31 May 2011

Spring into Summer

A briefly sunny 25 minutes run this morning on what could almost be mistaken for the 1st day of summer.

Meanwhile the Arab Spring appears to be spreading through Spain into France and Greece as tens of thousands of people gather to protest against financial cuts being made whilst governments return to a collusive co-existence with the banks and corporations that bear responsibility for the crisis. A pan-European day of protest has been set for June 19. The Arab Spring might even reach the UK, though obviously it would have to be re-branded as something less upsetting and more British. Maybe the Chelsea Flower Show.

At the same time Oxfam are forecasting that world food prices are set to double in the next 20 years unless there is a collective effort to control global warming, food profiteering, & land-grabbing. Such a price hike would bring even more obscenely large profits to commodities traders such as Glencore, but would be utterly disastrous for two thirds of the planet's rising population. The Arab Spring could become a Global Summer !

30 May 2011

Calm before the storms

At last a mellow, mild May morning and a very tranquil run. Such occasions should be treasured.
According to the International Energy Authority, greenhouse gas emissions increased by a record amount last year, apparently confirming what has been likely for a long time, that global warming, with all it's attendant climatic chaos, is effectively out of control. Meanwhile large swathes of people in the world’s more prosperous countries continue to set an example to everyone else by upholding their “right” to unsustainable consumption and carbon generation – a “right” viciously defended by the obscenely profitable multi-national corporations such as Exxon Mobil, BP, & Shell in their untiring pursuit of individual freedom. 

29 May 2011

Merchants of death

A gentle 25 minutes run through the gentle drizzle, musing on less than gentle matters.
The UK government has publicly recognised that Saudi Arabia’s human rights record is a major concern, but obviously not yet enough of a concern to get in the way of the continuing massive sale of arms and training in techniques useful for the violent suppression of peaceful protest. After all, this particular trade has been going on since the 1960s and why should the chief whores David Cameron and William Hague be the ones with the moral courage to stem the flow of fat profits for the sake of inconvenient human rights….


27 May 2011

Carnage and complicity

After a few days to rest an aching knee, a lovely 25 minute run through the wind-battered woods this morning. There is a brutal logic to weakened trees being thinned out by strong wind, but it's difficult to be untouched by the sight of all the damage.
Meanwhile on the world stage the arrest of Ratko Mladić is an uncomfortable but necessary reminder of the horrors of the Bosnian war and the Srebrenica massacre in particular, of how swiftly ordinary people can turn into murderers, and of how the "international community" is still capable of standing aside to allow genocide to happen. An excellent and moving  article by Arnel Hecimovic in the Guardian also asks how it could take 16 years for Mladić to be found and arrested in a small country such as Serbia. The NY Times, amongst others, is asking whether the timing had anything to do with Serbia's bid for membership of the EU or whether it is a simple coincidence that, after 16 years his arrest happened only days before a UN report was due to criticise Serbia's lack of efforts in pursuing war criminals.

22 May 2011

Judgement Day +1

A trail half-marathon today, around the base of Ben Nevis, so a challengingly hilly run of about 115 minutes, and 74 other runners for company but no dogs.
Yesterday was allegedly Judgement Day, when all we sinners should have been called to account. The rainfall here was certainly of biblical proportions, but otherwise a fairly normal day, and there was no sign of anyone being raptured up to heaven. Perhaps I just mix with the wrong sort of people. Some American atheists seemed to have the right idea, planning parties to celebrate the departure of the ultra-pious from their community, but at the same time their logic seems a little muddled.

20 May 2011

Quiet Friday

A wet but gentle 25 minute run. Morven & I were quite reflective, and Benn wasn't.
The main element of this morning's news is probably Obama's lengthy and thoughtful speech about the Middle East, but its impact won't be clear for some considerable time. The jury seems to be still out on whether he is more than just a very skilled rhetorician - I hope he is.

18 May 2011

Credit where it is due

A fast 25 minute loop.
Against my admittedly prejudiced expectation, according to a report in today's Guardian, the UK government has made a legally binding commitment to halve UK carbon emissions by 2025. This won't single-handedly prevent global warming from spiralling out of control, but it is a positive step in the right direction by the world's 8th biggest emitter, hopefully to be followed by the other 7.

17 May 2011

Pavane for a troubled past

A fine 25 minute run through the May-green woods.

Queen Elizabeth and her entourage are about to visit Ireland in a courtly dance of diplomacy and gesture.


Meanwhile the soon-to-be erstwhile head of the IMF is accused of attempted rape in a sordid scandal that seems to be rocking the Euro-zone. Whether this is due to moral outrage or concern at the potential tectonic shift in the leadership of the IMF is not immediately clear. What is clear is that far less coverage has been devoted to the IMF’s loan policies and their negative impact on public health, access to food, and the environment in many developing countries.

