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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
MAGA v the monarch: Is King Charles blowing royal raspberries at Trump?
But venture he did. And, not for the first time since Trump's restoration, he seemed happy to become the leading man in an intricately choreographed act of geopolitical theatre directed against the White House. Loading In Ottawa he essentially reprised the role he played on the weekend after the Ukrainian president got roughed up in the Oval Office by Trump and his vice-presidential henchman J.D. Vance. Then he welcomed a bruised Volodymyr Zelensky to Sandringham, his East Anglian estate. Arranged at warp speed, that meeting was also rapid royal rebuttal. A very British middle finger. The government of Keir Starmer also knows how to play the royal card, using it both to charm Trump and to chide him. Trump, whose mother was born in the Western Isles of Scotland, is an arch monarchist who idolised Queen Elizabeth II and does not seem particularly perturbed that Charles is the most 'woke' monarch ever to occupy the British throne. The simple fact that Charles comes with the title 'His Royal Highness' and enjoys the kind of dynastic privilege money cannot buy, gives him a form of diplomatic immunity. No matter that Charles is gently mocked by family members, I am told, for being to the left of George Monbiot, one of The Guardian's most progressive columnists. So Trump, who is so easily flattered, instantly took the bait when Prime Minister Starmer, in full reality-TV mode, pulled out an envelope during an Oval Office fireside chat in February that contained a personal invitation from the King for an unprecedented second UK state visit. Since then Starmer has been at the forefront of the European rearguard to protect Ukraine from both President Putin's warmongering and President Trump's supine peacemaking. Yet despite Starmer playing a double diplomatic game, the promise of that presidential visit to Britain seems to have kept him in Trump's good graces. Proof came in the form of a new trade deal with the United States earlier this month, the first negotiated by an international leader since 'Liberation Day'. What of 'Independence Day', I hear you bellow. Why is Trump being allowed by his party, the Republicans, to act like a monarch? This is not so historically perverse as it seems. The American revolution, after all, was primarily a rebellion against the British parliament rather than the British king. The complaint of some leading revolutionaries was that after the Glorious Revolution in the late 17th century the British parliament had usurped too many monarchical prerogatives, and that King George should have overruled Westminster in managing his insurgent North American colonies. In 1776 it was possible to be both a revolutionary and a royalist. Alexander Hamilton, despite the myth-making of the brilliant Broadway musical, fitted this description. After the Americans triumphed over the British, this strand of thinking shaped the new US Constitution, and in particular its creation of a strong executive branch. An irony of the War of Independence is that the United States ended up with a new head of state with more powers than the deposed king. The titles under consideration for what eventually became known as the presidency reflected this kingly bent: 'His Elective Highness', 'His Supremacy', 'His Mightiness', 'His Magistracy' and, yes, 'His Majesty'. As for Britain's current monarch, Trump's subversion of America's postwar alliance system means he now stands at the head of a revitalised Commonwealth of Nations, a friendlier pact altogether. Loading Trump's antagonistic relationship with Europe has also enabled Starmer to reset relations with the European Union, sealed earlier this month with the renegotiation of the Brexit deal, and become a more weighty global player. Perhaps Trump has helped Britain, after losing its empire, finally find a role: to use the soft power of the monarchy, its one-time figurehead of imperialism, to thwart the territorial expansionism of its former colony. It's a joust for the ages. The monarch against MAGA. King Charles against King Donald.
The Age
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
MAGA v the monarch: Is King Charles blowing royal raspberries at Trump?
