With a summit in Brussels coming up next week, Britain’s government is working towards a crunch moment in its plans to leave the European Union. Stuck in the political mire, Prime Minister Theresa May is doing what unpopular politicians often do: offering bold but vague plans.
In her case, she promises to limit the number of low-skilled migrants entering the UK. Limiting immigration may seem like a clear vote-winner, but it’s easy to promise and difficult to achieve. And while many citizens do worry about the effect of low-skilled migration on their economies, a far bigger concern is that of low-skilled government.
From Washington and London to Berlin, Madrid, Brasilia, Canberra and Caracas, governments are entangled in intractable problems, crises and scandals of their own making. In Australia, the prime minister changes so often that Madame Tussauds has given up making wax dummies of them.
US President Donald Trump has lost the respect of key people in his own staff and faces difficult midterm elections next month. Britain has the Brexit fiasco. Venezuela has been beggared by its terrible government, and its people are literally queuing up to leave. So it goes on.
In ancient Rome, a legendary figure, Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, solved the problem of low-skilled and incompetent leadership. More than 2,000 years later, Americans named the Ohio city of Cincinnati after him and founded a Society of the Cincinnati to preserve the history of the American revolution.
Cincinnatus was an inspirational leader who retired to his farm until Rome was threatened. Dramatically, he returned to power, assumed dictatorial control, defeated Rome’s enemies and immediately retired to tend to his fields once more. This ancient story has inspired more recent leaders, from George Washington to Charles de Gaulle in France.
There is even a parallel with Nelson Mandela. Mandela's leadership could not be more different from the dictatorial rule of Cincinnatus, but as he worked to turn post-apartheid South Africa into the “rainbow nation”, no one questioned his absolute moral authority. Mandela took office as president in 1994 and then in 1999, with his job completed, he quit.
By stepping down, Mandela became an international icon.
On the other hand, his neighbour Robert Mugabe, who stayed in power for 37 years, became an international pariah. Like Mandela, Mr Mugabe could have been a great historical figure. He secured Zimbabwe's independence from the UK, but stubbornly clung to power, persecuted opponents and ruined the country's economy. History will judge him harshly.
There’s an adage in US politics that “the best won’t run and the worst won’t quit”. Certainly, public service doesn’t always attract the best and brightest, and power does make some leaders believe their own propaganda.
Vladimir Putin was, at first, extremely popular in Russia and regarded as a stabilising force after the chaos of Boris Yeltsin. But, again, instead of improving Russia and then moving on, he has become Russia’s permanent tsar of the 21st century. His competence is openly questioned and Russian military intelligence operations have been exposed and condemned. These include the nerve agent attack in the UK, chemical weapons use in Syria, cyber attacks in Europe, meddling in the US election and cheating in international sport. Domestically, Mr Putin’s pension reforms have also provoked considerable hostility.
Some competent democratically elected leaders, such as Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany have also forgotten the lessons of Cincinnatus. Mrs Merkel, once apparently beyond reproach, is now often regarded as having remained in power too long.
Back in Britain, many believe both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair to have outlasted their welcome in Downing Street. Today, the Conservative party has governed for eight years, but it has clearly run out of steam, out of ideas and − with Brexit − perhaps out of time.
Other mainstream parties, in Sweden, Spain, Italy, Greece, France have shown the same kind of intellectual fatigue, eclipsed by new faces with fresh ideas and upstart populist movements.
One big country, however, appears provide an environment where proficiency and stability can coexist − China. Since the time of Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leadership has proved adept at finding leaders who exude practical competence, predictability and consistency.
Even if some of its policies alarm its neighbours, the Edelman Trust Barometer rates China's government highly in terms of the levels of trust it enjoys from its own people. But the Chinese political structure is unique. It is difficult to imagine any other country run competently for decades by a Communist Party that is so ruthlessly capitalist in outlook.
A key lesson from Cincinnatus is that governments and leaders need to be bold, competent and sometimes ruthless, but they also need to know when to quit.
Another may be to widen the search for competent leaders. A talented man or woman may right now be pursuing a quiet life in business, a university or even on a farm, but could be valuable if encouraged to pursue a life of public service.
The most important thing we have to learn from Cincinnatus, however, is that if you get it right, 2,500 years after your death, the world will remember your achievements. Of course if you get it badly wrong, you will be remembered too − as Mr Mugabe, not Mandela.
Gavin Esler is a journalist, author and television presenter
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Meydan card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (PA) Group 1 US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) Group 2 $350,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
THE BIG MATCH
Arsenal v Manchester City,
Sunday, Emirates Stadium, 6.30pm
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
THE SPECS
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 275hp at 6,600rpm
Torque: 353Nm from 1,450-4,700rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: Dh146,999
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports