Labour got what it deserved in the humiliating Gorton & Denton by-election last Thursday. It had a chance to hold the seat if Starmer & his clique had let Andy Burnham contest it, but they didn't want him back in parliament because he was seen as posing a threat to their fraying hold over the party

It never rains but it pours for Starmer & the Labour government. Mandelson was appointed to Washington because, untrustworthy though he is, he's an unorthodox fixer & sending him to the unpredictable dealer-in-chief in Washington, DC, was one possible way of getting Trump onside with Downing Street

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has become a painful embarrassment to the monarchy. Apart from his stint as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War, he has shown himself to be an extremely poor judge of character & a pompous buffoon. Worse still has been his wretched behaviour to others across the globe

Once again yesterday tragedy struck in the mountains when three more skiers were swept away by avalanches. Skiing off piste even with a local instructor should be a no- go if the avalanche warnings in the area indicate dangerous & unstable conditions. Too many lives continue to be lost in this way

I wish the Starmer government wasn't an accident waiting to happen. I think he is a bright & sincere guy, but the opinion polls suggest that many in the British electorate see him as being distant, weak, disorganised, uncharismatic and ineffectual. If he can't change that perception, he won't last

I'm looking forward to seeing the Women's Downhill in the Winter Olympics tomorrow & cheering on Lindsey Vonn, torn ACL & reconstructed other knee, notwithstanding! What an epic skier she's been & what a comeback she's made this year @ the age of 41! She may not win on Sunday, but she's epic anyway

I've just heard the official audio of Bruce Springsteen's 'Streets of Minneapolis' on You Tube. If you haven't heard it yet, please listen to it. Those ICE thugs & the abhorrent regime that sent them to the city are a stain on society. Make no mistake, they will eventually be indicted & face justice

What we see & hear from Minneapolis is very scary. ICE is out of control & in those circumstances bad stuff happens. What's shocking is the fact that so much of this violence & abuse of human rights is captured on film & it still doesn't stop them. What is the US becoming? It's already a rogue state

Just as we feared but probably expected, Trump & his minions have come to Davos to denigrate Europe in the most abusive way. Anyone who talks of Greenland and repeatedly calls it Iceland as Trump did, is losing it. Our national press organs need to point out that age has caught up on The Real Donald

I finally got to watch Oppenheimer tonight 2 years after it won the Oscar for best picture & cleaned up most of the other film awards for 2024. I thought it was absolutely superb & in some ways a movie masterpiece. Biopics aren't always convincing but Oppenheimer was rivetingly authentic throughout

How anyone in their right mind isn't embarrassed by Trump is totally beyond me. What on earth does that say about the MAGA crowd? Not much, alas It's true that not all Republicans are utterly stupid, so those who are credible & still bend the knee to this obnoxious clown are really beneath contempt

Trump's tariff threats to a few of the Nato allies unless they support his acquisition of Greenland shows him for what he is - nothing less than an egotistical thug. A year into his 2nd term, he remains an acute embarrassment while his malevolent regime continues to get more dictatorial by the day

Today sees the latest haemorrhaging of the Tory Party with the defection of Robert Jenrick to Reform. What's that metaphor about rats leaving a sinking ship? In this case though Kemi Badenoch, hopeless though she is as leader of the pathetic Conservatives, has booted the rat out! Over to you, Farage

Gunboat diplomacy is back & Trump is glorifying in it. I have no time for Maduro, but forceful regime change sets an unhealthy precedent not just for the US but for other aggressive states as well. Unfortunately with Trump, any enemies of his (& there are many) are now fair game. Where does it stop?

Mercifully, we are almost a quarter through this appalling presidency. I find reading about Trump & his dreadful acolytes too much to take. I know the US is much better than this administration is showing itself to be. Every fawning gesture to this bully from those seeking his favour is sickening!

What on earth is the CDC playing at by appointing a vaccine skeptic, Dr. Ralph Lee Abraham as its second in command? He was utterly incompetent during COVID & hasn't improved since. I feel sorry for those living in the US with the current toxic Trump regime in place. US, alas, now stands for Unsafe

One of the great TV series of all time was called 'The Ascent of Man', a 13-part presentation by Dr. Jacob Bronowski. I have just re-read the book that accompanied the BBC series back in 1973. I enjoyed it half a century ago & it remains a timeless classic even now. It would make a superb present...

Russia shouldn't be allowed to win the war with Ukraine just because the impatient dealmaker-in-chief Trump needs a foreign policy success to bolster his claims for a Nobel Peace Prize. If the US won't stand up against Putin, Europe must do so, otherwise we're conceding that might is right. It isn't

Just been listening to an outstanding address on 'Britain in a Changing World' by Sir John Major at the LSE. I never rated him as a prime minister but like Gordon Brown he has become far more impressive out of office rather than in it. His views on the wretchedness of populism were superbly drawn

Appeasing Trump isn't the way to stop him from abusing his power. Bullies - and he is as big as they get - see weakness as inviting aggression. They see soft pedalling from opponents as a pathetic attitude they can exploit. Trying to be nice & cooperative just increases a bully's vindictiveness

Like millions of others apparently I've been watching the BBC TV series of Celebrity Traitors set in the Highlands of Scotland. I didn't imagine at the outset that I would get hooked on it but I did. Amazingly for such a talented bunch, the Faithful were utterly inept! Only Joe Marler saved the day!

I know that Stansted Airport & Ryanair get a lot of flak from travellers but I honestly think both have upped their game considerably in recent years. At one time I avoided both in favour of Gatwick & BA. Not any longer...

So glad that there was a massive turnout against Trump at the 'No Kings' protests across the US yesterday. Potus was furious & his responses to the millions who walked in parades against him was as crude, absurd & degrading as one might expect from an exceptionally unsavoury individual & his minions

If you want to hear a superb podcast on War, check out Prof William Hurst's new series Explorations on War from the Centre of Geopolitics at Cambridge University. Episode 1 is excellent ranging from Greek mythology to the present day & shows the multifaceted & changing nature of war through the ages

One of the most delightful things about being in the academic world is coming across young scholars who have real talent. We are so fortunate to have such enthusiastic & committed individuals in our Department of War Studies at King's College. Our students benefit greatly from being taught by them.

Pete Hegseth is not only a very unpleasant individual but also a tool & a blunt one at that. He's part of an administration that is full of incompetent & talentless people & led by a geriatric who is losing it big time. Where on earth does Trump find these assorted misfits? Bethpage Black?

At last Starmer has begun to attack both Farage & Reform. For once he has come across as a leader. Labour needed direction & a message of hope that could go out to the British electorate. We aren't gutless in the UK & we need to face the challenges that have arisen & overcome them. Let's be positive

For dramatic excitement & incredible nail biting viewing, the last day of the Ryder Cup was almost indescribable. Incredible golf was played under absolutely gut wrenching, adrenaline pumping circumstances. I had a sense it might be close but not that close. Fantastic entertainment. What a result!

Every day, seemingly, the news out of the US gets more bizarre & unfortunate. On multiple levels this administration is remarkably turbulent & unforgiving. How can anyone be against science, medicine & education in the way that it is? It almost defies belief. MAGA won't happen with these policies.

Keir Starmer, alas, is an accident waiting to happen. I don't see him ever being able to make himself relatable to others & isn't a patch on those who are natural communicators even if they are despicable. Labour & the UK needs Andy Burnham. I hope we get him. He'd present a real challenge to Reform