Peter Rhodes on a dictator's career, the race for growth and some curious casting in a spy flick
Bashar al-Assad was not always a dictator. In the 1990s he was a student in London, specialising in ophthalmology. Who knows, if his murderous father had not died and left him the family fiefdom known as Syria, Assad might have chosen a gentler career. He should have gone to Specsavers.
One swallow does not a summer make and one opinion poll suggesting Reform UK is ahead of Labour does not a political revolution make. However, when it happens within six months of Labour winning the General Election, it matters. As a rule, a new government expects its honeymoon to last longer than this.
So what's chipping away at Labour's support? Maybe it's the way Downing Street sings the benefits of local democracy while trampling it underfoot.
Despite conservation objections, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has approved the demolition of London's landmark 1920s M&S building. In Lancashire, she has overruled the local council to build a “super-prison” on the green belt. In Yorkshire, she has taken over the planning process for a vast solar energy farm. It seems nothing is allowed to get in the way of “growth,” no matter how intrusive, oppressive or unpopular it may be. Labour – the capitalists' friend. How did that happen?
Meanwhile, as Rayner chases the dizzying target of building 1.5 million new homes in the next five years, the current rate of net migration will bring about three million migrants in that time. Does it never occur to her that the best way to provide enough houses for the population is to stop letting so many people into the country?
The biggest mystery in the new spy thriller Black Doves (Netflix) is the casting. Who in the name of M decided that the perfect actors to play a pair of professional assassins would be the luminously sweet Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, aka the voice of Paddington Bear? Strange, too, is the fact that Knightley's bloody-handed character has time for a lovely domestic lifestyle. I dare say there is a feminist message here: it is every female hit-person's right to have a hubby, a nice house and a pair of adorable twins. 007, it ain't.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.