We awoke this morning to the news that Andy Burnham’s new government is determined to show that it is going to tackle the ‘cost of living’ crisis by some populist measures. The day before, we had the announcement of a 5% VAT cut in electricity bills on Burnham’s first day in office, which will save average households £45 a year. You would think this sounded like good news but the practical effect is to moderate the rate of increase that would otherwise have occurred so the actual political impact is likely to be very small as it will scarcely be noticed by most of us. We have also learnt of the intention to cap bus fares at £2 per journey being partly financed by raiding the budget of the Department for Energy. One can see the intention behind announcing some of these populist measures but I think that the new government is trying hard to grab some headlines but the actual impact on the household budgets of most people is so small as not to be noticed. So we have a situation in which the government is certainly spending some money or re-ordering priorities but the political impact or gain is likely to be incredibly small. The new government is hardly sad to be enjoying a honeymoon period because many commentators are voicing the opinion that there has been a ‘vicious cull’ of ex Cabinet ministers who stayed loyal to Keir Starmer and some of them are letting their voices, and their discontent, be heard. So the display of loyalty amongst the Labour ranks appears paper thin and we are entering a summer period in which political news and events takes a back seat whilst everyone goes off on holiday and the electorate are left with the impression of a Labour party with a large Commons majority engaged in some fairly viscious back- biting. Perhaps one should not be surprised that this has broken out so soon as those used to the privileges of office including ministerial cars and the trappings of office find themselves bereft and having to face up to the new political realities. It is possible that these perturbations will die away but sometimes unpredictable crises can occur in the summer months whilst senior ministers are away from their desks and the fort is being manned by relatively junior, and perhaps inexperienced, ministers. One wonders if there is there a revolt against ‘Manchesterism’ (as the new politics has been dubbed) but I think that Andy Burnham’s first few weeks in power are not likely to be at all smooth. On the other side of the Atlantic, we see the US Defence secretary being challenged about the 156 deaths which occurred after the US bombed a school in the early days of the conflict against Iran. All the indications are that the US was acting on the basis of out-of-date military intelligence but an investigation by Sky News indicates almost overwhelming proof of a disastrous military mistake. But an ‘investigation’ by the US military seems to be taking for ever and I suspect that the truth will never be admitted. Meanwhile Pete Hegseth, the US Defence Secretary, is being challenged about all of this by protestors when he appears before the US Senate asking for additional funds for the Iran war, but answers are there none. As the veteran ex-Labour veteran Denis Healy used to say ‘In war, the first casualty is truth’ and there are also persistent rumours in the liberal American political media that the true extent of injuries amongst American combatants is being withheld from the American public (much in the manner in which Putin in Russia will not, or dare not admit the casualty rate in the Ukraine conflict in which those killed or injured has been authoritatively estimated as lying in the range of 1.27 – 2.0 million).
The morning was a quiet one as I knew that the Methodist centre was closed for its summer refurbishment, but I watched some intelligent political discussion between two British podcasters on YouTube, Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart who were discussing the contemporary political scene. Then I ventured out to do my weekly shopping and was pleased to have a fairly ‘light’ week, after which I returned home to have a meal of quiche with salad accompaniments. With the current spell of hot weather, I seem to cook a conventional meat + two veg meal less and less these days. After lunch, I had on a programme detailing how corrupt FIFA as been almost from its inception, Exploring this on YouTube, I discover that history shows that FIFA has a long history of aligning with authoritarian regimes, most famously when the FIFA Museum details how it allowed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to use the 1934 FIFA World Cup as a massive fascist propaganda vehicle. The organisation’s relationship with Mussolini’s Italy highlights several key historical realities. In 1932, the 1934 World Cup was granted to Italy after representatives of the fascist regime convinced FIFA that the Italian government would underwrite all financial losses, an offer the financially strapped governing body readily accepted. The tournament featured heavy integration of fascist iconography, with over 300,000 propaganda posters, special stamps, and tickets featuring the regime’s messaging. Mussolini attended every Italy match, using the matches to project international power. The tournament is widely considered one of the most controversial in history. Multiple sources, including FIFA World Cups discussions, reveal that the Italian government exerted direct pressure on referees and match logistics. The close relationship continued at the 1938 FIFA World Cup in France, where the Italian squad notoriously performed fascist salutes and was allegedly sent a telegram from Mussolini dictating they win “or die”. Another fact revealed I discovered was that that no African nations competed in the 1966 World Cup finals (in which England were successful, of course) All 15 eligible African countries withdrew from the qualifying stages in a mass boycott to protest FIFA’s decision to force Africa to compete with Asia and Oceania for just a single guaranteed tournament spot. Actually the whole history of FIFA can be written as scandal ridden and cozying up to fascist regimes so the latest shenanigans we have observed seem to be the norm rather than the exception. I went through a pile of newspapers to see if any press cuttings needed to be retained before the wheelie bin is emptied tomorrow. I also took the opportunity to rid one of the corners of the house of some tall thistles that seem to have thrived in the heat and despite the absence of rain. I am looking forward to a walk n the park in the early evening as it has been quite hot during the day.