Watching the news this morning, I found myself heartily wishing that all world leaders had compulsory work experience in nurseries.
Imagine the current Middle East situation re-enacted in a nursery:
Nursery Worker: “Sam! Johnny! Why are you fighting?”
Johnny: “He hit me first!”
Sam: “He was horrid to me! He’s always being horrid to me! And he hit me yesterday!”
Johnny: “Well, he hit me first this morning! And I don’t like him! He smells!”
Sam: “No, you smell, and you’ve got stupid hair as well!”
NW: “Boys, boys, this can’t go on! Look at the mess! Now Sammy, you hit Johnny first, so you must stop it now – just stop hitting him! And Johnny, since Sammy is in the wrong here, you can carry on punishing him, but just use your fists, OK? And stop when he’s on the floor. And do put those building blocks down – using them is making him bleed all over the place. Just be nice, boys…. Alex! I can see you sneaking up there – how many times do I have to tell you, no hitting Johnny! Hitting Johnny is BAD! Just look at Sammy!
“Leroy, Tony, Frank – you clean up the mess. Alex and the rest of you – don’t hit Johnny, ever! Now, I’m going off for a nice cup of tea, and I want to see you all playing nicely when I get back….”