Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has prophesied the demise of the European Union within the next 10 years on the heels of the UK’s departure from the European Union.
In an interview with LBC Britain, the staunchly pro-Brexit leader proclaimed that, “I don’t think there will be a European Union in 10 years’ time.”
Mr Farage went on to say that the UK has “set the standard” and that in “a year or two” we will see the same sentiment that fuelled Brexit in “a lot more mainstream opinion across European politics.”
“What people will come to understand including the younger generation is that the point about being independent is that democracy is vibrant and becomes real. We will really be in charge when we vote in general elections of laws that directly effect us. I really do not see that being reversed, at least I hope not,” Mr Farage said.
The Brexit campaign veteran pointed to Italy, Poland and Hungary as being among the prime Eurosceptic nations that may bring about the downfall of Brussels’ unionist project.
“The bitterness, division the agony of the last four and a half years of much of our establishment trying to overturn the democratic will of the people, that is over. Just look at what is happening in Brussels, the Polish and the Hungarians vetoed the budget. You have got a Eurozone that is driving the south into deeper and deeper poverty. I think at some point Italy will just have to leave that Eurozone.”
While he declared that in the case of the UK, “the Brexit wars are over,” Mr Farage also stressed that he had wished the UK pursued the option of a no-deal Brexit.
“I would have much rather gone for no deal, accepted the short-term pain and been freed in every way from everything from these dreadful people in the European Commission. But I knew in practical terms that was never going to happen because it would have reopened the split within the Conservative Party … So the good thing about this deal is number one it is not an EU treaty, that is great news. Number two it actually ends the Brexit wars.”
The UK ceased following EU rules at 23:00 GMT on December 31, following the coming into force of new travel, trade, immigration and security arrangements as part of the country’s departure from the EU. Just after, Prime Minister Boris Johnson triumphantly declared that the UK had “freedom in our hands” and the ability to do things “differently and better” now the long Brexit process was over.
Early in December a debate began to simmer on social media over the resemblance of two popular women’s empowerment books released in 2020: Chidera Eggerue’s How to Get Over a Boy (published in February by Quadrille Publishing) and Florence Given’s Women Don’t Owe You Pretty (published in July by Cassell Illustrated).
Comparisons between the two have circulated for some time. Given and Eggerue, who is also known as The Slumflower, are both influencers (people with large followings and marketing influence on social media) and both promote a message of self-love, acceptance, and body positivity.
Earlier this month, Eggerue and some of her followers accused Given of copying two of her books: How to Get Over a Boy and her debut, What a Time to be Alone. This sparked fresh questions over similarities between their works in terms of style and content.
Both of the women’s books are eye-catching, with vibrant covers, large text, and colourful illustrations throughout. Eggerue claims her books sparked a new wave of self-help literature “that had never been seen before”.
While at first glance it could appear as though we’re looking at a copycat case, we shouldn’t forget that publishers like trends and will try to cash in on what’s popular. The cover style of both Given and Eggerue’s books chime with design trends from 2019, from their plain large fonts to their use of colour and illustration. Searching for either book on platforms such as Google and Amazon often brings up the other, and the latter even bundles the two author’s books together.
Popular feminist books targeted at a mainstream audience are nothing new. Over the last 15 years there have been dozens of light, easy-to-read feminist texts, often with the aim of making feminism “fun”, “cool”, and even “sexy”. Laura Bates’ Girl Up (2016) in particular bears the most resemblance to these newer self-help books in the way it challenges sexist expectations through humour and quirky illustrations.
(Chidera Eggerue/Instagram)
But there are countless examples: from Jessica Valenti’s Full Frontal Feminism (2007) to Holly Baxter and Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett’s The Vagenda (2015), books like Ellie Levenson’s The Noughtie Girl’s Guide to Feminism (2009), Caitlin Moran’s How to be a Woman (2011), or Polly Vernon’s Hot Feminist (2015). While these books can vary in approach and style, a number put forward similar messages – personal empowerment, self-love, and the right to choose.
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Some of these books have been criticised for selling self-help as a solution to injustice, rather than working with others for political and social change. In academia, feminists argue that popular feminism is at best a diluted form of feminism that treats it simply as a form of self-help focused on “what’s right for me” – a brand which can be packaged and sold.
What all these books have in common is their desire to make feminism accessible to their readers, which isn’t a bad thing in itself. It has long been argued that feminism has an “image problem”, and that it is no longer needed in the west. It has also has been declared unappealing and irrelevant to young women by newspapers and in polls run by OnePoll and the online community Netmums.
This lack of visibility for other texts means a rich wealth of ideas and thoughts are not being heard outside niche spaces
Academic feminist literature meanwhile has been criticised for tending to be theory-heavy and filled with impenetrable jargon. Matters are not helped by such texts being inaccessible to the general public, often being placed behind paywalls or published as costly hardbacks. This leaves a gap which popular feminism fills whether through blogs, social media posts, or affordable paperbacks.
However, this is where the world of marketing tends to step in to “save feminism” through rebranding exercises. It’s a process which often involves mainstream women’s magazines such as ELLE, Stylist, Grazia, or Cosmopolitan hiring advertising agencies to make feminism fashionable and challenge negative stereotypes of angry, un-girly feminists. As with popular feminism books, these attempts have varied in quality.
Since the 1990s, young feminists’ writing has been criticised for being focused on personal anecdotes at the expense of theory and now is no different. Popular feminism is often skewered by critics of being superficial, fluffy, apolitical, individualised, and consumer-driven.
