Monthly Archives: January 2011

January 16, 2011 · 7:30 pm

#oneaday 10: Crap, that’s what that was, crap…

So said Danny (played by Pete Posthlewaite) in Brassed Off, when his beloved brass band came to the end of what sounded like an amazing rehearsal session. Brassed Off  taps into a grim old time set in a post miners’ strike world which focuses on the town of ‘Grimley’. Danny is the band conductor, passionate and proud, who faces up to the fact that his band members are simply running out of interest, indeed their lust for life has long been replaced by rust for strife. He has to face up to his son being in head over heels in debt causing his marriage to breakdown. Worse than this, the ex miners are all having to work in jobs which are at times just plain demeaning. His son becomes a childrens’ entertainer and has a breakdown. It is pathos enshrined and when he attempts suicide, the film hits its trough.

Ironically as the pit closes, so the brass band wins a national brass band competition, held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Then one of the finest scenes I have ever seen plays out where Danny  or rather Pete, rejects the trophy and embarks on a speech of epic proportions. What I did not realise until I saw the wonderful BBC tribute to Pete Posthlewaite last night, was that the scene was largely ad libbed and the extras in the audience knew nothing about it until Pete delivered it and they sat agasp, knocked over. I rewatched the programme on BBC iPlayer and I have to admit,  I was in tears. Seeing Danny refuse the trophy stating that it’s only human beings that matter and not music or the trophy but “this bloody government has systematically destroyed an entire industry over the last 10 years.  OUR industry. And not just our industry—our communities, our homes, our lives. All in the name of ‘progress’. And for a few lousy bob”. That line always resonated with me. Cash over community, wealth over well being .

I especially loved the fact that Pete got involved and made ‘The Age of Stupid’ a low budget, climate change documentary a hit in 2009. I also loved the fact that he made a pledge to return his OBE if the Labour Government, represented by Ed Miliband who was Climate Change Minister, did not change their policy which included building a new ‘dirty coal power station in King’s North’.  Ed (now the leader of the Labour Party) invited himself to the film’s premier and Pete duly delivered this pledge antelling  the minister that if the Government went ahead with their plan  ‘then you are unfit to represent the people of Britain at the Copenhagen Climate Summit’. One month later, Miliband had changed the policy.

Ed Miliband gets confronted on Pete's say so

 Posthlewaite was always a favourite of mine and he was one of a small band of actors who played heroes and villains, equally menacing and kind in every role. The best man and the worst man. I knew Pete was an emotional man, a committed actor and a man with a social conscience, in short a man that cared about his work and cared about his fellow man. People like this seem to be getting rarer, or maybe that is just my take on the situation, but when you come across one you tend to treasure them. As Miriam Margolyes said on the programme, ‘You don’t get that kind of rage and that gentleness in one person’.

As the documentary closes to the haunting sounds of a brass band playing ‘Danny Boy’ you realise what a man Pete Posthlewaite was. The actor who Steven Spielberg said was the ‘best there was’.  The world is a lesser place without him.

Peter Posthlewaite 1946-2011 RIP

If you get a moment and can access BBC iPlayer have a look. You won’t regret it. I promise. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00xxkz3/Pete_Postlethwaite_A_Tribute/

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January 15, 2011 · 1:57 pm

#oneaday 10: Dignity and leadership

So today is the final day of the much derided Avram Grant’s managerial reign at West Ham. For most, including me, this is the end of a very sorry chapter in the history of my football club. I have been on the record from the first, onerous day that he was unveiled as the new manager, that he should never have been appointed. My suspicions about the decision making of the owners of the club, messrs Sullivan and Gold, the two Davids, Gollivan by other words has always been high, ever since they bought the club last year.

Their first move was to brief the press against the incumbent manager, Gianfranco Zola, a true gentleman and a proper human being who only wanted the best for his players, the club and the supporters. The two David’s did not want Zola. I still am not sure why, but they felt he was not their man, did not have the right experience and West Ham were not exactly high in the table when they bought the club. So after much agitating in public and through the media, many pundits and observers suspecting that the owners wanted to make Zola break the terms of his contract and thus save paying him off, Zola duly left the club, along with his number 2, Steve Clarke at the end of the season.

The owners claimed that they wanted a more experienced manager, one with a proven track record and one who could execute the long term plan that the owners had for the club. Appointing Avram Grant never got near fulfilling that brief and you have to wonder what the logic, or indeed the commercial reason was for this decision. Indeed the so called long term plan  has never been shared with the supporters. As I see it, the long term plan is focused on moving the club to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. According to the PR this is all part of ensuring that the Olympic legacy is not lost and that the stadium is retained and used for athletics , which was a core promise made by Lord Coe on behalf of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympics. That is all very good and very noble, but the owners’ decision  to pursue this bid, is of course money orientated. And that is no bad thing at the end of the day. Rumours are that the Upton Park site has had planning permission for residential development granted, and estimates range on that deal realising £150 – 200 million profit for the club and its owners. In one fail swoop the debt would be wiped out and the club would be financially stable and solvent.

