The UK - Starmer, Labour, Mandelson, Epstein and the Economy

 

The UK economy continues to struggle and thrive, not because of a lack of leadership, competence or desire, but because of political instability. 

The revolving door of prime ministers under the former Tory government saw the career ambitions of individuals take priority over country, party and people. I've lost count of how many PMs we had since David Cameron. 

As the Labour party implodes and the media circles against Sir Keir Starmer, I fear that it is heading down the same insane path as the Conservatives - into oblivion. 

Are we simply playing into the hands of foreign and extreme group agendas? 

Democracy is not at the heart of our system if the elected leader is dismissed prematurely and without just cause. A full term of service provides the greatest impact, rather than regular resets, and a PM should not be looking  behind them for the next backstabbing from an ambitious self-serving bunch. 

This is why confidence and trust in governments is low. It is not the leader which we abhor, it is these machinations which horrify us and which resemble Caesar's Brutus and King Henry the VIII's court. 

As the Epstein / Mandelson drama rages, as heads role and it chips away at the core team, we are shooting ourselves in the foot. Do we really want Reform in charge? 

I'm regularly pleasantly surprised with new initiatives like £800m Community Investment. I see local initiatives slowly improving lives and had hope that we were turning the page from the disastrous onslaught since austerity after the global financial crisis. 

It's frustrating that so many people fail to keep their eye on the prize. With the ever growing increase in global crisis, impending war, technological snowballing and has everyone forgotten that most of us still face the barrel of a cost of living crisis? 

I'm not surprised Sir Keir is tired. We're all tired of the school playground nonsense. We finally had a grown up in charge and we're heading back into chaos. 

Is it any wonder that an authoritarian populous style seems to be the modus ooerandi because it's the only way to maintain consistency. It is sad indeed. We need more people in government for the right reasons. Instead, we are inflicted with a cast of rotten eggs. 

If my disgust is unclear to all those so out of touch, let me spell it out, I do not support you and history will not judge you kindly. The people are not happy with this circus.  

The Epstein story is scandalous. Blood must be let. But must it be at the expense of the many to benefit who? 

Why Anonymity Matters - Online Safety

We are not safe even though we live in a democratic country. Our laws don't protect women and children adequately online or in real life, but we don't want to be excluded from these spaces. We want to be able to connect, interact and add our voice, but increasingly we are being silenced. 

• BBC - Men Covertly Filming Women
  

Perhaps it's because of the struggle between class and minorities, or governments feeling increasingly destabilised that they look to take away our freedoms. 

The idea we would legislate so children under 16 cannot use social media in the UK is abhorrent. 

We didn't say children can't watch television, play computer games or go on the internet. We regulated the providers. We made them safer for children and everyone. 

By introducing laws on age, we're giving more information on everyone else to social media companies and not addressing the real problem: toxicity online and a lack of accountability for bad behaviour. 

We're also not demanding social media companies and corporations behave responsibly, just as we expect for everything else that is consumer facing. 

Anonymity allows people to be included. It is not always nefarious that they don't want fame. It has opened the door for greater discussion and shows we do not support oppression. It is the democracy we love. 

The law must keep up with technology. Mental health is not just about technology, but a world where when an economic downturn hits, we all need more compassion and kindness. 

You may be interested in: 

• LSE - the UK shouldn't ban
  
• BBC - why the debate
  
• BBC - Include children's views
  

Online Shopping In 2026 - the best cure for shopping addicts

Over Xmas I learnt my lesson and step 1 in 2026 before hitting the checkout button on any online shop is to check the returns policy. 

With £57 in my basket, I was feeling guilty as I don't need to shop, but the cold spell got me browsing thermals and I succumbed to "bargain" sales. My heaving closet groaned as there are enough clothes to keep me warm this winter. 

Scanning the fine print, I realised I'd have to pay postage for any online returns and stores would only accept exchanges. 

Suddenly I no longer wanted to buy all these items. I narrowed it down to one item I'd be willing to go into a store to click and collect, since I no longer qualified for free delivery. 

I'd invested an hour browsing in this shop, reading reviews, convincing myself yes it was ok to buy one new piece. Why do you think I've walked away and convinced myself I no longer need it? 

It's not my bank balance. Nor is it my overflowing wardrobe. No fancy trick I learnt on social media either. 

Guest checkout. 

