Spare a thought for the besieged people of Ukraine, who are now facing a third Christmas under Russia’s war of terror.
They endure a daily barrage of bombs, rockets and drone attacks, often without heat or light in freezing winter nights.
Six million fled, seeking refuge across Europe. And 250,000 – the equivalent population of Southampton or Stoke-on-Trent – have been welcomed here.
Prime Minister Starmer this week promised “to do what it takes, for as long as it takes, to support Ukraine’s self-defence”.
A shift in emphasis? Up to now, the Government’s mantra has been that Vladimir Putin cannot be allowed to win. So, how far is the anti-Russia coalition prepared to go?
President-elect Trump, a vocal admirer of Vlad the Invader, wants to end military support and claims he will end the war in 24 hours. Our Government recently committed another £600million in aid, bringing the total to £12.8billion so far: £7.8bn military and £5bn economic assistance, with £3bn a year to come. The situation is evolving. Ukraine President Zelensky, losing popular support at home, talks of an end to “the hot phase of the war”. His proposal could involve giving up territory seized by Russia – one-fifth of his country – if the rest can join Nato, with protection by treaty from further land grabs.
Putin, scenting total victory, would have none of it. The Russians are masters of wars of attrition. They’ve been doing it for centuries.
It looks like the UK and our European allies will be forced to carry the shared burden of the fight to contain vainglorious Vlad for a very long time to come. Military chiefs chillingly predict that our Army would not last a year in a war like Ukraine.
They demand a big uplift in defence spending. In straitened times, that will affect all of us.
More than 20,000 framed photographic portraits of the King dressed as Admiral of the Fleet are going free to institutions like schools, hospitals and churches.
But nobody seems to want one. Fewer than a third of those eligible took up the offer – less than 3% of hospitals.
The famous Annigoni portrait of our late Queen graced many public places for decades.
Charles III, bemedalled in full uniform as a Royal Navy admiral, is perhaps not as popular as Her Late Majesty.
It’s a long time since I went to an office Christmas party. Indeed, it’s a long time since I worked in an office, but that’s another story.
The death of the annual drink ’n’ kiss bash is forecast as new rules require employers to prevent sexual harassment. Office parties are going out of fashion, anyway. Six out of 10 workers say they don’t want the bosses’ booze.
In my experience, most people are perfectly capable of making fools of themselves in the nearest wine bar without any help from
their employer.