Bloody foreigners

Where are the Bloody Foreigners? I received nothing but help and friendliness this trip. It’s typical. I arrived late evening on Monday, and now, Wednesday morning, I’m off. I write this on my express train. The dawn glows its promise.

The city centre of Hannover is lovely. Our Royal Family’s roots are here. The people say hello, it’s clean and the food’s good. They tell me vast areas of the city are less pretty where drab 1960’s architecture covered the rubble of World War Two.

It didn’t rain, so I walked 2 km through the city to a meeting yesterday. On the way, I had breakfast in a small bakery. Wonderful. The woman who served me didn’t speak English and I don’t speak German – but we managed fine in French.

Move mountains?

Before the confab the people talked about life, the world and everything as you do in the quiet space as people gathered. Can you believe they nearly moved Hannover 10 kilometres into the countryside after the war, the devastation was so complete.

Fast train

I’ve just left the big city and hurtle towards sunrise on a European ICE express … (MK1 I’d have to say). The seat is comfy and I’m next to the café-bar. This is the first of four trains I’ll catch on my way to Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Here, I am travelling at speed through lovely country gradually showing off as a daylight triumphs over pitch-black night. I’ve enjoyed my stay. The contact with people from my light breakfast to a hearty pub meal in the evening is a happy memory.

Bloody Foreigners? That’s prejudice, not fact. Who’s the enemy?

No ‘bloody foreigners’ for me. I am Scottish, British and a European. I like the Germans and, I fancy, they like me. Back home, more to the south of Hadrian’s Wall, it’s a different story of demonization and political tomfoolery. Divide and rule? or Divide and rue?

Crazy little thing called trust …

If we held a poll tomorrow to affirm trust in our politicians, would they win a 52/48 vote in their favour? I doubt it. Would you buy a used car from BoJo?

If the politicians lost such a poll by a large margin, there’s only one question our people need to answer – why are we putting our future in their hands?

[Just as I’m about to post this I learn Theresa May aims to sell the NHS as part of a US trade deal – crazy little thing this trust … or lack of it.]

Peace in our time?

It wasn’t a guarantee then and isn’t a likelihood now as ideology and incompetence tear our peaceful world apart. Of course, the EU has major failings as does the UK. They need fixing not accusation. They need thought, not incoherent rage. What price common cause?

Charging through a once ravaged landscape, I can’t help but wonder: Is this as good as gets?

Little did I know death was closing in …

© Mac Logan