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Clueless: public aligns with Sir Ivan Rogers on UK's Brexit position Clueless: public aligns with Sir Ivan Rogers on UK's Brexit position
(about 1 hour later)
MondayMonday
Happy new year. Possibly. Or possibly not. It increasingly seems to me that making new year resolutions is a young person’s game, as I made most of the big lifestyle changing decisions decades ago. I haven’t drunk, smoked or done drugs for near on 30 years and I’ve been a gym bunny for about as long. Not out of any moral superiority, I should point out, but because it took me until I was 30 to realise my desire to live was greater than my desire to die. My therapist once called me the second most self-destructive person she had ever met. My initial reaction was to be gutted not to have headed that particular leader board, which I suppose rather proved her point. All this clean living may have helped keep me breathing, but it hasn’t staved off mental illness, and I still suffer periodic episodes of crippling anxiety and depression that seem to operate to cycles of their own. So I now feel rather past making resolutions and have settled instead for making vague plans. Anything more definite than that seems way too stressful. Happy new year. Possibly. Or possibly not. It increasingly seems to me that making new year resolutions is a young person’s game, as I made most of the big lifestyle changing decisions decades ago. I haven’t drunk, smoked or done drugs for near on 30 years and I’ve been a gym bunny for about as long. Not out of any moral superiority, I should point out, but because it took me until I was 30 to realise my desire to live was greater than my desire to die.
My therapist once called me the second most self-destructive person she had ever met. My initial reaction was to be gutted not to have headed that particular leader board, which I suppose rather proved her point. All this clean living may have helped keep me breathing, but it hasn’t staved off mental illness, and I still suffer periodic episodes of crippling anxiety and depression that seem to operate to cycles of their own. So I now feel rather past making resolutions and have settled instead for making vague plans; anything more definite than that seems way too stressful.
TuesdayTuesday
A YouGov survey suggests that most of the country has as little faith in Brexit coming up roses as Sir Ivan Rogers, who resigned as Britain’s ambassador to the EU because he felt the government was totally clueless. In December 2015, 21% of people felt they would be better off in the next year. By December 2016, the figure had fallen to just 11%. Those thinking they would be worse off has risen from 25% to 38% in the same period. This doesn’t sound like the kind of Brexit bonanza that Vote Leave politicians were promising before the EU referendum. The survey also shows that the percentage of people believing in God has fallen from 32 to 28. It’s hard to know what to make of that. Either Brexit is turning the UK into a more rational, secular society, or 4% of the country has just realised that Nigel Farage is not the Messiah.A YouGov survey suggests that most of the country has as little faith in Brexit coming up roses as Sir Ivan Rogers, who resigned as Britain’s ambassador to the EU because he felt the government was totally clueless. In December 2015, 21% of people felt they would be better off in the next year. By December 2016, the figure had fallen to just 11%. Those thinking they would be worse off has risen from 25% to 38% in the same period. This doesn’t sound like the kind of Brexit bonanza that Vote Leave politicians were promising before the EU referendum. The survey also shows that the percentage of people believing in God has fallen from 32 to 28. It’s hard to know what to make of that. Either Brexit is turning the UK into a more rational, secular society, or 4% of the country has just realised that Nigel Farage is not the Messiah.
