Hello from Westminster, metaphorically! I’m Marie Le Conte and I’m finding this row on taxes to be quite head-spinningly meta. Since Tuesday night’s debate, hacks, wonks, politicians and assorted nerds have been locked in a never ending debate on whether Labour would put up taxes by £2,000, whether it matters, and whether we should be talking about it at all . For the sake of your sanity and mine, I’ve decided to swerve the spat altogether and head over to Orange County instead, where things have been altogether more whimsical.
Coming to an amusement park near you (probably) Has anyone in British politics had more fun over the past year than Sir Ed Davey? The Liberal Democrat leader has been in post for four years, but only started coming into his own when the government began triggering endless by-elections. Just under three years ago, his party won Chesham and Amersham from the Conservatives, with a whopping 25 per cent swing. They celebrated by building a blue wall of cardboard boxes, handing Davey a little yellow hammer and – well, you can picture the rest.
The stunt was cheesy and enjoyably cringe, and footage of it was everywhere for a few days. It marked the beginning of an important love story, between a 50-something man and increasingly silly photo ops. Since the election was called two weeks ago, Davey has been filmed and photographed paddle-boarding on a lake, drumming along to “We Will Rock You” while balancing on an exercise ball, playing a game of.
