We all knew that the Gaza peace deal was on a knife edge and then Donald Trump steps in to say that all hell will break loose if the peace process does not proceed, after a hiccup, next weekend. It could signal the utmost game of brinkmanship or it could be the end of the deal, but I am sure that the Qatari and Egyptian negotiators will be doing their utmost behind the scenes to keep things on track. There is a certain asymmetry which I have noticed in the reporting so far. Israeli society has been shocked by the poor physical appearance of some of the recently released Israeli hostages. But given the massive disruption to food supplies in Gaza and the hardships endured by the Palestinian civilian population, it would not be surprising if the Israeli hostages were last in the queue for whatever food was available. But what is the condition of the Palestinians released from 'administrative detention' in Israeli gaols? The answer is that we have no information because no media attention has been focused on them. Meanwhile the domestic debate as now moved onto the committee stage of the 'Assisted Dying' bill where its sponsor, Kim Leadbeater (the sister of the murdered Labour MP) is putting forward an amendment suggesting that the view of an 'expert panel' should replace the role previously allocated to a High Court judge. To some this is a sensible compromise to meet the views of critics whilst to others it is an essential weakening of the previous safeguards. The Committee stage is going to be broadcast live this afternoon so I may dip into the debate on the Parliament channel to assess the state of play. Although I am broadly in favour of the principles of the bill, I would still worry if I were an MP of either party whether of the Bill becomes the law of the land, there might not be a loosening of the criteria to include more 'social' criteria as has actually happened in Canada. Some provisions are in place, including a requirement of having two independent healthcare providers confirm that the patient is eligible before their request is approved. More than 320,000 people died in Canada in 2023, and 15,300 of those deaths - about one in 20 - were medically assisted.
As the weather is a little milder today than yesterday, then a trip down the road to meet up with our Friends for a coffee is certainly on the cards. So we made our way down to Wetherspoons and the wind was nowhere as strong as was forecast so we got down the hill in plenty of time to meet up with out two friends, one of whom I had not managed to see for a week or so. We all have certain weak spots in our anatomy/physiology and mine happens to cracks which I get on my fingers and heels during bouts of cold weather. My fingers have been particularly affected this winter and by the time the cracks had accumulated to five or six, I was driven in desperation to plaster them all up. I do sometimes put a hand cream and white cotton gloves overnight if I am particularly badly afflicted but this year I have made do with fabric plasters (which come off in the washing up water) So I did wear a pair of gloves down to town today and it made pushing the wheelchair a tad easier up the hill on the way back home. As we were close by, I did a quick tour of the Salvation Army charity shop and returned home only to find the care workers on the doorstep waiting for me - but they were a little early as it happened. I let one of the care workers try a little of my risotto which I was going to prepare for our lunch today and then the two regular care workers left and the 'sitter' stayed behind. Several days ago, I noticed that the BBC were showing our favourite film which is 'Doctor Zhivago' which Meg and I first saw in about 1968 and we have seen several times since. In fact, Meg was fairly similar in appearance to Geraldine Chapman who was the actress who played the brunette Tonya in the film (whereas the blond Lara was played by Julie Christie) Zhivago was, of course, torn between the two women but after being separated from them both by the events of the Russian Revolution eventually caught sight of Lara whilst he, suffering from a weak heart, struggled to get off the Moscow tram and run to catch up with Lara. But his heart gave out just before he managed to meet up with her again and he died in the street. The film best seen in a cinema has some stunning scenery and is full of emotional intensity and the performances of the stellar cast are all magnificent. I did not feel like watching the film on my own a couple of days ago but I started watching it again today whilst Meg was semi-awake and I explained some of the plot to the young carer who was doing her sit for us - she always has the option of getting on iPlayer and finishing off at home if so inclined. Late in the afternoon, I got a follow up call from the Speech and Language therapist who saw Meg a couple of weeks ago and was pleased to be able to report to him that with the aid of the dinky little coffee cup I had bought from a charity shop, I was managing to get a little more fluid into Meg these days.
The Trump tariffs are liable to hit the UK fairly hard as we export some steel and even more aluminium to the US. The Canadians of course are one of the world's biggest producers of aluminium as it has so much accessible and cheaper hydraulic power by reasons of its geography to process the metal. It looks as though in the short term, if not just a bargaining counter, that the tariffs will prove to be inflationary as producers pass the costs of their increased prices to their eventual customers. In the long run, no one particularly benefits from these tariff walls, but the Sky News analysis does show that the trade imbalances in metals is enormous. China does not export a lot of steel or aluminium directly to the United States. A succession of presidents and Commerce Department rulings have already imposed many tariffs on steel from China. Tariffs have also gone up lately on Chinese aluminium. Just last September, President Jo Biden raised existing tariffs on many Chinese steel and aluminium products by up to 25 percent. But China dominates the global steel and aluminium industry. Its vast, modern mills make as much of both metals, or more, each year as the rest of the world combined. Most of it is used within China’s borders, to build everything from high-rises and ships to washing machines and cars. Yet lately, China’s steel and aluminium exports are on the rise because its economy is struggling, sapping domestic demand. Many of these low-cost exports have gone to American allies like Canada and Mexico, which in turn export significant shares of their own more expensive output to the United States.
© Mike Hart [2025]