On Thursday I had one of those moments. I'd been to the gym and done my 5km row, my 10km cycle and I was chilling out in the Jacuzzi, which is my little treat to myself, after the session. I'd taken my daughter who was swimming up and down in the pool. I realised that I was feeling happy and that for the first time in a very long time, things seemed to be going pretty well. After last years prostatectomy, my latest PSA test was clear. after thirteen years of having that shadow haning over me, I finally feel as if I can put that behind me. My kids are all Ok. The band is having a really good period at the moment and I am really enjoying things. The business seems to be on an even keel, after nearly being wiped out by covid. What could possibly go wrong?
Well if I've learned one thing over the last decade or so, it's when everything seems to be going swimmingly that fate kicks you in the goolies. I almost think that things are going a bit too well right now. I am enjoying it whilst it is good, but there are so many terrible things going on in the world, that I almost feel guilty for feeling things are good at the moment. I've noticed that so many people seem angry at the moment. It seems that we need almost nothing to set us off. This week, we saw a very right wing Conservative MP join Labour. It seemed to me that everyone was furious. The Tories were, at the betrayal. Now they are all coming out and claiming all manner of bad behaviour on her part. They rather foolishly have failed to realise that this simply makes them look like hypocrites, for going along with it when she was part of the club. Then there are the Labour side, even more furious at their own leaders, for accepting someone who they consider to be beyond the pale. It seems to me that both sides are filled with fools. If the Tories had simply said "Well we always had suspicions she was a wrong'un and Labour are welcome to her" surely that would have been far more sensible. No one would be thinking "What a bunch of hypocrites". As for Labour, even if they hate her, surely far better to say "It's great that she's seen sense at last" than ranting and frothing. She's not standing for election again, so it is a short term thing. If Sir Keir Starmer wants to win the next election, he doesn't have to convince Labour supporters to vote for him. He needs to convince those floating voters who are sick of the Tories but think Labour will be too soft on things like immigration. Having a hardline Tory defect and say Labours plan is better than the Tories is a powerful statement. As for Natalie Elphick herself, there has been a lot of criticism of her for initialy standing by her ex hsuband and not sympathising with the victims. For God's sake, she's a human being and she isn't the first and won't be the last woman to be hoodwinked by a bounder. On a human level, I have a lot of sympathy for her. I don't agree with her politics, but if we were all the same, the world would be a dull place.
The whole thing is an example of how life can deal us a bum hand. Think of Natalie Elphick six years ago. Happily married to an MP, happy in her views as a hardline Tory. Then her world collapsed. Now she's a divorced Labour MP. If you had a Tardis, and went back and told her what the future held, I daresay she'd have thought you were a looney.
All I can really say is that the only thing we have is the enjoyment of the moment. That is what I was saying when I wrote "We all love a party" for The False Dots, our new single. As I sat in the Jacuzzi, the question I asked myself was "Am I lucky?". The answer is "Yes, but tomorrow that could all change in an instant". So I'll cross my finges, say a quick prayer to the good Lord and hope for the best. Have a great Sunday and if you've not already listened to our track, please do
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