Liz Truss could be the greatest ever UK Prime Minister

On the first day of the year (remember those days of cold weather and covid restrictions?) I predicted that Liz Truss would be the new Prime Minister by the end of the Summer. I always start the year with a set of predictions and I've been uncannily spot on several times, as well as unfeasibly wrong. 

Here's a few of my Sageful words

"Rishi sunak faces off against Liz Truss for the final round"

"We have a new Prime Minister. Liz Truss takes over, her first act is to demote the chancellor to the back benches, blaming him for the tax rises that cost the Tories the local elections."

We are not quite there yet, but Paddy Power seem to think I'm spot on. The smart money is on Liz. So the question now surely must be "How will she do?". My answer is "Liz Truss could be the greatest ever UK Prime Minister". This may shock you. But then again, I believe I could be 'the greatest ever Pope'. If I got the job I'd allow married Priests, Bishops and Pope's (mostly as I don't want a divorce), I'd open the books up to the police on all of the nonces, and change the stance on abortion, contraception and support for bonkers right wing politics. In my own mind at least, this would make me a pretty good Pope, although many would say I'm a pretty bad Catholic. Who knows, the Cardinals may read this and decide I'm just the guy and give me a bell. Extremely unlikely, but you never know. 

I'd put the chances of Liz Truss being the best ever PM as about the same. There's a few differences between plans for being PM and mine for being Pope. I'm a lifelong Catholic and I'd like to see the Church be aligned with my views, which I believe are more in tune with times and would be good for everyone, not just Catholics. I believe it may tempt back a few lapsed Catholics put off by the scandals and the archaic attitudes. Liz Truss is not a lifelong Tory. She used to be a Lib Dem. She's not a lifelong #Brexiteer, she used to be a #Remainer. Liz Truss is not seeking to tempt back Tories disgusted by Boris Johnsons antics, she is simply saying and doing what she has to do to win the job and to hell with her principles (if she ever had any). She claims being a Lib Dem and a Remainer were mistakes on 'her journey'. Unlike Mrs Thatcher, she seems more than happy to make a U-Turn on her principles when there is a juicy job. David Cameron was a passionate Remainer, so Liz Truss was as well. If Remain had won and Cameron was standing down as PM, she'd be trumping her Remain credentials and have the support of the likes of Kenneth Clarke, who would presumably still be Tories. 

As it is, when Boris turned up, the Chamaeleon that is Liz Truss changed colours and blended perfectly into the bonkers wing of the Tory Party. She knows that once her feet are under the table, she can change her spots again if need be. The Tories biggest challenge is to reconnect with voters, disgusted by the behaviour of Boris Johnson. Liz is as dull as dishwater, so I really don't see a closet opening, with a stack of skeletons falling out. But if her sole USP is not being Boris, how will she persuade anyone? The one talent Boris had was that he was a very good risk taker. Liz Truss's talent seems to have been to be very good at sucking up to the boss at the time and shinning up the greasy pole. When you are at the top, you have to start showing leadership. I think she's displayed an uncanny knack of working out how to ingratiate herself with her bosses. She's also identified what makes the right of the Tory party tick. But that is a very different constituency from the electorate. 

Her big gamble seems to be that she's going to make tax cuts. As Rishi Sunak rightly points out, this is irresponsible and dangerous. We are seeing rampant inflation. The Bank of England has imposed interest rate hikes to 'take the heat out of the economy'. If Truss gives us all a tax cut, then the Treasury will have to impose even harsher rate rises. This will primarily hit mortgage owners, the very people who vote Tory. When you mortgage goes up, you feel it. She will need a strong cabinet, but the first rule of politics is that you reward the people who put you in the job. The hard right of the Tory party is not stuffed full of clever and high achieving people. All of the best, most principled people have been culled or resigned and most support Sunak. The membership is a long way to the right of the Tory MP's, which is why she'll win. Both the members and the Right wing MP's who backed her do not want a One Nation cabinet. They want hard right Friedmanesque politics and policies. 

With such a cabinet, I can't see any way that we'll get the policies we need to rebuild the UK after covid and put the NHS back on an even keel. I can't see any way that there will be a commitment to overhauling the UK's creaking infrastructure, as tax cuts have to be funded. I can't see any way that we will reach a satisfactory settlement with the EU on all of the issues that are causing chaos at our borders. 

Of course I could be wrong. Maybe Liz Truss will build an amazing team, fix the problems caused by Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson, revitalise the UK economy and rebuild our international credibility and reputation. And I promise you this. If she does, I'll bestow a Sainthood on her when I become Pope. 

There's nothing going on in the Borough of Barnet!

 How many times have I heard this mantra? If I had a penny for everyone who'd said this I'd be a rich man. But is there any truth in it? Firstly, allow me a small diversion, to explain why I am asking the question. The new Leader of Barnet Council has asked me to help him draw up a cultural strategy with a view to a possible bid to putting together a bid for the London Borough of Culture. You may ask "How could a sleepy old Borough compete with the likes of Camden and Westminster, that have clubs, theatres, museums and all manner of other cultural assets galore.

