Mmmmm . . .

+I got a call yesterday from my surgery following my annual health MOT. The startling news is that my liver ‘is fine.’ I can’t understand this. I have been doing my best to compromise my liver for over 50 years, all the way back to the days of the late unlamented Double Diamond (not to mention Brew 10). Then the average alcohol content of beer was around 3%. Now it’s nearer 4.5 or 5% - with a price to match. I can recall buying a pint of Tetley’s for 1/4d (about 8p now). The other day I bought a pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord for £5.10. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned at all in this election is how much more under Starmer we convivial types will have to fork out for our life enhancing tipples. I suspect that despite being photographed during lockdown with a beer bottle in his hand, Starmer may turn out to be a secret member of the Independent Order of Rechabites insofar as making us pay more for this sinful imbibing goes. It’s hard to imagine Rachel Reeves shying away from that prospect. And thank heavens I don’t smoke No.6 or Park Drive fags anymore (just by way of name dropping I did smoke Sullivan Powell No.3s whilst at school, thanks to having a tab at my local tobacconist (R.I.P. Paul). Those were the days!). Rachel will now be eyeing up the prospect of taxing vapes till the pips squeak. I hope so. Dreadful things.
 
+Anything else happen yesterday? Oh yes. Labour won, or more precisely the Tories lost with the help of Reform UK. Labour’s share of the vote was just 33.9%. Worth remembering that in 2017 Corbyn’s Labour won 40% of the vote, and in 2019 it was 34%. So where is the Starmer revolution? Labour actually lost several seats, and in the great leader’s seat, his vote decreased dramatically. The size of Labour’s majority is very much due to the vagaries of first past the post and will clearly be at considerable risk come the next election. One thing we should be grateful for is the defeat of the likes of Rees Smog, Liz Truss and Grant Shapps. That in itself will improve Britain’s prospects.