Does Kamala Harris really still want to be president?

From today you can buy/order my new spy paperback thriller, Agent Redruth - easiest way is to order from Amazon. Six authors have endorsed it as a fantastic, gripping read. So does Kamala Harris actually think she can win the presidency in 2028? She has decided not to run for the governorship of California despite hinting at it for months. So the only conclusion one can make is that she fancies her chances for the job at the White House. She missed out badly when she tried in 2024, losing to the heavyweight Donald Trump. Could she revive her chances by going for the Democratic nomination, with Trump no longer allowed to stand again (we will see!). I think she has a lot of talent and could make a good president but she simply failed to convince the American voters that she has what it takes to be president when she tried the first time. Obviously, she had everything against her in 2024. She had just three months to persuade the voters that she was the natural replacement for Joe Biden and with Trump having already been on the campaign for over a year, she needed to make a huge impact very quickly. She didn't do that. Trump's presence was overwhelming and she got shunted to one side. The only chance she has now, if she decides to vote for her just to get some rest and relief. But somehow I doubt that will happen. Trump's popularity rating is pretty low at the moment but no one can doubt that this big man has managed to dominate the globe one way or another, and someone like Kamala Harris is never going to do that. She might be wise to step back and let someone else take on the Democratic baton.

Keir Starmer caves in to pressure over Israel

Well it didn't take long. Keir Starmer not that many hours ago said he would not be recognising Palestine as a state because he felt the war in Gaza should be brought to an end first. Then he summonses his cabinet colleagues from their summer hols to ask their views, and out he comnes and says he does want to recognise Palestine as a state unless Israel agrees a ceasefire in Gaza and lets all the humanitarian aid into the territory to feed the "starving" Palestinians. Like France, he has picked September as the month when the final decision will be made. I doubt Israel will bother to take heed of the mighty Starmer's ultimatum. The Netanyahu government has already accused Britain of siding with Hamas who, incidentally, have praised the countries (France and UK) for considering recognising a Palestine state. The Palestinian people DO deserve to have their own nation, their own borders, their own independence, and they have waited longer than most for the day to come. But in the midst of a war and an occupying force everywhere, it is difficulkt to see how recognition of a Palestinian state will make any difference to the lives of the average Palestinian family. So, what's the point of it? It won't put pressure on Israel to end the war. It won't help Donald Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff to get a ceasefire negotiated. In fact it won't do anything other than bring a smile and a cheer from every Hamas gunman.

Keir Starmer should remember he is the leader

All the papers, in UK and the US, are saying that Keir Starmer is coming under huge political pressure from within the Labour party to recognise Palestine as a state. And the same papers are suggesting he is close to giving into the pressure. Well, one predecessor of Starmer's, Maggie Thatcher, famously said "this lady is not for turning", and she stuck to her guns. Starmer should do the same. If he believes that it's too early to declare Palestine as a state, then he should remain loyal to his convictions and remind everyone that he is the prime minister and he has to take into account a whole mass of things, not just the simple idea of recognising a state that doesn't actually exist at the moment. I assume the Labour MPs demanding Starmer joins them have Gaza in their mind. But Gaza still contains thousands of Hamas members whom the UK government officially says are terrorists. So, how can you recognise Gaza as the Palestinian state under such circumstances? Starmer is right, the war has to come to an end and a brave, political and diplomatic decision then needs to be made by all leaders in the region as well as the US and Europe, about the way forward for the Palestinian people. If that ever happens, then that's the time for the whole world to recognise a Palestinian state. Doing it now is just gesture politics and meaningless. If Starner caves in under pressure it will be yet another example of our prime minister not having the strength of character and steel to stand up to his critics and fight for what he believes is right. And, by the way, if he gives in, he will seriously damage the relationship he is stoically nurtering with Donald Trump who would no doubt dismiss him like he dismissed Macron when he announced he would recognise Palestine as a state.

Trump's tariff war is getting results

Donalsd Trump set a deadline of August 1 for all countries to negotiate a trade deal with the United States or continue to face the extraordinarily high tariffs on imported goods he set in April. The fact that a rising number of countries have now done deals suggests that Trump's trade war is beginning to work in his favour. The biggest one so far was with the EU which is now facing a 15 per cent tariff on goods rather than 30 per cent. The best deal so far was for the UK which now faces just ten per cent tariffs on goods. Other countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan, have all negotiated better deals - but still with Trump winning the day. The huge one, China, is still being negotiated and it's not clear whether Beijing will meet the August 2 deadline, but I expect Trump will give a little on timnetables if he thinks a proper deal is on the way. The result of all this is that the world now knows how Trump does deals. He starts off with ridiculous threats, such as the 145 per cent tariffs for Chinese goods, in order to scare America's trade rivals into a state of panic and then starts to offer concessions over the following few months until foreign governments are so relieved they won't be facing astronimically high tariffs they accept a lower figure even though it's still much higher than the tariff rate before Trump's trade war began. It's not subtle but it seems to work. It could even be argued that Trump has been pretty smart about the whole thing, although what is not often taken into account is that US companies which rely on foreign imports for their businesses are having to pay more. Trump, of course, wants US companies to stop depending on foreign imported goods and buy American. But that's going to take time. But all in all, it's a big MAGA success for the much-maligned president.

Will Macron's recognition of Palestine do any good?