Well lets start by saying what is the purpose of culture? It is the enrichment of people's lives. Whilst these Borough's have amazing places, when you actually look, the Borough of Barnet has an amazing cultural life. The difference is that it all operating on a hyper local level. In Mill Hill we have organisations such as the Pro Arte Choir, The Mill Hill Musical Theatre Company and The Mill Hill Music Festival that organise all manner of well attended shows. These are almost like hidden gems. The value they add in NW7 is amazing but how well known are they beyond the borders of the post code? Surely though a Borough of Culture bid should be firmly based in such groups that actually serve the community and are well established. We also have all manner of church choirs and other music groups, where ordianry people get the chance to make music and enjoy themselves on a regular basis. Such choirs are often a gateway to more serious musical endeavours, as people realise that they can do it and they get a big kick out of it. There are also some great secular local choirs such as the N12 Community Choir, who do a great selection of modern music. 

An ordinary NW7 resident probably has as many, if not more, opportunities to participate in such things as Camden or Westminster residents. We should never belittle such groups, Elvis Presley started off singing in a Church Choir. One of the greatest joys I've had was assisting St Pauls Church on the Ridgeway to stage a Concert by the London Community Gospel Choir. We also have the Hendon Band of The Salvation Army, who are absolutely amazing musicians. They have appeared many times at The Mill Hill Music Festival and are always brilliant. I'd urge anyone who has a love of singing to try a choir, even if you aren't that interested in the religious side. It is a great way to become a better singer. We are lucky to have these groups and I feel we should appreciate them far more than we do.

It is well worth keeping an eye on the Barnet Music Facebook page, that lists events. 

Being in the music industry, I know of quite a few music festivals in the Borough. I've been directly involved in programming three this year. The previously mentioned Mill Hill Music Festival, the East Barnet Festival and this weekend we have the amazing Barnet Summertime Festival. I was given the honour of programming the local heroes stage. This gives brilliant local musicians a great platform. I think it is one of the most exciting programmes you will see at any festival anywhere, with Soul, Jazz, Rock and Roll, Latin, Reggae and a whole host of other great music genres over two days. The acts on the mainstage are top notch artist. Please buy a ticket and go. 

There is far more to local culture than just music. If you are a writer then we have the amazing Greenacre writers group. They organise a writers festival, although like many things, covid has disrupted this. Then there is film, we have the amazing Phoenix Cinema, which to my mind is one of the best cinemas in the country.  We have the Arts Depot and the Bull Theatre that are superb artistic centres and have all manner of activities going on. The Arts Depot currently have a pretty damn good exhibition of work by local artists on currently.

Then there is the amazing regular programme of events at our local libraries.

Find out about #CreativeCommunitiesColindale, a great programme of free events specifically for the residents of Colindale. Check our website at https://t.co/47j618AnPH. Remember to check back at a later date as new events continue to be added! @BarnetCouncil @MillHillLibrary pic.twitter.com/FTJj6whcFC

— Barnet libraries (@BarnetLibraries) July 21, 2022

We also have great community pubs that host all manner of music and comedy. The Adam and Eve in Mill Hill has great comedy, there is an event tonight. This round up is not a comprehensive view, it was just a few things that came to mind, most of which I've had an involvement with at some time. I just wanted to make the point that when people say there's nothing going on in the Borough of Barnet, they are not looking very hard.

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The greatest hits of Barnet Council - The Future Shape of the Council - Hilarious Nanny State video from the former Tory adminstration

 I was doing some research on my blog and I came across this. Please watch it, it is hilarious. The Tories seem to like to pretend that it's Labour that invented the Nanny State, this may put a few misconceptions right. These were the days when Mike Freer was calling the local Bloggers W@nkers and Brian Coleman was saying the way forward was "Roads, Roads, Roads". What these lofty ideals morphed into was a massive outsourcing contract to Capita. Sadly climate change and obesity initiatives got quietly shelved.

It gives you some idea how much attitudes have changes since 2008, when a supposedly Thatcherite Council under hard right axeman Mike Freer decreed that beling selfishness was evil and the council should be dealing with obesity and climate change. If you have any friends who used to be Conservative Councillors, please send them a link to all this and ask them how it all when combatting these evils?

For the record, it wasn't until the Tories were booted out and Labour got in that a climate emergency was declared. As to the obesity crisis......

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Environment Monday - Should the UK stick to its net carbon zero target

 

We need carbon neutral, clean developments

Did you see the Conservative Leadership debate last night, where the candidates were asked whether they would stick to their net carbon zero target. You would think that being asked this the day before the UK had it's hottest day on record may have lead to a degree of caution. Strangely it seemed to inspire them to even more stupid responses. Apparently we can afford tax cuts, but we can't afford to try and save the planet. There was a time when Conservatives were supposed to be sensible and cautious. That seems to be a thing of history. The problem with the UK is that if a costly policy can be postponed it will be, if there is the slightest politcally expedient reason to do it. 

The truth is, one which the gutless fools refused to acknowledge, is that the reason our energy costs are going through the roof is because the UK has chosen to have no long term plan for energy security. If we'd started to decarbonise in an orderly fashion 40 years ago, when it was clear that there was a problem, we'd not be in the position we find ourselves in. If we'd changed planning laws to make new homes energy efficient and well insulated, with solar panels, then we wouldn't be sitting in our homes boiling. If we'd had a sensible strategy to move away from petrol and diesel cars, we'd have less exposure to hikes in oil prices. If we'd moved new homes to heat pump technology, we'd not be caught up in the mess of spiralling oil prices. 

