Kishwar Desai | UK Optimism Soars: Starmer, Stylish Dogs, and Crime Solving AI

After Labour came to power, the weather is warming up and people are already becoming optimistic. Even if we smile it must be due to Sir Keir Starmer. That is really worrying because one wonders when the calamities are going to hit us. Surely things can’t remain happy and positive? Is this just the honeymoon period we ask each other… but then we think — let’s just enjoy it while it lasts!

Even the pomp and ceremony of the state opening of Parliament last week seemed to be imbued with a freshness and we barely criticised it. Millions watched on TV as King Charles arrived from nearby Buckingham Palace in his horse carriage. Lords and ladies were already seated in the chamber. The diplomatic corps attended as did the judges from the Supreme Court. It was very crowded. The Anglican bishops — 26 of whom are members of the House of Lords — all made it a point to turn up for this occasion.

The Kings Speech is of course written by the Prime Minister — and it outlined the policies the new government will pursue. Oddly enough most policies were well received — what’s going on?

This pleasant weather may not last — but right now the country is looking forward to a revival of fortunes, and there are great expectations from the new government. Therefore pubs are crowded again and everyone is out for a drink. Thinking of a drink, there is a new fashion in London to buy wine in cardboard boxes rather than bottles. One advantage is you get more than one bottle’s worth in a box. But it is also ecologically smart. If everyone was to switch from glass bottles to paper, you would avoid emitting 750 million tons of carbon dioxide. Let us drink to that. But the real fashion is “dog togs”…. I never thought our pet “rescued” Labrador (who actually belongs to my daughter) needed clothes apart from her naturally sleek fur, but since dogs are becoming a much desired fashion accessory for celebrities, a whole new industry is coming up around canines. You can get them cashmere coats or rubber coats or designer toys. And then there are poo scoop bags you can get for around a 500 pounds a woof. Prada, Gucci, Christian Louboutin have all jumped onto the doggie bandwagon — and I guess if (as knowledgeable media reports claim) that dogs are an extension of your personality — then you would want your pooch to have every bit of grooming and glamour that you may indulge in. And so while a hooded coat for your darling pet from Prada costs close to 600 pounds and Gucci canvas pet carriers are more than 2,000 pounds (but thankfully these match your outfit), why not ?

This is of course an essential for dogs who are already dripping diamonds onto celebrity events — and are used to being on the red carpet. Those of us who own a dog like mine — who mostly sleeps and is difficult to carry onto a red carpet while I struggle with a saree — would need to spend thousands of pounds on their overall grooming as well as a trainer who teaches them how to pose and preen when on camera — and how to give the mandatory sound bite (hopefully the non-violent kind). Given all this, it’s a great business to be in and fashion designers in this line are looking at an industry worth more than seven billion dollars by 2032. Hmmmmm… where’s my ruby encrusted Gucci dog leash? I think the pooch just chewed it. As someone who is a crime writer myself — I am always intrigued by new trends in the genre — and was thrilled to see that an AI character has made its debut. No, it’s not a crime novel written by AI — but it stars an AI sleuth. In the Blink of an Eye written by debut novelist Jo Callaghan has just won the Theakston Old Peculier crime novel of the year award. It features a police detective who is helped by her partner named AIDE — Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity. This is not actually as far-fetched as it may sound — because AI has the ability to quickly collate information — after quickly scouring the possibilities. And because it has human capacities — it can also be a great companion in the lonely world of sleuthing!

Usually we are concerned that AI is about to take over the world and our jobs — but it can also be a great help for analysing and cracking tough cases. Though the hard forensics will have to be done through human endeavour, of course. The book has been called a “boundary-pushing take on the police procedural genre, told with heart and humour”.Most of us have seen Imelda Staunton playing down-to-earth gritty roles — and so we were blown away by her graceful portrayal as the Queen in the Netflix series The Crown. And now we get to see her in yet another avatar — in the stage play and musical Hello, Dolly! which is getting excellent reviews, and has a limited run at the Palladium.

Yes, it’s an old fashioned musical about a middle aged widow, Dolly Levi, looking for love once more — and finds herself trying to woo (or maybe “ entrap” might be a better word) — a millionaire, Horace Vendergelder. Based on a play written 90 years ago (Thornton Wilder’s The Merchant of Yonkers) — it cannot be wildly feminist —but it is all about new beginnings, despite heartbreaks.

So there is an optimistic core to Staunton’s portrayal of Dolly —as we roll through the songs and the romcom narrative.

In all — this is feel-good entertainment. Fitting in with the national mood.