But venture he did. And, not for the first time since Trump's restoration, he seemed happy to become the leading man in an intricately choreographed act of geopolitical theatre directed against the White House. Loading In Ottawa he essentially reprised the role he played on the weekend after the Ukrainian president got roughed up in the Oval Office by Trump and his vice-presidential henchman J.D. Vance. Then he welcomed a bruised Volodymyr Zelensky to Sandringham, his East Anglian estate. Arranged at warp speed, that meeting was also rapid royal rebuttal. A very British middle finger. The government of Keir Starmer also knows how to play the royal card, using it both to charm Trump and to chide him. Trump, whose mother was born in the Western Isles of Scotland, is an arch monarchist who idolised Queen Elizabeth II and does not seem particularly perturbed that Charles is the most 'woke' monarch ever to occupy the British throne. The simple fact that Charles comes with the title 'His Royal Highness' and enjoys the kind of dynastic privilege money cannot buy, gives him a form of diplomatic immunity. No matter that Charles is gently mocked by family members, I am told, for being to the left of George Monbiot, one of The Guardian's most progressive columnists. So Trump, who is so easily flattered, instantly took the bait when Prime Minister Starmer, in full reality-TV mode, pulled out an envelope during an Oval Office fireside chat in February that contained a personal invitation from the King for an unprecedented second UK state visit. Since then Starmer has been at the forefront of the European rearguard to protect Ukraine from both President Putin's warmongering and President Trump's supine peacemaking. Yet despite Starmer playing a double diplomatic game, the promise of that presidential visit to Britain seems to have kept him in Trump's good graces. Proof came in the form of a new trade deal with the United States earlier this month, the first negotiated by an international leader since 'Liberation Day'. What of 'Independence Day', I hear you bellow. Why is Trump being allowed by his party, the Republicans, to act like a monarch? This is not so historically perverse as it seems. The American revolution, after all, was primarily a rebellion against the British parliament rather than the British king. The complaint of some leading revolutionaries was that after the Glorious Revolution in the late 17th century the British parliament had usurped too many monarchical prerogatives, and that King George should have overruled Westminster in managing his insurgent North American colonies. In 1776 it was possible to be both a revolutionary and a royalist. Alexander Hamilton, despite the myth-making of the brilliant Broadway musical, fitted this description. After the Americans triumphed over the British, this strand of thinking shaped the new US Constitution, and in particular its creation of a strong executive branch. An irony of the War of Independence is that the United States ended up with a new head of state with more powers than the deposed king. The titles under consideration for what eventually became known as the presidency reflected this kingly bent: 'His Elective Highness', 'His Supremacy', 'His Mightiness', 'His Magistracy' and, yes, 'His Majesty'. As for Britain's current monarch, Trump's subversion of America's postwar alliance system means he now stands at the head of a revitalised Commonwealth of Nations, a friendlier pact altogether. Loading Trump's antagonistic relationship with Europe has also enabled Starmer to reset relations with the European Union, sealed earlier this month with the renegotiation of the Brexit deal, and become a more weighty global player. Perhaps Trump has helped Britain, after losing its empire, finally find a role: to use the soft power of the monarchy, its one-time figurehead of imperialism, to thwart the territorial expansionism of its former colony. It's a joust for the ages. The monarch against MAGA. King Charles against King Donald.
Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Charming overlooked town surrounded by animal-filled meadows is day trip heaven
Few towns can boast a mummified cat and the decapitated head of an Archbishop among their tourist attractions. Fewer still were home to one of Britain's greatest painters, and are surrounded by ancient commonland where cows freely pasture. Sudbury is a beautiful town with a rich industrial and cultural history, yet like many of the sweet settlements in East Anglia, it suffers from its location. 'We're on the way to nowhere here. No one comes to Sudbury by accident,' a volunteer in Gainsborough's House Museum tells me as we admire the gallery's latest exhibition - a selection of 18th-century masterpieces borrowed from Kenwood House in Hampstead Heath. Sudbury's problem is that it's very much at the end of the line. The Gainsborough Line to be specific. You'll have to take the 50-minute train from London Liverpool Street to Marks Tey and change onto a three-carriage trundler, which emerges from leafy cuttings to ride high above the pastoral beauty of the Stour Valley on a 32-arch viaduct (the second largest brick-built structure in England) before terminating in Sudbury. It also finds itself competing with its neighbours in the informal 'great beauties of Suffolk' rankings. Seven miles up the road is Lavenham, Britain's best preserved medieval village where rickety houses dyed pink with pigs blood limewash line the streets. Over on the coast the pastel colours of Aldeburgh sit above a wide East Anglian pebble beach. The most direct competition comes 15 miles down the River Stour in Flatford, where John Constable painted The Hay Wain. Today the white mill that inspired the painting remains as it did in the early 19th century, like much of Constable Country does as it merges into Gainsborough territory while you make your way back west along the Stour River to Sudbury. Approached by foot, the town could exist at any point in the last thousand years, thanks to the meadow's commonland status which have kept this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty a haven for moorhen, field mice, collared dove and, as my niece kept pointing out, 'ducks!' On a sunny day a table up on The Mill's terrace is the best place to sit and watch the wildlife, the cattle roaming and the toddlers toddling by the water. When the sun is shining is also the best time to visit Gainsborough's House, due to the way the light bounces around its spacious galleries, filled, of course, with the artist's work, but also modern pieces responding to Thomas by the likes of Royal Academician Katherine Jones. After looking around, you could do worse than a cup of tea beneath the branches in the museum's garden. Other places in the town to enjoy a bite include vegan joint Cradle, brunch specialists