Day: 15 September 2020

“All of this marks a fitting finale to Britain’s catastrophic mismanagement of the Brexit process, which started with the resignation of the prime minister who called the referendum without any plan for what would happen if he lost it (David Cameron); continued with his successor triggering a two-year countdown to Britain’s final withdrawal without any plan for what future relationship she wanted to negotiate (Theresa May); and was followed by her successor signing an international treaty without any guarantee of a future trade deal, only then to rip up this agreement when its consequences began to reveal themselves (Johnson). Regardless of the merits of Brexit, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Britain’s leaders dealt themselves one bad hand after another—and proceeded to play them badly”

Tom McTague

Read the full article here in the Atlantic.

Last night, about 15 or so years since the previous time I had tried one, I thought I should have a pint of Guinness. As a teenage drinker I had started with ales, before moving on to lagers. I never acquired a taste for the stereotypical Irish drink, and I stayed with the fizzy yellow beer. In recent years my drinking range has expanded. I like a good wiessbeer, and I can even tolerate an IPA from time to time.

I was in the pub with friends for the first time in months. And there was a mini celebration as one of them is to be a grandfather in the new year (first one to fall). The connoiseurs tell me Wistroms does the best pint in Stockholm. So I said “why not, lets try one”. I ordered got two pints at the bar, one for me and one for Paddy, who it should be noted is a long time Guinness drinker.

And the stuff was rank. I managed two good mouthfulls of the horrible, creamy, chocolatey, bleurgh. It all came flooding back to me why I don’t drink the swill. It is vile!

Now people’s reaction has been “well what do you expect, you have to drink it in Ireland”. Paddy, who is a qualified Guinness drinker with considerable experience of consuming stout felt it was 7/10 on the stout drinking scale. Not outstanding, but certainly not atypical or below average.

It isn’t a great sign of something though, if people tell you have to start with the best possible experience first. Like my friend who learned to scuba dive in Thailand. It ruined him. He never was able to handle Ireland after that. Whereas I learned in the Atlantic. And having froze my ass off in a dry suit in Atlantic waters, diving in Australia on the barrier reef, or in the caribbean off Cuba was divine. Start your experiences in the middle, then the best will be ahead of you!

Last night, I had to give up on the Guinness. I passed it to Paddy who was more than happy to finish it:

And then I went home. I washed the rank fetid taste from my mouth. And I wrote a letter to me 10 years in the future, to remind me never to buy Guinness again!

[2020 Target: 13/52. 6,012/25,000]