Sydney Sweeney
One usually does not know ahead of time who will be the leading male / female star of their generation. But in terms of the leaderboard in these matters as far as the latter grouping is concerned, it would appear that following Margot Robbie, Sydney Sweeney is now at the top of the list. This has been achieved not only through talent and charisma, but through recent newsflow.
Ms Sweeney is currently the favourite to be the next Bond Girl, something which given the extended delay since No Time To Die, and speculation regarding the next James Bond actor, is something to get the showbiz columns buzzing incessantly for the near future. That said, what may have propelled the 27 year old actress to the top of the tree is the white supremacy controversy regarding her modelling jeans for retailer American Eagle. Of course, the brand itself, even for people who have never heard of it, does give off vibes of Uncle Sam, John Wayne and cowboys, not far off being a Marlboro Man kind of concept for the 21st century in its own field.
What is interesting is how the tagline of the ad “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” has morphed into the implied “genes” and the stoked all the hubbub about Sweeney, not only being good looking (also implied), but by extrapolation in some people’s eyes, of being good looking because she is blonde and white. The white bit is perhaps something of a stretch and a subjective inference, as models by definition are supposed to be better than the rest of us because they look better than us. They are people we would like to look like.
Adding fire to the controversy is the insinuation that Sweeney reportedly being a member of the Republican party means that she would be sympathetic to far-right views which embrace the idea of being white, as being a sign of racial supremacy. American Eagle, no doubt as happy with the publicity this week as Coldplay were regarding the recent “kiss cam” incident, gushing regarding the how everyone can enjoy their product. In fact, it would appear that social media has been the driver of the supremacist conspiracy, and of course the so-called Woke media. The Guardian has dug up the 1980 Calvin Klein jeans advertisement, with a then 15 year old Brooke Shields. Presumably today her age and her colour would have caused an even greater stir, if it saw the light of day at all.
What is perhaps most ironic in an age of diverse casting even in period dramas, and hardly an advertisement of any kind not showcasing human diversity, that the elephant in the room is a campaign that does not contain any diversity. That said, we will await with interest who might succeed Ms Sweeney for American Eagle when the time comes.
Stomach Churning Turnberry
Of course, we know that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is no classical leader, no chat show host, or wit. But even by his standards, squirming like a toad in a press conference with President Trump, we were treated to the kind of stomach churning embarrassment that one might have been treated to in an episode of The Office.
Indeed, it is difficult to work out whether his rabbit (being shot) in the headlights body language was the worst aspect, or the few words he said, in response to Trump. Stating that Sadiq Khan was his friend, as Trump said he was “nasty” was awkward beyond belief, as was his conscientious assertion that the small boats crisis was being addressed with how well it was going in terms of the number of people being returned. The press were perhaps rather gentler on Starmer than the ordinary population, with Sky News suggesting “Starmer ran the gauntlet with Trump but just about emerged intact.” If emerging intact was a physical reference, then yes, he still had his arms and legs, but little else. Anyone else in a normal job / business setting, might have resigned. Alternatively, next time, if there is a next time, they would send someone else: perhaps not Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister.
But if Sky News was correct in suggesting that Sir Keir survived the ordeal, it was because of the President. Trump having already (unaccountably) decided that Starmer is a great man with a great (nasal / nerdy / robotic sounding) English accent, has been giving our PM the benefit of the doubt on an industrial scale. This has helped this country come out among the best in terms of the tariffs debacle, something which we should be truly grateful. What has also been helpful is that none of Trump’s briefing team, if there is one, has told him the level of unpopularity this government has, and particularly the Prime Minister. One would have thought that at least Nigel Farage might have provided a few pointers. Therefore, the near 90 minute televised meeting also partially undermined President Trump as he came across like an old man whose family had not told him a beloved pet had died, especially with regard to how the UK is outside the perimeter fence of his golf course.
The Brexit Remorse Poll
Given that immigration is up, red tape is up, we have had a cost of living crisis and a pandemic, the past 9 years since the Brexit vote have not been a party in the UK for most. Indeed, in the past year we have lost thousands of tax paying, job producing millionaires, and taxes are set to go higher. All of this means that the money saved from not paying out EU membership, which used to be around £19bn a year, nearly £200bn since 2016 has not really touched the sides. That is if it has not already been deployed on the Welfare State, and other bottomless pit causes. Indeed, for most of us, just travelling on our holidays to Europe is a reason to have remained in the bloc. Standing in a second rate queue and then having our passport stamped as if we are from a third world country is probably enough in its own right to make us beg too re-join. Indeed, a Sunday Times poll has found that fewer than a third of voters would back leaving the EU now if there was a voted held today. In addition, nearly half would back a new referendum. This is not surprising given the lay of the land over the past 9 years. The older, more Brexit voters would have died off naturally, and then did so even more because of the pandemic. New migrant voters and the young, also explain the shift down from 52% voting to leave.
But perhaps the real reason for the change since 2016 is the way that the State (Parliament, Judiciary, and leading institutions, as well as those who work there) have all been Remain, and have helped to make the pain of the last 9 years even more of a reason to re-join the EU. Rather than fighting the allied forces of the Establishment, it would appear that voters are either acquiescing, or have simply changed their minds.
