True friends

You know old Guesty sometimes (most times) comes across on these pages as a bit of a pessimistic grump. Perhaps it is my age but although I am generally a happy man, I find that venting my opinion in writing cleanses my brain and is an exercise in organising ones thoughts in a clearer way. Today I want to say a word about true friends, of whom I have had many over my life. 
Friends are a treasure and if that is more of a sentimental comment than you are used to from me, I really mean it. Friends who truly understand you and with whom you can discuss almost anything are to be treasured. Their company is easy and comfortable. They will help whenever they can and you will help them if it is asked. You do not need to know why, friendship is enough. If they are in trouble or illness has struck, you support them and they support you. Of course you do not always agree. Honest opinions are one of the ingredients of a true friendship and are why they work.
I am lucky to have a few true friends but though only a few they mean a lot to me and I am certain their friendship will never end. 
So, at what many consider to be a special time of year, make time to  reflect on these special people in your life and never take them for granted, you can have all the material items there can be but nothing is as important as good friends.

That time of year

Normally about this time of year it is my habit to write something disparaging about the coming festivities, commercialism and all the hype that goes with it! This year I have decided that in spite of the fact that I still feel the same way about the whole ridiculous mess, that I am not going to, instead, I am reflecting on a year. A year where the world lost a lot of well known and important artists! A political landscape which went against all the so called accepted wisdom! A world where violence continues to create, death, tragedy, homelessness, wrecked lives and seems to have no end in sight! A world where some of the old enmity between East and West reared its ugly head once more! A world where many of the rich and powerful continue to abuse their wealth and power! A world where self-interest and xenophobia has become more prevalent! A world where material gain is still sort in a never ending parade of spending! A world that nature shows that it is the most powerful of all forces! A world which continues to judge people by the colour of their skin, religion or gender! A world that has shrunk in our ability to get to all places but has grown in our inability to be inclusive! A world where the warped and twisted interpretation of religious doctrine drives believers in to unspeakable acts of terrorism because others do not believe what they do! A world we are destroying in so many ways that it is impossible to keep up! 
Now in case you are beginning to think that I have lost my normal " half glass full" attitude let me assure you that I am still optimistic!  
Why?
Well we have a world, where people still care about others! A world where heroic acts no matter how large or small are carried out every day! A world where there is love! A world that the majority of people live in peace! A world that in spite of differences dialogue goes on! A world that has friends who care! A world where there are enough of us who condemn bigotry, hatred, violence, racism, mysogeny and prejudice. A world of wonder and beauty. A world of humour, wit and satire. A world where kindness is done!
I could go on and on and usually I do but I think you get the gist.
The world is full of danger and uncertainty but it is the only one we have!

OLDER

It has been a momentous year and of course it is not yet finished, I am sure there will be more to come before it finally creeps it's way into 2017. I have never understood why we place so much importance on each passing year and the punctuation of days, that mark each one. It seems that we humans have a natural predisposition towards marking time as it passes. The older I get the more important those things become that in my youth seemed less so. Perhaps it is the fate of all people as they grow older to understand the unique bond that it is family (and good friends). Our relatives will require extra attention as they age into the run up to their demise. The Who sang "I hope I die before I get old" they did not sing "I hope my family cares for me when I get old" but this is what we must do. Well the good lady and I have got to that stage, which so many people experience and our children will too, when we have to do what we think is best for our parents. Are they able to really look after themselves, how long can they continue to function with independent lives?
My mother in law is struggling, she is simply old and the fragility that goes with that age has began to affect her quality of life. My father is similarly affected and he is even older!
So what does one do, one naturally does what any son or daughter should do and try ones very best to look after them. It is not easy, its life.The parent becomes the child and yet we still want them to be that parent that we always knew and loved, it is a strange dilemma. Reality has to be faced and care must taken to strike the balance. It can be very difficult to explain to a parent that this is for their own good when they are frightened and lonely and are only to well aware of their own mortality. Death is just another stage of life a natural end to our biological clock running out of time. None of this is relevant, however when guiding a aging loved one to get through the daily rigors of their everyday exsistance, no amount of philosophy or explanation is necessarily going to help 
As a society it is imperative that we quickly get to grips with an aging population, which I am not that far off joining.
So to all of you who are taking the responsibility to look after an elderly relative or friend, however hard it is remember it is your love and kindness that makes their lives better and although it is hard it is always the right thing to do!

It is time to use your voice

You know when one has been around a while, you think you have a handle on how some things in this world work but in reality the longer you are around the less you know or at least the what you think you understand is befuddled and far less easy to understand.
In recent times the world has become unstable and results no longer seem, to many of us, to make sense. We feel out of touch and disengaged with what we have come to believe are the stable tenants and the norm. It appears that nobody is right or everybody is wrong! The so called establishment is not trusted and why should they be. The political elite and those with money and power and so far detached from the most of the population, they simply have no conception of what is going on. They talk and pontificate, promise much but deliver little. People like me sit on the sidelines sniping away on social media, spouting empty words into the ether, complaining but presenting no solutions or suggestions. Collectively we have largely forgotten or are to apathetic to actually get off our arses and actually be heard!  So much needs to be changed, so much has become mired in red tape and bureaucracy. Simplicity and clarity are in short supply, no one says exactly what they mean for fear of being misinterpreted or being taken out of context. 
Well this old diplomat is fed up to the back teeth with all of this crap. Our politics is shit. Many of our politicians are as much use as a one legged man at an arse kicking party. We get the people we deserve, we've had Cameron, Johnson, Osborne and Farage, he is a grinning poisonous knob-head and now we have Trump, another absolute git faced, hair wobbling, gurning, tosser. Teresa May, someone who wanted to be PM so badly she managed to do it without having any agenda at all and is rushing headlong to wards exiting Europe, without any real plan, simply because the "people have spoken". Corbyn what is he all about, has all the qualities of paint drying! There are worse leaders in the world, who are far more dangerous and evil than any of these but it does appear to be joke time in the in the old political arena, unfortunately the joke is on us!
So I urge you all of whatever persuasion your views may be to make your voice heard , not by the means of banal social media but by the almost forgotten method of protest, written, public, passionate, heartfelt! The vast majority of us have been apathetic for far to long and it needs to stop! I may shout from the roof tops that I disagree with you but at least we will be talking and let us do it using real language and honest words.
Our system is failing us and it is up to us to repair it and not the so called politicians, many of whom are University educated career politicians who have no fucking idea what real lives are like.
Stand up and start shouting do not retreat into your comfortable apathy and say its not your problem and there is nothing we can do about it, history proves that we are the only way things can change!