Decisions are always a key part of leadership. Even if the decision is ‘no change’ those who are in charge need to ensure that they are exactly that, in charge and capable of making decisions. Ever since the two David’s made the decision to appoint Avram Grant, they have been less than certain that their call was right. For me it was always wrong, but there is a school of thought that says once you have made a decision, you should stick by it and give it time to work. The speculation about Avram Grant’s future has been rife and in recent weeks, the club’s owners have made all sorts of noises. He was told that he had three games before Christmas to get at least one win. That sort of ultimatum is a daft one. Suppose West Ham lost their first two games and won the third, do you then keep the manager? Equally if they win the first, is he off the hook and therefore there is no real motivation to get results in the next two? All in all it was a stupid thing to say in public or in private and not the sort of thing you expect from any leaders in any walk of life. As it was West Ham won one game and drew two – a very good set of results given their previous form. And the rumours started again.

Thus on Tuesday this week, before an important Carling Cup semi final first leg, when Martin O’Neill was spotted at the club, we all knew that the end was nigh for the manager. Clearly the owners had decided that his time was up, but they wanted, quite naturally to seek a replacement before pulling the trigger. But why would you interview a potential replacement at the club, for staff and by passers to see? Why not somewhere private? Was it the need for the owners to be seen to be making a decision? Are they that paranoid that they want the media and supporters to know that they ‘really do know there is a problem and are doing something about it’? Indeed the rumours got stronger that Grant would be sacked on Wednesday after the board of West Ham would meet. Today, news broke that Grant will no longer be the manager, but that decision will be announced tomorrow, Sunday, after our home game against Arsenal. He will be replaced by Martin O’Neill.

This sort of approach smacks of being somewhat seedy, cheap and actually wrong, even if the decision is absolutely right. If the owners appoint the manager, they have the righ to remove him, but please don’t go about your business in this way. It lacks dignity and leadership in every way.

 At least Avram Grant has acted in a dignified way and is making no comment. More rumours suggest he has already struck a deal with the club. A pay off is always the upside of any manager’s hurt when he inevitably loses his job. I wonder when the game against Arsenal  finishes around 7.30pm today if Avran Grant will wave his goodbyes to the fans and the players and sail off to his next port of call. Indeed I wonder  if he will raise a smile. That would really be a first, the last time I saw him do that was when he arrived at the club.

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January 13, 2011 · 7:16 pm

#oneaday 9:Twitter Cricket

Whoooooooooaaaaaa.Yesterday had the most excellent 5 minutes of the year so far. Amazing. Unique. Fun. I am a huge cricket fan, but not completely bowled over by the 20:20 game if Iam honest. So when I saw, on Twitter that England were playing their first match against Australia, I wasn’t really that bothered. It was about 9.00am (UK time) when I found out we were playing. On the tube journey into the office, I picked up from various Tweeters, including the ex England skipper, Michael Vaughan and injured all-rounder Stuart Broad plus a few Twitter mates who were watching at home on ‘home husband duties’ that Australia had decided to bat. They got off to a flying start accumulating runs via Shane Watson, whilst we were travelling through Earl’s Court. Then my District Line train went into the underground section of the London Underground and my signal was lost, along with my Twitter feed.

As I exited Temple station and came up into the daylight, Australia were making very decent progess at 92-2 (per the @ECB-cricket). By the time I got to the office, around 9.45am, Australia were on 122-3. Then work kicked in and Twitter was put away in the box whilst I got my day planned, dealt with email and talked about West Ham’s lucky victory over Birmingham in the 1st leg of the Carling Cup semi final.  Three phone calls later, I thought I would check back and saw via @junioroufc that Australia were 140/4 with 12 balls left. Then the phone went and I was off Twitter again for 20 minutes.

When I checked back Australia had ended their innings on 157-4  and then settled down with my iPhone and watched events unfold – i was behind the timeline, but through Twitter, I caught up so that the result was actually in real time, complete with the suspense, tension and anxiety.

@junioroufc felt it was 25 runs light. Ex England captain @VaughanCricket felt the score was ‘just below par and Tait would be the key’ whilst @homeofcricket stated ‘ Majority of you think England are on top. Potential record breaking chase coming up in Adelaide then! Hope to see @eoin16 in action at last!’

Here’s the prize parts of my Twitter feed – many Tweets have been left out, but I have included ones that tell the story as well as just appear in my timeline to add some bizarre twists to this wonderful game.

@VaughanCricket then started the innings off with ‘Bell and Davies walk out to you look good on the dance floor…arctic Monkeys.. Sheffield legends..Music Mecca’

(Mr Vaughan being from Sheffield and a legendary Sheffield Wednesday supporter)  and then the game really started….in between other real world things happening:-

@junioroufc ‘Bell Dropped 1st ball!!! #T20 #EngAusT20’

@guardianfilm ‘How best to win and Oscar – try female oral sex! Hadley Freeman’

@timloveljoy ‘ How long do butterflies live? How about we set up a business sending boxes of live butterflies to people’

@gamersvoice ‘The hashtag for Gamers’ Voice Parliamentary Games Day is simply #gamesday’

@cidergirl ‘I wonder if postie can be arsed to deliver my CDs today’

@leongreen ‘A snap election says @tomwatson a move that would blind-side Labour and end the Lib Dems?’

@patlike ‘HAVE IT – source – Sony to announce PSP2 in Tokyo on Jan 27th’

@timlovejoy ‘ I don’t want to send bugs, I want to send butterflies’

@guardiannews ‘UK trade deficit hits record high’

@oneadayaproject ‘Hi everyone! On this grey miserable, rainy moring why not read some entertaining blogs to cheer yourself up? oneadaybloggers.wordpress.com’

@johnnyminkley ‘Twitter! I want to speak to gamers (ideally London based) who regularly buy pre-owned games. Is that you? Tweet me pls!

