Phenomenally mad and angry,
they got themselves into a balmy.
The shouts and the screams,
Drowned out the dead dreams,
All because of another land’s army?
war
Strength
It seems that the strongest people make a little time and much effort to help others. Even when they carry their own problems. Such as someone suffering from mental trauma, yet still running a soup kitchen for the homeless. Mentally, physically, and stamina all weaved as one. The value of community and humanity at the forefront of their intentions.
“…young pioneers, men and women of magnificent intellectual and moral calibre, breaking stones and building roads under the blazing rays of the Palestinian sun” – Albert Einstein, letters to the Manchester Guardian
There are many scenarios whereby someone wants to help, thinks about helping, but is paralysed by their own situation. That person shows courage in heart and mind but feels incapacitated to do anything. I’m sure many ex-soldiers feel that way. To go from camaraderie and belief to applying for jobs at Asda or security jobs must be eye-opening. Lest we forget the sacrifices of the dead. Yet, the living return as remains.
Clout within the context of the mind can vary from mood to mood. Feelings set by durability depend on the firmness and flow of energy. Digging deep for your own personal fortitude can be taxing, especially when tested time and time again. The power of looking after your mental and physical health sometimes demands a giant-feeling step back, even if in reality it is a tiny shuffle backwards. That autonomy and power to choose can lend itself to stability that may lead to further tenacity.
“You know I just can’t believe things have gotten so bad in this city that there’s no way back. I mean, sure, it’s dirty, it’s crowded, it’s polluted, it’s noisy and there’s people all around who’d just as soon step on your face as look at you. But come on! There’s got to be a few sparks of sweet humanity left in this burned-out ‘burg and we just have to figure out a way to mobilize it.” – Dan Aykroyd as Ray Stantz, Ghostbusters II
Brute force and the strong arm of the law may represent toughness but that former of vigorous vitality is fit for only destructive occasions or conflicts. Matching the body, brawn, and backbone of an enemy intent on your destruction may be suitable for Israel taking on Hamas, but crossing that line to deliver hardiness, pith, and robustness on all citizens of Gaza is just pure evil. Don’t all human beings, especially children, deserve security? And, as humanity watches around the world, the lustiness of the right wing rises and erodes the stalwartness and stableness of many social systems. Substance and sturdiness crumble in the path of Russian wars on Ukraine and others. The steamroller slays steadiness.
“Brian: Look, you’ve got it all wrong! You don’t need to follow me. You don’t need to follow anybody! You’ve got to think for yourselves! You’re all individuals!
Crowd: [in unison] Yes! We’re all individuals!
Brian: You’re all different!
Crowd: [in unison] Yes, we are all different!
Man in crowd: I’m not…
Crowd: Shhhh…” – Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, script extract
Greedy rich elite carry financial stamina. See also: Amazon, Tesco, Coca Cola, and the list goes on. A force for good might be in there somewhere but can its muscle and nerve fend off the hefty demands of the profit margin? The Earth landscape of 2025 seems to be an era of A.S. (Actual Stupidity) battling Artificial Intelligence to see what physique can emerge from the ashes of stewed sinews stuffed in socks of soggy steel. Nothing says nationalism like a Union Flag on a lamppost in autumn. Or, demanding all wear a poppy for those who paid the sacrifice to fight fascism.
The potency of who shouts loudest or who shouts longest and for the greatest amount of time is silencing solid sound debate. As such the healthiness and verdure of society is suffering. When a country of people struggle and that pain is visual to a globe we all loose our vim, zip, and stoutness. Isn’t it time to resolve differences? Or, should we stand idle as grown men shout abuse outside hotels filled with asylum-seeking kids and women?
“Dear Sir, When a real and final catastrophe should befall us in Palestine the first responsible for it would be the British and the second responsible for it the Terrorist organizations build [sic] up from our own ranks. I am not willing to see anybody associated with those misled and criminal people. Sincerely yours, Albert Einstein.” – Albert Einstein, letters
Give peace a chance. Stop being knobheads. #StopBeingKnobheads
Bugged by a musical war.
There are cries of “keep politics out of music” by the same crowd who backed Live Aid in 1985 and its sequel in 2005. As those treated by nurses and doctors who have fled conflicts demand an NHS service at top performance. And Liam Gallagher, tweeting the untweetable on hate platform, X. What a weird time to exist.
