FA Cup Final, Saturday 17th May 2008. Portsmouth Vs Cardiff. The day starts with a journey down to Portsmouth on the South West Trains’ superb service out of Waterloo. Great station, quiet new trains with spacious carriages, £30 return. You can’t argue with that. People who moan about trains in this country usually listen to… Continue reading Play Up Pompey!
Year: 2008
The crime of ink stained skin
The news is on, BBC. I haven’t seen it in ages and now I know why. A completely unrelated story focuses on a man with an England tattoo on his forearm. He’s done nothing wrong other than to offer some first hand evidence. Yet that evidence has already been doubted by the production crew, the… Continue reading The crime of ink stained skin
The sanitisation of war
When I was younger I used to read small colorful comic books about war called, Commando. You can buy them concatenated as huge volumes in bigger bookshops. Gripping and predictable stories from all wars about fighting and destruction. I couldn’t get enough of it, the struggle between good and evil laid bare by Tommies with… Continue reading The sanitisation of war
I hope protesters ruin the Olympics for the Chinese
The most depressing sight of the Olympic torch making its way through London on Sunday was those figures decked out in the blue and white shell suits. Having swapped tunics for disguises from JJB, the two lines of identical Chinese ‘Officials’ pushed and shoved their way passed anything that stood in their path. The ‘Officials’… Continue reading I hope protesters ruin the Olympics for the Chinese
Hilary or Barack, the air of failure
All my favourite writers are American, as is most of the music I listen too, in fact it’s difficult to think of a culture outside of our own that has given my life so much pleasure. I re-read Steinbeck’s work over and over in the same way that I’ll be listening to Sonic Youth in… Continue reading Hilary or Barack, the air of failure
The Fall of Troy
I was going to write about ‘Brave Prince Harry’, the ‘Homecoming Hero’. But I’ll just end up getting angry and spoiling what would have been a perfectly good March Monday afternoon, albeit a wet and windy one. I find that one of the main problems of playlisting in apps like WinAmp or iTunes is that… Continue reading The Fall of Troy
Herosim is easy to deal with
I was reading a list of names yesterday, members of the armed forces who have died whilst serving in Afghanistan. Each one of them leaves behind a lengthy and complex network of friends, family and loved ones who will spend the rest of their lives thinking about them. With each death, the years of history,… Continue reading Herosim is easy to deal with
Lark Rise to Candleford
The BBC’s latest Sunday night offering is a ridiculously camp adaptation of Flora Thompson’s Lark Rise to Candleford. As to be expected, all the usual suspects have been wheeled out for a predictable bout of over acting and stereotypical one liners. It’s awful, but it got me thinking. Years ago The Albion Band released a… Continue reading Lark Rise to Candleford
Conservatism is easy
It’s always been easy, conservatism. Not much thought has ever been required to identify with its principles, policies or morality. The way that almost everything can be simplified into channels of right and wrong provides a tempting path for those wishing to easily convince themselves of their fortitude. There’s plenty of company too, family, friends… Continue reading Conservatism is easy