The JSPrice Perception

L-R: Chuka Umunna, Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham (Image: New Statesman) In Britain, commentators often talk about how 2016 was one of the most defining years in modern British politics. To a certain degree, they're right - the fallout of the Brexit referendum, which took place now more than 10 years ago, is still raw and, arguably, we have not recovered. Now that Sir Keir Starmer has resigned as Prime Minister, the country will soon welcome its seventh leader since that fateful vote a decade ago. King Charles must be bewildered at the thought that he will soon be confirming his third Prime Minister since the start of his reign almost four years ago, when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was in the same position eleven years into hers. However, despite the madness of 2016, I want to trace back to the year before. When the Conservative Party won an overall majority at the 2015 general election, the Labour Party had a lot of soul searching. The party was convinced it had the keys to D...

Gianni Infantino and Donald Trump (Image: The Guardian) As I pin up a 2026 FIFA World Cup wallchart on one of my walls, I reflect on what will come over the next six weeks, as events on the pitch go head-to-head against the battles between various countries off the pitch; some of those countries are competing in this competition - one is hosting the whole thing. When it was decided that the United States would co-host this World Cup with Canada and Mexico, it was 2018, and Donald Trump was in the middle of his first term as US President. At the time, many of us thought that this presidency would be a distant memory - either that he would lose the election in 2020 and be away from politics forever, or he'd win a second term and by 2026, he'd have completed both terms he's allowed to run, and the tournament would be welcomed by someone with a much smaller ego. Well, while he did lose that 2020 election, he didn't get away from politics and here we are, starting a tourname...