Will David Moyes West Ham go one better than the team of 76 and lift the Europa League trophy?

West Ham United stand on the brink of their first European final for 46 years. Those of us old enough to remember will already be aware of the parallels. Back in 1976, West Ham also drew Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-final of the then European Cup Winners Cup. It was one of the great cup nights at the old Boleyn ground. West Ham 2-1 down from the first leg, ran out 3-1 winners on the night, so going through 4-3 on aggregate. The victory was inspired by a brilliant performance from Trevor Brooking, who scored two of the goals on the night. The 1976 cup run had been an up and down affair, with West Ham always playing away in the first leg. They drew those first legs against Reipa Lahti (2-2) and Ararat Yeravan (1-1) before winning the home legs 3-0 and 3-1 respectively. The quarter final against Den Haag,though, saw West Ham lose the first leg in Holland before turning things round in the home leg, with a 3-1 win - going through on away goals. Unfortunately, things unravelled in the final, with West Ham losing 4-2 against Belgium club Anderlecht, who were hosting, so had home advantage. Anderlecht's Francois Van Der Elst starred that night, scoring twice. Van Der Elst later joined West Ham starring for a couple of seasons (1981-83). He sadly died in 2017. David Moyes team are different from the boys of 76, though they share the team spirit and gritty determination to succeed. The question is whether Moyes team will go one step further. Another, parallel that owners and supporters will no doubt be aware of was a failure in 76 to subsequently provide the funds for then manager John Lyall to strengthen his team They were a good young side, made up of youth team products like goalkeeper Mervyn Day and Kevin Lock supplimented by some inspired bargain signings such as Billy Jennings (Watford) and Keith Robson (Newcastle). The team won the FA Cup in 1975 and were riding high in the league till Christmas in the 75/76 season. However, the loss in the Cup Winners Cup final came as a big blow. There were no new signings, the team struggled and were relegated in the 78/9 season. There has been much debate this season about West Ham's failure to make signings in January. Premier League form has suffered in recent weeks, with the team reduced to playing one recognised centre back (Craig Dawson). Let's hope history does not repeat itself and Moyes team can go one step further and win the Europa League. Then, that the club make the signings so desperately needed in the summer, if Moyes brave footballing venture is to progress further.

Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here

The latest nasty immigration policy from this government sees it going to elaborate lengths to recreate transportation for the 21st century - only this time to Rwanda, instead of Australia, with the victims desperate refugees rather than unfortunate souls deemed to have broken the laws of empire. What is it with this country? The Home Office has been able to build up a cruel, inhumane system in the shadows over recent decades to deal with a few desperate people who come here seeking sanctuary. The victims are constantly demonised as representing a threat, instead of just needing help. Now, there is a new development which amounts to a hierarchy of victimhood. So a refugee from Ukraine is treated more sympathetically than one from Afghanistan, despite the suffering in both instances likely to be equally grave. (Though, the grinding sloth of the system in dealing with Ukrainians has not put them in that much better situation.) Then, there are those who are so desperate, that they risk all in a final thrust to try to reach sanctuary coming across the Channel. These few thousand people apparently offer a special threat to Priti Patel and the others who guard the gates of the fifth largest economy in the world. It really is time the government of this country stopped behaving in such an insecure and despicable manner to those who simply come here seeking help. Stop, seeing anyone who is different in some way as the other and a threat. Britain might be an island nation but it has never previously sought to cut itself off from the wider world in such a way. It has always risen to the call to care for others, who are less fortunate. Indeed, that spirit is visible in abundance amongst the general population, who have opened their doors to refugees from Ukraine. The government though is something else, time for it to stop behaving so badly and reflect the generosity of spirit of the British people. So, say it loud and say it clear refugees are welcome here!!

Millions going to foodbanks, poverty on the rise, time to introduce a Universal Basic Income

The number of people using foodbanks has risen incredibly over recent years. The Covid pandemic saw increasing numbers seeking help. Now with food and energy prices rising, the foodbanks are expecting to be busier than ever. These voluntary bodies could be the difference between many people having to choose, whether they eat or have heat. The statistics make for shocking reading, with the number of people going to foodbanks rising from 25,000 in 2008/9 to 2.5 million in 2020/21 (source:Trussell Trust). The numbers going to foodbanks in London has gone from 11,800 in 2011/12 to 421,000 in 2021. There are now 2,200 foodbanks operating in the UK (source: House of Commons library). That is 900 more outlets than Macdonald's. The question remains as to why in the fifth largest economy in the world, millions have to go to foodbanks - it is a national disgrace One of the major reasons people go to foodbanks is due to benefit issues. This can be due to delays in receiving benefits, like Universal Credit. Also, the inadequately low level of benefits. Things improved for many of the poorest in society when the £20 a week extra was added to Universal Credit during Covid. Unfortunately, this was taken away by the government as Covid eased, thrusting many back into poverty. There are also those on benefits and accessing foodbanks, who do low paid work. So effectively bad employers are being subsidised by everyone else. One move that could see some of the pressure eased on the poorest would be the introduction of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) for everyone This would provide a basic threshold income, below which no one would fall. The idea has been trialed in a number of places, including Finland and parts of the US. There is also a three year project ongoing in Wales, focusing on those leaving care. The deployment of the furlough scheme, for some during the pandemic, was also based on UBI principles. In countries where trialed, UBI has helped reduce poverty and not proved a disincentive to work. Introduction of UBI would be a major move toward reducing those needing foodbank support and living in poverty in the UK. The increasing numbers living in poverty is the result of political decisions, it must be time to reverse the indices in favour of the poorest in society. Introducing UBI would be a move be a radical move, that would help address the national disgrace of so many struggling just to provide food for the table.

