Friday, March 23, 2007

Bob Woolmer

So police finally confirm what I had suspected and feared from the very first, that Bob Woolmer was murdered.

I'm the biggest cricket fan going, but I'm utterly sickened by this and I think the tournament should be cancelled. The ICC needs to send a signal that we would rather shut down the game than have this sort of thing go on. However, money calls the shots, the ICC are probably the weakest governing body in sport today, and so the tournament will continue. "It's what Bob would have wanted" they will say. Bollocks.

The rabid fans from the sub-continent who were chanting "Death to Woolmer" need to look at themselves and re-evaluate their priorities in life and behaviour. But they won't. Animals.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Swinging the lead

Andrew O'Hagan complains today that the furore over the Fredalo incident is due more to England and Freddie's poor form than morality.

Well, duh !

We all have our ways of misbehaving / skiving / acting unprofessionally. In my own organisation, there are one or two lunchtime drinkers, people spend varying amounts of work time on the internet, many disappear to the gym, there's blogging of course - you get my drift. The point is, there are three tacit rules that must be observed.

1..You have to be good at your job. So long as you are achieving, a blind eye will continue to be turned, provided the behaviour is not too unreasonable. After all, everyone here works long hours - you can't be 100% all the time.

2..When the pressure comes on and there are key deadlines/targets to hit, you pack it in and knuckle down.

3..Be discreet. If the customers get wind of it, management can't protect you.

Sadly, by getting caught boozing by the public/media, during a World Cup, while out of form, Flintoff has broken all three aspects of the omerta. The England management team had no choice, but to take action.

Hopefully, this will be the wake-up call he needs to regain his focus and form.

Friday, March 09, 2007

Note to Self

Watch The Great Global Warming Swindle on 4od when you get back from this weekend's stag do in Reykjavik.

Okay, so it confirms my existing prejudices, but what the hell...

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

The Law of Unintended Consequences

An NHS Blog Doctor article reminded me of this recent discussion point.

It's always unpleasant leaving a pub and discovering that your clothes smell of cigarettes.

However, if the two pubs in Canary Wharf that have become early adopters of the non-smoking ban are any guide, clothes will henceforth stink of stale beer and farts. A colleague of mine likens the smell to that of a rabbit hutch...

Also, all the smokers from the above two places seem to now congregate in my formerly favourite pub, instantly making it completely uninhabitable for non-smokers such as me. I'd imagine their staff are going to kick up a fuss at the fog any day now, and then that one will convert and so on. Until then, it's off the rotation.

Envy Backlash

More on the Envy debate in the Telegraph today, from Jeff Randall and Simon Heffer.

While Heffer's constant picking at Cameron is getting a bit boring, he does have a point when he says that the Tories have been conspicuously quiet on this subject. However, I'd be interested to know who exactly these 'undeserving rich' he refers to are...

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Cause and Effect

Via Tim Worstall, the first signs that the wealth generators are preparing to scarper.

Would the last one out etc etc...

Saturday, March 03, 2007

More Politics of Envy

This time its the Liberal Democrats who are the fruitcakes.

1% a year on a million quid house ? Ten grand a year ? Is he serious ? Now my house isn't worth anything like that much (or even half), but some of my colleagues who've been living in Central London for many years are getting close. These are not remarkable houses mind, they're just ordinary 4 bedroom houses in nice areas. There's no way they could afford £10k pa on top of the mortgage.

And bear in mind that stamp duty for a £1m house is £40k.

State sponsored robbery, pure and simple.

And as the rest of the drivel in his speech, well, words fail me. Except for two. Economic illiterate.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Cry God for England, Harry and St George

It's not a particularly funny cover of Private Eye this week, but it does remove all doubt about who Prince Harry's father is.