@ECB_cricket ‘England 85-3 and need 73 to win from 59 balls #T20

@PaulHayward_gnm ‘Avram Grant says he’s lived with rumour since Day 1’ Will the club beat this and push it to Day Minus-1 ? ‘

@junioroufc ‘Classy stuff @Eoin16 great placement #T20’

@GrahamBM RT @jamesclay; ‘Blog post; Learning Without Frontiers, some thoughts http://bit.ly/eG2Ar9 #lwf11′

@cidergirl ‘As a completist should I get the complete Star Wars on Blu-Ray or continue my stance that ignoring the prequels will make them go away?’

@StauartBroad8 ‘Gonna be a real tight finish this’

@ Homeofcricket ‘Rats. @eoin16 gone in the #T20 – big wicket for the Aussies. 28 runs needed from 28 balls. Come on England!’

@pinotblush ‘RT @BenWinterArt: New Bond film to reflect government cuts as Daniel Craig returns to the role of 005’

@Arusbridger ‘Who is paying Glenn Mulcaire’s six-figure legal fees as he fights demands to reveal all? #coulson’

@fletch5live ‘England on a right wobble now!!!’

@MayorofLondon ‘Been doing my bit this morning planting some of the 20,000 new trees for our RE:LEAF campaign.Well done too the volunteers’

@timlovejoy ‘If you can, get this cricket on, its getting v exciting’

@jimrossignol ‘I wrote an article for design/architecture mag Icon, and it’s in the February edition. It’s about videogame cities. Looks snazzy.’

@ECB_cricket ‘ 21 needed from 22 after that 6 from Woakes’ #T20 #Eng/AusT20

@junioroufc ‘Poop’

@PennyRed ‘I actually have too much to write this week, which is a problem, because whenever I’m working on something I’m thinking about the next thing’

@Batsphinx ‘Technologhy historians and/or wise elders. Was there a price difference between VHS and Betamax? Or were they level pegging?

@PaddyOrrell ‘anyone got a electronic/techno spotify playlist? Anyone?

@timlovejoy ‘England 15 to win off 12 balls’

@junioroufc ’12 from 9 needed’

@junioroufc ‘Yes’

@junioroufc ‘6 from 8 keep calm’

@junioroufc ‘8 from 8 even’

@ECB_cricket ‘England need 4 runs from the last 6 balls’

@junioroufc ‘Bowled him! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 4 from 5’

@junioroufc ‘Hero time’

@timlovejoy ‘No run. 4 from 4 ‘t20 this is too tight!!!’

@timlovejoy ‘No run! 4 from 3 #t20′

@SarahPalinUSA ‘ America’s Enduring Strength http://fb.me/PfjWdUip

@junioroufc ‘2 from 2 …Come on!!! Woakes!’

@BBCBusiness ‘Mince pies help lift Greggs sales http://bbc.in/h5YYje

@junioroufc ‘Yes!! Can’t lose’ #T20 #EngAusT20

@timlovejoy ‘Scores are tied, last ball #t20 f*ck me

@nesta_uk’ In Scotland, over 50 and have an idea to improve your community? Apply for Age Unlimited Scotland before 7 Feb deadline’

@Peston ‘Exclusive: Eric Daniels of Lloyds is to receive £2M bonus and more than £2M from long term incentive scheme’

@ECB_cricket ‘Scores level! England need 1 from 1 ball  #T20′

@junioroufc ‘Come on stick it up em again boys!!! Run your Bollocks off England!!! 1 from 1 #T20’

@timlovejoy ‘Yeeeeeeeees we got the run. Brilliant #t20’

@ajmurray ‘That was never in doubt. ha ha #T20’

@HomeofCricket ‘What a #T20 match in Adelaide! Scores tied with 1 ball left..Woakes hits winning runs from it. Great  #cricket’

@daraobrian ’20/20 really is a brilliant format’

@ECB_cricket ‘That’s England’s 8th #T20 win in a row’

@daraobrian ‘And I know I’m supposed t o write t20, or something. But if 20twenty teaches us anything, it’s that tradition is bunk’.

And there we have it. A thrilling match followed and ‘watched’ on Twitter in amongst some other great Tweets from a mixed bag of people, some wonderful and some clearly just mad. Phew. Twitter what a novel thing you are. Utterly unique.Sometimes special. Often compelling. Most of all mad.

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January 11, 2011 · 4:57 pm

#oneaday 8a: The bankers, their bonuses and their contracts

As a quick update on my previous blog, Mr Bob Diamond CEO of Barclays appeared in front of a House of Commons Select Committee today and gave a pretty good account of himself, all things considered. Mr George Osborne then stated the Government’s position and outlined the issues with the contracts issues to RBS staff by the previous Government. Whichever way you look at it, deals are being done, there will be no transparency and whilst beer and sandwiches are off the menu, Pol Roger and Monte Cristo’s are probably back on.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/emp/external/player.swf

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January 11, 2011 · 1:13 am

#oneaday 8: Robbing Peter, lending to Paul?