Painters at the Angel and, as everyone I met kept recommending, The Henny Swan. The 17th-century pub is an hour's walk out of town along the Stour and rewards those who make the journey with a riverside garden and an esteemed Ploughman's. 'Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing–absolutely nothing–half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats,' Ratty once opined to Moley in A.A. Milne's Wind in the Willows, and he is right. Happily, to this end, both the Henny and the Sudbury Boat House are on hand with cheap rowing boats, paddle boards, and kayak options, which can be used to travel between Sudbury's riverside pubs. Once you've done messing about on boats it'll be time to get down to the serious business of Sudbury's second and third most popular tourist attractions - the mummified cat and the head. The poor moggy is entombed in a glass cabinet at the Mill, where she was found during a conversion in 1971. It's likely that the cabinet had been there for 300 years, in line with an old Suffolk tradition that saw live cats buried in the foundations of buildings to ward off witches, warlocks, and fires. The head is arguably less sad but more appointment viewing. Simon of Sudbury was another local lad done good, the wise young man working his way up from Rector of Wickhambrook to the Archbishop of Canterbury in the 14th century. Unfortunately, he took his seat and the role of Lord Chancellor just as the Government decided to pay off the King's huge war debts with a poll tax. In came the revolting peasants from the Home Counties, and off came Simon's head. Before the spike he was impaled on was used to hold up the later defeated People's Champion Wat Tyler, Simon's head was spirited away back to his hometown and tucked away in St Gregory's Church. Today, if you ask the caretaker nicely, they might get it out of storage and give you a look.
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Beautiful little UK seaside town full of charm and £20 budget hotel rooms
Felixstowe isn't just another British seaside town, it's a quintessential living postcard located on the Suffolk coastline and it's an affordable staycation option With its unique south-facing shorelines boasting beautiful panoramic views of the North Sea, Felixstowe offers a different perspective of the East Anglian coastline than any other seaside town in the region. Combining the nostalgia of Edwardian beach holidays with a fresh, rejuvenated spirit, its charm is rooted in the exclusive blend of history, scenery and accessibility, making it a destination where tradition, natural beauty and affordability converge — the beaches and sea air are clean, the attractions and amusements timeless, while the average hotel stay won't break the bank. Nestled between the rivers Orwell and Deben, this Suffolk seaside town offers more than just a place to lay your towel. Visitors can stroll the elegant promenade lined with beautiful pre- WW1 architecture, explore the award-winning Seafront Gardens, or dive into the town's rich maritime past at Landguard Fort and Felixstowe Museum. The town pulses with family-friendly spots, from the iconic Felixstowe Pier, which was renovated in 2017 and is packed with arcades and cafes, to the bustling Ocean Boulevard and Martello Park, boasting 11-acres of parkland and featuring one of the Martello Towers — a series of eight defensive structures built between 1805 and 1812 to protect the area from French invasion during the Napoleonic Wars — and amenities including car parks, cycle paths and play areas, as well as formal and informal gardens, all with a convenient ramp providing access to the beach. For those seeking tranquility, the Landguard Nature Reserve and the quiet banks of Felixstowe Ferry — a nautical village approximately three miles from Felixstowe Pier — provide a peaceful counterpoint to the buzz of the seaside. At low tide visitors can head to The Dip, where emerging from the depths you might be lucky enough see the remains of the Roman Saxon Shore Fort, now called Walton Castle, which was built around AD 276-285 and lost to the sea in the 1700s. The most historic part of town is located near the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Old Felixstowe, where a former Benedictine priory once stood, which was founded in 1105 and dedicated to St Felix. What are Felixstowe's beaches like? Felixstowe boasts a four-mile stretch of sand and shingle beaches, divided into the family-friendly South Beach and more secluded and rural North Beach, both of which are backed by a wide and accessible promenade, making them suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Public toilets, baby changing and disabled facilities are all conveniently located along the seafront, and the beaches have earned Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for their cleanliness and amenities. The South Beach, located to the south of the pier, is the sandier of the two, making it the ideal hub for classic seaside fun including amusements, ice cream kiosks and brightly colouredl beach huts. At low tide, broad sandy areas perfect for sandcastles are revealed by the retreating North Sea. The North Beach, unsurprisingly found to the north of the pier, is mainly pebbles and shingle. It is the quieter of the two beaches, offering a more peaceful and tranquil experience. Backed by the Seafront Gardens, it is an idyllic environment for taking leisurely strolls and enjoying scenic sea views. How much is an average stay in a Felixstowe hotel? One of Felixstowe's standout features is its affordability. The average hotel price per night in Felixstowe is around £73-£75 on weekends, with rates dropping as low as £41 during the off-season. Budget options can be found for as little as £20 per night, making it accessible for a wide range of holidaymakers. The most expensive months, such as August, see prices rise to around £83 per night, but even then Felixstowe remains competitive compared to other UK seaside resorts. It consistently undercuts many other popular UK beach destinations, with places like Brighton, Bournemouth or St Ives often seeing average hotel prices well above £100 per night during peak season, but Felixstowe's rates generally stay below this threshold, even in the peak summer months. The town's combination of budget accommodation, free and low-cost attractions, as well as its affordable dining options all means visitors can enjoy a classic British seaside escape without the premium price tag. Felixstowe is a rare gem — a British beach town where tradition thrives, the beaches clean and your wallet gets a much-needed break too. Whether you're drawn to the award-winning nature, lively pier, or just the simple pleasure of fish and chips on the promenade, Felixstowe delivers a truly special and surprisingly affordable seaside experience.
