Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Its just not Cricket 2


So ....... the News of the World again - in case it hadn't noticed there is a major flood disaster in Pakistan, soldiers dying in Afghanistan, global warming etc etc., but what is on the front page on Sunday? Wayne Rooney of course in an alleged sex scandal.  I'm not shouting but WHO CARES?!!!!!
Please, people, stop buying the tabloids with their voracious appetite for salacious gossip and maybe just maybe they'll put proper news on their front pages.  Faint hope methinks!









Just to return briefly to the Hague baseball cap my son-in-law Jason says 'it reminded me of the Libertines song 'Time for Heroes' - 'There are fewer more distressing sights than that of an Englishman in a baseball cap' - Thanks Jase - brilliant!
 
 
 
 

I just received 3 text messages from my daughter who is stuck up the lane from our house behind 3 evil black sheep just like this one.  Her dad has just gone to rescue her!!






My thoughts are with David Cameron and his family whose father is seriously ill in France - best wishes for a speedy recovery.
















Monday, September 6, 2010

Its just not Cricket!



I agree with all the commentators that the current scandal in cricket re match fixing is bad for the game.  But I think we have to look at a bigger picture here.  Pakistan as a country is fanatical about cricket.  Boys play it on the street, on any spare piece of land like boys in Brazil play football.  In Pakistan 24% of the population lives below the poverty line (only 1% less than India).  One Pakistan player told the News of the World that he was offered so much money he could 'live out his dreams'.   If you consider that most of these players probably come from poor backgrounds, you could see how tempting this must seem.  Don't get me wrong I do not condone this practice in any way shape or form, but I do believe that it is important to contextualise these things.


























Following on from my comments about Hague and his cap Chris Addison (of In The Thick of It fame) made a comment on Andrew Marr's show yesterday re the photo I posted the other day - something about looking a bit silly when you're aged 40 and wearing a baseball cap!  (Apologies Chris - a very rough paraphrase).