Bleater's Blog
  1. The Season Run In
  2. It’s Six Nations Time!
  3. 2024 Has Arrived
  4. It’s Nearly Here…… January
  5. Countdown to Chri….. January!
  6. RWC 2023 - The Final Approaches
  7. Rugby World Cup 2023 Plus
  8. The Rugby World Cup Approaches
  9. The Summer Break
  10. The Final Countdown
  11. The Summer Tours Up Next
  12. Rugby Continues Thankfully
  13. The Six Nations - Happy Days
  14. 2023 Has Arrived
  15. The Halfway Point of the Season
  16. The Season Continues into Autumn
  17. Here we go! A new season
  18. The Twilight Zone
  19. The Season is Nearly Over
  20. The Six Nations and Some
  21. The 6 Nations Begins
  22. 2022 and All THAT!
  23. Christmas is nearly upon us!!
  24. We’re Still Waiting
  25. The Season Progresses
  26. At Last - We are back
  27. The New Season is Nearly Here
  28. Lions Tests are Here!
  29. The Lions Up next
  30. Now It’s Europe
  31. 6 Nations Beckons
  32. 2021 at last! A year of renewed hope!
  33. A New Premiership Season
  34. Still NO Grassroots Rugby!!!!!
  35. It Continues - NO GRASSROOTS RUGBY!!
  36. No End In Sight To The Madness
  37. Autumn Internationals BUT Still NO Crowds
  38. We're Back - In Part At Least
  39. The Restart is Still a Long Way Away
  40. When will we play again?
  41. Time for a beer and a haircut!!
  42. It's easing apparently???!!!
  43. Behind Closed Doors or ...... ??
  44. Lockdown or not to lockdown
  45. The Debate Continues
  46. Yet another new page
  47. The Nightmare Continues - the blog
  48. The Season Grinds to a Halt
  49. The Season Moves On
  50. It's Official - The Drought is Over
  51. 6 Nations Starts
  52. Another New Page - Sorry
  53. 6 Nations Beckons
  54. Welcome To A New Decade
  55. It'll soon be over. Xmas that is
  56. Xmas is Coming
  57. Back to the Grassroots Game
  58. Bleater in Japan
  59. The Grassroots Season Starts
  60. Not Long Now!
  61. Japan Still Beckons
  62. Japan Beckons
  63. Nearly Time To Look Ahead
  64. The Summer Break is Here
  65. The Final Countdown
  66. Yet another section of drivel
  67. The Season Continues for a Little Longer
  68. The 6 Nations Continues
  69. Six Nations and More
  70. It's RWC Year!!
  71. Its Definitely Winter
  72. Winter is here. Brrrr!!!
  73. Its the Autumn, soon to be Winter
  74. We Are Off And Running
  75. The New Season Approaches
  76. Still the Summer Tours Go On
  77. The Summer Internationals Plus, Plus
  78. The Season Climax Approaches
  79. Summer is Coming
  80. Another Section, More Drivel
  81. 2018 Already!!!! It'll soon be Xmas
  82. The Season Approaches the Half Way Point
  83. The Season Takes Shape
  84. The Season Starts
  85. More Pre-Season Build Up
  86. Pre-Season and Other Stuff
  87. The Lions Tested
  88. The Lions Roar
  89. We Are Still Counting Down
  90. It's All About The Lions
  91. The Countdown to Season's End
  92. The Season Continues Apace
  93. It's Time for the 6 Nations
  94. 2017 - Let The Fun Begin
  95. The Big Man Will Be Here Soon
  96. Let's Countdown to You Know What
  97. It's Time For Europe
  98. The Season Is Well Underway
  99. At Last Let The Competition Begin
  100. Not Long to the New Season
  101. Not So Much Rugby Now
  102. Still Plenty of Rugby to Debate
  103. The Summer Break
  104. Here Comes Summer
  105. They Think It's All Over
  106. Jones - A New Era
  107. It Was A Grand Slam!!!!
  108. 6 Nations - A Grand Slam??
  109. Six Nations 2016
  110. A New Captain, A New Start
  111. Welcome to 2016
  112. The Countdown to Christmas
  113. Winter Has Arrived
  114. November Movember
  115. The World Cup Is Over
  116. Rugby World Cup Quarters
  117. Rugby World Cup into the knockout stages
  118. Rugby World Cup Day 9 to Day 24
  119. Rugby World Cup Day 1 to Day 8
  120. Sept 9th to Sept 17th
  121. August 24th to September 7th
  122. August 11th to August 23rd
  123. July 16th to August 9th
  124. July 1st to July 15th
  125. June 17th to June 29th
  126. June 2nd to June 16th
  127. May 19th to June 1st
  128. May 7th to May 17th
  129. April 28th to May 6th
  130. April 22nd to April 27th
  131. April 13th to April 21st
  132. March 13th to Aprill 11th
  133. March 5th to March 12th
Bleater's Blog
  1. The Season Run In