New York Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The managerial battle of ex-Arsenal stars Jack Wilshere v Aaron Ramsey: How did that happen?
August 10, 2014. Wembley. A 19-year-old Calum Chambers makes his Arsenal debut at centre-back in a 3-0 victory over Manchester City to win the Community Shield, protected by 22-year-old Jack Wilshere and 24-year-old Aaron Ramsey, the future of Arsene Wenger's midfield. May 3, 2025. Carrow Road. The day the future moved beyond the rear view mirror as, 4,177 days on from that triumph, 30-year-old Chambers is shown a straight red card after 16 minutes and has to solemnly trudge past those same two former team-mates, only this time as opposition managers. Advertisement It is poetic that the careers of Wilshere and Ramsey, now 33 and 34, came full circle in what felt like an East Anglian time warp. It marked 17 years since their paths first intertwined when they made their Arsenal debuts within two minutes of each other during a 4-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in September 2008. They went on to play together 101 times over a decade at Arsenal and appeared in consecutive FA Cup final victories together in 2014 and 2015 — last month, they were appointed as interim managers of Norwich City and Cardiff City. Judging by how they beamed about their dugout experience after Norwich's 4-2 win over Cardiff it appears that, in a narrative timing only football can produce, the coaching bug bit them strongly on the same day, too. On paper, Norwich against Cardiff — the home side eight places below the play-offs and the visitors already consigned to League One — was the biggest dead rubber going on the final day of the Championship season. But this game carried meaning for the two men on the touchline, and could be what spawns the next two Wenger disciples after Mikel Arteta, who was the other man in midfield at Wembley in 2014. For Wilshere, this was his second and last audition to lay a claim for the permanent job at Norwich in front of sporting director Ben Knapper, who brought him to the club as first-team coach in October after working with him at Arsenal as loans manager. That is why Wilshere was animated on the touchline, barking at his players to continue pressing even when ahead. It felt like he wanted a statement win to underline his credentials after Johannes Hoff Thorup was sacked after a year in charge. Come the Norwich squad's lap of honour at full time, sections of Carrow Road were signing 'Wilshere's at the wheel' after taking four points from his two games. Advertisement For Ramsey, who has been club captain since returning to his boyhood club in 2023, the game had appeared to be more about pride and attempting to end his three-game reign in charge unbeaten than personal ambition. The romantic swansong at the club where his career started has not gone to plan but he ruled out the prospect of being a player-manager and stated his focus was on recovering from injury. After just 23 minutes, Norwich were 3-0 up and had hit the woodwork twice. All this despite Cardiff having the first three shots of the game and Ramsey applauding with his arms above his head at some of the build-up play his side had produced. After the red card, however, Cardiff's 10 men started plodding like they had been playing for 23 years. Ramsey has not done his coaching badges yet but he remained a picture of calm on the sidelines. Cardiff's 1,002 supporters, some of whom came dressed as bananas and hot dogs, decided that the only way to salvage the nine-hour round trip was to employ gallows humour and wildly celebrate their team conceding and fire beach balls in the air. Ramsey managed to rally his team to win the second half and, after leading his players over to the far corner, he received rapturous applause. 'I have loved every minute of it,' Ramsey said. 'I've got a few things to think about, that's for sure. There are no guarantees either way but I've enjoyed it and I see myself out there in the future.' Ramsey believed that he had 'reconnected' the fans with the team and given them something they can buy into for next season, with owner Vincent Tan so unpopular. With each passing question on his future, Ramsey's straight batting gradually loosened and, when asked if he wants to be the man who brings his club back up, whether in a playing or coaching capacity, he gave the most unequivocal answer yet. Advertisement '100 per cent,' he said. 'I feel a responsibility to try to align everyone again. It has been a tough few years. I'm a fan as well and I realise exactly the things that they have been going through and the questions they have. But I am definitely open to grabbing this and realigning everything. 