe offer some hope of a way out of the bleakness. There is a lot of history here not that you would know it from a 24 hour news media, mostly intent on relaying messages from Washington and Tel Aviv

Alex Callinicos: Will Trump make the ceasefire stick? – Socialist Worker

The latest Wetherspoons beerfest has just finished. Notable was that it featured a sour beer on cask, brewed by Adnams.

The beer is not new, first brewed in 2018, using Huel Melon hops with cucumber added at the end of the brew.

Sour beers, a style often associated with ‘craft’ or ‘indy’ beer, often appear on draught in keykeg format or in can. A cask sour is, I think unusual (I await correction) and it appearing on the bar at Spoons is I think a first (again I await correction).

I’m a fan of sours. Adnams described the beer as ‘tart’ which is about right. It is recognisably sour but not lip puckeringly so.

Looking at UnTapped the comments are much as might be expected. The beer is a sour, its not ‘off’. Not for everyone like many beer styles but expanding the taste possibilities of beer seems to me to represent a small bit of progress in history (something in short supply these days)

Nigel Farage was campaigning in Caerphilly last Friday. There is a by-election for the Senedd seat following the unfortunate death of the incumbent.

Needless to say despite the fact that Caerphilly is very far from a multi-ethnic community, Reform are campaigning on the Welsh Government’s Nation of Sanctuary status. In practice this actually means that Wales has accepted numbers of Ukrainian refugees, some in Caerphilly. It can be understood why Reform opposes this given the number of appearances its leader has made on Russia Today (the channel was banned in the UK in 2022)

However the real interest was where Farage was going for what is the centre piece of most of his days, the Proper F*cking Lunch. This usually consists of a pork chop, or a meat pudding washed down with several bottles of claret (and a beer or two chaser to start).

Caerphilly has a perfectly good Wetherspoons but its not really up to doing a PFL.

The media were somewhat remiss in reporting where Farage did go for lunch, suggesting that it was not a media opportunity. That said Patrick Maguire in the Times did report it. Farage went to a pub in Treharris and had fish and chips (it was after all a Friday) and a pint of Rhymney beer

I doubt if Farage has become a pescatarian (as Starmer is when he remembers) so it was clearly a media not a PFL lunch, except it doesn’t seem to have got much coverage

I’m not naming the pub btw. Farage would no doubt remind that he can go into pubs as he wants (although his natural habitat is the w(h)ine bar). That doesnt mean the pub backs his politics

Hot Chocolate. From the Situationists to Wetherspoons

One of those interesting details of the 1968 London protests against the Vietnam War was the activities of the Situationists. The foundation text of Situationism is Guy DeBord’s The Society of the Spectacle. It focuses on how capitalism has become a giant consumer advertising exercise, promoting consumption.

On the 1968 protests against the Vietnam War in Grosvenor Sq, where the US Embassy was until recently (now a hotel) while many were shouting about the US getting out of Vietnam, the Situationists were chanting ‘Hot Chocolate, Drinking Chocolate’. One account suggests that Mick Jagger who was there was influenced to write the rhythms of Street Fighting Man based on the chanting. Hmmm

Fast forward to 2025 and the latest Wetherspoons controversy is that unlimited refills of hot chocolate in the chain’s pubs are no longer allowed. Note. Hot chocolate is still on sale, the aim is to limit consumption based on new health measures introduced on October 1^st. Essentially these ban ‘buy one, get one free’ offers on foods and drinks high in sugar, salt etc. It seems like a reasonable public health measure but of course those who like gammon in Spoons are determined to call it a ‘nanny state’ thing.

Meanwhile hot chocolate, drinking chocolate is the kind of thing one can imagine Trump saying in a speech were it not for the fact that he prefers cola.

Sir, Various have been the conjectures concerning the ingredients made use of in the composition of that species of malt liquor called porter. It has been falsely imagined by some, that Thames water was essential in the making of good porter. But this notion has been long since refuted – it being well known, that divers porter-brewers use the New River water only, and to as good effect – add to which, excellent porter has been long since been brewed, not only in towns in this country, distant from the Thames and New-river, but at Philadelphia in North-America.

Kentish Gazette 1783 (from Brewery History Society)

Fuller, Smith & Turner (now owned by Asahi brewery wise) dates back to 1845 but given the Chiswick brewery is based by the Thames its likely that at least originally Thames Water was used

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_River_(London)

Margaret Thatcher was a very powerful, rightwing force in society. She followed her beliefs and had clear objectives. Her policy was to reverse the trends in modern politics that were made possible by the trade unions being legalised. She decided to eradicate the power of the unions, undermine local government and privatise assets – and these were the three policies of the labour movement.

It was a major attack on democracy and at first it carried some public support, but then it became unstuck, and in the end, it was rejected. But ideas always come back and the modern Tory party is influenced by her ideas.

Although I thought she was wrong, she said what she meant and meant what she said. It was not about style with her; it was substance – I don’t think she listened to spin doctors, she just had a clear idea and followed it through.

I remember her at the funeral of MP Eric Heffer. I was asked to make a speech and as I was waiting, there was someone behind me coughing. It was Mrs Thatcher, and at the end I thanked her for coming and she burst into tears. She had come out of respect for someone whose opinions she disagreed with.

Guardian 8^th April 2013

Steve Bell was wrongly purged from the Guardian. He remains however one of the sharpest commentators on recent British (and beyond) history. Above is his design for Thatcher’s 100th (b 13th October 1925).

As ever its available from Philosophy Football. Details below

What better way to ‘celebrate’ than Steve Bell’s centenary designs exclusive to @Phil_Football

From here : https://www.philosophyfootball.com

Beard Liberation Front

13th October

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that it is no surprise that Green Party membership in England and Wales has risen 50% to 100,000 after Zack Polanski was elected leader.

The Green Party Conference was found to be the most beard friendly of the autumn conference season, while the Green Party has, arguably, more beard friendly policies than others represented in Parliament

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, we have always said that despite the clean shaven nature of much, but not all, of the top of UK politics, that beards are politically popular. Zack Polanski seems to give this some credibility. He must be prepared however to fend off attacks from those who demand to know what policies he is hiding under his beard.

Guardian report

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/12/green-party-reaches-100000-members-for-first-time-after-polanski-becomes-leader?CMP=share_btn_url

Margaret Thatcher was born 100 years ago on 13th October 1925.

This week sees a number of events to mark the occasion, probably the most significant of which is a dinner (with speeches) at the Guildhall in the City of London. Tickets seem to start at £195 for a three course dinner, canapes, wine etc, although dynamic pricing seems to be operation.

Political dinners have a very long history so, so far, nothing remarkable. However who is attending and speaking is of more interest

The Guardian reports

Boris Johnson will make a keynote speech at the event, the Guardian has been told by its backers, joined by the main speaker, Thatcher’s son, Mark, and guests including Joan Collins, Julian Fellowes and Jeffrey Archer.

If you are too young to know who Mark Thatcher is a quick Google may be of interest

The events main backer Mohamed Amersi has been a Tory donator but now backs Reform. Reform MP Tice will also be there, but Kemi Badenoch will not…

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/12/tories-reform-uk-battle-heirs-margaret-thatcher-legacy-100th-birthday?CMP=share_btn_url