  2. It’s Six Nations Time!
  3. 2024 Has Arrived
  4. It’s Nearly Here…… January
  5. Countdown to Chri….. January!
  6. RWC 2023 - The Final Approaches
  7. Rugby World Cup 2023 Plus
  8. The Rugby World Cup Approaches
  9. The Summer Break
  10. The Final Countdown
  11. The Summer Tours Up Next
  12. Rugby Continues Thankfully
  13. The Six Nations - Happy Days
  14. 2023 Has Arrived
  15. The Halfway Point of the Season
  16. The Season Continues into Autumn
  17. Here we go! A new season
  18. The Twilight Zone
  19. The Season is Nearly Over
  20. The Six Nations and Some
  21. The 6 Nations Begins
  22. 2022 and All THAT!
  23. Christmas is nearly upon us!!
  24. We’re Still Waiting
  25. The Season Progresses
  26. At Last - We are back
  27. The New Season is Nearly Here
  28. Lions Tests are Here!
  29. The Lions Up next
  30. Now It’s Europe
  31. 6 Nations Beckons
  32. 2021 at last! A year of renewed hope!
  33. A New Premiership Season
  34. Still NO Grassroots Rugby!!!!!
  35. It Continues - NO GRASSROOTS RUGBY!!
  36. No End In Sight To The Madness
  37. Autumn Internationals BUT Still NO Crowds
  38. We're Back - In Part At Least
  39. The Restart is Still a Long Way Away
  40. When will we play again?
  41. Time for a beer and a haircut!!
  42. It's easing apparently???!!!
  43. Behind Closed Doors or ...... ??
  44. Lockdown or not to lockdown
  45. The Debate Continues
  46. Yet another new page
  47. The Nightmare Continues - the blog
  48. The Season Grinds to a Halt
  49. The Season Moves On
  50. It's Official - The Drought is Over
  51. 6 Nations Starts
  52. Another New Page - Sorry
  53. 6 Nations Beckons
  54. Welcome To A New Decade
  55. It'll soon be over. Xmas that is
  56. Xmas is Coming
  57. Back to the Grassroots Game
  58. Bleater in Japan
  59. The Grassroots Season Starts
  60. Not Long Now!
  61. Japan Still Beckons
  62. Japan Beckons
  63. Nearly Time To Look Ahead
  64. The Summer Break is Here
  65. The Final Countdown
  66. Yet another section of drivel
  67. The Season Continues for a Little Longer
  68. The 6 Nations Continues
  69. Six Nations and More
  70. It's RWC Year!!
  71. Its Definitely Winter
  72. Winter is here. Brrrr!!!
  73. Its the Autumn, soon to be Winter
  74. We Are Off And Running
  75. The New Season Approaches
  76. Still the Summer Tours Go On
  77. The Summer Internationals Plus, Plus
  78. The Season Climax Approaches
  79. Summer is Coming
  80. Another Section, More Drivel
  81. 2018 Already!!!! It'll soon be Xmas
  82. The Season Approaches the Half Way Point
  83. The Season Takes Shape
  84. The Season Starts
  85. More Pre-Season Build Up
  86. Pre-Season and Other Stuff
  87. The Lions Tested
  88. The Lions Roar
  89. We Are Still Counting Down
  90. It's All About The Lions
  91. The Countdown to Season's End
  92. The Season Continues Apace
  93. It's Time for the 6 Nations
  94. 2017 - Let The Fun Begin
  95. The Big Man Will Be Here Soon
  96. Let's Countdown to You Know What
  97. It's Time For Europe
  98. The Season Is Well Underway
  99. At Last Let The Competition Begin
  100. Not Long to the New Season
  101. Not So Much Rugby Now
  102. Still Plenty of Rugby to Debate
  103. The Summer Break
  104. Here Comes Summer
  105. They Think It's All Over
  106. Jones - A New Era
  107. It Was A Grand Slam!!!!
  108. 6 Nations - A Grand Slam??
  109. Six Nations 2016
  110. A New Captain, A New Start
  111. Welcome to 2016
  112. The Countdown to Christmas
  113. Winter Has Arrived
  114. November Movember
  115. The World Cup Is Over
  116. Rugby World Cup Quarters
  117. Rugby World Cup into the knockout stages
  118. Rugby World Cup Day 9 to Day 24
  119. Rugby World Cup Day 1 to Day 8
  120. Sept 9th to Sept 17th
  121. August 24th to September 7th
  122. August 11th to August 23rd
  123. July 16th to August 9th
  124. July 1st to July 15th
  125. June 17th to June 29th
  126. June 2nd to June 16th
  127. May 19th to June 1st
  128. May 7th to May 17th
  129. April 28th to May 6th
  130. April 22nd to April 27th
  131. April 13th to April 21st
  132. March 13th to Aprill 11th
  133. March 5th to March 12th
Behind Closed Doors or ...... ??
Bleater's Blog 43 of 133