That's right. I prefer it, but lo and behold it failed. Initially I overcame the 'you can't guest check out' with an alternative address. Then the email verification didn't come through. Next, the resend email didn't work. It was becoming a hoop jumping workout. Finally I took the universe's signs to simply stop the madness. 

Imagine if it was still free returns. I'd have spent £57 that I didn't need to do. Or if it was free returns instore, I might have ended up buying even more when I inevitably went in - afterall I don't have the perfect body that looks stunning in everything. 

In the UK, we all don't have cars or live close to a shop. The customer experience, technology and returns policies can affect the bottom line of businesses. I expect I'm not the only one that's gone through this. With the cost of living crisis, I'm relieved with this fortunate turn of events, but I think about the economy and  bigger picture. Retailers are missing out on sales. They might be fully costing their products and services, but these are missed opportunities as part of their sales funnel. It's failing. 

Online shopping in 2026 isn't better for retailers but it sure is better for shopping addicts, so my top 3 tips is check the returns policy, use guest checkout and after all the faffing, you may save yourself a whole lot of time and money, because actually do you really need it and why are you shopping? 

Grok, X, AI and How Tough Should We Get?

The furore over Grok, X, AI and sexualised content highlights the urgent need to assess how much power should we allow tech companies to have, and if they can ever be trusted. 

What has become clear is that there was a lack of urgent action to deal with grievous harm, such that governments must ban services and rush legislation to enable action. 

If tech companies can faciliate activities the majority of us consider should be illegal and corporations do not have any kind of social conscious or ability to quickly manage the risk, do we need to fix the system that allows corporate bad behaviour? 

Are we becoming too dependent on technology? With the latest developments on the political struggles in Iran, we've learnt that it loses $1.56 million from its economy every single hour the internet is down. What would be the figures for the UK, US, Europe, China and Russia? We're increasingly faced with the thorny questions we can no longer ignore. 

Our governments can't be forever firefighting when there are so many other issues requiring their attention. It's not efficient, nor in the public interest. 

When corporations do not respect or listen to governments, it sends a message about whether they are willing to adhere to the social contracts and laws we have in place. 

Sexualised content also brings cultural and religious concerns into the mix, and in a global context will impact funding and ultimately profitability for companies. Money talks and that is also when companies listen. 

What has also become clear is the complete failure of tech organisations to ensure they prevent harm, that they aren't creating tools weaponised against us. What else would they be failing to do, and why should they not be accountable? Ultimately they are run by people who we should demand are responsible citizens. The future of tech, AI, X and Grok is at a major historical crisis point. 

You may also be interested in:

• BBC - X to stop Grok AI from undressing images of real people after backlash
• Sky News - Grok Controversy Explainer
• Guardian - The World Less Safe
  
• CNN - Grok blocked by Indonesia, Malaysia over sexualized images in world first
  
• Forbes - Iran Kill Switch
  

Independent Review into Rising Demand for Mental Health, ADHD, and Autism Services in England

Why is mental health getting worse? The NHS and GP services have been stretched for years,, but the biggest issue has been the attitude of politicians and people in power. 

"Over diagnosis" is a term that seems to come up, and a narrative that many people aren't actually sick. 

I write this after this article from the BBC. 

Mental health services continue to be cut and a real strategy which recognises and understands the condition has never been implemented.  

I've seen first hand the massive reduction in services and budgets in the last year. This will kill people, and we will have more unnecessary loss of lives. 

There are celebrities and famous people who talk about their mental health problems, but no one truly champions or advocates for those who are struggling. 

The challenges for ordinary people are real. If you are faced with mental health difficulties, there is  support, but accessing it is a lottery and continuous care under the NHS is completely inadequate. 

Charities try, but they remain underresourced to plug a gap that needs the full attention and compassion we've famously had historically for other diseases, in this country. 

Why is it so hard for people to see it and recognise that it is an issue? I think it's simply the case of people who are out of touch with the realities many people face. Read the comments for the YouTube video I've included at the top of this post. One of them, liked 145 times, describes the country as broken. And it is. 

Mental health is a serious condition. It's an epidemic. It's time we started making more and better inroads. We've made progress over the last few decades, since I first began blogging about it. 

However, troublingly we seem to be going backwards since the pandemic, when actually this should have ignited investment. It should have been about truly correcting the injustice of ignoring some of our most vulnerable people who need us to speak for them. 

I welcome the independent review into rising demand for mental health, ADHD, and autism services in England, but wonder whether it will result in change that will help a growing crisis around the country, and in fact, the world.