This is Northumberland Calling 28.2.25

The statements, deals and Balmoral invites edition

Hello America (Particularly Central Ohio) this is Northumberland Calling

“The US and UK have a special relationship… really like no other, passed down through the centuries, and we’re going to keep it that way. We’re going to keep it very strong, as it is.” – President Donald J. Trump https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/1895235579773886901

This was Margaret Thatcher’s view on the matter, expressed in her final book Statecraft: “America alone has the moral as well as the material capacity for world leadership; America’s destiny is bound up with global expression of the values of freedom; [and] America’s closest allies, particularly her allies in the English-speaking world, must regard America’s mission as encompassing their own.” It is also the view Reagan uttered when he spoke to the Normandy veterans in 1984: The strength of America’s allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe’s democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny. Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: “I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.” It is a view which I hold but which seems to be in terminal decline in the last few weeks. This is Reagan speaking in 1984:

and this is the text of his stirring speech at Point Du Hoc in case anyone wishes to read the words which used to define American foreign policy. https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/ronald-reagan-normandy-speech-point-du-hoc/ .

The minerals deal between Ukraine and the US will be signed today. It means the US backstop is an economic one, rather than a protecting democracy one. Trump is transactional. He will ensure that those rare earths can be used for the US’s benefit and thus security will be provided for. Most of the rare earth currently lies under the current frontline and in the parts which Russia seized after its 2022 invasion. It will be interesting to see where the boundaries eventually lie. Again it is worth reading Reagan’s 1984 speech to see why this is such a marked change. (And yes, the real change arguably happened in 2014 when the Obama/Biden administration failed to hold the line and thus ensured Reagan’s dream of nuclear disarmament was simply a dream) At least Trump is saying what the US now believes in. America’s allies now must ensure their part by being as strong as possible (something which also was allowed to diminish but will hopefully be reversed) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/02/28/russia-ukraine-zelensky-putin-war-latest-news528/

As an aside, I see that Trump doesn’t remember calling Zelenskyy a dictator… The vranyo did demonstrate the real power in the White House and who is terrified (see the various tweets of certain right wing commentators from a week ago). Seriously, not literally and try to figure out what Trump is actually trying to do before extreme statements on social media.

All you need is Balmoral and an opportunity to play on their golf course to ensure that Trump says – I support Article V. (I suspect he always did) He sees no reason that Article V will be ever evoked again (the one and only time was by the US after 9/11). Really the Isles of Lewis and Harris should build that Mary Trump trail now as her love of the royal family and British history remains important to her son which means Britain remains special to the President. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2025/02/27/king-invites-trump-balmoral-highly-unusual-gesture/ or https://archive.ph/ThKMl

Here is the analysis for the Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/02/27/trump-starmer-washington-ukraine-russia-tariffs/ or https://archive.ph/wi8ZM It looks like Trump will allow the Chagos deal to go ahead (a mistake I think but what do I know as I remain a Reagan Republican in my world view) He clearly sees Starmer as someone he can do business with and given how much Britain is intertwined with the US, this is a good thing.

The BBC statement on the first review into how that documentary on Gaza was made is damning. The production company knew the narrator had links to Hamas and indeed paid the family. Despite the hyperventilating of some celebrities like Gary Lineker about racism and censorship, the documentary remains pulled. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/statements/gaza-how-to-survive-a-war-zone is well worth a read for the exact words. Perhaps one of the good things which is coming out is how far the BBC has gone down the Omni-cause route. For example in 2013, it decided that it was acceptable to substitute the word ‘Israeli’ for the common Arabic word for Jew to make the speech appear more acceptable to British ears. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/26/bbc-ruled-it-was-acceptable-to-say-jew-and-israeli-are-same/ or https://archive.ph/x26W4

Things are stirring in Syria , particularly to do with the Kurds. It looks the armed wings may dissolve into the new Syrian army. Charles Lister knows his subject and this is his latest. A stable Syria which is focussed on improving the lives ordinary Syrians and defending its borders only is in everyone’s interests imho. It is interesting how close the US is working with the new government. For example the new government is targeting and eliminating ISIS leaders thanks to US intelligence. Getting Syria stable and with a Turkish/Western focus helps the region imho. https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/20/syria-transition-government-kurds-sdf/

You can also read Critical Threats (a joint project with the Institute for the Study of War) on the developments: https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/iran-update-february-27-2025

