So that's politics dealt with for another 5 years.

No more 24-hour rolling news. No more promises to be forgotten before they're broken. No more smug Farage.

Regardless of whether you're Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem, Green, Reform or whatever party you support, at least we can all start planning our lives with some certainty in what is going on in the world.

Try being Dutch...

It's taken months (I am afraid that I have lost count) of negotiation between every Dutch politician and their dogs to establish which one of them will be their prime minister.

And the good news from RSP? I promise you all, that after this blog, there will be no more talk from us about politics.

Until next week's king's speech, the autumn budget, the budget...

Firstly, I owe you all an apology.

I was the only individual in the UK who predicted a Tory government.

I know. What a piece of political insight which may explain why my career in public affairs never really took off.

But in my defence, this was before the emergence of Reform, Ed Davey singing Sweet Caroline and Rishi Sunak missing half of D Day, and instead relied upon the knowledge that opinion polls are always wrong (remember the 20 point Labour lead?) and that we would end up with a hung parliament in which it's very difficult to expel the sitting prime minister.

Hence why Teresa May could survive in 2017, although not very strong and certainly not very stable. Anyone remember that slogan?

Secondly, let's get this back to law.

As I said at the beginning of this blog, we can now all move with certainty, and as a number of clients have said to me, they can now proceed with plans earlier than if Sunak delayed the election until when it was dry.

And this confidence will quickly sweep down to the candidates, as the market will wake from its summer slumber.

And this is the ideal time to plan.

For 2 weeks, when you're away from the office laying on your sun lounger or sitting on the corner of some piazza nursing a cold beer, you will have the uninterrupted opportunity to consider your next moves.

If you're a managing partner, you can consider the next stage of your firm's business development. Is a there an underperforming team which needs attention? Are you looking to expand? Or do you need investment? Are you looking to recruit?

Likewise, if you're a candidate, are you happy with where you are? Do you feel the urge for a new challenge? New government, new certainty, new opportunity?

I appreciate what your initial reaction will be.

"I'm on holiday, and given the challenges of the last year, I'm going to enjoy myself and not think about work."

But you will, it's inevitable.

We all experience it. That quiet moment in which a tiny acorn is sown into the back of your mind, which will grow and flower into a mighty oak over the course of a summer. And you won't be the only one. Everyone will be thinking it and by the time the schools go back in September, the markets will be active with the oaks of thought.

So why the reference to politics at the start of this blog?

Because there is one thing which really struck me towards the end of the election campaign, and that was the comment that was made about Starmer's suitability for the top job because he plans to stop work on a Friday evening to spend time with his family.

Surely the prime minister should be working around the clock? If he's not at his desk by 6 in the morning and not back at his flat until midnight, then surely he's failing the country?

We sometimes get that with perspective clients.

"I just want people who will work, work and bill. I don't care about my firm's culture, I just want earners."

That's okay in the short term. But as we explain, you have to look at the wider picture. What happens if the lawyer experiences burn out after a few years? Is it not better if they look after themselves so they can work for you for 10 years, rather than working for you for 2, hate it and then leave?

After covid, we all know about the importance of work/life balance, and this has become a driver in a candidate led market which employers have had to respond to.

I appreciate that this may be counter intuitive, but the most successful biller isn't always the one who works the most. It is quality of work, rather than quantity.

Look at the most successful leaders.

Ronald Reagan insisted that all of his briefing notes consisted of a summary and recommendations, very little details. Blair and Cameron both understood that they were chairmen, and allowed their team a massive degree of autonomy. Not everyone is a Thatcher or a Brown (and to be honest, I think a lot of Thatcher's reputation was built out of the Falklands war).

So, if you're a managing partner, don't make the mistake of just looking at the hours spent working. Look at the culture, look at the support that is required to help your team flourish.

There you are.

You have had a blog that has spoken about politics, the general election and covid. I'm now off to the sun lounger...