What Truss, Sunak, Moradaunt and the other two forgot to say is that all of this will only get worse. By dropping our targets, we are exposing ourselves to the ever wilder fluctuations in prices. For a nation to be truly independent, we simply cannot afford to be at the long term whim of other nations. We should not only be investing in new green technologies, we should have a plan that means we know where our supplies will come from and what the costs will be. The country needs massive investment in energy storage, so the excess electricity produced by solar arrays today can be used when the sun isn't shining. We should be looking at hydrogen cell technology, which produces clean energy. 

The problem we have is that the schemes we have introduced are ones which penalise people who are least able to afford it. I installed solar panels when there were incentives to do so. I could do this as I am reasonably well off. Now I am paying nothing for my electricity when the sun shines. With the ever rising cost of electricity, I am doing OK out of this deal. If the government made it a planning condition that all new homes were well insulated and had solar panels, then those in new social housing would get some benefits. As it is it is only those who could afford to who have benefitted. 

What was shocking to me was that none of the candidates had anything positive to say about any sort of energy security plan, let alone a green one. The way to secure familes futures against spiralling enrgy costs is to ensure our supplies are reliable and the costs are fixed long term. 

Sadly we all know that there will climate change commentators claiming that there has always been hot weather. How many temperature records do we have to break before they admit there may be a problem. You can be sure that ion January when it is -5, they will say "Look there is no such thing as climate change". It will not be temperature records that ultimately force us to grasp the nettle. It will be the fact we need a reliable energy supply at a predictable cost, to allow businesses to plan. You'd think that Conservatives would get that?

Theatre Review - Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem with Mark Rylance at the Apollo Theatre

 I rarely do reviews of the plays I go to see. I have to have something to say and some insight to add before I think it's worth while. It's like reviewing football, just saying someone was excellent is a bit of a dull read. However I really had to review Jerusalem. I am a big fan of both Jez Butterworth and Mark Rylance, so I was very keen to see the production. I knew it would be a good watch. However that wasn't enough to inspire me to review it. The thing that inspired me was a comment I heard from a bit of a hooray Henry type at the interval, made to Hooray Henrietta type (sorry for the stereotype, but I couldn't think of a better way to sume them up). We were in the drinks queue and he said "It's rather funny but very unrealistic"

It made me realise what a sheltered life some people have lead. As we came home, the Missus said to our friends "That was just like hanging around with Roger and his mate back in the 1980's". Although Mill Hill didn't have people living in caravans having rave's winding up the newby Nimby's in the 'new estate', Rylance's Johnny 'Rooster' Byron was an amallgum of three people I know/knew very well. Two of them are dead. Johnny 'Rooster'Byron cultivated an image of indestructibility and was actively involved in drug dealing to the local kids, who hung around his caravan. He was an avowed rebel, someone who was happy living outside society. The stories of his indestructibility reminded me of one local character, sadly missed, who was known as 'Porky'. He worked for my Dad for a while. He caught a pair of travellers robbing his car, in the carpark of my Dads crash repair business. When he confronted them, one stabbed him in the stomach, Porky pulled the knife out and stabbed the pair of them to death. When the ambulance arrived, he had to be persuaded to go to hospital. He was charged with murder. My Dad appeared as a character witness. The case was dismissed, when Porky was challenged whether he intended to kill the travellers when he stabbed them (murder must have intent), he replied "M'lord, I think you'll find that when someone stabs you in the stomach, you really don't think of anything at all, you just want to stay alive". The Judge dismissed the case on the spot. He was also shot with a shotgun at The Mill Pub, for some sort of shenanigans. It was the cancer that caught up with him. He was the manager of The False Dots for a while and was involved in th trafficing of various illegal substances. He'd been banned from most of Mill Hill's pubs, but generally Landlords were too terrified to actually enforce the bans. My Dad told me he was the toughest man he'd ever seen and my Dad had been a world war II bomber pilot. He even looked a bit like Rooster. 

The second character was another local character called Spud. He was the go to person for weed in the locality for most of my mates. He'd grow his own all over the place. Perhaps the funniest place was in the garden of former Tory  Barnet Mayor Dennis Dippel. Spud got a job with his mate doing the Mayor's garden. Spud figured that if he planted Cannabis at the back, there was no chance of the Police finding it. He had many plantations. A local chief of police would buy the weed for a relative with MS, which meant he was given a free pass for his activities, so long as he didn't take the mickey too much. He had a colouful past. He'd been caught running guns into Franco's Spain and had lost an arm making bombs at home. He was a highly knowledgable chap and in later years used to teach disabled people how to use shotguns at a local clay pigeon range. Sadly, cancer also got him

The third character was a chap called 'Dicky'. He used to drive a VW camper van and sell drugs to the kids at Orange Hill school. I think he's still alive. He'd reputedly done ten years for murdering his girlfriend, supposedly chopping her head off. He was the next door neighbour of the bass player of the False Dots and I got on well with him, without ever really feeling comfortable in his company. There was a rumour he'd been chucked out of the Hell's Angels for being too mad and whilst I don't know if this was true, it was believable. I saw him openly dealing to kids a couple of times, whilst policemen looked the other way. I suspect they were as terrified of him as the rest of us. I recall one of the kids at school giving him a tenner for some Lebanese resin, only for Dickie to nick the cash and tell the kid "Didn't your mum ever tell you not to trust drug dealers, drugs are bad for your health". I remeber Dickie telling me "Kids like him shouldn't take drugs, he's a mug, I did him a favour". 

