Things I don't care about

As usual, I was reading the Times today whilst having breakfast in Tesco. A Saturday ritual. Today there are 80 pages - not including the separate Sports, Weekend and Magazine sections. As I skip through each page, I am struck by how little that is written I am interested in.

Front page: picture of Elon Musk with Donald Trump and a black eye (Musk's not El Presidente's). I don't care about Musk, he's extremely weird. I don't even care enough to be sorry for his son, who will grow up permanently mocked for having the name X Æ A-Xii. Trump I do care about because he's a consequential personality, potentially affects my life and the lives of those I care for. The only admirable thing about Elon is his fierce determination that humanity should settle extraterrestrially and his actions to begin the process of that happening. Space adventures are exciting; humans settling on Mars would be thrilling. I just don't want it to be him.

Defence pledge by Labour. 3% of GDP to be spent on defence by 2034. Don't care - 9 years away, governments are generally useless so won't happen anyway. Ignore. Turn the page.

Miliband, Blair, royal gifts, migrant return hubs. Don't care.

Cabinet anger at attorney-general over Nazi remark. Misleading, mischievous reporting; storm in a teacup. Farage with a pint of bitter. Here today, gone tomorrow so no need to care. Limit yourself to one glass of wine a year, says former drug tsar. Seriously, I can understand why my two sons never read newspapers.

Prince Harry.

Russell Brand.

Gerry Adams. Now there's a blast from the past.

Airlifting gorillas in the Congo. A whole page of interesting stuff.

Druids, witches, Sadiq Khan and cannabis, funeral costs.

Have-a-go Jenrick. Confronting fare dodgers and knife carriers. All very noble but you're filming yourself? Not so noble, Kemi will be 'avin' a larf. Slightly care because these buffoons could theoretically be the government in 4 years' time.

Pronunciation of 'mischeevious'. My friend Tony will care.

Teenage hackers and supermarkets, the Princess of Wales (of course) promoting a brand of sunglasses. The royal family sponsored by themselves. No different from Jenrick really.

Page 40, halfway.

La Scala in spotlight after Gaza protest. Teenage Texan wins spelling contest. In Guatemala, archaeologists have discovered a Mayan city dating back almost 3,000 years. This remarkable news gets one tiny paragraph whereas "Kate" got half a page.

Page 45, the start of the Business section, followed by Money, Weather, obituaries, reader's lives - skip, skip, skip, skip - and finally the crossword. Which I don't care about on a Saturday because it's a prize puzzle, which I'm not smart enough to do, and doing it online doesn't have the usual Check (i.e. cheat) button.

30 minutes to browse whilst eating breakfast, a further 30 re-reading whilst writing this. £4

But I don't care; I can just go and check out the Sports section.

Retiring to Cornwall

21 Years Later – A Personal Perspective

By an 81-Year-Old Man with Arthritic Knees and No Love for Pasties

It’s been 21 years since I retired to Cornwall. I made the move in my early sixties, looking for peace and a change of scenery. Now, at 81, I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on that decision — the good, the bad, and the bits in between.

Here’s my honest assessment of what retiring to Cornwall is really like, from someone who’s lived it.

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The Pros

1. It’s Undeniably Beautiful
Cornwall is a stunning place. Even if you’re not one for long walks (and I most definitely am not), you can’t help but appreciate the views — especially from the comfort of a car or a bench. The coastline, cliffs, and open skies are often reason enough to stay put.

2. Quiet Suits Me Fine
If you like peace and quiet, Cornwall delivers. The slower pace suits retirement well — less noise, fewer people, and not much pressure to be anywhere in a hurry. For someone who enjoys their own company and doesn't crave community events, that’s ideal.

3. A Good Place to Think
With fewer distractions and a calmer pace, it’s a decent place to read, reflect, or follow your interests. I spend my time keeping up with politics, watching Ipswich Town matches (from a distance, sadly), and playing the occasional game of online chess. Cornwall gives you the time and space for that.

4. Less Urban Stress
After years of working life and traffic jams, there's something reassuring about a place that moves at its own gentle rhythm. Fewer crowds, less rush, and no one tutting if you take your time at the post office.

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The Cons

1. It’s Not Built for Arthritic Knees
The landscape may be beautiful, but it’s not always practical. With hills, uneven pavements, and very little flat ground, getting about can be more effort than it’s worth. A car helps — but even short distances can feel long when the knees aren’t cooperating.

2. Public Transport is Patchy
If you don’t drive or one day can’t, you’ll find that buses here operate more on optimism than frequency. Access to services, especially health-related, can be limited depending on where you live.

3. Tourists Everywhere (Sometimes Literally in the Road)
Summers bring a wave of holidaymakers, which makes even the most relaxed Cornish village feel like Piccadilly Circus. Roads clog up, beaches overflow, and everything becomes a bit more difficult.

