A week is a long time in politics, the Harold Wilson saying goes, and so it was for Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Having survived a confidence vote and spent a week holding forth at the G7 and a further inspiring trip to Ukraine, he returned to reality - which was mass resignations of ministers. He had to accept that the time had come to stand down.
His departure from the commons with almost a standing ovation from the Tory benches, was defiant to the last. His advice to his successor was ‘keep an eye on the Treasury’, stay close to the United States and stand up for Ukraine.
To a Labour taunt he shouted “Mission, largely accomplished – for now” and “Hasta la Vista, Baby!”. Will he be back? Colourful his premiership has certainly been. But during post Brexit uncertainty, cost of living crisis, Ukraine War and fuel price explosion, we could have done without weeks of campaigning and public debating as seven candidates for Party leader kicked seven bells out of each other.
Unedifying to see members of the same party and in some cases cabinet colleagues vilifying each other. Shades of the Dali painting ‘Civil War’. Labour could only enjoy the insults and allegations by leadership candidates alleging the others had neither the ability, experience, knowledge or electability. Now we are down to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. ‘Only spend when you can afford it’ against ‘Live now pay later’. Can Sunak persuade members the he can excite voters, despite his ‘generosity’ during COVID-19? Is Truss capable of winning a general election as a new Thatcher? To be accurate about the saying, it was Liberal politician Joseph Chamberlain who said in 1886 “In politics, there is no use looking beyond the next fortnight”.
While the media obsess about the leadership campaign, some advise escaping by having a ‘Newsfast’. It is argued that life will seem brighter and bearable by turning off! Not an approach I can accept on any terms. We need to celebrate being in a free country where we are allowed to know what is happening here and in the rest of the world with safeguards to ensure accuracy and objectivity. My own preference is for traditional sources of information – newspapers – as suppliers of news. It transpires that reading a newspaper regularly maintains thinking skills and ‘cognitive reserves’ and can stave off dementia. A study at the University of California published in the medical journal ‘Neurology’ suggests that deterioration in a person’s thinking skills can be slowed simply by regularly reading newspapers. What the researchers do not recommend is staring at a phone screen for hours on end, obsessing on cat videos on YouTube or spending hours curating or posting on TikTok or Instagram. There is concern that the long term mental, political and cultural health of the nation is affected by the extent to which many, particularly the young, rely totally on social media for knowledge of what is going on in the real world. Such content may be quick, available and entertaining but is unlikely to be reliable. Although not a player of Quidditch myself, I lament the recent announcement by QuidditchUK, the national governing body of the sport, to change the name of the activity to Quadball. This is to distance themselves from J K Rowling who invented the magical game in her Harry Potter books. The justification is dislike of Rowling’s transgender views. This is another example of demonising people who hold different views. Her view that ‘men cannot change into women’ was voiced in support of Maya Forstater, a tax expert whose contract was not renewed when she posted such views on social media. Employment Judges ruled that Forstater had been discriminated against contrary to the Equality Act 2010 because of her gender-critical views. Such views are lawful and are protected. How obtuse to change the name of a sport on such a basis.
Whilst we are in the midst of the Premier League ‘Fast’ ( other than incessant talk of inflated transfer fees for unknown players) there has been time to enjoy the eventual emergence of women’s football. Even long term sceptics plagued by misogyny are acknowledging that the sport deserves respect and is played with skill and verve. The crowds watching England’s Lionesses and the TV figures show that at last women’s football is being taken seriously. The fight back to beat Spain 2-1 in the quarter final was magnificent. The spirit of the players and the energy, good humour and lack of malice in the crowd were an example to follow in the men’s game where violence, abuse and mindless tribalism continue to plague football.
Jodie Comer’s performance in Prima Facie by Suzie Miller filmed at the National Theatre is mesmerising. She plays a female criminal barrister specialising in defending sexual assault cases who is the tormented when she becomes an alleged victim. She is the sole actor and holds the entire production. It is very authentic and not to be missed.
