This is Northumberland Calling 21.06.24

The It wasn’t a debate, but was it a medical emergency or an argument in a care home edition

Hello American (Particularly Central Ohio) this is Northumberland Calling

The papers are full of Biden’s disaster. It was more than a car crash; it was a medical emergency. He froze and he lost track. I note even the NY Times ( https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/27/us/politics/biden-debate-democrats.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3E0.Zbvp._WvtsE5hSwJB&smid=url-share)  and Politico (https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/28/trump-biden-debate-result-takeaways-00165701)  are saying that the Democrats are discussing the fact that Biden must go.  One British commentator likened it to a squabble in a nursing home.

The President of the United States needs to be the leader of the free world. I don’t need a discussion about golf handicaps as that has no relation to how they would govern. Or maybe it does because both of them plan to spend time on the golf course and let their chief of staff (aka the Mayor of the Palace in Merovingian parlance) do the heavy lifting. The Merovingian empire became the Holy Roman Empire when the Mayor of the Place for Neustria  Pepin the Short decided he could do it better. (The Merovingian Empire is basically Game of Thrones without the dragons and a lot more violence and intrigue).  In short I don’t think a gerontocracy is good for the US or indeed for Western civilisation.

Comment and analysis from the Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/06/28/trump-biden-presidential-debate-who-won/  or https://archive.ph/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/06/28/trump-biden-presidential-debate-who-won/

Comment and analysis from the Times https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/biden-vs-trump-debate-golf-age-health-q2crdgzhg or https://archive.ph/https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/biden-vs-trump-debate-golf-age-health-q2crdgzhg

Here the election lurches on.  4 July is the polling date but postal ballots arrived last week and thus voting has already begun. Unless the polls are dramatically wrong (they have been before), Labour are widely expected to win and win big. The Starm-troopers will be on the march… However some in Scotland have yet to receive their postal ballot. This is causing problems for people who have holidays already booked and were looking forward to voting early (but not often) https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/scottish-voters-postal-votes-general-election-3f395n6r3 or https://archive.ph/azkhT

Women’s rights elbowed her way to front and centre because basically Labour, in particular Starmer is weak and vacillating on the subject. They have refused to meet with leading GC Women’s groups. Rachel Reeves was willing to meet with JK Rowling who told her to meet with the women’s groups first and then talk to her.  Rowling’s intervention is a major reason women’s rights are on the agenda for Labour who initially seemed to want to dismiss them as a fluffy issue. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/06/25/jk-rowling-agrees-to-meet-labour-but-sets-conditions/  or https://archive.ph/o9yt1

The Labour Shadow spokesperson for Education failed seven times yesterday say where a transwoman with a penis should go for a pee in a restaurant with only male and female bathrooms. Bridget Phillipson tried to prevaricate and apparently holds JK Rowling in great esteem for her work with women’s refuges. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/06/27/public-lavatories-trans-women-labour-frontbencher-no-answer/ or https://archive.ph/SrGkM

Kemi Badenoch told David Tennant that she was not inclined to shut up just because he wanted her not to exist, thus reminding everyone how misogynistic and  overly entitled some celebrities are. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/06/26/david-tennant-kemi-badenoch-trans-row/  or https://archive.ph/DbZuL

Badenoch is making an early claim for being a Big Beast in Conservatives. It is expected that what ever happens she will retain the Women and Equalities brief. She has likened the proposed Race Equality Act to apartheid in South Africa. She is widely expected to retain her seat. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/06/27/labours-race-equality-act-south-africas-apartheid-badenoch/  or https://archive.ph/jkKR2

 The Bookseller did a mundane article on SEEN in Publishing’s launch. The backlash from certain sectors of the publishing industry demonstrates why SEEN is so necessary. BTW SEEN is primarily focused towards staff of publishing houses, rather than authors. The Society of Authors and the Free Speech Union do try to resist publishing houses imposing morality clauses on authors. As can be seen from some of the response, many agents, marketing people etc have not got the memo that women’s rights and a belief in the material reality of sex is legal and indeed a protected belief. It may cost them in the end. Christina Dalcher who was directly effected by some of this, particularly with her last book not being marketed, has done a thread of the responses: https://x.com/cv_dalcher/status/1806027159628140855?s=46

The Scottish Arts sector remains very worried about what Fossil Free Books did. The Edinburgh International Festival has not cut ties with Baillie Gifford and BG has not divested.  It was a bit of an own goal that one. Arts do need corporate sponsorship to put on festivals etc.  https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/arts-world-faces-existential-crisis-over-corporate-donor-boycott-frszrbpkz or https://archive.ph/ak1qc

India knocked England out of the cricket 20/20 world cup. India is the major tv outlet for the game so I suspect many are happy. England were pathetic in a rain effected match. India will now meet South Africa tomorrow. I suspect India will win.

Glastonbury is on this weekend. You can find the full line up of the acts here. https://glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up/line-up-2024/

Here I continue to work on my revisions, finding plot holes etc. They will get done but I entirely understand my editor’s reservations.

The bees are doing well. They took all the feed and seem to be working long hours. Nothing in the supers yet but they can rapidly fill a super.

Paddy napping after the Incident

Blackbirds fledged in the garden yesterday. Unfortunately Paddy attempted to play with a fledgling and the fledgling did not survive. My husband was not impressed. Poor Paddy did not know he had done anything wrong.

And I have given up on the council removing the tree which fell on the dry stone wall in January (and indeed the local councillor who promised to fix – he has lost my vote)  and contacted my insurance. The insurance surveyor confirmed that yes, it was covered and that the estimated price was actually cheap for removing that large of a tree. Apparently in Scotland, the cost can be up to 6k as removal from a gorge is tricky. Fingers crossed that this happens soon and Paddy can once again enjoy the freedom of the rather large and overgrown garden.

Hopefully everyone else’s week was a good one. I look forward to seeing you in the comments.

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