I read recently on Sky News, and I would not want to make too much of this, that the political hard right in Britain are being boosted by a much younger and, it must be said, photogenic white women who have embraced the far right stance upon immigration in general and this view has been enhanced by extensive social media coverage. Some commentators are talking about the ‘White Girl Summer’ and just to emphasise how all of this is a matter of perception, many still believe that the numbers of migrants still arriving is still increasing. The facts on the ground have not really cut through much into public consciousness- small boat migrant crossings across the English Channel are down roughly 40% to 43% compared to the same period in previous years, driven by enhanced French beach enforcement, disruptions to smuggling equipment supply chains, and changes in crossing attempts. One has to be aware of simplistic or monocausal explanations for these cultural phenomena but I think it is certainly the case that the role of the increased social media is significant, Social media and digital news amplification significantly distort public perception of small boat crossings in the UK. Recent polling shows that roughly 40% of Britons incorrectly believe crossings have increased year-on-year, despite official data demonstrating a drop to multi-year lows, showing how online repetition creates a gap between perceived and actual immigration trends. Constant sharing of dramatic Channel footage on platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram makes irregular arrivals seem more ubiquitous than overall statistics suggest. Small boat events command heavy algorithmic visibility, overshadowing larger, stable legal or structural migration data. Smuggling networks use social platforms to market fraudulent packages, which in turn fuels counter-narratives and intense policy debates online. As well as this subject occupying media attention, the proposed return of the Sussexes (Harry, Meghan and their school age children) to the UK to live near London is arousing enormous speculation. Some commentators are arguing that the Royal family will now be subject to great adjustment problems as they have to decide whether to ignore, or to embrace, what is a de- facto ‘half-in, half out’ state of affairs. The public mood is more nuanced now than it has been in previous years with a view being expressed by some that they are agnostic about the return of the Sussexes but if they are no performing no royal duties, then are they entitled to any public protection or should this be a totally private affair? The body charged with determining the exact amount of public protection that the returning Sussexes might receive hass a tangled and vexed question and it is possible, in the view of Harry’s past pronouncements on this subject, that whatever is decided will please nobody. After yesterday’s much welcomed rainfall, we can now expect a spell of more settled weather according to longer range weather forecasts. Further into September, drier weather may become more prevalent, especially in the south and southeast, with any more unsettled conditions tending to become confined further north and northwest. Temperatures will probably be near normal at first, but may turn warmer later with a chance of some hot periods in the south.
The morning turned out to be rather more interesting than I would predicted. I walked along the High Street to my favourite charity-com-coffee shop which I frequent once a week and I know the owner and the volunteers pretty well by now. But on my way there, I stopped of at Wetherspoons to see if my old acquaintance from my park-walking days was occupying his favourite seat which he was. Fortunately, he was not busy today (as he uses the watering hole as a sort of office) and he had a long chat about our mutual acquaintance whom neither of us had seen for some time, probably because he has a new found lady friend. So we had quite a lot to catch up on including some health-related issues but I indicated that I would text so that we can have a longer chat over a coffee in a week or so. Calling in one of the many charity shops along the High Street I managed to purchase a tiny little dish to accommodate one of my washing up brushes, a miniature size thermos flask which was being sold for 50p and a ornament and chain which I purchased primarily to get the chain so that I can pass a little of Meg’s jewellery onto some of my great cousins when see them next week. As the stainless steel thermos flask I have had for years had started to leak around the top, I junked it and brought a brand new one from Waitrose thinking ahead to when I might take along some coffee to alleviate the rain journey next week. Then I replenished some medications from a cut-price store along the High Street and did not get home until nearly 2.00pm in the afternoon. I had located some ‘cauliflower rice’ in Waitrose which fitted my dietary needs completely – this is not rice at all but resembles it and has the texture of rice but practically zero carbs. So when I got home, I made myself a mackerel fillets lunch with the cauliflower rice, some petit pois and a sun dried tomato and it made for a very satisfying and healthy lunch. Half way through the afternoon, my American friend phoned and she was experiencing a little bout of illness so I popped out and bought her some fresh vegetables of which she was in need and which we can share in the days ahead if I had bought too much. I already know the result of the Test match which I will view at 7.00pm this evening but it is pleasant to be able to say that it will bring a lot of satisfaction to Joe Root, starting his second tenure as England captain and securing the result that he did on his home ground which is Headingly. I have detailed a BBC4 showing of the Proms for later in the evening because there is going to be a huge slot devoted to the work of Miles Davis. The BBC Proms concert is celebrating the centenary of Miles Davis’s birth featured a jazz quartet led Ambrose Akinmusire, one of the leading trumpeters of his generation, plus the BBC Concert Orchestra arranged and conducted by Miho Hazama. Although this takes me out of my usual ‘comfort zone’ of Bach, Handel, Beethoven and Mozart, I suspect that it will be a very interesting and entertaining concert. I remember that the trumpet player who I knew well from my walks down the Kidderminster Road had a very high regard for Miles Davis so this will be an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with his finest work.