Peter Rhodes on oratory, garages and things that get rigged in Russia
In the wake of this week’s gripping Russian elections (winner: V. Putin Esq), a reader tells me: “It’s a reminder that oil isn’t the only thing rigged in Russia.”
Moving briskly on, what do Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have in common? It’s the inability to finish some of the sentences they have begun. Watching them in action in this election year, you see questions unanswered, assertions unexplained (a “bloodbath,” Mr Trump?) and threads of consciousness drifting off into thin air. These three global figures may be tired, they may be losing their memories or they may be so wrapped up in their own superpower worlds that communicating with mere citizens has slipped right off their agenda.
Whatever happened to the old political gift of oratory, the art of making your point, defending it against critics and bringing your case to a clear, crisp, logical conclusion, often without any notes? George Galloway does it all the time. We may not want to hear what he has to say but you can’t deny he says it well.
Determined to get a grip on his motor-insurance premiums in 2021, a reader opted for a “rollover” policy, fixing his payments at £470 a year for three years. That deal has just expired and he has received the 2024 renewal figure from his insurer – an eye-watering £1,998 per year. This is not a misprint. He says “staggered” does not begin to describe his reaction. To make it worse, the company did not even try to explain the figure. Their attitude was basically pay up or clear off. He shopped around and found the same cover for £1,500 less. He, like me, believes this sort of nonsense is long overdue for state intervention.
Complexity marches on. A few months ago the heater fan in a friend’s car packed up. The garage reported gloomily that, although the mechanic could see the fan- housing through a gap in a bulkhead, he could only access and fix it by removing the dashboard, at great expense. After some discussion, the mechanic pushed a long screwdriver through the gap and gave the fan a good prod. It has worked perfectly ever since.
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