(Florence Given/Instagram)
Reading around the subject, you’ll find different labels used to describe this brand of feminism, including: “popular feminism”, “new feminism”, “young feminism”, “consumer feminism”, “choice feminism”, “neoliberal feminism”, and “mainstream feminism”. Whatever the label, the objection is the same: that feminist ideology is being commodified, de-fanged, and made attractive to a general audience.
Popular feminist books are often designed to appeal to younger readers, rather than those well versed in feminist theory. Eggerue makes it clear that she used an easy-to-read writing style because she didn’t want her book to intimidate readers.
Why feminist books look similar
These books all look and sound the same because they are meant to be starting platforms for those who are new and curious about sexism, inequality, and feminism. They click with younger readers and I’m sure there will be more to come aimed at future generations.
What’s more difficult though, is bridging the gap between these “starter” 101 books and more challenging, critical texts. While the former are more readily marketable and appealing to publishers, the latter still tends to occupy less visible spaces. This lack of visibility for other feminist texts means a rich wealth of ideas and thoughts are not being heard outside niche spaces like academia and activist circles.
On the flip side, feminist voices dominating mainstream spaces are selling women the idea that social and political inequalities can be simply overcome through self-will and self-improvement: “You go girl!”
Rebecca Wray is a critical psychologist and specialist mental health mentor at Leeds Beckett University. This article first appeared on The Conversation
As we step into a new decade, Hinduism, and its interpretation and practice, will play an increasingly pivotal role. We have seen the manifestation of ‘hard’ political Hindutva, wedded to the goal of a Hindu Rashtra. It stands discredited not for its evangelism, but for its lack of knowledge of the basics of Hinduism. Another label bandied about is ‘soft’ Hindutva, but with no real clarity about what it means. Since India is a deeply religious country, such notions need to be investigated before they distort the role religion plays in politics and, indeed, in our lives.
Uday Deb
The pejorative phrase ‘soft Hindutva’ is an outcome of a curious – if unintended – collusion between the ultra-Hindu right and the ultra-liberal left. The supporters of political Hindutva believe that they have a monopoly over public display of religion (PDR). They are overt in their passionate – and sometimes fanatical – belief in the need to project, promote and impose their warped view of Hinduism. Thus, they view PDR by any other section of the political class, as an attempt to usurp their ordained public space through a weak imitation, ‘soft’ as against their ‘hard’ religious commitment.
The ultra-liberal left is dismissive about religion per se, and believes that any public show of personal religious fealty by politicians is a betrayal of secularism. For its votaries, political Hindutva can be countered not by a saner practice of religion, but by not practising religion at all, least of all publicly.
I wonder what Mahatma Gandhi would have thought of these unseemly definitional shenanigans. He was, as Nehru said, ‘a Hindu to the innermost depth of his being’. During his first jail term in South Africa (January 1908), he read Rajayoga, commentaries on the Gita. During his second incarceration (October-December 1908) he read the Bhagwad Gita almost every day.
During his third imprisonment (February-May 1909) he read the Veda-Shabda-Sangana, the Upanishads, the Manusmriti, Patanjali’s Yoga Shastra, and re-read the Gita. One of the first books published by his International Press in Phoenix, Natal, was an abridged version of Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, which, as he wrote in his autobiography, was ‘the greatest book in all devotional literature’.
He did not, therefore, see anything wrong in espousing the utopia of Ram Rajya. But – and this is critically important – he combined his staunch belief in Hinduism with the fullest respect for all religions.
Let us take another example. Madan Mohan Malviya (1861-1946) was four times the president of the Indian National Congress, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, and like him a devout Hindu. When, as a member of the Congress, he founded the Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha, for the welfare of Hindus and Hinduism, was he practising soft Hindutva or merely following his personal faith? He is credited for having begun the aarti puja at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar – which continues to this day – and the setting up of organisations for the protection of the cow, and for a cleaner Ganga.
He is also the iconic founder of the Banaras Hindu University, from where, as its vice-chancellor, he published a magazine called Sanatan Dharma to promote religious and dharmic interests. The national slogan – Satyameva Jayate – taken from the Mundaka Upanishad, was also his contribution. Did all of this make him a proud Hindu immersed in his faith, or just a practitioner of soft Hindutva, uncritically emulating Savarkar and the RSS?
Our assessments need to get away from such knee-jerk categorisations and aspire to a more reflective inquiry. The truth is that when Hinduism is reduced to cynical tokenism for short-term political dividends, it is soft Hindutva. When it is devalued to illiterate aggression for long-term political gain, it is political Hindutva. Both these extremes are a deliberate ploy to make genuine Hindus lose agency of the way they wish to practice their religion in conformity with republican values, democratic principles and constitutional secularism.
Swami Vivekananda, the towering symbol of Hindu renaissance, would have been impatient of such categorisations of ‘soft’ or ‘hard’. His mission was to espouse an enlightened and inclusive form of Hinduism sans hatred, intolerance and violence. Once, when he was berated by conservative Hindu critics for staying with a Muslim lawyer in Mount Abu, he expostulated: ‘Sir, what do you mean? I am a sanyasin. I am above all your social conventions … I am not afraid of God because he sanctions it. I am not afraid of the scriptures, because they allow it. But I am afraid of you people and your society. You know nothing of God and the scriptures. I see Brahman everywhere manifested through even the meanest creature. For me there is nothing high or low. Shiva, Shiva!’