'If given that opportunity, we'll see, but I am a Cardiff fan, I have come through the academy, this club means a lot.' Ramsey's contract expires this summer. He is still the captain of club and country but has made six Championship starts this season. It has been a common tale since leaving Arsenal in the summer of 2019 as he has played only 7,172 minutes — the equivalent of just 80 full games. His free transfer to Juventus was interrupted by injuries, a six-month loan at Rangers ended with him missing the decisive penalty in the Europa League final shoot-out, while his single season in France with Nice and two seasons back at Cardiff have been littered by injuries. Having seen Gareth Bale retire two years ago, aged 33, and Swansea City midfielder Joe Allen announce his retirement on Friday at 35, does he have the hunger to keep coming back? 'I had the operation to repair my hamstring but I needed that regardless,' he said. 'If I want to go and play golf, that gives me a better quality of life. There are a lot of variables between now and being at the World Cup so that is going to be taken into consideration as well. 'I have loved playing football. It's all I've ever known but having this little couple of weeks doing this and seeing the impact has given me something to consider.' There is no better person to empathise with injury struggles, how difficult it is to end a playing career sooner than planned or what it is like to transition into coaching than Wilshere. Persistent ankle and muscle injuries meant he made just 51 appearances in his final four seasons before he was forced to retire in July 2022 at the age of just 30. 'It is tough because it is all you know,' said Wilshere, who took up a role as Arsenal's under-18 coach days after and helped develop Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri. 'With me, it happened over a two-year period and I was trying to hold on a little bit more when I knew my ankle wasn't in a good place. Advertisement 'I know Aaron has picked up an injury now and muscle injuries in the past, but his is a little bit different. What helped me, and I know Aaron has got it as he wouldn't have had the career he's had if he didn't, is the hunger to try to learn something different like coaching and how to do it. 'I remember the first six or seven months at Arsenal, I was trying to learn everything. It was like 13 and 14-hour days just trying to sit back and work everything out. 'Aaron's journey might be different where he has to step straight into the first team but he will develop a lot because of his mentality.' Wilshere said he was aware of not allowing it to become all about the sub-plot on the touchline, not least because Angus Gunn, Onel Hernandez and Jacob Sorensen were playing their final game for the club after a combined 489 appearances. He did not exchange text messages, nor engage in anything more than a standard handshake before kick-off with Ramsey. The sartorial stakes were high but it may have been a score draw with Wilshere's choice of light-grey hybrid of tracksuit and chino competing with Ramsey's more relaxed navy and grey T-shirt look, which confirmed that he is definitely still on a player's diet. 'I saw him when we met the ref before the game and that was a strange moment,' Wilshere laughed. 'His head must be all over the place but he looked comfortable on the side. I know it didn't quite work out the way they want but he got a reaction. 'Even if Aaron goes on to play next season, this little spell will help him massively when he does go into coaching. I've got massive respect for him for taking this on.' Wilshere is not sure what the process of appointment a permanent manager will be but he has spent the last two years assembling a future backroom staff for when he did become a No 1, an ambition he made clear to Norwich when he arrived six months ago. Advertisement 'I've loved it. I need a few days to take a breath — it's been intense,' said Wilshere. 'Chucking a marathon (Wilshere ran in London) in the middle of that probably didn't help things. 'I've loved the intensity, the feeling of a little bit of pressure. When you are the head coach, or interim head coach, everyone's looking at you. 'It's happened sooner than I would have thought but I didn't want to take that step into first-team football until I thought I was ready to make an impact. I've been a player and when you're not quite sure about a coach or he's not quite confident enough, you can feel it. 'I wanted to take my time at Arsenal, to learn how to coach because it's a completely different skill and try and develop my way of playing. I took that step when I was ready. I feel like I'm ready to make an impact at this level.' Having endured deep lows with Ramsey's horrific leg break and Wilshere's chronic ankle problems, the pair could have fallen out of love with the game. That did not happen. Wilshere accepted time was up three years ago. Ramsey may yet defy Father Time for another year or so, if he believes he can captain Wales to the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, but there is a new fire burning in them. It is up to Norwich and Cardiff whether they want to ignite their managerial careers.
