Peter Rhodes on state secrets, a deadly virus and an embarrassing slip en France
I suggested recently that Keir Starmer's first big test might be another pandemic. Mpox, a virus which travels at the speed of an airliner has arrived in Europe. After all the lessons allegedly learned from Covid, we look forward to the Whitehall Masterplan Mk 2.
The big question of 2024 is still unanswered. Rishi Sunak must have known that good news on inflation, employment, tax returns and exchange rates was on the way. So why, when he could have hung on until after Christmas, did he call the General Election in July? Don't hold your breath. Some states answer such questions promptly. We have the Thirty Year Rule
Many readers got in touch to share their encounters with French people who varied from sullen and unhelpful to pure angels. Love the tale of the family whose car broke down with a snapped clutch cable (un cable d'embrayage, apparently ) in an underpass near Paris. As the adults fretted, the kids howled and a stream of traffic thundered by, they feared the worst.
