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Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
'This psychotic defence review means Britain is no longer one of the good guys'
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Prime Minister with domestic troubles must be in want of a war. But one with no money can, at best, hope to look warlike while spending less than promised on a conflict that is, for the voter, comfortably distant. And so it is for today's Strategic Defence Review, the inevitable kit-check for every incoming government. They are as predictable as bank holiday rain, and about as dampening to the spirit, for their main aim is to make a new broom look brisk while planning for what conflicts will look like in a decade's time. Except: 1) They'll look stupid and pointless, as they always do, and 2) You're in the midst of a technological revolution and absolutely nobody thought lads trained on Nintendo Game Boys would one day come in useful. Last time Labour entered power in 1997, their SDR predicted troops would in future only be used in humanitarian missions. They spent billions on navy vessels that could carry Royal Marines to help out in disaster zones, and dumped tanks in favour of snatch Land Rovers, then promptly entered into land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan where the first was useless and the second were deadly. They would better be known as Silly and Delusional Reviews, authored by top brass making brrm-brrm noises and politicians cosplaying as tough guys when their idea of a fight is a stern letter to the editor about the lack of patriotism in Foxy's latest column. But there is one aspect of the Starmer Project's little ego trip which everyone seems to have overlooked, and it is that Britain has decided to stop being one of the good guys. Everyone who works for the government, or likes Starmer, will at this point puff out their cheeks and scoff. Putting a human rights barrister in charge of weapons should be the best possible thing you could do with them. No more extra-judicial killings by the SAS, right lads? Hmmmmmm. I thought that was the whole point of them. The thing Prime Ministers never quite get is that they may sit at the top of the chain of command, but everybody beneath them knows it's temporary. To the Ministry of Defence - an institution which has existed in some form or other since the days of Alfred the Great - it's just like having a supply teacher in charge. They think they wield ineffable power, but the rest of the class is thinking let's get this one to say we can buy 12 new submarines and do colouring-in on Friday afternoons. And it smacks of just such a wheeze that the new SDR promises levels of funding the politicians won't commit to, on timescales that won't be met, for drones that our enemies already have tens of thousands of, and missile factories creating long-range weapons already outclassed by hypersonic versions in the hands of Russia, China and the US. The creation of jobs and production lines will create a more militarised economy better able to respond, if and when a major war begins. But such a war would need to wait until we are ready. In truth, we're promising to take money from the disabled to spend on equipment that's already defunct to fight wars that will be conducted with a touchscreen. It's purely political patriotism. Taking money from the sick and the crippled to make more of the same is supposed to be what the bad guys do. There's little mention in the SDR of how we are expected to deal with a new wave of veterans, damaged by traumas of battle on-screen or IRL. Around £1.5bn will be allocated to improve housing for existing troops, which is less than half of what's needed to make the estate fit for human habitation. And nothing has been said about what happens to the troops that will need to be recruited, once they've served their purpose. But perhaps a clue to how this government plans to handle this knotty issue can be found in its decision to buy F35 jets capable of dropping nuclear bombs. The practice of relying on the purely-defensive at-sea deterrent, housed in hidden, patrolling submarines which have kept the peace for 50 years, is to be supplemented with airborne nukes which turn the most powerful weapons in our arsenal into offensive tools. What was a shield will become a first-strike device, and when defence editors tell you these are "low-yield tactical weapons, nothing like Hiroshima" remember this: they're worse. The bombs that fell on Japan were atomic, pea-shooters compared to the B61s which these jets can carry, and which are thermonuclear fusion weapons capable of infinitely greater destruction. Their yield can be fine-tuned according to need, and be anything up to 20 times as powerful as those that ended World War Two. It puts planes and crews at risk to fly over enemy territory, relies on gravity and is at risk of being blown-off course, and if it were to be shot down would suffer a non-fissile explosion likely to cover vast areas with fallout for thousands of years. The whole point of such an airborne bomb is to scare the bejeebus out of everyone under the flightpath. It patrols in the same way as a permanently-clenched fist patrols at the end of your arm. A defensive tool becomes naked aggression, and the whole world was here before: it was called the Cold War, was characterised by sweaty-palmed world leaders leading every news bulletin with their chins, and it ended only when everybody put their fists back in their pockets. In Opposition, Defence Secretary John Healey told the veterans who helped create that deterrent, and who show 345% increases in radiogenic leukaemia, 10 times the normal rate of miscarriage and elevated rates of suicide, that he was in favour of multilateral disarmament. Today, he's threatening to fling the same radioactive legacy at untold thousands of foreign citizens. At the same time his ministry is still telling those same veterans, as it has for 70 years, that they were perfectly safe when dirty bombs were detonated at the ends of their noses. Tell me, class, if they are so very safe, why are we spending £15bn to terrify the world with a load more of them? The one thing every SDR never bothers to check for is morality. We rely on politicians for that. Which may be why some of the SAS will cheerfully slot a civilian, why nukes can be turned from a deterrent to a come-on-then without any discussion, and why nuclear veterans are still waiting for the Prime Minister to notice they exist. Wrapping yourself in a flag, taking money from the poor, and leading a defence ministry hallucinating with the madness of mutually-illogical policies is not what the good guys do. If a Prime Minister does not look after our heroes and our lame, if we do not treat them with the same dignity and honour, then there are no British values left worth defending.
