The cost of living.

 The overarching project of this government according to the new prime minister Andy Burnham is - the cost of living and bearing down on it. All policies must therefore be measured against this philosophy. This of course is - easier said than down. There are so many potential issues outside the governments control, whether that’s Russia invading Ukraine, the war against Iran or as the wise previous prime minister Harold Macmillian said “events, dear boy events”. We have only three years maximum to the next general election, unless Burnham decides to go earlier. That time will pass in a flash. Let’s just hope he does better than the - valid and inconsequential Starmer. 

Their first cabinet meeting.

 Today is their first cabinet meeting in their new roles. Of the large group of 28 - I shall only mention a few as I had introduced some yesterday. Shabana Mahood, stays in the Home Office, Wes Streeting, goes to Defence, Yvette Cooper, to Health and Social Care and Andela Rayner, to Housing and Local Government. The problems however, stay the same - will this team find better solutions? Good luck. 

Picking the right team.

 Picking the - right person for the job is key to a successful cabinet and the new prime minister Andy Burnham, starts this afternoon. Perhaps the most consequential role and the tone of government is that of chancellor. The best recent example of it working well was that between David Cameron as prime minister and George Osbourne. The announcement of John Healey, as chancellor took everyone by surprise, but has been seen as positive.. The Snakes and Ladders of politics can be very brutal at times like these - when jobs are up for grabs. I look forward to seeing the new people in their various roles. 

The World Cup final.

 Tonight we have the final of the World Cup between the holders Argentina and Spain. They have similar styles of play, both enjoying possession of the ball by outstanding and skilled players. The talisman Messi at 39 - this is very probably his last World Cup. I hope Spain wins and the cup comes back to Europe. I watched the Bronze Medal match last night between England and France and it was exhilarating and exciting with the eventual victory going to England at 6/4 . One of the best matches of the tournament and especially the fact that we won. 

Not a very exciting game of football - in fact I found it a rather boring game. It went into extra time and eventually Spain 🇪🇸 managed to score a goal, despite the outrageous behaviour of many of the Argentina team. They kicked and tripped up the Spanish players . Messi wasn’t the normal magical inspiration player but thankfully - Spain put us out of our collective misery and finished 1/0. 

A changing of the guard.

 Tomorrow we see a change of prime minister with the exit of Keir Starmer and the entrance of Andy Burnham, into Downing Street. What will we remember of Starmer, in a few years time? He will along with Liz Truss, be forgotten for any good he did. In a thoughtful profile of him in this weeks New Statesman by the editor Tom McTague, he concludes ‘we are poor and don’t know how to recover’. And further in the article asked ‘when did the rot set in’? We must hope that this time the new prime minister will be more consequential than the previous - gang of incompetent and mediocre leaders. If Burnham, fails in his task of reshaping the country - then democracy is at serious risk. 

Why we lost against Argentina?

 According to a world renowned Dutch physiologist Dr Mehdi Kordi - the English team simply ran out of gas. A combination of factors. He identified that England ability to run at speed against Argentina had declined. In addition England played more games at high altitude, in particular the game against Mexico. Moreover there is the contrasting styles of playing the game with Argentina keeping possession, they therefore spent less energy chasing the ball. In addition there is the heavy physical demands of the Premier League - where we play many more games than our competitors across the whole season. In short - we ran out of energy. 

Will we ever win the World Cup in my lifetime?

 All hopes were dashed last night against Argentina as they went onto win 2/1. I cannot say we - looked as if we were going to beat this formidable side, despite scoring the first goal. They of course had the - magician Messi on their side. Perhaps the best footballer of his generation? On current form I can’t see us winning the World Cup in my lifetime, as I’m 83. The wait goes on.