What is Madonna thinking? This weekend's news has been dominated by her sick publicity stunt of adopting four year old Mercy, a deprived child from Malawi in Africa. I could understand if Mercy was an orphan, but the fact that she is being looked after by her father and uncles and Madonna is taking her away from her family puts an immoral twist on this whole saga. If Madge wanted to adopt an African child then she should start looking by in an orphanage perhaps. The newspapers have described this as a "shopping trip to Africa" and this is exactly what it is. Angelina Jolie has recieved much media attention after adopting three children in recent years and Madonna is clearly hoping for the same kind of attention. She hardly spends any time looking after her first adopted child David, who no doubt spends most of his time in the care of nannies and this is just another photo opportunity for Madonna. Also, the adoption process is long and complicated and most people wishing to adopt will spend years on a waiting list, but Madonna being Madonna gets to bypass the queue and jump straight in. This is exploitation of children by celebrities at its very worse.
In other news, I see a pattern emerging with female New Labour cabinet members being embarassed by their husbands. In 2006, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport at the time Tessa Jowell was heavily scrutinised by the press after her estranged husband David Mills was investigated for tax fraud in Italy. This incident put great pressure on Tessa Jowell and threatened to ruin her political career. Now, three years later, home secretary Jacqui Smith has been embarassed by her husband after he watched pornographic films and claimed them on her expenses. I think Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Hariett Harman needs to make sure her husband stays out of trouble if she wants to live up to her ambitions of one day becoming leader of the party, as we've seen all too clearly how these New Labour husbands can so easily publicly humilate their wives.
I was pleased to see Wayne Rooney score twice in England's 4-0 win over Slovakia on Saturday. It looks as though he's finally starting to fill his potential on the international stage. When young Wayne announced himself to the world at Euro 2004, there was a real sense of optimism that he was the future of the England game and the World Cup in South Africa next year may be his chance to prove his worth, providing he stays injury free. On his day, Rooney is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, but he needs to perform well in an England shirt against the biggest teams on the biggest stage, so next year is his big opportunity to prove to everyone he is world class. After what we saw from Rooney on Saturday, lets hope for more of the same.
Monday 30 March 2009
Thursday 26 March 2009
Thursday 26th March 2009
I'm always being told that the internet is the future of journalism and events this week have provided strong evidence to support this. Conservative Member of European Parliament Daniel Hannan launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Gordon Brown, pinning blame on him for the current economic troubles. The three minute Strasbourg speech, in which Brown was present, was initially not reported by the BBC, ITV or Sky, but became a massive hit on YouTube within hours. It just goes to show how the internet has changed news.
The speech itself was interesting. Of course its going to be critical as Hannan is a Conservative, but he really goes all out in attacking Brown and his government and this is definately a news worthy story. The last line ,"you are the devalued Prime Minister of a devalued government" may have been taken from John Smith's attack against John Major in 1992, but perhaps it is suited to the current situation and while everyone may not agree with Hannan's views his public speaking skills can't be criticised. Daniel Hannan represents the South-East in the European Parliament and this will definately influence the very few voters, myself included, who will turn out for in the European elections in June.
My local MP in Newbury Richard Benyon recently raised a very good point in his blog regarding the RBS business going on at the moment.
"I am cynical enough to see the dead hand of spin doctors in this. Sir Fred’s behaviour gave the press a classic hate figure for the country to vilify while with less coverage, the Government announced another £25 billion of support for his erstwhile employers."
Sir Fred Goodwin has certainly been on the recieving end of much hatred in recent weeks and its clear to see now that the government welcome the change in direction of hatred and blame. "Fred the Shred" has taken Gordon Brown's place as scapegoat for now, but I wonder how long it will be before this changes.
Thats all from me for now, I shall try to update over the weekend.
The speech itself was interesting. Of course its going to be critical as Hannan is a Conservative, but he really goes all out in attacking Brown and his government and this is definately a news worthy story. The last line ,"you are the devalued Prime Minister of a devalued government" may have been taken from John Smith's attack against John Major in 1992, but perhaps it is suited to the current situation and while everyone may not agree with Hannan's views his public speaking skills can't be criticised. Daniel Hannan represents the South-East in the European Parliament and this will definately influence the very few voters, myself included, who will turn out for in the European elections in June.