Daily Record
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Adam Forrester reflects on Hearts journey from Lowland League to European football and what surprised him most
The full back was given his big break by Liam Fox in the caretaker's first stint in charge and hasn't looked back. This time last year Adam Forrester was chilling on holiday after the conclusion of the Lowland League. Twelve months on and the Hearts kid is pinching himself after the big break to end them all. The Jambos academy product hasn't looked back since being handed his first team chance when Liam Fox took caretaker charge for the first time back in September. In that time he's made five appearances in Europe including against Victor Klaesen and co at Copenhagen, played in a Scottish Cup semi final at Hampden and enjoyed a total of 33 top team run outs. Forrester admits he owes Fox a lot after he stepped up from B team duties - and took the kid right back with him. It's no wonder he hopes the interim boss remains a key part of Derek McInnes ' staff should, as expected, the Kilmarnock boss take the reigns. Asked to sum up his season, Forrester said: 'Probably after the game on Sunday I'll sit down and reflect. It's been an outstanding season to make my breakthrough and play as many games as I have. It's surprised me but one I've really enjoyed. 'Foxy gave me my debut. I know the way he wants to play and that gave me confidence to go out and play my own game. 'Then when Neil Critchley got the job, I just tried to repay his faith that he's shown in me and try to play well every week. 'Obviously, Foxy got the job again and then I just know how he wants to play and that gives me confidence. 'Hopefully he will still be around next season. He's a guy that shows a lot of trust in me. He's a guy that I can lean on for advice as well. So, hopefully he stays in about it. "I was actually on my holidays this time last year because the Lowland League was finished! 'Obviously, this a lot different. You maybe get away with certain stuff playing at that level but in the first team, you always need to be focused and ready for any scenario that pops up. 'What's surprised me? Maybe how well I've fitted in, that's what surprised me because from an outside look at it, most players look at the first-team challenge as being quite daunting after not having much experience or whatever. After my debut, I just felt like I belonged on the first team stage. "Foxy made it easy because I knew the way he wanted to play but playing with top players in and around you makes it that much easier as well. "I knew if I played well in my debut and I got another few games, I'd maybe stay in and around squads. But to start as many games as I have kind of surprised me but I really enjoyed it and I always backed myself pretty well. 'Next season will probably be my first pre-season with the first team. So, that'll be exciting. Then I'll just try and impress whoever the next manager is.' It's just the start of the journey for Forrester who knows he needs to build on his big break. That involves working on his speed and strength in pre-season after being given a rude top level awakening by some wingers he admits he couldn't get near. Asked who his most difficult opponent was in the past 12 months, Forrester said: 'The European game in Copenhagen, the Brazilian boy, Robert. 'Another one was Duk at Aberdeen. Strong, fast, couldn't really get near him. Since I've been playing, those are the two that have been the most difficult. "Obviously, during the season, it's hard to be in the gym a lot because of how many games I've had. But this pre-season will be about getting faster and stronger. That'll be my main aim.'
