Hungry goes to the polls on Sunday.

 Are we about to witness on Sunday the end of that rogue corrupt political figure Victor Orban? He has enjoyed the baubles of luxury for 16 years as prime minister and - indulged his lackeys with positions of power and influence. As president Obama famously said ‘time to turn the page’. However his main opponent Peter Magyar, may discover Orban, calls the - vote rigged against him and that he is the true winner. This is straight out of the Trump, play book - remember his claim that he beat ‘sleepy Joe Biden’ in November 2020. What is extraordinary - is that all this corruption in Hungry has been going on under the nose of the European Union. What happened to the officials in Brussels, did they all fall asleep at the wheel? Once corruption gets into the - body of politics it’s like a cancer and a potential danger to the whole system. Let’s hope tomorrow the people of Hungry - kick out Victor Orban at last. 

What will Putin, do next?

 As the war in Iran is meant to be in a ceasefire, the focus returns to the other war in Ukraine. What will Putin, do next? There is speculation that he might try a discover whether NATO is - paper tiger, by invading a Baltic country? That could be either Latvian, Estonia or Lithuanian? Until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 - they were under that repressive regime. Today they are stable modern market economies and relatively prosperous. However the Russian bear, is a close neighbour and might be tempted to invade - just to see whether the alliance means anything in reality. These are therefore parlous times, both for these countries and the NATO alliance. 

Drama.

 Last night I went to see the new movie Drama with my daughter - the film was recently released in the UK. It has a brilliant and fascinating plot. Four friends decide to play a game of - honestly. In other words what is the craziest thing - you’ve done or thought of doing? Needless to say - it’s a terrible car crash of an idea. Three of the friends have relatively less than scary ideas. However there is collective astonishment when Emma, played unconvincing by Zendaya, confesses to - thinking of and planning a brutal gun attack on her school. What do you do after this extraordinary revelation? You just can’t go on - as if nothing has happened. And it’s the reverberations of this that the - Drama is all about. How will the forthcoming marriage between Charlie, played convincingly by Robert Pattinson and Emma be effected? The other two friends, the maid of honour Rachel and the best man Mike - are dumbfounded. At the wedding reception the whole - house of cards collapsed and there is general mayhem, culminating in a - head butt by Rachel’s boyfriend on Charlie. I think this plot line is very sophisticated as we all know in America there are innumerable - gun attacks on schools and other places. But - what are the consequences, both emotionally and physically to these atrocities? They influence many people across society and this isn’t sufficiently examined. My daughter and I had a very interesting discussion about the film.  My score ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 

The Fir Tree, tea room.

 There are few better places in the world for afternoon tea than the redoubled Fir Tree, tea room in Penshurst, Kent. It’s been going for 41 years and the menu is full of delicious things to enjoy and in addition - they do my favourite tea Lap Sang, which is so delicious and refreshing. I first went there in the summer of 1995 as I had a cottage on the Penshurst Estate and it was my local eatery. I spoke to Caroline today and she - told me it was - “time to move on”. I will greatly miss this exceptional place for afternoon tea, sandwiches, cakes and of course my Lap Sang. 

Ed Miliband.

 There is an excellent in depth profile by Will Lloyd of Ed Miliband in the current issue of The New Statesman. Miliband has a good backstory as the son of the leading Marxist academic writer Ralph Miliband (1924-1994). I was at the LSE when he taught there and would go along to his inspirational lectures on Marxist economic theory and the class struggle in Britain. I used to go to a small restaurant on Regents Park Road in north London and - occasionally saw him there with his family, including Ed as a young boy of 5 or 6. So to understand this fascinating leading political figure in the Labour Party and government, this article is a good place to start. 

The erratic Trump.

 As each day passes, it’s impossible to predict the erratic president. His attitude to so called - allies is increasingly rude and unpleasant. The so called - ‘special relationship’ is basically dead and is unlikely to be resuscitated any time soon. Moreover his attitude to president Macron, of France is disgraceful and unwarranted. In The Guardian today Simon Jenkins, suggests that the world should ‘wait him out’. But Trump can do a lot of damage between now and - when he leaves office in January 2029. Moreover such a policy is rather supine and thereby arrogates too much power to him. We cannot just - sit on our hands for another three years. 

Simpson’s on The Strand.

 I went for breakfast today at the recently reopened Simpson’s on The Strand - after a major refurbishment. It was - like meeting an old friend after a long illness. I went there first with my parents way back in 1959 for my 17th birthday. It’s one of the grandest eateries in the capital and - never disappoints. Jeremy King, is the propriety of this august establishment. He is the renowned maitre de hotel of many of London’s best restaurants, including the Arlington. In the past London was seen as the - poor relation when compared to Paris, Vienna etc, but not any more. We have stolen a - march on these other capitals. So if you have the opportunity - do go along and enjoy a fine meal. In fact I go back tonight with an old psychoanalyst friend from university - some 55 years ago.