Kmflett's Blog

An intra-class war has broken out in Ambridge with the BBC reporting that the long delayed opening of Grey Gables is due later this month. Lower Loxley which is in effect owned by a trust but run by Elizabeth Archers has been losing staff to Grey Gables. Its unclear whether they are paying more but it has never been revealed who the actual owners are. A Big Hospitality outfit almost certainly. They will certainly want someone to replace Adil who is reportedly off (to Lower Loxley)

The Vets

Alistair is unhappy about a Head Office edict that the vets must sell stuff to clients as well as treating their animals. Denise is even more unhappy about it but is actually a far better sales person than Alistair. Who knew? Meanwhile Denise has organised a dance fit class. We are slowly ticking off the January fads after alcohol free beer at the Bull. News of Veganuary is awaited, even Wetherspoons is doing that.

Helen and Henry

Both Helen and Henry have been for therapy this week. Formal and informal. A reminder that mental health is important but also a reminder that it should not be an issue just for the better off elements of Ambridge.

Faced with a barrage of village idiocy from Natasha, Tom and Tony, Helen has threatened to leave Ambridge. After a number of recent departures and given that Queen Camilla is a fan this seems rather unlikely

I new book the death of Queen Elizabeth 11 at Balmoral in September 2022 has revealed that as his mother lay on her death bed, Charles had popped out to clear his head and forage for mushrooms.

The now King Charles has a reputation for idiosyncratic behaviour, particularly with fountain pens. However research indicates he is a mushroom obsessive, foraging for them near Balmoral. and well aware of the different varieties.

Once collected they are cooked and frozen and can be used for up to a year specifically in one of Charlie’s favourite dishes, risotto.

Asked for the thing he most associated with Charles Tony Blair is reported to have replied mushrooms.

Its unclear however whether the King is keen on the Liberty Cap the collection of which has been illegal since 2005

According to the Guardian (12th January) the most recent update to the Oxford English Dictionary lists two meanings of Woke. The link between the two is clearly tofu

“Wokery” and “wokeism”, disparaging nouns meaning “progressive or leftwing attitudes or practices, esp. those opposing social injustice or discrimination, that are viewed as doctrinaire, self-righteous, pernicious, or insincere”, were added. Another definition of “wokery”, denoting a restaurant, food counter, or kitchen serving dishes using a wok, was also included in the update.

13^th Jan: Marches in 45 countries for a Gaza ceasefire v Biden, Sunak & Starmer for war. The reality gap

In an echo of the London Stop the War march on Iraq on 15^th February 2003, part of a global anti-war movement, on 13^th January there is a march calling for a Gaza ceasefire in London. It assembles at lunchtime at Bank in the City and marches to Trafalgar Square/Whitehall.

Its just one of 45 marches around the globe on 13^th January with the same focus. Because of the history of British imperialism in the Middle East it might be argued that the London protest has particular significance. In reality though mobilisations of working people around the world will be of equal importance.

Standing against this will be Messrs Biden, Sunak and Starmer who on Friday formed a coalition that bombed Yemen, in reality in defence of Israel.

It will be interesting to how the reality of mass global protest is reflected in the media, where it is. Of course in 2024 social media means that videos and words of people marching will be seen, whether official media gatekeepers decide to notice them or not.

Most likely there will be a reality gap between the direct experiences of millions marching about Gaza and a media that mostly ignores that experience on focuses on warmongering. That gap will be noticed and it will be a political education for many.

In the 2001 General Election, nearly a repeat of the result of 1997 Labour had a majority of 167. At the next Election in 2005 Labour’s majority dropped to 66. Tony Blair was replaced by Gordon Brown as PM in 2006.

In between the two Elections was the Iraq War. It was opposed by a significant number of Labour MPs (Blair didn’t have quite such an authoritarian focus as Starmer, dissent was freely expressed) and saw the biggest ever protest march in UK history onn 15th February 2003. The war has become even more unpopular since and has a limited number of warmongers who still think it was a good idea.

The drop in Labour’s majority was undoubtedly due in large part to opposition to the war. This focused on Muslim voters, and saw George Galloway win Bethnal Green and Bow from Labour on an anti-war platform. The vote was far wider than that however and undoubtedly included those just fed up with the difference between Labour’s plan to create a New Britain and the limited progress that was actually made.

