Today's News

Well Guesty has a number of subjects that have peaked my interest today, all of which have appeared in the news in one format or another.
Firstly:
Well America you voted him in and now you will reap your reward, President Trump! A man who has grasped, unlike those before him, that if you blacken the media and make people believe that they are lying and making stuff up you can control the news cycle. He did it during the campaign and he is continuing to pursue that policy and it is a policy, all his team are supporting that stance. So beware he was a dictator in his failed business empire and now he is already showing signs of becoming that in his presidency! He is a dangerous man but unfortunately unlike Bush he is clever. Now normally this would not matter but he is the President of the United States and like it or not his term can have an profound effect on the rest of the world. So America you got yourself into this and you will have to live with it, depressingly so will we all and that fills me with fear!
Secondly:
Blair reappears for the umpteenth time and actually says something sensible! Now this is a man whom I would have no truck with when he was Prime Minister. My favourite comment about him (mine) was that he was so slippery he could slide under a snake wearing a top hat but suddenly he has made some comments with which I agree! Those who are rushing headlong towards leaving Europe have had the agenda to themselves for far to long since the referendum. It was a decision taken on foundations that were shaky and at best rooted in quicksand. I followed the arguments very carefully, as we led up to the date of decision and whilst I have always been a supporter of remaining and nothing would have changed my mind, not once did I hear a cognoscente argument, that made think or give pause to my view. I could go on but i have stated my point clearly in these columns a number of times so read those. One last thing I would like to add though, is the many people in this country, who as a friend of mine pointed out, feel only British and do not give a damn for what happens in Europe, where as I have always felt European and care what happens on the continent. 
So as Blair says, those who object to the rush towards leaving the European Union, should we rise up and make our views heard in a more demonstrative way? I for one say yes! The union is not perfect and it needs major reform, it is as corrupt as any other political congress, its full of contradiction and laws that are unnecessary but it is like any large union of disparate members and as the second largest economy in it we should not give it up but fight to make it better!
Thirdly:
Now I might make myself somewhat unpopular here, if I haven't already? I was listening to the radio and the subject of revenge porn came up. Now I know little about this modern horror, one that surely only exists because of social internet sites and the advance of smart phones. 
Naturally I have the deepest sympathy for anyone who is a victim of this degradation, irrespective of the reason why it is perpetrated but a recurring thought kept going through my mind as I listened.
I understand that if you have no knowledge of these pictures being taken and then are threatened by an ex-lover of there publication, then you have absolutely no control over that. If however you were a willing participant, then the answer must be obvious DO NOT DO IT!
The lady from the Revenge Porn Helpline said they did not discourage the people who contacted them, from doing it as they were adults and therefore free to do what they want and was not their business to advise? If you follow that logically, they have made an "adult" decision to have pictures or videos taken, however innocent or for private entertainment they are and they must take some responsibility for the consequences if things turn sour. 
Now please do not misunderstand me I am in no way condoning this nasty practice and it must be devastating if happens to you. Nobody should have there privacy invaded in such a revolting manner by any ex-partner no matter what the provocation or reason, there is no excuse in the world that could justify such appalling behavior! 
This is a practice that would not exist without today's technology and whilst it is not new and most of us understand the all pervasive nature of it, it seems when it comes to this type of intimacy, some people cannot help themselves from indulging in it!
It gives one pause as to how much of our lives are implanted on the internet and how in today's world it is almost impossible to avoid in every day life unless one goes completely off grid. Of course if that were the case you would not be able to read my regular rants!!!
No one would would ever want to take nude photos of me, it would be a revenge on the rest of the world for those to be published!