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Michel Barnier – a gladiatorial battle
Michel Barnier, the tough Brexit negotiator and right-winger has been named as Emmanuel Macron’s prime minister after an extensive delay. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the left wing politician, whose party and allies won most seats in the recent election said the election had been “stolen from the French people”, complaining that Barnier was “a member of a … Read more
Grenfell Fire – Solar Eclipse flagged the risk
The Grenfell Tower fire that killed 72 people in 2017 was the result of “dishonest” companies, successive governments, and a lack of strategy by the fire service, the official report out today concludes. It says a cladding product manufacturer “deliberately concealed” fire risks, while coalition and Conservative governments “ignored, delayed or disregarded” concerns. All deaths … Read more
Electoral College – adding more uncertainty
Winning and losing is no simple matter in the USA elections. Al Gore bested G.W. Bush by half a million votes in 2000, and Hillary Clinton beat Trump by 2.9 million in 2016 – and both still ended up defeated. The Electoral College is the filter through which the votes are funnelled, with electors … Read more
Gary Oldman – in and out of the spotlight
Gary Oldman is back as the greasy, flatulent spy boss of the losers and rejects at Slough House in Season 4 of Mick Herron’s Slow Horses (Apple TV+). Despite a stellar career awash with awards and a position as one of the highest-grossing actors of all time – in Harry Potter; Tinker, Tailor; The Dark … Read more
Brad Pitt – into the fray once more
Brad Pitt having not quite exfiltrated himself from the fallout of his Angelina Jolie marriage has set foot on a new partnership, showcased at the recent Venice Film Festival. Ines de Ramon is a jewellery designer, formerly married to Vampire star Paul Wesley. Brad Pitt, 18 December 1963 6.31 am Shawnee, Oklahoma, has a penchant … Read more
Alexander Grothendieck – mystic and mathematical ++ mother ++ Riemann
Alexander Grothendieck, a mathematical genius and latterly a hermit, who died last year, “revolutionised postwar mathematics in the 1950s/60s as Einstein had physics a generation earlier. Moving beyond distinct disciplines such as geometry, algebra and topology, he worked in pursuit of a deeper, universal language to unify them all.” The publication in 2022 of … Read more
Germany – a troubling election result
Former East Germany has seen the first radical right-wing party to come first in a state election since 1933. Fears of a Nazi past being resurrected are misplaced but the success of the anti-immigration AfD party and failure of the present three governing parties is a sobering moment. Alternative fur Deutschland was founded on 11 … Read more
Keir Starmer handbagged by the Iron Lady
Keir Starmer has hit the ground running or tripping himself up depending on one’s viewpoint. Since politics in the moment is as much about perception as policies, there is a slight sense of a tone-deaf administration picking the wrong fights however sanctimonious the reasons behind their decisions. None is weirder (though admittedly trivial) than the … Read more
Princess Martha weds her shaman
The marriage between Princess Martha Louise of Norway and Californian shaman Durek Verrett, which no one thought would happen (me included), took place in Norway yesterday with her family in attendance. Full details on both from previous post below. In brief, he has a Scorpio stellium with Sun Venus in his 10th and Mars … Read more