John Simpson at the BBC.

 Last night on BBC Two there was an excellent programme about the veteran journalist time of over 60 years at the BBC. He has been during that time at many of the most important and notable events in world history. Including the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the war in Afghanistan and fight against the Taliban and various other wars and uprisings. He comes across as a thoughtful and intelligent journalist - with a deep empathy for those who have suffered - in these remorseless ares of conflict. 

Sir Ken McCullun the head of MI5.

 At a news conference on Tuesday, the head of MI5 Sir Ken McCullum, made a statement about the serious - threats from AI. There are not sufficient guard rails internationally to prevent - lone wolfs or malign states like: Russia, North Korea or China making deadly biological attacks on humans across the globe. As a - lay person it’s impossible to know - how to react to these - pessimistic scenarios as they are so overwhelming and dangerous. It makes the - Cold War look relatively benign. 

The Brexit - Hokey Cokey.

 Why is Andy Burnham, suggesting a closer relationship with the EU? Is he serious or is he trying to protect his left flank - from the Green Party and the left of the Labour Party? At this point it’s difficult to know, but this political - hokey cokey is an attempt to appeal to all sides in the debate. It’s now 10 years since the - trauma of the 2016 referendum on Brexit and the scars have hardly healed. For my own part I don’t want to go through this again. It was emotionally exhausting and draining - it set family members and friends against each other. Moreover - do the governments of the EU want us back in a club - where we were often at odds with? In addition we wouldn’t be able as before - not be part of the Euro, free movement of people and goods, and ever closer integration. I cannot see it happening in the near future. 

Who will win in Holborn & St Pancras?

 Today is the by-election at the above constituency, vacated by Keir Starmer - remember him? It’s going to be a much closer result than many anticipated. On balance, I think the Labour Party will win - nevertheless they will do so - by a relatively small margin. What will be interesting, is how the Green Party does, especially in light of the recent controversy - regarding the sensitive issue of their attitude to Israel? I hope they get a good kicking. 

Well the result is in for the by-election and the Labour Party has held onto the seat. The Green Party came second and the leadership of Zac Polanski, is under pressure as the party didn’t win the election and came a miserable second. Then the Tories, Reform and Lib Dem’s. The controversy about his absence at a crucial vote on Zionism - has completely overshadowed their party conference in Brighton. There is now open discussion about whether he can continue to lead the party. He will eventually be toppled as leader as he - clearly isn’t up to the task. 

Has Kemi Badenoch, done enough?

 The respective opinion polls suggest the following: Labour 27 per cent, Reform 22 per cent, Conservatives, 20 per cent, Lib/Dems 11 per cent and Greens 11 per cent. There has been a small Burnham - bounce for Labour following their party conference, but not sufficient to give them a majority in a general election - if it was called today. Labour would have the largest number of seats in the House of Commons, but not enough to form a government. So there would be a lot of negotiations and - horse trading. They need 326 seats to form a government. The most likely scenario would be a Labour and Lib/Dem coalition government, but it wouldn’t be very stable and the likelihood is another election within a year or so. We need a long period of stability as the - world is a very uncertain and unpredictable at present. God knows what will happen in the French presidential elections next spring and will Marine Le Pen, become president? The first extreme right wing candidate. 

The annual check up.

 About this time of the year I take my car to see - Jeff a car mechanic who is a person I trust. This of course is the sine qua non of the relationship. So back in 2003 - I asked neighbours to recommend a car person - who was both good at their job and trustworthy? Jeff was the winner by a good margin. So 23 years on - Jeff has the pleasure of the annual car - check up. I made the right decision back then. 

Finding their feet.

 The new Labour government, under Andy Burnham - is still finding its feet. He will make an important speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, later today - setting out his vision for the country. It will be a - difficult sell to his party, that has little financial room to manoeuvre. Nevertheless he will attempt to set out the - path forward that gives - hope for the future and the steps to achieve this goal. The Tories will be watching the speech - to try and define their tactics for attack. In particular on the controversial issue of - tax and spend. The Labour Party - manifesto in 2024 - gave him little room for raising taxes in this parliament. So a difficult - balancing act.