4. Not a Football Hub
As an Ipswich Town supporter, I’m far from the action. Local football here isn’t quite the same, and there’s no stadium buzz or matchday energy. You rely on TV and online updates — which is fine, but it’s not the real thing.

5. Cornish Pasties Are Everywhere
I know this might be Cornish blasphemy, but I’ve never liked them. Unfortunately, they’re treated like a food group down here. You’ll be offered one at every turn — even at places that should know better, like petrol stations and funerals.

6. The Social Scene (or Lack Thereof, If You Want It That Way)
Cornwall is known for its tight-knit communities, which is great — if you’re into that. I’m not. And to be fair, you can keep to yourself quite easily here. But if you're used to a bit more structured social life without the need to join in, it can feel a bit isolating.

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In Summary

Retiring to Cornwall has its charms and its challenges. For someone like me — who likes his football, enjoys thinking over chatting, and doesn’t fancy a stroll or a pasty — it’s been a mostly quiet, scenic place to grow old.

Would I do it again? Probably. But I’d tell anyone considering it: make sure you like your own company, invest in a decent chair with a sea view, and bring your own lunch. 

It's all over

The football season has finished. Ingloriously.

Ipswich Town got relegated, the team which finished 17th in the Premier League won a trophy, Arsenal finished 2nd in the league, got to the semi finals of the Champions League and won nothing, there is no more football until the 8th of August. Awful.

Except. It's not all awful.

Arsenal Women won their Champions League final against hot favourites Barcelona:

Whitstable Town, home town of my younger son, won the FA Vase:

Charlton Athletic, home town of my co-grandparent Trevor, who doesn't like football but panders to my interests by pretending to support them, won the League One playoff final (no trophy) and got promoted to the Championship, where they (on the way up) will meet the afore-mentioned Ipswich Town (on the way down) and Trevor will no doubt refuse to take me to their match at The Valley.

Then there's the Women's European Championships, where England (the holders) are one of the favourites. In Switzerland from 2nd July. No-one has yet volunteered to take me.

So summer perhaps won't be universally awful. The sun has just come out.

11 out of 14

I rarely read the Times2 section in the Times but today I did, triggered by the headline "14 foods you should eat every week (including chocolate)".

I'd be the first to admit my nutrition diet is erratic at best. Superfoods, low carbs, fresh fish, ready meals, pizza, classic pub meals, all have their places. Overall I think (optimistically) a balance of duty and pleasure.

I thought I would try reading the detail of the two page article and was soon into "our gut microbiome plays a key role in metabolising flavonoids to enhance their cardioprotective effects", "rich in oxidant-rich flavonoids, naturally occurring polyphenol plant compounds that are a force for health improvements such as reducing cell damage........". Enough! Just tell me what I should eat!

So here's how I scored on the 14 "essential" foods.

1. Bananas. I'm ambivalent about bananas. On the one hand they give me energy, taste good and are an essential ingredient of my favourite smoothie, on the other they are high in carbohydrates and hence potentially fattening. I give myself half a point because I'm off them at the moment.
2. Oats. I use oat milk in my (pretty much daily) smoothies. I definitely don't like porridge but my daily granola is oat-based. Does the milk count? I say yes - one point.
3. Beetroot. I really like the taste of cooked beetroot but it's too much bother to do. I use pickled beetroot in vinegar (out of the jar) in salads. I'm giving myself a (possibly controversial) point.
4. Black tea. One every morning with breakfast, decaff and with milk. Tick.
5. Nuts. I eat so many (mixed) nuts I'm tempted to give myself a bonus point. But I'll just score the one.
6. Oranges. Satsumas, often replaced by "easy peelers", are my favourite and eaten with my granola cereal nearly every day. Tick. If they are in the fruit bowl too many days they become "difficult peelers".
7. Apples. I'm a bit fussy about apples. The tarter the better, hence there are always Granny Smiths in my fruit bowl. Score one.
8. White button mushrooms. I don't dislike mushrooms but I don't eat them regularly. Nul point.
9. Yoghurt. Yep, always in the fridge.
10. Olive oil. Extra virgin used for cooking. Tick.
11. Eggs. I'm ambivalent about eggs. Occasionally I'll think about them, buy some and make an omelette. But I eat them as part of a Tesco breakfast twice a week. Health benefits possibly counteracted by hash browns but I think this merits a point.
12. Beans, peas and lentils. Don't like lentils. Not sure whether baked beans as part of the above-mentioned cooked breakfasts counts. I'll say probably not.
13. Berries. Like nuts, lots of these, particularly raspberries and blueberries. A definite point.
14. Dark chocolate. Yep, daily. Big tick.

