tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081087225181875892024-02-20T00:47:31.173+00:00The StrachonteurPeter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-23757373936276129492012-03-25T20:14:00.002+01:002012-03-25T20:14:36.995+01:00The Sunday- On a Budget EditionFirst off, HURRAH!- having already subjected myself to geographically driven inflation by ending up living in our fair (but pricey!) nations capital, the freeze on alcohol duty comes as a welcome relief to my creaking wallet. No such luck for the smoking fraternity however, as baccy duty rose by 37p a pack. Whilst I recline in my hypocritical delight at such measures, smokers are left to face the tight-chested future once more the poorer. <br />
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This is the first budget I've experienced as a tax-payer, having sat through previous editions as any self-respecting economics & politics student would- hungover, on the couch. This change meant two things. Firstly, I was unable to subject myself to watching the live TV coverage of the great event- no watching the Helicopter following the ministerial car from No.11 to the House of Commons like the dullest ever episode of Police, Camera, Action!, no listening to the rhetorical din of George Osborne smugly decimating the country's future like he's reading last weeks shopping list. I don't know why I used to do it- it's torture. Take my word for it, an interest in politics far from precludes the dark, quite possibly arrestable, thoughts that cross one's mind when, ready to resume your life, the Chancellor having taken his seat to bawdy exhortations from his own benches, you see the Shadow Chancellor/Leader of the Opposition rising to launch into a string of poorly written jokes and objectionable soundbites. To know that the next hour of your life is sunk into the same all-encompassing catatonia as the previous- just because 'it's the budget'- is one of those moments that, whilst tragic at the time, must one day come in handy at 'meetings'.<br />
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The second difference of my new salaried-ness was that I am now able to enjoy the full delights of budget calculators. Having previously been smashed to the tune of about £7 a year by previous rises in alcohol duty, this year I was able to play properly and find out the true extent of the Chancellor's shenanigans on 'real people' like me. Turns out George's income tax changes have gone and saved me about £190. Bingo! Good budget right?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spot the tax-cut for the rich...</td></tr>
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Well, would have been better had I been what's known as 'filthy rich'. The highest earners were gifted a tax cut on the basis that they weren't bothering to pay the 50p rate. Whilst Osborne grandstanded on his moral objection to tax evasion he effectively gave into it, as the rich, like a bratty child manipulating their parent, got their own way. As Osborne retired having finished his budget he was greeted by a congratulatory slap on the back from his pal Cameron, a slap carrying the gratitude of the country's, now slightly richer, millionaires. By the way, we're all in it together...<br />
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Any debate around the above, however, has been somewhat derailed by fuss kicked up around the Granny tax. The hysteria around 'the raid on pensioners' illustrates nicely the yawning failures of the media coverage surrounding the budget. In the weeks leading up to the event the papers are filled with unsubstantiated claims of cuts to this and grants to that, and following the delivery they devolve into concocted attacks and raids by the Chancellor. In the end, the only way that George Osborne gets away with his pretence of trying to help the whole country, and not just the wealthy tribe, is because the media coverage somehow manages to beat him for disingenuous-ness. The budget is a distinctly unsexy event. The media coverage makes it up like a West End tart.<br />
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<b>Things I like this week: </b>A list of some of the things I'm enjoying at the moment.<br />
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<ul>
<li>Homeland- Out the loop was what I was. After recommendations from numerous friends I've started catching up on this. Can't stand the titles but apart from that it's pretty good. Intrigued more than Gripped at the moment</li>
<li>Audiobooks- again on the recommendation of friends, I made use of the free trial available at Audible. For me, novels should be read, so I've sought to expand my mind with a bit of history and used my one free credit on the first volume David Renolds' <i><a href="http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/ref=sr_1_2?asin=B004EVK3HQ&qid=1332702551&sr=1-2">Empire of Liberty</a></i>. Commuting and learning- the wonders of the iPod.</li>
<li>Real books- Re-reading <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/529626.Sometimes_a_Great_Notion">Sometimes a Great Notion</a> </i>by Ken Kesey, better known for <i>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</i>. A few books I've loved first time round have succumbed to the sophmore effect and left me a little disappointed. This is not one of them. Superbly crafted characters, explored through a brilliantly innovative narrative technique, placed against the wondrous backdrop of rural Oregon. It's a brilliant book.</li>
<li>The Boss- Is Bruce Springsteen a guilty pleasure? I've got friends who can't stand him, and I kind of get how the stadium rock, working-class sloganeering schtick can grate, but for me he gets away with it cause it all seems pretty genuine. The new album's a fine listen, filled with big tunes, the Okie Springsteen drawl, and some good old leftie tub-thumping</li>
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<br /></div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-86650685802307410852012-03-18T19:27:00.000+00:002012-03-18T19:27:32.493+00:00The Sunday: Time is Now Edition<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXNsEiXEyPG8kIu6CNdCWmAlCtUZhVqpIJr1FSThXqK3jr8IYF5O_Gb1CLpgSt8hya_ivhVkMICSCIEUMcR-80_-rUofXJKcCPOebOMw0uTjS3BHMDF0v1_HIV7TMTwXPBffbmbVDAYdk/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXNsEiXEyPG8kIu6CNdCWmAlCtUZhVqpIJr1FSThXqK3jr8IYF5O_Gb1CLpgSt8hya_ivhVkMICSCIEUMcR-80_-rUofXJKcCPOebOMw0uTjS3BHMDF0v1_HIV7TMTwXPBffbmbVDAYdk/s1600/images.jpg" /></a><b>Beyond Civil Partnerships: </b>Last Sunday, the Roman Catholic Church, ever the bastion of impeccable morals, stepped up its embittered crusade against gay marriage. Whilst a letter by two senior Arch-Bishops opposing the notion of guy and guy, girl and girl, tying the knot was read out across the nations Catholic places of worship, John Sentamu did his bit to keep the Church of England on the same retrograde path by wading in with his opposition to the notion on the Andrew Marr show. Whilst the offending parties claimed that such opposition did not represent a form of discrimination, there persistent inference that gay marriage would destabilise society left them wallowing in the fear and bigotry of their own arguments.<br />
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Marriage itself is a peculiar institution. It's basically based on the somewhat unfulfilling notion that a relationship requires some kind of material validation, yet manages to provide a somewhat justifiable sense of acceptance and reassurance to religious and non-religious alike. With time it has become as much an institution of the state as the Church- something that wouldn't have happened had the Church not been quite so keen on wielding it's Holy influence in times past. No longer the sole property of the Church, marriage must reflect the kind of society we live in. In a modern, tolerant society, in which each holds the other to be equal, gay marriage should clearly be allowed.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago I heard a really interesting point made on a podcast in a discussion about gay marriage. The speaker believed that in 50 years time, those that oppose gay marriage now, will be viewed much the same way those who opposed Civil Rights in the 1950s and 60s are seen. Though the statement was made in an American context, I believe time will play out with the same results over here. As the generations shift and, with it, attitudes change, we are moving inexorably towards the legalisation of gay marriage. This is undeniable in Britain, where all three major parties are in favour of it and with every malign outburst to the contrary, its opponents place themselves on the wrong side of history.<br />
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<b>Joy of 6: </b>6music turned 10 years old this week. I got a Digital Radio in 2004 but only came across 6music a couple of years later. Since then my dial (or the Digital equivalent of a dial) has barely been touched. There've been a few aberrations- George Lamb, the horror!- but overall 6music is a station that opens your ears to any number of artists that you've never come across before, and never would if you spent all your days listening to Radio 1, Absolute and Xfm. Diehards may whinge about the playlists but you can't be listening to Peel sessions from The Fall and Captain Beefheart b-sides all the time. For every overplayed dirge there's many more brilliantly crafted, exquisitely executed tunes, old and new. For now, this gem is getting me out of bed each morning.<br />
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<b>Tired old Formula: </b>Now I understand there are people out there that enjoy watching a sport in which the best competitors are provided with the best machines (in my view proper sports don't involve engines) and are then told to race, inducing a spectacle in which the idea of fair competition comes somewhat in line with that found at a Las Vegas casino. I am aware fans of such a sport do exist and they have every right to do so. But... I can not, for one minute, imagine their being enough of them to justify whichever channel that has the rights to broadcast it spending a small East African nations GDP promoting its coverage of it. BBC were guilty of it a couple of years ago when they took over from ITV, and now Sky are promoting their coverage as if they've won the rights to Jesus's coming out party. The whole she-bang kicked off in Melbourne this weekend. Certain things will have me awake at 4.30 in the morning- Formula 1 is not one of them.Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-48887554610665854242012-03-15T21:32:00.001+00:002012-03-15T21:32:46.675+00:00Weekend Rugby PredictionsThought I'd squeeze these outs before Saturday's finale. Through 12 matches I've picked 10 winners, only denied my perfect record by Leigh Halfpenny's last minute penalty on the opening weekend in Dublin and the France and Ireland 'like kissing your sister' outcome in the Paris rearrangement. Not a bad effort I'd say. Anyway, here's my final look into my (egg-shaped) Crystal Ball.<br />
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<b>Italy </b>over Scotland- Looking to have it both ways here. If Italy win then I can chalk up another correct prediction, if Scotland win... wait, Scotland never win. There have been some promising performances by Scotland this Championship, but claiming improvement when you're still not winning's like claiming<br />
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<b>Wales </b>over France- Everyone seems to believe that the French team- not just this French team, but any French team, ever- are forever pregnant with a mind-blowingly good performance that they could deliver at any moment. This performance, it would seem, is forever stillborn. The French have been unimpressive in their distinctively Gallic way this Championship. In Cardiff, Wales will have enough to ensure this doesn't change.<br />
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<b>Ireland </b>over England- Whilst my game picks have been pretty accurate, my Championship picks of an Irish victory have gone somewhat astray. However, on Paddy's day I see them getting the job done. Plus the English rugby press have had nothing to whinge about for a couple of months. Those short-sighted, knee-jerk polemics won't write themselves...Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-41215089856942263182012-03-04T18:08:00.000+00:002012-03-04T18:08:32.811+00:00The Sunday- Spreading Santorum Edition<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Republican Primary definitions: </b>Google 'Santorum', the former Pennsylvania Senator and contender in the ongoing Republican Presidential Candidate race and one of the first results you'll get will be the following:</span><br />
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<em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Santorum </b>1. The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex. 2. Senator Rick Santorum</span></em><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figured a picture of this Santorum was preferable...</td></tr>
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<em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">This helpful definition comes courtesy of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/jan/04/rick-santorum-homophobic-frothing">Gay rights activist Dan Savage</a>, who in 2003 took issue (as most reasonable people who wish for a tolerant society would) with Rick Santorum's comparison of consensual sexual contact between adults of the same sex with child rape and beastiality. An effective campaign raised the above definition to the no.1 return when one searched for 'Santorum' on Google. Rick Santorum's Google problem was born.</span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">But why should Rick Santorum be the only candidate with an alternative definition to his surname. Here are some suggestions for the other three remaining competitors left battling the Republican Primaries.</span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-style: normal;">Romney </b><span style="font-style: normal;">1. The failure to seal the deal despite your competitors being a bunch of loony, crackpot hooligans</span></span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Example. </span>I was out last night and me, Dennis Nielsen and Timmy Mallett were chatting up this girl. I totally Romney'd- didn't even get her number.</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">2. Former Govenor Mitt Romney</span></span><br />
<em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"><b>Gingrich </b>1. The confusion of serial philandering and lunatic spoutings with charisma</span></span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;">Example.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> His own troubles later in life stemmed from his youth, when he had Gingriched his fathers multiple affairs and recollections of 'that crazy night me and Buzz Aldrin decided to colonise the moon'</span></span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;">2. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich</span></span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"><br /></span></span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: normal;"><b>Ron Paul </b>1. A guy 20 years older than everyone else in a nightclub, whom nobody's quite sure why they're there and what they intend to achieve </span></span></em><br />
<em style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Example. </span>There were a right couple of Ron Paul's out last night. Was chatting to one at the bar and he thinks we should return to the gold standard- joker!</span></em><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">2. Congressman Ron Paul</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><b>Arsenal- executors of footballing karma: </b>Last week, North London Derby. Gareth Bales breaks into the Arsenal box and flings himself to the floor, deceiving Mike Dean into awarding a penalty that Adebayor scores to put Spurs 2-0 up. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diving- worse karma than being Welsh</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">Final score: Arsenal 5 Tottenham 2</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">This week, Anfield. Luis Suarez is slipped through in the box and flops over the onrushing Szczesny. Dirk Kuyt misses but Liverpool go 1-0 up minutes later.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">Final score: Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">Lesson. Don't go diving against the Arsenal.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><b>Six Nations Picks: </b>I chose France to beat Ireland. France didn't beat Ireland, but Ireland didn't beat France either so I'll score that a half point to me. Probably a fair result for both teams in the end, though the Irish can probably take a few more positives out of it than their hosts.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><b>Wales </b>over Italy- The prequel to the main event in Cardiff the week after when the Welsh seek to beat the French and achieve a well-deserved Grand Slam. I pity anyone who has to come into contact with Jonathan Davies over the next two weeks</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><b>Ireland </b>over Scotland- Scotland have gone from a period of pathetic hope-destroying defeats a couple of years ago, to an infuriating series of spirit-uplifting but ultimately futile performances in recent times. Ireland will in all likelihood have a bit too much for them at the Aviva.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><b>England </b>over France- France have done nothing through their first three matches to convince me that they can beat decent opposition who come in and give it a real go. England put in a positive performance against the Welsh and I think they can ride that to a victory in Paris here, one that should convince the bodies at the RFU of Lancaster's suitability for the job long-term.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-69764790726174039932012-02-26T18:18:00.000+00:002012-02-26T18:18:24.981+00:00The Sunday- Patronise the Plebs Edition<b>You Trots just don't understand: </b>This government may be Conservative by name but they are in fact pretty radical by nature. Less than two years into office and they have already enacted major changes in the Education system, raising fees for Higher Education and Academising much of Secondary. For a good year now they've been battling to alter the form of the NHS whilst they also go about attempting to radically overhaul the Welfare system. The ambition may be admirable, but, for many, the ideas sure as hell aren't as they seek to make life harder for those who don't exactly have it easy at the moment. But raise an opposition voice to this Government and be prepared to be smeared, patronised and ultimately ignored by a group of Ministers who consider it a success to have their breeches only part-dampened as they piss into the wind.<br />