My local MP in Newbury Richard Benyon recently raised a very good point in his blog regarding the RBS business going on at the moment.
"I am cynical enough to see the dead hand of spin doctors in this. Sir Fred’s behaviour gave the press a classic hate figure for the country to vilify while with less coverage, the Government announced another £25 billion of support for his erstwhile employers."
Sir Fred Goodwin has certainly been on the recieving end of much hatred in recent weeks and its clear to see now that the government welcome the change in direction of hatred and blame. "Fred the Shred" has taken Gordon Brown's place as scapegoat for now, but I wonder how long it will be before this changes.
Thats all from me for now, I shall try to update over the weekend.
Monday 23 March 2009
Monday 23rd March 2009
Another quick update, want to write more now, but haven't got much time.
I'm starting to wonder if Southampton FC are destined to go down to League One, as its starting to look that way following Saturday's 1-1 draw at Blackpool. It may be good to pick up an an away point, but we conceded a very soft penalty early on which I know many referees wouldn't have given a second glance, then hit the post with the last kick of the game. Thats a third draw in a row for Saints now, three games unbeaten, but I can't help but think how much comfortable things would be if those draws were wins. Seven games left until the end of the season now, I think we need to win at least three of those games to be in with a chance of surviving.
Next up is Charlton at home on April 4th, which on paper looks like an easy three points, as they are, after all, the only team below Saints the table. However, lets not take that for granted, as this season most were expecting Saints to beat Blackpool, Nottingham Forest and Doncaster Rovers at home, but all three of those games ended in defeat. In my opinion, the game against Charlton is huge and one that has to be won.
Afraid thats all for now, want to write some more, but have to get to lectures and then take on the quiz at the SU this evening. Lets hope for some luck in that tonight, lots of questions on Sport and Politics would be very helpful...
I'm starting to wonder if Southampton FC are destined to go down to League One, as its starting to look that way following Saturday's 1-1 draw at Blackpool. It may be good to pick up an an away point, but we conceded a very soft penalty early on which I know many referees wouldn't have given a second glance, then hit the post with the last kick of the game. Thats a third draw in a row for Saints now, three games unbeaten, but I can't help but think how much comfortable things would be if those draws were wins. Seven games left until the end of the season now, I think we need to win at least three of those games to be in with a chance of surviving.
Next up is Charlton at home on April 4th, which on paper looks like an easy three points, as they are, after all, the only team below Saints the table. However, lets not take that for granted, as this season most were expecting Saints to beat Blackpool, Nottingham Forest and Doncaster Rovers at home, but all three of those games ended in defeat. In my opinion, the game against Charlton is huge and one that has to be won.
Afraid thats all for now, want to write some more, but have to get to lectures and then take on the quiz at the SU this evening. Lets hope for some luck in that tonight, lots of questions on Sport and Politics would be very helpful...
Sunday 22 March 2009
Sunday 22nd March 2009
I read recently that the credit crunch has meant Portsmouth FC have had to shelve their plans for a brand new 36,000 stadium. Putting aside the Portsmouth/ Southampton rivalry, surely the credit crunch has helped Pompey; building a new stadium would put even more financial strain on owner Alexandre Gaydamak and the club is clearly in decline (unless they can get investment and fast) so is there any point having a brand new stadium when they won't be filling it playing in The Championship? Look what happened here in Southampton, when the club moved from The Dell to St Marys, then found themselves relegated a couple of seasons later and as a result there are 15,000 empty seats week in week out. If Pompey get the investment they need, then fair enough, the "bike-shed" has to be replaced, but its no good counting your chickens before they hatch, as, like most clubs at the moment, the future looks uncertain. And why the club and fans feel the need to move to a bigger ground when Fratton Park doesn't even sell out (unless the big four/ AC Milan play there) is beyond me!