Scotsman
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Broomhill to Brazil: Hearts defender Adam Forrester sets a new target
Tynecastle defender thinking ahead to the 2025/26 Scottish Premiership Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Adam Forrester began season 2024/25 as a Hearts B team player in the Lowland League alongside clubs like Broomhill and Broxburn Athletic. He played away at Fraserburgh in the SPFL Trust Trophy last July. By September he was in the first team at Tynecastle beside Lawrence Shankland and Craig Gordon. Then came UEFA Conference League ties away against Dinamo Minsk, Cercle Brugge and FC Copenhagen. It's been the most exhilarating rise for the 20-year-old defender. Sunday's visit to Kilmarnock marks the end of a breakthrough campaign Forrester will never forget. He will then reflect on rapid career growth from Lowland League to Conference League and the opponents he encountered in the process. Guys like Copenhagen's Brazilian winger Robert Vinicius Rodrigues Silva and the Aberdeen forward Luis 'Duk' Lopes opened young Forrester's eyes to the level of quality in senior football. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think the European one in Copenhagen, the Brazilian boy, was tough,' said the player, recalling the toughest men he has faced in recent months. 'Probably another one was Duk at Aberdeen. Strong, fast, I couldn't really get near him. Since I've been playing, they are the two that have been the most difficult.' Much credit for Forrester's breakthrough goes to current Hearts interim head coach Liam Fox, who handed him a senior debut during his first spell in temporary charge last September. The pair previously worked together at B team level and Fox was confident Forrester could handle promotion and step up four leagues from the Lowland to the Premiership. Sunday will be the right-back's 34th top-team appearance of the campaign. 'Probably after the game on Sunday, that's when I'll probably sit down and reflect on it,' said Forrester. 'It's been an outstanding season to make my breakthrough and play as many games as I have. It's surprised me but one I've really enjoyed. It's given me a lot of confidence. Obviously, Foxy gave me my debut. I know the way he wants to play and that gave me confidence to go out and play my own game. 'Then when [Neil] Critchley got the job, I just tried to repay his faith that he's shown in me and try to play well every week. Obviously, Foxy got the job again and then I just know how he wants to play and that gives me confidence. I knew if I played well in my debut and I got another few games, I knew I'd maybe stay in and around squads. But to obviously start as many games as I have kind of surprised me I really enjoyed it and I always backed myself pretty well.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Premiership target and trying to impress the next Hearts manager This time last year, Forrester was already on holiday with the Lowland League programme finished. Now he is preparing for a tense encounter at Rugby Park, where home fans are already turning on Derek McInnes as he prepares to swap Kilmarnock for their weekend opponents. It all adds to the learning curve for a young player. 'It's just first team experience. Obviously, it's a lot different to the Lowland League,' admitted Forrester. 'You maybe get away with certain stuff playing at that level but in the first team, you always need to be focused and ready for any scenario that pops up. The level of talent, that's probably the biggest surprise. But apart from that, maybe how well I've fitted in, that's what surprised me. 'From an outside look at it, most players look at the first-team challenge as being quite daunting after not having much experience or whatever. After my debut, I just felt like I belonged on the first-team stage. Obviously, Foxy made it easy because I knew the way he wanted to play but playing with top players in and around you makes it that much easier as well.' Knowing what a manager desires is key for any player to succeed in football. In that regard, Forrester benefits from working with Fox at B team level. He wants inverted full-backs who are capable of roaming into advanced attacking positions, and Forrester enjoys the freedom. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'That's just the way Foxy wants to play,' he acknowledged. 'If you've seen the B-team games over the last year or so, that's positions I find myself in all the time. Obviously, it's a lot different playing in the first team because you need to be a bit more streetwise trying to play in those positions. But if there's a chance to get into them, then I'll go do it. 'As you've seen, playing my debut and then in the European game, the game after, that's the positions I was trying to get in. Also, it's a bit different for the other players because they've maybe not had Foxy for as long as I have. But I know the way he wants to play and that's the position I was finding myself in during Lowland League matches. So, I just need to try and continue that.' Despite the familiarity with Fox, Forrester must prepare for a changing of the guard. McInnes is expected to be confirmed as Hearts head coach next week as pre-season preparations intensify. 