No mention of Classic Magnums, sadly, But a healthy eleven and a half points. And this has made me hungry, so time for lunch. Off to get my flavonoids.

New day, new word

We all know where Kaliningrad is.

It's a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea, surrounded by Lithuania and Poland.

No it's not. Apparently - and this is news to me - it's an exclave not an enclave.

An exclave is a part of a country that is separated from the main part and surrounded by foreign territory. An enclave is a territory that is completely surrounded by another (single) territory. Example: Lesotho:

It's possible for a territory to be both an enclave and an exclave. Check this out:

Llivia is a Spanish town separated from Spain (and hence an exclave from Spain's point of view) and an enclave within - and surrounded by - French territory.

Who knew?

The Romans did; it's their fault. I think. Anyway, you'd think someone (Donald?) would sort it out.

17th beat 16th

Further to my recent post

https://usedtobecroquetman.blogspot.com/2025/05/theyve-given-up.html

the big match took place last night. The 17th place team in the Premier League beat the one placed 16th, won a big trophy and gained entry to the Champions League next season.

I can see this being a new way to play in the League. Crystal Palace gained entry to next season's Europa League by winning the FA Cup last weekend. Get ready for them sending out their reserves to play next season's Premier League, focus all their efforts on winning the Europa League and being in the Champions League the following season.

Why do it that way? This season the team in 17th, currently with 38 points, got into next season's Champions League. The team likely to finish 2nd, currently with 71 points, got into next season's Champions League. Why bother?

I suppose the answer is that there is considerable jeopardy in that approach. 38 points might get you relegated, for a start. Or you could lose the Final to a flukey goal, as happened last night. I'll let you know if it catches on.

For the record, for those readers who know little about football, a flukey goal is worth exactly the same as a beautiful goal.

Cornish democracy

There was recently an election for the local council in Cornwall. These were the results:

Party	Councillors	% councillors	Votes	% votes
Reform UK	28	32.2	47846	29.1
Liberal Democrats	26	29.9	40259	24.5
Independents	16	18.4	22564	13.7
Conservative	7	8.0	25881	15.7
Labour	4	4.6	15100	9.2
Greens	3	3.4	6524	4.0
Mebyon Kernow	3	3.4	6408	3.9

So, who should run the council? A governing group would need 44 councillors for an overall majority. The exact number of Reform + Independents. Or maybe Reform + Conservatives + a few Independents.

As it turned out, no-one was willing to work with Reform. The Independents proposed a Liberal Democrat as leader and he won the support of 53 councillors with 23 abstentions. The remainder registered as Not Voted. Which I would have thought is the same as abstaining but maybe they couldn't get out of bed.

A cabinet was elected, comprising 4 LibDems and 4 Independents.

Is this how democracy is supposed to work? A party that has the largest number of councillors and was voted for by nearly a third of those who voted gets zero say in council policy for the next however many years?

It's a stitch-up, not democracy. Does anyone care?

Youth mobility

The proposed youth mobility scheme (which the Government calls a Youth Experience Scheme) between the UK and the EU excites the Brexiteers into a frenzy. "Free movement via the back door" and the like.

Let's study a bit of context here. Do you know how many countries that the UK has youth mobility agreements with already? It's 13, ranging from Australia where the annual quota is 40,000 to Andorra, where it's 100. (Surely Andorra is part of the EU? Apparently not; maybe they had an Andoxit). I imagine you might guess Canada and New Zealand as Commonwealth partners in such schemes but Uruguay? Where has that come from?

You'd have imagined that these deals would have been concluded by previous Labour governments. Not so, the Australia deal was negotiated by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as part of the rush to get credit for post-Brexit trade deals. As were those with New Zealand, Japan and many others, mostly I think as rollovers from previous EU deals with those countries. So none of this is new.

The details in these schemes show that they are typically for 18 to 35 year olds and limited to two years, although the Australia, New Zealand and Canada deals from January 2024 (Conservative government) allowed an extension of the two year visa by a further year. There is a requirement to have £2,350 in savings, pay a £776 healthcare surcharge - which I suppose entitles you to use the NHS - and an application fee of £319. So it's not cheap. You are entitled to work (and therefore pay taxes), be self-employed and set up a company (although not with employees) and study but not to bring family members or claim any public funds (benefits). The schemes are always reciprocal so the details are similar in other countries; in Australia it's called a Working Holiday Maker programme.

Because the length of stay is greater than one year, the incoming "youths" (can you really call a 35 year old a youth?) are included in the migration figures of the inbound country. Theoretically the impact on net migration is zero, provided numbers are in balance.  Are they typically in balance? I asked ChatGPT for some data for 2023. 

