HBN networking; Lunch by app; Rape fields, Trump's 59 Tomahawk missiles bomb Syria; The Stockholm killer lorry.
Jane and I set off for the HBN committee meeting in Huntingdon, diverting via the A428 and Papworth with the A14 blocked from the M11 junction eastwards. The meeting segued into the normal networking, so I lured Jane to Wetherspoons for a meal afterwards. This turned out to be a good defensive strategy as there is a well known phenomenon of being 'hangry', getting irritable with hunger. I did have to show off my new familiarity with the Wetherspoons ordering app. It's a great asset at peak times, as you can order and be served directly at your table. In the post-lunch calm, with the bar easily accessible, it only earned me the ascerbic mutter "Be faster to order at the bar!". Good humour was restored in direct proportion to calories consumed.
I had to jump out of the car on the home journey as the rape fields were in full bloom in the sunshine, something I'd missed photographing in past years, where clouds inexplicably appeared whenever I had a camera ready. Fortunately, it was still early in the season and the pungent oils were not yet emanating from the plants to cause the hayfever- and flu-like symptoms many people suffer from.
In contrast to the calm sunny day in Cambridgeshire, World news was dominated by two main events.
The first was President Trumps surprise announcement of the bombing of Homs Airport in Syria, as a response to the crossing of the red line of sing chemical weapons in the attack on the rebel town of Khan Sheikhoun. 59 Tomahawk missiles rained down on selected targets on the Shayrat airbase in a $59 million display of force. Russia and Syria had been warned of the attack to minimise human casualties. The news media endlessly interpret and analyse the event, Russia and Syria protested, the UN Security council held a meeting at which the memorable US Representative Nikki Haley justified the action - and threatened further action my follow.
The questions now are whether this is just a one off or is the US entering a new dangerous phase of Middle East involvement. There are doubts that there is any underlying long term strategy. However, bombing another country decisively always creates a good impression in politics at first. So it is with President Trump, who, in a single stroke, appears to have moved from being an isolationist to a World leader in the eyes of many. He is being applauded by the Republicans and Democrats, the British and the French, But according to CNN and Der Spiegel, Trump has alienated his far right followers for deviating from his America First promise and doing a U-turn on his past rhetoric of "Don't attack Syria!". Most recent noises from the the US, was Russia complicit in the use of nerve gas in Syria? POTUS - realist, opportunist, or simply reacting to bad news on TV?
The visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping has disappeared off the radar. The Syria attack occurred during the evening dinner attended by the two presidents, with Donald Trump making his statement to the world as President Xi Jinping retired to his hotel for the evening. I did see a byline that POTUS had accepted an invitation to visit China. What message is the Chinese President returning home with?
The second main item on the news was the lorry used as a weapon in the pedestrian area of Stockholm, killing at least four people and injuring dozens of others. The lorry finally crashed into a store window and burst into flame. The driver escaped, but current reports suggest that a man matching the driver's description has been arrested. Whether this is a terrorist act or a lone agent still needs to be determined.
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