43. Behind Closed Doors or ...... ??


Wednesday 3rd June: 08:30

Please excuse the indulgence of today's photo. Right now we should have been in the BA Lounge at Gatwick sipping our champagne before heading to Grenada and their beautiful beaches for a holiday. Hey ho!

Plenty to talk about today...........

All 13 PRL clubs have agreed to adopt Lord Myners' report in full. A significant step in the right direction with greater transparency, accountability, and clarity especially around sanctions for failure to comply. Lord Myners made no recommendation with regard to the level of the cap and sadly only alluded to the issues the marquee player system causes but didn't go as far as saying it should be scrapped.

I welcome the fact the decision to adopt the report in full was unanimous but believe the problem of clubs living way beyond their means has not been addressed and will not be addressed until the level of the cap is reduced and the marquee player system is scrapped. Until then the big egos will hold sway and the inflationary pressure on players wages will continue to increase as the egos chase the biggest stars. By the way based on what is coming out of France these "stars" often fail to deliver.

Darren Childs now has to deliver these changes and not just pay lip service to them!!

Yet again Robert Kitson of The Guardian nails the discussion about summer rugby on the head. He quite rightly points out that the grassroots game, including schools should stay a winter sport. The elite game right now has an opportunity to trial summer rugby. There is much in the article about the differing views of backs and forwards on this point and he doesn't hide from the fact union would now go head to head with league and cricket, plus rugby union will now be competing for air time with iconic events such Wimbledon, Ascot, The Open, test cricket.

His key point is the draw of the fans (Pete K also made this point). Currently many fans don't go to watch the elite game because they support and sustain their local clubs. The thought of me trudging up to Sale or going over to Bath on a wet Friday night or a freezing Sunday afternoon would not inspire me. Sale on a warm Friday evening and a day in the Lancashire hills on a Saturday would be much more enticing, especially if the fare on offer was fast open rugby on a firm pitch. The article is well worth reading as is always the case with Robert Kitson.

I would add summer rugby could also mean we move away from rampaging buffalo to cheetahs and gazelles with speed and dexterity. Hoorah for that........ if it were to happen.

Premiership rugby have formally been given the green light to start non contact, socially distanced training. Any move to full contact training is a long way off me thinks.

French rugby is cancelled. The season has been scrapped with no promotion or relegation between the two professional leagues. I never thought I would say this but the French have used their common sense and come to the conclusion the PRL should have come to weeks ago. The French are now planning for 2020/21 and a committee of "experts" will decide on who represents France in Europe next season.

