Most of the readers, as well as the writer, would call themselves ordinary people. We used to refer to the ‘man in the street’, a term that captured the concept of the ordinary person invited to cast an opinion, for comparison with the views and behaviour of the famous and the expert. But ‘he’ (since gone non-binary into ‘they’) loses a degree of street credibility as we see less of that person in the street; it is more difficult to consult them, as they are either more cautious, scuttle away in haste or late for work or desperate to get to the supermarket before it closes.
One wonders about the extent to which the ordinary person feels they are like a pawn in a chess game within the context of our world today and especially modern politics. Ordinary people are an essential feature of the game, but at a very low level and highly dispensable along the path to victory or defeat. Only the major pieces have any real impact in a chess game and, similarly, on the world stage. And they are rarely the ones to suffer when their games lead to failure.Far too often, we are seeing leaders of powerful countries indulging in games – usually contests – where, in the first instance, they are motivated to pursue or defend what they believe is right and proper for their people. But these then evolve into a personal contest, and not a satisfactory one. There are some who, in common with the infinitely friendlier game of football, build a team around themselves that strengthens and protects them into the creation of an oligarchy. Where their political image becomes more important than the safety of their people.
An example of this is Russia itself exhibiting the characteristics of an oligarchy. The game is quite clearly an effort to rebuild and restore the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) that left this world in 1991, abandoning a desperately unhappy Vladimir Putin. It is now a personal game or contest where the broader picture of what’s best for the Russian people has been lost in the maelstrom.
This man and his team have a deep obsession with reviving an empire of communism that simply did not work. The concept itself was that everybody should be equal. Nothing wrong with that except ‘some were more equal than others’. It was George Orwell who wrote that (using animals that could talk) in the classic ‘Animal Farm’.
Go West! Precisely as encouraged in that excellent song of yesteryear. You will find the USA, another example of games at work, to sanitise for the general public the mistakes being made at a high political level. More an oligarchy than a democracy, where an elite group led by Mr Donald Trump has, without adequate explanation, brought the world to a state of economic fragility and more poverty for the poor.
Perhaps it’s just him alone; the personal game – largely through social media - appears to be one where he acts aggressively and very often threateningly, intending that the opposition will cower away in fear and timidly concede all conditionality. The crude and aggressive personal style of communication may well have induced Mr Trump’s business success, but it is not at all the way to deal with Iran. What started as a mutual distrust between the two countries has evolved counter-productively into a slanging match, and frankly, it is mostly one way. He will not secure peace when talking like that to Iran’s leaders. Insulting them is tantamount to insulting their faith. That’s disastrous. And even the pope is not being respected.
The Muslim religion espouses peaceful and respectful behaviour, though in a number of countries, an extreme application of Islam is promoted and at times ruthlessly defended.
Their game is a strongly conceptual one against the infidel. Not by definition vicious, but a contest, nevertheless. And that game is dominating a country, Iran, where they are branded as America’s enemy. Ironically, many among the millions suffering in Iran would like to see their regime dismantled, to allow freedom to express views and not be pressured into religious extremism. The tens of thousands of deaths in the January 2026 protest are testament to that, given that only a small number of supporters of an issue will actually take to the streets about it.
Our world is going backwards. We really did hope Vice-President JD Vance would manage to inject a catalytic dose of good intellectual and diplomatic negotiation.
The peace talks at Islamabad were, however, an unequivocal failure; hugely disappointing across the world. The word on the street – not sure which street – was that Vance’s reticence from the start about the Iran War was seen as disobedience. So, no better way of diminishing his political status than to deliver to him what in rugby is known as the ‘hospital pass’, where you get hit by the opposition as you receive the ball.
We were aware that, as Vance stepped off the aircraft at Islamabad, the mutually exclusive conditions of the USA and Iran left him severely handicapped for the game that followed. Games are currently dominating our world; no fun either.
One wonders about the extent to which the ordinary person feels they are like a pawn in a chess game within the context of our world today and especially modern politics.