Where do we start? Sorry, it has to be Trump. His interest in Greenland is primarily financial not military. His billionaire cronies, such as Ronald Lauder, have investments there and plan more. And the blame for Trump’s actions - on the streets of America, in Venezuela, in Gaza, in the Ukraine, in failing on climate change and US healthcare - lies with the Republican politicians who could have impeached him. They could have barred him from politics for good, but didn’t. I’m not the first to note that Trump is beyond parody - how about this, reported by the Israeli paper Haaretz: ‘Trump called for Iran’s leadership to be replaced, telling Politico that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is “a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people”.’
Jonathan Cook noted blatant double standards closer to home:
Chief constables, these are the rules:
* Hire serial rapists.
* Recruit sadistic police officers who boast of beating detainees.
* Let officers strip-search a child because she’s black, without a parent present.
All ok.
But block violent Israeli football hooligans who chant genocidal, racist threats from descending on your city and you’ll be hounded out of your job.
The real topic, avoided by focusing on the Maccabi Tel Aviv / AI case is this: It is beyond time to block Israel from all sporting and cultural events. In the same week, Rachel Reeves proclaimed herself a ‘proud Zionist’. I wonder which part of the word Genocide she does not understand.
There has been drama at an even more local level - at North Devon Council (NDC). On Monday I attended a meeting of the Strategy & Resources Committee - to observe, asI am not a committee member. I was particularly interested in the discussion on whether the council should end its Trade Waste collection service, which has 2000 users but is run at a loss. Twenty users have been consulted about the proposed change. There are arguments on both sides. The vote on the motion to end the service was tied but the chair, the Council Leader, David Clayton, had a casting vote: the motion was carried. However, the matter was raised at the Full Council meeting on Wednesday evening by my fellow-Independent (including Greens) group member, Cllr Peter Jones. He has many residents in his Witheridge ward who will be negatively impacted by the end of the Trade Waste service. Cllr Jones proposed that the matter be discussed again, including a much wider consultation with users, by the Strategy & Resources committee. The vote was 17 for the motion (including me) 18 against and an at least one abstention. However, a petition was started that same evening: We need 1000 signatures asap to spark a Full Council Debate on the continuation of the Trade Waste Team! It reached that number in about 24 hours and is well on its way to 1500 signatures this Sunday morning. You can see it and, if you wish, sign it here: https://c.org/SRYnDgYScK
Photo: Gerry Duffy, Business Manager, The Bridge Trust, welcomes visitors at a coffee morning and tour of the building
Despite the Trade Waste furore, there is much to celebrate in North Devon. Planning committee approved a new social housing project in the former post office in Ilfracombe. There are to be ten social housing units in Barnstaple as part of the major building work at 36-37 Boutport Street. The radical refurbishment of Bridge Chambers is close to completion. The old magistrate’s court in the building will become a new performance space, with other public spaces plus a cafe.
I was also glad to see a late addition to the Innovates exhibition at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon. We always wanted to include Algapelago and now they are part of the show - but do hurry if you want to see it before it closes on Saturday 24 January -
We have had some glorious January days, with bright sun lighting up the pussy willows. The Goldfinches and Linnets are still performing murmurations near us and we saw a dozen Red Deer racing up Codden Hill in the sunshine yesterday morning. Finally, a book recommendation: You Must Live - New Poetry from Palestine (Copper Canyon Press, 2024) is the latest publication sent to members of the PalFest Bookshelf. It is full of remarkable, heartbreaking poems. Thank you for reading.