Super Rugby Aotearoa to trial red card replacements shouts the headline. Now this is an interesting trial indeed. Teams will be able to replace a red carded player after 20 minutes have elapsed. Spectators always want to see an evenly contested match and often a red card changes the balance and effectively finishes the contest. I think there is some merit in this but also there are some concerns. On the plus side the game is not ruined and the offending side are sanctioned for 20 minutes. Referees may be more confident about using red cards as they would know they are no longer adversely affecting the game. On the other side of the coin there is a risk that serious infringements and danger to players could increase as a red card indiscretion would now only affect a team for 20 minutes. It is worth a go especially as red cards at the elite level are not that common. The competition is also considering the "golden point" concept in the event of a drawn game. Again worth a go but in a season long league I don't think it should be applied.

David Humphrey's leaves Gloucester after the departure of Johan Ackerman. This leaves Gloucester who have failed to deliver this season without a coach or DoR. It does save them a lot of money however.

The Covid-19 situation is now a political football. Forget the science, its now all about the point scoring. Keir Starmer, who so far is doing a good job, continues to fuel the Covid paranoia with talk of second waves and Boris is stuck between a rock and a hard place because lockdown is falling apart and the economy is already in the sewer. By the way there is more and more evidence to suggest that a total lockdown was the wrong way to go. In fact there is plenty to suggest by locking people down we are almost certainly heading for a second wave as we deny the fit and healthy the opportunity to expose themselves to this seasonal flu thus denying them the opportunity to build up natural immunity.

Britain, a country where the queues for Covid-19 testing are non-existent but the queues for Ikea and McDonalds are miles long. Sad but true.

I have two classic rants for tomorrow......... so do come back, but for now some other news.

A slice of apple pie in Jamaica is £1.75 and in Barbados it is £2.15. These are the pie rates of the Caribbean.

Three unwritten rules of life.....
1.
2.
3.

Finally did you hear that Fed-Ex and UPS are going to merge. They are going to be known from now on as Fed-Up.

Tuesday 2nd June: 08:30

Having trawled through the rugby pages this morning it is like looking at many reservoirs: pretty empty right now.

Rugby Australia are slashing jobs to save cash. No real surprise there as they were deep in the brown smelly stuff even before the Covid-19 problems started. Rugby Union in Australia has always been the bridesmaid to Aussie Rules and league... and cricket ..... and soccer so it comes as no surprise when the going gets tough so the game suffers even more. League is back and their blazers have made some tweaks to the laws to make the game even faster with fewer stoppages. This cannot help as union is slow out of the blocks in restarting.

Rugby Australia has proposed a quarantine hub so that the four Southern Hemisphere countries could get together for a short sharp Rugby Championship in Oz. This is a similar but smaller scale proposal to the one Francis Barron proposed for the UK.

There is still considerable doubt about the 2021 Lions Tour. All plans are on hold. If it were to go ahead there is the distinct possibility of a warm up game in Murrayfield against Japan. Interesting stuff and would Mrs Bleater & I add it to the tour itinerary? Not sure.

The Argentinian Union and Las Jaquares have removed the barriers that previously prevented players from taking overseas deals. In these uncertain times one of the poor relations of Tier 1 plans to relieve their financial pressure by allowing players to move on. Sad times but sensible decisions

The kids, or some of them, went back to school yesterday. For many children and parents it was a relief. Of course there will be some nervousness all round but in my mind it has to be the right decision. What is unacceptable is certain councils without question for political reasons rather than anything to do with Covid-19 are keeping their schools closed. Brighton & Hove are one such council and as I watched their spokesperson the more irate I was getting. It was not just because of the political rhetoric and the twisting of facts and significant exaggeration of risk that annoyed me but the simple fact the very people he and his party are supposed to champion are the very ones who will suffer the most. During this lockdown the children of the more affluent and likely the better educated parents will have had access to all the tools necessary to home educate and be motivated to home educate. Unfortunately the least well off will also be those least equipped to help their children with home education. In my mind it is vital they get back to school soonest if the unacceptable divide between the "haves" and the "have nots" is not to be widened further.