Fast forward to 2023 and we find another Labour leader, Keir Starmer, supporting a war in Gaza. It is not a popular war with the public, polls suggest around three quarters of the public want a ceasefire. Starmer is flat footed as a leader compared to Blair and doesn’t have a large majority to lose since he is in Opposition.

Its unlikely particularly given the current debacle of an ever more right-wing and incompetent Tory Government that Labour will lose a 2024 Election which is just as well, despite Starmer. The lesson of 2005 and what followed is that in supporting an unpopular and murderous war Starmer is doing very significant damage to his chances of hanging around as Labour leader and PM. Blair’s departure underlines the point

From South Africa to Yemen. British imperialism & the revenge of history

Those many of us who campaigned to end apartheid in South Africa will have noted some rather too rare signs of progress in history on Thursday as South Africa took Israel to the ICJ in the Hague accused of genocide and war crimes.

Of course while solidarity helped to bring down apartheid it was the ANC and South African workers that did the actual job. The post-apartheid  State has had its issues (as does any Government) but in bringing the case to the IJC it has provided a reminder that the Global South organised in BRICS does not sign up to the imperialist warmongering agendas of the US, UK and EU. Indeed it is these countries who are now isolated globally, although you might miss this from reading UK media.

Meanwhile, coincidentally or not the US and UK were planning military action against Yemen because the Houthi Government has been disrupting shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians.

From 1839 to 1967 Britain was the colonial power in the area, specifically in the imperial base of Aden. Britain left Aden in a hurry in late 1967 in the wake of increasing attacks and protests by anti-imperialist groups.

Since then Britain has armed Saudi Arabia to police Yemen which it has been doing until recently. Its not now because the situation in Gaza makes it too politically difficult. So the UK and US return to the Middle East twenty years after Iraq.

The Tories backed apartheid South Africa and have consistently backed Israel (in the main, there are Tory Arabists). Labour (in the main again) opposed apartheid and sections of the Party and the wider labour movement have become increasingly pro-Palestinian as the true nature of the Israeli State has increasingly revealed itself.

Starmer who is (rightly) keen to win an Election might have a word with Blair about the electoral impact of supporting military adventures in the Middle East.

The way out of this as with South Africa is opposition on the streets, in workplaces and colleges. 15^th February 2003 when well over a million marched in London did not stop the Iraq War but it laid down a template for future warmongers, that warmongering would have political consequences.

The Guardian

Since 2010 Britain has been governed for the majority of the time by Prime Ministers who went to Eton- Cameron and Johnson. The exceptions were May (not eligible due to gender) and Sunak (Winchester). The population has had the piss taken out of it on an unparelleled scale.

In that context there is a significant irony that the new term at Eton has not started this week as planned because flooding in the town has a sewerage overflow meaning the gents at Eton are not operable. A better image of Tory Britain is difficult to think of.

Thames Water is responsible for sorting matters out, and while Eton schoolboys are working from home they may care to check to see if Mummy or Daddy hold shares or indeed sit on the Board

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/10/eton-mess-college-delays-school-term-as-flooding-causes-toilets-to-back-up

I don’t do Dry January but rather Tryanuary, seeking out a new beer or beer style I havent had.

Of course people don’t drink for all kinds of reasons and I’m a firm believer in low and no alcohol options (of a drinkable kind) being available in pubs.

Dry January has clearly been popular enough for a section of capital to make money out of it.

According to a survey by the Grocer low and no alcohol beers are significantly more expensive in supermarkets in January than they were in December.

For example the price of Guinness 0.0 (which in my view is a decent drink that doesnt taste much like Guinness) has increased by 22.3% in Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose (not that there is a cartel or anything!).

The supermarkets claim that the price differential is due to pre-Xmas promotions but in reality the price has been hiked when demand as its highest.

Sir Tim Martin has called Dry January a cult btw although since its one that involves profit I expect he is still interested up to a point

Beard Liberation Front

10th January

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearer, has said that President Macron’s attempt to relaunch French centrist politics with the appointment of a new clean shaven suited Prime Minister Gabriel Attal won’t work.

Macron is under threat from the far right to fascist politics of Marine Le Pen who in 2023 ordered her representatives in the French Parliament to adopt a clean shaven suited appearance.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said of course Macron’s neo-liberal centrist politics are at the root of the decline of his political support. However image in politics remains important. The President is well known for his general hirsuteness and would do well to revert to the beard he previously wore and urge his new PM to do the same