“You can’t trust politicians. It doesn’t matter who makes a political speech. It’s all lies – and it applies to any rock star who wants to make a political speech as well.” – Bob Geldof
Bob Vylan by name, by character one who gets flack for drawing attention to a military force that kills kids and women indiscriminately. The cowardly IDF should go toe to toe with Hamas and stop the murder of the innocence. As for Hamas, they’re all nasty and need to give their head a wobble. Should we be getting worked up over Bob Vylan, Kneecap, et al? No. The sooner this war ends, the better, bur let’s be fair, this was a conflict of Britain’s creation, one that is bitter and historical, and no end appears in sight. The more bombing, the more it will drag through the next century. Hate breeds hate. Not a musician.
“Populism is dangerous.” – enjamin Netanyahu
Yet the media focuses on Ipswich duo Bob Vylan and Bobbie Vylan. The Bobs may have said their message in the wrong way and I’m sure they wouldn’t wish death on the I.D.F.’s individual members but as for an entire organisation, perhaps the downfall and end of the I.D.F. was their message. Backed by Massive Attack, Fontaines D.C., Irish soft-pop group Kneecap, Inhaler, and CMAT, it could be said that Bob Vylan were just doing what Jarvis Cocker has been doing for years: getting people talking. Anyone who thinks a musician was preaching to glamorous camping fans to uproot and take aim at the attack-minded Israel Defense Force is stupid. Surely?
“…slain by the putrefactive and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared.” H.G. Wells. War of the Worlds.
And war, what exactly is it good for? Edwin Starr said, “absolutely nothing”, and I agree wholeheartedly. It divides, it displaces, it distresses, it decimates cultures and people and humanity. It leaves gaping gaps, chasms of pain, and heartbreaking weaknesses. It is exploited and manipulated to the needs of the powers, dictatorship-like leaderships, and turns neighbours on each other. So, should we all stay silent about the United Nations-labelled genocide of Gaza and Palestine? Should we cheer as U.S. and Israel jets pass into Iranian skies and decorate the ground with a blanket of fireballs?
“Any story hits you harder if the person delivering it doesn’t sound like some news robot but in fact sounds like a real person having the reactions a real person would.” – journalist, Ira Glass
Every war and conflict displaces people. And where do they go? To the first people that welcome them. Be that Norway, Sweden, or the U.K., desperate people seek safety and sanctuary, even if their religion or ideals conflict with their place of refuge. And then, most people adapt, they blend in, and they thrive under conditions of opportunity. Or not. I recently was lucky enough to meet a Kurdish nurse who works for the N.H.S. in Greater Manchester. I felt privileged to be treated by her, a doctor, and a multinational team of workers there to improve the lives and health of many. My infected bites, like racism and xenophobia, an irritation that life does not need.
“I do not discriminate.” – Liam Gallagher, via X.
As I sit on the train, I am once again reminded of the lyrics, “in this world where we lice, there should be more happiness”. Spot on. Silence the bullets and bombs, let voices of love speak clearer and with more weight than a tweet or misguided message on stage. The time for talking is always. The time for action over inaction is always. So, what now? Are we as a species of humanity to be slain by the small-minded delivery methods of stage and social media?
“The first step to achieve something is to believe.” – Diogo Jota 4/12/1996-3/7/2025 [footballer (Liverpool, Portugal, Paços de Ferreira, Gondomar)]
1915
Guns have won
Childlike show
God listens no more
Debased figures rot
Angry
Shorter indented lines
sense of grim order
Monstrous ANGER claiming victory
Ripped from life. Unfriendly
Bittersweet
Disappointed nature of war. Unobservant
Ultimate victory of foes by cold steel
The devoutly religious with no time to pray
Ineffectual begging given no moment
Depressed
Order gives way to chaos loose unreachable
No survivors walk the squalid trenches
GOD cannot listen
Your voice unheard
Helpless
The unfolding scenes of death. Stripped away.
Erratic sounds in battle
Frequently breaking patterns.
Disruption coupled to disorder
Tortured
The pain goes on.
Short Straw Strategies
B.P. are abandoning their green energy investments to “drill baby drill.” ™ ® What a time to be alive! Let’s reverse previously strenuous and tedious environmental efforts. Why can’t we be greener? Pupils at secondary school ask me, “Is war coming?” I play it down. However, are we sure it is not?
The very same human, Lord Vader Trump, has gaslit, manipulated, and slapped coercion on his viewed-as-inferior opposite number Zelensky. In much the same way as Andrew Tate’s Romanian victims may see things, Trump lent into the Ukrainian leader with, “You have allowed yourself to be in a very bad position.” Simple vocabulary, as expected. Flipping the abused with blame for being a victim of the abuser is an odd view. Imagine if the world had done the same when the U.S. of A. and then President George Bush Jr. shot after Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda.
The emphasis then fell to sidekick J.D. “Sports’ Vance, who once hated Trump and viewed the Trump tactics as too far. Instead, Vance pushed for a “thank you.” Al Murray’s Pub Landlord character was more fair about his masculine drinking views.
