Reform implode.

 In an undercover sting by Channel 4 News - catching the Reform leader Nigel Farage, in a compromising position regarding - party funding. At their party conference in Birmingham, they are clearly rattled by this expose and are now on the back foot. Sleaze is increasingly associated with the brand of Reform and Nigel Farage, in particular according to pollsters. The polls rate them now in the low 20% and they need to be well above that - to have any chance of forming the next government - which is increasingly unlikely. Moreover the Conservatives are getting their - mojo back under a more impressive Kemi Badenoch. Politics is a - blood sport and doesn’t support a losing party - so time is rapidly running out for the Reform Party. In addition the Labour Party is under new - management with Andy Burnham and he is in a different league to the awful communicator Keir Starmer. Are we witnessing the slow death by a - thousand cuts - to Reform and Nigel Farage? 

The Triple Lock state pension.

 The annual pension bill according to the OBR is almost £170 billion. It’s bankrupting the country and as a pensioner - it’s time this largesse was ended as we cannot afford it. Moreover as more and more people join the scheme - than leave it each year it’s a - growing sum to the exchequer. We are now in the absurd position - where we don’t have enough money to increase defence spending as it’s all going to - old age pensions. So we cannot defend the very same pensioners from attack, as they have all the money. How have we arrived at this absurd situation? Time to end the - triple lock. 

What is Argentina - up to?

 The president of Argentina Javier Milei, has added tensions between Britain and Argentina, by suggesting that its - high time the Falkland Islands, were handed back to them. It’s a piece of our Imperial past, that cannot be tolerated in this time of freedom and emancipation. However the Falkland Island citizens are happy with the status quo and don’t want to be part of Argentina. Back in 1982, the then prime minister Margaret Thatcher, sent British troops some 8,000 miles across the Atlantic to reclaim them. Some 255 were killed and many were badly wounded. At the time this was considered a great triumph for the - Iron Lady, and she won the 1983 general election - largely on the back of it. She was greatly helped during the war by her friend in the White House, Ronald Reagan. We couldn’t be able to defend the Falkland’s now and the Argentina government knows it. 

Uber comes to London Town.

 It’s been a long time coming, but the - driverless taxi has arrived on the London streets. It’s taken a - number of years to finalise the technology, but eventually it’s here. So the days of the - Hackney Carriage, are well and truly over. Will this new mode of transport get rid of the - ubiquitous black cab? In the short term, probably not, but in 10 years from now? I wouldn’t be surprised, if we witness the- beginning of the end of the cab. Doing the - Knowledge as it was known - will be like the proverbial Dodo - a piece of history. Nostalgia is a funny business, will we feel sad in  few years from now about - the passing of the black cab? 

The Bayeux Tapestry comes to the British Museum.

 At the British Museum (BM) last night there was a group of the great and the good - including the King and Queen, president Macron and his wife, plus the prime minister Andy Burnham to - look at the extraordinary Bayeux Tapestry. Some 224 feet long, it tells the story of the Norman Conquest in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings. It’s been brought to London - as its home in northern France is being renovated. It will be at the BM until 2027 and was agreed as a possibility by president Macron and Keir Starmer some time last year. I fortunately have seen the tapestry - in situ in Bayeux back in July 1981- on the date of princess Diana marriage to Prince Charles at St Paul’s cathedral - Diana only 20 a virgin, gullible and naive. He was snobbish entitled and aged 32 - brash and was in love with another woman Camilla Parker-Bowles. It was an establishment - stitch up that was disgraceful even in 1981. And we all know how it ended - in a dark tunnel in the early hours of an August night in 1997. The mass hysteria that followed - shook the Royal Family to the core - including the normal stoical Queen Elizabeth. The tapestry was actually made by women in the immediate environment surrounding Canterbury cathedral, in Kent by English embroiders. It is generally believed it was then shipped to France around 1077. So this is the first time since 1077 - that it has returned to the old country of its birth. 

Giving up parliament.

 Keir Starmer, has decided to - throw in the towel of politics. He has resigned as the MP for Camden to concentrate on a new role in international affairs. He was something of a- lack lustre prime minister and there was an Eeyore quality about him - the glass was always - half empty. He will not be remembered as a very competent leader and prime minister. 

Down at the palace of varieties.

 Today will be the prime minister’s first experience to the exposure and examination of the House of Commons. How will he fare? He has of course been a cabinet minister before, so is experienced in the format of the House of Commons. Nevertheless this is his first turn as - the boss with the added scrutiny and examination. The Palace of Varieties can be a tricky place to perform, but let’s hope he gets off the a good start and make - his back benches have a sense of optimism. We all need that - whatever your politics.