Little solidarity from other EU members.

 There is a serious crisis in the European Union, over the vexed and combustible issue of - illegal migration into the EU. On Thursday some 60,00 illegal Moroccan young men decided to try their luck and get into the Spanish territory called Ceuta. They hoped they might be able to eventually transfer to other EU countries. Well there was little support from any other European countries to this crisis on the southern border. As a consequence the Spanish prime minister has been highly critical of this lack political solidarity. Countries like Italy, France and the Nordic countries were incandescent with rage, by the Spanish governments obvious incompetence. We in this country have a very similar problem with illegal migration across the English Channel from our neighbour France. This has been one of the causes for the rise of right wing parties in France, Germany and of course here with the Reform Party. It’s a political touchstone issue and will bedevil all political parties in all countries across the Eurozone. 

Manchester goes to the polls again.

 It was a considerable victory for the Labour Party candidate for the Majority of the city. Andy Burnham stood down and eventually ended up as the prime minister. So the new mayor is Bev Craig, a veteran politician for the Labour Party. Reform essentially came a poor second with only 21.0 per cent and 157,178 - on the second preference vote. Labour on the other hand managed 47.1 per cent with 167,84, second preference votes cast. Could this be the - high water mark for Reform? They’ve had a torrid few weeks of bad publicity dealing with irregular financial problems and have consequently been referred to the Electoral Commission for investigation. In recent weeks the leader of Reform has lost some of his - Tiggerish bounce. I do hope this is the beginning of the end of the Reform Party - they were a useful foil to the Conservatives and Labour, but perhaps the - shine has gone off? Is Nigel Farage a’busted flush’? I do hope so. This is a positive result for Labour and will help the prime minister, settle the nerves of the party as we approach the autumn and party conferences and the budget on the 28 October. The first one for the new chancellor John Healey. 

Out of his depths.

 The president of FIFA is the scurrilous Gianni Infantino since 2016. He is clearly - out of his depths after suggesting the World Cup be more monetised. This idea has caused an almighty row across the international football community. On Thursday Uefa the governing body of European football said - no to the idiotic idea. As this is the - goose that lays the golden egg - the concept is dead before birth. Where did this ridiculous idea come from as - no one apart from the stupid president thinks it’s a good idea? Let’s hope we can put this nonsense behind us and we can get back to the game we love - football. 

The 3rd rail of political controversy.

 There are few more controversial political figures in Parliament, than the Mother of the House and first black MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington from 1987 than Diane Abbott. The designation as Mother of the Houses, denotes the longest continuous serving female member in the House of Commons. She was kicked out of the Labour Party over a perceived antisemitic comment in The Observer newspaper in 2023 and suspend again for defending her earlier comments in The Observer. On 30 July 2026 following an independent investigation into her conduct - decided to rescinded the suspensions and consequently she has been readmitted to the party. However there are many across the party - that are not happy about this volte face and consider her still a ‘closet anti-Semite’. This controversy will continue to - rumble on for months and months. She has always been the 3rd rail of political controversy and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. 

Are the opinion polls moving towards Labour?

 We are only 2 weeks into the new premiership of Andy Burnham and the most recent opinion polls - suggest a slight positive outcome towards Labour. On the State of It Podcast for The Times, they told us that Labour was on 22 per cent, Reform on 22 per cent and the Conservatives on 21 per cent. This of course a relatively small sample of public opinion, but nevertheless - could it indicate a Burnham bounce? Keir Starmer, was toxic to the British public and had a negative impact on the country. There is clearly a - sea change going on from the - transformative power of his communication and leadership. If this was continue over time, then parties like Reform and the Greens, will feel bereft. The recent revelations about the funding of the Reform Party has clearly had a detrimental effect. In addition the Green Party has lost some of its credibility and has made a number of missteps. In addition the prime minister announced a discussion group to consider long term - Social Care and they were not invited. The Conservatives and the Liberal Democratic Party were. Much to the chagrin of Reform and Greens. Perhaps slowly things are moving in the right direction for Labour? 

Kent is producing great wines.

 A relatively small wine growing company Chapel Down in the Garden of England, Kent is producing some outstanding vino. According to latest reports the sales for the first 6 months of this year are up by an outstanding amount. The sales hit £9.4 million - that may sound like not a lot to celebrate about, but only a few years ago they were in serious financial difficulties. It’s now above its five-year average and wine made today will be ready to enjoy in about three years time. Where I live near Shoreham in Kent there is a new vineyard called The Mount. It’s a quite a good place to eat and they have a wonderful pizza restaurant under canvas, where you can enjoy the food and of course the wine. So come to Kent if you want to indulge in gourmet food and excellent vino. 

Half of England in serious drought.

 For a country known the world over for its - rain and poor weather - this is now a thing of the past. Many counties across southern England are witnessing serious water problems, due to a lack of rain over many months. In addition some parts of Wales again known for its rain is also having a drought. If anyone doubted Global Warming, this will surely disabuse them, but perhaps not - if they are dyed in the wool sceptics. Even the summer of 1976 wasn’t this prolonged and I remember it well as I was working in a - restaurant each weekend to pay for my analysis - as I was training as a psychoanalytic psychotherapists. The grass in my garden is brown as we aren’t allowed to use a hosepipe. So it’s endless lots of - watering cans. It’s going to be another hot day in Kent - the scorched earth continues and farmers across the country are getting desperate. In Norfolk today there is a serious fire destroying many acres of heathland, where rare birds, butterflies and other animals are living. A spokesman for the National Trust, said it would take “10 years to get back to where we were before the fire”.