“flooding the zone with shit” – Steve Bannon, Guardian news
Trump and Vance essentially told the Ukraine to roll over, show its belly, and bend over for more action in its hinterland. It felt like a concede the loss and allow Russia to take over. Sure, let the bully take over and consolidate space and territory. Great idea! Good old American values. Saviour and leading light, Trump shouted repeatedly about Ukraine holding no cards to play. Of course, Ukraine’s European allies and greater global communities said otherwise. “Without us, you have nothing,” said an emboldened Trump, to which dozens of respected and elected leaders brandished two-fingers.
Peace and U.S. of A.’s staunchly Team America-view of global security have been hand in hand ever since U.S.A. entered global conflict as a victim of World War II, or even before. They responded to conflicts and cries of help. Even whilst allowing their own people to fire a selection of deadly metal devices at one another in the name of rights to bear arms. This from a nation supplying Academi [previously Blackwater] military suppliers. Blackwater Worldwide and Xe Services have had a troubled past blighted by controversy. They’re now Constellis Holdings and have had 28 years of U.S. paychecks that Trump and Co. are invested in by some shape of form. And pardoning.
Constellis may or may not be responsible for law enforcement training, logistics, close quarter training, and security services whilst being favoured over state contracts and entities. They may or may not be enjoy Trump saying, “If you get a ceasefire, you must accept it so that bullets stop flying and your people stop dying.” Especially as many billions of pounds was directed to U.S. companies and military supplies that have yet to reach Ukraine.
Trump wants to lead. He wants Zelensky and his country to be a subordinate and shouting over Zelensky to tell him, “You’re not in a position to dictate to us” is just plain old mean bullying. His and Vance’s pitch for a pathway to peace ignores Russia as an aggressor and turns Ukraine into a thorn in the back of resolution. Especially as he pins “…playing with the lives of millions of people” on the leader of those people.
Even if Ukraine was in a position to hold elections, would infrastructure and ceasefire allow such a thing? Or paint target cross-hairs on lines of battle-capable adults? The Ukraine’s place in a partnership and resistance has been made to feel like the Ukraine owes the world and U.S.A. This is codswallop.
“Fail we may, sail we must.” – Andrew Weatherall, English musician, DJ, songwriter, producer and remixer.
The U.S. of A. feels indebted to the Ukraine conflict. Oddly, repatriation has faded from other conflicts without a whisper of debate. Yet, here the Bin Laden-chasing, War on Terror bunch of cowboys and chief demand that “you must obey, or you will recieve nothing“. International Rescue, this is not. “If it weren’t for our weapons, this war would have ended in two weeks”, walks over the dead, the resistance, and a wider international support. It says that Europe and the Ukraine are irrelevant.
The sphincter-twitching Trump administration is in full-blown propaganda mode and answerable to investor overlords. The U.S. appears to be a puppet state with evil James Bond-baddy Elon Musk or Vladimir Putin pulling some of, if not all, the strings. These are dangerous times.
And now Putin won’t be pulled in. Even if Trump is calling him, begging him, laughing with him. Meanwhile, the P.M. son of a toolmaker and the U.K. investments in war machines at an alarming rate. All at the expense of social conditions, the environment, and hope. Still, at least they spared the tax-dodging elite. Here in the U.K. we have our own brand of gaslighting, victim-blaming, and coercion into gratitude. We’ll force our own subjects into terms beneficial for the state and potentially fatal to Britain.
Welcome to the era of stupidity. Let the stupidest win. Resources are dwindling to the greedy. If war should come, are we ready? Enjoy your views whilst you can.
FOR QUEEN & COUNTRY
Fought for Queen and Country
Drives a van for Asda
Battled sandstorms, landmines, and budgets readily
Pumping oil from near Basra
Why did they serve?
Away from family for months and days
Eddie Stobart rejecting tank commanders
Bodies fed on greedily by strays
Bills at the floor of the doors as bailiffs panders
Vulnerable as all.
Criminal courts ripping up old yarns
Furiously cashing in on earned medals
Looters dashing from farms to barns
PTSD, shellshock, forgotten jacketed, outcasted rebels
Witnessed the fall.
Owen, Sassoon, Armitage, Duffy, or Agard
Signed up with support lacking equipment
Stories lost, retold, or given little regard
Brutally shown reality of near-empty shipment
Exposed to much more.
War to war, always the same
For King, for Queen and service to crown
New players in the same old game
Faded uniform blends to funeral gown
The end begins.
Thank Athens.