Most people will probably understand why President Emmanuel Macron announced that he intends to recognise Palestine as a state. He has been sickened by the deaths and destruction and reports of malnutrition and suffering of children in Gaza and felt someone, ie him, should at least do something to try and change the world's antipathy. But is it just a premature gesture? Will it comfort Hamas? Will it actually achieve anything? Will it bring the remaining hostages home to their families in Israel? Will it end the suffering? Unfortunately the answer to all these questions is, no it won't. In fact, what it will do is muddy the waters, bring further division between the US and France/Europe, and make Israel angrier and more dismissive of outsiders trying to muscle in. Also, there isn't a state to recognise. Gaza is being destroyed, the West Bank is a wasp's nest of hostility and rivalry and there certainly isn't a decent leader ready to become president of a Palestinian state, if it ever materialises. So Macron's announcement is fairly pointless, especially if no other European country joins him. Keir Starmer has already indicated that he won't follow Macron, realising that it's not the time to make gestures. The worst reaction to Macron's announcement came from Hamas which was very happy with the French leader, praising him for his statement. It was Hamas which was responsible for the appalling tragedy we see every day in Gaza when the terrorist rulers of the tiny territorial Strip sent hundreds of armed gunmen and rapists across the border to kill 1,200 Israelis, civilian and military, and foreign nationals, injure and maim hundreds more and capture 250 hostages on October 7, 2023.

Cambodia-Thailand border war warnings

A border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia which goes back more than a century has once again erupted in fatal clashes, leading to diplomatic alarms and appeals for international help. Both countries are tourist hotspots, and their people are famous for their friendliness, courtesy and hospitality. However, while the violence is not in an area frequented by holidaymakers, the rising death toll from gunfire and aerial bombing has underlined the ever-present schism between the two countries over an arbitrarily-drawn 817-kilometre border conceived by the French in 1907. The present confrontation began in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed during an exchange of fire between Thai and Cambodian troops in a border region known as the Emerald Triangle because it also shares a frontier with Laos. Despite attempts to prevent escalation, tensions continued to rise. Troops on both sides were reinforced, border crossings were restricted and Thailand threatened to cut electricity and internet links to border towns in Cambodia. There were further deaths and injuries caused by legacy landmine explosions. The mines had been left buried along the border with Thailand after years of conflict from the 1970s to 1990s, including the Vietnam war and the Cambodian-Vietnamese war which involved the brutal, communist Khmer Rouge rulers of the renamed Kampuchea. A Thai soldier lost a leg from a mine detonation on July 16 and then five more soldiers were injured from blasts. The deaths and injuries led to a huge escalation between the two countries. Thailand launched six F-16 fighter jets to the border, one of which bombed a “military” target in Cambodia; and in a second raid, four F-16s were sent to bomb more military sites. Cambodian troops fired rockets and artillery shells, striking homes and public buildings. At least one Thai civilian was killed in Surin Province, and three others, including a five-year-old boy, were injured, according to Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a Thai government spokesman. According to the health ministry in Bangkok, at least eleven civilians and one soldier have been killed in Thailand from artillery fire in the recent clashes. Twenty-four civilians and seven military personnel, have been injured, the ministry said. Casualties in Cambodia are unknown. In one incident, the Thai army claims, six people were killed at a petrol station in Thailand from Cambodian rocket fire. Hundreds of people have fled their homes near the border. Thailand eventually closed its entire border with Cambodia. Each country condemned the other’s aggression and refused to take responsibility for starting the new round of border clashes. In the midst of the border confrontations, Thailand’s prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was caught making a highly controversial telephone call to Hun Sen, the powerful former leader of Cambodia in which she denigrated the Thai army’s actions on the border. She addressed Hun Sen as “uncle”. The conversation was leaked, and the Thai prime minister was suspended. She now faces possible dismissal. In terms of firepower and military capability, Thailand is streets ahead of Cambodia. With more than 360,000 active military personnel, Thailand has triple the manpower of Cambodia. Thailand’s air force is “one of the best-equipped and trained in Southeast Asia,” according to Military Balance 2025, published by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. At the heart of the current border dispute is the Ta Muen Thom temple in Cambodia. The Cambodian defence ministry accused Thai soldiers of installing barbed wire around the base of the temple and flew drones across the border. Bangkok said Cambodia made the first aggressive move with troops advancing over the border. Temples have played the key role in the century-old border dispute between the two countries. Ever since the French mapped out the border between the two countries in 1907, the 11th and 12th century temple of Preah Vihear which has both Hindu and Buddhist influences, was placed just inside Cambodia. That topographical decision provoked persistent conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. But a judgment by the International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled in favour of Cambodia. It has been a constant source of anger and disagreement to this day. Both countries have cultural and religious links to the temple but all attempts to share its historic importance have failed. The border has been too contentious, as has been proven today with the latest clashes. “Preah Vihear should be a magnet for tourists and a shining example of cultural traditions that exist on both sides of the border, not a graveyard for young Thai and Cambodian soldiers,” John Ciorciari, assistant professor at the Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy, Michigan University, wrote in a recent article

Why is the US Justice Department going to see Ghislaine Maxwell?

Donald Trump is said to be furious that the Jeffery Epstein stpry is still hogging the headlines. He had hoped that with the summer recess, it would all calm down and he could get on with other more important things. But now Justice Department officials are expected to visit Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former associate, in prison where she is serving 20 years for aiding Epstein's trafficking of young girls. What, one has to ask, do the officials expect to be told by Ms Maxwell? Even if she tells them the names of every high-profile person on her former boss's supposed client list, what will they do with it and what proof can she provide? She has been appealing against her sentennce but without any luck. Does she hope perhaps that if she cooperates fully with the Justice Department visitors, they might support her case for a more lenient sentence? But that wouldn't look good for those in Washington who are convinced there is a huge conspiracy going on here and wouldn't look kindly on Ms Maxwell marching out of jail before she has finished her sentence. So, I suspect the visit to her prison will elicit very little, especially since a judge has already ruled that the evidence given during the grand jury hearings into Epstein cannot be release because there are strict laws of confidentiality with grand juries. For Trump it means the Epstein scandal is going to run and run.