Boris on the stump
FOOTBALL IS COMING HOMELESS It’ll be hard to bowl him out in Brexit election
Experts believe there are between 100 and 150 young people living with a diagnosis.
The symptoms are horrific and strike in childhood.
The first manifestation usually comes with visual impairment leading to blindness.
There are seizures, loss of speech and restricted mobility.
In some extreme cases the child will suffer hallucinations and memory loss.
We spoke to experts and parents about this horrible disease. The word they all used is devastating.
But finally there is some hope. The disease remains incurable but there have been successful trials of the drug Brineura.
It stabilises children, improves quality of life and can add 20 years.
It is very expensive, costing £500,000 per child per year.
But it is a snip, an absolute bargain, when you are talking about the life of a child.
That must be balanced against the pressures on the NHS.
We are not advocating the withdrawal of this drug.
But why is it so expensive? Biomarin, the US firm behind it, had revenue of more than a BILLION dollars in their last set of results.
They are the same company who denied access to a drug used to treat another rare disease PKU.
It seems this case is heading the same way.
We should be sending the strongest message possible across the Atlantic: Here we do not tolerate profiteering before patients. Neither should you. “I THOUGHT,” said a Labour staffer, “We could all agree to stop for summer. After everything that’s happened we could have a couple of weeks off and, you know, watch the cricket.”
But nothing’s stopped. The new PM is all guns blazing.
Nothing is going slowly. Even the cricket is being played at some ridiculous pace. And like the cricket, there’s every sign Johnson wants to get on with things.
Westminster folk are, generally, terrible tipsters. Last week, for example, I won £10 betting a bloke he would have to cancel his weekend barbecue. “No way, summer’s arrived.” Poor fool.
Collapsing
I now have the choice between the cash or a bin liner full of Tesco Chinesestyle chicken thighs, which I suppose I could freeze.
But almost everyone is tipping an early general election. The evidence was there at this week’s by-election. A Lib Dem win after Labour collapses and they work with Green and Plaid to forge a Remain Alliance.
But if Johnson works out a way to take care of the Brexit Party, like what happened to Ukip, he is home and dry.
And look at Johnson’s first XI. His cabinet is built to do one thing – campaign. Every member of it believes in Brexit, so getting the message out will not be a problem.
In the background lurks the strategist Dominic Cummings who, whatever else can be said about him, is very good at campaigns.
He has brought with him a lot of the IT’S been a fair enough summer for sport – the Women’s World Cup, the Open, the Cricket World Cup and now the Ashes.
But this weekend sees the Football League get into full swing. There were a few minor games yesterday but it REALLY kicks-off at teatime today when structure of the Vote Leave campaign, as well as some of the personnel. There are rumours of three-month contracts.
There’s the Johnson tour of the country, election-type speeches.
If you were looking at it from the outside with no idea that this was a new government then it is undeniably a party set up for a campaign.
The only question is the mechanism. Here is the scenario I’ve had described to me numerous times by people on all sides of the House.
Johnson will ramp up No Deal – although he knows what’s coming ne next. t. Marco Bielsa’s Leeds United side get under way at Bristol.
Already though, there has been a great football story.
The Homeless World Cup was staged in Wales and saw 500 players from 48 countries take part. Actor Michael Sheen put his savings into bringing the Parliament will throw it out. The next step – the only step – is to go to the country. Thus we have a second referendum, although it’s dressed up as a general election.
And it would be very, very hard to beat Johnson. Because it would be framed in very simple terms.
Parliament would have “once again defied the will of the people” and there is only one party standing up for democracy.
That would be very hard for Labour to fight. Particularly without the help of the Lib b Dems, e s, who w o will w split the tournament to Cardiff. With partner Anna by his side, he said: “I was not going to let 500 people not have this opportunity and have their lives changed.”
It’s a great start to the new season. And a reminder what an important and powerful sport football – at its best – can be. Remain vote. So Johnson wins. By a decent margin. Enough to command a healthy majority.
Labour’s only hope is to start pointing out the dangers of No Deal. And doing it now.
There are all sorts of reasons. The pound is collapsing like the Australian top order. There are jobs under threat.
And just think about this for a second: Mr Johnson is about to embark on a publicity blitz to convince the country No Deal is a good idea.
What kind of good idea would cost £100million just to tell us it’s good?