The General

Saw "Hugo" the other day. He's doing fine, thanks for asking.  It was the missus' first 3D experience; she looked lovely in the glasses. I thought the film was stunning. Hovering on the bizarre - lots of fantastical machinery and smoke and hints of magic - it really captivated me. The film was imbued with the excitement of discovery, adventure and re-awakening. A wonderfully positive film but with an aching nostalgia and so much on which to feast the eye.



OK, the end of Pseuds Corner.

Do you remember as a kid in the school playground. You're all lined up ready to go into class after the lunch break and the teacher shouts "Turn Right" and you are the only one to turn left. You feel a right ninny and all your class mates snigger and nudge each other.

That's how David Cameron must have felt on Thursday night/Friday morning. The rest of Europe turned one way and Good Ol' Blighty went in the opposite direct. To much applause from the Tory press.

I believe he was outmanoeuvred, he ended up playing the card he had never intended to, but had to because he'd made so much of it in the run up to the meeting. I suspect our isolation, and I don't see it as anything else, is likely to do us harm. I'm unsure whether what Cameron has done will protect our financial services from increasing EU regulation, and greater competition from Europe. There is a real risk of encouraging many Tories who hate Europe and the EU to believe they can get us to leave.

I don't like the unrepresentative nature of the European institutions - I feel for the Greeks and Italians (o.k. not the Italians) being, in effect, ruled from Paris and Berlin.  However, I think it's far better we stay onside as much as we can with our European cousins than alienate them.

As for the Lib Dems! They might as well all resign. They are in the most dreadful place. Seeing their key policy of engagement with Europe being undermined but unable to do anything about it. They're tied to a dog that's eating them alive and they can't cut loose. Electorally they appear doomed. If we had election tomorrow they'll be lucky to have one member in Parliament and that from the Orkneys.

We're off to see "Puss in Boots" on Wednesday, also in 3D. We like challenging, intellectual films. There's a good chance we'll have the cinema all to ourselves along with a few other OAPs cutting down on the heating bills.