Election

Well, well, well,well, it had to happen the Yanks have gone completely ga ga and voted for the impossibly coiffured, idiot billionaire. I can't say I am surprised the way this year has gone it makes sense. Neither candidate was a choice that was palatable but really! So we ask what happens next, well this old diplomat is frankly unable to make a coherent statement anymore as it seems whatever the sensible opinion of all right minded people, it matters little as the lunatics have literally taken over the asylum! Somewhere in our history, enough people have become so disenchanted, that they will grasp hold of any straw in order to effect what they hope will be change and too many people believe they can go back to a time when they were supposedly better off, they can't, you never ever can. Maybe, just, maybe they are right and we of the opposite persuasion are wrong, my heart sinks to think that may be true. Bare in mind this man has never held public office or any official position, I am so flabbergasted that  who knows it could be a good thing. With all the things he has said and threatened at such a controversial level it is hard to know what to think! Do we get the politicians we deserve, I suspect we do. To many people disengaged and lost in a world of smart devices and I understand the irony of writing that in a blog! 
4 years of the Trumpster, let us hope he does not do to much damage , maybe actually becoming President will make him realise the responsibility he has taken on, though one fears a man with that much ego, may not resist wanting to wield that much power!   
I have tried to be balanced but what I really want to write is fucking hell what a disaster, sorry I did try! 

A little of the Devil

When you travel as I have done around the globe you meet many different types of people, some good, some bad, some regrettably of a nature that appears to be so evil that it is difficult to comprehend that such a person exists or how their nature made them that way! Now I am no believer in spiritual matters God, Devil, Angels,Heaven, Hell and all that stuff, not for me I'm afraid. I like the concept but to me it has no more a truth than a good comic book!
I have been unfortunate to meet two men in my professional career that I would term as truly evil, one was an African dictator, whom I had the misfortune to deal with early on in my career and about whom I've written elsewhere. The other I met much later when I was near the end of my time in the service and the good lady and I were contemplating how we would use our retirement. 
By this time my service as a full time Ambassador had come to an end and I was spending my final couple of years as a special adviser, when and where I was needed. It was almost a return to how I had started my career, only this time I had seniority and was never under "orders" just requests, with which I was pretty much given a free hand to handle in the true Thorn manner!
One such request found me in Miami. Much as we would like to believe that the world turns on good deeds and peaceful morals, most of us are sufficiently savvy to understand that the two things that really drive people to do what they do, is money and power. Both are an addictive aphrodisiac and can corrupt the purist of natures.
Florida's capital, Miami, is a hot place full of life and colour and colourful characters. Like most it has a thriving sub culture where the criminal fraternity operate. It is my experience that where there is crime it is usually sheltered by the umbrella of the perfectly legitimate. Like all human activity there is always light and dark, it is reality, we might not like it but perhaps we need the dark in order to recognise the light! Anyway enough philosophizing and on with the tale! 
I had been sent to sound out a business man Santana Diablo, with regard to a military contract that our government was keen to use his company for. Diablo owned a huge weapon making armory. He supplied many countries with weapons and it was rumored that he had no scruples as to who he supplied, consequently he had become immensely rich and powerful. I was there to asses whether the British government should get in bed with such a man. My instinct told me the answer before I ever got to meet him. He was a well known recluse and guarded his privacy jealously, therefore details about him were almost non-existent. It was known that he often refused to meet even very high powered and the rich and famous and I had been told that he could still decline to meet me, even though the it had already been arranged. His mercurial nature lead him too often and suddenly decide to cancel all business until he was ready to talk and often left deals hanging in limbo for weeks.
I was travelling solo and had left the good lady back in our home in England, where no doubt she was keeping herself busy with her large group of friends, whom I jokingly referred to as the Shire Mafia!
I had checked in to the Mandarin Oriental, I was lucky enough to have an old friend, Billy McClean, who was on the board of the Hotel and a quick call to him had easily secured me a penthouse suite and I admit I taken full advantage of Billy's generous nature. As they say it's not what you know.............
I had settled into my rooms and was just pouring myself a small snifter when the phone rang.
Hello Guestling Thorn speaking.
Sir Guestling Thorn said a very cultured female voice at the other end Good to hear you have arrived, my name is Valeria, I am Mr Diablo's private secretary, he has asked me to call to confirm your meeting with him in two days time.
Yes of course, thank Mr Diablo for me, won't you.
In the mean time Mr Diablo has told me to inform you that his Casino, The Sixty Six Six, will welcome you and that a line of credit has been established should you wish to gamble and all other sundries are complementary.
Most kind I replied somewhat surprised
A car will pick you up to take you wherever you wish just ask at the concierges desk. 
The same car will deliver you to meet Mr Diablo please have a pleasant stay until then. Goodbye Sir Guestling. The phone went dead and I found myself staring at it in disbelief.  
I took a long pull of my scotch. I called Billy and was delighted to find he was free.
Billy and I had become friends many years ago when we had been thrown together almost literally in a house in Budapest, as we had both just arrived to be stationed in our mission, in those communist days we did not have an embassy. We hit it off straight away, had quite a few adventures together and had stayed in touch ever since. He'd left the service when he inherited his families fortune. Billy never cared much for material things and had over the years become quite philanthropic, supporting and funding many charities and projects to which he donated generously. The fortune he had inherited was vast so it did not make much of a dent. His only weakness was a succession of failed marriages, 5 by my last count. His divorces were all amicable and he was very close to his five children and now his six grandchildren. Billy was one of life's good guys, he had decamped to Florida some years previously and loved the place.
Guestling you old bastard, I cannot tell you how tremendously good it is to have you here! Was his greeting when we met down in the hotel bar.
Likewise Billy you are a sight for sore eyes, how the bloody hell are you.
Never better, never better and the good Lady, I trust she is well and still married to you?
Well eventually all caught up, we got down to some serious drinking, whiskey of course and then Billy took me to a favourite restaurant of his, I forget the name but I do remember the Cajun cuisine which was delicious. I also remember Tequila!

