Political showdowns, UK departure trends, and travel retail secret

So it won’t be long before the incoming president of the United States will be announced and the likes of Free-Gear Keir must be shaking in his boots at the thought that against the odds, Donald Trump might just conceivably make it. As the world and biased mainstream media continue to boo its favourite buffoon cartoon character, I find myself – controversially- cheering him on. I’m a sucker for underdogs. It’s Trump I’m talking about, the candidate who had us all rolling around the aisles when he accused Haitian immigrants of eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio. But since those rib-tickling days of early campaigning, it’s all got a lot more serious and suddenly the tables have turned.
As Democrat candidate, Kamala Harris, catastrophically stumbles her way through media interviews with garbled word salad soundbites and sinister unstoppable cackles, Trump has emerged in statesman like manner, articulate and on the nelly, espousing clear messages about policy and his intent should he make the White House. Blimey. Who saw that coming?

Meanwhile, out of the glare of mainstream media, Trump has emerged as the next big hero on X, driven by the relentless support of billionaire owner, Elon Musk. Let’s face it, where do we all go for news these days? Most of us first check out X in the morning to get a multi-faceted and unbiased perspective on the daily news, unmanipulated by any government backed narrative. This has been the golden nugget for Trump and his supporters as more and more disaffected Americans – many male- tune in to X and the robust messaging, propelling him forwards.

The recent dreary and predictable stadium love-ins with Kamala Harris hugging pop stars such as Beyonce have been shown up to be lighter that a balloon on substance while Trump has sat with the big boys, discussing meaty matters. Take the genius move of sticking him in front of world podcaster supreme, Joe Rogan. Who doesn’t love Joe? Like millions of others I tuned in and infuriatingly found myself agreeing with a lot of what Trump said. I am anti-gun culture so that’s a no no from me, but I’m with him all the way on our right to have free speech, women to have women-only sport, cracking down on immigrant drug cartels and trying to deescalate wars such as Ukraine. There was a lot more stuff discussed but Trump came across engagingly and wittily and surprisingly, made a lot of sense.

By contrast, Kamala Harris has an increasingly desperate strangled tone to her voice during interviews and watching her being annihilated by serious news broadcasters, even when she’s been given more than a leg up by sympathetic left wing US channels, is excruciating to watch. The stunt of getting Trump to pose at McDonalds was another winner. You’ve got to hand it to the old dog and his brilliant marketing team, they really know how to fly a kite in a tornado. The Trump message is loud and clear: ‘I’m one of the people and I understand your economic pain’ even if he’s got squillions in the bank and has anything but a true understanding of ordinary lives.

Kamala Harris will probably slither into the White House by a narrow margin, but Trump will certainly have given her a rumbustious and entertaining run for her money. I fear, that rather like in the UK, if the people vote her in, they’ll be rueing the day within a few months. One thing’s sadly for sure, she ain’t no Clinton or Obama.

Starmer stalling

The British nation is holding its breath as the dreaded budget is soon to be announced. Mind you, if you think you’re having a bad day, spare a thought for poor old Starmer who, after a matter of months, now has a disastrous -38-approval rating from the UK electorate: a net drop of 49 before the budget is even announced. Britons were desperate to kick out the lacklustre Tories but now seem to have got something a whole lot worse. Where on earth does the UK go from here? Spiralling crime, racial tensions, decimated drug and crime fuelled regional towns and insupportable taxes for the hard-working middle and working classes. A lot of my weary London based friends are now seriously considering doing a bunk with the likes of Portugal and Malta being high on the list. One can’t blame them. As Wes Streeting opined, even with the massive tax increases promised, the NHS has too many gaping holes and will still not be fit for purpose. Truth is, the UK currently has more holes than an old sieve.

Cosmetics on the go

It’s always frustrating trying to find your favourite UK cosmetic brands here in Mallorca, especially when they may carry custom duty should you opt for online shopping. I’m a great fan of ELEMIS and its best of the best cleansing balms but it’s costly to buy them from specialist online sites here.
So, my solution is to stock up when I return to the UK and pass through Duty Free at Gatwick Airport. There’s a major advantage in doing this as the price is cheaper and in the case of ELEMIS, there’s a first-rate, friendly sales consultant on hand. I’m doing this with quite a few products I miss, and it wastes less time too. Travel retail is a huge industry – valued at around $90 billion this year alone - which is changing massively to suit the needs of the modern traveller.

The old stale duty-free formula is being shaken up to include vibrant pop-ups and experiential travel experiences. Travellers can expect complimentary massages and entertainment, and in the case of brands such as L’OCCITANE en Provence, on-the-spot skin and hair diagnosis, generous sampling and limited-edition products. Palma Airport still has a long way to go in this regard but it’s a heck of a lot better in design than it used to be. So, if you’re finding it frustrating trying to get your British beauty products at a fair price here, remember to leave enough time at the airport to stock up on your favourite goodies!