The greatest British prime minister of recent years was, undeniably, Winston Churchill. He became an MP in 1900 at the age of just 25, but he also knew when it was time to quit.
He retired from active politics after more than five decades when he turned 80. Churchill’s time had come and gone. He died 10 years later in 1965, a national hero.
It’s therefore interesting to contemplate the current American debate about age in politics. This is not just at the presidential level – Joe Biden is 80 and his probable challenger in the 2024 election, Donald Trump, is 77 – but also in so many other senior positions.
At times, Churchill seems almost youthful by comparison with modern American politicians.
Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic Senator from California, is 90. She has been unwell and will not run again in 2024. Chuck Grassley, the Republican Senator from Iowa, will be 90 next week. Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, is aged 83 but has confirmed she will seek re-election in 2024. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, is 81 and has various health issues.
The list of what some commentators rather cruelly call America’s political gerontocracy is a long one. And for some Americans, these ageing politicians are a problem. Their presence in top jobs stifles new, younger talent with fresh ideas.
Incumbency, in the old American political joke, is like yeast. It makes the dough rise
In 2022, a third of Democrats (33 per cent) told a New York Times poll that they wanted a different candidate from their party for president in 2024 because Mr Biden’s age was problematic.
Nikki Haley, a sprightly 51-year-old Republican presidential hopeful from a younger generation, pointedly suggested to potential voters, as she launched her campaign, that Republicans supporting Mr Trump may have a similar problem. Ms Haley said: “America is not past our prime – it’s just that our politicians are past theirs.”
The bigger question is not why old politicians cling to power but how they manage to do it. The answer is the extraordinary power of incumbency.
Newcomers can of course enter the race and overturn sitting politicians. But the advantages almost always lie with those already in the job, except for when there are scandals. These advantages include name recognition, plenty of news coverage and money.
Mr Biden is the obvious example. One political commentator told me that Mr Biden may want to do a Churchill and hand the baton of the Democratic Party nomination to someone else, but he won’t. The prospect of a Trump presidency keeps Mr Biden in the race because, as this Democratic Party commentator told me, “a second Trump presidency means the end of American democracy” and Mr Biden knows that.
Even if you don’t buy that argument entirely, it is certainly true that as incumbent president, Mr Biden has many advantages.
First, he beat Mr Trump in the 2020 presidential election. In 2024, he may indeed be the best “Stop Trump” candidate, as he appears to believe.
Second, any incumbent president seeking a second term has what former president Theodore Roosevelt called the “bully pulpit”. Roosevelt meant that a president is the Number One newsmaker in the world and dominates American news.
Third, incumbency, in the old American political joke, is like yeast. It makes the dough rise.
According to the US Centre for Responsive Politics, the 2020 presidential and Congressional election campaigns were by far the most expensive in history, costing a colossal $14 billon. Money tends to flow to those already considered to be winners, those in office, and that money funds the multimillion-dollar TV and social media advertising battles at the centre of any modern American campaign.
Of course, Mr Biden could lose. George H W Bush and Jimmy Carter are recent examples of one-term presidents, but both lost because they faced enormous economic and other crises as well as highly competent opponents.
The US presidency in 2024 is therefore still within Mr Biden’s grasp. Assuming he remains healthy, being the “Not Trump Candidate” may see him through. Yet Mr Trump also has his own “bully pulpit”, the fawning supposed “news” coverage on pro-Trump TV stations and social media. Mr Trump also has the reputation of destroying those within his own party who do not enthusiastically support him.
But the next generation of talent is biding their time. Ms Haley is just one of many rising stars on the Republican side.
Among Democrats, there is Vice President Kamala Harris, who is 58 – although according to some within her own party, she has proved a disappointment. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, also in her 50s, is another politician tipped for future stardom. She governs a swing state – as does Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who is also 50-ish and tipped for higher things. So is California Governor Gavin Newsom, also in his 50s, and one to watch for in the 2028 presidential election. And in Florida, Maxwell Frost became the first Gen-Z member of Congress. Mr Frost is currently 26, in the same age range as Churchill when he first became a British public representative.
In the words of the TV show, America has talent. The question is not whether a generational shift will occur. It is when. Soon, but probably not in 2024.
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
World Sevens Series standing after Dubai
1. South Africa
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
7. Kenya
8. Scotland
9. France
10. Spain
11. Argentina
12. Canada
13. Wales
14. Uganda
15. United States
16. Russia
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: AF Seven Skies, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qais Aboud
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Almahroosa, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Sumoud, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Adventurous, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or 971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
PSG's line up
GK: Alphonse Areola (youth academy)
Defence - RB: Dani Alves (free transfer); CB: Marquinhos (€31.4 million); CB: Thiago Silva (€42m); LB: Layvin Kurzawa (€23m)
Midfield - Angel di Maria (€47m); Adrien Rabiot (youth academy); Marco Verratti (€12m)
Forwards - Neymar (€222m); Edinson Cavani (€63m); Kylian Mbappe (initial: loan; to buy: €180m)
Total cost: €440.4m (€620.4m if Mbappe makes permanent move)
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The%20specs
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