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Education illustrates this perfectly. When the tuition fees faff was happening there was no attempt to engage with dissenting voices. Opposition was either labelled as hard-left, Commie activists, or condescendingly told that, despite representing this country's intellectual future, they were too simple to understand the benefits of being saddled with three times more debt than the current system. 'But you'll pay less per month' whinnied Nick Clegg, conveniently obscuring the fact that payments will be lasting much longer. Reforms of Primary and Secondary Education are the same. Oppose them and Michael Gove's on his soapbox <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/shortcuts/2012/feb/01/michael-gove-trots-trotskyites-academies">calling you a 'Trot'</a>. A concoction of condescension, obfuscation and rudeness seems to be the tonic for the government in the face of opposition.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Tory 'listening exercise'</td></tr>
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In the past week NHS reforms and the Workfare scheme have raised issues for Cameron & co. The majority of the medical profession apparently 'don't understand' the NHS bill and thus were excluded from the minority coalition of the willing that was assembled on Monday. Whilst Lansley might have had a few awkward moments on the way in, I expect the government weren't too bothered with the raving former-Union official that accosted him, as it plays into their narrative of their reforms being opposed by outdated lefties, ignoring the variety of professional bodies also standing against the reforms. As for Workfare, oppose the coldblooded exploitation of the jobless and <a href="http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16174206">you're a 'job snob'</a> according to Iain Duncan Smith. Sainsburys, Waterstones and others obviously disagree as they pulled out the wrong-headed coalition scheme. Even Tesco's pulled out...when Tesco show more moral conscience than you, you might want to reassess your plans. But it wouldn't appear so. The government seems intent on continuing to kick the shins of those it fancies, resorting to smears, and an explanation that they just don't realise bruised shins are good for them, when they dare complain. <br />
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<b>Inland What-pire?: </b>Went to the BFI last night to watch David Lynch's <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_Empire_(film)">Inland Empire</a></i>, as part of their David Lynch season. I had heard (though not seen) of Lynch's work before, and was aware it was pretty weird. However, nothing quite prepared me for this.<br />
The film is three hours of indecipherable rubbish. I enjoyed the odd five minutes, but with the film that long it's like enjoying the odd drop as you're waterboarded. Maybe I just don't get it, but you'd have to be some kind of loony film buff to appreciate whatever was going on on screen. Even the A4 sheet that was meant to introduce you to the film made zero sense. And the worst part...at the end as I roused myself from by brain-ached stupor, people clapped. They clapped. What?<br />
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<b>Six Nations Update: </b>Just over half-way in and I'm 7-1 for my predictions. Admittedly I've basically picked the favourite in every match so far, with only a late Welsh penalty in Dublin depriving me of a perfect record. No surprises in the the first or last matches of this weekend. The England-Wales match was great entertainment. England have a promising group of players who could be delivering big things in a couple of years if they can stick together. As for Wales, it's all about the present. Victory against Italy will set up a shot at a Grand Slam against a French side coming off three matches in consecutive weekends. Exciting times for the immense Sam Warburton and his crew.<br />
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As for next weekends rearrangement:<br />
<b>France </b>over Ireland- I want to pick the Irish as I think they're marginally the better team, but their horrid record in Paris cancels that out. Both teams need to impress next weekend, as England look ready for a scrap in the last two matches.<br />
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<b>When the Brits were fun: </b>Some moments from the past, because cutting off a speech because of TV isn't very rock'n'roll.<br />
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The obvious<br />
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Confusion reigns<br />
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They say musics gone downhill<br />
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And because I'm a Manics (and Comprehensive School) fanboy, how to deliver an acceptance speech<br />
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<br />Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-27149869520742661622012-02-19T11:09:00.000+00:002012-02-19T11:09:01.821+00:00The Sunday: Falklands Dick Swinging Edition<b>Colonial Kerfuffle:</b> The Falklands War-like most wars- is really quite a sad event in history. Across 74 days, 649 Argentinians, 255 Brits, and 3 Falklanders lost their lives. For those military personnel that survived, there are the harrowing memories of a brutal combat that shall forever remain with them. It was a war fought out of patriotic passions rather than any more tangible strategic aims, and the resulting nationalistic fervour in Britain helped propel Thatcher to her 1983 election victory. It is an event to be reflected upon with austere remembrance, one that you would hope two mature nations may be able to diplomatically move on from.<br />
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Or not... Thirty years on and the Falklands conflict, and the remaining issue of the islands national attachment, appears as a chance for British politicians to undo their responsible foreign policy zipper, whip out their tumescent patriotic credentials, and give the Argies a good slap to the face (similar Female metaphor applies to Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner). While both countries may feel strongly about their respective cause, the nature of the 'debate' is infantile, aimed at bolstering nationalistic reputations in their respective countries.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spot the British bit...</td></tr>
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Argentina seem to have decided to go for the glitz and glamour approach to promoting their cause. It started when they decided to rename their equivalent of the Barcalys Premier League after the Crucero General Belgrano, the cruiser sunk during the Falkland conflict, literally turning the issue into a political football. Since then they've had a celebrity endorsement (from Sean Penn) and a publicity stunt when they reported British actions to the UN. You've got to admire the imagination of the PR guys on the Argentinian side.<br />
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On the British side it's been a case of incidental visits to the islands by national public figures. First, Prince William was sent there on a 'routine' posting, a failure to comprehend that nothing an heir to the Throne does is remotely 'routine' in the geo-political scheme of things. Then David Willets popped by on his way to Antarctica, before a bunch of MPs from the Defence Select Commmitee swing by next month. It's all horribly unsubtle and crudely undignified. The Falklanders wish to remain British at the moment, hence the British interest in the islands (oh, and something about oil reserves). But the Government seems to be gambling at the moment that jamming various politicians and royals down their throats won't induce a gag-reflex against the pathetic macho posturing that supposedly represents an attempt at a diplomatic, 21st century, foreign policy.<br />
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<b>Six Nations: </b>So as expected, England and Wales took victories last week to move to two wins out of two in this years Six Nations. England have greatly benefited from having the two weakest teams in the Championship in their first two matches. This has allowed Stewart Lancaster to determine who's ready to play for him, and who's repeating the mistakes of the World Cup and are likely to be suffering a similar hangover to the World Cup in the new dawn of English rugby that follows the tournament. Wales looked good again, though the Scottish exuberance at tackling anything in red that moved (an exuberance that stems from a similar tactic used on Saturday nights out in Glasgow) cost Andy Robinson's side a decent crack at the game. Were next weeks match taking place in the Millenium Stadium it would be a no doubt Welsh win. The fact it's not balances the encounter, but enough for an English victory?<br />
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<b>Ireland </b>over Italy- Anyone disagreeing here? Outside of Murrayfield, it's hard to see where the Italians can ever pick up away-victories. The French postponement probably benefits Ireland who can play the Welsh match out of their system here, and head back to Paris a restored, more confident team.<br />
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<b>Wales </b>over England- Excluding the last five minutes of the first half against Italy, the English defence has been pretty strong so far. Wales, however, present a bigger, bulkier, simply better, backs-unit that the Scots or the Italians have, and one that should be able to cause the English mid-field problems. I expect it to be tight-margin of victory- less than 7 points- but for Wales to edge a victory that sets them up for an emotional charge at the Grand Slam through their last two matches back in Cardiff.<br />
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<b>France </b>over Scotland- Scotland does everything right. It's witty, it makes eye contact when it's listening, and it knows all the right flirty body contact. Then it leans in for the kiss and headbutts the girl. France recoils, grabs Scotland by the balls, and twists until it squeals. Minimum 15 point French victory.<br />
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<b>Braquo- </b>This week I finished off the last few episodes of the first season of <i>Braquo</i>, a French cops drama shown on FX before Christmas that had been sitting on the old Sky+ since then. I came across it as a TV Pick of the Sunday Times, and there was a lot of acclaim for it being thrown about- even some talk of it in the same breath as (control yourselves) <i>The Wire</i>. <br />
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Now I haven't seen <i>The Wire</i> so I can't comment directly on that comparison, but I would suggest <i>Braquo </i>probably isn't the Second Coming. But that doesn't mean it's not good. Eddy Caplan and his gang are cops dealing with the scum of the Paris criminal underworld- they're damn good cops too, if perhaps a tad overenthusiastic. <i>Braquo's</i> driving energy comes from the tightrope that Eddy and the rest of his crew, Walter, Theo and Roxanne, must try to walk as they try to clear the name an old colleague, balancing the need to deal with some bad guys, capture other bad guys, whilst the whole time not turning into bad guys themselves. As the season progresses, all four find themselves drawn further and further into a web of assaults, murders, hostage-takings, drug-dealings, internal police politics, family breakdowns, and sex, a fair bit of it their fault. As the season progresses, it also becomes clear that there's no hole you can't get out of by simply hiring a van, loading up on guns and ammunition and pulling on balaclavas. Easy!<br />
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It all threatens to get a bit riotously silly. But the factor that helps pull it off is the French-ness. The show oozes Gallic cool from every dangling-out-the mouth cigarette to every cocked-gun in your face. From the steam of BMWs, to the bar in the Police station, to Eddy's residence on a house-boat, the show feels cool, but more, so looks amazing. It wouldn't have worked in New York, or London, nor Copenhagen (which seems to be the centre of good TV at the moment with <i>The Killing</i> and <i>Borgen</i>). The show works and the reason it works is a French thing. Just don't let that put you off!Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-65386011246646034502012-02-05T17:22:00.003+00:002012-02-19T11:01:03.474+00:00The Sunday: Banker Hunting Edition<b>Reclaiming Responsibility: </b>Don your deerstalker and load up your shotgun. The now annual Banker hunting season is in full swing and not a hefty bonus, nor an errant Knighthood, are safe from the foxhounds of Cameroon opportunism or Milibandian rhetoric.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonus-less</td></tr>
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On Monday, Stephen Hester, uberboss of RBS at the moment, decided to waive his bonus worth a little under £1m. Now Hester runs RBS right now, when the bank is majority owned by the Government, from whom the money provided in the bailout kept the bank alive. Whilst it would have been nice if Mr Hester had somehow stumbled across his morals in the pocket of one of his briefcases and chosen to decline it voluntarily, the manner of the decision was somewhat brought on through a public haranguing. And quite right to, for the bonus for Chief of a lucky-to-be-alive bank like RBS was clearly absurd. Things aren't quite as bad as they were at the depths at RBS, but the money machine's certainly not pumping out profits like it used to.<br />
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Fred Goodwin was uberboss at RBS when the money machine was lubed up and spurting out profits like mass-produced chocolate biscuits. For that, they gave him a Knighthood. Fred Goodwin was also uberboss at RBS when things got uberbad. For that, on Tuesday, they stripped him of his Knighthood.<b> </b>The fall from grace puts him in the good company of Nicola Ceaucescu and Robert Mugabe in having been demoted from Knight of the Realm. Without wanting to draw a comparison between the scale of destruction caused by these three unhappy musketeers acts, there is a parallel in the way that the awards were handed out by an easily impressed, cosy cabal of elites at the top of the British establishment, disconnected from both the troubles and value-system of those commoners in the real world. One could almost say it makes the Honours system appear ridiculous.<br />
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Amusingly, both main political parties managed to find themselves straddling the fence on an issue on which there was only one side to be. Labour drew up Hester's Brucie-bonus contract and Knighted Fred the Shred for services to bad nicknames. The situation was basically all their fault. Ed Miliband, however, did a pretty good job of ignoring what he'd been involved in a few years ago and going successfully on the offensive. For the Tories, it provided some good headlines, and whilst some genuinely see the sense in the actions, stripping a rich man of undeserved money clearly still rankles with many enough to provide some petty, whinging column inches for the Daily Telegraph. It is a strange world. Labour, former members of the Royal Society for Bonues and Knighthoods for foxes, and current members, the Tories, both sit smiling while the hounds tear the beasts apart.<br />
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<b>Cool Fact of the Week: </b>(Courtesy of<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/gabfest.html"> Slate's Political Gabfest</a>- well worth a listen, especially this being an election year) President Tyler, 10th President of the United States (1841-45), born 1790, still has grandchildren alive. Best of all, one of them thinks <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72089.html">Newt Gringrich is 'a jerk'</a>.<br />
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<b>Setting an example: </b>Seems like this was the week for the great and the good (or the deceitful and bigoted) to fall on their swords.<br />
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Chris Huhne has always been a careerist egomaniac, happy to trample upon anything in the cause of self-advancement. That seems to include both his marriage and the maxim that you don't lie on matters of a criminal nature. For the Lib Dems Huhne was like a dodgy kitchen appliance that was broken, but not quite faulty enough to get rid of. Finally, this week, it blew up on its own accord as Huhne was charged with perverting the course of justice by trying to pass his speeding points on to his wife. Whilst the Government made all the right noises about being sad to see him go, one senses that on both sides of the coalition the Champagne corks were hitting the door as it closed behind him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just an all-round good guy...</td></tr>
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And then John Terry. Sir John Terry of Stamford Bridge. Is it possible to find anyone who isn't a Chelsea fan willing to say a good thing about John Terry? To be fair to Chelsea fans, quite a few of them can't stand him as well. Whether it's taunting American tourists at Heathrow in the aftermath of 9/11, carrying on affairs with teammates girlfriends, or racially abusing fellow professionals, Terry has always done his best to uphold the highest levels of coarseness, degradation and ignominy. This week facing a criminal charge of using racist language, and the terrifying prospect of the FA's justice system (in what othe profession could you make such overtly racist comments and keep your job?) he was this week stripped of the England captaincy. I fully believe in innocence until proven guilty but John Terry puts forward a good case for the opposite.<br />
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In related news, Harry Redknapp's tax evasion trial is drawing to a close.. What a wonderfully high moral standard the high-achievers of our society exhibit...<br />
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<b>Six Nations Picks: </b><i>Made before the weekends games</i><br />
<i><br /></i><br />
Final Table:<br />
1. Ireland<br />
2. England<br />
3. Wales<br />
4. France<br />
5. Scotland<br />
6. Italy<br />
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This weeks games:<br />