Barcelona '94

Mr Guestling Thorn, Mr Guestling Thorn, paging Mr Guestling Thorn. My name filtered through to me as if from a long way away and I realised I had been dosing in the rather comfortable armchair in the foyer of one of the grandest hotels in Barcelona. I called the boy over I am Guestling Thorn. He gave me a slightly startled look, I could not blame him I must have looked in a frightful state, clothes rumpled, bleary eyed, disheveled. I have a message for you Senor, he handed me a brown manila envelope. I took it and gave him a tip. He skipped away relieved to have left this rather mad looking Englishman. My appearance was understandable, in so far as I had arrived a few hours before from Paris, had not time to change and come straight form the airport to the hotel. I had left in a hurry under instructions from London and in particular from Giveny the man I occasionally worked directly for. I had little time to prepare and hurriedly packed a few things which were sitting at my feet in a rather battered but serviceable leather bag. I had learnt right at the beginning of my job in the Diplomatic Corp to travel light and purchase the things one needs, if available, locally.

It's urgent Guesty, get there fast as you can, a package will be waiting at the hotel. My succinct instructions from Giveny. I was used traveling at a moments notice as the need arose so it came as no surprise.

When I got to the said hotel I thought to sit for a minute just to catch my breath and then get the package but I was exhausted and had started to fall asleep. I looked at the envelope, it just had my name on it, nothing more. I opened it and a note and silver key fell out into my hand. I unfolded the note. It was typed and read as follows: TAKE THE KEY TO THE MAIN RAILWAY STATION AND OPEN THE LOCKER THE NUMBER IS ON THE KEY.

Short, slightly cryptic. I assumed whatever was to follow would become clear when I opened the locker. I decided to freshen up a little and got up in search of the men's room. I briefly thought about calling Giveny but I knew that had he wanted me to do so, he would have said so, his instructions were seldom anything but precise.

Slightly cleaner and with my clothes smoothed out I hailed a cab and instructed the driver to hurry.

Now if it reads as though I was in some kind of secret spy story, cloak and dagger, danger all around, then I am afraid you will be disappointed, nothing so exciting or exotic. This was nothing more than a matter of urgent diplomacy but even that could be quite clandestine when the situation called for it! No doubt there was a requirement for me to smooth the waters or calm some issue that had perhaps got out of hand or misunderstood. Giveny liked to use me for such things and I had often been parachuted in, to troubleshoot a problem that needed my special set of skills.

The driver pulled up outside the station terminus, I paid him and crossed the large concourse to the doors. I had no idea where these lockers would be but quickly I saw the read the signposts and hurried to their location. The key number was 567, I found it and unlocked. I admit I did look around to see if anyone was watching me before looking inside, I did not expect to find someone doing so and it appeared that was the case. I pulled out a leather attache case. It looked and smelt brand new. I resisted opening and viewing the contents there and retreated to one of the many cafes, ordered a coffee and unzipped it. Inside I found a file with a note attached to the front cover. The note read: For your information with an address. I opened the file. A photograph of a rather handsome man maybe in his thirties stared up at me. He was smiling and had perfect white teeth. I vaguely recognised him but could not think of his name. The next sheet told me. Mathias Mendez, that name was familiar to me. Mathias Mendez, 54, Argentinian, poet, political activist, diplomat, was the brief note under his name. The next page gave a potted history of Mr Mendez and explained that due to his profile in his homeland and his governments antipathy towards him he had exiled himself to Europe. He had many connections there, due to his time in the diplomatic service but this had also brought him into conflict with their policies, which he very loudly disagreed with and had quickly found disfavor, he was unceremoniously thrown out of his job. Once released, he continued to be rather vocal, in his criticism and due to the fact that he was famous author of poetry in both his country and internationally, he was listened to. Naturally the ruling party took a dim view of his actions and it became increasing dangerous for him to remain. He therefore had decamped to Europe, where he remained a vociferous voice of opposition. 

My job was to find him, hopefully at the address given and get him to stop, at least for the time being? No explanation was provided as to why this was desirable but my experience told me that some negotiations between our respective governments must be taking place and that the Argentinians had taken this opportunity to stipulate silencing Mr Mendez as part of their stance. Well I had performed more difficult tasks. I had never met the man but how hard could it be to get him to temporarily halt his opposition for the greater good? 

The address that another cab ride delivered me at looked like a building that once was prosperous but now had faded and was in need of repair.. The front doors paint was peeling and the surrounding plaster was cracked and crumbling. I checked the written address once more just to make sure I had got the right place, I had. There were five bells to press and it was not clear which was which, I made out the name as best I could and hoped I had pressed the right one. There was a delay answering and I was just beginning to think there was no reply when a female voice asked in Spanish who was there. My Spanish is not great but I asked as well as I could if Senor Mendez was home. The door buzzed and I entered, the apartment was on the second floor. I did not like the look of the ancient elevator and took the stairs. A very beautiful women awaited me at the door to the apartment, she was tall and languid, dark haired, dark eyes with a sultry Latin look, my first slightly bizarre thought was she must be a good Tango dancer. My first words however were of admonishment You should not let people in without asking who they are Senorita. She shrugged and held the door open. 

The inside of the apartment was even shabbier than the outside, it certainly had not been decorated for a long time. I followed my hostess into what I gathered was the main room. She gestured for me to sit, I looked at the chairs and chose one that was the lest stained. Is not the most luxurious living space you have ever seen, my friend?  I stood, Mr Mendez? He waved his hand for me to stay seated. Mathias Mendez at your service, Senor. You'll forgive me if I don't shake hands. His English was tinged with only a slight accent. He looked much older than his photo his dark hair now shot through with grey, a slight stoop to his tall frame, a unlit cigarette drooped from the corner of his mouth. Camilla some drinks eh my darling? He stared at me faint amusement playing across his face. We have few guests, you'll have to forgive us. Still you could be the last. He smiled enigmatically. I keep silent, I liked to hear others talk before I say much, it allowed me to assess them, an old trick my father had taught me. He sat heavily in the only armchair, Camilla re-entered the room carrying a tray with two glasses and a bottle of some dark liquid, she set it down on the table, reached over, lit his cigarette, turned to me, her look contemptuous and went and sat in the corner, she started to file her nails. Please he said indicating the drinks, blowing out smoke. I poured into both glasses picked mine up and left his on the table. I decided to say something. It seems Senor Mendez you were expecting somebody? He laughed and coughed, tapping the ash into a bowl on the arm of his chair. Everyday Senor we expect someone and who might you be? I took a sip of my drink it was Amerita, and a very good blend. My name is Guestling Thorn.

That is an unusual name but that is good I would hate for my assassin to have an ordinary name like Joe Smith or some other bland name. My face showed the surprise I was feeling. Ah you are wondering why we let you in if we knew. He laughed, coughed again and crushed out his cigarette. No Mr Mendez I am wondering why you think I am here to kill you? I assure you that I am not. Now he showed surprise, Camilla stopped her filing and sat upright.

Mr Mendez I am a British Diplomat sent here by to speak with you about one specific issue, I have never killed anyone in my life, I don't think I could! He slowly rose and grabbed his drink and swallowed it in one gulp, poured another and sat back down. Camilla left the room. Well Mr Thorn that is wonderful, simply wonderful, I was less prepared to die than I realised.

You were expecting to be assassinated? Mr Thorn, he smiled once more and lit another cigarette, I have been waiting to be killed ever since I left my home, it has become my entire life, waiting, just waiting. So why let me in? Camilla came back into the room and spoke in heavily accented English. Because he is mad and obsessed and wants face his killer head on and damn the consequences. She snorted he would have me killed too and I have been stupid enough to fall into his madness. He says it is poetic, he is a great fool I think. Mendez waved his cigarette at her, I told you to leave a thousand times, you did not go. She smiled a sad smile of regret and longing. I stayed because you do not abandon the man you love and I....... She broke off. You thought you could persuade me to leave, isn't that right my angel. Yes you stupid bastard. Her reply was angry and heartfelt and she swept out of the room.

Mendez looked at me and shrugged, are you married Mr Thorn? Yes, is Camilla your wife? She would like to be and perhaps she is, not legally of course, I would marry her but what does a man waiting for death have to offer except making her a widow.

Are you so sure that your government is set to kill you?

I have been a thorn in their side He shrugged at the pun, for many years and they don't take kindly to such criticism, no matter how many miles are between us.

Perhaps if you stopped? I left the question hanging trying once again to gauge the mans reaction.

He rose and walked over to the one window, my eyes followed him.He lit his third cigarette. I smoke and drink to much Senor Thorn, I'll probably kill myself before anyone else can. He turned to look at me. So what brought you all the way to Barcelona and my door? I decided to be direct, diplomacy can be a subtle art but I have often found the direct approach is often the best and it saves a lot time and effort.

To ask you stop if only temporarily, being a vocal opponent of your government, that is. He did not look in the slightest surprised. He laughed and waved both hands as though he was conducting an orchestra. Well, well, if they can stop me by force they use a diplomat, quite an amusing ploy.

You do realise that I am a British diplomat, I have nothing to do with your people, I am strictly under orders from my superiors. He waved his hand again Yes, yes, I heard you the first time Mr Thorn but that does not mean your two governments are not colluding. Now I laughed, which did surprise him, My dear chap it would be unbelievable if they weren't, that is how diplomacy works. Unfortunately I have no clue as to what they are "colluding" about, it seems I am not high enough up the food chain to be privileged to that information. However I have been doing this a long time and I suspect in the negotiations that are going on, your government has taken an opportunity to silence you without getting their hands dirty! So here I am. To request that you desist for the time being.

He sat back down and poured himself another drink, he went to refill mine but I shook my head, Camilla reappeared she sat and stared pointedly at Mendez.

Well my darling we are not dying today but we are being asked to shut up eh, what do you think, should I be silent, stop my incessant writing and shouting about my homeland?

Camilla snorted, You should have shut up years ago but I could never ask you to. Besides you would not have listened. Mr Thorn She turned to stare at me. If he does not keep silent now they will have to kill him, won't they, there will be no other choice if your mission fails?

I have been in many situations where one has to think quickly and find a way to keep all parties satisfied and I pride myself that I am good at it. I knew what to say. Mr Mendez would you let me give you some free advice which will not only accomplish my request but make your opposition stronger than ever? His curious look told me he did. Go ahead please Senor.

You have been waiting here for years expecting to be killed perhaps you even welcomed it, you would become a martyr to your people. Your poetry would become more famous and you could join a long line of men and women who defied their political system and were sacrificed for it. There is only one thing wrong with being a martyr Mr Mendez, you can no longer affect anything because you are dead. So in your position this is what I would do. Stay silent for now, let them think they have silenced you, return to your home in Argentina, quietly without fanfare and once you have settled break your silence, slowly, and most importantly with all the eloquence you use in your literary endeavours. There are many that support your views both inside and outside your country, believe me when I tell you your government will find it very difficult to harm you, especially if you give interviews and get the worlds press involved. Oh and marry Camilla. I sat back in my seat and smiled.

On the cab ride back to the airport I wondered on the nature of my job and how I ended up in a shabby apartment in Barcelona talking to a political activist and famous poet. I had no real idea why Giveny had sent me there or why it was so urgent. For all I knew it significance was completely insignificant but my place was not to question the motives of my orders just to perform them to the best of my ability. 

Some years later I was in Argentina on a brief trip with the good Lady Thorn. At the time I was the Ambassador to the USA. We were invited to a government function. The President of Argentina and his wife were in attendance and naturally we were introduced. An aide spoke President Mendez this is Sir Guestling Thorn. The President waved him out the way and stepping forward embraced me, much to the surprise to all of those present, Senor Thorn and I are old friends, he is responsible for my wife and I being here and from behind him stepped a lovely Spanish lady, Isn't he Camilla?

Random thoughts

Those of you who read my occasional writings, will understand that I have a penchant for expressing my views on most subjects but I am particularly vocal about injustice and the way people are treated. Politics and sport often come up.
So I ask the following question:
Which fucking tosser decided that an additional runway for Heathrow is a good idea?
Have you driven around the M25 where it meets the M4, M40 and goes off to the airport? Are you completely insane? Gatwick would have been bad enough but Heathrow you've got to be havin a giraff! I know governments are influenced by big business and money but come on this is one of the worse decisions ever perpetrated on the public and specifically the local community.
clearly the government has lost all reason and I might add an inability to understand simple logistics. The road system is not brilliant anywhere around big cities but the traffic in this area is chaos unless it is the middle of the night!
I understand there will be consultation and a parliamentary vote, well woop de do, that makes it all okay then!
The economy, naturally needs to grow but do we ever really do more than play lip service to the human and environmental cost? I am not the most green advocate on the planet but I do understand that we cannot keep pouring pollution into the atmosphere.
As a former diplomat ( I may have mentioned this in prior writings) I have seen first hand how infrastructure schemes can damage localities and displace people without seemingly caring about the consequences. Progress must never be made simply to increase capacity without a clear plan as to how the knock on effect will affect every thing else. Much that will be affected will not come to light for many years after the change is made.
If we must increase the capacity for air traffic, can it no be done somewhere where the impact would be less and if the surrounding infrastructure is not adequate improve it. No matter where or what is done there will be objection and disruption but Heathrow is a joke of a decision and should rightly condemned.

Age

You know I've never worried about how old I am, it is inevitable one gets older and thank goodness for it, it means you are still around to celebrate!
Age is supposed to lend wisdom and experience and I suppose it does, knowledge accumulated over your lifetime gives one a perspective that your younger self could not have had. Having it is one thing the real trick is how one uses it. I like to believe that I am a wiser more balanced man these days, am I, in some things definitely, in others I am the same as I have always been. there are certain personality traits that you seem unable to change, quieten, get under control but never lose. In my case I've never liked being told what to do and to this day I still don't. Of course I have learn't to control it in most circumstances but it is always there bubbling under the surface. There are others but it is not my purpose to write a list and explain each one and how it may have changed after all some mysteries have to remain and those who know me well would be bored to tears.
Today happens to be my birthday an appropriate reason for this missive.
I know several people who share this day with me though naturally we are not all the same age, though I am sure there are one or two who are. I know Jeff Goldblum the actor is and so to him and everyone else who shares October 22nd as there day of birth, may I wish you all many happy returns and whatever age you are may you live a long and happy life.

Equality

As a diplomat of many years service, I have witnessed my fair share of inequality. whether it is the unequal struggle of the ordinary people against those who wield power or the subjugation of certain minorities because of religious prejudice, the desperation of poverty or simply the dominance that one family member or an entire political elite can have of another. In the diplomatic service as in many other spheres men work alongside women and in the main they usually are given the same status. Of all the inequalities perpetrated, the one that I dislike the most is woman's inequality with man. I believe this was instilled in me form an early age and I like to think it is just a natural part of my thinking. I am not unique in this and nor would I try to persuade you that it is some kind of virtuous trait, it should be not even need to discussed. Indeed the very need for me to write like this is in itself is patronising.
I am constantly shocked at the way women still have to fight and are asked questions that no man in the same position would ever be asked. We in the West often condemn other cultures for the way they treat women transferring our values into a situation we usually do not understand and whilst many of the practices in those cultures are abhorrent to any right thinking civilised society and should rightly be condemned, we do not yet have a fully equal playing field. 
On a slightly different tack old Guesty has noticed a worrying trend since this awful "Brexit" business of a heightening in racial slurs and attacks. Now I'm no saint, I've made plenty of off colour references in my life mostly born out of ignorance or a misguided attempt at levity but as I have matured it has occurred to me that the human race is obsessed with highlighting the differences between us and almost never emphasizing the similarities. It would be better for all if race, creed, religion, culture or colour was just never mentioned, easy to say almost impossible to perform. Trouble all around the world seems to stem in most cases from one of these well springs (including money and power) and just never seems to stop. The human race seems destined to keep repeating the same mistakes, in a never ending spiral of destruction.
I was speaking with an old chum of mine, with whom I play a regular round of golf, a charming chap who we all refer to as Sid. He readily admitted that as a youth and into adulthood, through ignorance and little exposure to other cultures his language was peppered with derogatory terms that are no longer acceptable. It was not spoken with malice or to cause insult, it was normal to him in the environment he was brought up in. His children who are of school age, now correct him if he misspeaks and he is delighted when they do so, as it shows they are being educated in the right way. It is clear that education of the correct nature, is the key to eradicating most prejudice, intentional or otherwise. 
In my scribbling I know that I often comment on these intangibles and especially the way that one people treat one another, regardless of their background, I am daily reminded in small ways that this ignorance continues no matter how enlightened our society believes it is. It is unlikely I will live long enough to see prejudice eradicated, if indeed it can be but it must be one of the most important attitudes that we must all strive to eliminate. A broad subject encompassing every aspect of human interaction to be sure but one all the more worthwhile pursuing for that very reason.
I understand that most people want just to get on with their lives and not involve them selves in the bigger questions that affect the human condition and that's fine, perhaps it actually does not matter but think on this would you as an individual not like to leave this life by making it a better one, if only with your family, no matter how small or trivial you may feel your contribution is?
Well that's enough rambling for this addition to the Guestling cannon, until next time.

Managerial Material

No sooner had the FA appointed a new England football manager and the team had played one match, it seems that he could not take the job any more and having engineered a great back up plan should he need an exit, he used it and got himself out of the firing line. Old Guesty was always pretty sly at manipulating my way out of an untenable situation but Allardyce must be considered a genius, he saw the mammoth scale of his task and decided he could not succeed. Better to be thought of as a man who talks out of turn and gets caught by an undercover sting than carry on with an impossible job! Talk about Machiavellian, Big Sam was always known for his meticulous planning but what a bale out plan. My hats off to him! He must be sitting at home with a big smile and a glass of champers telling his nearest and dearest what a close shave that was!
No wonder Southgate has chosen to take the task on temporarily and not commit himself to the poison chalice on a permanent basis.
As I have said before who would want to take on the task of managing the national side? The FA (which surely stands for Foolish Arses!) must wish that a hole would open up and swallow them. Get the appointment right and wrong all at the same time, brilliant!
So who is next for the suicide mission that is the England managers job? Would you wish to be one of the bookies favourites? 
If I was given the task, I would treat the whole gig as a hostile situation, after all if you play well and win, nobody gives you credit and if you loose or worse play badly you have to take all the criticism. The media never treat those two impostors the same, it is always blown out of proportion. So my plan would be, look lads we are going to get stick no matter what we do, so go out without a care in the world play like you were on the playground and whatever you do score more goals than the opposition. If they were just better than us then we will just hold up our hands and say so. If we win and we will say little and just get on with the next game. Guesty, I hear you say that's not the way the whole thing works, well I bally well don't give a toss, the media will hype and write whatever they want whatever, so sod the bloody lot of them! It's all to serious anyway, there are worse things happening in the world. 
Vacancy, England Manager, requirements, thick skin, a plastered smile, ability to pick a squad of players, a warped sense of humour, ability to change ones answer within the same sentence and most of all a fail safe plan to loose the job when required! Simple.

England

I notice that the England football team has yet another new handler, Mr Allardyce. It occurs to me, that whilst we have always over-hyped our chances, that this is a poison chalice and yet it seems one which many a manager is keen to drink from. Of course I wish him and the team every good fortune but having been around long enough to clearly remember when we actually won a tournament, it behooves me to point out that you have to actually have "world" class players and since that time with very  very few exceptions we have not had players of this caliber!  
So high expectations will come to nothing as we do not have players capable of operating at a level required to win tournaments. I have occasionally watched our team in action and now and then they do raise their game to more than a sluggish trot of pass the ball across the field countless times whilst not finding a way through the oppositions defense. Of course every now and then we meet a team who are naturally inferior and give them a jolly good thrashing. Every now and then we beat a team who are nominally better than we are! 
The Premier league has been diluted by the long term influx of players from other counties. Less opportunity for home grown players and whilst we may not have produced any better players than currently, we could have had a bigger choice? I do not see the same fighting spirit and collective camaraderie that is displayed by other UK teams, Wales, Scotland and the two Ireland's. If we could generate that it would go a long way to improving our overall performance.
Now old Guesty is no expert, I was no footballer and certainly I've never managed but it does not need an expert to know that we are simply not good enough.
Well the Guestling solution is keep it simple, play everyone in their right position, get them to do their job and try to score more goals than the opposition. You see simple and simple is always best! 

Sir Guestling is back

To my faithful reader I apologise for being unable to publish anything. It was a technical fault and I could not access my page. Not to worry I'm back now.
The world has turned a few more revolutions and it appears to be no different. In the USA, Trump is still walking round with his foot firmly in his gob, Premier league teams have spent more money than ever, interest rates in the UK have almost reached 0% but footballers it seem to have no ceiling to their inflationary fees! Lady Thorn is so disgusted by the exorbitant sums paid out that she cannot bring herself to comment and I have taken the high road should the subject arise! Pomfrey dryly commented that players should wear the fee they cost on their shirts instead of their names! It appears that Brexit will continue but at a slow pace, perhaps in reality it will not happen? Summer has finished and September is upon us. My old dad used to say that autumn is the time to pause, though he never did say what for?
And what is Guesty up to these days, well the odd round of golf, keeping out of trouble and trying to keep the Thorn coffers topped up. Of course that is easy said than done and one is always looking for ever more creative ways to engineer a bob or two. The good lady is ever more dubious about some of my schemes but she says little and lets me get on with it. Tooky Fairweather, an old chum from school days put me on to a good tip with the gee gees and I won a few quid from that. To be fair Tooky did have an arterial motive and was keen to get in my good graces. He wanted me to introduce him to a fellow I know who is a wizard with vintage motors, his old Rolls was is need of attention and he knew I guarded my friendship with him with a secretive zeal, not wanting to share his skills with everyone but as he had done me such a good turn, I relented and the Rolls is purring once more.
Anyway not much more to say and a Thorn never outstays his welcome.

