Colaterial damage in the Ukrainian war

This week we return to why pausing this blog usually fails - rapid grown up post inspirations that don't fit the other blog - rather than what I'd much prefer to writing about.

It was reported late Tuesday that two people were killed when a couple of missiles landed at a farm in Poland.

This was about 3 miles from the border with Ukraine that itself had received over 80 missiles falling on its towns and cities destroying or damaging buildings including homes fired by Russia.

Much of the initial discussion around this incident in Poland centred more around whose rocket it was, something hard to reach a clear conclusion on given both Ukraine and Russia do have some identical missiles and that missiles can go way off target.

This conflict added more to the emotional feel as we marked Remembrance on Sunday.

Current thinking suggests it may be more likely to be Ukrainian fired from an anti missile unit but in a way it really doesn't matter that much as the issue is more one of was it deliberate or not as that if it had been Russian fired would of been a major issue for NATO.

It is a reminder that this conflict started by Russia can easily spill over to other countries in the same way Moldova has reported power losses following attacks on Ukraine's electricity systems probably because of being interconnected.

Ukraine had every right to stop rockets landing where they cause harm but Russia alone is responsible for the attacks and how they are impacting other countries.

The rocket attacks need to stop as are causing harm to all.

Remembrance weekend edition

 After two entries that went into current affairs

 

I enjoy a bonfire night as much as anyone but the other thing GirlGuiding is involved in around this time of year is Remembrance  which will be marked today with Armistice Day and in two days time on Remembrance Sunday.

Having taken part in Parades it has a bit of a sombre nature because we think about what men (and women) did both at home and on the battlefield to preserve the liberty, freedom and way of life we have and the sacrifice of lives given to have succeeded in it against great odds in WW2.

It is important for people, especially children to know about this so in guiding with the help of people such as the Royal British Legion, girls are taught about this as in a good number of schools they are too.

 

Here we see Guides and Brownies going to the cenotaph as many will this weekend placing their wreath upon it as a symbol of our respect and appreciation of what those people, often young gave for us and our country.

We will remember our war dead.

Of tax and climate action

 

While I wait for the chaos around the about bloomin' time changing of a tap downstairs to subside - and why is it you want to go just when there's no chance to flush? - I'm just looking at some of the important stuff that needs doing.

We know on the 17th the Annual Autumn statement needs to be published by the Chancellor which I am sure will feature some tax rises to claw back the money lost by the Albatruss in her short period apart from the black hole in the reserves that existed at that point when she and her chancellor tried to borrow a massive amount to secure tax cuts with no clear plan to pay it back.

It's quite probable a sort of tax on energy firms profits might feature even if not perhaps in name given both the need for revenue and the fairly widespread feeling they are profiteering from peoples misery.

The other side of it is that some support for people and business who are struggling with the step rises in energy, food and fuel is likely to be needed over and above that that has been done so far.

Mortgage and Rent rises too are causing a lot of concern not least because failure to keep up with does leave to loss of a place to live fairly rapidly.

It was a surprise to see that outside King Charles III's special event to be held prior to COP27, the climate change conference, Mr Sunak decided to actually attend it given he'd previously indicated he felt there was more important domestic business he needed to do.

Could it of been being out staged by ex Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying he was going lead to this? Possible as was the criticism both from people such as the Green Party you might expect but also from some of his own back bench Members of Parliament whose voters are interested in Climate Change and what globally we can do about it.

A lot of store was placed on last years COP26 in Glasgow but there has being much backtracking from commitments because of both the energy issues with alternative and renewable energies not quite filling the gap left by nuclear and fossil fuels when it comes to making electricity.

The other is of course the weaponization of energy with Russia turning off the gas to continental Europe which has raised prices for all and the War itself Russia is engaged in against Ukraine.

I must admit I'm wary of big conference events such as COP not least because it seems to me little is achieved that justifies the time, effort and yes even energy used when many of the Worlds biggest polluters who prioritize short term growth over keeping with sustainable year on year reductions in C02, "air miles" and the like.

It's like you want to talk green and really not do much beyond changing the window dressing and yet climate change and its impact on our only planet is very real.

I do wonder if Mr Sunak's first though might of had some merit? 

A resumption of stable governance?

Finally we *may* have an end to the chaos of the last five and a bit weeks following Friday's about time too intention to resign statement from the Prime Minister Liz Truss following the final straw for many of an amazing premiership-amazingly inept and incompetent-of a motion to move a Fracking Bill that descended into farce of the first degree last Wednesday.

There was a foreshortened selection process for the leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party where three members of parliament were touted by supporters but with Boris Johnston deciding his standing would only lead to more disunity undermining his abilities and Penny Mordaunt being unable to pass the one hundred nominations threshold Rishi Sunak was the only one standing with a large majority of nominations.