Hinduism deserves a true renaissance based on its great wisdoms. But this will require its followers to study their religious legacy, and prevent its distortion by ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ Hindutva-vadis.
Lord Ram in the Ramayana says: ‘Janani Janambhoomischa Swargadapi Gariyasi’ – Mother and motherland are superior to heaven. Today, our motherland requires social harmony and stability to realise her destiny of becoming one of the great nations of the world. If Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call, ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas’, is not to become just an expedient slogan, it must be based on Swami Vivekananda’s vision and on Mahatma Gandhi’s inclusiveness.
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The day after the UK left the European Union, we spoke to some of the people working in industries that will be most affected by the historic national departure
We talked to six people on how Brexit could change their lives…
Mick Graham, 51, car worker for 32 years, Unite convenor, Jaguar Land Rover, Solihull: “It is good that we are not going to have tariffs at the borders.
“That was the big issue for car production.
“But there are still real concerns around the custom checks and any delays that may be caused in our supply chain.
Europe.
“And there are not just about big suppliers to consider. They in turn will be taking parts from second and third tier suppliers.
“You may be looking at a tiny part like a grommet for a harness; that is just one example, but without it, the harness will not work.
“That fact that we have a deal is a relief; I think that even a bad deal would be better than no deal.”
The fisherman
Andrew Locker has 20 years of experience at sea(Image: Daily Mirror)
Fisherman say they are facing increasing hostility in UK waters with angry Spanish rivals blocking their way.
Andrew Locker, 43, who has 20 years experience at sea, says they are desperate to reclaim the UK waters which are the most “profitable in the world”.
But competitors, who until recently have been amiable, have allegedly been carrying out some dirty tricks as the Brexit deadline looms.
Andrew, who runs Lockers Trawlers Limited in Whitby, reveals how they are facing increasing “conflict” from Spanish long liners.
“The main grievance of fishermen of my generation is that we do not govern our own waters,” he said.
“The UK waters are the most profitable in the world.
“When Brexit was first put on the cards…we were told it would be so easy to reclaim our own sovereign waters for the benefit of the UK fishermen.
“Automatically overnight, we would be better off and no longer have to go cap in hand to the EU for quotas to be able to fish in our own waters.
“Every single fisherman in the UK, well 99 per cent voted for Brexit. We were told it was the easiest deal ever, to get our waters back.
“But it was never going to be that easy.
He says in recent months there has been a lot more “conflict” at sea.
“We do see Spanish longliners shooting lots and lots of lines of up to 40 miles of baited hooks across profitable fishing grounds,” he said.
Since 1974 the UK has been bound by the EU’s rules, including its Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
That means the fishing fleets of every country have to share.
They all have full access to each other’s waters, apart from the first 12 nautical miles (14 miles) out from the coast.
EU ministers gather for marathon talks every December to haggle over the volume of fish that can be caught from each species.
National quotas are then divided up which UK fishermen claim leaves them missing out.
But despite the bounty in UK waters, they do not supply many fish and chip shops back home because they lose out to cheaper imports.
“This is what Brexit will bring us hopefully, the chance to supply our own fish and chip shops again,” he added.
In 2018 there were 12,000 fishermen in the UK and 2,400 working part time.
The haulier
Mike Ponsonby owns a haulage firm based in Lichfield
Mike Ponsonby owns a haulage firm based in Lichfield, Staffs, which operates 14 trucks and employs 15 drivers.
The company, called MA Ponsonby, which was founded by his grandfather, has already lost out on an application for international road haulage permits to travel through European countries.
Mike explains that demand outstripped supply by more than ten to one.
While Britain was in the single market, these permits, called ECMTs, were not needed.
“We cross borders on a daily basis, sometimes on a twice daily basis,” says Mike.
“The impact on MA Ponsonby will be considerable.
“At this stage, we have no permits available to us for cross-border transportation.
“Apart from that there are other considerable changes, the delivery driver now has to carry all official original MOT and insurance documents with him.
“The driver is also required to carry an international driving permit, which is only available from the Post Office.
The implications for the haulage industry are “enormous”(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“The implications are enormous. As a result of all that we have declined two loads to go to Paris in the first week of January, and that has cost us a four-figure sum.
“It was a delivery for a company in Bromsgrove which manufactures cold rooms for supermarkets.
“We just don’t know what the situation is going to be and we don’t want to get caught up in the massive congestion problem in Kent. We are extremely cautious.”
Mike says he and other hauliers were repeatedly asked for their opinions as part of the Brexit consultation process, but these views were “ignored” by the Government.
“We said right from the very beginning that if the Government re-introduces cross-border documents, which we haven’t seen since 1991, then it will lead to long delays at all ports, especially Dover and Calais, with Dover being the pinch-point because there are so many trucks every day.
“We were consulted but they ignored pretty much every point we made. We were warning of these matters for years.
“The great advantage of the single market, which Margaret Thatcher approved, was frictionless trade, you could drive from Bradford to Bremen and not have to stop at all except for toilet breaks and fuel.
“I’m optimistic that we can maintain 100% utilisation of the fleet despite the fact that there will be severe inhibitions caused by cross-border documentation. But we just don’t know what will happen.”
The sheep farmer
Wyn Evans’ family have been farming in the Ystwyth Valley for over 500 years.(Image: Adrian White Photography)
Sheep farmers breathed a sigh of relief at Boris Johnson ’s deal but are still bracing themselves for the long term impacts of Brexit.