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<b>England </b>over Scotland: First the history. England haven't won north of the border since 2004. Scotland haven't scored a try against England at Murrayfield since 2004. If Scotland can keep it tight they could edge a kicking contest, but I fancy the new England crew, without the baggage of players of old, to put on a bit of a show and take a 10-15 point victory.<br />
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<b>France </b>over Italy: I know Italy won this fixture last year and that the plucky Romans keep improving but at the Stade de France I can't see anything other than a Gallic victory.<br />
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<b>Ireland </b>over Wales: Ireland will be out for revenge after their quarter-final defeat in the World Cup. A glance at the Heineken Cup quarter finals would suggest that Ireland have the strongest pool of talent to choose from at the moment, and I expect that to play out over the course of this Championships.<br />
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<i>Made after the weekends games</i><br />
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So... were it not for a couple of questionable decisions by Wayne Barnes in the last 15 minutes of a match that brought the Six Nations to light, I'd be a perfect 3-0 after the first weekend. Bradley Davis deserved a red card, and even with a yellow he deserved to cost Wales the game through a moment of brute idiocy. It's a credit to the rest of the Welsh players that they kept at it, dragged themselves back into the game with a 14-man try, before, in a moment of cruel irony, Barnes gave them a penalty for a rather innocuous tackle on the returned Davis. As for Ireland, with eight minutes to go and a penalty just inside their own half against 14-men they should have kicked to touch. Sexton's speculative effort took time off the clock, but provided the Welsh team with a brief rest period instead of knocking them further on to the back foot. If he makes the kick fair play, but in the circumstances the option more likely to lead them to victory was to bury Wales deep inside their own 22.<br />
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Anyhoo, on to next weeks picks:<br />
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<b>England </b>over Italy: So the English didn't exactly impress the way I though they might at Murrayfield but they ground out the win. After a solid defensive performance, the Italian challenge should allow them to get a good workout on the offensive side of the ball and move to two wins out of two.<br />
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<b>France </b>over Ireland: Can't say we really learned much from France's performance on the weekend, but what we learnt from Ireland is that without O'Driscoll the midfield defence is liable to be punctured at any moment. Ireland have a terrible record on French soil, and I think weakness in the centres, along with the blow of today's defeat, tots up to a French victory.<br />
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<b>Wales </b>over Scotland- This <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8508259.stm">fixture two years ago</a> provided one of the best matches I've ever seen and on of the biggest sucker-punches I've ever felt. If Scotland could replicate their performance from that game, minus the last ten minutes, then the impotent performance against the English will be partially atoned for. Wales look impressive though. Up front they're solid, if a bit shaky in the lineout, and their backs play with an impressive mix of pace and force. A win in this could set up a cracking encounter at Twickenham in Week 3 between two unbeatens.<br />
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<b>Musical Outro: </b>So this Lana Del Rey. She may not be the self-made, self-financed, album recorded in her bedroom, video made on her laptop, story to make a hipster muso wet themselves. Her performance on Saturday Night Live <i>was</i> pretty awful, the majority of her album<i> is</i> pretty mundane, and her lips look like they've been fiddled with on photoshop. But... I really like this song:<br />
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<br />Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-20600894894801725742012-01-30T11:51:00.002+00:002012-01-31T22:31:35.855+00:00The Monday: What a Match! EditionFrom best to worst, ever person who plays professional sport at the highest level spends hours leading to days, adding up to years, practicing the skills that will raise their game to the highest possible level. This ranges from the fundamentals- knocking in the three-foot putt for birdie, keeping your cover-drive down and out of the grasp of eager opposition fielders - to the more elite talents- bending the thirty-yard free-kick over the wall and into the top-corner, slotting the drop-goal under duress off your wrong foot. Players at the top of their sport possess the ability to take the most difficult of skills and execute them in high-pressure situations in competition. But these flashy, high-end skills are not enough to make one transcend generations. To combine the ability to cause sharp intakes of breath from a wondrous crowd, with metronomic, unfailing fundamentals is what separates those that are merely good from those who are era-spanning great.<br />
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I joined yesterday's Australian Open final at the back-end of the second set. Djokovic, number one seed, had lost the first set 7-5, but held a break of serve and a 4-2 lead in the second. A hold each later and Djokovic was serving for the set at 5-3. He led 30-0 and created three set points for himself, but Nadal, with trademark tenacity saved each in turn before setting up his own break-point. Djokovic missed his first serve. A pressure situation no doubt, but the second serve is one of those fundamentals, practiced every day on the training courts. Professional players rarely dump their second serves in the net- to do so is a cardinal sin. To avoid this the shot is hit at height over the net, with the requisite topspin to dip the ball in near the back of the service box. Djokovic sent his serve with the necessary height, but the topspin was lacking. The ball stayed on a relatively flat course once it had cleared the net, landing long of the service line. Big error, and Nadal had the break back. Minutes later, however, and Nadal was set point down, on second serve. Whilst, the right-handers top-spin serve sees the ball move in the air in a 12-to-6 fashion (in a clockface sense from top to the bottom), the left-handers has a more 11-to-5 movement out towards a right-handers backhand, a shot with slightly more slice hit at a slightly lower trajectory. The difference in physics made little difference to the outcome, however, as Nadal, in similar fashion to Djokovic, sent his serve long, levelling the match at one set-all. Two games, two big fundamental errors, one by each player. In a match that was to go another three-and-a-quarter hours, it was pretty much the last example of fallibility either man showed.<br />
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People talk of a top four in men's tennis but a look at the facts suggest that over the past eighteen months Nadal and Djokovic have been forming their own duopoly at the head of the men's game. Andy Murray is showing signs of closing the gap yet the major victories at grand slams continue to elude him, if now by a matter of points rather than games or sets. Roger Federer's record speaks for itself, but since he last won a Grand Slam (the Australian in 2010) there have been eight Grand Slam finals (including yesterdays) all of which have been won by either Nadal or Djokovic and four of which have been contested between the two. Federer is widely (and rightfully in my view) considered the greatest player to have ever played the game. But Nadal has a 17-9 career record against him. What are you if you're better than the greatest? Then Djokovic, since he began his ascent up tennis' Mount Olympus in January 2011, has gone 4-1 against Federer and 7-0 against Nadal. If you're better than the guy who's the greatest ever <b>AND </b>dominate the guy who dominates the guy who's the greatest ever, what does that make you? Tennis fans could talk themselves into a metaphysical crisis trying to come to some rational conclusion within such debates. Thankfully, the play on court provides some quite phenomenal respite from such quandary's.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1oZF6wdvCY5iaEsWs6n8QGqLjSYPcWmndu1ds09bfSwM6I6j-r7Ex_ODB9V14blsfGnvVL61E86ohH7WhYhm4r4FzvonwaLrk2wAh2LtG7kdqBwOqr9WolWTa_PpXdKe6e6k7OIFmzCF/s1600/Novak-Djokovic-Australian-Open-Rafael-nadal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1oZF6wdvCY5iaEsWs6n8QGqLjSYPcWmndu1ds09bfSwM6I6j-r7Ex_ODB9V14blsfGnvVL61E86ohH7WhYhm4r4FzvonwaLrk2wAh2LtG7kdqBwOqr9WolWTa_PpXdKe6e6k7OIFmzCF/s320/Novak-Djokovic-Australian-Open-Rafael-nadal.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Djokovic did in the third set what he's done to nearly everyone he's played in the last year. In attack he mixes stunning with precision with flat, tracer-like ground strokes, whilst on defence he chases everything down, combining a sprinters pace with an agility that allows him to contort his body into the kind of positions you can normally only find model wooden men twisted into. Through the third he had Nadal doing shuttle runs from corner-to-corner on the baseline. He would drive Nadal backwards before chipping a delicate dropshot just over the net, enough to draw a desperate sprint from Nadal, but not enough for him to actually get there, leaving the number 2 seed like the kids who keep dropping 10 pence pieces into the machines at the arcade not realising they're never going to win as the money inside is glued down. It was cruel and it was emphatic. From breaking Nadal to take a 3-1 lead he held twice to love before breaking Nadal to love at 5-2 to take the set. Momentum, a factor that can swing back-and-forth throughout the course of a five-set encounter, was firmly behind the man who had so-dominated 2011.<br />
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When Djokovic won the Australian Open in 2008 it seemed that he was ready to join the Federer-Nadal cabal which dominated Grand Slam tennis at that time. The next couple of years, however, were to be a period of unfulfilled promise. Whilst Djokovic reached several Grand Slam semis, too many Slam defeats came not at the hands of the perpetual 1 and 2 seeds, but to lower-ranked players such as Jugen Melzer, Tommy Hass and Tomas Berdych. In another era of men's tennis, where the depth of quality was spread fairly evenly across the top 20 or so players, losses like this wouldn't have been much of an issue. In an era with Federer and Nadal it meant he could only be best of the rest. Then, in 2011 Djokovic brought to the court an improved game, a body prepared to endure challenges that before it would have shirked, and most importantly a mental attitude that believed he belonged at the top. What resulted was a 70-6 record and 10 Tour titles, including 3 Grand Slams. He had elevated his game not just to the level of Nadal and Federer, but beyond it. <br />
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At the beginning of the fourth set Djokovic maintained the high gear that had driven him through the second and thirds. In top-level tennis where breaks of serve are rare, serving first in a set provides a small mental advantage over your opponent. With each hold of serve of your own you take the lead. All the guy the other side of the net can do is keep up. In this case Djokovic was streaking ahead, holding to love, or confidently averting danger with a number of firmly struck winners. Nadal was clinging to the Serb's retro 90s tennis shirt, each time facing a battle to hold serve and level the score. Finally, at 4-3 Djokovic Nadal slipped to 0-40 on his own serve. What followed embodied both the mental and the physical facets of Nadal's game that make him the player he is. At 0-40 he finished a punishing rally by skipping round a backhand and whipping his trademark forehand with lasso finish on the crosscourt angle for a winner. A strong serve saved the second break point. At 30-40 another baseline encounter ensued. Eventually Nadal pushed Djokovic out to his forehand, the Serb returned, deep but fairly centrally to the Nadal backhand. As Djokovic pushed off his right foot, anticipating the Spaniard taking the pinball approach and stretching him onto his backhand, Nadal spied his opportunity. He sent the ball back the direction it had came. It passed Djokovic by only a couple of feet, but wrongfooted he could only let it pass like a rugby player left for dead by a neat sidestep. Two strong serves won the game and we were back to 4-4.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWVc1wvvWWiS1FjgvLAPXacsFFre_NU5v4v7gsIVb7HyyD5qjwoEeI3iFoiZbHFIGJxbCuWGh7bEqONK2kFMAqHe6dhFbQmrBBu0Z3Cj4JxdeR5NYU5Qa8IuVwyQNnxa-S13vHLgFHut4/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWVc1wvvWWiS1FjgvLAPXacsFFre_NU5v4v7gsIVb7HyyD5qjwoEeI3iFoiZbHFIGJxbCuWGh7bEqONK2kFMAqHe6dhFbQmrBBu0Z3Cj4JxdeR5NYU5Qa8IuVwyQNnxa-S13vHLgFHut4/s1600/images.jpg" /></a><br />
There followed a brief rain delay in which the Melbourne grounds crew took to the court like a colony of fluorescent worker ants and began drying off the playing surface with towels. The brief delay favoured neither player, and roof closed, both held serve twice to take the set to a tie-break. Djokovic moved to within two points of the title at 5-3, before netting a simple crosscourt forehand on his serve. It didn't feel right for Djokovic to win the match at this point. It would have felt like stopping the 100m final at the 70m mark. Nadal rallied, held both his service points, and took his first set point when Djokovic pushed a forehand wide. Call it gutsy, call it ballsy, call it what you like. In the fourth Nadal showed guts, balls, cajones galore. We were heading to a fifth set.<br />
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I'm no great fan of Nadal. His style of tennis is somewhat industrial, more of a machine to Federer's artwork or Murray's variety show. There's the gamemanship, the delays between points as he flicks back hair and adjusts his shorts like a fidgeting child. But most of all there's the way that on-court he just doesn't seem to get any enjoyment out of the game he's so bloody good at. It appears he gets no individual enjoyment out of points, instead seeing them as merely a means towards an end. Instead of the old stamp collector who gets enjoyment out of each item he adds to his collection, on-court Nadal appears more akin to one forced by means to collect food stamps. There is no enjoyment in the process, it is something that just has to be done. For me, the absolute level of seriousness makes it hard to like the player. However, there is little doubt that it is that intensity that has driven him to all the titles, and it is that intensity that clawed him back into the Championship match last night.<br />
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It's a fact that men's tennis is a bigger draw than the women's game. That's why, while both female semis took place during the day on Thursday, the men's were scheduled in for the prime-time sessions on Thursday and Friday evenings. I understand the commercial aspect but it's an arrangement that shows little respect for the notion of trying to ensure a fair build-up for the players that make it to the final. Whilst Nadal went through a no-doubt tough encounter with Federer on Thursday night, he had an extra day of rest on Djokovic, who went 4 hours 50 minutes in a barnstorming confrontation with Andy Murray a day later. Entering the 5th set logic suggested that Nadal would be the less weary of the two, and with the swing in his favour from the fourth, favourite to take the title. From 30-15 up, serving from 3-2 down, Djokovic missed shots on three consecutive points handing Nadal the break. But if there was one thing this match didn't do it was the expected. At 30-30 in the next game Djokovic popped up a tired looking volley to the Nadal backhand. Nadal closed in like an eagle descending upon a helpless vole and missed the backhand...yeah, he missed the backhand. Next point Djokovic took his opportunity and it was back on serve.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSgS9ZMW8ANk2zp8FC6ot5A3LCPed6OzlRk9GfAauJRi9ux4fE0ika5ed8X5H8upEY8d9KjyJmDW_DsbAUEOp5ysassUGUAGKObs2b4uQLT1gfEFEJdd8HRQZiJbU6UJjZrsYE5onwL9A/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSgS9ZMW8ANk2zp8FC6ot5A3LCPed6OzlRk9GfAauJRi9ux4fE0ika5ed8X5H8upEY8d9KjyJmDW_DsbAUEOp5ysassUGUAGKObs2b4uQLT1gfEFEJdd8HRQZiJbU6UJjZrsYE5onwL9A/s1600/download+(1).jpg" /></a>At 5-5 a rejuvenated Djokovic broke Nadal. He saved break point in the next games, before setting up championship point. Big first serve down the middle to the Nadal backhand and the Aussie Open title sat up for him in midcourt. He put the forehand lethally past a Nadal treading water on the baseline, retaining his Australian title, earning his fifth career and third consecutive Grand Slam (joining Laver, Sampras, Federer and Nadal as the only men to record three titles in a row). He also recorded his seventh straight victory over his Spanish opponent in a final. If Nadal merely toppled Federer from his throne then in his respective dominance of the Spaniard Djokovic is working on an act of regicide. Yet one cannot write off the man from Majorca. Until Federer, Murray or someone else can crack the duo's current dominance it will remain a reign of one in a town of two.<br />
<b><br /></b>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-70729541269835841742012-01-22T19:11:00.000+00:002012-01-22T19:11:12.128+00:00The Sunday: Royal Yacht EditionSlightly truncated version this week as I graduated on Friday and spent the rest of the weekend up north. The following represents my take on the week up to Thursday afternoon:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would not have supported a Royal Yacht</td></tr>
