September in British politics is a time to look ahead. It comes after the summer parliamentary break and the usually politically quiet month of August, a time lacking political news when parliament is in recess. September is when politics restarts and mainstream politicians look forward to their annual party conferences, although this year with a real sense of trepidation.
The conferences begin at the end of September (the Liberal Democrats and the Labour party) and spread into early October (the Conservative party meeting in Manchester). The trepidation in the Conservatives and Labour stems from serious internal problems.
Some loyal members have doubts about their party leaders and sense of direction. But behind their internal debates, something has changed much more widely in British politics because of the extraordinary rise of the upstart Reform party of Nigel Farage.
Reform has gone from a fringe movement to capturing news headlines almost constantly over the past few months. The party is proving so successful that it leads in opinion polls despite having only four MPs. Labour and the Conservatives seem in a degree of confusion and at times chaos. Rather than setting the political agenda, they are constantly on the defensive, responding to Reform and unable to undermine a surge in support for Mr Farage.
To take the most obvious example, the Reform party has captured the British political news agenda for the past month, culminating in their own party conference in Birmingham this past weekend.
If nature abhors a vacuum, political journalists abhor a news vacuum. But almost every day in August, when it seemed many British politicians were building sandcastles on the beach (metaphorically at least), the Reform party PR machine has been - whether you like them or not - simply outstanding.
The right and far right of British politics have been on the front pages of newspapers and at the top or near the top of TV or news bulletins for a month. They have exploited street protests against asylum seekers, photo-opportunities about “stopping the migrant boats” and flag-waving festivals.
All this peaked with the sometimes bizarre but always newsworthy Reform party conference itself. Mr Farage even managed to make headlines with what for almost any other politician in Britain would be decried as a monumental and perhaps career-ending gaffe.
He appeared in Washington before a US Congressional committee and openly criticised Britain. He suggested Britain is in some way turning into North Korea by limiting freedom of speech. For any other politician, this would be seen as unpatriotic and frankly idiotic. Mr Farage was criticised, but he remains Teflon Nigel. The negative coverage does not stick.
At the same time, the other two main political parties are in deep trouble as a result of self-inflicted wounds. The Conservative party used to boast of being the most successful democratic party in world history.
But in the past decade, it has had a series of failed and deeply flawed leaders. The current leader Kemi Badenoch’s approval ratings are dismal. Conservatives also used to boast that their secret weapon was “loyalty”. The truth is that many current Reform voters are former Conservatives and some of the prominent new members have defected from the Tories.
Labour, meanwhile, has its own self-inflicted wounds. Keir Starmer’s latest reshuffle was forced on him rather than planned. It comes after a row over the underpayment of tax on housing sales from the former Labour party Deputy Leader Angela Rayner. But Labour’s woes go much deeper. Supporters and former supporters, some from the right, left and middle of the party, are wondering (sometimes aloud) what the party is for. The economy is ticking along. The stock market is up.
But there is an enormous amount of nervousness at Westminster ahead of a very difficult October budget, and behind it all, the biggest question that politicians ever face - which way are you facing? Will the government be forced to raise taxes or cut spending, or both? What will Mr Starmer do on immigration that will be seen, in some way, to work?
All this is the core of politics, but Mr Farage’s success in capturing the political agenda for the past month simply reminds us that opposition parties can easily exploit problems while governments are expected in some way to solve them. And that is very tricky right now.
Besides, Mr Farage is always interesting, whether you love him or loathe him. He understands how to be on the front pages and how to lead news bulletins. He is brilliant at finding “hot button issues” that make people listen to news broadcasts and perhaps scare some of us about our future.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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
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Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
Dunki
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The five pillars of Islam
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