WednesdayWednesday
It was often difficult to know which was the more surreal event of 2016. Andrea Leadsom coming second in the Tory leadership election, or Theresa May appointing Leadsom to be minister for the environment, forests and rural affairs. After the absurd march of a handful of MPs and other supporters on parliament - “Who do we want?” “Andrea Leadsom”. “When do we want her?” “Some time in September” - followed by her abrupt resignation from the leadership campaign, Leadsom must have expected to return to deserved anonymity. Instead, she found herself in the cabinet. Wisely, though, she decided to use her first six months in post to do absolutely nothing. That way nothing could go wrong. Until now. At a speech to the Oxford Farmers’ Association, the pro-Brexit Leadsom announced that as far as she was concerned farmers could carry on employing cheap, unskilled labour from the EU. No one appears to have told her that stopping unskilled labour from coming to the UK was one of the key Brexit promises. Left hand, meet right hand. It was often difficult to know which was the more surreal event of 2016. Andrea Leadsom coming second in the Tory leadership election or Theresa May appointing Leadsom to be minister for the environment, forests and rural affairs. After the absurd march of a handful of MPs and other supporters on parliament - “Who do we want?” “Andrea Leadsom”. “When do we want her?” “Some time in September” - followed by her abrupt resignation from the leadership campaign, Leadsom must have expected to return to deserved anonymity. Instead, she found herself in the cabinet. Wisely, though, she decided to use her first six months in post to do absolutely nothing. That way nothing could go wrong. Until now. At a speech to the Oxford Farmers’ Association, the pro-Brexit Leadsom announced that, as far as she was concerned, farmers could carry on employing cheap, unskilled labour from the EU. No one appears to have told her that stopping unskilled labour from coming to the UK was one of the key Brexit promises. Left hand, meet right hand.
ThursdayThursday
I’m still in a state of shock after Spurs beat Chelsea to end the west London club’s 13 match winning streak. It wasn’t so much the result as the manner of the victory that was so surprising. Normally when Spurs take the lead in a big derby game, they put their supporters through hell by reverting to playing like headless chickens and doing their best to lose the game before going on to – sometimes – win it. But on Thursday night they closed out the game comfortably and never looked like giving it away. It was all most confusing. Mind you, I still spent as much of the second half looking at the scoreboard clocks, willing them to reach 90 minutes, as I did on the game itself. Call it cognitive dissonance. Or old habits die hard. I’m still in a state of shock after Spurs beat Chelsea to end the west London club’s 13 match winning streak. It wasn’t so much the result as the manner of the victory that was so surprising. Normally when Spurs take the lead in a big derby game, they put their supporters through hell by reverting to playing like headless chickens and doing their best to lose the game before going on to – sometimes – win it. But on Wednesday night they closed out the game comfortably and never looked like giving it away. It was all most confusing. Mind you, I still spent as much of the second half looking at the scoreboard clocks, willing them to reach 90 minutes, as I did on the game itself. Call it cognitive dissonance. Or old habits die hard.
FridayFriday
The future’s not so bright, the future isn’t orange. At the end of last year Nigel Farage was touting himself as the next ambassador to the US after receiving Donald Trump’s endorsement. When that turned to dust, he was quick to put himself in the frame as a possible replacement for Ivan Rogers. That, too, turned to ashes. But Nigel has now landed himself a proper job hosting an hourly radio chat show from Monday to Thursday on LBC. From being the US president-elect’s right hand man in Britain to Alan Partridge is quite a come down. Just before Xmas, Nigel stood in for Katie Hopkins on LBC to produce two of the most dreary hours of radio yet aired, because Nigel was incapable of talking about anything except himself. The entire show centred on whether or not Nigel was or was not the greatest living Englishman. Callers were divided, but Nigel got the casting vote. Whether Nigel has any other topics of conversation must be in question. As must how often he calls in sick. Nigel had the lowest voting attendance record of any active MEP in the European parliament. LBC should also watch his expenses. The future’s not so bright, the future isn’t orange. At the end of last year, Nigel Farage was touting himself as the next ambassador to the US after receiving Donald Trump’s endorsement. When that turned to dust, he was quick to put himself in the frame as a possible replacement for Ivan Rogers. That, too, turned to ashes. But Farage has now landed himself a proper job hosting an hour-long radio chat show from Monday to Thursday on LBC. From being the US president-elect’s right hand man in Britain to Alan Partridge is quite a come down. Just before Christmas, Farage stood in for Katie Hopkins on LBC to produce two of the most dreary hours of radio yet aired, because Farage was incapable of talking about anything except himself. The entire show centred on whether or not Nigel was or was not the greatest living Englishman. Callers were divided, but Farage got the casting vote. Whether Farage has any other topics of conversation must be in question, as must how often he calls in sick. Farage had the lowest voting attendance record of any active MEP in the European parliament. LBC should also watch his expenses.
Digested week: All we’ll hear is Radio Ga GaDigested week: All we’ll hear is Radio Ga Ga