So all the tough talk about ‘us all being in this together ‘ (sic) (for those non residents of the UK, this was the phrase introduced by David Cameron, now Prime Minister of the UK at the Conservative party conference in October 2009 and has been the rallying call in these tough times) has proved to be a little wide of the mark. As purchase tax, or value added tax (VAT) as it was rebranded some years back rose 14% to 20% on the 4th of January, and thousands of public and private jobs are slashed,  as deep and rapid cuts to the welfare state and the education system,  the majority of folk in the UK are now getting used to a time of austerity. And you know what, we have no choice. The economy of the UK has taken a major battering, why, well in truth there are so many factors it would be a long essay and stuff that I simply don’t understand. But basically we spent more than we earned and we have to do our financial porridge for some years.

One factor that does stand out amongst all the others however, is the fact that some of our banks became insolvent in 2008. Instead of ‘the bank calling the debt in’ as normally happens when businesses and institutions fail, this time the banks carried the debts and could not meet their commitments. There was no one bank to call all the other banks in so to speak. They really were ‘all in it together’. The decision was taken, we are told, in the national interest, by Prime Minster Gordon Brown to bail the banks out. Amazingly no one actually seems to know to what extent. Namely we don’t know the final number. Some sources quote upwards of £1 Trillion. in the case of RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) we are told that the citizens of the UK now own 83% of the shares. In return for these share the nation poured £45Billion in cash, insured £280Billion of risky loans and set aside a further £8Billion in case things get really bad. So you’d have thought as majority shareholders in this company, we i.e our Government would have had a say in how that business should be run, in the national interest and all that.

But the Government insisted earlier today (when I wrote this anyway) it would not intervene to stop Royal Bank of Scotland’s chief executive, Stephen Hester, earning up to £9Million for last year’s work. Furthermore it will not seek to cap the bonus pool of more than £1Billion that the bank intends to pay it’s high earners. A spokesman for David Cameron said: “We’ve made a broad statement which is about the need to see some restraint and some responsibility from the banks, but we are not going to set bonus pools for individual banks.”

We know the sketch here. Money talks blah, blah. But for all the recent fighting political talk – see below – of those who govern us, those that our pickled voting system has thrust upon us, right or wrong, is always the same. It is just talk and talk, unlike property is cheap.  Indeed the extra tax rate/levy on bonuses from last year has been wiped out,  replaced by a lesser yielding tax on the banks’ balance sheets.

So if you are young and  live in London, or are trying to buy a house in London, or indeed in the countryside close to London – aka The Stock Broker Belt as it used to be called when VAT was purchase tax, one of the consequences of this indecent and bloated excess is that property prices will rise again, thus putting property even further off the radar of those starting out in their working life, those trying to bring up a family. The very same people, many of them pay as you earn (PAYE) tax payers (you know the ones who pay the correct amount of tax as they do not have access to fancy schemes for tax optimisation) are royally being shafted.

The youth should always be at the centre of any society’s future, yet they find themselves over taxed, if they are lucky enough to have a job, under served and utterly betrayed. And the bank band played on. Pfffff. I am not given to cheap prejudice, but I can tell you now, I have complete and utter contempt for these people.

So there you go and to keep it interesting, I have a meeting with our bank manager planned for next week to discuss our  ‘facility ‘for 2011. The name of that bank? I will give you 3 guesses. You should get it right first time. Wish me luck.

Footnote what our leaders said when in Government (courtesy of The Independent today)

‘It is wholly untenable to have millions of people making sacrifices in their living standards only to see the banks getting away scot-free – the banks should not be under any illusion: this Government cannot stand idly by.’ – NICK CLEGG, Deputy Prime Minister17 NOVEMBER 2010

‘I make no apology for attacking spivs and gamblers who did more harm to the British economy than Bob Crow [the RMT union leader] could achieve in his wildest Trotskyite fantasies, while paying themselves outrageous bonuses underwritten by the taxpayer.’ – VINCE CABLE, 22 SEPTEMBER 2010

‘Every decision the banks make like that [paying large bonuses] makes it more difficult to keep a tax regime that they might favour.’ DAVID CAMERON, Prime Minister 17 DECEMBER 2010

‘We will not allow money to flow unimpeded out of those banks into huge bonuses, if that means money is not flowing out in credit to the small businesses who did nothing to cause this crash and suffered most in it.’ – GEORGE OSBORNE, Chancellor of the Exchequer 4 OCTOBER 2010

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January 9, 2011 · 11:54 pm

#oneaday 7: Who’s the Twit?

Skimming through The Guardian (a UK newspaper for those non UK residents reading this)  online tonight, I couldn’t fail to notice that there seems to be a growing amount of heat both official and otherwise for celebrities who are being paid to push products, ie sponsored Tweets (see Twitter endorsements face OFT clampdown http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/09/oft-clampdown-covert-twitter-endorsements) .

 There are a few issues here, connected of course, but as usual associated with freedom and choice.

