Peter Rhodes on storms, Shirley and an overdose of the f-word
It was not a storm, right? It was a “multi-hazard weather event.” Now let's get back to preparing for December 25 which used to be a sacred festival but is now a multi-overdraft gorging event.
As the vote on the assisted-dying bill approaches, the Sunday Times reports: “Two thirds of country back assisted dying.” So what? More than two-thirds of the population regularly buy Lotto tickets. That does not make them wise.
There's fury among Jaguar fans as the company replaces its growling big-cat logo with a minimalist badge resembling a pair of coat hooks. Fear not. Spend a few minutes on eBay and you'll find plenty of stick-on replica badges for classic cars. I bought one for my old Merc and it looked better than the real thing, until the glue gave way.
Here we go again. Keir Starmer is threatening to crack down on benefits cheats. Well, of course he is. It's what prime ministers do. Just as they promise to boost the armed forces, fight anti-social behaviour and let pensioners freeze to death (oops, that last one somehow slipped in). So ask yourself this: five years from now at the end of this government's term, will there be more claimants than now or fewer? Will the UK's benefits bill be bigger or smaller? Will there be a rise or fall in benefits cheats brought to the courts? No prizes.
As he launched his crackdown, the PM said his first job, aged 14, was clearing stones from a farmer's field. I am sure this is true. It's just that I can't recall Starmer mentioning his agricultural credentials before his bust-up with the farmers.
Good to see a 5Star screening of Shirley Valentine at the weekend. Could the 1989 love story have been made today? I suspect not. Tom Conti would surely be condemned for that splendid Greek moustache. Cultural appropriation, or what?
Meanwhile, do we really need so much swearing in the so-so BBC eco-thriller, The Listeners? In real-life conversations, the f-word erupts in moments of stress. Here, it is scattered about as though the director has an F- quota to fulfil. Sounds silly, looks silly.
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