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<b>Yacht you talkin' bout Willets?: </b>Sorry, but it was too good a pun to let details get in the way. Michael Gove has taken most of the opprobrium for the deluded notion that the British public somehow owe someone whose grace-and-favour lifestyle they fund, a massive boat, but apparently he got the idea from <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jan/16/royal-yacht-backed-david-cameron">David Willets</a>. Now the Tories seem to have moved on to the idea that the burden for this massive waste of money should fall on the private sector rather than the struggling public purse (because I hear things are so great in the private sector at the moment there's a massive yacht-sized lump of cash floating around). More interestingly, however, the idea has also moved from the proposed boat being some kind-of Russian billionaire style play-pen for the Royal Family to the intriguingly barmy concept of it being a large sailing ship acting as a <a href="http://www.universityoftheoceans.org/">University of the Oceans</a>. This floating centre of learning would apparently offer young people education in the maritime and environmental fields, provide them with lifelong individual and team-work skills, and teach them how to repel the Spanish Armada. That is, of course, as <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mark-steel/mark-steel-a-new-yacht-is-the-least-she-deserves-6291010.html">Mark Steel points out</a>, when it's not being used to entertain Saudi arms dealers. And they say the Tories are out of touch...<br />
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<b>Channel 4 News Bingo: </b>So my office at the moment is next door to ITN headquarters. This presents itself with great opportunity for the worryingly giddy pleasure of Channel 4 News bingo. Bear with me. Channel 4 News Bingo is a game created by, participated in, and won, mainly by me. Though being the sole contestant gives me little chance to benchmark my performance against others, my record of <a href="http://www.channel4.com/news/news-team">Cathy Newman, Simon Israel and two John Snow sightings</a> in the past month give me reason to believe I have a discernible talent in this area. Krishnan Guru-Murthy and I'm pretty sure I'll be heading to the soon-to-be-established News Bingo Hall of Fame.<br />
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<b>Stewart Lee- Carpet Remnant World: </b>So last Sunday me and a few friends went to the Leicester Square Theater to see Stewart Lee's latest show, <i>Carpet Remnant World. </i>Now Stewart Lee's had a surge in popularity in recent years thanks mainly to his BBC 2 <i>Comedy Vehicle </i>show- he even won Best Male Comic and Best Comedy Entertainment programme at the British Comedy Awards- but you get the sense that he rather wishes he hadn't. Watching Stewart Lee is unlike watching any other comedian- he is, one could say, a meta-comedian. He deconstructs jokes on stage, pointing out the different elements of humour in various puchlines and non-punchlines, segmenting the crowd into the different pockets of intellectual capability, some of which he satisfyingly plays up to, others that he (playfully?) showers with disdain. He's a craftsman, able to both build up and strip down his jokes, turning the separate component parts of a single joke into a collection of laughs. But was he any good?<br />
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The first half was top-form Stewart Lee as he covered topical material mixed with an undercurrent of effective snoobish contempt for pretty much the majority of mainstream comedy, UK and beyond. In the second half, however, the standard dropped somewhat. Part of Lee's schtick for <i>Carpet Remnant World</i> is that he has little material as he spends all his time these days either driving back-and-forth to gigs or looking after his four year-old son. If anyone can pull off a 90 minute comedy based on the premise of having no material it's him, but apart from a clever take on the old observational 'how come all jungle canyon rope bridges are broken?' joke (you know the one!), riffs on Twitter and world-based store titles weren't vintage Lee. In the end <i>Carpet Remnant World </i>is definitely a worthwhile hour and a half of comedy, way above what you'd get from most other comics, but for fans of <i>90s Comedian</i>, <i>41st Best Stand Up Ever </i>and even <i>Comedy Vehicle</i> it's overall a more mellow, soft-punching collection of material.<br />
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<b>The Greatest Tennis Rages: </b>Tennis is a sport set-up ideally for the in-game mental breakdown/subsequent rage. In team sports you can throw a hissy-fit but there's other players who are quite happy to keep playing leaving your histrionics underappreciated. Tennis being an individual sport means that should you choose to stop, play also stops, leaving you the centre of attention. Not only that, but it provides you with the perfect instrument with which to take your aggression out physically, an instrument who's carbon-fibre structure crumples in the most cathartic of fashions. The tennis rage can drag your play further into the mire, rejuvenate your game or just plain make you look stupid. Here are some of the best:<br />
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Marcos Bagdhatis, 2012 Aussie Open: Apparently there was a fly on the Melbourne courts that Bagdhatis failed to kill with his first racket...or his second...or his third...I think he got it with the fourth...<br />
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Mikhail Youzhny, 2008 Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Full marks for Mikhail Youzhny for complete commitment and a willingness to put his body on the line for the sake of his anger. And they say Tennis is a non-contact sport.<br />
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John McEnroe, 1981 Wimbledon: A master at work. A reasoned argument, starting with a clear premise, supported by evidence, employing both a rhetorical question and finishing on the rule of three (with a cracking insult when denied). If McEnroe hadn't been a tennis player he'd surely have been a Barrister.<br />
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Serena Williams, 2009 US Open: You can't actually hear what Serena says on this clip but the beeps and gesticulations make it pretty clear she wasn't best pleased with the line judge. What makes this rage so good was that it came when Serena was match point down- the point penalty she got for the outburst ended the match giving Kim Clijsters the title. You've got to admire the prioritising of a expletive-filled outburst over the chance to actually win a Grand Slam- elite level raging!<br />
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Roger Federer, 2009 Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Is there anything Roger Federer can't do. Not only is he both the greatest and most elegant player to ever grace the game, he also has perfect racket smashing technique. Federer smashes his racket like a skilled axeman chopping wood. Watch the beauty of the high backlift, the knee-bend, the left-arm pointing towards the target, the fluid motion as he brings the whole of his upper-body through the smash and even the head-flick away from the impact for safety purposes at the end. A thing of majesty.<br />
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<br />Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-22488991546483245632012-01-15T11:07:00.000+00:002012-01-23T22:02:08.597+00:00The Sunday: 2012 Predictions Edition<div>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>I know, I know. <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tl%3Bdr">Tl;dr</a>. The extensive format is actually an attempt to make me stick at this blogging lark for longer that the month or so my trio of previous attempts lasted. Rather than trying to pump out two or three posts a week I'll slowly accumulate to one 'review of the week' kind of thing that'll haphazardly espouse my take on a sprawl of different subjects. It might well work. It probably won't. Enjoy it while it's here.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>NEWS</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seal: Bin Laden killer and all round good guy</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>2011 predictions: </b>There was a lot of comment at the end of last year on the fact that 2011 had a lot of news in it. There was the uprisings in the Middle East, the injunctions scandal, the Royal Wedding, the phone hacking scandal, riots across the country, Seal killed Osama Bin Laden, and much more. Busy year, huh? Well guess what... there's going to be even more news this year! How do I know? Well there's a whole extra day! 2012's gone and snuck an extra 24 hours on top of what 2011 had. A whole extra 24 hours...for 24-hour news channels to bring us... news...for another 24 hours. Man, 2012's gonna be busy. That is of course, unless, as per the Mayans prediction, the world comes to an end on December 21 2012, an event that would not only knock a whole potential 10 days worth of news off of 2012's attempt to eclipse 2011, but would also, rather paradoxically, provide a massive news event that there'd be no-one left to cover. Go figure. Anyway, here's some predictions for 2011: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">1) Boris will defeat Ken in the London Mayoral election- the result will leave it 50-50 as to whether Ed Miliband is Labour leader at the end of conference season in the Autumn</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">2) Obama will win re-election in November- the Republicans will get crazier</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">3) There will be a major scandal within an institution of British life. Politicians expenses in 2009, the press and phone hacking last year- this year maybe the police, a major business/industry or maybe a mainstream sport</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">4) Said scandal will result in a 'full independent public inquiry' or FIPI for short. Any potentially big news story/event these days is greeted with a call for a FIPI by politicians- they love them. At this rate we'll soon be seeing FIPIs into George Osborne's obscene levels of smugness, Alistair Darling's bewildering eyebrow/hair colour discord, and who's punching further above their weight wife-wise- Clegg or Cameron</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">5) A country will leave the Euro- probably Greece</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">6) Man City will win the premier league. Oh, and at some stage this year Mario Balotelli will be, if not arrested, interviewed by police in relation to some bizarre antics</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">7) Team GB will under-perform at the Olympics but there will be some stand-out individual performances with golds for Phillips Idowu, Mark Cavendish and some female swimmer/cyclist/modern pentathlete</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I've never heard of</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">8) An Elbow song will play out the closing montage to the Olympics TV coverage- a choice not at all becoming a cliche</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">9) A Royal pregnancy will be announced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">And finally...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia;">10) <b>The world will not end</b>- The Mayan's fatalistic prediction is due to their calendar running out on the 21st December 2012. Now if they'd just pop down to <a href="http://www.calendarclub.co.uk/">Calendar Club</a>...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whistlin' the blues</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Miliband's 5-year problem: </b>Ed Mililband had another relaunch this week, a relaunch that was met with the usual derisory media coverage Ed Miliband seems to attract (for an example see <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9674000/9674764.stm">this interview</a> with an unprofessionally callous John Humphries on the Today program). Miliband's struggling to gain any traction at the moment and whilst a lot of this is to do with his lack of policies, lack of a clear narrative, poor communiction, insubstantial PMQs performances, and all-round shortcomings as a leader of a major political party, I think at least part of it can be put down to the establishment of 5-year parliaments by the coalition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">Since 1979 the only 5-year parliaments the UK has witnessed have been the final parliament of the Tory years (92-97) and the New Labour years (05-10) with an unpopular Prime Minister clinging to power amongst withering support. Once the coalition took power in 2010, however, they decided to effectively set 5-year fixed term parliaments as the norm (see <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-00831.pdf">this</a> for a bit more detail). The rationale behind this is fairly sound- to stop governments choosing advantageous dates to enhance their chances of re-election. But why 5-years? Well, the coalition realised that it was going to take a while for economic recovery to take place. The further into the future they could push the next election (within reason of course) the more chance of them going to the country as architects of a strong economy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">So why does this affect Ed? Well, it makes it pretty hard for him to generate any positive coverage. If he was riding high in the polls at the moment its still distant enough from the next election to not really matter. He get's a little credit, but not all that much as an Opposition should be ahead in the polls anyway in a situation like we're in now. What's happened in reality is that Labour have been marginally ahead in the polls for the majority of the past year. Two years from an election and that's a solid base to build a campaign on. Three years from an election and the question is why aren't Miliband and Labour further ahead? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">I'd personally prefer four-year parliaments. Mainly because I'm an elections junky, but also because it offers a good balance between allowing a government to achieve things whilst also giving people regular enough chance to remove their leaders. We don't want things to become like America where the President's barely formed an arse-groove in the White House couch before he has to be out campaigning again, but in a 5-year parliament the Opposition face a pretty much Sisyphean task trying to generate positive coverage. At the moment Miliband's trying to walk up the down escalator and failing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Econ 101: </b>For anyone at all interested in economics (and now's as good a time as any what with the Eurozone imploding and all) I recommend you read <a href="http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/">Paul Krugman's blog</a> at the New York Times. Krugman is a Nobel Prize winning economist so he knows his stuff, but what's best is that unlike the majority of economics academics who spend their time creating worthless models on the sandy foundations of assumptions of rationality and complete information, Krugman deals in the reality of actual policy. And he's not afraid to tell it like it is- check out his defence of his style here in a post titled <a href="http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/the-mendacity-of-dopes/">'The Mendacity of Dopes'</a>. The world needs more commentators calling out the wrong-headed, masochistic response to the Eurozone crisis and the fallacious claims and ideas flying from the inverted reality of the Republican nomination race. Krugman is leading the way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>CULTURE</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Infinite Jest: </b>This week I finished reading David Foster Wallace's <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Infinite-Jest-David-Foster-Wallace/dp/0349121087">Infinite Jest</a></i>. It's probably the first book I've read that I've felt a real sense of achievement having finished,and I mean that in best possible way. It took me two months to get through and it's an effort to read- there's a vast panoply of characters to keep track of, the need to refer to extensive footnotes throughout (386 in total), and you have to put up with a lot of comments from other people about the fatness of the book you're reading and the smallness of the type. But put the effort in and you're rewarded with a supremely funny, wonderfully inventive, sweeping broadside at American culture, that keeps you entertained throughout. Read it!</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: georgia;">The Iron Lady- A review: </b><span style="font-family: georgia;">A poor spin-off of the <i>Iron Man </i>franchise </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">(I haven't actually seen it. I haven't even seen the Iron Man's. And that's a pretty lame gag. I apologise)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">(I say it's a pretty lame gag but I've just read Stewart Lee also use it in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/15/margaret-thatcher-iron-lady-ira">this non-review</a> of the film- great minds and all that...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>SPORT</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Serious foul play is serious foul play: </b>I didn't see Sam Warburton's red card in the Rugby World Cup semi-final. I was in bed at the time (it was at like 9 on a Sunday morning- they play Rugby at funny times in New Zealand). However,I have seen it since and the right decision was made. The aftermath of Vincent Kompany's red card in the Manchester derby at the weekend reminds me a lot of the controversy that followed Warburton's dismissal. Those vilifying the respective referees do so on two main points, both equally spurious.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"OFF! OFF! OFF! OFF!"</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">Firstly, critics of the decisions point to the early stage of the game at which each 'offence' occurred. This argument often comes from those who call for more consistency from referees decision making- an ironic inconsistency in their own thought process seeing as policing the game to different standards depending on time expired is, how should I put this, inconsistent. The clock has nothing to do with how a referee should adjudicate the game. If a player puts in a dangerous tackle early in the game, as both Warburton and Kompany did, there is no basis for a referee to err on the side of lenient punishment for the sake of not 'spoiling the game'. This argument was made a lot surrounding the Warburton incident, with the loss of a man in rugby a far more damaging situation to find yourself in than in football, but it holds no water. Warburton's tackle was a red card whether it occurs seconds after the kickoff, seconds before the final whistle, or anywhere in between.