Adele: Would "spit in his face" if she met her father....

With two albums to her name, Adele has become a major star across the globe, winning 6 Grammy awards this year. She has the most amazing voice that lends itself to heartbreak and pain and is a worthy successor to Dusty Springfield.

Adele was two-years old when her father deserted the family home and she said that she would "spit in his face" if they met now. Any chance of a rapprochement is made more difficult by his willingness to do press interviews to talk of his pride in her success, his shame on dumping her so young and the hurt he feels that his very rich and famous daughter refuses to contact him.

He said he suffered from a bad drink problem when he left and such tales of family separation often tell of pain and desperation, rather than the selfish desertion and betrayal we assume. Perhaps, one day, Adele may be able to forgive him - and even write a song about it.

David Cameron & Nicolas Sarkozy: Kissin' arse.....

When they met this week, the British Prime Minister and the French President showed they were not above kissin' arse for the sake of unity. Their relationship was heading downhill in recent months, with Nicolas Sarkozy ever so angry over what he saw as David Cameron's interference in the Euro affair.

But, at their meeting in the Elysee Palace on Friday and with hardly a blush between them, both went out of their way to demonstrate what can only be described as a friendship beyond special. Mr Cameron, the product of an all-boys public school, attributed to Mr Sarkozy just about everything that is right with this world, while the French President at one point acknowledged the adoration being heaped upon him with a sideways glance at the handsome David, one that can only be described as the "Princess Di" look. You know the one, when she was being coy and flirty.

Of course, it was all a big act. Mr Sarkozy has just announced he will seek re-election and needs to convince the French people of his credentials as a great statesman and the one to lead them out of the current economic mess. Mr Cameron knows the UK needs to be at the centre of Europe ready to influence future events, despite those in his own Tory party who believe that beyond the channel lies hell and damnation.
The Prime Minister is aware it would not be good for Britain if we were left isolated outside the EC tent and his recent arguments with the French and Germans left him open to accusations that he was anti-European. For now, it is Germany laying down the demands for financial restraint and austerity across the Eurozone, but German arrogance will only be tolerated for so long.

It does look like Greece is almost being forced to depart the Euro sometime this year and if that happens what then? Will the Eurozone survive, or will more countries take the opportunity to abandon the fold? Things are starting to look good for the US economy, but the world is sadly lacking in the leadership necessary to galvanise world markets. If the Euro collapsed what would happen to the world economy?

Meanwhile, President Sarkozy has started his campaign for re-election and his fellow-leaders will surely be thinking it's better the devil you know during difficult times. For that reason Angela Merkel, David Cameron and other European bosses will bury their differences and support him to the hilt. Of course it is always dangerous for politicians to get too involved in the internal politics of its neighbours. But it was good to watch Cameron and Sarkozy kiss and make-up with such unadulterated hypocrisy.

NHS: David Cameron's "Poll Tax"?

Everyone agrees that the National Health Service is a wondrous jewel in the crown of what is good about living and dying in Britain, but alas it has also become unwieldy and expensive, with too many overpaid managers and office-bound professionals. Just look at the cars in the reserved places outside hospitals and surgeries.

The Conservatives want to change the way the NHS operates, handing most of the monies to the professionals who see patients on a daily basis and reducing the number of trusts and quangos who currently hold much of the purse-strings. It is a major change to the way the NHS has operated over the years and has its critics, especially from those who believe that Mr Cameron and his cronies are attempting to break up the NHS by abolishing its basic apparatus and allowing more private care into the UK health system.

A new Bill proposes to hand over £80 billion to GPs and other medical professionals who would then be able to buy expertise from NHS facilities or private companies, the idea being that greater competition creates competitive pricing and less bureaucracy.

Of course, the assumption is that all doctors and consultants have the interests of patients at heart, that prescribed treatments will have no bearing on costs. Sadly one suspects that budgets and targets will continue to be a priority, the pharmaceutical industry will remain as powerful and the cars will just get bigger.

Change is required, no one doubts that, but Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, has been unable to sell his proposals to his own party, never mind the public in general and there are murmurs of dissent within the cabinet.

There have been plenty of opportunities for the Prime Minister, David Cameron, to distance himself from the Bill, or at least suggest it be watered down further, but he has taken the moral high road, backing the Health Secretary and the Health Bill with fervent, almost evangelical support.

Even some of his inner circle believe he is being stupid and suggest he should back-peddle like crazy, if necessary firing Mr Lansley and even burying the Bill. It is suggested that the NHS is a toxic issue for any Conservative government, especially when its own government partner in the Coalition does not share the Prime Minister's enthusiasm. However, the Health Service has to find £3 billion in savings and changes need to happen for that target to be achieved.

Margaret Thatcher was never forgiven for the "Poll Tax" and some fear that David Cameron, despite his genuine efforts to reform the National Health Service, may find himself poisoned by attempts to change it. It could be the start of a campaign to weaken his position as Prime Minister, not by the Labour opposition, or the Lib Dems, but by other ambitious politicians within his own party.

Whitney Houston: Another star dead.....

Whitney Houston, gifted with a superb voice, but fated to meet and marry singer Bobby Brown, followed by a downward climb into a life of drugs and alcohol, was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel on Saturday. She was 48 years-old.