In 2023, approximately 23,000 individuals entered the United Kingdom under the Youth Mobility Scheme. The majority of these participants originated in Australia (9,900) and New Zealand (5,300). Regarding outbound participation, precise figures for UK citizens taking part in reciprocal youth mobility schemes abroad are not readily available. However, estimates suggest that in 2023 more than 26,000 young Britons participated in Australia's Working Holiday Maker program and an additional 8,000 engaged in New Zealand's equivalent scheme. These numbers indicate that the UK experienced a new outflow of youth mobility participants during that year.

We can conclude from all of this that:

• the numbers are small
• it's at least as likely as not that reciprocity means the net impact on UK net migration is minimal
• it's not cheap to do this, with considerable sums up front for visas, savings requirements and travel costs a good few thousands of pounds/dollars

In no way does this constitute "free movement". The Brexiteers need not worry on that score. However, it's likely that the scheme for our near neighbours in the EU (population 450 million, travel relatively easy and low cost, as against Australia, population 27 million, travel high cost) will be a different beast and could easily see 100,000 Youth Experience Scheme visitors arriving every year and, although a similar number will go the other way, those people will require housing, health care and other benefits. So it may be appropriate to have concerns.

My final point is about inequality. There are good reasons to characterise these schemes in practice as middle-class, for the better educated, with financial impediments to lower-paid, unskilled workers. I asked ChatGPT "is there any evidence to suggest youth mobility schemes are mostly for the educated middle class?"

Yes, there is strong evidence suggesting that YMS are disproportionately accessed by the educated middle class...this is supported by both academic research and government data [other sources: OECD and British Council].........Youth Mobility Schemes are not equally accessible. While they are technically open to many, the financial, linguistic and cultural capital required to participate results in a clear skew towards the educated middle class 

So there should be concern about that, not least politically where opposition to the schemes may come principally from political parties whose voter base has a high proportion that don't fit the requirements. The proposed scheme has not yet been fleshed out. When we know more, I'll have more to say.

Visit Rwanda

Here's a quiz question.

Have you ever wondered whether organisations get value for money out of their advertising?

That wasn't the question.

On 16th April 2025, Arsenal played Real Madrid in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, in front of 77,073 fanatical football fans. The Arsenal players were wearing shirts with "Visit Rwanda" on the sleeves.

Here's the question.

How many of the 77,073 ended up thinking "Wow, Rwanda. Sounds like a cool place. I wonder what its beaches are like. Can I get a cheap flight tomorrow?"

If you guessed more than 0, you're deluded.

Apparently the Rwandan Tourist Board pays Arsenal £10 million a year for the sponsorship deal. It has been rumoured that the football club is reconsidering whether to continue after the current deal ends this year, because of "reputational damage". I think they should carry on; it's money for old rope. And £10 million would get you a backup goalie.

******************

By The Way #1: Rwanda is a landlocked country, However, it (says ChatGPT) "boasts beautiful inland beaches along the shores of Lake Kivu, one of Africa's Great Lakes, situated on the western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo". That's the DRC they are at war with (it's not technically a war but they are fighting each other).

By The Way #2: Arsenal won the match 2-1, with a beautiful winning strike from Gabriel Martinelli. I knew you'd want to know. Here it is.

https://youtube.com/shorts/_W7XsyCa6iU?si=SD7BARL0WVJ40OVm

Keep a sense of proportion

The most recent prediction of the next UK General Election result by Electoral Calculus was updated on 26th April - i.e. before the May council elections - based on opinion polls from 11th to 25th April, sampling 11,432 people.

Of course the next General Election isn't due until 2029 (as late as 15th August), so we need to avoid reading too much into this. Nevertheless it inevitably leads to debates about hung parliaments, coalitions and proportional representation.

As my erudite readers know, there are 650 seats in the House of Commons. The Speaker occupies one and the 7 Sinn Fein MPs do not take their seats, leaving 642 voting seats and requiring 322 to form a majority. If the above number of seats turned out to be correct, no party would reach that threshold. In order to pass any laws, some parties would have to work together. Indeed, vote together.

By convention (the UK doesn't have a written constitution) the largest party would initiate discussions with potential coalition partners. It's worth pointing out that, if the margins are small, a party might enter into a "confidence and supply" arrangement whereby the smaller party supports the larger in a confidence vote and in finance bills but makes up their minds on a case by case basis on other issues. Theresa May did this with the DUP after losing her majority in 2017 but that eventually collapsed when the DUP wouldn't support May's Brexit deal.

The first test of any coalition or arrangement is winning a majority on a vote on the King's Speech, the government's legislative programme. If a minority government couldn't achieve that, the Prime Minister would have to advise the King either to ask someone else to try to form a government or to call a new election.

So what possible coalitions or arrangements would be possible, or likely, on the above numbers?

