Saturday Sanity Break, 31 August 2019 – All Quiet on the Western Front

It’s been a quiet week. El Supremo Trump has been quiet, while absorbing China’s suggestion that the trade war should be put into the freezer. Scomo has been to Vietnam and made good friends with our former enemy. This after facing the Pacific Islanders who were rude about our policy on exporting coal while ignoring the far worse contribution to global warming provided by China’s highly polluted atmosphere.

Greg Sheridan returns from the UK, explaining the state of chaos and what Boris Johnson is trying to do about it. ‘Boris Johnson has gambled everything — his career, Britain’s future, the relationship with Europe, the relationship with the US, even the prospect of a trade deal with Australia and, much more important, the viability of responsible and democratic self-government in his nation — on a single, bold, you might say breathtaking initiative.’

Read on here.

Many people are now agreeing with Henry that the world is headed for recession. I am reminded of a former Treasury Secretary who in his cups used say: ‘What Australia needs is a good recession.’ To much borrowing, dear readers, great lack of bottle to demand wage increases, cries to raise welfare payments generally, sending boat people from whence they came. (Allowing them to make an orderly request to come to Australia as legal immigrants. )

Kulture

Fiona Prior has her breath taken away by the documentary of the late Aretha Franklin’s ‘Amazing Grace’ recording in 1972. Your spine will tingle. Just like being in the concert audience of one of the greatest voices of the 20th Century! More here.

Sporting life.

Also quiet on the sporting scene. Ash Barty is facing the prospect of playing Serena, and we wish her well. Nick Kyrious is a very bad boy but apparently attracts people who love his antics.

The main reason for quietness is the week off in the AFL. Great to see Partick Cripps voted MPV and Sam Walsh Rising Star. If only Caaaarlton! had about twenty more players with an average ability of 75 % of those superstars we’d be battling it out from a position near the top of the ladder.

Henry is backing Richmond to win the big cup, mainly because Geelong is too flash, West Coast seem to have a form slump at ust the wrong time and Collingwood seem to suffer at off time from their traditional colliewobbles. My preferred winner would be Footscray, the specialist grand final winner from low in the ‘eight’.