Firstly, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has a point, sort of. They maintain that PR company Handpicked Media who run a commercial blogging network,  must state when promotional comments have been paid for. I get that, again sort of. But surely this approach does not credit the readers or followers any intelligence? I may only speak for myself, but one of the many really amazing things about the internet is that it kind of works things out, wisdom of the crowds or otherwise. Over in old fashioned TV ad land, or even older fashioned print ad ville, do we really need to know that the celebrities, famous people, recognised people, personal brand pushers or whatever we call them, are paid for endorsing and pushing products? Of course they are, it is a given.  Surely the same is true now that  the Ad and PR people have taken their place within Twitter and Facebook and for that matter Amazon? I mean hearing a celeb Tweeting endlessly about a product, in a series of 140 character tomes, is both transparent and ultimately boring, unless it is genuine. The power is with all of us, not some of them, and by them I mean  I mean the marketeers and their mules.

Secondly, the OFT are only following what their American cousins at the US Federal Trade Commission (USFTC)  insist on. The USFTC want transparency in this area and  insist on such Tweets carrying ‘ad’ or ‘spon’. I have no idea how this is or will be policed, I am sure it will be a mix of a tech solution and some ordinary people doing some ad hoc, sorry intelligence led,  snooping. Anyway, who cares as long as it does not effect out freedoms and ability to chose. Censorship should always be questioned, especially on the internet.

According to The Guardian article, “Celebrities can be great influencers, whether they’re on TV or tweeting,” Arnie Gullov-Singh, chief executive officer of Ad.ly, which pairs celebrities and companies, told Business Week in a recent interview. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who has more than 5.6 million followers, can collect up to $10,000 for tweeting, Gullov-Singh added. “Her price keeps going up. The most effective ones can get six figures a year, and in some cases six figures a quarter.”

Launched in 2009, Ad.ly uses more than 5,000 celebrities and experts to promote products such as Coke, Toyota and Microsoft in the US. It now plans to launch the service in Britain.“A year ago, celebrities were wary about their reputation, about selling out, but when they saw how easy it was to earn up to $5,000 a tweet, they flocked on board,” said Gullov-Singh.

Thus finally, it should not really be a  surprise to read Mr Gullov-Singh’s comment about some celebrities, after all fear and greed are all part of the human condition and let’s face it how many of us would refuse to take a fee to endorse something? Even if we were taking the moral high ground and wanted to preserve a reputation (darling) and push a product or service  that we may even use, love and could not bear to be without? Tough call, moral dilemma ahead! Therefore we should all be free to make our own decisions. If we are lucky enough to be offered money for Tweets, then we should weigh up the deal and decide for ourselves. If we value our judgement and reputation, we should tell the truth, however hard that can be sometimes, especially when filthy lucre is around. Equally, if we want to follow what celebrities tell us, that should also be our choice and one that should not leave us as individuals open to mockery. Ultimately crap products or services will get found out and the internet will spread that news quicker than a paid for Tweet or Facebook post.

The internet gave us many things, but for me, it gave freedom of choice.



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January 8, 2011 · 4:13 pm

#oneaday 6: Viking, Forties, Dogger Bank

What do the numers 00.48, 05.20, 17.54 have in common? No they are not the runs scored by an out of form Michael Clarke in the last 3 Tests, but the times that the BBC broadcasts the shipping forecasts on Radio 4 Long Wave. These times are relied on by mariners around the UK waters and are broadcast like clockwork, literally. So at 00.48 on Thursday night, the BBC broke off Test Match Special just as the 91st and last Australian wicket in the Ashes series fell and England duly won the series and therefore The Ashes,  3-1.  Typically British, typically BBC. Cricket is only a game afterall and the shipping forecast is a matter of life and death.

Not that you would know this if you were a citizen of Australia, where clearly any sport, national or otherwise is a matter of life and death. Often famed for their ‘winning’ attitude, it is obvious that the post Warne/McGrath/Gilchrist team are having to get used to losing, indeed this concepts seems to be spreading like a pandemic through the nation’s psyche. But losing is good for the soul. It brings balance, perspective, hurt, disappointment  and crucially ensures that arrogance is reigned in. No one likes losing in general, as a race we are all hard wired to like to win, whatever that actually means. Sport is a crude and effective way of defining the black and white, win or lose, mentality that most people want or in some cases need to experience. It is both primeval and compelling, and in the case of the great game of Test Match cricket, brilliantly complex, subtle, exaggerated and of course tough. In short, Test Match cricket  is like a  ‘core’ computer game. Not easy to pick up and play or understand, requiring patience, practice, knowledge, experience and an ability to appreciate the finest nuances that may leave the less experienced player or viewer cold. It has a language and symbolism of its own and does not pander to modernity.  It is certainly not a casual snacking experience, that was the realm of the one day game, although that is now deeemed to be just too long for a game to last. In recent years we have seen unprecedented  growth of the vulgar and indecently short Twenty Twenty cricket, the Nintendo Wii or Kinect of cricket if you will. Bright colours, guaranteed results, club nicknames,  loads of gamification style stats pervade and for those of us who prefer the tradition of the Test Match game, this really is cricket lite.

