Pligget

One of the more memorable weekends.

Saturday:
Spent a few precious hours with the love of my life after she'd had a tough week away in the blizzards of New York.
Hopped on an afternoon train to London to experience my first, all-up, no-expense-spared Opera (Rigoletto) at the Coliseum. Fab.
Eight of us caught the Last Train Back - engineering works meant we didn't get in to Cambridge until well after 2, the whole journey spent making each other giggle.
Sat up 'til 4 watching the taped rugby match (knowing I was seeing my brothers the next day, and that there was no way I'd avoid knowing the result).

Sunday:
Dragged self out of bed and drove over to Mum's to help fill a huge skip (and an equally huge bonfire) with 50 years-worth of memories. She's started the process (3 years after Dad died) of clearing out in preparation for starting her New Life in a new place. We stopped for lunch and realised this might be the first time ever that just the five of us (Mum and her four sons) had sat down to eat together. In the early years Dad was always there, and now we all have families of our own in tow. A day full of dust, cobwebs, hibernating bats and laughter.
My older son texted me to say he'd goalkeepered his team to a narrow 18-1 victory in their cup football match.

This raises the bar for weekends to come.

Ha! Hah! Hah!

Well that just shows you what you get when you sneer. There I was snorting with indignation at those politically naïve self-publicists, when up ambles Saul Zaentz to the rostrum.
He starts off gently and graciously complimenting his hosts and his company, drawing the audience into a world of luvvie love. Then, in the same gravelly tone, he quietly and with extreme eloquence summarises the thoughts of millions by declaring the Bush administration to be the unjust disgrace that it is, and asserting that it will surely be overcome. Cue standing ovation and tsunami of warmth and admiration.

Hats off to the old codger. Seems to know a thing or two.

I'll just go and stick a slab of that humble pie in the microwave.

Is the camera on me?

OK, so I know it's easy to sneer, but it's interesting when glitterati of the film world use awards ceremonies to protest against the latest war.

The thing is, it doesn't take a creative genius to enlighten us that, actually, war's a nasty, nasty thing. They might spend large chunks of their time immersed in a fantasy world, and therefore feel the need to remind us that they're really in touch, but we don't. There was a time when ripples of controversy would follow their outburst, but these days they're about as shocking and memorable as the streakers that still (apparently) appear at major sporting events with monotonous regularity.

While I listened attentively to what Pedro Almodóvar was trying manfully to read out at the BAFTAs, it was far more fascinating watching the faces of the Stars that flashed in close-up during the speech. These are supposed to be the best examples of their profession, and yet you could almost read their thoughts:

"How should I hold my lips during this so that I can appear to be supportive and emotionally open, whilst not alienating too large a percentage of my box-office?"

I suppose it's got to start somewhere

I hear and read a fair few news reports, articles and blogs about the Iraq crisis, and I get more and more depressed. Psychobabble-fluent friends assure me that depression is suppressed anger. OK so I must be angry - but what about? Let's try listing a few things (in no particular order):

Bush saying "if you're not with us, you're against us"

Conversely, people who say that unless you are opposed to Blair you are pro-war

People who say "I went on the march because I'm anti-war". Who isn't?

People who can't see the difference between the threat of military action and actual military action

How readily critics find flaws in the stance of others, without offering constructive alternatives (just like I'm doing now...)

Right-on anti-racists who think it nevertheless legitimate to slag off 'the Americans'

Politicians who behave as though we think they're altruistic, thereby justifying their self-serving actions

People who refer back to "who did what for whom" in WW2 (and even further back)

People who say "this has nothing to do with oil/money/power"

The way Blair switches between different objectives (from regime change to disarmament to terrorist links to regime change again and back to disarmament) as soon as someone challenges the validity of his statements

The self-righteousness of pacifists and war-mongers who are blind to shades of grey

People who ignore the military commanders who oppose military action

People who ignore the Iraqi exiles who support military action

People who think that when Bush or Blair makes a speech, he's speaking to us rather than to Saddam

Bush (and Blair)'s evident belief that a single American (or British) life is more valuable than an Iraqi one

People who believe that war is a solution - that kicking Saddam out will solve the region's problems

People who believe that simply refusing to fight is a solution

Above all, the thing I get most angry about is the fact that I don't know what the hell should be done for the best. I just can't bring myself to agree with anyone for any length of time.

On the other hand, there are some things I'm grateful for:

I live under a system where a million people can march peacefully through a city together to express an idea

I live under a system where the government is my servant, and I can kick it out if I don't like it

I'm too old to be conscripted, and my children are too young

I don't believe in God, so I don't have to worry about what a bastard He appears to be

I don't have to choose between two evils, both of which involve the deaths of thousands of people like me

Given that we're all about to find out what our future history is, let's hope it'll be a good one.