Sunday

Guesty back writing on the old blog. Here sat in Thorn Towers one can contemplate many of the issues that beset this world of ours. Pomfrey my faithful valet has for years brought me the Sunday papers but since I have finally convinced him to take it easy and I am far to lazy to read them these days, I have taken to reading the news online, yes on the world wide web! I have one of these tablet thingy, made by some company named after a fruit, the dear lady wife bought it for me as a present. Of course I as I have said before I make out that I am sorely ignorant about technology but the truth is that I am actually quite savvy about computers.
Of course one would think that in many ways there is nothing but bad news, with the world in such a mess, as always and yet here and there there is a nugget of good cheer, some heartwarming story of good deeds or lost love.
I admit I,ll have no truck with all that social media nonsense. Why I would want to know where someone is or what they are eating etc is beyond me and I have no intention of getting involved. Tweets, Twitter, Instagram and all the other mediums through which people share what appears to be every waking moment, has no appeal for this old fart. As for selfies, recently in Crete, Lady Thorn and I noticed a number of people wandering round with "selfie sticks" what is this obsession with recording every place with you in it? We have also noticed, usually young women, have a preponderance to "pose" in some coy and cliched manner, whilst their picture is taken. I tried, for a laugh, to get the good lady to take one of me in such a pose but she walked off in disgust, although I did detect the faint look of a smile on her face!
So, yes, I understand technology and the many benefits it can offer but there is no doubt in my mind that if we are not careful it will become all intrusive and we maybe sucked into the ether never to return!

weather

The British seem to have a strange relationship with.....well almost everything but we definitely have a unique view of the weather. We live in an a country which has unpredictable weather, lots of rain, some sun, strange patterns, grey one day, hot and humid the next. However no matter what the weather we seem completely unprepared for it! Currently, as I write, the weather has been and is hot and humid, suddenly people are rushing around trying to find fans and other appliances that will keep them cool. Air con does not always work as well as it should. Then people start to dress for how they wished they looked and not how they actually do. Yes it's hot, yes it's uncomfortable but we crave summer every year and when it arrives, we complain like buggery about how hot it is! 
Oh well, that's the Brits for you!

Cat

You know old Guestling can be a sentimental fool and it seems that I am more sentimental over animals than people. Today sadly Lady Katarina and myself had to take one of our cats and have him put to sleep. He had reached the venerable age of 15 but he was suffering and his quality of life was not up to snuff. It is a very difficult decision to make and heart wrenching when you realise that you will no longer see him or stroke him Like all pets they have a personality and become family, Woody was no exception. So farewell Woody we enjoyed your company for the time you were with us and we loved you.

Football and other events

They call it the beautiful game and it is universally accepted that football is the most popular sport currently played on the planet.  I am sure there are pedants out there who will tell us that there are pastimes that have greater worldwide participation. No doubt the old footy game has improved its image over the years from outrageous hooliganism and organised violence of the past but it seems no matter how much it tries that violence still rears its ugly head more often than any one would like. There are other problems that beset soccer but escaping the thuggish behavior, of which is always labelled  a "mindless minority", of some so called fans seems to be almost impossible! I suppose where there is tribal allegiance especially on an international level, there will always be those who kidnap the occasion to perpetrate their base instincts and attack the opposing fans! A mindless minority they maybe but as with all minorities they can scar an event and overshadow the tournament. I am unable to propose a solution as I cannot begin to understand the mentality of these morons. Perhaps you can either understand or propose a solution?

Now old Guesty was the Ambassador to the USA and I have commented before on the Americans attitude towards guns. Today when I got back to Thorn Towers I learnt of yet another mass killing in Florida, which I now understand has cost 50 lives and many injured. Americans need to address the issue whether the right to bear arms is written in the constitution or not, people keep dying because it is easy to get guns, its that simple.
When you talk to Americans whether the ordinary working ones, men, women, intellectuals, politicians or whomever, most seem to accept the right to defend oneself as inalienable right and whilst they may condemn the many shooting's that take place, it seems they are willing to accept it as the price paid for this right!
Naturally big business and politics, influence the agenda and there is a fiercely fought defense of the right to bear arms. As with all things money is at the root of these issues but I truly believe that eventually it will be addressed and guns will be outlawed. The question is how many innocent people have to die before they come to their senses and do something about it? 

Have you got the message?

I hope by now I have made my views on the referendum crystal clear. I don't mean to beat it to death with a stick but you should vote to stay
Thank you.