Aussie fans going retro

Thus for England, for so many years the losers in all forms of cricket, to have won the Ashes series in Australia for the first time since 1986-87 (ie actually 1987) is a wonderful achievement. Given that it is a 2 horse race, some will say that it is not as significant as winning the World Cup in rugby or football, and that would be absolutely correct. But we have seen 23 days (out of a possible 25) of a sporting contest that will test the finest and hardest of cricketers all the way and the key is that there is no guarantee of a winner. On this occasion England were so superior to Australia, bar one aberation at the WACA in Perth, that the series win was convincing and comprehensive. Funnily enough, and perhaps this is where Australia and Australians could do with some tips from us, given the win was not really acknowledged by the Australian media as a great performance by a very good England team. Rather it was lost ‘the worst team Australia had ever fielded’. That is a tad disappointing. When we were getting stuffed on a regular basis by Australia and the West Indies before them, the cricket press around the world acknowledged and actively recognised that both Australia and West Indies put out teams packed with class players, just too good for England. It would be good for Australia if they acknowledged that they were beaten by the better team, led by a captain, Andrew Strauss (lovely Christian name incidentally)  who, aside from his own ability with the bat and in the field, was both modest, cool, steady and able, with a coaching team led by Andy (that name again) Flower who demanded professionalism, togetherness and resilience, backed up with impeccable preparation.  In order to make progress in life, you need to indentify weaknesses and resolve ways to overcome those whilst retaining dignity and confidence. I for one, hope Australia can grasp this nettle and ensure that the competitiveness of the last 5 years between our 2 great nations carries on and on and produces excellent cricket along the way. 

 As an aside, an Australian media owner, well known for taking a personal interest in his TV stations and newspapers was responsible for one of the worst teams that Australia ever put out, namely the 1977 Ashes team who visited England and lost 3-0. Australia had been split by the launch of the infamous World Series Cricket and divisions existed between players who had signed up to the Australian media mogul’s idea of the game and those who had stayed loyal to the traditional game, with rules copyright of the M.C.C. That Australian media mogul was a not Rupert Murdoch owner of Sky and exclusive broadcaster of The Ashes, but a certain Kerry Packer who was a great rival. I digress.

Other than the England team, I think the big winners have been the fans, the wonderful Barmy Army. For those of you who have experienced The Barmy Army, led by Vic Flowers (or Jimmy Saville if you prefer), you will know that their support is certainly full on. The Barmy Army  have set an example that has at long last been followed by the supporters of the England football team. Actively supporting England’s cricket team on overseas tours, often when there is zero chance of winning anything, they have showed that it is not about the winning, it is about the taking part. This approach is a very English thing, indeed it is a very ‘cricket’ thing. Rather ironically, it was the Australian media who coined the name ‘Barmy Army’ back in the nineties, when they were totally bemused by the endless chanting and support from English cricket fans who had travelled across the globe at great expense, even though England were on the end of yet another Aussie hiding. As Oscar Wilde famously said, ‘if you want to tell the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they will almost certainly kill you’, and  ‘always forgive your enemies, nothing annoys them so much’. Never a truer set of words and words which go right to the core DNA withoin our wonderful players and supporters.

What a magnificent  series, that once again showed that we English, or British (more on this confusion soon, I promise) can laugh at ourselves, often with good reason, and can win now and again. Hats off to the England cricket team and their wonderful supporters. Hats off also to the BBC for sticking to the rules and ensuring the sailors in our national waters could remain safe. Above all hats off to the game of cricket and all its foibles and beauty. We love you.

PS  did I mention that England are the current holders of the 20:20 World Cup, ssshhhh don’t carp too loudly, we must not be arrogant and boorish as that approach just isn’t cricket.

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January 7, 2011 · 12:40 am

#oneaday 5: A party political broadcast from the 1950’s

There’s something very speciaal about the New Year. I love the feeling of ‘‘out with the old, in with the new’. It’s been a great Christmas and New Year time, but I am looking forward to getting rid of the Christmas decorations and doing a bit of a spring clean. I like the fresh new diary with all of the promise it holds for the year ahead, the determination to do better this year than last, the New Year’s resolutions. Parliament and politics feel refreshed and ready to go – with all kinds of plans and initiatives  ready to go.

I held a very successful ‘Student Surgery ’ in XXX on Tuesday – a large group of enthusiastic school students overbrimming with questions, some criticisms. Probing for the great truths and the things which will affect their futures – from the economy, student loans and university fees; education, employment. I never took the viiew that my ‘schooldays were the best days of my life’,
but how we older people must envy the optimistic looking to the future which our teenagers can enjoy. The world is truly their oyster. And I am very much looking forward to the Annual Speech
Evening in XXX School tomorrow night, when I know that the same positive spirit will be much in evidence.

That’s what politics should be about. Not about tomorrow’s headlines; not even about winning the next election (central as that is to a heaalthy democracy); not about being popular, slaves to the
polls. Nor should it be about the petty issues and arguments of Westminster, nor the plottting and personalities which so often diminish politics. Those of us who are privileged enough to have
been elected to office should be ready to throw personal and party interests to the winds; to rise above short term populism; and in everything we do and say try to project ourselves forward to a
distant future – quite possibly long after we ourselves have quit this planet – and make plans and take steps which will be of benefit not only to our generation, but to our children and our
children’s children.

Too much of what we do nowadays will not last a decade, far less a century. Buildings are constructed with an in-built obsolescence. How many of our public buildings, for example will stand the test of time of our town halls, the Foreign Office and Treasury, or indeed Parliament itself. Which will last longer –– Westminster or Holyrood? Too many initiatives and ideas last barely longer than the launch ceremony before they are forgotten or outdated. Everything we do and say must be for the long term. ‘What will it be like in 20 or 100 years’ time?’ should be our question. ‘What will our grandchildren think about it?’