Wyn Evans, the NFU Wales livestock board chairman, who farms sheep and beef himself in Ceredigion, explained the entire industry is gearing up for the challenge ahead.
He told The Mirror: “I am totally and utterly relieved that we have got this deal. I am breathing a huge sigh of relief.
“Of course the best deal we could have had would have been the relationship we had before but this deal will give us continuation of tariff free trade which is vitally important.,
“There will be a friction though, we understand that, there will be more costs in trading with the EU than there were before but on the whole it’s very good news indeed and we can concrete our future trading relationship with our nearest trading partners now.”
Brexit signals big changes for UK companies(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The trade with France is crucial for Welsh sheep farmers in particular, of the 40 per cent of lamb exported from Wales, 90 per cent is sold to Europe.
But Mr Evans explained that even a deal with Europe could still create problems.
He said: “I think we might have some problems going forward in terms of multiple drop-offs of livestock.”
However Mr Evans added that despite any short term problems the sheep farming industry is determined to adapt and continue trading with their long term partners in Europe.
He said: “This is what the country voted for and this deal is better than a no deal and we will just make the best of it from now on.
“I don’t want to come across as a negative Remoaner, I was a remainer, I voted to remain because I knew how much my industry traded with Europe.
“But I do accept the result totally and utterly, but what we wanted and we needed as an industry is a deal with Europe and for us to have an amicable relationship with them moving forward.
“We cannot forget they are out nearest trading partners, a customer base of 500m people on our doorstep and they take 96 per cent of our exported lamb overall.
“I was out in Rungis market in Paris last year where they handle 12,000 UK lamb carcasses a week and they assured me there would still be demand for our product post-Brexit.
“But in a no deal scenario we just wouldn’t have been able to pay the tariff so it would have made us uncompetitive within the EU.”
The small business
Will Fugard’s business exports a lot of goods to the continent(Image: DAILY MIRROR)
Will Fugard is chief executive and co-founder of Gusto Organic.
The firm imports raw ingredients from Holland, Italy, Spain and Mexico for its premium, ethical and fair-trade drinks which it produces in Devon.
It has already been hit with the problems at the ports with ingredients stuck in transit in Europe and containers of drinks headed for Singapore for Christmas stuck this side of the channel.
More than a third of the firm’s business is export to Europe and beyond.
Will, 50, says while he is relieved the potential deadlock on flow of goods from the UK to Europe has been lifted he is still wary of the broader implications of this deal on trade for food and beverage businesses such as his.
He said: “We may still be stepping into a bureaucratic nightmare with added paperwork around certification and details such as country of origin – in short what appears to be free trade may actually not quite deliver on that.
“We would hope that trade would be tariff free and goods could pass into Europe without needing additional label information for compliance – this will become clearer over the coming weeks.
“My position is cautious optimism that we can move forward, tempered with a wariness that the deal might not deliver free and frictionless trade in an effective way. Having to change packaging is a massive headache for any business.”
Will says the uncertainty around deal or no deal has meant a large chunk of his business has disappeared, with around 30% of export business to Europe on hold.
He added: “Our European buyers are wary of making a commitment because of the continued uncertainty around tariffs and labelling.
“I’ve also got the impression from conversations that the perception of UK businesses from abroad has been damaged during the Brexit negotiations and we will need to do a lot of work to repair that.
“The turmoil at the ports pre-Christmas has brought home just how critical that bit of water between us and France is. It feels very much like we are a small island again.”
The cleaner
Ania Gracz plans to stay in the UK
For Polish cleaner Ania Gracz, 43, of Lewisham, South London, the Brexit vote has not changed her affection for her adopted country.
After ensuring she can stay through the Government’s Settled Status scheme, she has every intention of staying in the capital, where she lives in a rented flat.
“I came here in 2005 from Poland,” says Ania.
“In Poland at that time it wasn’t a very good money situation, so I thought I would come to England just for two years and then I would go back.
“When I went back to Poland I didn’t like it, so I came back here!
“I was much happier here. Of course I miss my family but there are many differences between Britain and Poland.
“I much prefer the mentality here than in my country.
“I had to apply for settled status about a year ago. There are differences now but I think it’s more to do with the pandemic than Brexit.
“It has become hard to get a job, but I have never had a problem with work. I don’t think it’s about Brexit.”
Asked whether the referendum has changed people’s attitudes towards Polish people, Ania replied: “For me it’s still the same.
“Most British people are still nice. I always feel welcome and have not suffered any racism.
“I’m always welcomed with a smile.
“Of course there are bad people but I never had this situation. That’s why I’m here.
“Believe me, if I didn’t like people here I would not be here. I do not stay anywhere if I don’t like it.
“In Poland I feel like an alien. My English friends tell me sometimes that I am more British than they are!”
Whether it’s a glass of crisp Chablis, a slice of spicy chorizo or a sliver of creamy brie, there are many European foods that have become part of the British culinary landscape.
So as the UK moves away from the EU, there’s never been a better time to check out the European favourites that many might be surprised to discover are made here, too.
And who better to wave the flag for British food than Michelin-starred French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, who has lived here for 40 years. He insists the UK now produces high-quality versions of many European delicacies.
‘When I first came here trying to make a name for myself, I used to import 70 per cent of my produce. I had vans coming from Paris twice a week,’ he says. ‘Now I probably only need to bring in Italian olive oil, some smoked Spanish paprika and some vanilla. That’s it. It’s extraordinary!’