The singer, forever linked with the Dolly Parton song "I will always love you", had one of pop's most soulful voices and a glittering film career beckoned following her appearance in The Bodyguard, with Kevin Costner.

After her marriage to Brown, Whitney, daughter of Cissy Houston and related to Dionne Warwick, became a walking wreck and a pathetic figure of fun. Her decline was swift, her reputation ruined and it seemed she was unable to break out of the cycle of addiction. No reason has been given for her death, but it is sad that her enormous talent was wasted.

Bankers & Bonuses: Stephen Hester a right thicko?

What I find astonishing is that banker Stephen Hester waited so long to turn down his near £1million pound bonus. The boss of Royal Bank of Scotland seems to be upset over the furore surrounding the proposed payment, which he eventually decided not to take, but only after days of bad headlines and a near-vote in the Commons against the award.

He may very well be a superb banker, but why behave like a right thicko for not realising sooner the public's disgust that such a large sum should be awarded to an employee of a bank which needed an injection of billions in taxpayer's money to save it? It doesn't say much for his judgement that he waited so long to do the inevitable and surrender the money - an action that would have brought him plaudits had he made that decision sooner. It also highlights the sort of world top bankers inhabit, when a bonus of only £1million was seen as showing restraint.

Was there not one sensible person at the bank prepared to advise how bad it would look that the award should be offered in the first place? And what of his PR team? Or was Mr Hester, like Fred Goodwin, too arrogant and so far removed from reality that he failed to listen? In a series of interviews in recent days he has defended himself to the point of nausea. Stephen, let it be mate, the damage is done!

Now, despite what I have said above, I still believe that he had every right to take the bonus, as he had met the criteria agreed in the contract he signed under the Labour government. What I find puzzling is that a man in his position was so lacking in common sense as to turn what could have been a superb public relations exercise by a quick refusal to accept the money, into a disaster for himself and the bank he represents.

Joey Barton standing firm for free speech and gays in football....

I am not a connoisseur of football, so my knowledge of Joey Barton, the Queens Park Rangers captain, has mostly been limited to what I have read about him in the tabloids. He served a sentence in 2008 for assault and affray, so he is no shrinking violet and at times appears to have the stance of a thug, which I now appreciate is a misleading perception.

He is fast gaining a reputation on Twitter and within the media, for straight talking about various issues, the latest being his comments on the John Terry race row. Mr Terry, the Chelsea captain, has been charged with racially abusing an opposition player during a game. He is due to appear in court in July. This week the FA removed him as captain of the National team, a decision which Fabio Capello, the manager of the England team has criticised, although his opinion has become less and less relevant as he heads for retirement this year.

Joey Barton has entered the controversy over Terry with a series of Tweets which could have landed him in trouble with the law for contempt. In typical Barton style he has said he would "go to jail for free speech". His frank opinions have landed him in trouble with his previous employers, but it has not stopped him commenting on issues.

He was recently one of the few footballers to appear on a TV show about the lack of gays in British football. There are over 5,000 professional players in the UK and not one of them has declared himself as gay or bisexual. In the history of the game only one player emerged from the closet and that was Justin Fashanu some twenty-years ago. The first black player to be signed for over one-million pounds, he hanged himself in 1998, estranged from the game he loved and his family.

In the TV documentary Joey Barton was supportive of gays in the game but warned: "Certain managers will discriminate. These archaic figures think if they had a gay footballer there would be all kinds of shenanigans in the dressing room."

His performance on the programme was sincere, impressive and one got the impression that Barton will not be silenced on any issues that interest him. Of course being bold, butch and brave, he was one of very few hetro players willing to discuss the subject that dare not speak its name in the shower rooms of the beautiful game.

Britain's Gay Footballers was shown on BBC Three and presented by Amal Fashanu, niece of Justin and daughter of John, who had disowned his brother on National TV all those years ago. In fairness, he was reflecting the opinions of the time and was desperate to ensure his own image was not tarnished.

It is players like Joey Barton, speaking on the subject, who will make it easier for a gay professional to "come out", but the man who eventually does it will be braver than the brave.

Syria: China & Russia show contempt for democracy....

The awful situation in Syria, where people are being murdered by their President, continues with the passive agreement of China and Russia, who vetoed a UN resolution calling for the removal of Assad.

For the people who have risen up against Assad it must feel like a hell without escape, with no sign from the outside world that it will intervene to assist them, except with words.Both Russia and China have put their own interests before those of the Syrian people and that may prove a costly mistake in the years to come. Both have shown a contempt for democracy and is perhaps another glimpse into the future of Russia under Putin.

Mr Assad has no long-term future in a country he has savaged. His regime continues to murder people without remorse, a plane no doubt on stand-by ready to whisk him away should his killing machine lose momentum.

The Arab Spring raised the hopes of many who have never experienced democracy, although the scenes from Egypt and the reports of torture in Libya makes one want to weep and wonder if the West has helped replace one set of monsters with another?

William Hague, the UK Foreign Secretary, has been impressive in his forceful condemnation of the Assad regime and it is hoped that he and others can convince China and Russia to use their influence to help stop the slaughter of the innocent in Syria.