Famous Belgians

Do we now have to include Bradley Wiggins?

He was Belgian-born and has now won three medals at the Olympics for Great Britain.

 

The Theatre of Base Comedy

As Stuart Hall would say!

Ipswich beat Brentford by two goals to nil last night, but that doesn't do justice to two of the freakest goals I've ever seen.

In the first, Tommy Miller's shot was blocked and it just looped over the stranded goal-keeper. It couldn't have been better judged, if anyone had meant it!

The second was in the dying minutes, when after a corner to Brentford where the goalkeeper had come forward, Price, the Ipswich keeper, took a direct shot from his own penalty area. It might even had gone in, but Ian Westlake won the chase and just tapped it in!

Bizarre!

 

Immigration

Yet again politicians are arguing over immigration.

Three facts they all ignore :-

1. We actually have net emigration according to the census, as migrants return home when they finish working, others retire to the sun and some born here leave for a new life.

2. Economic factors are actually working to drop the numbers arriving.

3. Immigrants generally contribute a lot of tax and are often the most successful.

Everyone should read Robert Winder’s excellent book, ‘Bloody Foreigners’.

 

Paula and Kelly

Paula Radcliffe was the victim of an idiot who decided to run the marathon on the wrong course at the wrong time. Even the Ethiopean, Haille Gabriselassi said it was too hot!

Kelly Holmes deserves her gold. But it was coming, when she competed for the first time in a major championships without any injuries.

 

Energy Prices

Am I alone in cheering every time petrol and electricity prices rise?

Perhaps, it’s the only way we can be less profligate and save energy!

But will it stop the rednecks in the US driving their 5 mpg, 4x4’s?

I doubt it! But it may mean they don't vote for Bush!

 

Cement and Innovation

Not two words that you would put together normally, but RMC seem to done this, according to today's FT.

Well done to them!

1. They have reduced sulphur emissions by changing the process. It also creates less by-products and uses less energy!

2. They use ice and slush to create a safe runway in Dubai.

3. They are using excess glass as aggregate in an asphalt mix called Glasscrete to repair roads.

All good stuff!

This is what I call 'scientific correctness' and true 'environmentally friendly technology'.

 

Atrocious Weather

We've had the most atrocious summer weather here in the UK over the last couple of weeks.

There is a village in Cornwall called Boscastle that suffered the worst weather.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/3578662.stm

Basically, all August's rain fell in two hours and completely washed the village away. Luckily there were no serious injuries.

There's also been lots of flooding and yesterday cars were trapped due to weather induced landslides in the Scottish Highlands.

We've never had weather like this in my lifetime.

And George W. and all the rednecks with their 4x4 pick-ups still say that there is no global warming!

Possibly not!

But something is happening!

 

A Level Results

They get better and better! Well easier and easier!

What a farce!

 

Two England Teams

Not really, but last night's win showed how close England are to being able to field a completely black team at football. And not a weak one at that!

How about?

James; Johnson, Campbell, King, Cole; Wright-Phillips, Jenas, Dyer, ?; Heskey, Defoe

All of these players except for Campbell and Heskey featured last night. Both would have been in Sven's team but for injury!

Can anybody help me on the other mid-fielder?

Or should I move King into midfield and play Rio Ferdinand when he is available. (Stupid boy!)

 

Olympic Eventing Farce

Firstly, they design a course that the average rider could go clear on and then they let Bettina Hoy off after she broke the rules.

Hopefully, the rule-breaking will be sorted at CAS later this week, but why didn't they design a proper course?

 

Dean Bowditch

Perhaps, we shall see him for the rest of the year at Ipswich.

Perhaps not!

But he left us last Saturday against Gilligham with memories of one of the truly great goals. It was certainly one of the best volleys, I'd seen in the flesh!

It was timed! It was measured! It was brilliant!

 

Best Olympic Moments

It has to be Mary Peters high-jumping her way to gold in Munich! Let’s face it, but Mary wasn’t built for that that part of her event!

I also remember as a nine year old waking up and hearing the astonishing news from Melbourne, that the late Chris Brasher had won the steeplechase. No one ever expected that.

Both wins were the triumph of will over expectation.

 

Draught Aspall Cyder

Now I like a drink!

I used to be a bitter drinker (Adnams, Greene King etc.). But now I can’t.

I have tried all the normal draught ciders such as Strongbow, Scrumpy Jack etc. Crap!

But help is at hand! I was in the Red Lion at Kirtling near Newmarket and their draught cider is Aspall.

Yes! Aspall! It’s wonderful!

 

Fuel Taxes

I drive a lot of miles every year and would happily pay more to cut global warming.

Two years ago, I swapped my 4x4 for a much more fuel efficient car and realised how stupid I was to have a 4x4, despite the fact I own and live on a stud farm!

But the extra money raised should be put into broadband so we don’t travel, more car parks at transport interchanges, subsidising taxis in rural areas and reducing road tax to an administrative charge, when a vehicle changes hands.

 

Inheritance Tax

Italy has now abolished it for residents!

As the tax is built like a colander, only raises £2.8bn and keeps armies of accountants and tax inspectors in unproductive work, it would be better if it was abolished totally.

After all as more countries in Europe will probably follow, we’ll have to do it eventually. So why not do it first and get the rich retirees here!

We could always replace it with a couple of pence on petrol!

 

Insurance Discs

Some idiot on breakfast television this morning said they wouldn't work, as once they had been obtained, then what was to stop the person who bought the insurance from cancelling.

The answer is easy. You don't get the money back unless you return the disc!

But as tax discs are bar coded, it would seem logical to make insurance discs the same. That way automatic equipment could easily check them.

You could even make the checks in garage. No valid tax and insurance disc and no petrol!

 

Reporting Stop and Search

My daughter-in-law has a phone with a camera as do many others.

Wouldn’t it be possible to incorporate this technology into police communications equipment, so that every time they stop and search, it is recorded at the touch of a button?

Experiments by the police have already shown that having phones with cameras are a powerful tool in reporting crime quickly, so why not?

The real trouble is probably that no politician understands technology.

 

Ragwort

The season is here again and the dreaded plant is everywhere!

I thought councils were supposed to clear it from verges now! They aren't round here!

 

Rose Coloured Glasses

A few things about my time as a teenager :-

1. I had my arm broken by a bully at school.
2. Paedophiles were known by us all. But we never told our parents.
3. There was a tremendous amount of violence on the council estate near us.
4. We never had any respect for bad teachers.
5. You never saw a policeman.

This was not a few years ago, but the late fifties and early sixties at Minchenden Grammar School in leafy Southgate in North London. The school was the top grammar school in the area!

So get real all you politicians! Life wasn’t so rosy all those years ago. It’s just we talk about it more!

 

Reducing Crime

About 1 in 20 drivers are uninsured, don’t have tax or MOT.

Stop and search of vehicles has shown in many forces, that in 50% of cases when there is no tax or insurance, evidence of another non-motoring offence was found.

Clear up the motoring offences by running all the databases together and more imaginative stopping and other crime will drop.

Whoever heard of someone going burgling or to deal drugs on a bus?

 

U-351

Why the hell are the BBC showing this film tonight?

Everybody with a sense of history knows that the Enigma codebook was obtained by the Royal Navy not the US.

I shall not be watching!

 

The Two Sides of Cherie Blair

It has recently become known that the dear Cherie Blair has become the new face of Victoria's Secret.

I don't think this is true as when you see a real picture of the PM's wife it is rather different.