Jean-Christophe Novelli’s European blind food taste test. Pictured trying the wine
‘There is no limit to what you can do here.’
So Libby Galvin challenged Jean-Christophe to pit the European classics against the best of Britain’s deli offerings in a blind taste test. But could he recognise which was which — and judge whether the UK can beat the European favourites at their own game?
GREAT GRAPES OR VIN ORDINAIRE?
Chablis La Sereine (£20, ralphswinecellar.com)
Chablis La Sereine (£20, ralphswinecellar.com) versus Henners Native Grace Chardonnay (£15.95), East Sussex
Chablis — named for the region of France where it’s made — is a wine made from the chardonnay grape, but unlike most chardonnays is not usually oaked and is grown in a slightly cooler climate. The British chardonnay here is made with chardonnay grapes grown in the even cooler climes of East Sussex.
jean-christophe’s blind-tasting verdict on French Chablis: ‘That would be ironic, a Frenchman who cannot recognise a Chablis, they will shoot me!’ he jokes. ‘But this is definitely a Chablis. Straightaway, this one is more fruity, more of the chardonnay grapes, you can smell it clearly. This is what a Chablis is supposed to be.’ 8.5/10
English Chardonnay: ‘Ah, this is not the same. This one is a little sharp, the other one is very fruity. In France because of the weather, the sunshine, the grapes have a little more time to sweeten. You can see it clearly in the richer colours, too. But well done, to produce a chardonnay in this cooler climate is impressive.’ 7/10
Was he correct? Yes
Winner: France
Charcuterie is the French word for cold cuts of meat. Classics include Parma ham, salami and coppa
MEAT THAT IS A CUT ABOVE
Italian charcuterie (from £1.95 to £4.25/100g, buongiornoitalia.co.uk) including Parma ham, Stoffolotto salami and ventricina vs a selection of British charcuterie, including spiced coppa, salami and ham (from £5.50/75g, tempusfoods.com)
Charcuterie is the French word for cold cuts of meat. Classics include Parma ham, salami and coppa.
Italian charcuterie: ‘These types of meat started around the Mediterranean, and it’s all about the spice, the pimento, the chilli. There is a touch of the sun in these. You’ve got Parma ham sliced so thinly it’s transparent, but some of the meat is quite greasy.’ 6/10
British charcuterie: ‘In terms of flavours, this is superior, although quite different with chestnut, cloves and pepper. I think this is the British plate, and it smells fantastic. The only problem is the thickness. If I was serving it I would cut it thinner.
Senorio Iberico Bellota Chorizo, Brindisa (£7.19/100g, farmdrop.com) vs Dorset Chorizo Picante by The Real Cure Company (£5.95/ 155g, farmdrop.com)
Spanish chorizo is a hard, cured pork and pork fat sausage with spices, in particular paprika, which gives it a signature red colour. Some of the best Spanish chorizo is made from Iberico ham, made from black pigs fed a diet of acorns.
Spanish chorizo: ‘This one has more colouring, the smell is impeccable. That is somebody trying to do better than something that already exists — so I think this is British, and it is superior to the other. The spicy kick is right there, bang!’ 9/10
English chorizo: ‘The paprika there is fantastic. Not too much fat, it’s been ground very well. It’s salty, it’s sweet, it’s done to a uniform recipe, it’s very good, very classic — it’s Spanish.’ 8.5/10
‘In my restaurant in Belfast we have charcuterie from Corndale Farm just an hour away and, the first time I arrived, my chef said to me: ‘What do you think?’ I said: ‘You must have spent a lot of money to get it over from Spain.’ He said: ‘No, it’s Irish!’ It was the biggest lesson.’ 9.5/10
Was he correct? Yes
Winner: Britain
PASTA THAT’S THE PEAK OF PERFECTION
Italian Rana tortelloni (£2.50, most supermarkets) vs English La Tua spinach and ricotta tortelloni (£5.50, latuapasta.com)
Tortelloni is a medium-sized pasta stuffed with cheese such as ricotta — a good one should not be too thick.
Italian pasta: ‘This is good, it’s consistent, the pasta is not chewy. I actually feel nostalgic, my grandmother used to make them, the same smell, the same expectation. This is obviously Italian like her. But this is not the best pasta in the world as it is ready made, it has to last on the shelf.’ 5.5/10
British pasta: ‘This looks plasticky. If this is Italian my grandmother will be screaming in her grave. But it has a good smell of spinach [tastes it] and ricotta — mmm, mmm! Mmmm mmm mmm! [Swears] Excuse the language, this is lovely. I thought the other one was Italian but now I don’t know . . . if this is the British product it is quite surprising.’ 6.5/10
Was he correct? Yes
Winner: Britain
CHEESES you can get a kick out of
French Vacherin Mont d’Or Sancey Richard (£12.95/450g, mons-cheese.co.uk) vs Hampshire Winslade Cheese (£7.25/280g, farmdrop.com)
English La Tua spinach and ricotta tortelloni (£5.50, latuapasta.com)
Vacherin Mont d’Or is a seasonal cheese made with fatty milk from Alpine cows. It is rich, with piney tones from the strip of spruce it’s packaged in. Winslade cheese is made in a similar way, but with milk from local cows.
