Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are entirely different personality types.

Hillary is very Fixed with Sun plus Venus Mercury in intense, secretive Scorpio; magnified by having Mercury Venus square a formidable Mars Pluto Saturn in Leo. So die-or-die determined, unbudgeable, built for the long haul, good in crises, a forceful speaker both on a platform and at close quarters. She’ll certainly be very defensive and controlling with all that Pluto and Scorpio. My impression – from a distance – was that she gained a fair few credits for her time as Secretary of State (apart from Benghazi) when she seemed tireless and not a publicity-seeker. One commentator described her as ‘more of a workhorse than a show pony.’

She’s a Water/Fire type – so more passionate and excitable than is allowed to show.

She’s certainly got a strong 9^th Harmonic which often goes with a lust for money; as well as the obsessive-dream 11H; and leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17H. Europeans weren’t as fussed as Americans about the whole Bill/Monica and why-didn’t-Hillary-leave-him thing. In France it wouldn’t even have made the papers let alone an indictment.

Bernie Sanders on the other hand is fairly Mutable – with a Virgo Sun and Neptune, Jupiter and Uranus in Gemini – so more flexible but also more inclined to blow around in the prevailing breeze. His chart is Earth, Fire, Air and lacking in Water which is strange since he puts himself across as the compassionate one.

He’s also got a sociable and charming Venus in Libra trine Jupiter and opposition Mars Moon in Aries. That might make me wonder about a) superficiality (Venus Jupiter); and b) insensitivity (Moon Mars opp Venus). It’s not that I think Hillary is remotely sensitive but although she’s deeply secretive, in some ways she is what she is. While with him I might wonder whether there’s more hidden behind the reasonable facade than appears. He can certainly talk well with Mercury in Libra trine Uranus, sextile Pluto – but is also quite controlling. He’s also got a strong 11H and 17H.

Politicians (generalising wildly) are all flawed one way or another and you generally can’t tell till they are in office how they’ll cope.

May, and indeed June, will shake a few things out of the tree for Sanders and Trump, so be interesting to see what transpires.

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Ted Cruz has picked Carly Fiorina as a putative running mate (he’s hopeful!). She’s best known for her tenure as CEO of Hewlett Packard, which was not a resounding success.

It’s not exactly a match made for harmony since her Mars in Capricorn is conjunct his Sun; and her Saturn in Scorpio is conjunct his Mars; and her Mercury in Virgo is conjunct his Pluto – so argumentative, potentially lots of bitter, no-win discussions. Admittedly her Jupiter Uranus falls in his 10^th if 1am is a sound birth time, which could give him a boost.

Their relationship chart isn’t reassuring either in chemistry or influences.  There’s a Sun Venus Neptune conjunction square Saturn – so friendliness obliterated by suspicion on both sides; plus an explosive, power-struggling composite Mars square Pluto Uranus.

Tr Neptune will start to oppose that Pluto from June 2^nd for the month and tr Saturn will also square Pluto – so undermined and blocked.

What bright spark decided to ask for public suggestions to name a new £200m polar research ship for the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)? It will be a beacon for the UK’s role at the forefront of climate and ocean research. The question unleashed the idiot mob who voted for Boaty MacBoatface – which one presumes they’ll duck once it gets to launch date.

The deal was signed with Birkenhead shipyard Cammell Laird late on November 19 2015; the first steel will be cut this June and completion aimed for 2019.

The deal chart has the anxiously uncertain Saturn square Neptune; a powerfully confident Jupiter trine Pluto; and a formidable Uranus opposition Venus (Mars) square Pluto. That last slightly suggests some mishaps along the way of the build with a frustrating Mars square Pluto; or worse, high-risk in 2025 when it will be seagoing.

All going to plan, the June hull laying again has the confident Jupiter trine Pluto; but also that tricky, sticky Saturn square Neptune, maybe formed into a T square by Mercury. So worrisome.

The launch date in 2019 will have the Saturn Pluto conjunction which is tough, which it would need to be to survive in arctic waters. But it could also point to delays; plus an over-hopeful and maybe over-budget Jupiter square Neptune.

Why oh why does it take decades before cover-ups and lies are uncovered? 27 years on an inquest jury has found the 96 victims of the crush at a Hillsborough football match were unlawfully killed and pinpointed police failures before and after the 1989 FA Cup semi-final. There are now calls for senior police officers to be held accountable for the deaths; and for perverting the course of justice, perjury and misconduct in public office, as they blamed drunkenness amongst fans as the cause for the disaster in the aftermath.