A stench of heated and dried piss, dead kittens, riot Police and crippling heat are just some of the things Athens offers. And graffiti. On the positive side, thousands of years of preserved cultures, warfare history, sports, and great cuisine are to be had.
Accommodation was booked via Airbnb. A basic room with access to a shower was all I needed. The lodging on 4-8 Delfon (Kalithea), once found after a lengthy walk, did the job. Although standing in the shower, I found the top of my head touching the ceiling. The shower itself is more of a half-bath with a seated step and a shower hose and head, unattached to the wall. The sink and toilet were more functional, thankfully. A kitchen, straight out of the stereotypical filmsets of U.S.S.R. rounded off the communal areas, with a small balcony hosting a decent washing machine. The bedroom, bland, but cosy had the necessary air-conditioning unit.
Beyond the Airbnb lodging, Athens offers ample walking opportunities and plenty of ruins. Ruins in subway stations. Ruins by the road. Ruins in parks. Ruins, modern and old. This ancient city has experienced quite a modern crash of its own. Successive economic nosedive, political turmoil, earthquakes, and a lack of tourism during the CoViD-19 pandemic have ensured that you’re never far away from another ruin, abandoned outlet or sign that things aren’t so well. Not that the U.K. is any better.
The constant summer sunshine and incessant heat are stark reminders of recent wild fires and how the climate of August 2023 isn’t quite balanced. With that in mind, I hopped from shadow to shadow, under every available tree like a kangaroo-sized squirrel. Breaking to drink more and more water, fruit juices, and some much needed nibbles allowed some respite from the overhead sun. Hadrian’s Library, exposed to the baking solar rays, allowed viewing of wild tortoises and the first proper gander in a closed area of ruins.
The impressive columns, shattered walls, and flooring of Hadrian’s Library are impressive. The baking heat under your feet equally of impact. With toes on fire, hopping around the views led to an eventual passage to Piraeus and the Super League fanzone by UEFA. Satisfied the fanzone was not too exciting, save for photo opportunities with a range of Treble-winning Manchester City’s silverware and the UEFA Super Cup, I scattered for a coastal wander of Piraeus. The relentless heat guaranteed a sit down, some great local scran, and a few beers. Following that, a game of football at the G.K. Stadium, involving City’s win over Spanish side Sevilla. The win, on penalties, concluded just after midnight. It was probably the first time I saw a football game live ending the following morning.
City had won the UEFA Super Cup of their debut. Fittingly, it wasn’t far from the historic Panathenaic Stadium (also known as Kallimarmaro, meaning beautiful marble). This flash stadium has origins as far back as 330BC, remodelled in 144AD, and was rebuilt in 1896 (two years after Manchester City’s name began) as the first modern Olympic Stadium. Every Olympic flame handover is completed here before travelling to the host country and city. Without the Olympic Games, there would have been no British Empire Games, then Commonwealth Games, and no events in Manchester during 2002. Manchester City may not have left Maine Road for the now Etihad Stadium. The UEFA Super Cup may not have been lifted. Cheers Athens for helping Manchester City progress.
Amongst other wanders of Athens, several football grounds (the churches of football fans) were visited. The impressive Agia Sophia Stadium actually had a church Chapel inside (next to the bookmakers and the bookmakers). As impressive as the A.E.K. Stadium was, the dilapidated stadium of Panathinaikos could easily be mistaken as heavily graffiti-covered ruins. The whole city of Athens, to be fair, is daubed with varying football teams and their tribal colours. Gate 13, the cheaper seats in years gone by, gives its name to a supporter group and hooligan outfit. The gravity of the dark graffiti is bleak. Leoforos Alexandras Stadium was opened in 1922 and probably had more gallons of spray paint on the outside than years of existence.
Whilst I get the homage to working class seating areas, I do not understand the need for violence at football. Gate 13 has a bizarre friendship with Dinamo Zagreb ultras. This likely contributed to Zagreb thugs fatally stabbing an A.E.K. fan, ahead of a Champions League game. Over 100 Croatians attended court in the aftermath of a bloody night. This happened at a game where away fans were actually banned in advance. Many others were injured and hospitalised. The game was postponed as a result. A.E.K. rightly questioned how the game could go ahead. Rest in peace, Michalis.
“There is) no place for violence and hooliganism in European football” – Margaritis Schinas, vice president of the European Commission & Greek politician
A diverse visit to Athens for ruins, football, and reflection concluded with an early morning taxi to the airport. I dropped my luggage off after checking in. It would be the best part of a week before Aegean Airlines would get my backpack back to me. Still, as with others going to see the football, at least I came back safe and sound. Nobody should go to see a sack of air being twatted around by foot, and not return.
AGAINST THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC - ACTON28.BLOG 