As the Coalition faces the new Parliamentary year, some of these thoughts should be uppermost in our minds. What do we have to do to right the wrongs in our country, save our ruined economy; recue our reputation in the world as a force for good?? So let us cast away our short termism, our eye to the main chance, our fixation with personalities and politicking. And let us seek to do what all great statementm(sic) in our history have done – build a nation, institutions, buildings and businesses which will be a force for goood for the century which lies ahead. There may be tough times ahead in the coming year, but I so much hope that all we have to do will in the long-run be seen to have been for the good of everyone in this great Nation of ours for generations to come.

Ok, so this is my blog and these should be my words, except they aren’t. They are the words from a serving MP from 2010 who sent this to their constituents recently in a newsletter and was printed in the local paper. The spelling and grammar are exactly as they were written,  indeed the call for us to always question ‘what will our grandchildren think about it?’ could actually be seen as a tad ironic. 

However, this feels like the  language of a different age, a sort of post war, rose tinted spectacled eulogy wistfully yearning for the days when England was England, or Great Britain, or indeed the United Kingdom (more on that national identity crisis later in this series), but always a force for good.

I am not particularly bothered by the political sentiment in the surface DNA of this piece. Rather I am a little  puzzled that our national interest can be put into such halycon and simplistic terms. Surely, our society is a little more complex than this? Noblesse Oblige is a wonderfully British thing, all be it a French principle, but a lust for great public buildings just feels a little bit light, or is it lite, I can never remember?

Britain ‘being a force for good’ is a very noble and admirable position. No one should disagree with that should they? I sincerely hope that we can have a country that ensures all their citizens have equal chances in life and one which sits fairness at the core of its constitution. Hard work, endeavour and entrepreneurialism should be rewarded, as should taking responsibility. This Coalition preaches fairness at their core  and I for one support them. I am sure everyone else who lives here would do the same. I will be hoping for all our good, that this principle is kept true and at all times, no matter the cost. The right thing is the right thing after all. Indeed one of my good friends who devotes his whole time to those worse off than him has a little note posted above his desk, a quote from EF Schumacher. It says rather beautifully, “We must do what we conceive to be the right thing and not bother our heads or burden our souls with whether we’re going to be successful. Because if we don’t do the right thing, we’ll be doing the wrong thing, and we’ll just be part of the disease and not a part of the cure.”

Let’s hope our leaders keep things fair and do the right things so that our grandchildren think well of us all.

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January 6, 2011 · 2:28 am

#oneaday 4:Re-use and Recycle?

Management, specifically football management, what makes a good manager and why do failures get re-used and recycled time and time again? It seems like the only way the managerial gene pool is ever widened is when Premier League owners decide to import big hitters from abroad, or Blackpool and Stoke get promoted.  Having seen the hapless incumbents at Liverpool, West Ham, Aston Villa and even Chelsea look like dead men walking (apologies Gerard) after their teams all lost vital games tonight, the talk is of who will be sacked first. 

Surely this prize must be won by Avram Grant at West Ham, who has never really fitted the bill since he arrived in the summer. After 3 games in the Premier League, the owners Messrs Gold and Sullivan put dear old Avram on a warning. He’s had more since, despite the MD of West Ham, Karen Brady (her of The Apprentice panel alongside SirAlan) assuring the media, public and the fans, that ‘we just don’t sack managers’. The big question was how did this Israeli football manager ever get a job in English football in the first place? He arrived as technical director at Portsmouth when Harry Redknapp was manager and  Harry made it clear that he did not want any interference. He then went on to do a similar job, this time director of fooball, at Chelsea and dropped into Jose the Special One’s manager’s seat when Emperor Roman decided that Mourinho had expressed an opinion one too many times. After losing the Champions League final, Grant was sacked. He then returned to Portsmouth as director of football, only to become manager about a month later after the latest Pompey owner sacked the latest Pompey manager. He left after Portmouth lost the FA Cup final and were relegated, admittedly because of points deduction due to Portsmouth FC going into administration. Indeed Grant did not even hold the required top-flight coaching certification from UEFA when he took over at Chelsea. In fact, he had never received the lower-level coaching cerfications from UEFA for “B” and “A” level coaching in Europe.  But Messrs Sullivan and Gold thought it would be a great idea to hire him.

Not far behind must be either Roy Hodgson (most pundits ‘in the know’s’ choice as England manager to replace Capello after the shambles that was the 2010 World Cup) or Gerard Houllier. Neither seem in control of their respective teams, both seem just too old, too bemused and actually not good enough for either team and certainly unable to handle the expectations at their respective clubs. Indeed Hodgson’s first foray into English football was to get sacked by Blackburn a few years back. Admittedly he had a very good season with Fulham, but his record in our league was actually poor. Ditto Houllier. One UEFA Cup , FA Cup and League Cup victory plus a runners up in the League really does not make him a great winner, especially at Anfield. Thus groans were heard all through the claret and blue parts of Birmingham when Martin O’Neill stepped down, Kevin MacDonald stepped in and then made way for Houllier. If Houllier gets the boot, then he will almost certainly return to France. Ditto if Carlo Ancelotti leaves stricken Chelsea, it is unlikely that he will seek further misery in England.