At the start of the Covid-19 (seasonal flu) problem I thought Wee Jimmie Sturgeon was pretty statesmanlike and did a solid job. Of late the good old saltire waving one trick pony from over the border is back to her best at trying to score points and enhance her own personal agenda regardless of anyone else. When someone has the time could they please tell me how Covid-19 mutates at Hadrians Wall into something more terrifying so that Wee Jimmie has to threaten the Scots with penal servitude if they do anything different to her instructions. Woe betide any Englishman (or woman or transgender or any of the other 51 descriptions) who goes more than 5 miles into Scotland and don't even think about taking your BBQ with you.

Lots in the papers about Sweden. Of course it suits the narrative of the British press to berate Sweden's death per million rate, after all they didn't impose a wholly unnecessary total lockdown of society. How to twist statistics. Yes the current rate per million is now higher than other countries but that has only happened recently, especially as others have declined, and it is only marginally higher by the way. Every single death is tragic but when this dies down the Swedes will be there quite rightly asking questions of themselves but at least their economy won't be on its knees in the way ours will be.

If the planes aren't flying, and the roads are empty, and the factories are shut, and the smog has gone can someone please explain to me why after months of incessant rain and flooding just three months later are we talking about a serious drought?

Breaking news from the US........
The secret service are no longer allowed to yell "get down" anymore when the President is about to be attacked. Now they have to yell "Donald, duck!"

I am so bored I am reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down

Mrs Bleater put me straight this week. She told me there were two things that hacked her off. 1. I never listen....... I can't remember what the 2nd thing was.

Finally if you see a robbery at an Apple store you will become an iWitness.

Monday 1st June: 09:00

June already!! After a glorious April and May, weather wise at least, let's see what June has in store for us. Rugby in the UK is not on the agenda but rugby from New Zealand and Australia will be. Australian rugby league was back this weekend and from the bits I watched was pretty good fare.

Soccer will be back ...... perhaps! Despite the mood music coming from the EPL it appears there are still some rumblings of discontent about relegation and venues going on in the background.

Rugby is a long way from returning. In part due to the advice from the Government and in part due to the on-going internal battles. At present there is no agreement on venues, certainly no consensus about how long players need before returning to play, the players themselves are expecting a say in this too. The PRL have been very quick to say they will not adopt any of the new trial laws put forward by World Rugby. No reason for this has been given but it is adding to the confusion. All the press reports I have read seem to indicate the hoped for late July restart is now heading well into August. The knock on effect of this is it is likely any (ridiculous and unnecessary) play-offs will certainly clash with any plans the 6 Nations have for completing their set of fixtures in October. Why oh why don't they all see sense and write off the season and simply start afresh in September.

The new season could see Rob Howley return to the game. He did the crime, he's served the time so yes it is now right he returns and gets his life back on track. I am led to believe Howley has had gambling issues for a long time but thanks to the support of the WRU and those around him he has sought the right help and is now ready to resume his career in our great game. I am not sure where or when and am actually not sure how good a coach Howley is but what I am sure of he should be given a chance to redeem himself.

The sun has definitely set on the Sunwolves season. Travel restrictions and logistical challenges mean they have not been invited to join either the NZ or Aussie mini series and with no rugby planned in South Africa the curtain had no option but to come down. Shame but it makes sense.

The Women's Premiership have expressed optimism about their future despite their lead sponsor pulling out. Tyrrells were brave to come in at the start of the adventure and their decision in these trying times makes some sense. If a new lead sponsor can be found they will come in with the women's game in good shape and a bright future, especially as I am led to believe the RFU have 'ring-fenced' the money for the women's game.

Whilst the Premiership won't be adopting any of the trial laws Nigel Owens likes the concept of the orange card, as long as referees don't use it as an excuse for not making the tough calls. I am warming up to that idea. For the top flight I think there is much merit in switching to an aligned calendar between North and South but based on how hard the ground is now playing grassroots rugby in the summer is not practical.

Moving on because the SKY man is on his way to upgrade me to SkyQ for less than I am paying now.

Before that however, in other news............. so it starts. What does? The lawsuits. A group of mum's planning to sue because the lockdown preventing kids from going to school was against their human rights. Others planning to sue because relatives have died and somebody must be to blame. Oh for ffff......... sake. On top of that we have the pathetic situation where people are telling us that we have been folding our cereal boxes wrongly. I despair.

