Leaving Europe begins to lose its lustre amid threat of increased travel costs

The ramifications go on. Since June 23, when a national referendum narrowly decreed that Britain should leave the European Union, the victors’ jubilation has dimmed somewhat.

They are finding that tightened control of immigration which, let’s face it, was the basic and sometimes only aim of many voting to leave, could cut both ways.

The possibility has been raised that Union member countries will introduce visas for British travellers. So previously free entry to Spain, Italy, France and elsewhere would be no more and vacationers and businessmen would find the cost of a visa added to their budgets.

Domestically, the main effect of the referendum was change at the head of government, with Prime Minister David Cameron resigning in favour of the former Home Secretary, Teresa May. Cameron was prime minister from May 2010 until July of this year. Now he has gone a step farther and is stepping down as an ordinary MP.

He said that he did not want his presence on the back benches to serve as a distraction to Prime Minister May. “Obviously, I have my own views about certain issues,” he said, hinting that he did not always see eye-to-eye to Mrs May.

Insiders believe May’s government has shifted to the right from Cameron’s modernising agenda. For instance, whereas Cameron was a staunch defender of international aid, Mrs May is thought to be less so. She appointed Priti Patel, who has been critical of the Department for International Development, to be the new leader of the department.

Cameron, now earning £74,962 (Sh10 million) as an MP rather than £143,462 (Sh19.3 million) as prime minister, did not say what he would do next, except “to build a life outside Westminster” and continue contributing to the country. He added, “I’m only 49.”

He could earn a lot of money if he follows the path of predecessors such as Tony Blair in accepting corporate directorships, making speeches and arranging lucrative book deals.

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You are watching a movie and every now and then you have to whisper to your companion, “Who is that guy?” or “Was she on before?”

If you do, the chances are you are suffering from something called prosopagnosia or face blindness. One person in 50 in the United Kingdom, that is 1.5 million, is thought to suffer from the condition.

Being unable to follow a film properly because you can’t remember the stars’ faces is irritating, but consequences can be more serious, for instance picking up the wrong child from school, failing to recognise your spouse or not knowing who is looking back at you in the mirror.

POOR EYESIGHT

Mary K. Moore, an American, was in her 30s before she realised she had the condition. Up to then, she just thought she had poor eyesight. She says: “In some cases, I can’t recall people I’ve known for months or years. If someone is out of place or I don’t see them in on a regular basis, I am often stumped.”

Her husband tries to help. At a cocktail party, for instance, they use code phrases. “You remember Mary,” he will say as they approach a lady, a signal that she has met the person. Once they begin to chat, the conversation will often cue genuine recognition.

Another trick which sufferers adopt when meeting someone new is to try to remember their hairstyle or a distinctive feature rather than their face.

One victim of the condition said: “I try to remember that it’s Joanne with the brightly coloured brooch and John is the one with the limp.”

Up to now, there is no standard treatment for prosopagnosia.

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Another long word: paraprosdokian. It is a figure of speech in which the latter part of the sentence is surprising or unexpected or funny. They are fun. For example:

Where there’s a will, I want to be in it.

If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.

War does not determine who is right, only who is left.

I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

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A florist went for a haircut and asked how much? “No charge,” said the barber, “I’m celebrating the birth of our first baby!” Next morning, the barber found a dozen roses on his doorstep from the florist.

Next day, a cop had his hair cut, also free for the new baby. The following morning, the barber found a dozen doughnuts on his doorstep from the policeman.

Then an MP turned up and he, too, was barbered without charge. Next morning, the hairdresser found a dozen MPs lined up at his door, all waiting for a free haircut.

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