A gorgeous morning. Clear blue skies punctuated by aircraft heading to Gatwick. The Air Peace Boeing 777 from Lagos has just passed to the north of the town. Lots of transatlantic stuff heading to Europe overhead too.

Rugby stuff. Mmmm! Is there any? Not really. WalesOnline brings us a tongue in cheek comment that Joe Marchant, remember him, could be eligible for Wales soon. If Janse van Rensburg can play for England then why can’t Mr M play for Wales.

Senor Albanoz is heading to the headmasters office after his outrageous verbal assault of Angus Gardner following the Argentina v England game. A great player but there has to be a big ban on the cards.

Walking around Steel Cross last Friday can I suggest the bleedin obvious: the season will be delayed if we don’t get rain soon. The pitches are grassless and bone breaking hard. Not everywhere will be like that but I’m guessing, looking at Hove Park on Sunday, we are not alone.

Ok, to politics. Andy Burnham has said he wants to shake-up, revolutionise the care system. He is looking at it being free to all. The new Supreme Leader is right, the care system is broken. There is no joined up thinking and costs are horrendous. Why do you think there is so much ‘bed blocking’ in the NHS. The answer is simple: cost of care. Families don’t want to take responsibility and those in hospital don’t want to go into a system that costs a minimum of a £1000 per week, and in some places (like the excellent Heather View in Crowborough) can be anything north of £2000 per week. Should, as was the case with my dear old mum, houses be sold/used as a collateral to fund the cost of care. In the cold light of day, and being as objective as possible, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. If you have been fortunate enough to amass assets, and made suitable provision, then I think it makes sense. However, the thing that gets people irate is someone who has made benefits a lifestyle choice, sponged off the state, can continue to do so when its time for care. This seems grossly unfair.

How does this sit with Mr B’s suggestion of a death tax. 10% of the value of your estate when you pass. If you haven’t had to pay for your care then this seems a very reasonable way forward BUT I struggle to see how the figures will add up. If those with assets are forced to continue to pay for their care, and then pay 10% tax on the estates residue on death that seems excessive, and will act as a disincentive to plan ahead. As the number of people on welfare continues to grow so the amount the state becomes responsible for with regard to care will grow. The tax needed will therefore need to grow but from a reducing pool of taxpayers. That again, seems totally unreasonable. The other dilemma will be as costs rise and revenue is squeezed then quality is trimmed. When it comes to care you want the best you can afford and not the cheap as chips version.

I don’t know the answer, but I wholeheartedly agree the care system needs to be improved and joined up seamlessly with the NHS. We need to get people out of hospital and into care, whether it be at home or in a care home. Offspring have to recognise that inheritance is a privilege and not a god given right. The government has to take into consideration that taxation is a massive disincentive to plan ahead which inevitably will add a significant extra burden for the country to bear. I genuinely wish our new Supreme Leader (and expert in soundbite politics) the very best of luck with this one.

The fires continue to rage across Europe. The war in Ukraine goes unabated. The Israelis seem intent on losing any sort of good will with their latest actions against Palestinians in the West Bank, and the BBC are trying to brainwash us into believing the crap they serve up is worth the money.

Oh, and don’t get me started on British Gas and their call centres. Trimming 1300 people from the payroll when, in my recent experience, their customer service was appalling, and I mean truly appalling. I’ll stop there, but I will bring you my British Gas experience to you tomorrow.

Monday 27th July: 08:50

Good morning to you. I was asked yesterday: ‘how many people read the blog’. ‘I have no idea’ is the answer. If there are people who read this stuff then I apologise for my absence yesterday. Firstly, there was not a great deal to write about, and secondly, I was off to Hove to watch Sussex v Yorkshire in the Metro One Day Cup. Six reprobates met for a substantial breakfast before enduring a bit of light drizzle en route to the county ground. The weather perked up and the relatively sparse crowd watched Yorkshire amass a sizeable total, and Sussex collapse for a fraction of that. To be fair, some of the cricket was outstanding, a couple of catches that would grace any highlights reel, and one spectacular run out being of note. The occasion was great fun. Decent view, plenty of beer, or in my case the mad apple, and a good craic. Thoroughly enjoyable.

So to rugby. Most of the media cover the debacle that is the head injury case that is haunting the game. There are players who have suffered brain injury and their lives are now blighted. Current science being applied to historical cases is always a tricky area the law has to get its head around. However, there is an argument that leads you down the road that says the rugby authorities were aware of the risks and should have acted sooner. That being the lawsuit filed in the US by players from the NFL. The issue centres around what would appear to be woeful behaviour and downright ineptitude by the solicitor handling the case. The accused should have the right to review every claimants medical history, especially when it comes to the impartiality of the testing. That has not been forthcoming. In addition, it is clear there are some claimants who have jumped on the bandwagon, and this has been driven by spurious practices by the lawyers. I know for a fact players with no symptoms and no concerns have been approached with direction to ‘specific’ medical facilities for testing. In one instance an independent test challenged the tests from the legal firms nominated provider. The sad aspect is of course genuine claimants will suffer the most if the case is dismissed. A classic case of an opportunist lawyer blinded by the thought of big bucks for himself failing to support his clients professionally, allegedly.

If you want to know more, then Brian Moore writing in The Torygraph has summed it all up perfectly.