So the question really is why do some of these consistently under performing managers keep getting employed? Why do the club owners fall for the same candidates time and time again? Lord knows why. If Grant and  Houllier go, surely that must be the end for them in English football? Of the current 20 Premier League managers, 14 are British which is as high as I can remember. Of those, Hogdson will not be in his job until the end of the season and some of the others may have a few sleepless nights. But we need new, younger  managers, men with fresh ideas and men who can handle the errant ways of the modern millionaire footballers. Outside of natual promotions – ie managers of teams who gained promotion in order to gain a foothold as a Premier League manager namely  Ian Holloway, Tony Pulis, Roberto Di Matteo and Owen Coyle, there seems to be a total lack of promoting managers from lower divisions into the top jobs. Is that caution or stupidity? Indeed, does football need a bit of a cull in order that we can refresh and relaunch our game?

Let’s see what happens in the coming months. Meantime, if you are a Villa, West Ham, Liverpool and even a Chelsea supporter, the next few weeks will be  very interesting. Messrs, Southgate, O’Neill, Allardyce, Curbishley and Hughton are all looking to get back into the top jobs, it will be interesting to see who does not come back and if clubs like West Ham or Aston Villa live a little and look to the Chanpionship for talent.

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January 5, 2011 · 1:37 am

#oneaday 3:Tax Lax

On the day that saw the UK’s value added tax rise from 17.5% of the sales value to 20% of the sales value of goods and services, with some notable exceptions, there has been much debate as to whether this is a ‘progressive’ or ‘regressive’ tax. All 3 party leaders seem to have had conflicting and changing views on this aspect, indeed a bout of memory loss seems to have been doing the rounds over the Christmas break. But hey times change and all that, and we are all rightly concerned about the ‘national interest’ so needs must, pay your part.

Today was also the day that the 38 Degrees Campaign ran its rather irreverent ‘Artful Dodger’ ads in some of the national newspapers – The Guardian, The Independent and the i. Allegedly, The Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph and The Metro (part of the same group as the Mail) pulled the ads, or put their prices up. That is their right and their call, both the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph have shown their hands in recent times, so we all know where their allegiances lie. But we have a free press and for that we should be thankful.

This is the rather dodgy ad run by the 38 Degrees Team

However, one issue or number that I am totally perplexed about is the quoted £150 billion per annum which tax avoidance, tax dodging or working within the tax laws depending on how you view these things is supposed to cost the UK Exchequer. £150 billion – ie just shy of the deficit we are all being told must be chased down with extreme vigour and haste.  This is a serious amount of money and I for one would like know where this figure comes from – does anyone know or is it an urban myth? Have Vodaphone avoided, legitimately or otherwise, paying UK taxes to the tune of £6 billion last year? We need some facts, please.

This whole issue of tax and tax avoidance, indeed use of individuals’ or companies’ earnings to put against their tax allowances is relevant in the computer and video games industry, given our disappointment when the much campaigned for production tax credits. The Film Council has used the tax breaks system and National Lottery funding to part fund many films on the basis of cultural relevance. The net result of all these systems to offset tax against production of creative industrial output is that we have a pretty healthy film industry. Only today I watched ‘Tamara Drewe’ and ‘Another Year’, two very British films that would never get made in Hollywood, or if they did, would be dramatically altered in their final delivery. Last week I watched ‘Made in Dagenham’ and ‘The King’s Speech’ and the same observation could be made. These films define our culture both in an historical context as well as a contemporary one. They also earn the UK money, provide key jobs, and get us noticed in an ever competitive world. In short they feel like a good thing.

A quick look at the UK Film Council’s website tells quite a lot, namely:-

  • The core UK film industry now contributes approximately £4.3 billion per year to the UK economy – up by 50% since 2000, when the UK Film Council was created;
  • In 2009 UK films took 7% of the global box office and 17% of the UK box office; Independent UK films took an 8.2% share of the UK box office, the highest figure of the last decade;
  • UK film grossed $2 billion at the worldwide box office last year;
  • UK box-office takings are at record-breaking levels, worth £944 million in the UK in 2009, up 62% from 2000;
  • The overall territory box office gross for the UK and the Republic of Ireland exceeded £1 billion for the first time in 2009;
  • UK Film Council investments in British films have been hugely successful – for every £1 we have invested, £5 has been generated at the box office;
  • Over 173.5 million people went to the cinema in the UK in 2009 – up 31 million from 2000, the highest since 2002 and the second highest since 1971;
  • The UK has more digital cinemas than any other European country – 365 and counting;
  • Overall UK audiences had a far greater choice of films in 2009 – 503 films were released, 31% more than a decade ago;
  • The UK film industry directly provides jobs for almost 44,000 people, with extended employment impact of 95,000 jobs;
  • The film industry earns over £1.3 billion in export income from film rights and film production services;
  • In 2009 alone, British films and talent scooped 36 awards. 

Impressive stuff. Now, what if we could convert some of that ‘tax avoidance’ into ‘incentives to back creativity and innovation’ to produce a win win for the tax payer/avoider and the creative industries? Rather than blaming the bourgeoise or the benefit classes in some outdated class war, if we really are all in this together, let’s get creative and encourage big earners to contribute to things that can earn the UK vital export Dollars, Euros and whatever China uses as currency. After all, I actually think we could do with some culturally British computer and video games, rather than every game that is based on earth being impregnated with American or Japanese cultural reference points.

More on this in the coming weeks.

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