Net Zero Airport
It was once mooted that Heathrow could have been named Churchill Airport, perhaps in the manner of John Lennon Airport in Liverpool. Given the power failure this week, in which part of the blame has been attributed to the desire to be net-zero compliant, it may be just as well that the name change never happened. Not only is the Churchill brand not what it used to be, but the outage at Heathrow has, according to some, made the country a laughing stock. This may be an exaggeration, as, unfortunately, even before the event, the country was not exactly riding high.
The CEO of Heathrow, Thomas Woldbye, said he was “proud” of the airport’s reaction to the electricity substation failure. This sounds bizarre. Perhaps it is a real appraisal of the situation, compared to the hysteria in the media. After all, it is just an airport—if it goes offline for a day or two, it is not necessarily the end of the world. But it was telling that Woldbye suggested in an interview that no other airport could have survived such an outage. This may be the case, but perhaps all airports should have a full backup power system—for safety reasons, if nothing else. Learning from black swan events is just as important as coming up with a clever initial media response. Speaking of clever, media responses, the announcement by Ed “net zero” Milliband into the resilience of the UK’s energy infrastructure is a great response by him to ensure he will not be sacked before the conclusions of the white wash exercise are revealed.
Adolescence
Somewhat out of left field, Netflix has once again produced a massive hit, this time striking right at the zeitgeist in terms of the issues it addresses. Coming in the wake of Andrew Tate, Southport, knife crime, social media-induced teenage suicides, and a whole list of further horrors, Adolescence has held a mirror up to our society in the immediate post-pandemic years. Given how draconian our society has increasingly become, the takeaway for most will likely be what we always do these days: restrict, control, and cancel—not necessarily in that order.
The longer-term issue concerning so-called male toxicity is that it has been a reaction to feminism and the decline of traditional male values and behaviors. There was a balance of sorts before the generation raised in the era of social media. However, those brought up on smartphones and without real-world interaction and learning appear to have been left high and dry. This is a problem that goes beyond simply banning under-16s from social media or prohibiting phones in schools. It may be a case of allowing boys to be boys, letting them blow off steam, or providing realistic role models. But this is easier said than done and may not align with the progress that has undoubtedly been made this century in the so-called gender wars.
Turkey
One of the more painful realities of the 21st century is that we still have dictators. To be fair, most of them spent their formative years in the 20th century, when being a tyrant, genocidal maniac, or psychopath was still relatively acceptable. Indeed, one still sees these types in other areas of life on a regular basis. However, the worst offenders are now over 70, and we do not seem to have many new dictators under 50—though there is still time.
This makes the situation in Turkey a concern, as Ekrem İmamoğlu, the Mayor of Istanbul, has been arrested and charged with corruption. The incumbent, President Erdoğan, still has a few years left before the next election in 2028, but it seems that the former Mayor of Istanbul and current President knows a rival when he sees one. At 71, Erdoğan may have limited options other than an unfortunate accident befalling İmamoğlu. This is especially the case given how feisty protestors have been against the government—although, so far, these protests have generally been peaceful. The key question going forward is what kind of trial and sentence İmamoğlu will face, and whether Erdoğan will attempt to change the constitution to extend his rule beyond 2028.
Rumble in the Jungle
One of the more disappointing aspects of the announcement of the former world heavyweight champion’s death at 76 this week was that he only achieved a relatively modest age. One might have assumed that Foreman, with the aid of his famous fat-draining grill, would have lasted a few years longer. However, he can rest easy as one of the greatest fighters of all time, involved in one of the greatest fights of all time—the so-called Rumble in the Jungle.
As far as fights go, it could not be beaten, either in name or in action inside the ring. At the same time, it is presumably the case that future world champion boxers will earn enough during their careers not to have to sell kitchen appliances. Ironically, Foreman had such charisma that he rather pulled it off as a QVC-style salesperson.
Mark Carney
Anyone with the WEF/Davos/globalist conspiracy theory in mind will cite Mark Carney as one of the key figures in this SPECTRE-like secretive organization. They will undoubtedly see his recent move—calling an election in Canada, which he is likely to win—as a calculated maneuver against Donald Trump’s “new 51st state.” Carney has seemingly been parachuted back into his native Canada as Prime Minister (without being a sitting member of parliament) as seamlessly as he was into the Bank of England.
Here, he was famously the (handsome) “unreliable boyfriend,” serving his term by doing as little as possible, while ensuring that as little as possible went wrong on his watch. The main thing was that the Davos brigade had one of their own in Threadneedle Street. Carney now serves a similar caretaker role in Canada as it navigates tariff wars. His (handsome) nepotistic predecessor, Justin Trudeau, was perhaps unlucky to have resigned ahead of the tariff war, as he might otherwise have had a job for life off the back of anti-Trump Canadians.