French Vacherin: ‘This is very good. It’s not the French one but it’s very good. This one is a young one because it’s still a bit sharp — if I’m wrong I’ll allow you to kick my a***. The taste, the smell.’ 10/10
English Winslade: ‘When you would go to a restaurant in the Seventies and Eighties only French cheeses were on the trolley. Maybe occasionally you would have a bit of Stilton. Now, that’s changed. This one is so creamy, it’s French, it must be. Lovely.’ 10/10
The Grid Iron Charcuterie Yorkshire Frankfurters(five for £7.50, gridironmeat.co.uk)
Was he correct? No
Winner: It’s a tie
FRANKFURTERS Flying the flag
German Herta Frankfurters (Four for £1.50, waitrose.com) vs The Grid Iron Charcuterie Yorkshire Frankfurters(five for £7.50, gridironmeat.co.uk) and F&Co Beef Hot Dogs (four for £6.95, farmison.com)
A traditional frankfurter is cured, then smoked, and typically heated in boiling water rather than grilled, to serve.
German frankfurter: ‘Nobody does it like the Germans. I used to go through Germany four times a year and my kids are crazy about frankfurters. The smell stays for about six hours! It’s a very specific wood they use, that you find when you go to Baden Baden.’ 8.5/10
British frankfurters: ‘Neither of these are right. One is pork [The Grid Iron], it is what you expect from a Frankfurter style sausage but it’s missing that smell, it doesn’t have the wood. The other sausage [F&Co] is not pork, it is gamey — but extremely salty, I can’t tell what it is.’ 6.5/10
Danish Lurpak (£2, Waitrose) vs Netherend Farm Organic from Gloucestershire (£2.99, milkandmore.co.uk)
A good butter is made from good cream, from cows that have grazed on good pastures. Lurpak has a reputation for consistency.
Lurpak: ‘Straight away I’m going to tell you this is Lurpak! Is it? It’s fine, it’s what you expect, simple and consistent.’ 7/10
Netherend: ‘This is very yellow for an unsalted butter. Mmmm, that’s brilliant. I can identify the good strong milk, the churning, the delivery of the flavour is superb. It is a treat — I would buy this one. I believe this one is the English one.’ 9/10
Was he correct? Yes
Winner: Britain
Netherend Farm Organic from Gloucestershire (£2.99, milkandmore.co.uk)
WHICH HALLOUMI SQUEAKS IT?
Cypriot Halloumi Vryssaki (£4.50/250g, ralphswinecellar.com) vs High Weald Dairy halloumi (£4.68, highwealddairy.co.uk)
WHICH IS THE BRIE’S KNEES?
French Brie de Meaux (£20.49/kg, ralphswinecellar.com) vs English Baron Bigod (£29.50/kg, buongiornoitalia.co.uk)
A good Brie (named for the region in which it originated) is made of rennet and raw milk, soft in the middle and firm at the rind, with plenty of flavour.
French Brie: ‘That’s French, I guarantee, one million per cent. This is beautifully creamy Brie de Meaux, or I will kick my own backside. It’s very good.’ 9/10
English Baron Bigod: ‘This has a fantastic aroma — superb. Now I’ve got a problem — they’re both so good it’s going to have to go to a penalty decision! But if I forget about my nostalgic smell and flavours, this is phenomenal.’ 9.5/10
Was he correct? Yes
Winner: Britain, just!
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Halloumi is a Cypriot brined sheep and goat’s milk cheese, usually served grilled or fried.
Cypriot halloumi: ‘The only you thing you can do with that is grill it. It’s very salty. I’m not an expert in this type of cheese, but I have no pleasure eating this, it’s like eating rubber — is it supposed to be? This is the British.’ 6/10
English Halloumi: ‘In terms of appearance this one is better. But taste and texture, it’s worse, it’s like eating the sole of your foot. That’s terrible.’ 4/10
Was he correct? No
Winner: Cyprus
QUIDS IN WITH THE QUINCE
Spanish membrillo (£2.50/120g, Waitrose) vs England Preserves quince fruit paste (£6.75, mons-cheese.co.uk)
Spanish quince paste is traditionally served with manchego cheese, or eaten as a sweet. Quinces are harder to grow in the UK but England Preserves uses UK quinces for its jelly.
Spanish membrillo: ‘At first you think it’s very sweet but it’s not too sweet. There’s nothing synthetic, you can smell the quince, it’s authentic. It looks like a natural colour.’ 7.5/10
English quince jelly: ‘That’s very fruity, it’s more aromatic, it smells better and it tastes two or three times better. This recipe is there to make a mark — in which case I think this one is the English. In the flavour, the smell and what I could use it with, this one is more my cup of tea.’ 8/10
Was he correct? Yes
Winner: Britain
HARD CHEESE for the italians?
Organic Italian pecorino Sardo DOP, Italicatessen (£5.50/200g, farmdrop.com) vs White Lake The English Pecorino (£8.95/200g, whitelake.co.uk)
Pecorino (Italian for ‘of sheep’) is a hard, sharp and salty sheep’s milk cheese, often eaten sliced, or grated over pasta.
White Lake The English Pecorino (£8.95/200g, whitelake.co.uk)
Italian pecorino: ‘This is not my type of cheese, but I think this one is rather weak in flavour. I don’t like the texture.’ 6/10
English pecorino: ‘This one is more powerful. There’s sweetness, a bit of sourness, a good texture. Wherever it’s come from it’s the winner.’ 8.5/10
Was he correct? Yes
Winner: Britain
WHICH FETA’S IN THE FINEST FETTLE?