European Union

Old Guestling has been away for a while, so I have been a little out of touch but I return to find that our Government has decided to hold a referendum whether we should stay in the European Union? Well at first I thought it was some kind of joke but upon further investigation I realised it was for real! As a retired diplomat who has served in a number of embassies around Europe, I think I am well qualified to have an opinion on this.
I read a lot of the rhetoric written and spoken by both sides of the argument, well all I can say is what a load of bollocks! Talk about your scare tactics. Jobs gone, money lost , immigration out of hand, laws re-written, trade damaged, people worse off, better off,everything gone too hell in a handbag whichever way you vote, it seems whoever is giving their message, it is more confusing than being told to stand in a dustbin and piss in the corner!!! Those who want to leave distort the facts to support their point of view and the those who say we should stay embellish the figures to support theirs. I suspect the truth won't be and is not known.
Now let me declare my position, I am firmly in the remain camp. Why Guestling you ask? My view is simple, I am and always have considered my self to be European. Its not a political stance or one of any commercial bent, I just consider that we are all Europeans because we live in, well Europe! If we remain we can effect and affect its future, if we are out, well naturally it would be more difficult.
I have no time for xenophobia, people are people, they should be allowed to go where they wish with as little restriction as is necessary, it cuts both ways, do we want our travel subject to controls and red tape, I seriously doubt it! In all countries there are native born and those of for one reason or another have immigrated and now live there. It is not a issue unique to Britain. And do we understand what an immigrant is? It is a person who leaves one place to live in another, nothing more, nothing less. An ex-pat is not exclusively a Britain living in Spain it is any person who leaves one place to live in another, in other words an immigrant. People have been re-locating from one place to another for thousands of years, it's nothing new. A refuge is a person who needs to re-locate to escape persecution or danger, they don't necessarily wish to leave they have little choice. Perhaps we should ask ourselves who in the main is the original architect of many of the conflicts that caused these people to leave?
So Europe a union worth belonging to? Yes it needs reform, yes it it has flaws, yes there is bios, yes in can be unfair and restrictive but it brings unity and rules that have improved our rights. Do you really want Britain to retreat into isolationism and to close it s borders to those who need our help? Do you want our international standing to diminish? I don't know if that will happen but I don't want to risk it either. So a Union worth belonging to I believe the answer is yes and you know Guestling is usually right!

EU

I was for many years a civil servant, a member of Her Majesties diplomatic service, I may have mentioned this before! Today I received the leaflet that has been sent out by our current incumbents. Portrayed as a waste of public money and derided by those who oppose it's message, it seems to me to a fairly mild document that lays out the Government position based on their "facts" as to why we should stay in. As an ex-diplomat I find it astonishing that the UK would even consider leaving after 40 years of membership. Our terms of entry may have been contentious and over the years Britain have had reservations and objections to many of the collective policies and laws that have been created. The bureaucracy and weight of legislation, rules and regulations have not all been good. There are many things we would like to change or modify but is that not also true of our own Parliament and legislature. No group of nations in however loose or formal a partnership, is going to agree with everything that is proposed or every rule that becomes law. It is fundamental to any union that disagreement has to be accepted as part and parcel of that union. 
A Europe without Britain is a weaker Europe, history shows this to be true in spite of our many wars and disputes over the centuries. With whom else are we going to be partnered with? The continent is not going to go away, it will always be our neighbour, we are irrevocably joined to Europe and intertwined with it.
Regardless of the economic consequences, trading opportunities or markets available, there is a social and pure humanitarian consequence of no longer being a member. How do you divorce your nation from 40 years of being "in"?
I believe that that "silent" majority of British people who are naturally conservative by nature will vote to stay. I think most of us are far more tolerant of Europe than we sometimes lead others to believe. I personally love Europe and all its diversity and colourful history. Having served in many Embassies throughout the continent, I am sure that I can correctly state that I know of no current member nation who want us to leave.
We need to grow up and take a more balanced and mature view of our position in the world and specifically Europe and stop whittling on about sovereignty and independence.
So,as I am sure I have made clear I am voting yes remaining, I urge my fellow citizens to do the same. 

Europe

Well I'm bound and determined to say something about all this fuss that Cameron is stirring up over the European community. As an ex-diplomat who has served all over the continent, what is his problem? Of course Europe needs reform, of course rules need to be changed, of course each member state depending on their length of membership, have things they have agreed to that would rather have not. At the time they knew they would have to compromise. Later and in hindsight no doubt they regret some of those compromises.
I have no disagreement with trying to change and develop those agreements, change is inevitable and must develop with the prevailing political and social climate.  
No what I object to, is Cameron strutting around and making a big thing of Britain's membership as though he is some major statesman and that every other member country should take note of our views and treat him with some sort of elevated status! What arrogance, what nonsense, especially when Britain seems to want to ignore so many of the other problems that are facing Europe at this time. 
I try to remain neutral as a good diplomat should but I have to suggest that as always when the Tories have been in power for some time they always revert to type and become the strident voice of conservatism, that they have always been. It at their heart and core of the party. 
I say this not to suggest that the other parties are better. After all they won the election which means under our system the got the most votes. I do find it difficult to take when they purport to label themselves as the party of the people!
Okay I am an old radical and at my core is a streak of liberalism and fairness. In our society the have have more and the have not's are getting less and no one seems to care or be able to do anything about it? We are all apathetic these days, no one protests or demonstrates, there are no longer any public mass outcries of derision about any thing of any great import.
The young seem to be more interested in taking selfies and sharing them than taking any notice of what is going on in the country, let alone the world.
Sweeping generalizations, well yes maybe but not ones that is far off the mark.  
As for a referendum on our membership, who are we kidding, we have always for better or worse been inexorably linked to Europe. We fought against them formed alliances, defended one against the other and our history is more firmly intertwined than with any other part of the world. It would be folly to leave, irrespective of regulations we may not agree with and reform that is needed.
Enough.

Back

Hello Guestling back again
Excuse my absence but I have been writing my memoirs. The mem saab has bought me a brand new machine!
Guesty. She intoned. I just can't watch you struggling on that old machine any longer! Something must be done.
Done it was and the sparkling piece of kit is now the one i am typing this entry on.
My good lady is a peach and looks after me with the fierce care of a lioness.
Proper keyboard and everything, splendid!
Well I just thought I would give a brief update for those of you who had wondered where I had run off to.
Ta ta for now
Remember a life lived in fear is a life half lived!