Well? Is it or isn’t it? Is this the end of the world?

Have we pushed our luck just a bit too far and is it the end of the road for the human race?

Well I for one don’t know. I do agree that things are beginning to get a bit tough.

But when the big bang happens, will we get a warning or will it just sneak up and stab us all in the back?

Does a world-wide apocalypse just happen overnight when you are asleep, or is it the same as giving someone the sack? You first get a verbal warning, then a written one and, finally, bye-bye.

Incidently, can anyone tell me what is the plural of apocalypse?

Don’t rush, there’s no prize.

The other day, I was listening to President Trump at a press conference.

He is the democratically-elected president of the United States of America and is the most important and influential country in the world. He expects and, in his eyes, deserves the respect that goes with the position.

If I mention him, I try to be polite and courteous.

But there is just one snag. The man acts like a cretin and speaks like an idiot.

He bullies his staff, insults his critics and is patronising, ignorant and rude. And the odds are that he will be re-elected in November.

The world is mad.

There are hundreds of thousands of acres of forest on fire in California, Oregon, and Washington State. Many have lost everything, whole towns have been wiped out and many folk have died.

Weather experts have described the conditions and the disaster as the worst in living memory.

The President, who always knows better, has blamed the devastation as neglect by the forestry department and he has reassured those residents, those who have lost absolutely everything, that the imminent cold weather that is forecast for the area will soon help the recovery and the return to normality.

Now, we all know that the quickest way to lose most of your friends is to become a politician.

At the very least, it is guaranteed that you will be high on the list of social lepers.

There is one important proviso. You do have to be a reasonably-successful politician.

I well remember making a phone call to congratulate an MHK on his recent promotion to the Council of Ministers and I asked him how long did he think that his new job would last.

We both agreed it wouldn’t be long.

There was no doubt that, in his case he was more comfortable in opposition than in charge and, to be fair, he always appeared to enjoy the support of his electorate. The fact was he never had to make unpopular decisions.

This is the danger that comes with world leaders such as President Trump.

They have the power and the authority to make decisions that can literally be Earth-shattering.

We are getting warnings from all directions. The scientists tell us that global warming is melting the polar ice caps, sea levels are rising and coastal communities are regularly being flooded.

Everywhere the seasons are changing. Weather patterns are becoming unpredictable and forecasters are warning us that we can expect our winters and summers when they feel like turning up (the weather, that is. Not the forecasters).

Worldwide, millions of people live in refugee camps. Many have to survive without adequate food and shelter.

Worldwide, we are being attacked by a previously unknown virus that our scientists cannot identify, let alone cure.

Brother fights brother and race fights race. What chance do we stand with leaders such as President Trump?

Not a lot, but at least we know what to expect.

PS. I don’t think that there can be a plural of apocalypse. There’s no point.