If you've seen the play and you knew any/all of the characters, you'd recognise elements of all of these. I wonder if Jez Butterworth spent any time in Mill Hill in the 70's and 80's. 

As for the rest of the characters. The various girls that hang around the encampment were like the girls who used to hang around with us. They enjoyed the excitement and the capers that we got up to. Often they would egg us on to even worse things. Most are now highly respectable. Sadly one or two didn't make it. The girl who starts the show, the fifteen year old in the fairy costume reminded me of an ex. She was totally in a world of her own. She seemed to blunder in and out of all manner of situations and never seemed to come to any harm in what seemed a situation set inevitably for disaster. She's still a friend and still a dippy hippy. Some people seem blessed with a Guardian Angel to guide them through life's minefield.

The enraged Dad, who struck me as a bit dodgy also reminded me of a couple of characters. I don't want to say much more, as my friends would not really appreciate it, but that character is all too true.

Then there was "The Professor". He remided me a little bit of a character we used to call "John The Vicar" who'd hang around some times. He'd not mind at all when he saw the various shenangans we were all getting up to. I think he was in his 50's or 60's, we were all in our teens. A few years after that scene ended, a former guitarist in the band, who was openly bisexual, told me that the Vicar used to pay him for sex. I was horrified, but he was quite happy to be paid so he could buy weed. He assured me it only happened because he was fine with it. My Dad used to tell me to be very careful of adults who hung around with kids. They never bothered me, but over the years I learned of all manner of shenanigans and the ending of the play made me feel uncomfortable whilst recognising the characters and the behaviours. The world is full of these dodgy chancers and their secret weapon is that they are extraordinarily good at convincing their victims that they are not being exploited. It is horrible really. 

Mark Rylance is awesome. A real tour de force. To me, as someone who knew such characters, I was impressed with how he pulled off such a larger than life role. In contrast, Mackenzie Crook was pretty overshadowed, that is not a criticism, it is what the role required. Butterworth also impressively sums up the aspirations of the group. They all have a different world view, one I also recognise. The kid who wants to travel, the one who is happy working in the abbatoir and going to the pub, the one who doesn't really know what he wants.

And then for me there was the thing that resonates with what I blog about. The council are the bogeymen. Wanting to clean up the spot, move on the kids, gentrify the area and put up another housing estate. We see this all of the time. The reason that kids hang around such places is more to do with total boredom and lack of things to do in life as wanting to take drugs. The one big difference between the kids in the play and my own experiences, we all had a focus. I had a band and we wanted to succeed. Our friends all felt we were on a mission. Butterworths kids seem a bit lost, if truth be told. Rooster was the voice of anti authoritarian rebellion and was exciting. Why wouldn't you want to hang around with him? 

The final aspect was Rooster's kid. His attitude to parenting is sadly reminiscent of a few people I know. Totally selfish and without compassion. What most kids crave is their parents love. Rooster thinks his tall tales suffice as parenting. Sadly, they don't.

The Tweets of the week in the London Borough of Barnet - 17th July 2022

 We had a break from the Tweets of the Week last week. The country was going Boris Bonkers and there was genuinely not enough interesting tweets to make a list. It happens occasionally when everyone is obsessing on a single subject. This week, all of that pent up wonderfulness has been released! This weeks selection has been pretty good. 

As to my week, it has been wonderful so far. Tuesday night, a great local football derby between Edgware Town and Hadley, Thursday I saw Reggae Legend Eek-A-Mouse at the Jazz Cafe, Friday it was Mill Hill legends The Polecats in Harrow and last night we went to see Jerusalem with Mark Rylance at the Prince of Wales Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, which was wondeful and reminded me of my misspent youth! Here’s a taste of Eek a Mouse

Anyway enough of that, here's my selection. 

1. Lets start with a very nostalgic trip on the Midland Mainline through Cricklewood, Hendon and Mill Hill in 1960 on one of the then brand new Diesel Multiple Units. I always thought of these as smelly, clapped out, ready for the scrapyard trains, it's easy to forget that todays scrapper is yesterdays leading edge! Tweets like this are the reason I've not ditched Twitter years ago. If you can filter out the rubbish it is rather wonderful

Ride along from St Pancras to Luton in 1960 on the old DMU. Featuring a nice look inside the carriages as well as a blink and you will miss it look at Mill Hill Broadway around 2.06 - https://t.co/p9eODywa1T

— Alex (@inalexworld) July 16, 2022

2. This week's big shout out is for the Welsh Harpies. I love the fact that there is a "bomb crater pond" at the Welsh Harp. Would love to learn more about this, when did the bomb land?

