Out of his depths.

 The president of FIFA is the scurrilous Gianni Infantino since 2016. He is clearly - out of his depths after suggesting the World Cup be more monetised. This idea has caused an almighty row across the international football community. On Thursday Uefa the governing body of European football said - no to the idiotic idea. As this is the - goose that lays the golden egg - the concept is dead before birth. Where did this ridiculous idea come from as - no one apart from the stupid president thinks it’s a good idea? Let’s hope we can put this nonsense behind us and we can get back to the game we love - football. 

The 3rd rail of political controversy.

 There are few more controversial political figures in Parliament, than the Mother of the House and first black MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington from 1987 than Diane Abbott. The designation as Mother of the Houses, denotes the longest continuous serving female member in the House of Commons. She was kicked out of the Labour Party over a perceived antisemitic comment in The Observer newspaper in 2023 and suspend again for defending her earlier comments in The Observer. On 30 July 2026 following an independent investigation into her conduct - decided to rescinded the suspensions and consequently she has been readmitted to the party. However there are many across the party - that are not happy about this volte face and consider her still a ‘closet anti-Semite’. This controversy will continue to - rumble on for months and months. She has always been the 3rd rail of political controversy and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. 

Are the opinion polls moving towards Labour?

 We are only 2 weeks into the new premiership of Andy Burnham and the most recent opinion polls - suggest a slight positive outcome towards Labour. On the State of It Podcast for The Times, they told us that Labour was on 22 per cent, Reform on 22 per cent and the Conservatives on 21 per cent. This of course a relatively small sample of public opinion, but nevertheless - could it indicate a Burnham bounce? Keir Starmer, was toxic to the British public and had a negative impact on the country. There is clearly a - sea change going on from the - transformative power of his communication and leadership. If this was continue over time, then parties like Reform and the Greens, will feel bereft. The recent revelations about the funding of the Reform Party has clearly had a detrimental effect. In addition the Green Party has lost some of its credibility and has made a number of missteps. In addition the prime minister announced a discussion group to consider long term - Social Care and they were not invited. The Conservatives and the Liberal Democratic Party were. Much to the chagrin of Reform and Greens. Perhaps slowly things are moving in the right direction for Labour? 

Kent is producing great wines.

 A relatively small wine growing company Chapel Down in the Garden of England, Kent is producing some outstanding vino. According to latest reports the sales for the first 6 months of this year are up by an outstanding amount. The sales hit £9.4 million - that may sound like not a lot to celebrate about, but only a few years ago they were in serious financial difficulties. It’s now above its five-year average and wine made today will be ready to enjoy in about three years time. Where I live near Shoreham in Kent there is a new vineyard called The Mount. It’s a quite a good place to eat and they have a wonderful pizza restaurant under canvas, where you can enjoy the food and of course the wine. So come to Kent if you want to indulge in gourmet food and excellent vino. 

Half of England in serious drought.

 For a country known the world over for its - rain and poor weather - this is now a thing of the past. Many counties across southern England are witnessing serious water problems, due to a lack of rain over many months. In addition some parts of Wales again known for its rain is also having a drought. If anyone doubted Global Warming, this will surely disabuse them, but perhaps not - if they are dyed in the wool sceptics. Even the summer of 1976 wasn’t this prolonged and I remember it well as I was working in a - restaurant each weekend to pay for my analysis - as I was training as a psychoanalytic psychotherapists. The grass in my garden is brown as we aren’t allowed to use a hosepipe. So it’s endless lots of - watering cans. It’s going to be another hot day in Kent - the scorched earth continues and farmers across the country are getting desperate. In Norfolk today there is a serious fire destroying many acres of heathland, where rare birds, butterflies and other animals are living. A spokesman for the National Trust, said it would take “10 years to get back to where we were before the fire”. 

More comfortable in his skin.

 The contrast between Keir Starmer and Andy Burnham, couldn’t be more stark. Keir Starmer, was autistic and a very poor communicator, Burnham on the other hand is - comfortable in his skin. On Monday evening he did his first major interview with Laura Kuenssberg for the BBC and Panorama. It was a tour de horizon. Despite the obvious pressure to come up with easy and popular decisions, he resisted the temptation. If he continues like this then the future looks more promising - than it did under Starmer only a week ago. 

Social care.

 The bete noire of the NHS is social care. It could eventually bankrupt the system. It’s bedevilled all previous governments to address this social problem. At long last - perhaps Andy Burnham will sort it out? Most families are exposed to this terrible medical and social problem of dementia and its consequences. The prime minister’s own father is in a care home with the disease. No time to waste - let’s get on with it.