The most obvious coalition partners would be Reform and Conservatives, giving them 339 seats. Given that Nigel Farage would reasonably expect to be Prime Minister, as the leader of the largest party, it's likely that a substantial number of the Conservatives couldn't stomach that, especially if Farage had spent an election campaign claiming that Reform were going to "destroy the Conservatives". That coalition would need at least 77 of the 94 Conservative MPs to be a minimal majority.

Which leaves .....what?

If half of the Conservatives went with Reform, could the remainder join with Labour, the LibDems and SNP in some form of centrist coalition? Add a few Greens, Plaid and independents that might just work. But there would be big questions: who would be Prime Minister? (Ed Davey, your time has come!) How could they agree on Scottish independence? The LibDems would demand a referendum on proportional representation, of course.

I think they could probably agree on referenda for those two issues and then maybe have a new election under PR. Let's see what difference that would make.

On the Electoral Calculus predicted vote share, straight PR would give:

Using the 2014 General Election result, PR would have given:

...resulting in a LAB/LIB/Green coalition?

I've excluded Northern Ireland from PR calculations. It's also worth pointing out that there are various forms of PR; I've chosen the simplest for my examples.

France and the UK are the only Western European countries that don't use a proportional system for their General Elections. So there are plenty who can teach us how to manage coalition government if we need to. Although the Belgians took 493 days from a general election in 2019 before a government was formed. Maybe don't ask them.

So, make a note of 2029 in your diary. There have only been two years - 1910 and 1974 - in which there have been two UK General Elections. So far.

They've given up!

A weird thing is happening in football. The teams currently in 16th and 17th in the Premier League, with two matches to go until the end of the season, have given up. The bottom three teams (of 20) in the table are so far behind these two that they are in no danger of relegation, so they have not played their strongest sides in their recent matches. Technically, they have to play their remaining games but they don't want to.

Why? Because of this:

It's the Europa League trophy. Although it's only made of silver, for these two teams it is gold dust. Winning the Europa League doesn't just win you a trophy, it guarantees entry into next season's Champions League, worth upwards of £100 million in prize money. You could probably get a half decent goalkeeper for that - these two certainly need one.

A week tomorrow these two will battle it out in Bilbao in the Europa League final. One of them will win the lottery, the other - languishing in 16th or 17th place in the Premier League table - will suffer shame and humiliation. The winning manager will be able to splash out on a new goalie, the loser will probably lose his job.

The team finishing second in the Premier League, with probably upwards of 70 points, will win nothing. These two have only about that between them. In any normal season this would have been relegation form; only the abysmal performances from Southampton, Leicester City and (sadly) Ipswich Town, all of them promoted to the Premier League just a year ago, saved them from even greater ignominy.

Something's wrong here.

The Football Governance Bill is currently going through its Committee stage in the House of Commons, having already passed the House of Lords. It has 136 pages but we need concern ourselves with just one. 

Yep, it's the Football Regulator.

It's probably a bit late but I'm sending these proposals for amendments:

1. No newly promoted teams are allowed to be relegated; that honour would go to the next in line (Hello, 17th!)
2. (according to 2(e) above) No team which makes no effort to win their remaining matches (that's you, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur!) should receive any prize money for that season [prize money, dependent on final league position, in the Premier League is upwards of £100 million]

And to UEFA, governing body of the Europa League:

1. Should a participating team in the Europa League finish lower than halfway in their current domestic league they shall not be rewarded with a trophy or entry to the following season's Champions League, even if they win the Final

That way, these two teams wouldn't bother with the Final, like they (shamefully) haven't bothered with Premier League all season. Karma.

Geography Quiz Answers

 I was given Prisoners of Geography: the Quiz Book. Subtitled "How much do you really know about the world?". That's your challenge for today. All questions are multiple choice. Results in a week. I'll trust you to not use an atlas, Google or ChatGPT.

1. Which country in Europe has the longest coastline?

a) Norway 

b) Russia 

c) Greece 

d) UK

Answer: a

2. Which of these sequences correctly describes how the Rhine River flows from its source?

a) Slovenia, Austria, Czechia, Germany, Belgium, France

b) Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands

c) Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark

Answer: b

3. The size of the continent of Africa is roughly equivalent to which of these?

a) Greenland

b) The USA, Canada and Europe

c) India and China

d) Russia

Answer: b

4. Can you name the US President who first declared a "War on Drugs", targeting the movement of narcotics from Central and South America?