I have been writing this guff for so long I lose track of what I have covered and what I haven’t. I see the Rugby World Cup draw has thrown up some interesting pairings. New Zealand and Australia in the same group, Ireland and Scotland in Pool D, and England and Wales in Pool F. It should be a great competition with many of the so called ‘smaller’ nations closing the gap. That said South Africa are way out in front right now, and are likely to be out and out favourites to lift the trophy again. The tour companies are already pushing for business but for Mrs Bleater and I it looks somewhat out of reach cost wise.

The South African and New Zealand domestic cups are underway but sadly I can’t find coverage of any of them on UK TV. South Africa and New Zealand go head to head on Saturday 22nd August and I can’t find any indication that will be shown in the UK either. A sorry state of affairs for us rugby lovers.

In the proper news the wildfires across Europe are capturing the medias attention. The evacuation of Cap Ferret is particularly troubling as CRFC has many friends in that area after several vets tours in years gone by. The Bard has been in touch and sent a message of support on behalf of CRFC.

Looking at how bone dry the countryside is here in the UK and the fact we are having record temperatures and no rain is a sign we cannot dismiss climate change as a myth. It is happening. What to do about it is the question with no easy answer. The people don’t want to make sacrifices, and bizarrely in some cases the sacrifices being made are making things worse and not better. We all have to do our bit, and as Tesco says: ‘every little helps’.

I see that the PR machine that is Mr Burnham has thrown some scraps to the masses to whet their appetites. They are only scraps, and are unfunded. They will come back and bite him in the future. I have noted he has gone on record saying it is madness for young people to so easily go on benefits and receive more than people on minimum wage. I am happy to give him a bit of breathing room. He can’t be any worse than his predecessor(s)!!

Tuesday 21st July: 08:35

What a day yesterday. A day of shivers and stress, a wandering mind and frustration. Yes, absolutely no live sport to watch. The withdrawal symptoms were quite marked. Today we have the start of The Hundred, which as cricket fans we enjoy, but that’s about it. There was little rugby news in the papers before the recent run of internationals, now it is virtually non-existent.

Some of the media bring us Ben Earl’s concern about the ‘brutal schedule’ England have just endured. He is spot on to voice those concerns. South Africa to the UK to Argentina is gruelling. Anyone who has flown recently will know how challenging it can be, and the more the miles the more difficult it becomes. It is something the blazers might have to look at. In some respects, when it comes to November and the next round of games, the travel is less intense for the visitors. Cardiff to London or Edinburgh is easier than Buenos Aires to Durban. I like the idea of a central location in the southern hemisphere hosting some of the games to reduce the travel. This might also entice more fans to follow their favourites to foreign lands. The bottom line is Earl makes a good point.

The awful post-match scenes in Argentina are being investigated. Quite right too. We cannot have referee’s being abused in that way. For the record I thought Angus Gardner had a good game overall. He was consistent and kept things flowing, or at least tried to.

The South African and New Zealand domestic tournaments kick off next weekend. In the past SKY has covered some of those games, and usually they are pretty tasty affairs.

Walking and touch rugby continue at Steel Cross. Thursday evenings for that.

Moving on, the fallout from the ugly scenes post the football World Cup Final are being investigated. What is it with the Argentinians? That said, when Mrs Bleater and I were there a few years ago you couldn’t meet nicer people. The food and wine are sensational. A thick steak in the company of Mal Bec. What more can you ask for.

The new Supreme Leader was anointed yesterday, and despite having no mandate indicated we are about to lurch to the left. His choice of cabinet also supported that viewpoint. The shamed tax dodger, Angela Rayner is back, and worse because she is now in a position of considerable influence, the fraudster Louise Haigh is back on the scene. Both out and out socialists verging on Marxist. That might be a bit extreme but you get my drift. The new Chancellor, John Healey, is considered a safe pair of hands, and does send a positive (sort of) message to the City. I’m ok with Ms Mahmood staying as Home Secretary. I wouldn’t have Ed Milliband cut my grass, let alone appoint him as Foreign Secretary, but at least he is not now crucifying the country with zealous net zero nonsense, and in a clever way the move keeps him out of domestic politics altogether.

I can’t remember, but were Theresa May, Liz Truss or Dishi Rishi elected to the post of PM by a general election? Boris was. It is somewhat hypocritical to be demanding an election now. Let’s give the Supreme Leader time. Doing something about social care has to be good. What concerns me personally is no mention of the out of control welfare budget, nor the unfettered illegal immigration. If he doesn’t get to grips with those he will lose a lot of support very quickly.

Talking of illegal immigration The Times did a piece yesterday on how it is totally out of control, and once here how migrants are persuading our lily-livered judiciary that swathes of extended families have the right to come here. The evidence shows that when they do they add nothing to society by way of work, they simply leech off the taxpayer by milking our ridiculous benefit system.

How the judiciary can prevent the deportation of convicted drug barons, rapists and other perverts on spurious grounds beggars belief. Just this week an Albanian drug lord, with additional convictions for violence, was granted permission to stay in the UK because it would be unfair on his wife. What about the lives of the people blighted by his drug activities and the ensuing violence. Don’t they have rights. Not only would I deport him, I get shot of the judges too.

As there is so little rugby to write about, and I’m sure you are not interested in my rants about politics, and life in general, nor knowing that the Air China flight from Shangahi to LGW is delayed and will now land at 08:35 instead of 06:55, there will be no blog until Sunday.