15 May 2011

one percent

Back to the city for a lovely 65 minute woodland run.
David Attenborough was describing on the radio the ambushing of a group of colobus monkeys by chimpanzees, demonstrating that within the 99% of DNA shared by humans and chimpanzees lies the capacity both for great savagery and for creative teamwork, whilst we habitually pride ourselves on the final 1% that enables us to feel superior.

13 May 2011

Right and wrong

A speedy 60 minute run around the forest, with the dogs spurred on by the sight of several deer.
Meanwhile in London, testimony at the Chilcott enquiry at last begins to show the mendacity, and oil-based reality, of Blair’s defence of his invasion of Iraq. The world would be a much safer place if NATO leaders such as he, & of course GW Bush, were put on trial for such travesties.
And, across Europe, not only is the political left unravelling but, according to Der Spiegel today, from Norway to Italy, from Finland to France, the political right is thriving in the void, no doubt by promising protection to the rich & powerful and hope to the beleaguered poor of the electorate. Not a good time to be a refugee !

11 May 2011

Carpe diem

Another swift & showery 25 minutes. April may have been the driest month on record, but May is obviously trying to be the wettest, at least in the Western Highlands.

Six months ago, Neal Ascherson wrote, in an excellent article in the Herald*, that “the present Scottish government has become the last bastion of faith in a public-service state” as the UK’s 30 year stampede towards privatisation has led to the worst economic and social inequalities for 90 years.  Six months on, that bastion may be wet but it is even stronger, and it's difficult to avoid the conclusion that there has never been a better time to move for independence. Thank you David Cameron & George Osborne, Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher (a form of words I never expected to be using ! )

Signs of hope in Japan too,  where the Prime Minister has scrapped plans to build 14 new nuclear plants, and focussed the energy strategy on making its existing plants safer, and on conservation and renewables.

* Thanks to Donald Mackinnon for passing on the article

10 May 2011

Scottish Spring

A fast and extremely wet 30 minute run, reflecting on the mixed delights of this Scottish Spring.
What is happening in Scotland may not be equal to what has been happening in the Middle East – after all, we are not trying to overthrow a brutal dictatorship, just a self-serving hypocritical bureaucracy run by inexperienced elitists. However, since the election of last week, the Scottish leaders of all 3 major London-based political parties have announced their resignation, without a shot being fired !
Less encouragingly, there has still been no news of the Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei since he was arrested on 9 April. Adrian Searle has written a comprehensive account of the situation in the Guardian and there is a substantial online petition addressed to the Chinese Ministry of Culture - please sign it if you are concerned.


8 May 2011

Republic of Scotland ?

Out for an early 25 minute run as the black clouds build up for a major deluge.
One glimmer of light, and perhaps the most unexpected outcome of the UK elections on Thursday, was the substantial majority won by the Scottish Nationalists. This was almost certainly more to do with the massive unpopularity of the other parties up here than it was an active vote for full Scottish independence, since recent opinion polls show support for independence at only 25-35%, but perhaps that will now change....

6 May 2011

Smoking guns and ticking clocks

In the Highlands again, and a restorative 25 minute run between the rain showers.
Today the UK news is predictably dominated by early results from yesterday’s local elections & referendum, and by more smoke and mirrors to justify the illegality of the US action in Pakistan. More interestingly, the sometimes irritating but usually convincing George Monbiot has just written an excellent essay setting out some of the dilemmas faced by the environmental movement. One stark truth stands out - that as the race to exploit & despoil more and more of the planet continues, we still haven't found a convincing alternative.

4 May 2011

Presidential re-election 1 Civilisation 0

Back to the city for a 25 minute run through the sun-dappled woods.
This morning's news is dominated by a flurry of insinuation and denial between the US & Pakistan about who knew what with regard to bin Laden.
Robert Fisk, writing in the Independent seems to be one of the few public voices suggesting that a summary execution is perhaps not the act of justice being claimed by Obama, and a thoughtful cleric, Abdal Hakim Murad, pointed out on the radio today that even the Nazis were allowed a court hearing.

2 May 2011

May Day + 1

After a week of other activities - ditch digging, moving rocks etc etc, back to a 75 minute run this morning, with clear blue sky, hazy mountains, and the surface of the loch like a mirror. Running doesn't get much better, especially with a border collie like Benn !

On the other hand, after blanket coverage of some wedding with silly hats, the news has reverted to bleak normality. Libya is descending further and further into an unresolvable mess. The USA has finally managed to kill Osama bin Laden, in a piece of brutal vengeance worthy of a Rambo movie. And the situation at Fukushima, though apparently no longer news-worthy, improves with excrutiating slowness.