a) Woodrow Wilson

b) John F. Kennedy

c) Richard Nixon

d) Bill Clinton

Answer: c

5. When did humans last set foot on the Moon?

a) 1969

b) 1972

c) 1975

d) 1979

Answer: b

6. Approximately how many languages are said to be a spoken across the whole of the continent of Africa?

a) Between two and three hundred

b) Around five hundred

c) Just under a thousand

d) As many as two thousand

Answer: d

7. What notable event occurred in New Zealand in 2022 for the first time since records began in the 1850s?

a) The sheep-to-human ratio dropped to lower than five to one

b) Fossil fuels generated 0% of New Zealand's energy

c) Military spending was less than 5% of GDP

d) A species of indigenous land snake was discovered

Answer: a

8. Which resource makes Tibet so important to China?

a) Coal

b) Gold

c) Water

d) Lithium

Answer: c

9. Which US state is the largest by population?

a) California

b) New York

c) Texas

d) Florida

Answer: a

10. Can you name the Indo-European language that is the official language of Iran but with variants spoken in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen, among others?

a) Pashto

b) Farsi

c) Balochi

d) Armenian

Answer: b

Ten Years

It has been widely expected that President Trump might seek to override the constitution of the United States and stand for a third term.

This would be difficult. The 22nd Amendment to the constitution:

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of President more than once.

ChatGPT asked me "Would you like to know what would need to happen to repeal the 22nd Amendment?

I thought you'd never ask.

Steps to Repeal the 22nd Amendment:

1. Proposal:
   One of two methods must be used:

   • A two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or

   • A constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures (34 out of 50 states)—this has never been used successfully.

2. Ratification:
   If proposed, it must then be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 out of 50), either by:

   • The state legislatures, or

   • Special state ratifying conventions (as decided by Congress).

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Why It's Unlikely:

• There is strong bipartisan support for term limits, especially since they protect against political entrenchment.

• A repeal would likely be seen as self-serving by any president or party pushing for it.

• No serious repeal effort has come close to passing since the amendment’s ratification in 1951.

You could add to that the obvious truth that if say Trump managed to get it repealed and stood again, what is there to stop a Democrat doing the same in the future? Joe Biden might return.

It should be noted that President Trump stated in an interview on 4th May that "I'll be an eight-year president, I'll be a two-term president." So that's that, isn't it?

Let's put that aside and focus on the UK and its requirement for general elections every 5 years.

A lot of what Keir Starmer and his ministers have said is based on policies for a ten year programme. But that is simply predicated on the hope that they won't mess things up too much and they will get re-elected in 2029 or whenever.

So what's to stop the government repealing or amending the Parliament Act? The Act of 1911 set the maximum term of a Parliament at five years. Could the Government, with its 165 seat majority, just re-set the term to 10 years? Perhaps with provisos in the case of losing a confidence vote or the like. Or maybe even abolish the term limit entirely, meaning a Labour government for ever?

Theoretically this could get through the House of Commons. Maybe if you stacked the House of Lords with cronies - or abolished it - you'd get it through them.

But

Then there's the King.

By that same Parliament Act of 1911, the Monarch is required to give assent to a Bill in order for it to become law after being approved by the House of Commons and House of Lords. But if you're going to amend or repeal the Act, you'd get rid of that bit too, wouldn't you? The Royal Assent was last refused by Queen Anne in 1708.

It wouldn't be the first time the Act has been amended or superceded. The Parliament Act 1949 added limits to the powers of the House of Lords but maintained the five year limit. The Fixed Term Parliaments Act of 2011 set in stone a fixed election date five years after the previous election. It was repealed in 2022 but the five year limit stands to this day.

Until.....

Trump, Farage, who'd have thought it.

Brrrromance

Am I the only one who thinks yesterday's simul-announcement of a UK/US trade deal was weird and embarrassing?

This is a deal between two countries, not two people. And if the deal is announced by the leaders of those countries, you don't have to be best buddies! I was shocked by the British Prime Minister constantly saying Donald this, Donald that. It should have been Mr President not Donald. I was watching the President's face throughout Starmer's ramblings; not a flicker. My guess is he hated the familiarity, and so he should. I could find no record of him saying "Keir" yesterday.

If our Prime Minister wants our respect, surely it's not too much for us to ask him to behave respectfully, diplomatically and professionally in his interactions with world leaders. What if he gets to talk to Putin? "Thank you Vladimir for agreeing to a short ceasefire today". "Hey, Jong Un, how you doing today?" "Ali, can you please stop enriching uranium?"

In Parliament, there is no such crass informality. "Keir" has to say "the Leader of the Opposition", "the Honourable member for Clacton", "my honourable friend the Chancellor". No names, no buddies, no enemies, just civility.

I'm probably the only one who cares. Will I still vote for him? No, I'll vote for a candidate in my constituency, who may well become his "honourable friend". It's not personal.

Walking is for the birds

I really don't like walking. But I know I'm supposed to do it, for the health of my heart, lungs and knees.

