Hi Everyone
If you went on the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour in the 1960s, you will remember the song "Hello, Goodbye." Although I was a jazz rather than a Beatles fan, I remember this song in particular as I used it as part of the soundtrack of a film I made at that time called Transistor Dreamer. Fast forward to this week and the transistor has been replaced by digital with the dreamer replaced by harsh reality as Joe said goodbye and Donald said Hello. Probably because we had nothing better to do we watched the inauguration ceremony, a frankly jaw dropping experience. Donald, at a stroke, jeopardised the future of the planet by promising to leave the World Health Organisation and tear up Joe's climate change initiatives. He spent almost five minutes of his speech rubbishing everything that Joe had done for the last four years. He may or may not have been a great President but he did not deserve to have to listen to that especially when Donald had thrown his dummy out of the pram and not attended his inauguration. In fact, I looked back at Joe's speech when he was made President four years ago. He made two brief references to the riots that had taken place a few days before but sensibly concentrated on democracy, unity and his future programme. Like many others, I thought that Joe should have stood aside earlier but I feel that too many people are taken in by Donald's mantra of making America great again and "drill baby drill". All political leaders around the world make promises that they either cannot or will not keep and Donald should remember when he says that all of America is on his side that well under 50% of those eligible to vote voted for him. Our children and grandchildren deserve better than a 78 year old President surrounded by his billionaire buddies. Don't forget that many of them got there by exploiting ordinary working people and the environment.
My latest book has transported me to Italy in WW2. I know that it sounds boring but it was a brilliantly researched book about the conflict from Sicily until the Allies finally reached Rome in June 1944. The Main Contractor's lovely dad landed at Anzio in February as a despatch rider. The Allied forces, after a desperately difficult winter with many lives lost made their final assault to reach Rome on the 23th May. Two days last he suffered a severe life changing leg injury and spent two months in a Rome hospital and a further two months in a hospital in England. Fortunately, the surgeons saved his leg, but like many other wounded servicemen, he could not return to their previous job. He did however quickly adapt to his new situation and continued to provide for his family until his untimely death. It should never be forgotten that so many had to rebuild their lives with very little of the help available today. Sometimes we spend so much time criticising the present system without remembering that, back then, the usual advice was "get on with it".
I read this week that 8000 schoolchildren were asked for their word of the year. The word they chose was "Kindness" which I thought was great until I realised that they were only given three words to choose from, the other two being "artificial Intelligence and "conflict". Over 60% voted for kindness which can only be good but the fact that 7% voted for conflict shows that not all our young children have been won over.
Just a Thought :
Donald's next book should read "How to Build a Wall and Other Things I Can't Finish"
Kind words don't cost much, yet they accomplish much.
Let's not argue about who is right. Let's just agree I am.
Enjoy this week on your very own Magical Mystery Tour.
Brian
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