Massive THANK YOU to @LFB_Brent for filling up the bomb crater pond at the Welsh Harp today!The pond,which only a few weeks ago was packed full of tadpoles and insects,dried up entirely due to lack of rain.The fire brigade took action!Thanks to @Neil_Boyle for leading the work!🌼 pic.twitter.com/Ag1XLbGqMS

— Friends of the Welsh Harp (@welshharpies) July 16, 2022

3. I'm endebted to HowMichael for reminding me of the Capital Ring walk. Maybe I will do this one day, but not this week! It's too hot - More here https://www.alltrails.com/trail/england/london/capital-ring--2

#FingerpostFriday
A day on the Capital Ring
Widdershins: East Finchley to Greenford. pic.twitter.com/ccQ7Q75P1y

— Michael⛅ (@HowMichael) July 15, 2022

4. Well done to the Phoenix. We need more of this! Showcases for local talents

Phoenix Throwback Thursday: We use our space for exhibitions, providing a platform for upcoming talents like locals' artwork and classic film posters that were on display in the foyer in 2017. #ThrowbackThursday #N2 @londoncinema @exhibitionspace @LDN_N2 @east_finchley pic.twitter.com/URHrniLIcz

— Phoenix Cinema (@Phoenixcinema) July 14, 2022

5. If you want to get listed, posting pictures taken at the back of my house is a good way. My garden is visible in these (if you know where to look). I have fond memories of the Bridge installation in 1966(?) being loaded by a massive crane. I watched it with my Mum's Auntie Mary, who had  come down from Oldham, I was probably four years old. I thought the M1 was super duper!

Following yesterday's post, here's an image of the Hendon Urban Motorway (M1), prior to its opening. You can find the image and more from the Department of Transport booklet that is on this link- https://t.co/7TVnii9w5n pic.twitter.com/1rzgUrB1HT

— NW London TimeMachine (@time_nw) July 11, 2022

The M1 Hendon Urban Motorway in the early 1980s. Special street lighting was required to ensure the light didn't spill onto the parallel Midland Main Line.

From the Motorwayservices website. pic.twitter.com/PmvpzHBlOr

— NW London TimeMachine (@time_nw) July 10, 2022

6. A Mill Hill Landmark returns from his holidays. St Joseph has come home. St Joseph is a very suitable saint for Mill Hill, because although he is revered by Christians, he was never one himself, remaining Jewish. I do wonder if like most Dad's he'd get frustrated with his son "Come on Jesus, stop praying and do the washing up and tidy your room". His statue on St Josephs is loved by all in Mill Hill. I'd love to see them illuniate it, as they did during the millenium year.

Look who’s back watching over Mill Hill
St Joseph is back where he belongs, after his removal for restoration work, today he has returned!
Picture by Kevin Green pic.twitter.com/RyMHV11eaE

— Inside Mill Hill (@InsideMillHill) July 13, 2022

7. Some wonderful pictures from one of the Borough of Barnets best tweeters. 

I tried to photograph the Moonrise from @Yourallypally on Wednesday, but cloud thwarted the gathered throng.
I went yesterday for the 97.8% full moon, & hardly anyone there!
Took these snaps...#supermoon #BuckMoon pic.twitter.com/4HT1Vz2Wx7

— Donald Lyven (@barnet_rebel) July 15, 2022

8. Commuting on Thameslink? This may be of interest. Robin is the Network Rail top dog for our local bit of line

⚠️Heads up for Mondays ☀️Commute
2 trains per hour #Bedford >< #Luton (Brighton)
4 trains per hour Luton >< London (Brighton/Rainham)
stay hydrated 🥤 Check B 4 U Travel Temperatures 🌡️ peak 14:00 to 16:00 ⛱️ #TrackTeam🚧 🦺 plan ahead #Thameslink pic.twitter.com/3EYMdYDHF4

— Robin Morel (@13milepost) July 17, 2022

9. A great Dad joke from the Childs Hill Police. this is proper public service tweeting

Should somebody call Special Branch? No need, Safer Neighbourhood Teams came to the rescue from @MPSGardenSuburb @MPSChildsHill @MPSGoldersGreen They helped clear a fallen tree in NW11. Officers come to this job with all sorts of skills. Could you be one of them? @metpoliceuk pic.twitter.com/Rno2EY6OVe

— Childs Hill Police (@MPSChildsHill) July 14, 2022

10. Don't you think this looks great?

Our new mural is coming along great. The good weather has meant our amazing team of young local artists can get on with it. We hope you like it #streetart #rehearsalstudio pic.twitter.com/ICsaIPk8eq

— #MillHillMusicComplex (@MillHillMusicCo) July 17, 2022

That's all folks!

The Saturday List #353 - My Top Ten Ice creams, Ice Lollies and Ice Pops

 It's hot, hot, hot. I don't have a sweet tooth at all and I don't do Dairy, so much of this list is fond memories which I won't be revisiting. However I did feel a certain pang of dietry lust as I went through these.  I hope you enjoy this list as much as I enjoyed putting it together,

1. The Tonibel 99 flake with Raspberry sauce. 

Pic courtesy www.tonibell99.co.uk

Take yourself back to the long hot summer of 1976. My Dad had a 3 Litre Ford Capri, it came in an anaemic purple colour. It had been souped up for the Pan African rally. It went like a rocket. He resprayed it black with a red go faster stripe. It roared like a monster. The biggest treat of all was when Dad would take us to Burnt Oak in it for a 99 flake Ice Cream from Tonybel with a generous dollop of raspberry sauce and a sprinkling of nuts. Dad insisted Tonibel was the best Ice Cream in the world. I've yet to find a reason to disagee. What I liked most was that it wasn;t fancy. It was just proper, great ice cream. (Sorry I couldn't find a pic of the establishment)

2. The FAB lolly

Pic from www.sweetandnostalgic.co.uk

FAB was the call sign of international rescue and I loved Thunderbirds. This lolly was the subject of many heated debates in the playground of St Vincents. As it was in three parts, what was the correct way to eat it. The consensus was to nibble off the 100's and 1,000's, then eat the strawberry and finally finish off the milky bit.

