Most of us occasionally change our minds. What is much more difficult, generally impossible, is to change our character. Political leaders are no different. They can reverse their policies, change staff and dismiss advisers, but character flaws always get them in the end.
Former US President Bill Clinton was intellectually brilliant and charming, but as the Lewinsky affair proved, his character flaws were ingrained.
Donald Trump’s presidency was the same story, with different flaws. In 2016, some found his characteristic flakiness refreshing, but it became his political epitaph when he encouraged supporters to storm the US Capitol in 2021.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, like Donald Trump, appeared to some people refreshingly different. To others he was always shambolic, scruffy in his dress, careless in his public as well as private life and unable to govern by bluster alone. And his character is precisely why this current political crisis in the UK always seemed inevitable. Even if the details are complex, make no mistake: this is indeed a crisis for the Johnson government, despite the fact that Britain's successful vaccination programme has contributed to an enormous reduction in coronavirus cases and deaths.
Mr Johnson's problem is not coronavirus. It's "cronyvirus" – a series of interconnected scandals involving friends and cronies which opposition politicians call "Tory sleaze". Lucrative government contracts and access to top ministers, including the prime minister himself, have gone to Conservative party donors or friends of the government, especially those so-called "cronies" who supported Brexit.
The former Conservative prime minister David Cameron and some senior former officials are embroiled in a separate apparent scandal involving their work on behalf of a finance company with strong government connections.
The finance company has gone bust.
Then there's the British businessman James Dyson, who relocated to Singapore, and was able to contact Boris Johnson personally by text, apparently asking questions about tax. The details of all these matters are at times eye-wateringly complex, and Mr Johnson rebutted some of the charges in his characteristically archaic language, insisting that there is nothing "dodgy or rum or weird or sleazy" going on. Others – including normally supportive commentators and British newspapers – disagree.
The complexity of these stories helps Mr Johnson, but any student of political scandals will tell you that often it is not the big things which trip a leader, but the small ones.
Dominic Cummings appears set on revenge
For example, few of us know how much a jet fighter or aircraft carrier should cost, but we have a rough idea of the cost of a toilet seat. In the 1980s in the US during Ronald Reagan’s defence build-up there were numerous stories about the Pentagon wasting billions of dollars on high-tech projects, but what eventually cut through with the American public was the revelation that the Pentagon paid $640 for a lavatory seat and $7,600 for a coffee pot.
A cartoon of the time showed Reagan Secretary of Defence Caspar Weinberger wearing a $640 toilet seat around his neck. The scandal of waste of public funds was obvious.
And so now in Britain we have three stories which everyone can understand. First, Boris Johnson spent £2.6 million on a press room for White House style briefings. You could buy a luxurious house for that, instead of a room like a big cupboard with a couple of flags and a podium.
Some guesses say refurbishment should have cost closer to £20,000 than £2.6 million, and the White House style briefings have been cancelled.
Then, after leaks that Mr Johnson is short of cash and cannot manage on his prime minister’s salary, he and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds refurbished their Downing Street flat allegedly expecting to use political donations to the Conservative party.
And third, a former key adviser, Dominic Cummings, has publicly accused Mr Johnson of behaving in ways which are unethical, foolish and possibly illegal.
Mr Cummings is credited with winning the Brexit vote in 2016 by working brilliantly behind the scenes while Boris Johnson was his frontman and mouthpiece of the campaign. Mr Johnson then took Mr Cummings into a government post, but it was a disaster.
During the coronavirus lockdown, Mr Cummings, while experiencing symptoms of the virus, drove the length of England and claimed – incredibly – some of his driving was to check that his eyesight was fully functional, despite Covid-19.
Mr Johnson stuck with Mr Cummings then, although he did eventually fire him.
Now, amid further briefings and counter-briefings, Mr Cummings appears set on revenge. He knows where the secrets are buried. He had top level access and has retained copies of texts and other sensitive messages. He knows of those times when, to put it politely, Boris Johnson may not have lived up to the highest standards expected of a prime minister.
Mr Cummings says he will be happy to answer any and all questions at a public grilling by members of parliament. Political journalists therefore await a dramatic piece of political theatre that may confirm aspects of the prime minister’s character. And, yes, it is character, always character, which gets them in the end.
Gavin Esler is a broadcaster and UK columnist for The National
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
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Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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The%20Iron%20Claw
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Total eligible population
About 57.5 million people
51.1 million received a jab
6.4 million have not
Where are the unvaccinated?
England 11%
Scotland 9%
Wales 10%
Northern Ireland 14%
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
The%20specs
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The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The First Monday in May
Director: Andrew Rossi
Starring: Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, John Paul Gaultier, Rihanna
Three stars
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How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Barbie
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Kandahar%20
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
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Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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