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31 July, 2023

Rishi Sunak has announced at least 100 new oil and gas licences for North Sea drilling. The PM has also ordered a review of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in England, says The Times, as he seeks to “draw a political dividing line with Labour over Net Zero”. A quarter of NHS GPs have private medical insurance, a new survey has revealed. Another 15% said they were considering taking out a plan, citing concerns that waiting lists are so long that diseases like cancer aren’t treated in a “timely manner”. Rainfall across much of the UK has been double its July average, says the Daily Star, and five more “Atlantic deluges” are set to hit the country over the next fortnight. Prepare for the “summer brollydays”.

Alison Rose, who quit as NatWest CEO last week. Hollie Adams/Bloomberg/Getty 

The debanking scandal is much bigger than Farage

It has been “gripping” to watch Nigel Farage’s battle with Coutts and its parent company NatWest, says Dominic Lawson in The Sunday Times. But the real scandal is that “debanking” is far more common than people think. In 2021, more than 5,500 customers of NatWest said their accounts had been abruptly closed, with no explanation. When one couple complained that the decision had left them unable to buy food, staff told them – and “this is not a joke” – that they should use a food bank. Even when victims successfully appealed to the Financial Ombudsman Service, the compensation was “insultingly small”: another couple, “made ill with worry” after their account was frozen, received a measly £100.

Other banks do this too, of course – anti-money-laundering regulations have become stricter, so many institutions think any risk just isn’t worth the bother. When my wife and I tried to open a Barclays account for our daughter Domenica, who has Down’s syndrome, she was initially rejected “without explanation”. The reason, it turned out, was because her grandfather, former chancellor Nigel Lawson, was categorised as a “politically exposed person” – and thus a potential conduit for corrupt cash. But NatWest – perhaps in response to the £265m fine it received in 2021 for accepting “bin liners full of cash” as deposits – seems to be the worst of the lot. And that makes its much-trumpeted claims about “inclusivity” even harder to swallow than they already were.

Over the past decades, men’s fashion houses have been engaged in a type of “sneakers arms race”, says Robb Report. But now, stylish guys are ditching trainers and embracing loafers as a sensible and smarter option. Gucci offer a wealth of Cuban-heeled, mixed-media styles, including an Adidas collaboration with a colourful remix of the athletic brand’s iconic three stripes. Luxury shoemakers Casablanca sell a candy-coloured pair; and Manolo Blahnik have devised loafers with a “collapsible leather heel” to provide a few extra inches when needed. It’s a versatile option for adding personality to your outfits “without removing polish”.  

When Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013, he decided that the newspaper didn’t need to hire any more senior editorial staff. Marty Baron, the editor, disagreed, and in his forthcoming memoir reveals that he used a simple workaround. “To avoid setting off alarms up the line, my deputies and I would strip the word ‘editor’ from proposed new positions whenever possible,” he writes. Instead, he would give them more Bezos-friendly titles: “analyst”, say, or “strategist”.

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Living in a dome could save your life, says The New York Times. In regions prone to hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions, hemispheric homes are becoming increasingly popular. Max Bégué, who built his on the site of a house that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, says that even when buffeted by mega high winds, “it doesn’t blink”. The triangles which form the structure make it particularly robust, and the smooth shape channels wind around the house. These spherical sanctuaries are also more efficient to cool and heat than other structures, and can cost 20% less to construct. “I like quirky,” says one dome-owner, “but I love sustainable.”

Sorry maaate, this campaign is idiotic

Last week, says Barbara Ellen in The Observer, Sadiq Khan launched his new awareness campaign, “Say maaate to a mate”. The idea is to make young men feel “empowered” to step in if their friends make sexist comments. Well-intentioned as it is, the concept comes across as “woolly and over-idealised”. If some guy is making “awful remarks”, it’s unlikely a pal saying “maaate” in a disappointed tone is going to “magically banish” his misogyny for good. Even more ridiculous is the interactive video, which features some oaf (“working class, of course, as are all sexists”) spewing out anti-female vitriol until you click a button saying “maaate”. Why don’t his writhing friends just stop inviting him? “Does he buy all the beer and weed?”

The main problem with the campaign is that it ignores the “big, ugly problems” – things like rape and violence – which women face every day. Men making gross comments to their mates is, of course, wrong. But there are “different degrees of sexism”, and they pose different levels of danger. Besides, ask any woman, and I think she’d agree that trying to control the personal conversations of youngsters is a “dire waste of public funding”. There are plenty of tangible things that would make our streets safer for women: improved policing, more street lighting, and better support for women fleeing abusive partners. Sure, the cost of this campaign wouldn’t come close to solving any of these “more deep-rooted issues”. But a “feeble ‘maaate’” is nowhere near enough to take on the “real threats”.

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This resurfaced clip of one car finding itself perfectly stacked on top of another after a crash in the Porsche Carrera Cup in Navarra, Spain has racked up 1.2 million views on X (formerly Twitter). “Mario Kart antics,” adds one user.

Osbourne, with rubber chicken. Eddie Sanderson/Getty

Ozzy Osbourne’s legendary ability to drink everyone else under the table was in part thanks to genetics, says Far Out magazine: the Black Sabbath frontman has a rare DNA mutation near the gene responsible for breaking down booze in the body, enabling him to consume much more alcohol than most mere mortals. But the Brummie rocker had a tried and tested hangover cure back in his drinking days: four tablespoons of brandy, four tablespoons of port, a dash of milk, a few egg yolks, and – if he was “feeling festive” – some nutmeg. “The way it works is very clever,” he once told The Times. “It gets you instantly blasted again, so you don’t feel a thing.”

It’s London’s latest property bargain, says The Guardian: a disused four-storey stairwell in Twickenham, “yours for £20,000 or thereabouts”. The prime piece of real estate has plenty of selling points. It is “flooded with natural light”, positioned only a minute’s walk from the Thames, and, according to the agents, has “development potential” – though for what, exactly, they do not say. The auction is tomorrow; if you fancy putting in a bid, click here. 

“Given sufficient notice, one can always be spontaneous.”

Robert Eddison, winner of the Oscar Wilde Society’s fourth original aphorism competition

That’s it. You’re done.

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