The country I live in is never clear about its name. My passport says “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", and citizens of the UK may call themselves British, English, Scottish, Welsh or from Northern Ireland.
Earlier this month, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was taken to hospital with "persistent coronavirus symptoms". He returned to work on Monday. But even before he was laid low by Covid-19, Mr Johnson was a part-time Prime Minister.
The Sunday Times newspaper revealed that, as the coronavirus pandemic began, Mr Johnson took two weeks' holiday with his pregnant girlfriend at Chevening, a country house used by British government ministers. The Chevening website says: "The gardens include a lake, maze, parterre and a double hexagonal-walled kitchen garden amounting in all to some 40 acres. Over 530 acres of mixed woodland surround the extensive park."
The newspaper also revealed that Mr Johnson had missed five "Cobra" meetings. Cobra is an emergency committee that meets to discuss major threats to the UK – terrorism, or in this case, coronavirus. Government spokespersons and spin doctors defended the Prime Minister by saying that it was normal for other ministers to chair these meetings.
But – to repeat – these are not normal times. It is difficult to think what could be more important at a time of a pandemic to keep the person nominally in charge of the country away from five meetings to deal with that crisis.
He was a part-time mayor of London, combining that important job with being a part-time member of Parliament and a columnist for The Daily Telegraph newspaper. He went on to become a part-time foreign secretary, a position in which British diplomats privately said that he was not very assiduous at reading his important briefing papers. He is not, even friends concede, a "details" person.
Again, I am only glad to see him return to Downing Street and attempt to redress this and revive his reputation. But here is the catch: politicians do not like vacuums. While Mr Johnson has been missing in action, other parts of our peculiar country – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – have their own devolved administrations and some very able politicians who are taking their own decisions on how to deal with the pandemic.
It is difficult to think what could be more important at a time of a pandemic to keep the person nominally in charge of the country away from five meetings to deal with that crisis
Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has been especially forthright. While government ministers in London have promised more testing for coronavirus, and more protective gowns and masks for health workers, they have often failed to deliver. In Scotland, Ms Sturgeon has moved ahead on her own, publishing a 26-point framework as part of what she called a “grown up” conversation with the public about how to proceed.
She asked how together we might achieve a “semblance of normality” while still bearing down on the disease. She talked of a “better balance” between keeping people safe and reviving the economy, asking whether more shops and businesses should open and if schools might also open if class sizes were cut.
Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has been forthright while dealing with the pandemic. AFP
This was no magic formula. But it was an adult politician thinking aloud, and yet this initiative was rejected by Matt Hancock, the UK Health Minister sitting in London, although it is difficult to understand what he was objecting to. Then some of Mr Hancock’s senior Conservative party colleagues began telling British newspapers that maybe Ms Sturgeon was showing real leadership.
The administration in Wales also suggested they may take a different view of how to proceed from the London government. In Northern Ireland – separated from the rest of the UK by sea and yet sharing an island with the Irish Republic – the First Minister in Belfast, Arlene Foster, suggested that she also might go in a different direction from London.
Of course, we all broadly want the same thing: to save lives and rescue the economy. But different parts of the UK going in different directions may be a powerful sign for the future.
One day, coronavirus will be less of a problem – and Brexit will still not be "done". Mr Johnson famously said that he would "get Brexit done" but like many of his projects, he has not actually completed what he promised. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have very different views and concerns about Brexit from those of the largely English Conservative government in London. People in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union and the Welsh administration is not much of a fan of Mr Johnson's ideas either.
Our strange United Kingdom will stay united to fight the common threat from a disease. But when coronavirus recedes, Brexit will rise again. Mr Johnson may well find that this kingdom of ours is less than united by his Brexit plans, and many are unimpressed by his lack of attention to details.
Brexit, like the threat from Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in The Terminator science fiction film, will be back. Unlike coronavirus, there is not even a possible scientific breakthrough that can vaccinate the UK against the difficulties ahead.
Gavin Esler is a journalist, author and presenter
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah 5.10pm: Continous 5.45pm: Raging Torrent 6.20pm: West Acre 7pm: Flood Zone 7.40pm: Straight No Chaser 8.15pm: Romantic Warrior 8.50pm: Calandogan 9.30pm: Forever Young
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024. It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine. Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages]. The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts. With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians. Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved. Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world. The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions Publisher: LucasArts Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn Rating: 4/5
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Australia (15-1): Israel Folau; Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Kurtley Beale, Marika Koroibete; Bernard Foley, Will Genia; David Pocock, Michael Hooper (capt), Lukhan Tui; Adam Coleman, Izack Rodda; Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Tom Robertson.
Replacements: Tolu Latu, Allan Alaalatoa, Taniela Tupou, Rob Simmons, Pete Samu, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomua, Jack Maddocks.
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
De De Pyaar De
Produced: Luv Films, YRF Films
Directed: Akiv Ali
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jaaved Jaffrey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)
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