It was a proper Ice Lolly. My memories of this are most closely associated with Mill Hill Swimming Pool and long Balmy summers. As I counldn't swim and didn't like cold water, my idea of bliss was lying in the sun with one of these.

3. Coca Cola Ice Pops.

As I've mentioned on several occasions, my Mum was one who liked to save the pennies. If something was cheaper, in her mind it was better. This used to drive my Dad mad. If he bought ham, he'd go to the deli, have it cut off the bone and specify that it had to be extra thick. It was delicious. If my mum bought it, she'd go to Tesco's and buy the cheapest packet. My Dad would point out that it tasted of nothing and was 50% water. She'd say "Go hungry if you don't like it". When Ice Pops were launched, my mum was delighted. No more buying expensive lollys and ice creams from the Newsagents or Tonibel. The thing about Ice pops was that you'd have a quick suck and the flavour was gone. They were terminally unexciting. And then we discovered coca cola ice pops. These were wonderful. For some reason, my mum developed an aversion to buying them, probably because they were a couple of pennys more expensive, but I loved them. 

4. Funny Faces.

For a while this was my lolly of choice. Mostly due to the fact that I could wind up my sister Valerie by singing the TV Ad theme tune at her and tease her about her looks. I suspect she has a lifelong aversion to these. 

5. The Lyons Maid Choc Ice

Pic courtesy of 

brownhillsbob.com

For some reason, my Dad was rather partial to these. I felt that if I wanted to get in his good books, I'd buy him one and have one for myself. He'd always be really grateful and give me extra pocket money for my consideration. It was great because it would rile my sister Caroline, who would have neither a choc ice or extra pocket money. Such was the politics of large families. There was an ongoing debate as to whether Lyons Maid or Walls Ice lollies were better. I always went for the Lyons Maid. I used to believe that a company that made Sausages was not really where I wanted to get Ice Lollies from

6. The Strawberry Mivvi

I recall going into Glaziers sweet shop in Station Road with my Dad and him announcing that he'd discovered the best lolly in the world, It was the Strawberry Mivvi. A coating of Strawberry goo on an ice cream base. It was bliss. I think that a Mivvi may well have been the last Ice lolly I bought. They never quite lived up to that first one. Maybe I was just wearing strawberry mivvi tinted spectacles at the time.

7. The Red Arrow.

Pic courtesy flashbak.com/british-ice-lollies-and-ice-creams-1960-1990-19609/

For a short period this was the ice cream for every boy of a certain age. It wasn't because the Ice Cream was great, but the free aeroplane with it was a temptation beyond resistance. Like many of these promotions, the free gift was pretty iffy and the fad soon passed.

8. Marine Ices Tutti Frutti Ice Cream

This was a revealation. I was taken their as a treat by my good friends and neighbour Dad Mr Lewis. He was a man of spohistication and a lovely bloke. His son Frank is still a neighbour. We'd all hang around each others houses at weekends and in the Summer Holidays. Mr Lewis had bought a new Citroen and wanted to show us how great a car it was. He knew his beans. He took us for a spin to Camden Town. Unlike my Dad, he did not drive like a maniac and bought the car because it was comfortable and good for carting the family around. We arrived at Marine Ices and he recommended the Tutti Frutti. I'd never had anything quite like it before. It was wonderful. Within a few years, Dayvilles and a host of other ice cream chains arrived. It seemed there was no flavour you couldn't have. But then it was like opening the door to another dimension. 

9. Solero.

Pic courtesy of en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solero_%28ice_cream%29

This was probably the last ice lolly that I ate and thought WOW! Citrus and Ice cream shouldn't really mix well but this does. When my children were little I'd buy them sweets or ice lollies after Church on a Sunday. I rather hoped it would mean they looked forward to the service. When it was hot like today, I'd have one myself. I don't like overly sweet things, but this really hit the spot. It's sort of like a Mivvi on acid. 

10. Strawberry Cornetto

How Could I complete this list without the Cornetto? I don't mind Cornetto's but this deserves a mention for what must be the best Ice Lolly advert ever. I have a few Italian mates and this used to infuriate them. They felt it was the worst example of cultural appropriation ever. I suspect that it did more for Italian Opera in the UK than just about anything else (apart from Nessum Dorma at the World Cup). I've never noticed before but the Ad finished says "Made outside Italy by Walls" You've got to laugh

 

Tory Whacky Races - Can Dick Dastardly scupper Penelope Pitstop?

 It was Karl Marx, who said "History repeats itself, once as tragedy and twice as farce". Well when it comes to Tory Leadership contests we had Theresa May deliver us a tragedy, Boris Johnson delivered us a farce. What follows Farce? Maybe we should add that "and a third time as a Hanna Barbera cartoon. In this case, the  competition has become Whacky Races, with Dick Dastardly (AKA Rishi Sunak) plotting and scheming to stop Penelope Pitstop (AKA Penny Mordaunt) from strolling into number ten.