Sure, attendance is decreasing almost by the week at St Marys, but Portsmouth fans can't turn around and mock this. Ten years ago this month, when Portsmouth were in the second tier of English football, 13,337 turned up to watch them lose at home to Barnsley. In comparison, Saints 0-0 draw at home to QPR last week was watched by 18,691, 5,000 more than our friends up the road when they were going through similar difficult times. I would also like to point out that when Pompey played Blackburn in a League Cup game in 2000 less then 3,000 fans turned up to Fratton Park. I just wonder how many of these plastic fans who jumped on the bandwagon when Pompey got promoted in 2003 will still watch their beloved team if they 're playing Championship football next year.
I think the chant "Where were you when you were s**t?" is aptly applied to Portsmouth FC.
I would love to write more, but have to get ready to go out, getting back on the Karaoke tonight, will update again soon.
Sure, attendance is decreasing almost by the week at St Marys, but Portsmouth fans can't turn around and mock this. Ten years ago this month, when Portsmouth were in the second tier of English football, 13,337 turned up to watch them lose at home to Barnsley. In comparison, Saints 0-0 draw at home to QPR last week was watched by 18,691, 5,000 more than our friends up the road when they were going through similar difficult times. I would also like to point out that when Pompey played Blackburn in a League Cup game in 2000 less then 3,000 fans turned up to Fratton Park. I just wonder how many of these plastic fans who jumped on the bandwagon when Pompey got promoted in 2003 will still watch their beloved team if they 're playing Championship football next year.
I think the chant "Where were you when you were s**t?" is aptly applied to Portsmouth FC.
I would love to write more, but have to get ready to go out, getting back on the Karaoke tonight, will update again soon.
Wednesday 18 March 2009
Wednesday 18th March 2009
Its been six months since I last updated this blog, but after finding out people actually read this blog (thank you Sam, Danilo and Chris) I thought its about time I pulled my finger out and wrote something here.
The last six months have seen some tough times for my beloved Southampton FC. It's looking increasingly likely we'll soon be playing League One football and there really hasn't been much to shout about this season. Three home victories all season says it all and even though I'm an optimist I can't realistically see Saints staying in The Championship (though who knows, great escapes do happen). Today I wish to write about a certain Mr Lowe and why he needs to go.
When will he realise that no one wants his pompus, arrogant attitude at our club? Southampton haven't been in English football's third tier in 50 years and if they do go down at the end of this season Rupert Lowe should do the right thing and step down, but of course, he won't. He's done nothing but divide the fans, something I'm sure anyone who was at Saints vs Doncaster in January will agree with when supporters in all four stands in St Marys started fighting with each other as well as stewards.
There are are football club chairmen (and women) who love football and care about their club, for example John Madjeski at Reading and Delia Smith at Norwich. Its very clear that Rupert Lowe isn't one of these and sees SFC as simply a business venture. Ok, so previous chairman Leon Crouch didn't do a fantastic job at running the club before, but at least this man cares about the club and has often been seen at away games this season (apparently he bought a round for 10 fans in the pub at Doncaster away). I believe that one day, albeit in the distant future, Saints will play top flight football and the sooner Lowe and his cronies go the sooner this will happen.
Mark Wotte hasn't done a terrible job since becoming manager in January, but I can't warm to him for the simple reason he doesn't have a good rapport with the fans and is merely a puppet for Lowe. He showed shocking ignorance a few weeks ago when he said the recent protest marches were "just a bunch of kids". How does he know this? Did he see them? Having been to both protest marches I can say that out of the 500ish that marched each time only 10% were "kids". Mark Wotte should concentrate on the football side, which is what we're all trying to do until the end of the season. At the moment all we can do is get behind the team for the 90 minutes then concentrate on getting these mugs out after the game.
Moving away from Saints now and onto Politics. Like Southampton FC, the economy has significantly worsened since I last wrote here. Figures released today show unemployment figures rising above the 2 million mark for the first time in 12 years and its hard to predict when things will get better. I've been very critical on Gordon Brown and his Government in the past, but will bite my tongue now and not say too much about their latest schemes just in case I'm left eating my words. However, after watching "The Prince of Darkness" Lord Mandelson on Sky News this morning claim "no job centres will be closing", when 3 in London have closed I can't help but feel New Labour are up to their old spin tricks again.
