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Showing posts from 2023

To Sunak & Starmer: don't be afraid to speak out on foreign affairs

Benyamin Netanyahu and Emmanuel Macron are under huge pressure (Image: The Times of Israel) Political leaders are often told to be bold and show authority. The moment they do - regardless of whether they're right or wrong, which I'll analyse three recent decisions here - they're doomed. As a result of these, we're talking about possible power shifts with dramatic consequences for the wider world. But whatever the possible outcomes, both the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and opposition leader, Sir Keir Starmer, should make their views known. If they want to appear as the big cheeses from beyond the Isles, both need to act bravely. I'll start with France, because tensions between workers and Emmanuel Macron's government are escalating like there's no tomorrow. Reportedly millions have taken to the streets , calling out against pension reforms enforced by the country's leading party, which has minority control . The main issue people have is the decision

Personal and tailored banking? Computer says no

'Computer says no' comedy sketch, seen on comedy series, Little Britain (Image: The Telegraph) Remember the noughties British TV comedy show Little Britain? While some of its sketches were rather tasteless and inappropriate, which creators David Walliams and Matt Lucas had later felt the need to  apologise for , much of what they produced were hilarious and eerily relatable even 15-20 years later. One that springs to mind is the 'computer says no' sketch, which poked fun at unhelpful customer services. That attitude is, sadly, sinking the bank industry to a brand new low. I'm talking with experience here, and please excuse my long sob story. Having been a customer of one bank (who will remain nameless here) for almost 20 years, without any issues prior to this point, I believed it would be there to support me through rainy days. Lately, while my level of incoming remains strong, rising outgoings has led to the both figures being almost equal, or on occasions, the la

Sunak should look to Brown in 2009

Gordon Brown in 2008 (Image: PA Images) Looking at the tricky global economic situation right now, I feel a sense of déjà vu. We, and perhaps Prime Minister Rishi Sunak more specifically, find ourselves in a similar position as in 2009. In 2008, the financial markets crashed, people left, right and centre were losing their jobs and it seemed like there was no way out of the mess. Watching news clips of Lehman Brothers' bankers in New York, leaving their offices with boxes of their goods in, will never leave my memory.  Of course, in 2023, we aren't seeing mass employment and crashing markets. In fact, the UK in particular has seen its FTSE 100 reach record highs in recent days, and the percentage of unemployed adults remains low . While this all sounds great, as in 14 years ago, many Britons are feeling the pinch. When domestic and foreign political affairs go pear shaped at once, as we're seeing now, it's impacting on everyday things that we take for granted. As a re

Guys, stop revelling in the Harry-William 'feud'

Princes William and Harry (Image: Vanity Fair) Okay, it's time media commentators and royal 'experts' stop celebrating the fact that Prince Harry and Prince William ' will never speak to each other ever again', as Harry 'reveals all' in a Netflix documentary and new autobiography. The personalities who spout their views on TV and in newspapers may completely deny that they're happy to see two brothers conflicting and that their wives despise each other. Yet, I question why on earth they want to raise it at every opportunity. Reports of disharmony between Harry and William have been constant over the past three years. It was just as Covid-19 pandemic struck when Harry and his wife Meghan Markle - the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - decided to pack up and leave royal life in search for a way of living, the way they chose. This, apparently, impacted the brothers' relationship , and it simply gotten worse since.  These stories have been reported like earth