Running,Tory cruelty laid bare and King Charles 111 nearly expires from boredom delivering the King’s speech to parliament.

It’s been nine months since I had my cardiac ablation and, so far, my atrial fibrillation has not returned. I’m running around 20k a week, sometimes 25, with no ill effect, doing parkrun regularly, and an occasional 10k race. I can run 10k easily and have done a 17k in training. I did intend to do the Cambridge half marathon. Unfortunately I delayed registering and it was full. How stupid was that? So I can’t complain? Well, I can actually. My speed has fallen away somewhat and I’m wary of pushing myself too hard. I keep an eagle eye on my Garmin as it tracks my heart rate as I run. I would like to increase distance but I have slightly lost confidence. Nevertheless, I’m pleased to be able to continue to run at a reasonable level, despite having heart disease.

Those nasty, self serving Tories have an excellent role model, Home Secretary Suella Braverman. Fresh from opining that homelessness is a lifestyle choice, she has been busy inflaming tension and division concerning the Metropolitan (London) police’s decision to permit a pro Palestine march to go ahead on Armistice Day on Saturday, November 11th. She described the protesters as a hate mob, predicted that they would interrupt commemoration events at the Cenotaph, called on the police to ban the march and claimed that the police gave easy passage to left wing and #MeToo demonstrations compared with right wing events.

Sir Mark Rowley, Chief Constable of the Metropolitan Police, has resisted Braverman’s demands to ban the Pro Palestine march, citing they have received no intelligence suggesting the protesters are planning to disrupt the Cenotaph commemorations. The march was scheduled to take place later in the day and its route was some distance away from the Cenotaph.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED? Police estimated the size of the Pro Palestine march at around 300,000. It went off peacefully and was attended by many families with children. There were scuffles and arrests of far right demonstrators who chanted “Your’re not English anymore” directed towards the police near the Cenotaph commemoration. On the route of the march a group of right wing demonstrators were confined to a pub by police and missiles were thrown. There have been over 90 far right arrests.

WHAT CONCLUSIONS CAN WE DRAW? The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman’s concerted attempts to vilify peaceful protesters and foment violent disorder by tacit encouragement to far right groups has not succeeded. Those same far right groups, deprived of their chosen targets, will tend to turn on anyone, including the police. Braverman is not fit to hold office, even in a Tory government, devoid of a moral compass and compassion. The Tory government, as a whole, are not able to recognise what is palpably obvious to the huge majority of the UK population, that the current massacre of over 10,000 Palestinians and the complete destruction of their homes and infrastructure is not a proportionate response to to the outrageous atrocity perpetrated by Hamas. The government, and particularly Braverman, is happy to conflate legitimate support for the Palestinian people with hate, anti semitism and violence.

Here’s a picture of a number of my models to possibly lighten the mood.

King Charles delivered his King’s speech in the Lord’s Chamber on the State Opening of Parliament a few days ago. Written by the government it sets out the programme of legislation that the administration will pursue in the forthcoming parliamentary sessions. It’s worth watching to appreciate the full horror of his boredom and ennui which saturates his delivery. Charles is credited with various green credentials and had to read out policies which ride roughshod over measures to minimise climate change. These included decisions to grant more licences for gas and oil extraction. You almost felt sorry for him unless you remembered his extravagant lifestyle.

Dominic, I replied to your message in the last blog plus I sent you a private Facebook message.

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Returning to Alive and Running. Heart firing on all cylinders (combustion engine metaphor)

Where was I? Atrial fibrillation started in June 2022 until I had cardioversion to shock my heart back into normal rhythm in November 2022. This was successful. Three months later I had a catheter ablation procedure which requires a line to be inserted into a vein or artery, in my case, in the groin, and manipulated until it reaches the heart. Cells responsible for the electrical misfiring are then destroyed and hopefully normal sinus rhythm returns. This was also successful and should be a more permanent solution to stopping a return of atrial fibrillation.

These procedures were straightforward and painless . My anxieties were on the high side these but, on the day,I felt much more relaxed and reassured. I’m very lucky to have Addenbrookes and the Royal Papworth hospitals on my doorstep.

With regard to running, it’s now much less effort compared to when I had AF. Previously I was doing up to 35k a week. now it’s more like 15-20k. I’m still wary of pushing myself and my Garmin is very useful in checking my heart rate. All in all I’m happy to be back running without problems.

The icing on the cake is that parkrun has returned to Milton Country park, formerly known as Cambridge parkrun, three weeks ago, following a three year pause. What a joy to meet up with old running friends. Everyone was visibly happy to be back and there was great atmosphere. Lots of people put a huge effort into organising its return to Milton Country park and I’m very grateful. Exactly why it stopped and how it came back remains a mystery to most people.

Tomorrow, May 6th, is showbiz time. King Charles 111 will have his Coronation and the nation will lose its collective marbles.The unthinking, manipulated masses will marinate themselves in fawning adulation and obsequiousness and the rich and powerful will fall over themselves to demonstrate new levels of sycophancy. This is a hideous spectacle I can’t miss. I’ll be watching on TV, shaking my head, tut tutting and struggling to take in the enormity and wrongfulness of the event. It is a supreme example of privilege, wealth, power and class. For all his laudable charity work and supposed outspokeness on specific matters, you’ll not see Charles doing shifts at a Food Bank or urging the return of the Sure Start Children’s Centres or decrying the cost of living in any meaningful way. He’s a relatively safe pair of hands who can deliver gravitas to speeches convincingly, receive respect and admiration, appear very rich but “hard working and devoted to duty,” and can maintain the whole edifice of a royal fantasy. It’s showbiz and celebrity culture aided and abetted by public money.

God save the King. God save us All