Did you see this extraordinary picture of the Chancellor, taken in a coffee shop in Nottingham last week? Just what on earth does Rachel Reeves find so amusing?
Growth has stalled, job losses across many sectors are on the rise, the much feared hike in National Insurance is yet to come in, national debt is up, questions continue to be asked about the veracity of her CV and legitimacy of some past expenses when in the private sector – and the day after this picture was taken inflation jumped to 3%!
There was one upside to her visit to Costa Coffee however. Staff showed her how to make coffee – a skill she could well be calling on if things don’t rapidly improve.
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First it was “American Riviera Orchard.” Now it’s been rebranded “As Ever” with a logo that appears to be a pretty clear rip off of the coat of arms for Majorca, although even the name seems to be under challenge.
Can someone kindly tell the Duchess of Sussex of a new suggested name: “Just Stop!”
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Speaking as someone who as a child REALLY did hide behind the sofa during Dr. Who — I vaguely remember watching William Hartnell but adored the unmatchable Tom Baker as I progressed to my teens — the news the show could be finally killed off is depressing.
However, it is also gloomily predictable, as one of TV’s greatest creations has inexplicably veered off to a world filled with drag acts and misgendering. Hardly surprising then that viewing figures show as much life as a defeated Dalek.
While her choice of outfit might be deemed a tad questionable, no one can doubt the enormous talent of Wicked star Cynthia Erivo. The combined powers of her acting and her voice mark her out as a unique talent and headed to the stratosphere.
But a line has to be drawn somewhere and the news last week that the 38-year-old London-born star is to play Jesus Christ in a live production of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar in the US later this year has, for me, crossed it. It’s nothing to do with the star’s colour — it’s highly unlikely Jesus would have been the blue-eyed, fair-skinned individual he’s been portrayed as for many years. Rather, it is that Jesus was “the son of God” and that seems a fairly weighty factor.
On social media it has been declared “blasphemous” which is a bit of a stretch, but ask yourself this? Why is Christianity always deemed fair game to be treated in any fashion imaginable? After all, what do you suppose the reaction would be if it was announced the role of Muhammad was to be played by Shirley Bassey or Dame Petula Clark was to star in a re-make of the movie Malcolm X?
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It was in 1961 that US President Eisenhower warned Europe not to treat America as “suckers” and pay the correct price for the defence his nation helped provide. So why the feigned surprise across the Continent sixty years on as the justifiable demand for payment increases?