Even if she were not 193 years old HM Queen could do nothing to rein in the Flatulent Leader: he acts illegally, he lies, he is inept, incompetent and brings shame on both his government and his country.  It is as nothing.  The only person who could in theory stop this appalling government – hell bent, if I’m any judge,  on self perpetuation – is the head of state, but she has been denuded of any real authority.

We need an elected president who could stand aloof from the fray, but with the power to intervene in the rare instance it is needed.

Let’s get one thing straight: I have not – repeat not – been offered a peerage. And if I had been, I would not accept it.  What was once held to be an “honour” has become a mark of shame.

The House of Lords has always had its “maverick” members – anybody remember old Bob Boothby, or Joe Kagan ?  But, as with so much we once held dear, under the Flatulent Leader, the place has taken on the aroma of a byre.

La famille Johnson, whatever they might like to think, are not royalty. In fact, they are one of the most hated and despised families in the kingdom – united as it, for the moment, remains.  Jo Johnson, who resigned from government and as an MP, to avoid the quandary in which he found loyalty to his brother diametrically opposed to duty to his country, nonetheless stoops to accept a peerage, granted by that same brother in face of his “achievements” – true he was a junior minister for a while, but his career was hardly distinguished. And in any even, if he were a man of honour he would tell his brother where to stick his ermine.

Other new peers include Ian Botham and Evgeny Lebedev.  The House of Lords is an antiquated second house, arguably beyond time for serious reform, but is still a body politic and has an important part to play in our national affairs (its role as a debating chamber, and more, during the Brexit discussions  cannot be over emphasised).  I will leave readers to judge for themselves whether Messrs Botham and Lebedev are of requisite calibre to participate in the drafting of our laws.

Spare a thought for Balliol College, Oxford: once the proudest, if not the most refined of Oxford colleges. True, Howard Marks was an alumni, but heck, we all make mistakes. Mistakes, yes, but when others include our Flatulent Leader and Ms Ghislaine Maxwell, you have to wonder quite what has gone wrong.

Give me the LSE any day.

Hysterical ?  Not so far ? You may be yet.  But hysteria  is no way to reach balanced judgement.  A comment in the press recently pointed out, quite rightly,  that the comparison drawn by some between Johnson et Al (and there in a word is the limitation of the classics set out for all to see, the words  should clearly read Johnson et Dom) to the Nazi regime are wide of the mark.  They are.  It is unthinkable that any British government would ever even contemplate some minor of the more minor atrocities committed by Hitler’s government. But that does not invalidate all comparison to the rise and concentration of the party through the depressed, demoralised Germany of the 1930s.

More tellingly, there are specks of comparison that can be made between Johnson’s rule and that of the dictator, Ioseb Dzhugashvili, better known as Stalin, which is not to say that Johnson is a mass murderer.  A key point is the ruthlessness with which any independent thought or opinion is no longer tolerated in his ruling party: members of the Party must be – and are – true believers, ability counts for nothing, or less.  The damage that they will inflict is simply disregarded as “collateral.”  And then there is the centralisation of power; the re-writing of history; distain for public opinion; the slogans;  the regime in which “one rule for us, one rule for them,” has become the norm.  Stalin tried to drive Russia into the twentieth century and reduced it to an economic husk: Brexit will do the same.  I will say one thing for Stalin: at least he bothered to comb his hair.

Be Stalin’s reputation as it may, Johnson’s already looks set: he will enter the history books as the most corrupt and most incompetent prime minister we have, yet, endured.  The writing is on the wall.

I heard a chilling comment today amid the mayhem of the re-imposed quarantine restrictions on voyagers from Spain. A “senior conservative with Spanish connections” said that in his opinion the blanket ban is entirely unjustifiable, and he thought the policy is driven more by an urge to damage European economies (at whatever cost to British travellers) than for safety and containment.

There was a time British government at least pretended to govern in our interests.

So, the “Russia Report” is to be published tomorrow. At last.  Word on the street is to expect nothing devastating; though to be on the safe side public sector pay rises will be announced simultaneously.  It makes no difference, Russian leaders must be laughing themselves stupid over the sheer incompetence and idiocy of the UK government.

Fear not: the Foreign Secretary has announced that work on trade deals with Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland is under way.

China?  That’s a bit more problematic.  It seems the Chinese are not all that keen on UK comments about Hong Kong affairs.  And then there’s Huawei.

Well, anyway, there’s still the US, our trusty friend, a global power.  They’ll see us right.  I wonder how an incoming President will view the relationship between successive Tory leaders and Donald Duck.  Maybe a trade deal across the Pond will not be top of the agenda.  And meanwhile, Don’s got us just where he wants us: over a barrel.  So we’re damned if he do, and we’re damned if he don’t.

At least we’re free of the pesky Europeans, and their wretched rules and regulations for which we as much as anybody, and more than most, were responsible.

During Lockdown Tim Taylor has produced a series of short programs exploring the background to – and memories of – Time Team, the iconic archaeology programme.  In one Francis Pryor, the grand old man of British landscape archaeology, commented as follows (apologies for any errors in my transcription): “… after Covid-19, corona virus. I think people are going back to basics. I think they are realising that some of the things that we take for granted, like, for example globalization: human beings have always in cultures in areas. Society is about relationships. It’s always been based on families and you can;t have this huge impersonal trade based world. There is more to life than just making money. And I think that is one of the things that is coming out of it and if we are ever going to get on top of climate change, which we have got to do, then we have got to stop jetting around the place like brain dead… you know. It’s mad, jetting off to Spain for a holiday. I mean: for God’s sake...”

Full interview can be found here: Teamtime Session 7

I have written to my MP 4 times of late.  First to say that her safety and that of her family should take priority when Parliament resumes sitting.  This was replied to with in one day.

The next 3 emails (25 June, 30 June and 4 July) asked if she could let me know the reason she voted against regular weekly tests for NHS and care workers.  To date, no reply or acknowledgement.

Representative government?

Chris Grayling’s record in office is well known: gaff after gaff, and none of them cheap.  So why would anybody, far less the prime minister charged with the responsibility of the safety and welfare of the country imagine for a moment that he is an appropriate person to sit on – far less chair – the Commons Intelligence Committee?

On the subject of the Intelligence Committee – their report on Russian interference is still awaited. Why?  What is the prime minister so scared of?  The truth, perhaps?