Whilst I am having Sky upgraded I had to get rid of my old vacuum........
It really sucked!!

I am also waiting for my Amazon delivery. I ordered a chicken and an egg.........
I'll let you know!

PS I hope you liked the picture of the Bishop of Tonbridge’s DIY haircut

Saturday 30th May: 08:15

Below is a message from CRFC’s Executive. Many of you already give generously to the club via your time and many of you have become patrons and some will have supported the club through sponsorship but these are exceptional times. I am therefore happy to support the club by posting the message here.

RAISING FUNDS FOR YOUR RUGBY CLUB

The Covid-19 pandemic is a hugely challenging and difficult time for us all. Here at Crowborough RFC, unfortunately not only did the season end two months earlier than planned but we have now been forced to cancel all functions that were due to be held at the club during the summer period. As a result, the club has no income for the foreseeable future and are unsure how long this will continue for.

We are looking for donations to help Crowborough RFC during the Covid-19 pandemic and are looking to raise £10,000 by mid June. We are appealing to our members, supporters and friends to help in any way they can. All funds raised will go directly to Crowborough RFC to ensure that we are able to continue managing the club during this prolonged period of no income and are in a position to begin the 2020/2021 season, whenever that might begin.

Click on the following link to make a donation:
https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/crowborough/payments/product-50320.html

If you have any questions, then please contact any of the Club’s Executive for further information: crfcexecutive@crowboroughrugby.com

Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you back at Steel Cross in the not too distant future.

Regards

Crowborough RFC Executive

Obviously I know many of you are not members of CRFC so you might want to make a similar donation to your own club. If you are not affiliated to any club and you feel you could help us at CRFC that would be amazing.

Finally I know there are many people asking for donations but as someone who is passionate about our great club I felt it important to support it by sharing this request. Also I know with many of you being old and wise and therefore your experience makes you a pessimist if you feel uncomfortable with donating via this route please contact the Exec for alternative ways to pay.

Friday 29th May: 09:30

For sport the big announcement is the English Premier League has been given the green light to start full contact training with matches beginning on June 17th. The EPL plan to complete the remaining 92 fixtures, all of which will be shown live on TV with some being aired free by SKY. Not seen BT's plans yet. All games will be played behind closed doors. Some people, Sadiq Kahn being one, have asked the sensible question about policing and the implications both of available manpower and cost. It is inevitable now the restrictions on travel have been lifted some fans will try and get close to their beloved teams. With Matt "the fall guy" Hancock insisting contact tracing will be enforced by law Peter K has asked how the EPL manage that...........

The guidelines state that all recent known contacts need to self isolate. If that were to happen to a player effectively two entire teams and the support staff would be out of action for 14 days. That would throw the whole EPL schedule out of the window. I don't know the answer but intend to find out.

Premiership Rugby hasn't yet been given the go ahead to return to action but things are moving in the right direction. The Government (HMRC) have said players can stay on furlough until they return to play. This is a huge boost to the cash strapped clubs in that some form of squad training can commence sooner than expected and when the go-ahead for full contact is given and then later a return to play the clubs will be ready without having got themselves further into debt than they already are. It is also understood that BT have paid the final instalment of their contract to PRL (which is being held centrally until games recommence (hopefully)).

World Rugby have acted quickly by approving law trials. As already noted the removal of reset scrums is the big one and a more stringent approach to high tackles is to be adopted. One new idea to be introduced is the "orange card". Instead of the players standing around whilst the TMO looks at the 27 TV angles before deciding whether it warrants a red card or not the player leaves the field and the game recommences. If the tackle was deemed red the player does not return. If deemed only a yellow the player can return after 15 minutes. In principle I think this is a good idea. I remember during the World Cup bemoaning the time it took for the officials to get to a decision. The maul is being changed. Get the ball out quicker is fine but deeming it to be a tackle will turn the game into rugby league..... perhaps. Well done World Rugby for acting quickly.

By the way I still believe the best way forward is to forget about restarting just plan for the new season with full on games in full stadiums.

For the record Nick Isiekwe's move to Northampton Saints is a season long loan deal.

I need to be drinking what Pat lam has been drinking. He think Wales can be the best in the world. We Welsh think that every time the boys play but every time our hopes are dashed.

