This is Northumberland Calling 2.1.26
The New Year but same old politics edition
Hello America (especially Central Ohio), this is Northumberland calling.
Happy New Year
The Iranian protests are ongoing. No one knows where they are going to lead. Iran has huge infrastructure problems. Most of their wealth since 1979 has been channeled towards creating conditions for Islamic revolutions in other countries rather than towards supporting the Iranian people. Tehran nearly ran out of water back in the autumn as the system of reservoirs etc has failed to keep pace. Iranian currency has been collapsing since November and inflation is running rampant. Who knows if it will be enough. It is worth reading the British politician Tom Tugendhat on what is happening. He knows the area. He called Syria correctly last year. He spoke out against trying to move the regime towards moderation. He rightly says the current rot can be traced to back January 2020 and the death of Qasem Soleimani (something which Trump quite rightly ordered). These are his latest thoughts:
In the US, the civil lawsuits re children’s gender medical practice by the de-transitioners are about to start. The first begins in New York and then the focus shifts to Portland Oregon. It is going to be interesting.
In the UK, MPs from all parties continue to try to get Streeting to stop the Streeting trial into Puberty Blockers. Children cannot consent to irreparable harm for something which might be a passing phase. No objective test exists to say which child with gender discomfort will go on to develop full blown Adult Gender Dysphoria and who will out grow it. That the adult clinics didn’t bother to keep proper data or records speaks volumes, but it should not be used as a pretext to conduct further experimentation on children. https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2152405/wes-streeting-puberty-blocker-trial is a plea from Tory MP Rebecca Paul and Labour MP Jonathon Hinder (Hinder is Blue Labour btw).
Bridget Philipson continues to stall re the single sex guidance. Dr Stephenson, the new head of EHRC has again said that the guidance is sound and legally robust. Philipson continues to try and placate the trans activist lobby. Single sex must mean single sex. That there should be sufficient universal access accommodation (aka uni-sex and sometimes called disabled accessible) for those who require it is another matter. Mixed sex is not single sex. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/01/01/labour-lost-focus-on-why-single-sex-spaces-matter/
The inquiry into why the police banned the Maccabi fans and then tried to cover up the reasons continues. The police have now apologized for using flawed intelligence and for seeing to say that Jewish groups supported the ban (they did not). https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/police-apologise-jews-maccabi-fan-ban-9hggz5f7t or https://archive.ph/tW6yX
Alexander Stubbs, the president of Finland wrote a very interesting article in Foreign Affairs about the emerging new world order and why Finlandization is to be resisted. It is about the move from a multilateral to a multipolar world, the new alignment of the Global West, East and South. The old global agencies need reform. The article is entitled The West’s Last Chance https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/wests-last-chance
I found the article particularly interesting as I have been reading Lyse Doucet’s The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan. The old king who was disposed in the mid-1970s pursued something call bi-tarafi which was basically trying to playing both sides of the world order. This is something Stubbs is suggesting that India and other nations in the Global South are trying to do. It does make for an inherently unstable world. The book is fascinating btw and concentrates on the fortunes of the intercontinental Hotel in Kabul from its opening in 1969 up to the present day.
Here:
Paddy and I have been visiting folks, including spending the night in Kendal in Cumbria. Paddy was a very good traveler but pulled out a nail when he was racing about at Kendal Castle. He is now recovering and dislikes wearing a sock.
The ruins of Kendal Castle where Catherine Parr was reputed to have been born are interesting. Kendal initially made its wealth on wool and leather. Parr’s grandfather had totally refurbished the castle in the late 1400’s. When he moved closer to London, the castle fell into a state of disrepair. https://visit-kendal.co.uk/see-and-do/kendal-castle-and-heritage/kendal-castle/
Kendal green was a specific type of coarse woolen cloth which the town became known for. The woolen mills continued until the late 19th century with the last mills really closing in the 1930s. https://www.cumbria-industries.org.uk/wool/
My daughter introduced me to Kingfisher who are currently one of the biggest bands in Ireland. They remind me of Mumford and Son. Their big hit was Killeagh.
Next week more normal service should resume as 2026 gets into full swing.
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I so hope the Iranian protests lead to real change and the end of that oppressive regime.
We have this long list of things we say children are too young to decide - buy a gun, drink beer, sign a contract, age of consent - and yet there are people who think children can make severe, life altering decisions about “gender”. It’s madness. I hope the lawsuits succeed in a big way.
The Iranians have made attempts before, Obama did nothing to help them a decade ago, hopefully this time they throw off the mullahs.
To central Ohio, sorry about Ohio State, but go Hoosiers! 😀
Thank you Michelle, Happy 2026 to all!