Now that the weather is more amenable I've done some walks. The most enjoyable are woodland and riverside walks alongside the St Austell river (aka the River Vinnick and The White River) in Cornwall. It gets very muddy and I therefore have to wear my least favourite footwear:

I bought these ugly things for a Christmas holiday in the Caingorms, having been advised that there would be ice and snow through which I would be obliged to wade to get my winter exercise. As it turned out, it rained continuously for the whole week, temperatures were mild and hence no ice or snow. I could have worn sandals. There is no way I will wear these for everyday use in sunny Cornwall. They make driving difficult. But I can put up with them for muddy walks.

The thing I like least about walking is the sheer pointlessness of it. It can be ameliorated by chatting to people on the way but better still I've discovered Merlin.

Not Merlin the wizard or merlin the falcon but Merlin the bird sound app.

I'm currently not walking but sitting in my lounge writing this. With the windows open so that I can hear the birds. More importantly so that my Merlin app can identify the birds from their calls and songs. Other sounds - people talking or heavy traffic - can mess it up but I have put signs outside my house saying No Talking and employed Stop The Oil to close the nearby road that's only occasionally a nuisance.

I currently have 53 species on my Life List which sounds a lot but really isn't. You'd be amazed how many species exist or pass by in a semi-urban setting. Some of my species were heard on my walks, almost all woodland. I'm desperately hoping that one day I'll see or hear a kingfisher by the river but I've never even seen a fish in it so it's not surprising.

The app analyses sounds in real time and matches them to the birdsongs on its database. I don't think it claims to be 100% with its identifications but only rarely does it throw up unlikely suggestions. On my most recent woodland walk it "suggested" an Eider duck. Given that this species is a sea duck and nests in coastal locations, even though I was probably no more than a few miles from the sea, I was in the middle of woodland and I couldn't actually hear the sound myself or see the bird; I didn't feel that was definite enough to add to my Life List.

I did get a green woodpecker on a recent walk. You can get interesting birds transiting the skies above your garden. I've had a Tawny owl at home, a Long-eared Owl above Gordon Road in Whitstable and a Marsh Harrier also at home. Living a mile or so from the sea there are lots of gulls of course, the most interesting of which is a Yellow-legged Gull which is a variant of (or similar to) the common Herring Gull. It's been persistent for many months so I am inclined to believe it; it's on the list!

The other way of making my walks interesting are listening to podcasts. I have lots of these - politics and football mostly. I'll tell you about those another time.

Not much happening outside my window today - just the usual garden birds such as sparrows, robins, blackbirds and wood pigeons. There's usually a noisy pair of magpies around but they've gone elsewhere today. I'll go out for a walk in a bit and let you know what birds I hear.

Spinach, broccoli and blueberries

I don't eat many vegetables. I eat lots of fruit and usually accompany my fish or meat with salads. I'm not sure this is a healthy, balanced diet, so I asked ChatGPT (I know, don't believe everything it tells you) "is it OK to eat lots of fruit but no vegetables" (I don't bother with question marks - if ChatGPT can't figure out it's a question then it's stupid). 

Answer: not really, because I'm missing various nutrients and "phytonutrients" (it can't resist showing off). "Would you like tips on how to include more vegetables painlessly?"

Sure.

"If you dislike vegetables, you might try blending greens into smoothies or pairing raw veggies with dips".

That's why I'm sitting here, waiting patiently for tonight's key Arsenal match, nothing else to do except write a blog post, and eating/drinking a smoothie containing spinach, broccoli, blueberries, 15 grams of protein powder, cinnamon, cocoa powder and peanut butter. What a weird mixture! But it's actually remarkably refreshing - so try it!

ChatGPT recommended frozen cauliflower for a creamy texture, so that's on tomorrow's shopping list. 

As for the dips, I checked out the nutrition stats on the labels of various types (I like to minimise carbohydrate intake) and ended up with aioli, which I tried last night with raw carrot. I'm not at all sure whether this aioli is healthy or not:

(per 100g)

• 2.7g carbs (that sounds good)
• 79.0g fat (that sounds horrendous)
• of which saturates 5.9g (that's OK then - or is it?)

I THINK that means that the 73.1 grams of unsaturated fats (beneficial for heart health) are OK. Phew!

I would actually like to make an effort to lose some weight, so I'm going with this and actually not even drinking 0% alcohol for a week or two. I see that the can of 0% Guinness in my fridge contains 16.7 grams of carbs, so that's it - in the bin! (Not actually; I may need a celebration after tonight's match, or alternatively a consolation drink). And the blueberries are much better than bananas in my smoothies.

In case you're thinking "Nigel, you should get walking", I'll be covering that in due course.

(I guess that's different from "Nigel, you should get out more")

Tips for nutrition, smoothies, painless vegetables (no potatoes) and weight loss welcomed!