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">Which brings us to the second defence made of the tackles: that there was no malicious intent and in the case of Kompany that he was actually successful in winning the ball. Those who make this results-based argument show a clear disregard for the condition of those players that they are so entertained by. If, in the course of a rugby tackle (or in any situation really), you lift someone's legs above their head, the inevitability is that they will come down on their upper-body, quite possible their neck or head. This is clearly very dangerous and should be discouraged with the threat of the strongest punishment possible on the field of play. Sam Warburton may not have meant to raise Vincent Clerc off the ground the way he did, but he left Alain Rolland with no choice but to issue him with a red. In football, going into a tackle with both your feet poses a severe threat to the legs of the player you are challenging and again should be punished with a red card. It doesn't matter that Nani jumped out of the way as if Kompany had javelin for feet, Kompany did not need to go in for the tackle the way he did. Though no harm was done Chris Foy was right to let the remaining players know that if they intended to tackle in such a reckless way then their afternoon would be swiftly curtailed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">Now, I don't feel that Warburton or Kompany are dirty players but their punishments in their respective cases were correct, as were the rejection of their subsequent appeals. Rugby and Football are physical games in which injuries are inevitable. However, they are also sports that thrive on the entertainment provided by their players. Thus any reckless action by a player that is likely to endanger the fitness of another must be punished strongly, regardless of whether they cause injury.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Talking Tactics:</b> I came across <i><a href="http://www.zonalmarking.net/">Zonal Marking</a> </i>this week, a website dedicated to discussions of football tactics. I've also started reading more of <i>The Guardian's </i>pieces on the thought processes behind the game and find them far more insightful than the banal remarks emanating from so-called pundits on TV.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">This weeks Carling Cup semi first leg on BBC between Man City and Liverpool was indicative of the perfunctory nature of the Alan's Shearer and Hansen analysis and the indefatigable will of Mark Lawrenson to come across as some kind of comic quipster that the BBC provides us. Stefan Savic, in for the suspended Vincent Kompany, was identified as a weak link in the City defence. Why's that Hansen? He'll be nervous because he hasn't played much we were told. No discussion of Savic's technical ability, his strengths, his weaknesses. Just idle speculation about his potential state of mind (Savic did end up having a shocker to be fair). On the Liverpool side we were informed Andy Carroll lacks confidence, an observation from Shearer about as astute as his suit was shocking. As for Lawrenson, his 'analysis' was about as funny as your best striker breaking his leg on a 'football hilarity scale' that ranges from your team getting relegated at the low-end through to the comic majesty of the following at the high-end:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;">Most analysis-and this goes for the great minds of Jamie Redknapp and co on Sky Sports as well- seems entirely focused on the simple notions of form and confidence, barely scratching the surface of the different layers within a Premier League match (to be fair to Gary Neville he makes a decent stab at providing a bit more analysis- it's a pretty bad sign when Gary Neville's a leader in your field and your field isn't either being a right-back or sleazy facial hair). It's received wisdom that the best players don't make the best managers. TV should realise the same applies to pundits and and look harder to find new pundits to raise the level of analysis beyond that of the current bilge provided by "the experts". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Aussie Open pick: </b> So the first Tennis grand slam of the year is upon us and I'm calling it now: <b>this is the one Andy Murray wins</b>. Murray gets a tough rap for underacheiving when in reality in each grand slam he enters he's up against three of the best players ever to play the game. It's a bit like turning up with your mates to perform at a Battle of the Bands only to find out the competition is The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who. This then happens at every Battle of the Bands you perform at and still, even when you come second, you get criticised. However, going into this years Australian Open Nadal's battling a shoulder injury, Djokovic still doesn't seem 100% after his fitness issues at the end of last year and Federer pulled out of a tournament due to injury for the first time in his career last week. Put this together with it being a tournament at which Murray's reached the final pretty convincingly the past two years- albeit before being beaten equally convincingly in the final- and this is his best chance yet. The final: Murray over Federer in four sets.</span></div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-82281849998040960692011-05-07T21:04:00.003+01:002011-05-09T21:02:54.447+01:00The Progressive MinorityBrief thoughts. On the AV result, disappointed but not surprised. I'd be pretty happy to be a Tory just now with the apparent ability to steam-roll the Lib Dems when needed and Ed Miliband looking far from Prime Minister material. Stiffest opposition Tories will come up against will be from the public on specific issues, as seen with selling off the forests and as likely to be seen on NHS reform. Labour could do with some policy proposals soon rather than simply pointing to the cuts the whole time. Just trying to ride the coat-tails of public dissent won't work.Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-58957912653021496572011-05-04T15:39:00.003+01:002011-05-04T17:04:02.672+01:00Pre-Election Round-Up<strong>AV, the shag that nobody wanted; Cameron the Tory and Chris Huhne on the rampage; Celebrity endorsements in Heslington</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />So it looks as if Nick Clegg's 'miserable little compromise' is going to be defeated and it looks like it'll be convincing with ComRes polling <a href="http://http//ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/3528?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PollingReport+%28UK+Polling+Report%29">a victory for the No campaign</a> at 66% to Yes's 34%. The onus was on the Yes campaign to run a positive campaign to try and galvanise support for a change but, whilst it is true that No have run a cycnical, stultifying campaign, those at the head of the Yes campaign (including Gregg Dyke, our beloved Chancellor here at York) appear to have stumbled over their own sense of intellectual and moral superiority. Both camps have, to different extents, treated the public with disdain- No with their hyperbolic scaremongering and Yes with their implying that the current system leaves us in some kind of corrupt, tin-pot shamocracy ruled by kleptocratic elites.<br /><br />The public has remained steadfastly disengaged, a stance bolstered by the events this weekend that have left the AV referendum as the rather dubious shag option in this weeks shag, <a href="http://http//www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1381973/Royal-Wedding-swamps-Twitter-Facebook-6th-biggest-online-event-history.html">marry</a>, <a href="http://http//www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-pakistan">kill</a> of news events. The apathy is not a new phenomenon however, and has existed from the start due to the simple fact that whatever result we get tomorrow, Yes or No, the UK will remain a functioning Parliamentary democracy with a disproportional system. A vote on PR might rile up a bit more of a fuss (though I would expect FPTP to still win), but a switch to AV is not an urgent remedy for the issues with our system (I still advocate a Yes but can see why interest is low). I expect that pretty soon after May 6th the referendum will be consigned to its role as a case study in A-level politics books of British apathy towards referenda.<br />---<br /><br />The interesting bits to have arisen from the referendum have been its effects upon characters within the coalition. Ed Miliband rightfully stepped above short-term Lib Dem hammering to support the Yes camp but seems to have been more focused on Labour's local election push. David Cameron on the other hand, seems to have seen his support of No as a way to <a href="http://http//blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/benedictbrogan/100085315/at-least-there%e2%80%99s-a-silver-lining-to-this-pointless-av-referendum/">reach out to the Tory core</a>, refusing to associate but also refusing to condemn the official No groups ruthless campaign of misinformation, whilst riding their coattails to victory, victory not being something Cameron has experienced much in National elections. The sense of confidence arising from this seems to have also helped him to find his true Conservative voice in the past few weeks, indulging in a bit of <a href="http://http//graduatefog.co.uk/2011/1305/david-cameron-doesnt-care-about-interns/">defending upper-class privilege</a> and some <a href="http://http//www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13211577">good, old patriarchal sexism</a>. Seeing as even a soft Tory Cameron failed to win a general election, I don't think his opponents should be too worried about his conversion to the kind of Tory that was so successful in 1997, 2001 and 2005 should give opponents much to worry about.<br /><br />On the other side of the coalition, <a href="http://http//www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/av/row-over-campaign-tactics-sours-cabinet-meeting-2278568.html">Chris Huhne's been kicking up a fuss</a> about the Tories playing dirty. Likely aimed at winning some acclaim from the Lib Dem base, such histrionics have gained little traction with anyone else. The consensus seems to be that he's positioning himself as Nick Clegg's successor (for the Lib Dems to return as any kind of force in British politics surely Clegg's successor has to be <a href="http://http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Farron">Tim Farron</a>), but he seems to have gone around posturing for leader in the way that a rhino might posture for a place in the penguin enclosure at a zoo. It's not very smart, it's been an ungainly spectacle and he's ended up looking like a fool.<br />---<br /><br />It's a centre-left paradise here in the local council ward of Heslington, the ward that encompasses the inhabitants of the small village Heslington and the 10,000 or so students of the University of York who descend on it for thirty weeks of the year. We've (I say we, I voted back home) got just three candidates, one from Labour, the Lib Dems, and the Greens, with not a right-winger in sight (quiet you New Labour/Lib Dem cynics). Labour posters are very much focused around attacks on Nick Clegg and the tuition fees policy, whilst the Greens have forged a decent presence and <a href="http://http//york.greenparty.org.uk/cwoodingbiog">a candidate</a> with lovely woolen jumpers (unfortunately he's not sporting one in his bio picture but I saw him on campus the other day and I can assure you he's got some great wolly jumpers). What's caught my eye, however, are the Liberal Democrat posters that carry an endorsement from none other that University Challenge superstar <a href="http://http//www.facebook.com/YorkClemo">Andrew Clemo</a>, captain of the York team who made it to the final in this year's competition. I don't imagine you get to many celebrity endorsements in local elections but the local Lib Dems have pulled of a coup with this one.Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-79055368161241430132011-04-19T16:30:00.008+01:002011-04-24T22:46:38.971+01:00Infanticide, Fascists and Joanna Lumley<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHB5U6VzvyM3iVynLaooQHI4r1G-jTA0QYB0bvqpwKar_PH_0AEU9ZqwfKWB4LO_gf3ZSK4E7f0T2DuHRGEQ2pqJrgJlz_QTOnFwcvSExxeGNOK292MmbBzOGgnsjn3P7Iq1wAmrZIK8/s1600/ballot.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 517px; height: 437px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHB5U6VzvyM3iVynLaooQHI4r1G-jTA0QYB0bvqpwKar_PH_0AEU9ZqwfKWB4LO_gf3ZSK4E7f0T2DuHRGEQ2pqJrgJlz_QTOnFwcvSExxeGNOK292MmbBzOGgnsjn3P7Iq1wAmrZIK8/s1600/ballot.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Due to a combination of a national referendum on the voting system, impending essay deadlines and the fact I've been I've been living on my own for the last week, savouring the smallest morsels of human contact at supermarket checkouts and library helpdesks, I've recently been thinking about bringing back the soapbox-in-his-own-bedroom that in this blog. In fact, if I were a religious man I could definitely see this as some kind of spiritual calling, what with the whole resurrection vibe this time of year. Alas I'm not, so instead it's just me providing some added volume to the deluge of opinion washed across the internet. Despite the great benefits brought to society by such a technological behemoth as the internet, one big issue with it is that, as a forum for all, it too easily allows petty arguing and the peddling of mis-truths to drown out the voices that hold the most precision and clarity. If the ongoing AV campaign has achieved anything, it is proving that such symptoms of 21st century society are not simply confined to online.<br /><div><div><br /></div><div>There is strong argument to be made for a change to the AV system, and there's also a decent defence to be made of the current system. Unfortunately, both camps have decided to neglect such arguments and instead have indulged in a lamentable festival of gimmickry, deception and shit-slinging, making a vote people never really cared about anyway even less attractive. Whilst the country lets out a collective moan of pleasure over embedded hierarchies, deference to unearned wealth and all the other outdated aspects of our constitution this Friday, the Yes and No campaigns seem intent on showing democracy to be a similar scam.</div><div><br /></div><div>The pattern goes like this: The No capaign levels an accusation at the Yes campaign. They respond one of either three ways- one, the claim is false, hey, we'll see you in court, two, the claim is false, hey, isn't Nick Griffin going to vote No, or three,the claim is false, hey, look at all the celebrities who support us. The actual debate on the issue moves nowhere.</div><div><br /></div><div>Example one:</div><div><br /></div><div>No: <a href="http://www.no2av.org/02/why-our-country-cant-afford-av/">AV will cost £250 million</a>, killing babies and soldiers. In last years general election in Australia where the alternative vote was used, AV is believed to have been responsible for up to 12 infanticides and is also in the process of being court martialed for various military-based slayings. (The likely reason for the No campaign's focus on such a poor, distorted argument is probably due to their campaign is being run by Matthew Elliott, founder of bombastic, low-tax campaigners The Taxpayer's Alliance)</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes: That simply isn't true. If you don't take it back <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13181756">we'll set Chris Huhne on you</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Example two:</div><div><br /></div><div>No: AV will let extremist parties in. Here's Baroness Warsi who we wheel out whenever we touch on minority issues to say so. We realise she's both unelected and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVRtL20Ue54&feature=player_embedded#at=70">wildly incompetent</a> but we haven't got a whole lot to work with.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes: That nasty fascist bastard Griffin supports you, so there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Example three:</div><div><br /></div><div>No: AV is a hugely complicated system that the electorate will struggle to get their simple heads around.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes: You underestimate the intelligence of the public. Look public, <a href="http://www.yestofairervotes.org/blog/entry/yes-to-av-joanna-lumley-roland-rudd-and-greg-dyke-join-the-peoples-campaign/">here's the wonderful Joanna Lumley</a>. She sorted out the Gurkha's, remember, so she must know about politics. Well she's voting Yes so it must be better.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's all a bit depressing. I voted Yes (postal vote), and genuinely believe it to be a fairer, more democratic system. A few months ago I was in favour enough to consider signing up to help locally with the campaign*. Unfortunately, the Yes campaign, baited by the No campaign, has become too focused on ephemera and likely hasn't done enough to overturn the prevailing sentiment in favour of first past the post expressed in the majority of opinion polls. We'll see on May 6th, but I fancy this may be rued as a opportunity missed, and all there'll be to show for it will be an 'outraged' Chris Huhne. I'd say the country loses.</div><div><br /></div><div>*Kind of. I was in a bar in York where they have a noticeboard for local events and causes to advertise on. The Yes campaign had one of those posters where it's been sliced into strips at the bottom with contact details on for you to pull off. I went to pull one of these off, and ended up rather over-zealously pulling the whole thing off the wall. If the York Yes campaign ended up criminally understaffed I take full responsibility.</div></div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-15022693268654596142010-10-09T14:44:00.007+01:002010-10-10T12:11:55.509+01:00ath Up SerieOr rather <i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Catch Up Service</span></b>. </i>The bottom line of buttons on my keyboard (excluding the b and n keys, including the space bar) have packed it in and resolutely decided to stop working this week after my threats to savagely cut spending on keyboard maintenance. This kind of strike action is intolerable and I have taken steps to minimise the inconvenience by employing alternate labour in the form of the ease-of-use, on-screen keyboard. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11461588">I also intend to introduce legislation preventing strike action unless at least 50% of union members on my keyboard are balloted, with a minimum of 40% in favour.</a> I will not be held to ransom by small groups of rebellious keys and wildcat strike action (though I am strongly considering purchasing a new keyboard).