Peter Rhodes on munitions, the perils of visiting Iran and a nutty problem with a lorry
Let the money-making begin. Britain’s biggest weapons manufacturer BAE Systems has reported record orders sparked by the Ukraine war, while the share prices of other arms companies are soaring. As I noted on February Feb 16 last year: “At times Ukraine looks less like a war zone than an arms fair.”
Craig and Lindsay Foreman sound like good people and the sooner they are released from detention in Iran, the better. But whatever possessed them to enter that benighted country in the first place? I suspect when it came to preparation, the first thing this pair packed was the innocent Englishman's abiding belief in the goodness of all humankind. Wave, smile and treat people nicely, goes this mind-set, and the world will be nice to you. Sadly this creed is, and always has been, absolute nonsense.
Half the world is governed by bad people and they don't come any badder or madder than the mad mullahs running Iran, for whom another pair of wide-eyed Westerners is just another couple of bargaining chips. All the Foremans' loved ones can hope is that the bargain is struck sooner rather than later.
I happened upon a roadside drama a few days ago. A man looking seriously shocked was taking photos of his BMW while another man, in a hi-viz jacket, was inspecting a lorry wheel. Look again and you couldn't help noticing that the wheel was not attached to the lorry and the back end of the Beamer had suffered the sort of damage that makes garage managers suck their teeth and say: “Well, you gotta be talking about five grand, for starters, right?” The lorry driver, meanwhile, was telling anyone willing to listen that: “I was driving along and there's me wheel overtaking me.”
It seemed that, despite being secured by a dozen massive nuts, the wheel had come off, hurtled down the street and wrecked the car but, thankfully, missed any pedestrians. Some days just don't go as you expect them to, as the BMW driver can confirm. And if you drive a lorry, this might be a good time to dig out that old torque wrench and check the wheel nuts.
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