Given the speed of all of this, the headline of Monday's papers was soon superseded by Mrs Mordaunt's withdraw from the contest late Monday Morning even though she had little support.

Thus by Monday we knew Rishi was to be the Leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party but under our constitution the previous Prime Minister's resignation has to be presented and accepted by our Head of State, His Royal Majesty King Charles III and after that he sees and asks the new Leader of the largest party in the House of Commons to be the Prime Minister in whose name he governs to Form a Government.

 

That in practical terms means with having a clear majority incoming Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after having a meeting ("audience with") the King, returned to No.10 Downing Street to deliver an sobering speech to the Nation and get on appointing Ministers many of which will attend daily Cabinet meetings with him.

This is an important event, the first ever appointment of a Prime Minister of Indian heritage, the son of immigrants following the then ground-breaking appointment of its first ever Woman Prime Minister in 1979.

It is a clear indication that sex and race are not impediments to getting on and holding supreme power in the Conservative Party as much as it, like the remainder of society does hold some prejudiced views in its members. 

It is interesting to note this has not yet been matched by the socialist Labour Party which makes more play on integration and inclusion.

Given he was a very successful chancellor during Lockdown striking a balance delivering much needed help while keeping a lid on finance and does understand finance well given his former employment, I feel if anyone can set us on road to dealing with the unprecedented crisis of inflation in food and fuel bills and a stagnant economic growth it is him.

Friday rambling post

 

The pantomime season is still running in the pinnacle of Adultland with duelling onstage and shouts off it from the peanut gallery in the Commons so while that nonsense is playing out in the Alice In Wonderland world we appear to be stuck in my thoughts are elsewhere.

I should be getting my fourth Covid Jab in few days time, the Winter Booster having got that booked given I hadn't been call in by the local doctors online that seemed to easy enough to do and any having come close to collapsing in the street and being very ill afterwards to it I know it doesn't pay to ignore it.

There should be coming a replacement record as one I bought looked rather worn with no shine to the groove and some deepish marks on the second side which given the music has a lot of contrasts does rather make itself heard.

The legendary grump actually got around to replacing the main house stereo as it developed a fault effecting the input switching and tone controls with a second hand unit looked like a shop return that with the model being replaced for the next season they couldn't do much with.

Apart working like a treat I'm glad of that as last time I HAD to replace it as he just wasn't bothered.

A few of my favourite things

This week hasn't been the best week with some anxiety raising stories in the popular press and the usual childish antics in Parliament so armed with rope, I'll skip over that to things I do find comforting.

I like this illustrated traditional children's poem a lot.

 I feel at my best with my cute stuffies either on the shelf or when I handle them and taking time however hard it may be look pretty helps to shift more downbeat attitudes and cycles of "don't care".

Halloween will be upon us soon and although we may need to wrap up in the evening I find time spent making halloween related things like masks and pumpkin lanterns is relaxing especially if you can do it with friends.

A spot of listening to music is something I love, transporting me to other more enjoyable spots and these recent recordings by the Sinfonia of London with scores from the Big Screen and new to me music by the composer John Ireland are just great for it.

Sort of sorted - craziness revisited

As I type this out it is raining heavily and so we'll kick off the first edition of the month  a bit where we were.

Money, your friend and mine started getting into a bit of a mess last week probably because firstly there was nothing to show how the mini budget was costed, the Office of Budget Responsibility seemed somehow to of been ignored although it plays a part in presenting the budget and there also appeared a disconnect between the Bank of England, a super important player and the Treasury.

The latter HAD to but back Bonds to shore up the value of the Pound because the lack of any of the things that might give you the feeling this mini budget had been fully thought through and costed up to and including a report by OBR just were not there.

Making up for lost time with the loss of ten days to mourning can be understood - having a change of Prime Minister with the cabinet changes  at the same time as the death of one Monarch and the appointment of another was exceptional - but this mini budget was extremely important and while having sorted out the messy idea of borrowing while eliminating the upper income tax rate which at least is doing the job of restoring the pounds value, nontheless some 65million was spent before the simple step of just dropping that ill thought out idea was made on Monday and it still leaves interest rates and by extension Mortgage interest rates historically higher for people.

While I have personally felt interest rates needed to rise as in some fifteen or more years the well-being of savers had been neglected - interest rates of a quarter of one percent were frankly a nonsense - the manner this has been reversed has damage confidence in how the economy is been handled just at the point we needed it with all the other issues we face.

I just hope more thought and planning is put into the autumn financial statement in November as this has been damaging episode.