As most will know, I’m the eternal optimist to the point of unreality. I hate the eeyore mentality, the frowning pessimists who put a dampener on even the jolliest occasion. But there comes a time when even I worry about the future, not of mine particularly but that of my grandchildren and future generations everywhere.

 

Events in the Middle East are hugely worrying and there seems no possibility that they won’t spiral to engulf the whole region with thousands more innocent people joining the ever-rising death toll. And if by some ghastly trick of the gods Trump gets back in the Oval Office then the outlook will be very bleak indeed.

 

In his new book, Bob Woodward, exposer of Watergate, reveals that in the past three years Trump has had as many as seven phone calls with Vladimir Putin. You can be sure they were not chatting about the weather. He even sent his wicked pal in the Kremlin Covid kits with each telling the other not to breathe a word about the gift.

 

Donald Trump is a very bad man. And so obviously is Putin. They are both habitual liars and have no interest in democracy or peace. Just power and money, money, money. Trump’s current campaign is built on fear, lies and disinformation and the nonsense about migrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio was disproved from the moment they left his flabby lips. So too his lies about the Biden White House diverting aid money for hurricane victims to illegal immigrants.

 

He says that he would settle the war against Ukraine on day one of his new presidency. Is there even one of his demented hillbilly supporters who believes that? Or more to the point would any of them care?

 

As for Putin, he and Trump may be fellow travellers but the head of MI5 Ken McCallum has revealed just what a threat to us Putin is. The UK, he said, is under sustained attack, so far resisted, from Russia and its allies like Iran. Assassinations, kidnap, arson and sabotage have been thwarted but it tells you everything about the intentions of Trump’s buddy.

 

In the case of Iran, MI5 is readying for a big increase in hostilities on British soil if, as it will, Israel ups the pace of its war on Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis of Yemen and their paymaster Iran.

 

Bob Woodward in his book, War, claims that President Biden, while being an ally of Israel, is no fan of Benjamin Netanyahu. He has called him a ‘bad fucking guy’, a ‘fucking asshole’ and that son of a bitch’. (Biden is even-handed in his insults; he refers to ‘that fucking Putin...the epitome of evil’ and Trump as ‘that sick fuck’). Good to know that there’s at least one word the old boy can remember.

 

It’s hard to disagree with those forthright assessments. The Israeli prime minister may yet be charged with war crimes for his actions since October 7 last year. But, given the sheer bloody animalistic savagery of the Hamas attack and the subsequent follow-up from Hezbollah and Iran, was there any alternative?

 

One man thinks so and he knows all about the horror of genocide. Stephen Kapos is a holocaust survivor; as a small Jewish child living in Budapest who lost both parents to the concentration camps this remarkable man, looking and sounding much younger than his 90s, is outraged by Netanyahu.

 

‘What has been happening to Gaza is similar to the industrial methods used by the Nazis to eliminate the Jewish race. The painting of the Palestinian people as worthless is so reminiscent of Hitler. Dehumanising, large scale killings... just like the Nazis’.

 

In the background of course is Netanyahu’s desperation to stay in power by prolonging this war and postponing the corruption charges trial he faces. Fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes, they are in the Trump playbook.

 

All very depressing to say the least; the world is full of bad fucking guys, to borrow from Biden. And sadly I have no doubt there are plenty more queuing to succeed them.

 

*****

On a happier note: Hats off to our lovely friend Ruth Sunderland (fotp) for her brilliant work campaigning for those suffering from osteoporosis. Ruth was diagnosed with the deadly bone disease a year ago and using the Mail and Mail on Sunday, her current home, she has campaigned for making the early diagnosis by the Fracture Liaison Services available throughout the country instead of being victim to the current postcode lottery.

 

Ruth was a brilliant member of the DX City team before upping to the Guardian and on to the Mail. Now, as a result of her work on behalf of osteoporosis which affects half of all women over 50 and 20 per cent of men of the same age, she has been recognised at a reception at Clarence House where Queen Camilla, president of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, told her to keep on campaigning.

 

‘There is still such a stigma about the disease’, Camilla told her, ‘when my mother (Rosalie Shand who died of the condition aged 72) went to the doctor about it he told her ‘You’re old, of course you’re going to have a hump.’

 

Ruth brought her mother Lyn to the reception and reports that thankfully she is free of the disease. Well done Ruth, you always were a star!

 

*****  

 

The things she says: My silly former friend (sacked) Sarah Ferguson posts this gushing announcement to the news that daughter Beatrice is pregnant with her second child.

 

‘Such an incredible blessing and an embrace to my heart. Darling Beatrice, words can’t quite express the joy and excitement I feel as you prepare to welcome another precious addition to your beautiful family. Our family is growing and so too is the love that surrounds us. I cannot wait to see this little one and to see in all the wonderful memories we will make together’.

 

Meanwhile Prince Andrew is still in disgrace and resisting his brother’s efforts to evict him from the 27-room Royal Lodge.

 

Happy families eh?

ALAN FRAME

10 October 2024