Greek Kostarelos barrel-aged feta (£6.40/250g, maltbyandgreek.com) vs British Blackwoods Cheese Company Graceburn and Shepherds Purse Yorkshire Fettle (£6.95/250g and £3.95/150g, Farmdrop.com)
Feta simply means ‘slice’ in Greek — it’s a curd cheese made of sheep and/or goat milk. A good one is soft and tangy. The description feta can only be used by versions that are made in Greece.
Greek feta: ‘This is a bit more acidic but it has more flavours. It’s the better one. Is it British?’ 8/10
English ‘feta’: ‘A bit smoky, but it’s not as good. Why is it not as good? It’s smells better but the problem is it’s too salty. I think this is the Greek one.’ 6.5/10
Was he correct? No
Winner: Greece
JEAN-CHRISTOPHE’S FINAL VERDICT:
‘Today, Great Britain is at the top of the table for creating some of the most refined produce, there are so many fantastic items out there — and this is only the beginning for British food.’
Jean-Christophe’s restaurant is Novelli at City Quays at the AC Marriott Belfast
AND THE WINNER IS…
BRITAIN: 93.5/120 winning six categories, and one tie
EUROPE: 91/120 winning five categories, and one tie
A new era has begun for the United Kingdom after it completed its formal separation from the European Union.
From a report: The UK stopped following EU rules at 23:00 GMT, as replacement arrangements for travel, trade, immigration and security co-operation came into force.
Boris Johnson said the UK had “freedom in our hands” and the ability to do things “differently and better” now the long Brexit process was over. But opponents of leaving the EU maintain the country will be worse off.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose ambition it is to take an independent Scotland back into the EU, tweeted: “Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on.”
BBC Europe editor Katya Adler said there was a sense of relief in Brussels that the Brexit process was over, “but there is regret still at Brexit itself”. The first lorries arriving at the borders entered the UK and EU without delay.
On Friday evening, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted that border traffic had been “low due to [the] bank holiday” but there had been no disruption in Kent as “hundreds” of lorries crossed the Channel with a “small” number turned back.
“The children born today enter a world far different than even a year ago, and a New Year brings a new opportunity to reimagine it”, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.
As always, the Pacific island nation of Fiji will welcome the first baby of the new year and the United States the last one.
Over half of these global births are estimated to take place in the 10 countries of India – 59,995; China – 35,615; Nigeria – 21,439; Pakistan – 14,161; Indonesia –12,336; Ethiopia – 12,006 – US (10,312), Egypt – 9,455; Bangladesh – 9,236; and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – 8,640.
In total, UNICEF estimates an 84-year average life expectancy for the 140 million children it projects will be born throughout 2021.
More to celebrate
The year will also mark the 75th anniversary of UNICEF.
Over the course of 2021, UNICEF and its partners will be commemorating the milestone anniversary with events and announcements celebrating three-quarters of a century of protecting children from conflict, disease and exclusion, and championing their right to survival, health and education.
“Children born today will inherit the world we begin to build for them today”, reminded the UNICEF chief.
“Let us make 2021 the year we start to build a fairer, safer, healthier world for children”, she added.
COVID challenges
Meanwhile, as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to soar, so do the needs of children and their families, the UN agency said.
From delivering life-saving health supplies, to building water and hygiene facilities, to keeping girls and boys connected to education and protection, UNICEF is working to slow the spread of the pandemic and minimize its impact on children worldwide.
Three of them grabbed headlines often in the latter part of the year — Amy Coney Barrett, Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Anthony Fauci – and they were among the top Catholic newsmakers in 2020 named by a prominent Catholic review.
America, the Jesuit Review, said that the year that has just passed by was “12 months of a lot of bad news.”
During an endless barrage of reports of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic and social devastation, life in the United States still went on despite surpassing 20 million virus cases and 346,000 death on Jan. 1.
“As always at America, we keep an eye out for the papists in the lot, and so we present our top five U.S. Catholic newsmakers of 2020.
They were not necessarily American magazine’s five favorite U.S. Catholic newsmakers of 2020, yet they were the one ones who garnered “the most heat and light” and they are likely to catch the public eye again this year.
The five are William Barr, Amy Coney Barrett, Joseph Biden, Kobe Bryan and Anthony Fauci.
ANTHONY FAUCI
The top infectious disease expert in the United States, Fauci was also on global television screens during the year.
“Who couldn’t fall at least a bit in love with America’s favorite doctor this past year? (Well, not the sitting president, but his enemies list makes Richard Nixon look like a Quaker…wait, Richard Nixon actually was a Quaker?),” wrote the magazine.
Dr. Fauci is a 1958 graduate of Regis High School in New York City and a 1962 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. (a classics major!).
He is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health and a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
“He became the public face of Covid-19 prevention efforts this year, offering sage advice and caution during the early days of the pandemic, and never backed down when other figures in and out of government tried to water down his wisdom or contradict the medical realities of Covid-19,” wrote America.
That meant voicing unpopular opinions sometimes, including advising U.S. Catholics to forgo receiving the Eucharist for a time.
Fauci also offered encouragement to graduating students at Jesuit high schools around the country in a virtual address to the students at Regis High School in May.
“Currently our lives have been upended by a truly historic global pandemic. I am profoundly aware that graduating during this time—and virtually, without your friends, classmates and teachers close by—is extremely difficult,” he said.
“However, please hang in there. We need you to be smart, strong and resilient. With discipline and empathy, we will all get through this together.”