<div>---</div><div><div><br /></div><div>The Tory Party Conference. Well that was interesting. Any talk of defence cuts, coalitions or the Big Society was roundly overshadowed by a mushrooming- pardon the language- clusterf*** surrounding the decision to withdraw child benefit from families with at least one parent paying the higher rate of income tax. At the start of the week George Osborne announced on breakfast television a fairly reasonable policy to help save £1bn a year whilst only affecting roughly 15% of families. Yet it quickly became clear that the policy was both uncooked, in it's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/09/simmering-but-stymied-rage-of-mums">collateral effect on stay-at-home mums</a> and others in similar positions, and unknown, in its sudden announcement that seemed as new to your standard hack as it did to members of the Cabinet (illustrated by May's tete-a-tete with Paxman on Tuesday's Newsnight).</div><div><br /></div><div>And so the fun began. The policy was savaged not only from the left, but was also attacked from the right as being an attack on the core of the Conservative's support and for perpetuating the image that Cameron and Osborne are smarmy faced, knee-deep in money, posh boys, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/8044767/Clever-politics-No-crass-and-out-of-touch.html">'unable to relate to the day-to-day concerns of the voters'</a>- which, incidentally, is what they are. With his back against the wall Cameron reached for one of his true-blue policies, a tax-break for married couples, but not only would this negate a lot of the savings accrued through the child benefit purge, it is also an archaic, puzzlingly large-state, interfering, hash of a policy, with little place in modern Britain. The Tories had let the storyline get way out of hand. On October 20th the Comprehensive Spending Review will be announced, and the child benefit cut was something of a dry run. The Conservative's have had a sniff of their chosen medicine for deficit reduction and it doesn't smell good. Problem is, they're committed to it.</div><div>---</div><div><br /></div><div>A face that kept popping up throughout the Tory conference was that of their party chairman, Baroness Warsi. She had a poor week to say the least. It all started rather badly when on the Sunday preceding the conference she yapped her way through a grilling by John Sopel about her accusations of electoral fraud and, in doing so, managed the remarkable feat of not making Kelvin Makenzie look like the biggest tool in an interview. Then on Thursday she suffered the ignominy of being jeered by the baying-for-blood, savages that make up the Question Time audience these days whilst trying to defend the child benefit cut. To be fair it seemed a poor choice on the part of the Tories, like sending out your number 11 batsman to face the oppositions best bowler, but Warsi did herself no favours. When in a corner she attacks in an unpleasant manner reminiscent of Ed Balls, yet she lacks any of the upside that Balls, despite his drawbacks, brings to the Labour party. If Liam Fox isn't the next Cabinet minister to depart then the smart money's on Warsi.</div><div>---</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of Ed Balls, one must wonder what would feel worse. After waiting patiently for your dream job of shadow chancellor for several years, being passed over for that job for your wife, or being overlooked for that job for someone with no economic experience. Clearly Alan Johnson's appointment is a victory of pragmatism over politics, with Ed Miliband not wishing to invite further speculation on family feuds within the Labour Party, but you can't help but feel slightly sorry for Balls who has been pining after the job since the first shudders in the Brown administration. As Shadow Home Secretary, however, he can be an asset as he brings his combative style up against one of the weaker Ministers in Theresa May. Whilst both Milibands, Balls, and Yvette Cooper are all obviously talented politicians, one can only hope that Ed Miliband's 'new generation' can move beyond the kind of internal politics that are more reminiscent of a bickering family than of a democratic party.</div><div><br /></div></div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-8683366422198873652010-10-01T14:56:00.007+01:002010-10-01T18:23:59.817+01:00What Ed SaidEd Miliband's certainly not going to win any prizes for his public speaking delivery. On Tuesday a technical error with the auto-cue caused an awkward delay at the start of his speech, and his body language was much more subdued than that of the over-eager gesticulations of his brother and the more flamboyant presentations of other political leaders. Throughout the first twenty minutes he would occasionally stumble through his words like a predictive text service, pronouncing one word before quickly correcting to his desired choice (<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11426607">for an example see 'deprived/defied' at 15.11</a>). But let us cast such stylistic aspersions aside and examine the substance of this cornerstone address for the Labour Party.<div><br /></div><div>The first ten minutes were well-pitched and set a firm basis from which to embark. Call me sad but I thought the jokes were pretty decent, and his willingness to talk about his Jewish background stands in stark contrast to the last Jewish leader of one of the main parties, Michael Howard. But the heart of the speech was a mixed bag, part cocky, know-it-all, A-level politics student, part responsible new leader of progressive politics. Ed argued that New Labour had 'defied the conventional wisdom' but too often 'bought old, established ways of thinking', and after stating that he would not oppose every coalition cut, followed it up with a lengthy passage on the reasons to oppose the coalition's spending plans. <i>The Times </i><a href="http://www.timesplus.co.uk/tto/news/?login=false&url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/leaders/article2744783.ece">piercingly described it as</a> (paywall) 'at times redolent of Vicky Pollard, the unintelligible schoolgirl from <i>Little Britain</i>, saying 'yeah, but no, but yeah, but no'. This was Ed's bad side.</div><div><br /></div><div>But then things changed. He staked Labour's starting point for deficit reduction fairly near the centre ground, he talked frankly about immigration, and he issued a clear warning to the Unions about irresponsible strike action. I'm not convinced that his rhetoric on Iraq is genuine, and isn't just playing up to public opinion, but it was a refreshing viewpoint to hear from someone so high up in the Labour Party, as were his criticisms of Labour's record on civil liberties.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the end came into view, his speech crescendoed with his talk of a new generation and optimism heading into the future. For people of my generation the future can appear like a stick in the hands of the <a href="http://itsalltheirfault.com/">baby-boom generation</a>, comprised of student debts, a poor economic climate and a rapidly ageing population, ready to crush future hopes and dreams. Ed Miliband may not view the need for a new, empowered generation in quite the same way as I do, but to hear a politician talking of optimism going into the future and not simply writing off the young as over-indulged, lazy and work-shy, is a very positive signal to be sending out to young voters. </div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-40006125690008063342010-09-24T20:27:00.013+01:002010-09-25T20:09:54.034+01:00Labour Hearts Ruling Labour Heads<div><b>The kindness of others; Ghost of Labour past; No compromise with the electorate</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It was Nick Robinson calling the election in his favour that proved the kiss of death for David Miliband. Sure, the teenage facial hair adorning his top lip can't have been good for karma, but when Robbo plumps for you you know you're done for. To be fair to the BBC's political editor, the facial expressions of the brothers had suggested the senior had been victorious, David sitting relaxed, grinning like a Cheshire cat, Ed ashen faced, like his cat had just been drowned. But as the rounds progressed, and the also-rans were eliminated, the affiliates shifted their weight decisively behind Mili-junior, giving him a final victory margin of just 1.3%. The brothers embraced, providing the papers with the photo they wanted, but more significantly, a genuinely poignant moment. Then Ed Miliband took to the stage to deliver his first speech as leader of the Labour Party.</div><div>---</div><div><br /></div><div>On 24 May nominations opened for Gordon Brown's successor. 33 MPs (12.5% of the commons members of the Parliamentary Labour Party) was the threshold, what seems to me like a perfectly reasonable number. You would hope that the person who is going to be the face of your party going into the future is a face preferred by at least an eighth of your MPs, but this being the Labour Party, there were quickly calls that the number was unfair and discriminatory towards the less popular candidates (which is kind of the point of the threshold in the first place).</div><div><br /></div><div>Both Miliband's secured the requisite amount, and more, with ease, whilst Andy Burnham and Ed Balls rounded up the numbers to secure their place on the ballot with 33 nominations each. This left just John McDonnell and Diane Abbott, both candidates of the left, scuffling to make it. Both had called for all candidates to be let on the ballot but the party had stood firm. If the left was to be represented, some kind of deal was to be done. Abbott held not one, but two trump cards, in that she was a woman and she was black, so McDonnell withdrew and threw his provisional support by Abbott. Yet still Andrew Neil's <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6452623/Biscuit-row-BBC-pulls-This-Week.html">'chocolate hobnob'</a> was short of the required number, and it fell upon David Miliband to patronisingly nominate her himself. It was like an inept high jumper asking for the bar to removed, and when told this would defeat the point of the sport, simply asking the world record holder for a leg-up. Hustings season was embarked upon with five contenders in the running.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even the most ardent Labour supported would have to agree that the summer's leadership campaign failed to spark the nation's interest. The media were quick to point how all the candidates were Oxbridge educated, which is no bad thing, and how Ed Balls and both the Milibands had studied PPE, which again, doesn't seem unreasonable for politicians. However, even throughout the fifty-plus husting events that the candidates attended there seemed little significant friction between each candidates platform- this excludes Diane Abbott who from henceforth shall be widely ignored- and the campaign remained tucked firmly on the inner pages of the newspapers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whilst the candidates broadly acknowledged the successes of New Labour whilst arguing it was time to move on, it took two of its architects to make Labour politics front-page news. At the start of July Peter Mandelson published <i>The Third Man, </i>a book released and written as you would expect from someone with an ego as large, as the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy8XGBjh-e4&feature=channel">ads for it were creepy</a>. The memoirs were quickly condemned for both timing and content and the world moved on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then in September Tony Blair, know to some as the former Prime Minister, to others as an international war criminal, released his memoirs, <i>A Journey</i>. It is strange how someone who led Labour to power, and kept them in it for 13 years (for the Brown years were won by Blair in 2005), can now prove so divisive. But all five candidates were quick to declare, like kids on the playground, <a href="http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/labour+leadership+fight+to+aposmove+onapos+from+blair/3758777">that they don't like him now, and never liked him that much in the first place</a>. Blair himself made little secret of his preference for David Miliband, but the front page stories were all of tales of Labour's past, not of any vision for the future.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only definitive view of Labour's future was that it would be in the hands of a Miliband. Diane Abbott never had a realistic chance, Andy Burnham was quite dull (the most interesting thing about his campaign being that <a href="http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/liverpool/38655/jamie-carragher-donates-10000-to-andy-burnhams-labour-leadership-campaign.html">Jamie Carragher had donated £10,000</a>) to it, and Ed Balls, though slowly growing in stature, wasn't the right for for leader. Whilst their were similarities between the brothers platforms their was a key distinguishing feature. David was painted by many as the New Labour continuity candidate, much as he himself tried to shrug the the tag. He was clear though, that he believed Labour needed to reach out to the centre, and reconnect with the middle-class voters who were with them in 1997, but got lost in the following thirteen years. This appealed to the more centrist parts of the media and seemed like a logical analysis of Labour's recent failures. Ed, on the other hand, felt that Labour needed to reconnect with their tradition support, those that had been taken for granted by New Labour. Whilst this may also have been true, comparisons were quickly drawn, from those on the centre and the right, with Labour's folly that led them down an electoral cul-de-sac in the 1980s. Yet it would appeal to those on the left, those that in the end were the ones that needed to be wooed. It was upon these premises that the dividing lines were drawn.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u4pB5_0AUVk?fs=1&hl=en_GB&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u4pB5_0AUVk?fs=1&hl=en_GB&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Voting opened at the start of September and David Miliband was quickly installed as the bookies favourite. But as the result neared, opinion polls suggested that Ed would win it, including <a href="http://today.yougov.co.uk/sites/today.yougov.co.uk/files/YG-Archives-Pol-YouGov-LabourLeaderPartyMembers-100910.pdf">one for the Sunday Times</a> that raised some interesting issues. Polling 1,011 Labour members, and using the same electoral system Labour uses, Ed Miliband came out winner in the final round by 52% to David's 48%. Yet of those same 1,011 members, 55% thought David most likely to lead Labour to victory in the next election, compared to 25% for Ed, and 45% thought David would make the best Prime Minister, compared to 28% for Ed. Whilst not exactly the same as the polling data misunderstanding illustrated in <i>The West Wing </i>clip, it was still puzzling. As John Rentoul put it: <a href="http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2010/09/20/the-voters-are-wrong/">'Vote Ed Miliband. No compromise with the electorate.'</a></div><div><br /></div><div>And so it was. The MPs went for David in greater numbers than expected, but the second preferences turned things round for Ed, and the more junior brother in age, experience and reputation was declared the winner. Whilst David may be more likely to win a general election, Ed campaigned for the Labour Party electorate and reaped its rewards. His acceptance speech was warm and gracious in its acknowledgement of the other candidates and hinted that becoming leader would not lead to a change of tune towards a centrist approach as some had perhaps expected. It's early days, but much as I like Ed Miliband, and though I probably sit ideologically closer to him, I'd have felt a lot more confident in Labour's chances in the next election with David as leader. Like it or not, elections are fought on the centre ground, and though Ed may <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/matthewd_ancona/7823609/Ed-Miliband-is-leading-Labour-on-a-march-into-insignificance.html">'tickle Labour's tummy' and provide 'the warm feeling that all those deep Labour instincts were right all along'</a>, today could be a fateful day for the party. Here's hoping my early pessimism's unfounded.</div><div><br /></div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-26804921096665487322010-09-22T15:51:00.009+01:002010-09-23T09:21:22.454+01:00The Lib Dems Identity Crisis<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtyUsORNeLLf481qwusUyf5oTkHmma2VSt2MuWRO_-6t-61hr1ppP_enGEaeIHKiO9j-H9MlGCbQI_SaKkJV-LcfZTe5LmXJFbIBaIaOjD8mae82_egFdyTh371dCyCC6tNOswRuvT4qT/s1600/_49197622_clegggrab.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUtyUsORNeLLf481qwusUyf5oTkHmma2VSt2MuWRO_-6t-61hr1ppP_enGEaeIHKiO9j-H9MlGCbQI_SaKkJV-LcfZTe5LmXJFbIBaIaOjD8mae82_egFdyTh371dCyCC6tNOswRuvT4qT/s320/_49197622_clegggrab.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520020927418568946" /></a><br />At last years party conference Nick Clegg proclaimed- to much sniggering- that he aspired to be Prime Minister. A year down the line, and though he is only Deputy PM, few people would categorise his year as a failure. But whilst Clegg may be comfortable in his new surroundings in government, rubbing shoulders with Tories and making decisions that he is will now be held accountable to, there were rumblings that sections of his own party were less enamoured with their new bedfellows. And so the Liberal Democrats entered this week in Liverpool with some serious questions needing answering. A conference proceeded by Clegg's announcement that <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nick-clegg-there-is-no-future-for-us-as-a-party-of-the-left-2082689.html">the party had no future as one of the left</a>, and rounded off by Vince Cable's <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11390365">call to arms against capitalism</a>, has sent out mixed messages to say the least.