The second prize It seems that a top American official is lobbying FIFA, awarder of its inaugural peace prize to one D.

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Reset, beset. There is an interesting article in the FT this morning about how Labour may have missed the bus in its attempt to “reset” our relationship with the EU.

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Poor indeed Apparently after the failed peace talks in Pakistan the Iranian delegation’s plane was escorted back to Tehran by numerous Pakistani fighter jets.

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Thank you for your attention..... One of the problems with having an out of control, mad as a box of frogs, dumb, illiterate, pompous, egotistical, bigot as head of the USA, is that it is increasingly difficult to spot the satire.

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Just when I thought I was out. You have to feel slightly sorry for Rachel Reeves, the economy starts growing by 0.5% in the first 3 months of the year, and growth in this next quarter is expected to be 0.4%.

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It is not about petrol prices. Do we really know or understand the scale of the problems that the blockading of the Straight of Hormuz is causing and going to cause?

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A naughty boy I rarely go to church but the last time I went I remember being assured that when Jesus said "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God...

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Tax and spend on defence Many, many years ago George Robertson came to give a talk at my university, we invited him when he was a lowly backbencher and I was mightily unimpressed.

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The toys are out of the pram, again Having totally failed to negotiate a deal with Iran, mainly it seems to me because he would have to concede something, no matter how small to get a deal.

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The art of the deal I do not normally blog on a Sunday but a headline in the Financial Times grabbed my attention.

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It stops here Trump and Vance are still finding time out from their Gulf cock up to interfere in Hungarian politics.

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How many divisions? For me the funniest and strangest thing about the Trump administration trying to bully and threaten the Papacy into supporting its wars, is that anyone in the Trump administration had heard of the Avignon schism and the anti-pope.

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Our best last hope So the American Vice President has found time away from a mad war in the Gulf, which he is supposed to be negotiating an end to, to visit Hungary and campaign for Victor Orban.

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So, Trump was right all along. I have to admit it Trump was right.

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Iran and Brexit It may seem a rather distant connection but the war against Iran is spurring a re-think on Brexit by some in the UK.

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The worst case There are a disturbingly large number of experts, including some who served Trump in his first term, who are openly discussing whether he might be planning to use nuclear weapons in Iran.

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The war of the flea II The news that Iran has managed to shoot down 2 American aircraft should not lead us to get carried away with the idea that the US Air Force is losing the war, or that American dominance of the skies h...

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Comedy is not always funny. The “emulsified, high-fat offal tube” is back.

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Neither far nor fast enough The news that Sir Kier Starmer has realised that getting closer to the EU is the only sensible thing to do, in light of the complete mess that Trump’s America is making of the world we thought we knew...

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As you do, helpful advice for us all.

All ideas welcome. I have been racking my brain to think of a previous case or even example of what President Trump has done to his friends and the world this week.

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What's in a name? Florida has decided to name Miami International Airport, Donald Trump Airport, Trump having already copyrighted the name and several others, so he will get paid for the honour.

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Testing times I see the anti vaxxers have moved on.

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Where did it all go wrong? Yesterday there was a programme on TV called something like “Starmer: Where did it all go wrong?”

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We have nothing to fear but fear itself As I have said before I blame a lot of the current state of the world at the feet of Newt Gingrich, the Republican House speaker who came up with the idea of never admitting defeat, never voting for a...

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Too little, too late The news that expats from the UK will only be able to donate £100,000 a year to any political party is good news, as far as it goes.

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Can we have out plane back, please Mister I can’t say I know much about corruption personally speaking.

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Hiding in plain sight There was $580 million of highly suspicious betting on a lower oil price just 15 minutes before Trump announced “talks” with Iran.

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A shortage of trash Robert Mueller was by all accounts a patriotic, brave and decent man.

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Silver linings Every cloud has a silver lining, or so they say.

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