The supreme leader is dead.

 Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei has been killed in a US-Israeli strikes. Tehran is in chaos as there is no obvious leader to replace the supreme leader. Apparently Iran has attacked UAE, Qatar, Behrain and Kuwait. There are not many young people who will mourn his death - as he was a block to any relaxation of his authoritarian rule. He had been in office for many years and wouldn’t brook any challenge to this myopic leadership. So in the short term a good end to a murderous leader, but what next - to this vast country of 90  million people? 

Iran under attack.

 A conjoint operation by the US and Israel in an attack on Iran. The attack started at 9.30 Iran time and according to Trump that ‘a major combat operation is underway’. The apparent reason for this attack is to prevent Iran ever getting - nuclear weapons. The capital Tehran has been bombed by both America and Israel. The danger is a failure of regime change and therefore - great confusion and potentially with disastrous results. It’s unlikely to turn out to be a good result for the ordinary people of Iran, who have been exposed for too long to its murderous cabal. The danger is a wider escalation of the conflict to neighbours in the region. This could therefore open up Pandora’s box, with unexpected results. 

The first Men’s Counsciousness Raising group in the UK.

 When I was a student at the London School of Economics (LSE) I had a close female friend Karen, who had a twin sister Laura. Karen and I become good friends and in the summer of 1972 I was invited to the Spare Rib, launch party. Karen’s sister Laura - was the designer of the magazine, so I was invited along with Karen. It was quite a bash. Some of guests included: Marsha Rowe, Rosie Boycott, Rozsika Parker, Germaine Greer, Juliet Mitchell, Lynn Segal, Sheila Rowbotham and others. As I recall there was quite a lively debate about the place of - gay women in the movement. There were only a few men and I cannot recall who they were. 

When the autumn term started - I would go along to the Women’s Consciousness Raising Group, again with my friend Karen. Eventually it was suggested, in a friendly way ‘why didn’t I start my own men’s group? So I was cut adrift and considered the idea. Three years went by - until the summer of 1975. I spoke to a close male friend Jem, about starting a men’s group. We thought about it more over the rest of the holidays and decided to give it a go. 

So in September 1975 the first - to my knowledge, Men’s Consciousness Raising Group was started in the UK. We invited a number of our close friends. The group would meet on the first Thursday of each month from 7.30 to 9.30 at my flat in Belsize Park. We initially had port and Stilton, but this was soon given up. There were no rules apart from being candid and no violence and no talking about the contents of the discussions - to anyone outside the group. So these were the basic rules. I expected the group to last about a year, but it continued until the summer of 1977. 

This list comprised of: Me an adult psychiatric social worker (PSW). Jem an academic, Nick a PSW, Mike a GP, Ray an academic, Paul an academic, Brian from publishing, Des a solicitor and Chris a photographer. This mixture of men - who until the group hardly knew each other. Des and Brian had sometimes met, but weren’t close friends. Jem and I had been good friends sine the summer of 1971. I knew Nick and Mike, but again not well. Ray I knew as the husband of a colleague. Paul was the husband of a friend from university and Chris was an old friend of Jem’s. So this motley group - started this interesting experiment. 

As there was no agenda to follow, what was interesting was the sheer variety of topics that we talked about. Sometimes in a very heated way as the issue was controversial. Initially we stayed away from the personal to the more general things. For example - the attitude to state v private education. Who to vote for and - is it worth it? Does politics work for you or only the rich and powerful? 

However it didn’t take long for the general to be personal. Seven of the group had been to public schools and only Jem and I hadn’t. Our relationship with parents and in particular fathers - was particularly thoughtful as each of us had either excellent ones or downright terrible. This of course led into thinking about, being fathers ourselves. Some of the group were fathers and becoming a father for the first time was explored in depth. The anxiety of being like - one’s own father, especially if this was a negative experience. For those who had a positive relationship, it was nevertheless a daunting challenge. The shadow of the role of our fathers - did hang over us all in different ways, either for good or ill. 