<div><br /></div><div>The issue arises from the very nature of the Liberal Democrats themselves. They are a synthesis between the Liberal and the Social Democrat traditions, meaning internal divisions on certain issues are inevitable. What appears to have become apparent since May is that, if not the majority of its members, but certainly the majority of the people who voted for the Liberal Democrats are more of the Social Democrat variety, whilst the higher echelons of the party, those that now sit in David Cameron's cabinet, run more in the liberal vein. Whilst Lib Dem support in the polls has collapsed since the coalition agreement, as those who voted for them in the General Election, like myself, have deserted, the delegates in Liverpool this week sat like fans of a band making its commercial breakthrough, unsure whether to keep supporting the people they'd been following for the last few years, or brand the new, successful sound as having <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selling_out#In_politics">sold out</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were no cries of <a href="http://www.sonicyouth.com/dotsonics/lee/misc/dylan.html">'Judas'</a> as Clegg delivered his <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11377230">conference speech</a> but it was a defensive piece of oratory, filled with denials- 'we will never lose our soul, we haven't changed our liberal values'- and pleas for support- 'hold our nerve', 'stick with us'. It was , in fact, a well-judged speech, pitched at an audience who may have dropped out of sync with his footsteps, but still trusted him enough to follow his path. Clegg, to date, has done a good job of selling the coalition to his party members, and has competently, if inconsistently with his pre-election thinking, put forward the case for the impending cuts.</div><div><br /></div><div>While many members accept the coalition's belief in the need for swift deficit reduction, clearly other aspects are more of a hard sell. A motion condemning the Conservative's free schools policy was passed and planned reduction to universal benefits were also overwhelmingly rejected. When grilled on this Clegg extolled the democratic virtues of his party, but what good democracy if those Lib Dems in government must sit like nodding dogs as the coalition sees these measures passed. Five months into government and these are minor tremors, but come conference season next year cracks could open both internally within the Lib Dems, and within the coalition.</div><div><br /></div><div>One senior Lib Dem who definitely sits in the Social Democrat corner of the party is former Labour Party member and current Business Secretary, Vince Cable. Last week I read a description of Cable as looking like a 'shot-down pilot being forced by his captors to read out a propaganda statement.' Today he was a Marxist revolutionary, proclaiming from the barricades the fall of capitalism. Ok, maybe not- but the mainstream media might make <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314073/LIB-DEM-CONFERENCE-Vince-Cable-attacks-capitalism-insists-Im-Marxist.html">you think so</a>. Cable obviously does believe in capitalism, but the kind he believes in is a more regulated, responsible kind, a perfectly reasonable desire in light of recent effects. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11390365">Cable's speech</a> was one for all those who consider themselves on the left-wing of the liberal democrats and showed the face of the party that I fell for in May. Unfortunately that face, like Cable himself, looks rather the worse for wear after the bruises and blows encountered from five months with the Conservatives.</div><div><br /></div><div>The coalition has raised many questions about the Lib Dems identity, but it also provides the key answer to it. Right now the Liberal Democrats are a force in government, not a voice in opposition. Though the slogan 'Delivering for Britain' may seem more appropriate for a conference of the national union of midwives, the point is clear. The Liberal Democrats are influencing policy within Britain in a way they never have in their history, and there is little about that the rank-and-file members can condemn.</div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-61571724281149917372010-07-09T13:26:00.003+01:002010-07-09T13:58:56.432+01:00Summer RecessesSo my period of World Cup, Wimbledon and West Wing watching, that has lasted since my last exam (May 19th) through to this weekend, is coming to the end with the start of my summer job of tennis coaching on Monday. This stretch of bone idleness has seen my attempts at blogging diminish rather swiftly, but whilst it would be easy to blame it on my lack of motivation, I instead choose to lay all blame with the politicians. Bloody politicians!<div><br /></div><div>The trouble is that nothing's going on. The Labour leadership race rumbles, or rather murmurs, along. Since I <a href="http://thestrachonteur.blogspot.com/2010/06/labour-leadership-race-newsnight-debate.html">last blogged about it</a>, Andrew Neill has accused Diane Abbot of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJjn5V0yPtg">being racist</a>, Ed Ball's is suspected of <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-leadership-race-hots-up-as-burnham-accuses-rivals-of-smear-2021224.html">briefing against Andy Burnham</a>, while the two Miliband's make it look more and more like a two-brother race. Whilst Abbot and Burnham's campaigns are clearly doomed, Ed Ball's has actually been making some headway as Shadow Secretary for Eduacation, though this has been helped along by the first non-expenses cock-up by any member of the coalition.</div><div><br /></div><div>Michael Gove is an intelligent and well-spoken member of Cabinet. His star has risen very quickly through the Tory ranks, however he is in danger of supernova-ing after taking a hit over his list of axed school building schemes, a list that contained 25 inaccuracies. Branded 'cavalier' by some Labour MP's, a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/10549400.stm">'miserable pipsqueak'</a> by others (with insults like that you can see why MPs are seen as out of touch) Gove has taken a battering that, though he will in all likelihood survive, leaves him vulnerable should future mistakes be made. </div><div><br /></div><div>And that's about all that's interesting to have happened since the budget. Parliament slouches towards the summer recess, whilst mine comes to an end. Hopefully come Autumn and conference season there will be a few sparks back into UK politics, but at the moment it's about as interesting as a <a href="http://www.tribalfootball.com/fifa-continue-third-place-play-960471">third place playoff</a>.</div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-23950607984939607602010-06-23T23:23:00.003+01:002010-06-23T23:52:33.281+01:00The BudgetEvery time there is a budget the BBC releases a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/10335476.stm">useful budget calculator</a> to work out the effect any changes announced will have on your wallet. I usually fill it in, finding that my consumption of alcohol is the only part of my lifestyle to cost me money. This time the freezing of duty on alcohol leaves my wallet untouched, but the point is that until I start earning an income, the budget has little effect on me personally. It may be selfish, but this prevents me from really poring over the detail of the budget document and coming up with a coherent argument on the key points. Instead I'll offer some basic observations:<div><br /></div><div><ul><li>The VAT rise, the headline-maker, is disappointing, being both regressive and coming without any kind of mandate. The Lib Dems especially will take a bit of a kicking on this, and is another clear indicator of the drawbacks for them of the coalition agreement</li><li>Some of the changes in benefits and tax credits- though popular with the right-wing press- seem particularly harsh. Examples <a href="http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/2010/06/osborne-says-on-yer-bike-to-200000-jobless/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=506806&in_page_id=2">here</a></li><li>The public sector would inevitably take a hit with the British economy in the situation it is. Whilst Labour would obviously prefer to be in office, it suits their narrative of 'nasty Tories' that the pay freeze for those earning over £21,000 and the pension review comes under the Tories' watch</li><li>The budget was worryingly sparse on green issues. As Caroline Lucas said, it 'nails the lie to any idea that if you vote blue you get green'. It's disappointing the lack of criticism the it has received on this front</li></ul><div>Whilst many commentators declared yesterday as the defining moment of this parliament, we will not know quite how defining it is until we start to witness its effects. Balancing the books by the next election is an ambitious target, and one that, should it go wrong, could leave George Osborne looking foolish. For the moment he has the support of the majority of the press, and it is down to him and his Liberal Democrat counterparts to persuade the majority of voters that the measures taken in this budget are unavoidable.</div></div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-72179418063363380172010-06-15T23:26:00.004+01:002010-06-16T12:03:48.199+01:00The Labour Leadership Race- The Newsnight DebateAssuming they avoid <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iain_Duncan_Smith#Problems_as_leader">Iain Duncan-Smith levels of ineptitude</a>, one of the five candidates for the Labour Leadership on show on the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00st24v/Newsnight_15_06_2010/">Newsnight debate last night</a>, will be the Labour leader going into the next general election. It was my first glimpse of the five together and what follows are my thoughts on each's performance:<div><br /></div><div><b>Andy Burnham</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Despite being first to make his pitch to the assembled audience it wasn't until about halfway through the debate that I really took any notice of the former health secretary. For too long it seemed like he was simply an ambitious backbencher who had stumbled into the big-boys group, only to be quickly shouldered out to the edge of the crowd. He distanced himself from the others with the strongest defence of the Iraq war and a defence of New Labour's stance on civil liberties, but he was singing off last week's hymn sheet. He lacked dynamism and verve and stands a long way from making an impact on the leadership contest, let alone the post itself.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ed Miliband</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Before Gordon Brown was even making the humiliating last walk away from Downing Street and into political obscurity, I held a personal fancy for the younger of the Miliband brothers to be his successor. This was mainly due to his exposure as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, and his performance last night, though not clinical, is yet to shake me off the scent. His diagnosis of Labour's failure as being seen as the 'managers and technocrats of society' was acute and he was also clear in his support for the 50p tax rate for the highest earners remaining permanent. Presentation wise he was slightly suspect- each point he was made propelled toward the viewer with the force of some particularly violent hand gesticulations- and I can understand him being seen as not 'heavyweight' enough for the job. But if I had a vote in the leadership election- which I don't- it would be going his way.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Diane Abbott</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I'm glad that Diane Abbott made it onto the ballot, and with some murmurings of her making a surprise surge in the race, last night will certainly have gee'd the horses up. Abbott took her presentational lead from Nick Clegg's performance in the first election debate, taking full advantage of her central position, and speaking directly down the camera. At one point, with a growing racket of the other four candidates speaking over each other, she cut through to make her point in an almost stunned silence, like a diminutive teacher asserting her authority over a group of rowdy, testosterone-filled teenagers. The substance matched the style as she put forward both her positions and her differences from the other candidates strongly, no more so than in her criticism of Labour's record on civil liberties towards the end. This provided a good ending to the night that she completed with her choice of John Smith as the Labour leader she most admired. All in all it was a good evening for Labour's left-field, left-wing candidate. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>David Miliband</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>David Miliband is favourite to be the next Labour Leader and last night you could see why. He comes across as the most statesmanlike and provided solid, though not exactly inspiring, responses to the questions posed. At times the camera was searching for him but at one point towards the end, having landed on the senior Miliband blurred, the shot gradually came into focus. This seems to mirror Miliband's campaign as he has gradually shrugged off the criticisms of his failure to challenge Gordon Brown for the leadership, to become the clear frontrunner. Though I prefer Ed, I can't deny that David Miliband would make an effective leader of the Labour party.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Ed Balls</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Ed Balls was the most willing of the candidates to address the reasons why Labour lost the 2010 general election and for that he must be commended. However, he seems to think that Labour lost because they did not listen to people like Mrs Duffy, nor speak their language. The former is a fair point, the latter a farce. Labour should not be speaking the language of Mrs Duffy, but listening to people like her and telling her why their approach is better nationally. Balls performed better than I expected, but came across as the most reactionary of the five and, in my opinion, the least principled. Though I am not a fan, I can understand the benefits of having Ed Balls in a front bench position. But leader, no.</div><div>---</div><div><br /></div><div>Whilst the debate was engaging and informative there was too little mention of the deficit. The coalition will attempt to justify all measures they take in this parliament with reference to the more than shoddy condition the nation's finances were in when they took the reigns. Any Labour leader must be able to defend, to an extent, why the deficit is so large, and how they intend to cut it. They must win back the trust of the British people in the Labour party's handling of the economy. For Labour to choose a leader without proper reference to these issues would be like choosing the winner of a football game with no reference to who scored the most goals.</div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-67961913363719947302010-06-07T17:36:00.002+01:002010-06-07T17:47:14.876+01:00On DrinkingOr rather Christopher Hitchens on drinking. The intellectual behemoth has recently published a memoir, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitch-22-Memoir-Christopher-Hitchens/dp/1843549212/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275928703&sr=8-1">'Hitch-22'</a>, from which Slate are currently providing excerpts. Today's <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2255781/entry/2255784/">'A Short Footnote on the Grape and the Grain'</a> finishes with a must-read paragraph for all future alcoholics:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; "><blockquote>"Hitch: making rules about drinking can be the sign of an alcoholic," as Martin Amis once teasingly said to me. (Adorno would have savored that, as well.) Of course, watching the clock for the start-time is probably a bad sign, but here are some simple pieces of advice for the young. Don't drink on an empty stomach: the main point of the refreshment is the enhancement of food. Don't drink if you have the blues: it's a junk cure. Drink when you are in a good mood. Cheap booze is a false economy. It's not true that you shouldn't drink alone: these can be the happiest glasses you ever drain. Hangovers are another bad sign, and you should not expect to be believed if you take refuge in saying you can't properly remember last night. (If you <em>really</em> don't remember, that's an even worse sign.) Avoid all narcotics: these make you more boring rather than less and are not designed—as are the grape and the grain—to enliven company. Be careful about up-grading too far to single malt Scotch: when you are voyaging in rough countries it won't be easily available. Never even think about driving a car if you have taken a drop. It's much worse to see a woman drunk than a man: I don't know quite why this is true but it just is. Don't ever be responsible for it.</blockquote><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: normal;">I'll raise my bottle of Budvar to that.</span></span></span></div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-31080978548457279942010-06-04T16:57:00.012+01:002010-06-06T11:39:44.148+01:00Up Hill and Down Dale<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAoGr60lsoyAWU98fCq9sH1ieNk7C3qMc3nmZvaACadaQb2VNWb4Jq74BHnucSS1EHOEk1VF3q_8Txq_bCTtVqObaCRUoeKhj02_pADI5Q1_0RMZvke3Yek6Ynv1rxpcZoVtk7CG7loII/s1600/dales-way.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAoGr60lsoyAWU98fCq9sH1ieNk7C3qMc3nmZvaACadaQb2VNWb4Jq74BHnucSS1EHOEk1VF3q_8Txq_bCTtVqObaCRUoeKhj02_pADI5Q1_0RMZvke3Yek6Ynv1rxpcZoVtk7CG7loII/s320/dales-way.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479606989542884594" /></a><br />Every year, during the week of the May bank holiday half-term, my Dad and three friends go on a walking holiday. This year was to be their fifth as a group, and <a href="http://www.dalesway.org.uk/">the Dales Way</a>, running from Ilkley in North Yorkshire to Bowness by Lake Windermere, was the route selected. Unfortunately, with a month to go and accommodation booked, one of them was forced to pull out leaving a space. Thus, earlier this week I caught a train up into the Yorkshire Dales to join them for a couple of days of their week long journey.<div><br /></div><div><b>Tuesday 1st June</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The first day of the British Summer was one of steady rain, landing me in somewhat of a predicament as I searched in vain for my waterproof. Obviously before returning to York for the summer term I had dismissed the waterproof as surplus to requirements, meaning as I set off on my journey I was also setting off on an examination of the rain-resilience of a recently purchase</div><div>d tennis top. I'm happy to report that it did its job.</div><div><br /></div><div>I caught the 13.58 train from York changing at Leeds onto the train heading for Carlisle. The train stopped at several industrial satellite towns, places like Shipley, Keighley and Shipton, before coming to Settle. Here, the transition from the urban, post-industrial settlements of Yorkshire to its idyllic rurality, was marked by the boarding of, amongst others, one man and his dog. The smell of the dog's damp coat permeated the carriage, letting the nose know what the eyes were already witnessing, the start of the Dales.