The Champions League.

 We got close, but not close enough. On Saturday my beloved Arsenal, went into the penalty shootout after extra time. Penalties are always a nightmare and - so it was in Budapest on Saturday evening. The game hadn’t been particularly exciting and was something of an anticlimax. So in the shoot out - who would blink first? PSG won 5/3. There was a rapturous reaction by their supporters and the rest of the team. Arsenal on the other hand, were miserable and deflated. Nevertheless we got into the final of the Champions League and we had won the Premier League the weekend before. Overall we have - done better than many other clubs. Can we next year go on to win this converted trophy? We live in hope. 

Nicola Sturgeon.

 On BBC One this morning we had the one time leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party, being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg, The reason for the cross examination was the recent - guilty plea by her ex-husband Peter  Murrell - for embezzlement of party funds, to the staggering amount of £400,00. We were expected to believe that she had no knowledge of her ex-husband’s financial misbehaviour. Is it really credible to accept this account of reality. She was throughout this period, the head of the party. Did she not wonder how - where all these objects were paired for ? She is clearly under a lot of stress and strain and must feel desperately unhappy with the current situation, but her story lacks credibility. 

Tony Blair.

 In The Guardian today there is a report on an extended essay by the previous prime minister, Tony Blair. He address the failure of the government to express clearly enough what it’s policies are for the future of the country and moreover there is a crisis in the country. There is no clear sense of directions “radical change is necessary” with the forthcoming leadership election of the Labour Party. What should be central is policy first and then politics - we have currently the cart before the horse. With the introduction of AI - there is a revolution coming down the tracks and we are not sufficiently prepared for it. The next leader of the Labour Party - must make explicit - what these policies are. Accordingly we are on the break of the new AI revolution similar to the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century and no less impactful. 

Angela Rayner.

 I watched the Rest is Politics, podcast a brilliant interview with Angela Rayner. She is someone who has come from poverty to become deputy prime minister. She got into trouble about her tax affairs, following the sale of a flat in Hove and had to resign. Nevertheless she is still in politics and is someone to watch for the future. I have changed my opinion about her, she is far more thoughtful and intelligent than I believed. She talked passionately about the ‘active state’. By this she meant that government can have a positive influence on the lives of individuals. She suggested the various interventions she has introduced into the - private rental market - will have long term benefits. It’s a great shame that she is not in the cabinet, but when Andy Burnham, hopefully returns - she will occupy an important role in his administration. 

You are responsible for your longevity.

 Not surprisingly the latest research suggests that - you are largely responsible for your longevity. The Oxford Longevity Project argues in Living Longer Better ‘we are responsible for 80 per cent of the quality of our lives in old age’. There is clearly a link between socioeconomic factors and ill health - but the choices we make play a very important role in the future quality of our lives. The report recommends that we avoid as far as possible: processed foods, not being obese or overweight, limiting our alcohol consumption, not smoking, taking regular exercise, prioritising sleep and not eating after 6.30 pm and cultivating a non meat diet. What is good about this research is that - we have 80 per cent control over the quality of our lives in old age - much more than we commonly realise. 

Are we rejoining the EU?

 Two leading candidates for the leadership of the Labour Party - Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting - are suggesting we eventually rejoin the EU. We are approaching the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote on 23 June. So this debate has opened up a - can of worms - that could be toxic for the membership for Labour. The leading politician for leaving the EU was Nigel Farage, the chap in charge of Reform.  The architect of leaving the European Union, could be the beneficial of this split in Labour. This debacle is reliving the political trauma of 10 years ago. The split has not been healed and is about to reopen old wounds. 

In addition the big question is - does the EU want us back? We weren’t very cooperative members when we were part of the EU. We had endless disputes - we didn’t want to be part of the single currency, we were not part of the Schengen Agreement, of free movement. We pressed for enlargement of the community. So overall it’s somewhat unlikely they would want us back. Moreover, we would have to join the long queue of other countries seeking membership, including: Ukraine, Albania, Turkey and others. Therefore rejoining the EU won’t fix Britain’s problems, which are deep rooted and problematic. On balance, I can’t see us rejoining any time soon, it’s another political fantasy and chimera. 

Is Andy Burnham, the answer?

 There is general panic in the ranks of Labour MP’s at the prospect of the prime minister going on and on. He isn’t a political asset, but Andy Burnham is. However Burnham has many hoops to jump through before he gets the keys of Downing Street. Not least he has to win a by-election - that was only recently won by Reform in the local elections. In addition there will be others who think they would make a good leader of the Labour Party, including Wes Streeting and perhaps Angela Rayner? It’s a bloody mess as the party is in the - doldrums and not popular with the public. Even if he is successful in becoming the prime minister, what sort of one would Burnham make? Running a town hall in Manchester is one thing, running a country is a much tougher and difficult job. Your assailed on all sides with a multitude of complex demands and challenges. Or as the wise previous prime minister Harold MacMillan famously said “events dear boy, events”. Good luck who ever eventually gets the ‘poison challis’.