Anyone who ever watched Whacky Races knows the ending. Dick Dastardly spends so much time plotting and schemeing how to stop his rivals, that he doesn't concentrate on the racing so always loses. I suspect that even if his efforts to derail the wonderful Ms Pitstop fail, all he'll do is damage his reputation and open the door for another contender, most likely Liz Truss. Given that Ms Truss has decided that being the "Boris continuity candidate" is a smart move, I can see this all going rather Pete Tong for the Tories. The problem with being the Boris continuity candidate is that the only real asset Boris ever had was his massive power of personality. Saying you are the new Boris whilst being as dull as dishwater strikes me as just about the worst strategy in the world to convince voters that you are Prime Minister material. It seems to me that the Tory MP's have decided that they want Rishi Sunak, but know he's going to lose to whoever comes second in the contest. The Tory Membership think his Dick Dastardly style shenanigans to shaft Boris and crown himself leader are inforgiveable. 

I've been talking to quite a few people of all different political parties about the contest. What is difficult for me to fathom is that just about everyone seems in a sense of complete denial about the reality. Whoever wins the leadership has a large majority and is very unlikely to call an election until they have a realistic chance of winning. This means that whatever happens, the new leader will be running the show for at least a year or two and will have to build a credible platform to bring back the Tories who didn't bother to vote in recent elections. For the rest of us, we need someone who is decent, credible, honest and competent. I'd urge any Tory MP's and members who may read this to set this benchmark. It seem to me that there are only three serious candidates. Sunak, Mordaunt and Truss.

How does each of these fair when we measure them against these tests

Rishi Sunak

Decent - Do decent people who are the chancellor exploit Tax loopholes in the way Sunak has? Do they shaft their boss to further their own career? I think Sunak should have disqualified himself and I suspect that the Tory membership will agree with me in the final battle. The way his team are trying to shaft Penny Mordaunt is not exactly what passes for decency in my books, but sadly that is politics.

Credible - Sunak has a degree of credibility as a serious contender as he was chancellor through the most difficult period in modern times. 

Honest - Do I trust Rishi Sunak? I think he's been tainted by his association with Boris Johnson. His failure to resign when he go a fixed penalty for being at a Boris No 10 party makes me doubt he has the moral gumption for the job. He's got a history of being evasive about his personal financial affairs, which is not what  I want from a Prime Minister.

Competent - I have no doubt he'd be able to manage the economy. He had held a big government job and we know what we'll get. Does he have the wider perspective to be PM though? Tory MP's who know him best seem to think so. 

My verdict - I think he'd be a competent Prime Minister, but after the Boris debacle, we need someone a little bit more trustworthy.

Liz Truss

Decent - I can't say Liz Truss isn't decent. I've felt for the last two years that she'd be the next leader and I suspect she'll be the beneficiary of Sunak's shenanigans. I googled Liz Truss Scandals and the best the Daily Mirror could come up with was that she had a fling with a married Tory MP in 2009. If that's the worst she's done she's probably decent enough.

Credible - She holds the post of foreign secretary and so has held a major office. She hasn't exactly excelled as a foreign secretary but she hasn't made the disasterous gaffe's of the scale Boris did, which should have alerted us to his poor judgement. 

Honest - I've seen no evidence that she isn't honest. There are not reams of stories of her dodgyness circulating. 

Competent - She seems a safe and steady sort of person. She doesn't leave a trail of scandals and cock ups in her wake. I suspect that she'd be operating above her level as PM, I think she's an OK minister, but being the boss is a different matter.

My verdict - I suspect Liz Truss will win and I suspect the Conservative party and the country will regret it bitterly. I just don't think she has the gumption and backbone to do the top job. I may be wrong, but when I see her, I get an air of the Theresa May's.

Penny Mordaunt

Decent - As with Truss, she doesn't have a track record of causing scandals. I think the fact that she's associated with the military indicates that she is a team player. Generally people who are a bit shifty get weeded out

Credible - This is where she scores badly. Unlike the other two, she's not had a big job. Is she credible? I think she is. She's been prepared to go out on a limb over issues such as Trans rights, which shows me that she is not afraid to take a principled stand. Even if you disagree with her position, I think you have to accept that she's shown she is not afraid to swim against the tide of opinion.  

Honest - She is responsible for one of the biggest porkies of the Leave campaign. The claim that the EU was about to let Turkey join. For me that is a problem. Even if you are a staunch leaver, do you really want  someone who tells massive whoppers to be PM? On the other side of that coin though, if you want someone who is going to win elections, she's shown she will be a bit unprincipled when required, which sadly is a key quality in politicians.

Competent - This is a hard one to judge. She's not really been tested. Many Tories will say "neither was Thatcher before she became PM" as she'd only been a rather unsuccessful Education secretary.

My verdict - If I was a Tory I'd want Penny Mordaunt to win. Her miliary background shows she has a bit of backbone. She has shown she will use the dark arts to win. She doesn't appear to have a closet full of skeletons. She's rattled Rishi Sunak and has seemingly come from nowhere to put herself in a prime position. 

My view overall. As someone who wants to see the Conservatives lose the next election, believes in decency in politics and who recognises that we need competent government until we get the chance to vote, I want to see Liz Truss win. I think she'll be dull and competent and lose the next election, wiythout destroying the economy. I don't want to see a shifty sausage in charge, which for me rules out Sunak. I don't want to see Mordaunt win, as I suspect she would be more dynamic and more likely to re-energise the Tory party. As for Rishi Sunak, if he does win, something I really can't see happening, I think his policies will bring about a very deep and difficult recession. The guy does not seem to understand that the only way the UK can get out of the mess it's in is to invest in infrastructure, improve productivity and to encourage dynamic activity in the economy. As a business owner, I think he'd be a total disaster. 

