Peter Rhodes on old cars, a new PM and calling in the fire brigade to cope with obesity
Rishi Sunak says his guiding principles as the new Prime Minister will be integrity, professionalism and accountability: IPA. I'm sure we can all drink to that.
Terms for our time. The first appears in an NHS report this week which claims that most children who believe they are transgender may be going through a transient phase. The kids experience “gender incongruence”
Another report, by Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service, describes the plight of seriously obese people who cannot be moved from their homes to hospital without the assistance of fire engines and cranes. Such incidents are known as “bariatric rescues.”
Just as the population is ageing, so are the cars on British roads. Research suggests that by 2027 about 15.4 million cars will be at least ten years old, a rise of 3.6 million from 2021. I'm not surprised. Rust was the traditional killer of old bangers but the best of today's old cars are galvanised and virtually rust-proof. So cars last longer. But is there another factor?
The complexity of today's cars makes them extremely expensive, more costly to service, easier to steal and harder to master. Not every driver wants electronic handbrakes, parking assistance or a TV screen on the dashboard. Are some mature drivers actually seeking out the simplicity of second-hand cars?
Some years ago I had the choice between an old Mercedes and a newer Peugeot. The Peugeot had an all-singing, all-dancing, bells-and-whistles dashboard like something out of Star Trek. The Merc had just a speedo and a rev counter. No contest.
Before Boris Johnson had even stepped off his plane from the Caribbean, his team was putting it about that he had the support of 100 MPs. The best efforts of the BBC and other media organisations failed to find more than 50. So who were this mysterious hundred? Any chance of their names? Thought not.
This little incident may pass into history but we would do well to remember it. For it suggests that a politician who was brought crashing down by his own curious relationship with the truth was prepared to kick-start his career on the back of another whopper. And he will be back.