The disaster happened around 3.06pm on 15 April 1989 in Sheffield, England. The chart itself is not on first sight that descriptive. The potentially chaotic triple conjunction of Uranus Neptune Saturn in Capricorn certainly fell in the 5^th house of sport and entertainment. And there was a bleak sextile of Saturn to a 3^rd house Pluto which does reasonably describe pressures on getting about.

It does have Jupiter in the 10^th somewhat similar to 9/11 which has Jupiter conjunct MC, not exactly what you’d expect of expansive, lucky Jupiter. In the Hillsborough chart the Jupiter is further emphasised being square North Node opposition the Virgo Ascendant. Jupiter’s tendency to expand, exaggerating the bad as well as the good. The 10^th house Mars is also emphasised being on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine from an Aries Sun Venus trine Leo Moon.

The Hillsborough midpoints are more stark with Pluto = Mars/Uranus which is sudden destructive violence. And the North Node = Mars/Pluto = Sun/Saturn = Sun/Neptune which is brutal, muddled, rigidity (Saturn) leading to asphyxiation (Neptune).

Just out of interest tho’ I don’t normally pay that much attention to Fixed Stars I had a look since the chart itself seemed sparse on detail.

The Midheaven was conjunct Algol which has a reputation for violence and extreme danger.

Mars was conjunct Bellatrix indicating reckless behaviour leading to physical injury.

Mercury which is emphasised in the chart conjunct Hamal, associated with brutality and cruelty.

Venus which sits on the cusp of the legal 9^th house was conjunct Alpherg indicating success through determined effort. And it has certainly taken a relentless campaign by a small group of people for this to come to a conclusion albeit very very late in the day.

The 8^th and 16^th Harmonics are strong, unpleasantly so which is to be expected. The 8H is especially has a T Square of Saturn opposition Mars square Sun; two Mystic Rectangles made up from Mars opposition Saturn, Pluto opposition Jupiter and Venus opposition Uranus which are sextile/trine each other And Sun inconjunct Pluto. So an unholy mix of sudden violence and destruction with emotional shocks.

At the moment tr Pluto is opposition the disaster Solar Arc Mars; and tr Uranus sextile Mars as the excruciatingly slow process moves on a decisive step. Whatever charges now ensue may come in 2017/18 as tr Uranus is conjunct the disaster Sun and then Venus, trining the Moon, bringing relief for the families of victims.

Philip Green,  wealthy businessman and darling of Tony Blair and David Cameron, is facing calls that he lose his knighthood and be made to repay the £400 million he took out of retailer British Home Stores in dividends in the years before he sold it for £1. It has now collapsed with a £571 million pension fund deficit. What were the pension regulators doing? That money is kept in a separate fund.

Green, 15 March 1952, is a Sun Pisces (same as Rupert Murdoch). In his case it is on the focal point of a Yod to a Pluto sextile Neptune in Libra – so an ego that veers around erratically. He’s also got an innovative focal point Uranus in Cardinal Cancer square Mercury in Aries opposition Saturn – so a tendency to push against boundaries and can be both a reformer as well as a catalyst for chaos. His Mars (Moon) in Scorpio is in an ultra-determined square to Pluto and trine Uranus – not scared to take risks.

His 9^th Harmonic, often strong when money is involved, does indeed have a eye-popping and formidably determined as well as lucky Jupiter Pluto Uranus conjunction trine Saturn; with an accented Neptune as well.

At the moment he’s got a frustrating and irritable tr Pluto sextile his Mars and tr Uranus opposition his Neptune exact at the moment, shaking his Yod. Solar Arc Mars is in a panicky square to his Neptune this year; with a swampy, dissolving Solar Arc Neptune square his Sun in 2017, also triggering his Yod. So a time of significant challenge for him.

The whacko North Korean leader Kim-Jong Un has been test firing missiles from a rickety submarine in what is meant to be a show of force. Though those most at risk are probably the poor sailors on board. His people are starving yet he’s sunk millions if not billions into military spending to boost his status. As well as bumping off an increasing number of high-level officials internally, leading some commentators to suggest that a breaking point for a mutiny or coup is coming sometime soon.

His Leadership chart, 29 Dec 2011 11.57am Pyonggang, does look at its most precarious through 2017/2018 as the control-freak Sun Pluto conjunction comes exact to the square to Uranus by Solar Arc. From mid 2017 tr Uranus opposes the Leadership Saturn and throughout 2017/18 tr Pluto will trine Mars – so high tensions erupting, and high risk.

