Forever blowing bubbles

This week recognised the achievement of the OCPA (Organisation for the Prhohibition of Chemical Weapons) for its work not just recently in Syria but since its inception in 1997. Although calls to recognise the achievements of the Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousefzai were quite valid, her time will surely come. The award of a Nobel Peace Prize ought to reflect the enormity of the contribution to world peace. I wouldn't have minded either of the latter being awarded the prize because they have both contributed greatly albeit in rather different ways. At a time when the US and the UK wanted to go in and bomb Syria, the OCPA instead did something constructive. They worked hard behind the scenes to remove those chemical weapons. That they had been used is beyond argument. What is done is done no matter how horrific. History can't be changed but can be learned from. Removal of such weapons at least minimises the chances of their subsequent use. That is the very least we should be aspiring to. Going in to bomb the country achieves nothing - history tells us that and yet that remains the first port of call for the US and the UK. I wonder what it would take fro them to step back and learn? Malala this week urged the US President to put a stop to drone strikes in Pakistan. The argument for them is that the Taliban is terrorising people on the ground. To employ drones is not the answer. Drones will just accentuate their animosity to the West as Malala correctly points out. As unpalatable as it may be, dialogue remains the logical solution in this or any other conflict. Take away the weapons and sit around a table. Recognise and respect your differences and adopt greater tolerance to each other. It doesn't sound that difficult really. Meanwhile our Government enjoys a weekend out of the firing line as the share price for the recently privatised Royal Mail continues its meteoric ascent. Vince Cable assures us all that this will stabilise to the issue price three months hence. Sadly for him, the election isn't until 2015, so I hope he's right. I fear he isn't and this will go down as one of the greatest of all government giveaways as the private institutions queue up to relive the public of their quick windfalls. One day we will have a goverment who not only speak of peace but also act accordingly both at home and in the world community. Instead of selling of the family silver, they would be better off addressing the real issues. This is quick fix politics at its very worst and the only users will be the millions of us who rely on the post office. Those days are now surely numbered as the inevitable process of assett stripping begins. A bird in the hand? Cable assures us that the early price rise is just froth but I would say that this and successive government have forever been blowing bubbles..