From Deal to Dread
To save me time researching all the different media outlets, I asked my friendly AI app to collate all the U.K. headlines this morning to give me a number one, and it delivered a celebratory story about a fresh trade deal with the United States. Pharmaceuticals, no less, and it was being held up as proof that “Global Britain” is alive and well. Access to markets, economic growth and a seat at the top table, even if it might result in ever more pressure on our beloved and cherished NHS.
By this evening, though, the mood had radically changed. That story didn’t even make the flagship BBC TV 6pm news. While politicians were busy talking about opportunity, the world had other ideas. The big story tonight, again, is about instability; rising tensions in the Middle East and what that means for Britain. Oil routes under threat, nervous markets, and the very real prospect of higher energy prices feeding straight back into the UK economy.
Today provided a perfect example of how big announcements land well in the calm of the morning news cycle – you know, neatly packaged and carefully explained. But by the evening, the world has often moved on and what felt like the big story is simply left behind.
So, while our government talks about long-term wins, the public is left watching short-term risks unfold in real time. And that creates a disconnect. Not a dramatic one. Not even an angry one. Just a quiet, persistent unease. The sense that progress is always being slightly undermined by events elsewhere. That every step forward comes with a glance over the shoulder.
To me, this is the real story of the day. How fragile a “good news” moment can be in a world that refuses to stay still; how Britain’s ambitions abroad are constantly being tested by forces it cannot control. And in that shift from confidence to caution, you get a far more honest picture of where the country really stands.
Trying to move forward, certainly. But never really on its own terms.
Russian (online) press headlines
I just got back from my late park run, opened an IPA (and two more I have!), and sat down to write the blog. To do the topic, I went to Yandex.ru, which is a Russian version of Google.
They usually have five top headlines (and five more hidden, just click the link to see ‘em).
I am lazy so I am taking three, but these are the masterpieces:
Матвиенко: Россия не будет похищать Зеленского, как США сделали с Мадуро
Matvienko (top chamber speaker): Russia will not kidnap Zelensky, as the US did with Maduro.
Read between the lines: replace ‘will not’ with ‘cannot’ and you get it. Funny enough, but many people in Russia take the initial headline at face value. God bless.
Астронавты миссии Artemis II сделали фото Земли с расстояния почти 70 тыс. км
The astronauts on the Artemis II mission took a photo of Earth from a distance of nearly 70,000 km
Well, yeah. It is hard to beat the fact. Hey, flat Earth believers! On the picture, we don’t see a spheroid, we see a flat circle. So, the Earth is flat after all. Plus, Russian ‘Clipper’ program landed on the Moon in 2015, just like it had been planned. Didn’t you miss it?
NYT: штурмовик ВВС США А-10 потерпел крушение вблизи Ормузского пролива
NYT: A U.S. Air Force A-10 attack aircraft crashed near the Strait of Hormuz
That’s the fact. The interpretation: US Air Force suffered a great loss because of mighty Iranian anti-aircraft forces.
No comment.
For those not involved: Yandex is not a free press, it is self-censored, just like every other Russian-based media. If you want free – and independent – voices, go West Telegram!
Today’s headlines
Mussolini had Black Shirts, Hitler had Brown Shirts, and Trump has ICE. Fascism isn’t difficult and the path is well understood. You need to create a sense of injustice. Something along the lines of “We have been humiliated”. You and me can fix it but we need a STRONG leader.
Then, we need some group we can crush. It can be anybody as long as they are a distinctive group we can single out. Hitler had Jews, Trump and Mussolini had immigrants.
Of course, there are other steps needed; like gaining control of the legislative and judicial branches. We also need control of the media so nobody can criticize us. An alternative history is helpful…
The final step: get control, total control, of the military. That’s my subject for this article. Yes, Iran is getting the headlines this week but it’s control of the US Military that’s the real prize. Trump has asked the Military to cross the line again and again. Each time, a little further out; a bigger ask.
Here’s a name you may not know – General Randy George. He is actually the guy in charge of the US Army. Well, he was, Pete Hegseth fired him. George joins more than a dozen high-ranking generals fired by the Fox News host with the goal of gaining complete control of the Military. There’s still a distance to cover to get unconditional obedience but there’s progress.
Look at the arc of events. First, make a small ask; kill people in fishing boats. Yeah, it’s a war crime but not anything huge. Fire a few for not following those orders. Thankfully, others quit so there were no big headlines. We will bomb a few places but then comes a little bigger order – kidnap the leader of a nation. Again, fire anybody who complains. Then, a little bigger; an air war in Iran. No explanation, just a whim. Fire those who raise a ruckus. That’s where we are now; tighten the vice a little more and demand obedience.
While not the big headline for today, I’ll argue this is the story to watch. If Trump can pull this off, he can truly realize his dream of becoming the most powerful leader in history. A fascist dictator for the ages. President of Planet Earth and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.