I enjoyed watching the recent Channel Four Political Awards, hosted by Jon Snow and available to watch on 4OD. Vince Cable deserves an honorable mention for picking up the Opposition Politican of the Year award. The crown jewel of the Lib-Dem front bench is one of the few whose reputation has improved rather than been tarnished in this time of economic crisis and with his accuarate prediction of doom and gloom made a couple of years ago if there was to be a coalition Government sometime soon he would have to be Chancellor of the Exchequer.
I was also pleased to see John Prescott pick up the Politics in the Media award for his entertaining documentary The Class System and Me. He seemed to enjoy talking to youngsters who thought they weren't working class because they don't work and watching the man bust his moves on the dance floor is a great comic spectacle. Whether you love or loathe him, few could argue that "Two Jags" puts the entertainment into politics.
Thats all for me for now, need to go for a swim then grab an all day breakfast sandwich, will update again soon.
The last six months have seen some tough times for my beloved Southampton FC. It's looking increasingly likely we'll soon be playing League One football and there really hasn't been much to shout about this season. Three home victories all season says it all and even though I'm an optimist I can't realistically see Saints staying in The Championship (though who knows, great escapes do happen). Today I wish to write about a certain Mr Lowe and why he needs to go.
When will he realise that no one wants his pompus, arrogant attitude at our club? Southampton haven't been in English football's third tier in 50 years and if they do go down at the end of this season Rupert Lowe should do the right thing and step down, but of course, he won't. He's done nothing but divide the fans, something I'm sure anyone who was at Saints vs Doncaster in January will agree with when supporters in all four stands in St Marys started fighting with each other as well as stewards.
There are are football club chairmen (and women) who love football and care about their club, for example John Madjeski at Reading and Delia Smith at Norwich. Its very clear that Rupert Lowe isn't one of these and sees SFC as simply a business venture. Ok, so previous chairman Leon Crouch didn't do a fantastic job at running the club before, but at least this man cares about the club and has often been seen at away games this season (apparently he bought a round for 10 fans in the pub at Doncaster away). I believe that one day, albeit in the distant future, Saints will play top flight football and the sooner Lowe and his cronies go the sooner this will happen.
Mark Wotte hasn't done a terrible job since becoming manager in January, but I can't warm to him for the simple reason he doesn't have a good rapport with the fans and is merely a puppet for Lowe. He showed shocking ignorance a few weeks ago when he said the recent protest marches were "just a bunch of kids". How does he know this? Did he see them? Having been to both protest marches I can say that out of the 500ish that marched each time only 10% were "kids". Mark Wotte should concentrate on the football side, which is what we're all trying to do until the end of the season. At the moment all we can do is get behind the team for the 90 minutes then concentrate on getting these mugs out after the game.
Moving away from Saints now and onto Politics. Like Southampton FC, the economy has significantly worsened since I last wrote here. Figures released today show unemployment figures rising above the 2 million mark for the first time in 12 years and its hard to predict when things will get better. I've been very critical on Gordon Brown and his Government in the past, but will bite my tongue now and not say too much about their latest schemes just in case I'm left eating my words. However, after watching "The Prince of Darkness" Lord Mandelson on Sky News this morning claim "no job centres will be closing", when 3 in London have closed I can't help but feel New Labour are up to their old spin tricks again.
I enjoyed watching the recent Channel Four Political Awards, hosted by Jon Snow and available to watch on 4OD. Vince Cable deserves an honorable mention for picking up the Opposition Politican of the Year award. The crown jewel of the Lib-Dem front bench is one of the few whose reputation has improved rather than been tarnished in this time of economic crisis and with his accuarate prediction of doom and gloom made a couple of years ago if there was to be a coalition Government sometime soon he would have to be Chancellor of the Exchequer.
I was also pleased to see John Prescott pick up the Politics in the Media award for his entertaining documentary The Class System and Me. He seemed to enjoy talking to youngsters who thought they weren't working class because they don't work and watching the man bust his moves on the dance floor is a great comic spectacle. Whether you love or loathe him, few could argue that "Two Jags" puts the entertainment into politics.
Thats all for me for now, need to go for a swim then grab an all day breakfast sandwich, will update again soon.
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