Whether it’s true or not, the saying has become synonymous with a leader engaging in frivolous activities, indifferent to the suffering of the ordinary people. It refers to Emperor Nero in AD 64 when a great fire broke out in the city of Rome.
History tells us that Nero was probably miles away in his villa in Antium at the time, and if he played anything it was the lyre, as the fiddle hadn’t been invented. It’s true that he used the fire to his advantage, rebuilding large parts of the city in his own style including a lavish palace for himself. There were many conspiracy theories that Nero had started the fire, so to quash the rumours he blamed the Christians which introduced a period of horrific persecutions.
Trump Played Golf While Gaza Starved!
Time has already run out for the children of Gaza who have starved to death. All are malnourished and nowhere is safe from bombs or bullets. President Trump is the only person who can put real pressure on Netanyahu to end the killing, but he’s in Scotland, playing golf and opening a new course near Aberdeen.
Has he walked away from Gaza? He certainly doesn’t want to recognise Palestine as a state. Does he see the devastation in Gaza as an opportunity to rebuild after his own image?
Of course, while he’s here in Scotland he’s also having ‘talks’. Let’s hope they’re not just about trade and tariffs, but pray his conscience won’t let him be indifferent to a humanitarian catastrophe that he could bring to an end.
Lenna’s Blog 