𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

There is a moment in every premiereship when the wheels come off. Some think it happened to Keir Starmer when the increase in National Insurance was announced, thus making it more expensive to employ people. Could we already have seen Andy Burnham’s, namely the phone alert telling us not to use barbeques? It has been met with widespread ridicule and while politicians can survive being hated, once they’re laughed at, they’re a goner. One can only hope.

This week’s quote

“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars,” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Soggy bottoms all round!

A few weeks ago there were reports of tensions between Paul Hollywood and new judge Nigella Lawson on The Great British Bake Off. If this picture is anything to go by, that isn’t the half of it. The body language between Alison Hammond and la Lawson speaks volumes; Nigella looks terrified. Soggy bottoms all round!

Many congrats to a true hero

Ricky Gervais has said that he is to marry his long term partner Jane Fallon: many, many congrats. They’ve been together for 44 years, so it probably won’t make that much difference, and he says he’s only doing it to avoid inheritance tax, but still. Marriage (to one person) is the foundation of a stable society and with so many high profile divorces in the news, how refreshing to see someone doing the opposite. Gervais’ stance on animal rights is already enough to make him a hero: this just ups his game even more.

Another child star gone

Don’t put your daughter on the stage, Mrs Worthington. Hayden Panettiere first appeared on screen when she was just 11 months old; now she has joined the ranks of other child stars who never escaped the troubles that early fame almost always brings. The only person I can think of who escaped the curse is Jodie Foster. Oh, and Shirley Temple. Let us hope poor Hayden is finally at peace.

What a joy…

Prince Harry has allowed it to be known that following the success of his recent meeting with his father, he’ll be visiting Blighty more often. Great. Just what we need. A sulky, petulant prince dragging his grievances across the Atlantic with the sole view of reminding his paymasters, such as they are, that he and his ghastly wife are Royals. What a joy.

Those who laugh together…

A new study suggests that the key to compatibility in couple is shared taste in music: hmm. It’s having the same sense of humour that’s really important. Look at the King and Queen who laugh at just the same things and compare CRIII’s happiness to the tension of the Diana years. The couple who laugh together, and all that.

Enough to turn my head?

As a tribal Tory I never have and never would vote anything except Conservative. But Reform aren’t half coming up with some good ideas at the moment, which Kemi Badenoch would do well to quietly make her own. Chief among these is getting the unemployed to carry out work for the local council or risk losing their benefits. What a truly excellent plan.

They would also do well to look at Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which have more than doubled since 2018. A lot of these are for anxiety, stress and other “mental health” issues: when are these people going to learn that this is simply real life? All these payments are doing is making people dependent on the state; this is cruelty, not kindness. As stated elsewhere on this page, people should be made to work.

In other news Gen Z is claiming to have a quarter life crisis instead of the normal mid life version: admittedly the housing and jobs market is quite the challenge to face. But almost half of 18 to 29 year olds are claiming to be struggling with such issues as adult independence, their future and “identity”. Welcome to the real world. These are the same people, incidentally who might, sooner rather than later, be called to fight for their country against Mr Putin. Who knows? It might be the making of them. But the thought doesn’t fill me with a great deal of cheer.