There was a Big Beautiful Breakup

Can you remember when Tony Blair and Gordon Brown fell out? It was really entertaining because everyone knew they'd had a big old bust up but for some reason Tony couldn't fire Gordon so there were endless leaks from both sides and the papers were full of tittle tattle for months if not years.

It was the same with Thatcher and Geoffrey Howe, although on that occasion Thatcher was able to fire Geoffrey, who then bided his time but hit back with that wonderful speech about cricketers been sent to the crease without a bat. Cue more column inches for days and days.

I've worked in very large organisations where the senior partner has to retire after his or her (usually his) second term, so the last couple of years of that term are spent with everyone speculating about who will win the election. Partners have to take sides, hoping to line themselves up on the winning team. Everyone else knows exactly what's going so there is endless speculation and gossip. Again, very entertaining.

And distracting.

The problem with all of this is that whilst everyone is speculating, gossiping and having a good old laugh, the business of whatever they are supposed to be doing takes second place.

Musk v Trump

It's very much the same on this occasion.

Behind the kerfuffle over who said what about whom and whether the convicted felon is or is not in the Epstein files the really interesting question, which few journalists are keen to probe, is whether the big beautiful bill really is, as Musk said, an abomination.

I'm coming down on the side of "Yes it is". I haven't seen ANY of the detail but what I do know is that it contains a huge amount of extra Government spending and also lots of tax cuts. This is going to add to the US Government deficit, quite a lot of which is funded by the kindly Japanese and Chinese folk being prepared to lend by way of purchasing treasury bonds.

This would be OK, sort of, if interest rates were super low because inflation is totally under control and if the US was seen as a totally reliable, safe place to put your money. Sadly, neither are true and Jerome Powell, the leader of the Fed refused again this week to lower interest rates.

He appears to be the only man in America, other than that chap who happens to be the world's richest man and perhaps therefore doesn't give a sh£t about the consequences, who will stand up to Trump. Oh, and the Bishop of Washington who spoke at the inauguration and told him not to be so mean to the poor. Though she was a woman. Not a man.

Making Up is Not that Hard to Do

Don't get me wrong. I've fallen out with people in my time. Although, to be fair, not so many. I'm a bit of a conflict avoider.

On the odd occasion that I have found myself in a proper wrangle, I've found that having a chat about it usually solves things. But then I don't own my own social media platform.

Rock Follies

I feel I need to explain this to any reader under the age of 55. "Rock Follies" was a TV musical drama which followed the exploits of a three-piece girl band, The Little Ladies. The band comprised streetwise Cockney, Dee (played by Julie Covington), well-brought-up deb, Q (Rula Lenska), and bored middle-class housewife, Anna (Charlotte Cornwall).

I remember it well because this was the seventies and the only other women on TV were either being chased around in bikinis by Benny Hill or doing a twirl for Bruce Forsyth.

Anyway, this is nothing to do with them, more to do with the follies of age and my week of attending concerts. Or "gigs" as everyone keeps correcting me.

This weekend, Victoria Park hosted the Lido festival. Friday night's headliners were Massive Attack. We went as a family (our family includes the In Betweeners who are not technically related but we can't shake them off). So two twenty-somethings, two 30/40s and myself and my husband. You don't need to know how old we are.

We bought VIP tickets, as you do when there is the opportunity to pay a bit more for pretty much exactly the same experience but with shorter queues.

My friends, it was hilarious. Massive Attack formed in 1988 so you can imagine the sort of age and profile of their fan base. Everyone had the same idea so the VIP area was flooded with people and as a consequence the queues were enormous. Cue lots of middle aged people grumbling about having to stand in line and incandescent when the food ran out.

On top of which, the band decided to turn what was supposed to be entertainment into a political rally, which was a bit daft really because it's not as if they were going to be changing anyone's mind. This was Hackney, remember, and a field full of people who had chosen to pay to go to see Massive Attack.

The highlight was bumping into the fabulous Kristin Shelley who I originally met about six years ago when she was one of the brave women who stepped back into the fray as we were getting the Reignite Academy off the ground. Never looked back.

We also had tickets for Saturday, when the headliners were Sampha and Jamie XX. The weather forecast was for torrential rain so I tried very hard to get out of it. Impossible as the rain meant there would be no willing takers for my ticket so I had to go. I betrayed my ignorance by asking "What time is she on?" about Sampha and "Will I know any of the songs?" of Jamie XX. In any event, they were both fantastic and I had a much better time.

This may have been helped by the copious amounts of tequila that were drunk in Margarita, Picante or Paloma form from one of the stands.

From what I remember of the night, it was an awful lot of fun, despite the rain.

The Best Festival in the World Ever

Lido was good but we had an even better time this afternoon at the pub round the corner. The dogs felt like they were missing out, so we took them to the Palm Tree, where they had a jazz band and all the locals took their picnic blankets. It was free. Better still, I took my own bottle of wine in my own wine cooler.

The Culture Slot

I'm reading: I finished All Fours by Miranda July. If the image that comes to mind when you read the title is ever so slightly sexual, don't be embarrassed, you're right. Thought it was fabulous. Will not be lending it to my mum though. I'm now moving on to We Do Not Part by Han Keng. Won the Nobel prize for literature last year. High hopes.

I'm listening to: Sara and Cariad Lloyd's Weirdos Book Club talking about All Fours. They have read and discussed loads of books I have read so I think this could be a regular thing. I am so bored with all those political news podcasts at the moment.

I went to see 1536 at the Almeida with my lovely friend Deb, who conjured up tickets for what is a sold out show. It's set in the year Ann Boleyn was beheaded and is the story of three young women in Norfolk who meet to discuss gossip at home and at court. Big themes about how much has changed for women since then. Or not. Really really good. Mainly down to the performances of the lead actresses. Can't tell you to go because it's sold out but if it transfers to West End or if there is a rerun I would recommend.

What's Cooking

Roasted chicken with clementines & arak (Ottolenghi Jerusalem)

Freekeh, tomato and chickpea pilaf

Whole roast celeriac

Aubergine rolls with goats cheese and walnuts (Sabrina Ghayour Feasts)

That's it folks. Don't be going falling out with anyone this week.