The North Korea chart, 9 Sept 1948 5.27pm?, has a 16 degree Virgo Sun so is up and down this year with tr Jupiter conjunct and tr Saturn in square. There could be some movement towards improvements from mid 2017 with tr Uranus trine the NK Saturn though it’s unlikely to happen without major disruption. And by 2018 tr Neptune will oppose the NK Sun for an undermining time right through till early 2020. If he does go, what replaces him may not be that wonderful.

So not much respite for the poor downtrodden peasants, those who are still alive.

As Hillary Clinton draws closer to clinching the Democratic nomination, a possible FBI indictment looms larger, for use of a private email server to handle classified information when she was secretary of state. Immunity has recently been granted to an aide who set up her private email server, which in normal circumstances means charges are in the offing. Insider murmurs are that political pressure will be/has been brought to bear to side track any charges, since she is regarded as Obama Mark 3, leading some to suggest the FBI may leak their findings.

At the moment (April 21 to 7 May) she has tr Uranus opposition her Sun/Neptune midpoint which Ebertin describes as ‘nervousness, sudden excitements or upsets, crisis, mourning, illness.’ That repeats late October across the election. It could just be nervous exhaustion since Ebertin does tend to dramatise a touch.

However her relationship charts with FBI (26 July 1908); and FBI (22 March 1935) – both show huge stress this year, especially the FBI 1935 with tr Pluto conjunct the composite Sun through June to mid July. That could be make or break time.

Tr Uranus is also opposition her Solar Arc Mars Pluto conjunction from late May right through till early October, across the Democratic convention. That could overturn her applecart altogether. At the very least it’ll be extremely testing.

Whatever possessed her to do something that stupid??

Jordan, one of the west’s closest allies, is almost at ‘boiling point’ over Syrian refugees, numbering possibly a million, who have fled the fighting there. This is in addition to the 200,000 Iraqis they have taken in; and 2 million Palestinians. Refugees make up about 20% of the country’s population, putting an enormous strain on the infrastructure and economy.

The Jordan independence chart, 25 May 1946 12am Amman, looks thoroughly blocked at the moment with Solar Arc Sun conjunct Pluto; with tensions mounting to boiling point with tr Uranus square Saturn late April/early May and again in December 2016. The situation will worsen in 2018/2019 with tr Pluto opposing Saturn which can mean war or deprivation/hardship.

King Abdullah 11’s swearing in chart, 7 February 1999 3.30pm Amman, looked swamped in 2015 with Solar Arc Neptune conjunct the Aquarius Sun. This year looks stuck and uncertain, economically and otherwise, with tr Saturn and tr Neptune both in hard aspect to the Pluto and Venus. But the greatest challenges will come from mid 2017 when tr Uranus will conjunct the Saturn in Aries. That often brings tensions up to eruption point with conflict between the status-quo-ers and the reformers; and certainly hints at a change of direction.

On both this chart and the Jordan country chart there are heavy Pluto Jupiter influences in 2017/2018 which can suggest conflicts with authority.

King Abdullah 11’s personal chart, is very Fixed with an Aquarius Sun conjunct Saturn on one side and Venus Jupiter (and Mercury) all in Aquarius on the other. With a Scorpio Moon Neptune and Uranus in Leo. So he’s built for the long haul.

Tr Uranus will square his Mars in Capricorn, his only Cardinal planet, from mid 2017 till early 2018, at the same time as tr Uranus is conjunct Saturn on his reign chart – so that will be a time of significant crisis for him.

Jack Nicholson, multi-award winning actor and star of some of Hollywood’s most iconic movies – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Chinatown, The Shining, A Few Good Men, Terms of Endearment – was 79 yesterday. It’s all the more astonishing since he’s led a riotous life with only one marriage but numerous relationships and has never stinted on excess.

Born 22 April 1937 11am Neptune, New Jersey, he has a maverick, determined and indulgent Sun Uranus in Taurus in the 10^th; with Venus in Aries conjunct his Midheaven and Mercury in Taurus also in the 10^th – so ambitious and designed for a public career. He’s also got a powerfully confident, exact Pluto opposition Jupiter in Capricorn – ultra-determined to get his own way and good at attracting money.  His Mars in feisty Sagittarius is in the performing 5^th so not only an entertainer but in his day a vigorous party-goer.

He was the son of a showgirl and never really knew who his father was; and he was brought up by his grandparents whom he was told were his parents. He only discovered in his late 30s that his ‘sister’ was his mother.

His Virgo Moon opposes Saturn in Pisces and sits on the focal point of a mini-Grand Trine of Mars trine Pluto – so not an easy emotional life.

2017 looks to be a year of great highs and some lows as tr Uranus squares his Pluto opposition Jupiter and Solar Arc Uranus is conjunct Pluto and opposition Jupiter – so significant changes and some relief.