As the months went by we started to feel more comfortable and confident talking more personally about things. One issue that haunted us all was the problem of ‘identity’. What or who were our role models? Was it the success of bands like the Rolling Stones or the Beatles? What was success in life and how do you achieve it? For some in the group being very successful wasn’t the - be all to end all. So deciding what was meant by success - was very personal. 

One particular question that we spoke about in depth was that of - siblings. What was it like having either an older or younger brother? Especially if you thought they were a favourite in the family. What about a sister - either older or younger? How much did they influence your decision about a girlfriend or spouse? Jealousy and rivalry with a sibling, brought up sometimes painful memories. This was also expressed in the group - regarding who was the favourite and who the scapegoat? 

One area that was difficult and confusing was that of homosexuality. There was no one in the group who was explicitly gay, but this nevertheless created anxiety when we talked about it. How open could we be to these chaps? There was rivalry about - who was the brightest and cleverest. Despite these differences and anxieties, we plodded on. 

The game changer was when we went away for a weekend in Aldeburgh, Suffolk - in the summer of 1976. The hottest on record, until more recently. I rented a minibus and drove us there. On the Saturday, we went for a walk in the blazing sunshine. Our collective map reading had much to be desired and we almost got lost. We therefore went for a much longer walk - than planned and when we returned to the cottage we were completely knackered. We all worked together on the evening meal. Nothing in particular happened, but it was the shared experience and camaraderie - that brought us all closer together. It was the - collective experience that we all shared. 

I won’t say more about the group, other than to say we continued for a further year until July 1977 - by which time we had explored - so much together. It’s impossible now - looking back almost half a century- to how seminal that experience was, both individually and collectively. I just know I changed and others changed too. 

 

A nightmare result for Labour.

 The old political map has been torn up, by the victory of the Green Party in Gorton and Denton on Thursday. They kicked Labour into third place and the Tories into fourth. The Reform Party came second. But way out front were the Green Party, they won 40.7% of the vote - doing so much better than even they expected. A local plumber (we need more plumbers) Hanna Spencer roared to victory. The Reform Party came second with 28.7% of the vote. The Conservative vote collapsed with only 1,9% and lost their deposit. What does it tell us about a general election? Well that’s at least three years away, nevertheless it will cause great anxiety in an already - jumpy Labour Party - with a now wounded prime minister. This brings closer the date for his defenestration. He clearly isn’t getting his message through to the people and he is now more vulnerable than ever. If the local national elections in May go badly for Labour? Then a new leader must be found very urgently - otherwise the Labour Party will be humiliated at the general election. 

Modern warfare.

 In a revealing interview in The Times today Al Carns, the 45 year old Scot and one time member as the head of the Special Boat Service - was pessimistic about our readiness for the next war. He expects that within the next few years there will be a war with Russia and we must therefore be prepared. It won’t be tanks and heavy artillery, but Drones. They are the future of warfare, but the - top brass at the Ministry of Defence are not awake to this new reality. He is now an  MP - and was only elected in July 2024, but is the minister of state for the armed forces. This new AI generated Drone warfare is like comparing the - scythe to a combined harvester. Can we get ready in time or is the MOD - still wedded to tanks and artillery? 

Mexico in turmoil as the drug barons fight it out.

 Goodness me the violence in Mexico is absolutely horrendous and terrifying. The various drug cartels are fighting each for a bigger slice of the pie. The king pin - better known as El Mencho was killed on Sunday in police custody and since then there has been an escalation in death and violence. The fear is everywhere according to journalists at the BBC. It’s impossible to imagine how terrible it must be for an ordinary member of the public, living from day to day in this madness. How can you bring up a normal family in these diabolical circumstances? 

The important by-election on Thursday.

 On Thursday in the Manchester constituency of Gorton and Denton an important by-election happens. Given the multiple of problems the Labour Party has at the moment, it’s considered unlikely to win. The Reform Party is hoping to take this talismanic working class constituency by storm. However there is a Green Party, also in the race. Should Labour lose this seat, then the knives will be cut for Starmer. If I was a - betting person - I would put £5 on Reform winning comfortably. Friday morning will be interesting - especially for the prime minister. Will this be the beginning of the end of his disastrous reign?