SUZY BROKENSHA

Iread this week that Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton had renewed his contract with Mercedes for £54 million (R1 106 505 584.64). Not to sound like Jacob Zuma, but I don’t think I’d even be able to say that number. In November last year, Hamilton explained the reason he was delaying signing his contract was because it felt ‘insensitive’ to talk about money when so many people were battling because of Covid-19. Awww. Bless.

About a month ago, I – like millions of other people worldwide – saw the clip of ‘Putin’s Palace’, the obscene mansion built for him on the Black Sea, although he denies it, of course. The tasteless pile of concrete features a full-sized subterranean ice-hockey rink, as well as the usual movie houses, salons, hookah bar with stripper pole, and casino. Just your regular beach cottage, then.

Yesterday I read that soccer player Lionel Messi’s contract with Barcelona FC (from June 2017 to June this year) is worth about $672 million. He is reportedly furious that the story leaked. I think the appropriate emotion would be ‘ashamed’.

This is all just crazy, isn’t it? Another level of insanity in a world where, since Covid-19, the 660 richest people on the planet have got richer by a total of $1.1 trillion (that works out to about $1.5 billion each).

What I find even more offensive than the utterly ludicrous sums of money being tossed around here is a) the recipients’ total lack of shame, and b) that they get away with it.

I would love Mercedes to say, ‘Thanks, Lewis, but actually we’ve decided to give George Russell a chance. Good luck!’ Wouldn’t that be great? I’m sure, given how so many people feel about the unacceptable and increasing divide between rich and poor, that a stand like that would benefit Mercedes far more than signing sensitive old Lewis Hamilton again would.

More than anything else, though, I wonder what’s happened to the notion of ‘enough’. Why do we no longer know when we’ve had, or got, enough?

Please send any thoughts – I really would love to know.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a very happy Easter, complete with masses of family and friends, as well as loads of just enough Easter eggs!