Because I found it interesting that Jordan Bardella, the president of the French National Rally party refused to speak at CPAC after Bannon’s phony Nazi salute last Friday, I went searching for why Bardella took such a dim view of the antics and did he always. I know Marine Le Pen has worked long and hard to kick out all traces of Nazism from National Rally and to pivot away from her father’s antisemitic views. Apparently Bardella also kicked the AfD out of the European Parliament right wing grouping (Identity and Democracy) last May after the lead AfD candidate made remarks defending SS officers as not being all bad. https://archive.ph/AAG4e In 2018 the co-leader of the AfD, Gauland, said that Holocaust was little more than guano on the sterling history of Germany and called for a change in approach to the teaching of history in Germany. https://www.dw.com/en/afds-gauland-plays-down-nazi-era-as-a-bird-shit-in-german-history/a-44055213 It is a problem if you will for CPAC if they fail to understand that some on the right in Europe still harbour certain sympathies and others will not have anything to do with them. Le Pen has spent 30 years plus trying to distance herself from her father’s views. It would be helpful if people started understanding the difference between the two stances.

Austria has enacted its version of the firewall as all parties refused to go into coalition with the FPO as they are considered too extreme, even though they won the largest percentage of the vote. The dispute was over Russia and Putin. The far right in Europe tends to be pro-Putin rather than pro-Trump and America. As an aside – Austria is not in NATO but does hugely benefit from the NATO security guarantees imho. Ireland is another country which is not in NATO. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/02/27/far-right-blocked-from-government-in-austria/ or https://archive.ph/ZDGBG

If you want to see how institutions gaslight, you should look no further than the Edinburgh International Book Festival which tried to claim that the 40k for gender issues from US Aid never existed. Except the receipts are there. EIBF then tried to claim that they were talking about the 2024 festival which US Aid also gave money to. The question has to be why the US Aid though this was good use of funds earmarked for development and cultural exchanges. No one ever realised that the US government aka the US taxpayer was sponsoring (NB I don’t think the US taxpayer was even able to claim a discount to attend the talks) And of course many GC women have been accused of taking ‘dark money’ from US conservatives when it turns out the US Aid was funding many Gender Ideology projects instead. https://www.heraldscotland.com/newsletters/bulletin/1897/?nid=1897&ref=eb

The Darlington Nurses racked up their first win. Rose Henderson a man who identifies as a woman but possesses no GRC can now be named as the nurse who insisted on using the female changing room (even though legally and biologically male). Note the article uses Henderson’s preferred pronouns rather than his sex based ones. The Employment Tribunal begins on 16 June. It promises to be as explosive as the Peggie tribunal. Again Darlington NHS appeared to have followed Stonewall policy rather than the actual law. Thus they appear to have discriminated against women in favour of men. Compensation needs to be significant. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/27/nurses-win-battle-name-trans-colleague-in-changing-room/ or https://archive.ph/nh5v9

Pompeii continues to reveal its treasures. This time more frescoes. Dionysus initiation. Some of the most spectacular finds of recent years. https://www.msn.com/en-us/arts/visual-art-and-design/rare-frescoes-unearthed-in-pompeii-shed-light-on-ancient-rituals/ar-AA1zQ3o0?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Can a human’s brain turn to glass? The answer is yes, if the person in question lived in Herculaneum. The combo of blasts from Mt Vesuvius turned at least one man’s brain to glass. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/eruption-mount-vesuvius-brain-glass-romans-qjr7vxvgv or https://archive.ph/RTQEQ

Gentle parenting? The backlash is starting as attempts are made to send the theory to the naughty step. Katharine Birabalsingh has some harsh words about the practice. https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/parenting/article/katharine-birbalsingh-interview-children-school-books-8qs5n2ldr or https://archive.ph/PgUa8

I have been dealing with a couple of family traumas this week including saying goodbye to the Volvo v 70 which sprang an oil leak behind the gear box. Not worth fixing. We have had it for 20 years and will go back down to one car. The mechanic is taking it off me which saves me a lot of grief and hassle. Life admin can be a PITA...and I’ve done little writing.

On a positive note – the bees are flying! The snowdrops are out and carpeting the garden in white.

Paddy relaxing and my bee socks in honour of the bees flying!

Paddy is enjoying mud-season. He did have to have a bath…but survived the trauma.

If you want to find me during the week, I have started putting things on Celia M’s Jottings in Purple

which is where a number of refuge FP commentators are hanging out as they dislike the current FP policy on comments. The discussion is usually lively as you might expect from former FP commentators. Depending on how firmly my Procrastination Princess tiara is attached (aka how well my actual writing is going), I may end up getting distracted.

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

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