We awoke yesterday to a really cold day in prospect with the temperature here in Bromsgrove said to fluctuate between -1° and -5° all day. The news bulletins are dominated by a most bizarre press conference held by Donald Trump the day before. I was sort of half listening to the press conference whilst looking after Meg yesterday but could not quite believe my ears when I heard Trump claim that wind turbines (which he calls windmills) were sending the world's population of whales mad and wind turbine electricity was the most expensive to produce. The truth is, of course, that solar energy and wind power are now among the most affordable renewable energy sources globally, and experts anticipate these costs to remain low for years to come. But the really scary part of the Trump diatribe was when US president-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out military or economic action to seize the Panama Canal and Greenland - as he said he believes NATO spending should be increased to 5% per member state. Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Mr Trump made a series of sweeping claims on what his policies could look like when he takes office on 20 January. He said he believes NATO spending should be increased to 5% per member state, while he also declared US control of Greenland and the Panama Canal as vital to American national security. According to the NATO doctrine, an attack on one member state (Denmark which as sovereignty over Greenland) is an attack on all but what is NATO supposed to do if the attack on a NATO member comes from the United States itself? The West is in a real double bind about how to deal with Trump because it is unclear whether all of this is just bluster and bluff or whether he actually intends to carry out what he promises to do. The president-elect says owning Greenland is vital for US security, but experts say he may also be eyeing other aspects of Greenland such as its trove of natural resources — including rare earth metal — which may become more accessible as climate change melts the territory’s ice. It is unclear in the Trump bluster whether he just wants to 'buy' Greenland (an autonomous part of Denmark which is not for sale!) or whether he intends to seize it by military force. In a similar vein, Trump has refused to rule out a military seizure of the Panama canal which at one time he variously claimed was given to Panama by Jimmy Carter and then 'given' to the Chinese. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino firmly refuted US President-elect Donald Trump’s assertion that Chinese soldiers are controlling the Panama Canal, calling the claim 'nonsense' And to round off a series of bizarre claims, Trump insulted the Canadians by calling them just the 51st state of the USA. Yesterday was the day on which our Eucharistic Minister accompanied by our parish priest was due to call around to administer the Last Rites. These used to be called 'Extreme Unction' but was retitled to the much more explanatory 'Sacrament of the Sick and Dying' and is typically administered to a parishioner close to death - the various accessible limbs are annointed with a holy oil and then communion administered. I always thought I was going to find this process a little traumatic and so it proved but I managed to keep my sobs largely at bay during the administration of the prayers. The parish priest was very sympathetic and kindly but it was a relief to me when the rite had been administered. When this over, I defrosted the car and shot down the hill to pick up the newspaper and then the doctor arrived, as he indicated that he would, towards the end of the morning. To my very great surprise, and even that of the doctor himself when he set foot inside the door, Meg was awake and responded with a smile. The doctor made the normal range of checks and then both he, and I, came to the conclusion that the administered penicillin was having the desired effect and as Meg appeared to have turned the corner as far as this infection was concerned then we should finish the entire course of antibiotic and not trouble the doctor unless things took a turn for the worse. Earlier today I had filled in a webform requesting that a district nurse call around but it was one of the more senior doctors who actually made the call for which I was duly grateful.
When the cold snap is as severe and prolonged as this, it is hard not to have it dominates one thoughts and actions. The temperature is predicted to fall to -16 degrees on Thursday evening and this is surely a blast of pure Arctic air. We may have to wait until next Tuesday for the weather to improve. After we moved into this house some 17 years ago, we seemed to have a succession of snow-laden winters and, as we have to clear our own drive, we invested in an appropriate range of shovels and snow clearing materials. But latterly we have got used to a succession of fairly mild winters so the present spell of bad weather has come as a nasty shock. It is important that Meg and I can get out of the house and see people so it was particularly gratifying that we managed to go to town yesterday and we hope to see our friends again on Saturday as well.
In the House of Commons, yesterday was PMQ (Questions to the Prime Minister). Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, has condemned the abuse directed at safeguarding minister Jess Phillips after Elon Musk's attacks on her. He had accused the minister of being a 'rape genocide apologist' and a 'witch', claims Ms Phillips told Sky News were 'ridiculous'. Ms Badenoch said 'any abuse directed towards MPs is obviously disgraceful and should not happen'. That having been said, there is an enormous cosying up the Trump and Musk even before they take up their official positions. One has to say of Trump that he was elected more or less fairly and squarely but apparently Elon Musk feels free to take pot shots (mainly at the British Labour government) merely because he is the world's richest man and owns 'X' (ex-Twitter) one of the most influential social media sites.
© Mike Hart [2024]