Review of The 47th , the Old Vic

A brilliant performance from Bertie Carvel as Donald Trump illuminates this engaging play about power and democracy, as the former president returns to the race in 2024. The amazing performance of Carvel is worth the admission money alone. Entering on a golf buggy before missing his putt, the Trump character tramples through the political jungle like a bull elephant. The hair, the orange tan, the swagger and asides are mesmerising in this portrayal. The foil for Trump is vice president Kamala Harris, brilliantly played by Tamara Tunie. Displaying an energy, that visibly increases, when she becomes President, Harris represents the voice of reason and rationality versus the motivator of the mob. The mob, though, are never far from the scene, with horned headress wearing 'QAnon shaman' , who debuted in the riots at the Capitol in 2021, always to the forefront - in fact probably too much so. Another excellent performance comes from Lydia Wilson as a Machiavellian Ivanka Trump, scheming to sideline her brothers before taking over as Donald's political heir. Miriam Buether's set tilts and revolves, helping contribute to the momentum of events, from riots and prison scenes to the Whitehouse control room during the coup attempt. Mike Bartlett's script embraces a Shakespearean backdrop, with the distinctive blank verse usage, illuminating links to Julius Caesar, such as when Trump betrays Ted Cruz to grab the Republican nomination. Then there are resonations with King Lear, Macbeth and Richard III. The humour, though, is never far away, such as when Trump, imprisoned in Guantanemo style orange, muses to Harris about his Mandela moment - "the long walk to freedom." But there are also underlying serious political questions, such as whether Trump represents fascism in 21st century form and whether Harris and Biden have really done much to stop a Trumpian re-emergence in 2024? What has changed - the underlying disparities of the capitalist system remain, increasing and making more people feel disempowered? The 47th is well worth going to see, a nicely crafted production by Rupert Goold, yet somehow it does fall a little short. Overly long, the narrative labours at times and rehashes too much old political ground. The effort to bridge between satire and slapstick using Shakespearean type blank verse is an ambitious ask that sometimes falls flat. However, there is plenty here to both amuse and raise concerns as to what 2024 holds for the US and the world. The play provides much food for thought - definitely worth a viewing.

Radical changes needed to the way we live

The news that obesity levels amongst 10 year olds grew to 25% during the pandemic should concern everyone. Some 10.7% more children in the most deprived decile are obese compared to the least deprived decile. Obesity was not the only collateral damage from the measures imposed over the pandemic, with alcohol related deaths up and mental health problems increasing expedentially. The obesity problem has much to do with our increasingly unhealthy way of living Lack of exercise, with increasing numbers of sedentary jobs. So many people work in front of a computer screen, as well as being locked to their mobile phones for work and leisure. Exercise is less part of daily routines and more a leisure time activity to be undertaken as and when. Then there are the deficient diets of so many people. Unless, there is some radical changes in the way people live, life expectancy is going to shift into a reverse free fall The generations that have been living longer were born post second world war. They had healthy diets and active lifestyles. Now the reverse is becoming the norm. Advances in health treatment also helped increase life expectancy in the past but the cutting of NHS budgets over the past 10 years has contributed to the reversal now taking place. Not to mention that had successive governments invested rather than cut the NHS, the country would have been far better prepared to deal with Covid. What we need now is to promote more active lifestyles and better diets. So much of what has gone on over recent decades has amounted to backward steps People used to walk and cycle to school. Now we struggle to get them out of their cars and back to that form of travel. There does also need to be massive investment in the NHS, so that it can cope with the demands as they arise. The pandemic offered a wake up call regarding dangerous trends in our society, the time has come now to heed those warnings and radically change the way we live.

The need for energy security cannot mean ditching zero carbon target

The dangers represented by climate change across the world have not gone away. Some might believe they had, listening to a variety of people talking about the energy crisis in light of the Ukraine war. The need to sanction the country, that much of the world, including the UK, has become, at least partially dependent on, for energy, namely Russia, has created dilemmas. The British Government's answer appears to be to move from dependency on one pariah state to another, namely Saudi Arabia, for oil supplies. But the framing of the debate is telling. In one news program, the opening question was can the UK continue with its goal of hitting zero carbon emissions by 2050, when faced with energy security issues? This betrays that for many the destruction of the climate, remains a back burner issue, something that can be dealt with when affordable and convenient. In other words, not an urgent issue, which threatens to dwarf all others, if it is not seriously addressed now, Arguably had successive governments over the past 10 years not so systematically undermined efforts to roll out comprehensive renewable energy solutions, then the UK would have less dependency and more energy security. The phasing out of the Feed in Tariff scheme, brought in by the last Labour government, which made individual houses into micro generators via the panels on their roofs is a case in point. Not that everything the present government has done in this area is bad. The commitments on phasing out fossil fuel supplied vehicles and gas boilers are admirable. Though whether the targets of the next 10 years are achievable depends on priority and resourcing. The real issue though is whether such solutions are viewed as part of the energy security equation or a luxury that can be continually delayed. In a perverse sort of way, the effects of the war in Ukraine by pushing up fuel prices can lead to more people switching to things like electric vehicles, heat pumps and solar and photovoltaic panel systems. The problem will be that without a mobilisation of wealth and support from government to make these switches possible for everyone, rather than just the wealthy few, the contribution will continue to be minimal. So the present crisis raises many issues, the danger of higher prices for fossil fuels that damage the planet, leading to greater dependence on pariah states like Saudi Arabia. Or a crisis that provides an opportunity to accelerate cleaner more renewable ways of living. It will be interesting to see what direction the country takes - the future of the planet could depend on it.