The lockdown is being eased, not before time, but the bullshit remains. I don't care what people think of me so I ask you again to do the maths: 40,000 deaths as a percentage of 70,000,000. Then make a judgement about the percentage who were elderly and/or had underlying health conditions. Once that is done ask yourself has the lockdown been worth it with the misery the country (the globe) will now have to endure for tens of years to come as the economy regains momentum only slowly, and potentially the loss of life as despair through poverty takes hold.

Things are getting back to normal. I was chatting to a neighbour whose mum works in the A&E Department at Pembury. When asked how things were going the answer was "yes things are getting back towards where they were. Certainly all the time wasters are back"

Stabbings in London are on the rise but best of all so is the "it's all someone else's fault". Covered by many papers is the fact the VOLUNTARY organisation, the wonderful RLNI are being berated for not having their VOLUNTEERS back on stand by. Those who work on the beaches do get paid but why should they have to leave lockdown to patrol the beaches which up until now have been supposedly out of bounds. It is the RLNI's fault that a 17 year old drowned when she fell off an inflatable on a unsupervised beach. How is this someone else's fault. When are people going to take responsibility for their own actions. Inflatables on the water is stupidity personified. On a beach that is CLEARLY unsupervised it is the new definition of madness.

Exceptionally there will be a blog tomorrow, Saturday. Not actually a blog but an important announcement from our wonderful Exec team. Please check-in tomorrow.

For you golfers out there remember the new golfing term.......
A "Dominic Cummings". It is a really long drive that goes way out of bounds, but there is no penalty.

Thursday 28th May: 09:45

Not much in the rugby news so I'll keep this short and sweet.

First a correction. I referred to an article on the BBC website which I said was an interview with Professor Tim Spencer. It was actually Professor Tim Spector. Whilst he is a professor and I most certainly am not I stick by my view that the article is long on rhetoric and short on definitive facts. I would like to know how many people who were at Cheltenham or at the Liverpool game have actually died of Covid-19 as a direct result of attending those events. It would be interesting to see how many people attending have died of other causes.

If you are looking for a break from topping up your suntan, tending to your vegetables, cutting your grass, painting your shed, or doing your exercise then go on youtube.com and type in "full measure sharyl attkisson hydroxychloroquine". It will be 9 minutes of your life you won't get back but it might give you a different perspective from the one you are getting from the mainstream media. I can't say it is any less bias or factual than anything else but ......... make your own mind up.

Hoorah for common sense. MPs are realising the travel proposals about quarantine etc are totally unworkable. Let's see what happens next.

In the world of rugby a short sharp tournament featuring the top nations to be played in the UK has been shot down by World Rugby. Francis Baron proposed it to replace the Lions tour next year.

In, out, shake it all about at Saracens. In comes Aled Davies from Ospreys. With Rhys Webb now back in Wales Davies drops down the pecking order so this could be a good move for him. Regular starts and although Sarries will be in the Championship all eyes will be on them. Out goes Nick Isiekwe. He's off to Northampton Saints. Not a bad move me thinks.

Donald Trump is turning into Putin. He is threatening to close down Twitter because they have started to fact check his tweets. Go Donald......... no-one wants to know the truth anyway. It is why people still watch the BBC and think whatever Piers Morgan says is how it should be.

That'll do for now........... oh except to say thanks to Gordon for today's photo and some quite funny gags. Not these less funny ones...........

Job interviewer: "At the start you'll be earning £20,000, later that will increase to £40,000"
Me: "Ok, I'll come back later"

I tried to make a coronavirus joke a while back.
Nobody laughed at the time but eventually everyone got it.

My friend keeps saying "cheer up man, it could be worse, you could be stuck underground in a hole full of water"
I know he means well.

Thanks boredpanda.com!!!!!!

Wednesday 27th May: 08:45

ADDENDUM.......

An Obituary printed in the The Times.....

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death;

-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;

- I Know My Rights
- I Want It Now
- Someone Else Is To Blame
- I'm A Victim
- Pay me for Doing Nothing

Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone.

Read on.....

Wednesday 27th May: 08:40

Up and at it this morning. The coach for Barnard Castle leaves in 20 minutes.