'Yeah, obviously, next season will probably be my first pre-season with the first team because I've not been in about that. So, that'll be exciting. Then I'll just try and impress whoever the next manager is,' stated Forrester. His next target is to strengthen his body physically in an effort to gain McInnes' trust. 'Obviously, during the season, it's hard to be in the gym a lot because of how many games I've had. This pre-season will be about getting faster and stronger. That'll be my main aim.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad An added hope is that Fox remains at Hearts in some capacity. 'Yeah, hopefully. He's a guy that shows a lot of trust in me,' said Forrester. 'I know it's a guy that I can lean on for advice as well. So, hopefully he stays in about it.' READ MORE: Hearts explain player absences
Montreal Gazette
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Map: Find all the Michelin star restaurants in Montreal
Entertainment And Life By Montreal has officially joined the ranks of Michelin-rated cities. For the first time, the 2025 Michelin Guide has awarded stars and distinctions to restaurants across the province of Quebec, including Montreal. Two other Canadian cities, Toronto and Vancouver, were added to the guide in recent years. Here's the breakdown for Montreal in Year One. The number of restaurants awarded were: Zero received two stars Three received one star 44 were given 'recommended' restaurant status Seven received the Bib Gourmand A Bib Gourmand is given for good quality, good value cooking. A 'recommended' restaurant means good cooking. A restaurant can also receive a green star for 'leading the industry in terms of sustainable practices while providing culinary excellence,' but none were awarded in Montreal. Montrealers factored into the guide's Special Awards: Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award went to Véronique Dalle of Foxy, and the Michelin Sommelier Award went to Vanya Filipovic of Mon Lapin. Quebec City actually outranked Montreal with four one-star restaurants and one two-star restaurant compared to Montreal's three. Click here for more information on how restaurants are judged in the Michelin Guide. Curious to know more about the life of a Michelin Guide inspector? Read more here. Looking to dine at a Montreal restaurant with either one Michelin star, a recommendation or a Bib Gourmand? Our map will show you the address, type of cuisine and price range, from budget/moderate spend to high-end/spare no expense. You can also filter between one star, the Bib Gourmand and 'recommended' categories.
The Guardian
12-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
The one change that worked: I started sketching
I've always battled with phone use. I resent how much my sense of being alive in the world – feeling it, doing things, making stuff happen – is affected by my screen time. So a few years ago, I decided to do a sketch every day. I had always wanted to draw, but I was embarrassed about starting out because I was so bad at it. Then I bought a few black notebooks: a small one for my jacket pocket, and larger ones for my bedside and for the kitchen table. As no one would ever see my drawings, I decided I didn't need to care about what anyone thought. One day I grabbed one of the notebooks and a pencil and went out to the Cornish cliffs. I spent 10 minutes hastily drawing some cows and wild ponies. Standing on a cliff, pencil in hand, I felt like an idiot and an impostor, but I had started. It was a happy moment. I had never drawn a pony before but, to my delight, one quick, simple sketch seemed not bad for a beginner. Next, I drew our cat snoozing. Then our dog, Foxy, staking out a mouse in our kitchen. Beside each sketch, I wrote the date and little notes. Having the pencils and sketchbooks within easy reach – in my car or lying around the house – meant these small moments built up. Within weeks what might otherwise have been buried in photos on my mobile phone became a tender profile of my life unfolding on pages. My favourite drawings are often of people. Our daughter, Elizabeth, is usually furious when she realises I'm surreptitiously drawing her. Drawing strangers at airports, in cafes or on the tube is fun. I enjoy the element of danger. Will I get caught? Can I finish the drawing before that person moves on? It helps to pass the time on long journeys instead of spending it on screen. Lots of my sketches are dreadful, but the quickest ones – of people or animals – can have good results because drawing at speed makes my self-consciousness fall away. One unexpected benefit of doing a sketch a day is I spend less time doomscrolling on my phone. Like most people, I am anxious about the state of the world, but drawing slows things down, makes me pay attention to the moment. I lose myself in the act of drawing, and I'm using my hands, which is soothing in itself. Drawing also brings me back to the analogue world. It makes me happier and more patient. Art is known for being therapeutic and transformative, and I've definitely felt the benefits. In two years our daughter will be leaving home. In the future I'll be able to look at those drawing diaries and think, yes, we were together when I did those.
