The Capitalist: What happened to Dry January?
In this week’s diary, property investment board games, new ways to ride the Tube and why Dry January seems like a distant memory
WHAT HAPPENED TO DRY JANUARY?
“I was gonna do it but then I went to the pub yesterday,” a senior Morning Wire staff member admitted to The Capitalist, remarking on their own beleaguered attempt to complete Dry January. Mention the thing in public and this year you’re more likely to be met with proud pronouncements about hedonism than awkward splutters about trying a “damp” January instead. Everyone’s on the beers, and it’s 6 January. What happened to Dry January? Despite Alcohol Change UK saying they polled a higher percentage of people than ever who said they want to cut out booze completely this January, The Capitalist has only met people rebelling against the fasting period. It isn’t just booze but exercising too: “My gym is dead quiet and normally it is heaving at this time of year,” one corporate was overheard saying at The Royal Exchange. “There’s something weird happening this year.” Could 2026 be about the return of hedonism? The Capitalist is off to the pub to find out.
UNICAPOLY
Thanks to Unica Capital for an imaginative Christmas gift. Unicapoly is the property investor’s “own take on the classic board game, featuring Unica Capital’s journey so far.” We’re unsure whether the game is a legitimate Monopoly spin-off or just piggybacking on the famous brand, but nevertheless the firm hopes the game “serves as a reminder that at Unica, every move is intentional – and every asset tells a story”. Competition was, of course, fierce in The Capitalist household over the festive period, but we were sad to note that Prime London postcodes Park Lane and Mayfair have, in Unica’s version, been replaced by properties in Gstaad. And why does the reboot of the economics-based board game still have Income Tax at only £100? We should be so lucky….
COME OFF IT
Morning Wire is certain to have plenty of readers who live in the London borough of Lambeth, so The Capitalist would like to share in their undoubted delight at the news that the Labour leader of their council, Claire Holland, has been awarded an OBE. What with the High Court ruling that Lambeth acted unlawfully when imposing a Low Traffic Neighbourhood, the triumph of ranking worse than 90 per cent of all councils on adult social care, the accolade of having more complaints upheld against them than any other council bar Croydon, and the housing ombudsman’s damning assessment of their social housing stock, it’s good to see the gongs go where they’re so well deserved.
NEW WAY TO RIDE THE TUBE
The Night Tube might be forsaking Bank station until early spring but if you want to get your fix of Tube-related culture shots of an evening you could always check out an “immersive exhibition exploring the sensory world of London’s Tube” created by a founding member of The Pogues, no less. Jock McFadyen and Jem Finer: Underground (and Surface) opens at Guildhall Art Gallery in the Square Mile from 27 February.
Read more about Dry January 2026: 7 of the best alcohol free events in London