Next year will see another local government election, and the silly season is already upon us. These are the politics that matter - the bread and butter issues. So don't be swayed by charm offensives and promises and listen with your head, not your heart, writes Gasant Abarder in a new SliceOfGasant column.
I was bemused by one of the first public addresses the newly minted and much-feted mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, made. He goaded US President Donald Trump in a victory address. In a media engagement, he was charming, recognising a Trump pet peeve, Sky News and even revealed being a fan of the UK network because they covered the English Premier League, and he was an Arsenal fan.
I was torn about the optics. If I were a New Yorker the everyday type and not the Manhattan set, all I would have wanted to know was how my new mayor was going to create prosperity and a better life for me, my family and my community.