The JSPrice Perception

David Beckham (centre) with princes William (L) and Harry (R) (Image: Marie Claire)   You may find what I'm about to write here a little weird: the so-called 'Beckham saga' is vital for society. I feel we need it, to digest it, to understand it, to heal from it and to progress together, as a unit. Told you, weird, right? But I'm being serious. For those out in the loop, Sir David Beckham and his wife, now Lady Victoria Beckham, have been married for 27 years. In 1999, their nuptials was a cultural moment in Britain - the biggest English football star at the time and Posh Spice, in holy matrimony. I was eight years old at the time - into my football and pop music - this couple certainly had an impression on me, despite never supporting Manchester United. They were the Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton of the 1990s and beyond.  "Posh and Becks," as they've affectionately been known since, have four children, the eldest of which, Brooklyn. His birth was the...

Leaders of Denmark and the United States, Mette Frederiksen and Donald Trump (Image: Wikimedia Commons) Donald Trump has his eyes on two countries dear to my heart (Iran and Denmark), and it is utterly terrifying. I will write about Iran - where much of my DNA comes from - later in this article, but first, let's address Denmark, a nation that has been a sanctuary and home for much of the Iranian side of my family for almost 40 years. Prior to recent times, Denmark has been among the quieter countries in global politics. It doesn't consistently rank high in the ' happiest nations in the world ' for a laugh. Should you visit it for the first time, you will find it clean, respected and harmless. If it were a person, it wouldn't hurt a fly. It also runs a number of smaller territories, including the Faroe Islands (situated between Scotland and Iceland) and Greenland, a large island to the east of Canada.  For so long, the only time you would hear Greenland in the news w...

Marjorie Taylor Greene with Donald Trump before their feud (Image: NBC News) When we ended 2024, many political reporters and commentators expected that the 12 months to follow would be turbulent. A handful remained hopeful, but others, myself included, feared that global politics was going to be crazier than ever before. And, oh boy, haven't we all got whip lash today. Of course, the vast majority of the drama has occurred thanks to the antics seen in the United States. I say 'of course', because when Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the presidential race in November 2024, commentators from all sides of the political spectrum braced themselves - some were naturally excited, others incredibly nervous. I sensed he was on a revenge mission, and he certainly has kept to that. In fact, he's gone above and beyond. Internally, he's hardened US's borders, so anyone from much of Africa, the Middle East and nations like Laos and Tonga (I mean, what did they do?) ha...

Donald Trump is cornering a willing Keir Starmer (Image: Getty Images) I yearn to visit the United States one day. I have it all planned out - seven cities across seven states, at least three nights in each. And each seven locations have meaning, influenced by my interest in TV, film, music and politics - plus a bit of sunshine and beach in the middle. In my mind, it will be the ultimate adventure, perfect for me, someone who isn't big on travel beyond European cities. However, I face two obstacles to this US trip - one, finances. I totted up how much it would cost me, and if you consider flights, hotels, food and other spending money, it will cost around £5,000, five grand I do not have and probably won't have for a good while. And secondly, the politics, which keeps reaching new levels of volatility. So much so, if its President, Donald Trump, carries on, we'll be comparing the US to North Korea and Iran.  I may sound extreme, but when you consider incidents like the deat...

Sir Keir Starmer has a challenge to convince people over digital ID plans (Image: The Guardian) If we're to treat survey results as gospel, I find myself in the minority on a big debate. It appears I am one of the very few in support of a 'digital ID' . It had taken me a while to come to this conclusion as, since the idea was explored under Tony Blair's government in 2005, I really wasn't sure what the point of the concept was. But 18 years later, I feel that an identification of some digital kind is necessary, and potentially lifesaving, as I'll explain here. The digital ID has been brought into the British political limelight again thanks to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. He wants to bring them in on a mandatory basis, as a way of proving we have a right to work in the UK. It forms part of his cunning plan to halt illegal migration and illegal labour - similar schemes are already in place abroad and are said to be doing well. According to a government pres...

Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron earlier this year (Image: The Independent) Britain this summer was seemingly dominated by a wild debate about 'patriotism' - who is 'truly' patriotic, who is 'more' patriotic, and which patriotism is the 'right' patriotism. These are interesting questions to be had, and a part of me is glad we're having these discussions - it's healthy to understand what the consensus is every now and then. It started so well when England women's national team won the Euros . Even I was pleased for England.  But then it appeared we swiftly moved on from that positive feeling, to something rather uncomfortable. Patriotism was given a completely different meaning, fuelled by digital and traditional media channels and several parts of the country. The situation around asylum seekers and refugees living in hotels has taken centre stage, and the UK government officials feel cornered, torn in the middle, struggling to strike a ...