Just one final, rather off the wall note. Whilst researching this blog, I watched quite a lot of Whacky Races. I'd never really realised it, but there are real anti semitic tones about it. If you watch it, Dick Dastardly definitely gets a very raw deal. Most of the contestants were cheating, but Dastardlys disqualification after winning for extending the nose of his car was clearly a case of anti semitism. My favourite character was always Muttly, who reminds me of Ed Balls.

Can you help your local grassroots football clubs?

Regular readers will know I'm a bit of a football fan. I support two teams. In the Premiership I've been a lifelong Manchester City fan, through thick and thin. However as I can't get up there as often as I'd like, I have always taken an interest in our local lower league teams. In the 60's and 70's my Dads business sponsored Edgware Town FC. 

The advert for MacMetals was on the programme for donkeys years. I developed an affinity for Barnet FC when they played at Underhill. A few beers before at The Mitre, a curry on the High St after. When they moved to The Hive, it never was quite the same. Four years ago I started following Hadley FC, the oldest club playing inthe Borough. I went along at the invite of my nephew, who was writing a blog on local Non League football. I loved it and bought a season ticket. Today I will be going up to tidy up the ground and car park areas and clean up the signage, as the club prepares for the new season. The club runs on the grace of volunteers. If you can spare an hour or two today or tomorrow, please get in touch. The more people help, the quicker it gets done. Contact details here - https://hadleyfc.co.uk/contact/index.html - Please give an hour or two if you can.

On Tuesday I went down for my first game of the new season, a cracking pre season friendly against Edgware and Kingsbury FC (the club Edgware Town became when they moved from the Old White Lion Ground). They play at Silver Jubilee Park. I met up with a couple of mates, one of whom is the club secretary at Edgware. 

@EdgwareFC vs @hadleyfc pre season friendly - 2-1 at mo. Great to be back at grassroots Footie. Football, beer & mates. pic.twitter.com/2EwUAG39vf

— Roger Tichborne/Rog T (@Barneteye) July 12, 2022

He asked me to put a call out. The club needs sponsors and volunteers. Specifically they need people to help in the following areas.

Turnstiles 

Hospitality 

General stewards

Local grassroots clubs do amazing work. For many local youngsters, clubs like Arsenal, Spurs etc seem to be mythical entities that they would only play for in their dreams. Local non league clubs provide a realistic opportunity to play at a decent level. They have yout schemes and any half decent players have a chance if they work hard. Some players including Stuart Pearce and Ian Wright started in Non League and ended up playing for England and for Premiership clubs. 

You can contact Edgware Town here - http://www.edgwaretownfc.co.uk/index.php/contact-us

Another great local club are Hendon FC. They are playing an Arsenal XI tomorrow at Silver Jubilee Park.  Why not nip along if you fancy some great football on your doorstep.

Vaping is creating a whole new generation of nicotine addicts

 Am I missing something? At the weekend I was at a music festival in Rochester and whereas 20 years ago, the air would have been thick with the smell of tobacco and slightly more exotic and illegal herbal cigarettes, it seemed not a minute went by without getting a whiff of some sort of fragrant odour from a vape. Vapes are marketed as a replacement for cigarettes, having zero tar an are meant to be less carcinogenic (I have not researched the science so I don't know). If they are successful in this, then one has to say they are a good thing, however they do not cure nicotine addictions, they simply replace cigarettes with another source of nicotine. I've never tried one, so I have no idea if you get the same nicotine hit, but again I have to assume you do. I have two issues with vaping. The first is that whilst the idea of replacing cigarettes with a less harmful source of nicotine is a good idea, what if it gets a whole new generation of kids addicted to nicotine? It seems to me likely that when kids see their mates vaping they think it's the trendy thing to do.

The second thing that bugs me is that they don't simply replace nicotine, they have all sorts of fancy flavours and exciting packaging. They are actively marketed in such a way as to make the product as desireable as possible. I really think that if the makers and sellers of vapes were doing it as part of a programme to wean the nation off tobacco, they would not have the flash packaging, succulent smells and trendy designs. 

Given that Vapes are basically a delivery system for an addictive substance that is not good for your health, I'd like to see the whole thing properly regulated. I'd like to see the packaging to reflect cigarette packaging and I'd like to see the tasty flavours banned. If people need vapes to get over a cigarette habit, they will happily puff away on something flavourless which looks like Grandads pipe or something equally unsexy. 

The truth is that purveyors of dodgy products always come up with arguments to help them flog their dodgy wares. It always seems to take decades before any sort of legislation is enacted to mitigate the harm, usually decades to late for many victims who've died or had their health ruined. You simply can't rely on the industry to regulate itself. The tobacco giants demostrated this. The bottom line is that anyone who vapes is addicted to nicotine and they have not broken the habit. As someone who has lived with cancer for 11 years, I know what it is like to have the sword of Damoclese hanging over you. Avoiding substances such as nicotine is a good way to lessen the chances of finding yourself in such a situation.