</div><div><br /></div><div>Settle marks the start of t<a href="http://www.settle-carlisle.co.uk/">he Settle-Carlisle railway</a>, a hugely impressive stretch of line both historically and scenically. It may sound slightly geeky to rave about the merits of a rail line but for someone all-to-used to trips up and down the East Coast mainline, Settle-Carlisle was something special. Field upon field stretched out away from the window, each a lush green, separated by the great divider of the countryside, the dry stone wall. Cattle sat, resigned to the soaking they were being subjected to, whilst occasionally one could spy a group of walkers tramping undeterred through fields and over stiles. The landscape would roll away gently from the train window, before gradually ramping up to a far-off horizon, the hills striving upwards as the clouds descended, both seemingly attempting, and in some cases able to, make contact.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfzn9oZebScwT4eLVM8q31xSLiVmC54FbMmiSimPhheUdsPtkmkQNscKcaZU8XJsOVQn5YGJg9osDiqpJP70c5sgxPw8qU8aQbbQDUsw6deyP3mwjQZmcYNPNqpgWfPMZfyL2X9XewVmV/s320/dent_station.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479605961669120930" /><div>I alighted at <a href="http://www.dentstation.co.uk/">Dent Station</a> about halfway al</div><div>ong the route at 4.15. Eerily I was the only one to leave the train and was greeted by the only two souls on the platform, my Dad and Dave, a fellow member of the walking group. At an altitude of 1,150 feet Dent is the highest station on the National Rail network and a clue to the lack of other passengers joining me in disembarking there is the fact that it lies a good four and a half miles from the village of Dent itself. </div><div><br /></div><div>Rejoining the Dales Way, and with the rain, after a temporary intermission, rejoining us, we</div><div> made our way through damp meadows and cleared woodlands, arriving in Dent at 6.30. Though small, the dire conditions meant that little time was spared in exploring the village as we headed straight to our accommodation, The Sun Inn. The Inn was an established local pub with a few standard bedrooms upstairs that shared bathroom facilities. Though the sign outside promising 'the best ale under the sun' proved to be a predictably hyperbolic claim, the food was good quality pub cuisine and the atmosphere was warm, a happy balance of regulars and passing walkers. The day's activity had been but a gentle warm-up, but having caught up with the news and who had and hadn't made it into Capello's squad, bed was a welcome conclusion.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Wednesday 2 June</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Wednesday was scheduled to be a short day, so before setting off for Sedbergh we were able to have a quick look round Dent. This did not take very long as the village is made up of mainly just one cobbled road that curves through the centre, the independent local amenities of a village shop, a couple of tea shops and three pubs, creating a pleasant country atmosphere. On the main road there is erected a large granite memorial stone for Dent's most famous son, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Sedgwick">Adam Sedgwick</a>. Sedgwick, born in 1785, was the son of the then Vicar of Dent. He studied locally before attending Cambridge University, and then in 1818, despite no prior knowledge of the subject, was made Woodwardian Professor of Geology. He preceded to more than brush up his knowledge of all things rocks, and is now recognised as a founder of modern Geology. During his time in Cambridge he also guided a young Charles Darwin, though in later years was to strongly</div><div> oppose Darwin's theory of evolution. His legacy lives on in the <a href="http://www.sedgwickmuseum.org/">Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences</a>, on Downing Street in Cambridge.</div><div><br /></div><div>The walk from Dent to Sedbergh was just six miles and with the fine weather we were able to make good progress. Despite only leaving after 11, by lunchtime we were sitting on a hill side overlooking our destination. <a href="http://www.sedbergh.org.uk/">Sedbergh</a> sits like an untied shoelace at the foot of the Howgills and as we ate lunch, on the hills above the town the shadow of the clouds dotted across the sky crept slowly over the hills like a slide show. We made our way into the town passing the many cricket pitches of the prestigious boarding school, Sedbergh School, before reaching the centre that consisted of a narrow main street walled with pubs, tea shops and book shops.</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKoceXN0Ok-fl_xOSc6-ZVyALoklxONZ3J0-wcozPM-F_QMfHTo8c5fKeJv3GrDaG4d5jkG2BZ0SC3hqL1_DuzhifwzEQki0cZyYFfRypY7axGSNICXWj5sxWEM1ReafOlt4tkQpQqJU3/s320/main-street01.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479608157656937394" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Since 2006, Sedbergh has been the <a href="http://www.sedbergh.org.uk/booktown/">Book Town for England</a>, official recognition for its diverse</div><div> selection of second-hand bookshops. There's a bookshop for those interested in textiles, for those</div><div> interested in topography and for those interested in transport. For those just generally interested in books, Westwood Books provides the best selection of subjects, though the claim of coffee and a seating area is in reality a coffee machine with a single seat next to it.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the evening we ate at The Bull Hotel where we learned of <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10214661.stm">the day's tragic events just to the west of us in Cumbria</a>. When we returned to the B&B we sat in stunned silence watching the 10 o'clock news, an activity normally only undertaken on these walking trips for the weather forecast that follows it. Whilst the whole country would have been shocked by what happened, over the next day or so it was noticeable how the people of Cumbria were particularly affected by the events occurring so close to them. The next day, a farmer who had been following the massacre unfold online mentioned how he had feared for walkers as the gunman's whereabouts had briefly become unknown. We had been completely oblivious to what was going on, as would anyone else who was out on the hills, but for those who had been aware of events as they preceded, the angst remained etched on their usually cheerful faces into Thursday and likely beyond.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Thursday 3 June</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Thursday involved a 17 mile journey from Sedbergh to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burneside">Burneside</a>, a village just outside of Kendal, so an early start was made, setting off at 9.15. The morning consisted of three 90 minute bursts, during which we passed some grand unused viaducts, relics of the now disused west coast rail line, as well as crossing the M6 and the new West Coast Mainline, the two modern arteries of North-West England. We lunched after about 9 miles before setting out into the now sweltering afternoon heat for the last 8. </div><div><br /></div><div>Just after three we passed a farmer who, on hearing of our destination, commented in the soft, jolly, northern fashion specific to Cumbria: 'Burneside. That'll take ye another four hours. S'only five minutes by car.' Despite the obvious jest in his tone, his point resonated somewhat with me. I'm no great fan of car travel, indeed I've never even been in control of one, but when travelling day-to-day from place-to-place, I prefer something a bit more time-efficient. It's just a bit depressing that in a day of seven hours of walking you cover the same amount of distance through your own power on a bike in two. You may be restricted to the route dictated by the roads, but you still move slowly enough to take in the scenery but fast enough to feel like you're actually getting somewhere.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite my quibble, I'm not going to deny there was a decent sense of achievement when we reached our accommodation. The Gateway Inn lies a mile up the hill out the other side of Burneside from the Dales Way, but to be honest it didn't look like we were missing out on much from not being down in the village. The evening's food was excellent, and the beer, though I stuck to the safe option of lager this time, was relished.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Friday 4 June</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>On Friday, as the rest of the group set off on the last leg of their trip up to Bowness, I caught the train back to York. Burneside has a tiny train station, to the extent that it is a request stop. This meant that as the train approached from Windemere, myself and the other guy on the platform were required to step out to the edge of the platform to hail the train down the way you would a taxi. The train took me down to Preston where I changed to head across the Pennines back To York. The journey provided mixed scenery, passing some impressive scenery basking in the summer sun, as well as some of the more grim Lancashire industrial towns.</div><div><br /></div><div>I arrived back into York at about 2.30 in the afternoon. The two days away had proven welcome relief from the growing monotony of post-exam uni life, especially as a lot of people are only just finishing in the next few days, meaning last week I'd have been pretty secluded. For someone who hadn't been to the Dales before I was very impressed. The landscape is a lot more gentle than the more mountainous Lake District, and thus retains more of a rural serenity. This is also aided by the fact that the places we passed through were not yet buzzing with tourists to the extent places like Windermere and Ambleside are. The legs I walked toook us from the very north of Yorkshire into the South Lakes. In future, as I gradually grow to consider myself a part-time Yorkshireman, I intend to explore the Dales further south into the county.</div><div><br /></div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-76311773075619170722010-05-29T17:26:00.004+01:002010-05-29T17:58:09.422+01:00The Present, The Future<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCoyRIiBAdfrFApNAwR7Mhwi8DYnmsPNjFtgDvAf6e-AXJ4YckRi4UAhFjr7tekAHU3tIvkFFYjtDrhc6hWau4NK6mwU6lbhowebTpXX2O83DHaZsHtlHy2B20TMWttjJUhsauWYbk5se/s1600/the-future-is-unwritten-by-williamhartz-flickr.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCoyRIiBAdfrFApNAwR7Mhwi8DYnmsPNjFtgDvAf6e-AXJ4YckRi4UAhFjr7tekAHU3tIvkFFYjtDrhc6hWau4NK6mwU6lbhowebTpXX2O83DHaZsHtlHy2B20TMWttjJUhsauWYbk5se/s320/the-future-is-unwritten-by-williamhartz-flickr.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476736951098158002" /></a><br />The good weather that initially greeted the completion of exams has dissipated, but no fear. A few more people have finished now and we've been working through DVD collections, an exercise that culminated on Tuesday in about six hours of film viewing, in which we finished off the second half of <i>The Godfather </i>before ploughing through <i>Apocalypse Now </i>and <i>The Usual Suspects</i>. Wednesday was spent shell-shocked, the fear of assassination looming every time I left the house.<div><br /></div><div><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078788/">Apocalypse Now</a> </i>was the only of the three that I hadn't seen before and I have to admit I didn't really take to it. I'm no fan of Conrad's <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Darkness">Heart of Darkness</a></i> around which the film is based and the themes that were replicated in the adaptation failed to grab me. Some of the surreal aspects made effective points in an amusing fashion, but others, for example the Playboy show, passed me by. At the length the film is as well, it'll be some time before I choose to give it a second viewing.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's the present. As for the future, on Thursday I accepted my offer for an MA here at York. Assuming I get a 2.1, next year I'll be studying <a href="http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/poli/prospective/pgt/courses/ipe.htm">International Political Economy</a>, the area of my degree that I've found most interesting over the last few years, and one that still combines both economics and politics. I've applied for funding but I'm not too hopeful, so the summer will be spent raising funds. As for why I'm doing it, job prospects obviously comes into it, but I also hold a genuine interest in the subject and wish to become more specialised in it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also had offers from Manchester and Sheffield that I shall turn down. There was part of me that, for a while, felt that not too leave York would represent a stagnation in life progress, but looking at it I like the city, the uni and the people who will still be about here next year. After next year I intend to move on, be it too a job or gap year. However, right now I'm pretty excited about next year.</div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-9075497970336191782010-05-25T16:04:00.003+01:002010-05-26T01:06:26.482+01:00A Pageant of Galling OpulenceMy morning routine at the moment involves waking up, half an hour checking the internet, followed by a shower, before heading downstairs to fix up a breakfast of a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. If the weather's good I'll eat it outside, but more often than not my first meal of the day is accompanied with some BBC News viewing. This usually entails discussions of Icelandic volcanoes, striking BA workers, or the posturings of the new coalition government, but today Huw Edwards, with his dulcet Welsh tones, was on hand for live coverage of the Queen's Speech.<div><br /></div><div>Watching the <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/about/faqs/house-of-lords-faqs/lords-stateopening/">State opening of Parliament</a> for the first time, I quickly came to the conclusion that it is a ridiculous spectacle of outdated procedure and archaic pomposity. 'Here is the entrance of the Sword of State and the Cap of Maintenance' Edwards announced, as an old sword and pointless piece of headgear were laid on a pedestal. The gathered spectators acted as if the Holy Grail had just been placed in front of them. Alongside our Welsh friend in the studio, Nick Robinson and the three party representatives positively salivated over proceedings and their conveyance of 'history' and 'authority'. To me it all seemed like pure tomfoolery.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our unelected Head of State arrived, to address our unelected Upper Chamber. As the cameras panned throughout the corridors of Westminster, men dressed as if it was the seventeenth century kept the ceremony moving. In the robing room, Ken Clarke had accessorized his ridiculous garb with a regal looking, clutch bag-cum-purse in which the speech was kept. Once the Queen was eventually seated in the House of Lords some poor man was sent to tell the House of Commons to make their way over. As he made his way down the corridor a police woman yelled 'hats off, strangers', an act that was quickly trumped in rudeness my someone slamming the door in the face of the messenger. Unfazed, he withdrew a big stick and slammed the door with it until they let him in. It was all rather ridiculous.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8702267.stm">speech itself</a> marked the dawn of the supposed 'new politics', but today was a stark reminder of how rooted in history our system is. Some people like that, but I fail to see any merit in retaining these ceremonial formalities. I don't see it changing any time soon, but as I took the last swig of my now lukewarm coffee, I felt rather bemused and very removed from the workings of our democracy.</div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-808108722518187589.post-90238935742375927592010-05-19T14:27:00.005+01:002010-05-19T16:53:34.246+01:00The Post-Degree HighThe invigilator, a bald man who had customised his facial features with a greying goatee and square, thick-rimmed glasses, stepped up to the lectern and calmly announced that time was up and we were obliged to put our pens down. I had finished about five minutes before hand, running rather dry on material for the last question, but this was the official end. The entrance to Central Hall, where exams are sat, is from below, meaning at the start of the exam you emerge into the hall up a flight of stairs, creating a strange gladiator-entering-the-arena type feeling. With answer booklets collected, the invigilator once more leant towards the microphone. 'You may now leave...' The surge towards the door started, accompanied by a crescendo of 'how'd you find it's'. As we headed down the stairs, back into the bowels of the academic stadium, the invigilator again; '...and enjoy your afternoon'.<div><br /></div><div>Your afternoon indeed! I've just completed my degree. I've got the next six and a half weeks off. A month and a half. 44 days. '... and enjoy your afternoon'. </div><div><br /></div><div>I collected my stuff up and headed out into the afternoon sun. I started wandering around campus on the pretext of getting some money out to get a sandwich, but there wasn't the usual purpose in my stride. I ambled. People scurried past me, anxious to get somewhere, fast. My vision, that had been firmly directed straight down onto revision notes the past few weeks, seemed as if it could scan 360 degrees, without me as much as turning my head. I was taking everything in, not in a detailed processing sense, but in a more general appreciative manner. The trees swaying in the breeze, the sun glinting off the metal railings across the bridge, the stolid brown serenity of the lake. It must have been some kind of post-degree high.</div><div><br /></div><div>So what am I going to do for the next month and a half? Good question. For starters, read... lots. Back in first year there was a time when I was getting through a couple of 200 page books a week. If I can get back to near that kind of prolificness I'd be pretty happy. I also intend to take advantage of the fact that we have all seven series of <i>The West Wing </i>in our house, though getting through all seven is probably wishful thinking. In a couple of weeks there's the World Cup, during which I intend to chant and rant against England enough to wind up my mates, but not enough for them to turn on me and savagely kick my Scottish ass back where it came from (which is England anyway, so the jokes on them). Then in the last two weeks of term they can return the favour by berating Andy Murray as he fails to win Wimbledon again. For any other spare time? Beer should do the trick.</div><div><br /></div><div>To the completion of my degree...</div><div>Cheers</div>Peter Strachanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03613749350127052668noreply@blogger.com0