Geography quiz

I was given Prisoners of Geography: the Quiz Book. Subtitled "How much do you really know about the world?". That's your challenge for today. All questions are multiple choice. Results in a week. I'll trust you to not use an atlas, Google or ChatGPT.

1. Which country in Europe has the longest coastline?

a) Norway 

b) Russia 

c) Greece 

d) UK

2. Which of these sequences correctly describes how the Rhine River flows from its source?

a) Slovenia, Austria, Czechia, Germany, Belgium, France

b) Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands

c) Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark

3. The size of the continent of Africa is roughly equivalent to which of these?

a) Greenland

b) The USA, Canada and Europe

c) India and China

d) Russia

4. Can you name the US President who first declared a "War on Drugs", targeting the movement of narcotics from Central and South America?

a) Woodrow Wilson

b) John F. Kennedy

c) Richard Nixon

d) Bill Clinton

5. When did humans last set foot on the Moon?

a) 1969

b) 1972

c) 1975

d) 1979

6. Approximately how many languages are said to be a spoken across the whole of the continent of Africa?

a) Between two and three hundred

b) Around five hundred

c) Just under a thousand

d) As many as two thousand

7. What notable event occurred in New Zealand in 2022 for the first time since records began in the 1850s?

a) The sheep-to-human ratio dropped to lower than five to one

b) Fossil fuels generated 0% of New Zealand's energy

c) Military spending was less than 5% of GDP

d) A species of indigenous land snake was discovered

8. Which resource makes Tibet so important to China?

a) Coal

b) Gold

c) Water

d) Lithium

9. Which US state is the largest by population?

a) California

b) New York

c) Texas

d) Florida

10. Can you name the Indo-European language that is the official language of Iran but with variants spoken in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen, among others?

a) Pashto

b) Farsi

c) Balochi

d) Armenian

Not sure why

After two years and three weeks, I've decided to get back to blogging.

If I start with football, I lose half my audience. But it's been a bad football few days and getting it off my chest will hopefully improve my gloomy mood. Maybe later.

I recently stopped playing computer games. My much-loved Civilization VI game was superceded, obviously by Civilization VII, and I was excited in anticipation of the February launch. Until it turned out it wouldn't run on either my laptop (expected) or my desktop (unexpected). So a choice of spending substantial money on a new PC or an upgrade or examining whether I wanted/needed to play turn-based strategy games any more. I chose - for the moment - to live without computer gaming.

This decision was in part influenced by my new obsession - chess.

I've played on and off for much of my life - off more than on - at the level of knowing how the pieces move. There was an English chess player named Nigel who became a Grandmaster at the age of 19, eventually ranked number 3 in the world and played a world championship match in 1993 against the legendary Garry Kasparov. That however wasn't me (there are plenty of other well-known Nigels but I'm not going there at the moment) - it was Nigel Short. Of course as a young man I followed the famous Bobby Fisher vs Boris Spassky cold war match, in the same way I followed Ali v Liston in boxing and other iconic sporting battles. Later I followed Kasparov vs Anatoly Karpov in 1985 - I was a sporting nerd. Actually a sporting spectator nerd.

One of the things Fischer was famous for was his queen's gambit opening leading to a stunning world championship victory and this inspired the 2020 Netflix series of the same name - also referencing the cold war - based on a novel by Walter Tevis. This caught my attention and that of millions of others, particularly as the world was in Covid lockdown at the time. Enter (historically) Deep Blue.

Deep Blue was a computer program developed by IBM, which defeated world champion Kasparov in a game in 1997, thus signalling the end of the world. Gradually chess 'engines' improved to today's level where the top Grandmasters simply cannot beat them.

In 2007 the chess.com website was launched and became the 'go to' online platform for ordinary humans to play each other over the internet. So when the dreaded lockdown occurred in 2020, and The Queen's Gambit screened, the stars aligned to create a major "chess boom". I, of course, ignored it as I was starting blogging.

In late 2023, at the Sea Farmers Dive Taproom in Whitstable, a seminal chess match was played. A 13 year old young man, distantly related to me, asked if I played chess. I obviously mentioned I hadn't played for years but knew how the pieces moved. I don't exactly remember why there was a chess board there but anyway we played. I'm going to spare the young man's blushes and not mention the result but the main outcome was that my son (who had been watching) and I decided to join chess.com and we have played each other (and occasionally others) online ever since. Here's the state of our current game:

That's me at the bottom (playing as black) in my Ipswich Town celebratory gear (if it's possible to celebrate relegation). It's my son's move. No helpful suggestions in the comments please - that is officially cheating!

The question remains whether I have the patience to continue blogging regularly. I hope so but comments are very welcome and I'm hoping family members in particular can spread the word. Bye for now.