Will Whitney be beaten by Dance Monkey? | Rick Jackson

You see, if this Australian singer’s song remains at number one, it will be 11 weeks at the top and break the record for the most weeks at number one for a female solo artist.

At the moment she’s level with Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You from 1992 and Rihanna’s Umbrella from 2007 with 10 weeks at the top.

Don’t think you have to sell fewer copies to get a chart-topper these days either. Sales and download sales are more than 600,000.

But she still has some way to go to beat the 15 weeks Wet Wet Wet enjoyed with Love Is All Around and Bryan Adams’s Everything I Do I Do It For You, or should that be ‘endured’?

It was always felt that nine weeks was the barrier to break.

Songs like Bohemian Rhapsody, Mull of Kintyre, You’re The One That I Want and Two Tribes were the only tracks to reach that accolade before the 1990s.

But are the charts still as important? Even though we no longer huddle over the radio on Sunday evenings with our cassette players poised and our fingers ready to press ‘record’.

I think those charts are important.

With Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and many other portals being so popular, downloads and streaming have become a hugely important and popular way to consume music.

So I’ve just checked those platforms’ charts and guess which song remains the most streamed and downloaded? Yes, Dance Monkey.

This song is a bit of a monster and the way it’s going, it may be the Christmas number one too and give Wet Wet Wet and Bryan Adams a run for their money.

I’m sure Robbie Williams and the sausage roll-loving LadBaby would like to think differently. Plus, Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas climbed 26 places last week to number eight and Wham’s Last Christmas just entered the charts at number 13. Unlucky for some?

Will vintage buses be able to take strain of Ale and Ride?

I’ve been busy out and about visiting pubs on the route of our Ale and Ride day on New Year’s Day.

It’s been great meeting publicans and getting positive feedback about the plans.

The timetable has been finalised and the vintage buses are ready to go. The route between Fareham and Gosport via Titchfield and Stubbington takes in some great pubs.

But will people turn up? If no one takes part at least the old buses will get a run out. And what if it’s really busy? First Bus have said they will post it on social media and put our leaflets on their buses. Gosport Ferry is doing the same. The oldest bus running dates from the 1950s. Fingers crossed they can cope.

I’ll take a picnic to vote – it will take that long to decide

I don’t think I will have ever walked to a polling station so unsure of who to vote for. I’ve payed close attention to everyone’s messages and have my own values, but no party ticks enough boxes.

Putting lots of money into health, education and our police force rings true, but how can a country that’s been in ‘austerity’ for the past nine years really afford it?

I also feel you can’t just revoke Article 50, it’s undemocratic. Will we get clarity tomorrow or will there be more muddy, grubby politics to contend with?

I may have to take a Thermos full of tea into the voting booth with me as I think I will be in there a long time waiting for my conscience to make a decision.