Snippets and gleanings - joining the dots

Nothing like diplomacy
It's a while since I've done one of my little S&G pieces but several items of news have caught my eye lately where synergies arise in unexpected ways - or is it just me? The first of these is the controversy over the Chinese government's attempts to get planning permission for a new mega-embassy at the old Royal Mint behind the Tower of London. Objections have been raised on grounds of cyber-security, covert operations and protest management. Following the ongoing British Steel crisis I think the answer is blindingly obvious. Offer the Chinese an alternative site in Scunthorpe.

Quaking
An item in The Los Angeles Times piqued my interest. Apparently, plans have been announced for a restoration of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul described, ominously, as "sweeping". The former Byzantine church, then mosque, then museum and now, thanks to President Erdoğan, a mosque once more, has stood firm for fifteen hundred years. Suddenly, there's panic about earthquakes, necessitating major structural works. Erdoğan's controversial remodelling of Taksim Square, including a new mosque (how many more does Istanbul need?) hardly inspires confidence. Given recent anti-government protests in the city the proposals look suspiciously like a smokescreen. It's a tragedy that thousands of apartments thrown up by the regime didn't survive earthquakes as well as this venerable building, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.*

Bricking it 
It was a rollercoaster of a week for the PM on what was supposed to be his Easter break. Last Wednesday he visited a 476 acre former brickworks site in Bedfordshire to laud a £50 billion benefit to the UK economy of Universal Studios' plan for its first European theme park, "bringing 28,000 jobs in a whole range of sectors, including construction but also retail, hospitality and creative industries" as Starmer gushed. Then came the unexpected recall of Parliament on Saturday to debate the Government's emergency takeover of British Steel. The UK is a massive importer of bricks and steel, including from China. So the dilemma for modern Britain, wanting to build new infrastructure in the post-globalisation era, seems to be steel and brick works or theme parks? You choose.

Update 23/04/25: A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has struck suburban Istanbul

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