I awoke to a cold, clear November morning but with the knowledge that the next few days were promising to be even colder. But at least snow is not in prospect for us at the moment although it may be for the Scots. Meanwhile, I can reflect back happily into a weekend filled with beneficial social activity as I had visited my University of Winchester friends on Friday but then had the benefit of the company of my Droitwich friend over the weekend, so this should set me up for the week ahead.
In an extraordinary volte-face, Donald Trump has urged Republicans to vote for the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein - a reversal of his previous opposition to the move. The president said on Truth Social that politicians from his own party should back the move. One email described Mr Trump as 'that dog that has not barked... Virginia spent hours at my house with him'. The president has always denied any wrongdoing and said he fell out with the disgraced financier way before his crimes against underage girls came to light. It is very hard to discern what has caused Trump to change his mind here unless it is a recognition that in the long run, the truth will out and therefore it is better to back a move for the release of the files. So it looks as though the House of Representatives (analogous to the House of Commons) may vote to release the files but that is not the end of the matter because there is still a Senate dominated Senate where the result of any vote is much less clear. But in an interesting reflection of how American democracy works, it may well be that any Republican senators who vote for the release of the Epstein files only do so because they are coming to the end of their term of office and do not fear a future rejection by an electorate where MAGA (Make America Great Again) is still a significant force. But there are clear signs that the MAGA movement itself is split on the issue. A growing number of Republican lawmakers and loyal Trump supporters also want the documents made public. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch MAGA loyalist, backed the petition that proposed holding the vote and provoked a vicious backlash from the president - who labelled her a traitor and a ranting lunatic, all of this despite the fact that in the past she was an ultra-loyal Trump supporter. Meanwhile on the UK political scene, the nation is going to witness almost draconian reforms to our immigration system modelled upon Denmark's approach and a tax raising budget is only now about a fortnight away. Each morning, I listen to ClassicFM and the debate is raising its head as to exactly when the season of Christmas music will start. I suspect that the day will suggest itself as 1st December falls upon a Monday and this might be the appropriate point at which suddenly we will be exposed to a torrent of carols. I think that in the past, ClassicFM has labelled itself as the 'home of Christmas music' so we may have a fortnight of respite yet.
As the day was a beautiful fine day but the weather was cold and crisp, I decided almost on the spur of the moment to go to Droitwich (which I used to visit with Meg in any case) and enjoy a walk by the canal.In addition of course, by parking on the Waitrose car park I could pick up my newspaper and get my 'free' cup of coffee as well. So this I did and had a walk alongside the canal (or it may be a canalised portion of a river called the 'Salwarpe'). This was pleasant enough but the murkiness of the water and one dead fish floating near the surface led me to conclude that the river is probably as polluted as most of the other rivers in the country. So I had given myself a little excursion for the day so I came home and texted/phoned my friend before I consumed the remains of the chicken curry prepared over the weekend. for my midday meal. Tomorrow is the day when I undertake my Pilates class and I am hoping that once again we have a fairly clear and fine day, although I know it will be cold. I want to give the back lawn its final, final cut of the season and to 'winterise' the mower which means ensuring that the old oil is removed (and this can only be done when the engine is hot) and that no fuel remains in the tank. I have had this Swedish mulching mower longer than ay other mower that I have ever possessed but every year it is a statement of faith. A crucial spring governing the speed of the mower has become detached and long lost but I have an arrangements with what I call 'girly bands '(used by girls to keep their hair tidy of they have longish hair) and this arrangement has worked all right during the course of this year. It may seem odd to mow the grass for a final time at this time of year but it as the advantage that any dried leaves on the surface of the lawn are chopped into smaller pieces which worms can then drag down into the soil to help fertilise and replenish the lawn.
A podcaster well known to American audiences named Dillon, predicted the president will now spend the remainder of his second term 'talking about the ballroom that he is building at the White House' for which he controversially demolished the East Wing. Trump 'will trail off, he’ll get older, he’s adorning the White House in gold,' he added, also predicting that Trump’s once association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is 'gonna suck the oxygen out of a lot of this.' So there is now a degree of speculation that already we are talking about a 'lame-duck presidency' even though we still have three years of Presidency yet to run. It is probable, though, that Trump's age, over-weight status and generally poor health record may well force an early end to the second term of his presidency. And, of course we 'Trump Mark II' or the current vice-president J D Vance poised to take over.
© Mike Hart [2025]