WILLIAM BARR
William Barr was appointed by President Donald Trump to his second stint as attorney general of the United States in 2019.
He was also attorney general under President George H. W. Bush, but his tenure didn’t last long:
In December Trump announced that Barr would depart from the administration in its final days, having fallen out of favor with the president for saying publicly he found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
“But Mr. Barr gained a fair amount of notoriety among his fellow Catholics on a different issue: his enthusiasm for the death penalty,” said America.
Despite frequent Vatican clarifications that executions can have no justification for executions, Barr instructed the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in July 2019 to restart executing prisoners sentenced to death in federal court.
“Recent months have seen a flurry of legal activity seemingly designed to facilitate executions before the incoming Biden administration presumably suspends the practice again. It hasn’t won Mr. Barr many friends among Catholic bishops.”
KOBE BRYANT
“Among the tattoos Kobe Bryant sported on his right bicep was one featuring the name of his wife Vanessa, a crown, a pair of angel wings and the words ‘Psalm XXVII,'” writes America.
The opening lines of Psalm 27 are “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? /The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27 was used in response on Jan. 26, 2020, the day Bryant died in a helicopter crash just hours after attending Mass.
His death stunned the basketball world and saddened millions of fans, including the Los Angeles Laker fans who saw him play all 20 of his seasons with the team, winning five N.B.A. championships and finishing an all-time fourth in points scored.
Bryant was not often forthcoming about his Catholic faith,
Still, he was described by Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles as “a very good Catholic, a faithful Catholic,” and one with whom Gomez discussed issues of faith on numerous occasions.
“Mr. Bryant became a notorious figure in 2003 when he was accused of rape; though criminal charges were dropped, he reached an out-of-court settlement with the alleged victim. He credited a priest with helping him through the process,” said America.
“The one thing that really helped me during that process — I’m Catholic, I grew up Catholic, my kids are Catholic — was talking to a priest,” Bryant told GQ magazine GQ in 2015.
“It was actually kind of funny: He looks at me and says, ‘Did you do it?’ And I say, ‘Of course not.’ Then he asks, ‘Do you have a good lawyer?’ And I’m like ”Uh, yeah, he’s phenomenal.’ So then he just said, ‘Let it go. Move on. God’s not going to give you anything you can’t handle, and it’s in his hands now. This is something you can’t control. So let it go.’ And that was the turning point.”
AMY CONEY BARRETT
A U.S. Supreme Court already dominated by Catholics got another one in 2020, as President Trump pushed through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett as the sixth Catholic justice.
It came just days before the November presidential election. Justice Barrett earned her own meme during the hearings for her nomination to a lower court in 2017, when U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, referred to Justice Barrett’s religious beliefs by saying, “the dogma lives loudly within you.”
Barrett won praise from many Catholics for her strong views against legal abortion, but she also garnered some negative publicity because of her background in a charismatic Christian community, People of Praise.
(Photo: University of Notre Dame)Amy Coney Barrett
America Magazine said that several news outlets “incorrectly equated with the oppressive and sexist community depicted in Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale.”
“Because she took the seat vacated by the death of liberal scion Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Barrett’s politically conservative bona fides were cast in an even starker light during her October confirmation hearings.”
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
Americans in 2020 opted for the second Catholic president of the United States, six decades after John F. Kennedy became its first.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. will take the oath of office and become the 46th U.S. president on Jan. 21.
In his acceptance speech he quoted the devotional hymn “On Eagles’ Wings” with words based on Psalm 91, the Book of Exodus 19, and the Gospel of Matthew 13. in a very public display of his faith.
“He faced intense criticism for his pro-choice position on abortion, including from Catholic bishops, and was even denied Communion by one zealous pastor with a creative take on canon law.”
“Ultimately, however, a majority of American voters saw “Uncle Joe” as a better option than four more years of Mr. Trump, though American Catholics were almost evenly split in their support for the two candidates.
“So now the important question arises: Which parish will President Biden choose to attend Sunday Mass?”
(Photo: Joe Biden official campaign website)Joe Biden
This tablet depicts the Virgin presenting the Child Jesus on her chest within a circle that recalls the sun, while her arms are raised in the ancient pose of the person in prayer. The tradition behind this representation is extremely ancient, and very common in the East. It is called “of the Sign” because it recalls the prophecy of Isaiah (7:14): “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel.”
“The first duty of all those who recognize in the Mother of Christ the model of the Church, is to unite themselves to her in giving thanks to the Most High for working great things in Mary for the benefit of all mankind.”
(Pope St. Paul VI – Apostolic Exhortation “Signum Magnum” – 1967)
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Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has urged Nigerians not to allow their differences in religion, politics and even social stratification to create artificial and needless boundaries in other to achieve a greater state.
This was contained in the Governor’s New Year Message made available to newsmen on Friday in Akure by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo.
Akeredolu expressed optimism that the best of all is embedded in every individual as long as the resolve to surmount challenges was placed above “self-abnegation”.
He said: “Humanity has never been insulated from challenges and clearly too human challenges have never remained invincible and endlessly insolvent. Undoubtedly, Year 2020 was fraught with a web of challenges.
“All the same, our individual and collective approach to Year 2021 remains a potent force that can open our minds to the hidden and exploitable opportunities required for fresh paths of growth and development.”
He said losing faith in ourselves and the nation was not an option but a clear route to self-abnegation.
“We only require a new approach, fresh ideas for results of uncommon nature to face the unusual times,” Akeredolu said.