Not much in the rugby news today so thank you to Colin for his proposal that the Premiership Clubs should be recruiting politicians and their advisers to their match day squads. It will certainly guarantee full on rugby as we know it as they will totally ignore all the guidelines on "a safe return to play" and simply do what they have always done: be self-serving clowns oblivious to the needs of those that put them in power.

Colin also questions how Dominic Cummings was designated "key worker" status. Very good question because as stated he is no better than an injury lawyer, players agents and irresponsible journalists. Absolutely correct. The same as the horrible creatures eating Mrs Bleaters lettuce and cucumber plants.

It was surprising but somewhat reassuring that CVC completed their deal with the Pro14 group at the same level as pre-Covid-19 discussions. Likewise the multi-million takeover of Ospreys was a welcome surprise in these trying times. Here comes the cloud however. Tyrrells, the crisp people have pulled their sponsorship of the women's Premiership leaving the women's game without a big money sponsor. It is likely the women's game will have to endure RFU cuts in the same way the Championship clubs have. This I fear is more likely to be the norm rather than big money investment.

The billionaire benefactor of Western Force has agreed to stump up the cash for his pet project to be part of Super Rugby Australia. July 3rd is the date when both the Kiwi and Aussie mini Super Rugby tournaments will start. The people of Perth and Western Australia are mad about sport so this is good news for them especially as they have great stadia in which to play.

Interesting piece in The Guardian about thinking outside the box. It proposes fans should be part of the solution to both rugby and football. The emotional attachment to clubs by fans is stronger than the financial hardnosed view of benefactors. Certainly in Germany where the Bundesliga clubs are 50% owned by fans they seem to be doing extremely well. I think there is much merit in this and would certainly make the business rugby and not rugby the business (yes, I really like that phrase). Of course there is a risk of management by committee which in my opinion never works but if fan part ownership improves the financial sustainability and can reduce prices for fans then it is a win-win.

Now the worst of the virus is passed, or so it seems, people are becoming increasingly frustrated by the double standards: Cummings, the double talk: Hancock, the dithering, Johnson and the downright inept: Patel. People are no longer watching the news and are making their own judgements on what is right and what is wrong. Sadly some of those voting with their feet mean we are now seeing more of the worst of humanity with brawls on beaches, stabbings on the increase again and people being randomly abused in the street and the supermarket. Added to that we have the unsatisfactory situation where those on furlough and some of the companies involved are finding it suits them quite nicely thank you very much as we the tax payer are funding them.

Money, money, money. The WHO has dissed any talk of Hydroxychloroquine being of any use in the treatment of Covid-19 and have in fact stated it is dangerous. The same has happened in the US with many scientists supporting this view. What you haven't been told is nearly all of those who are making these statements are in the pay directly or indirectly of Gilead, the makers of Remdesivir, reported to be the best hope in the fight against Covid-19. What you haven't read is the tests in other countries have said the benefits of Remdesivir are absolutely not proven and in fact the Chinese (if you can believe anything they say) point to it having no effect whatsoever. There is plenty of quantifiable evidence that the extremely low cost Hydroxychloroquine does have a positive effect. I guess as the UK is now trialling the much, much more expensive Remdesivir money must talk more loudly than common sense. To be fair the UK are also properly trialling the alternative.

Lets move on............

A priest, a minister and a rabbit walk into a blood donor session.
The rabbit says: "I must be a type o"

I told my wife she should embrace her mistakes.....
She gave me a hug!

I don't want to brag but I finished the jigsaw puzzle in a week
It said 2-4 years on the box.

Tuesday 26th May: 10:30

Thank you to all of you who brought to my attention the proposals being put forward to get rugby back up and running as soon as possible. There are two main facets on the field; stop reset scrums and ban upright tackling. Off the field there are the proposals to change shirts at half time, the obvious measure of washing hands at half time, and banning spitting plus a few others. Putting to one side my personal view that we need to get on with life and these off field precautions are driving people’s paranoia they obviously make sense in the current climate.

On field I could easily say what nonsense but I can’t because for many years I have been bleating on about the interminable resetting of scrums slowing the game down. If Covid-19 finds a solution to this problem then happy days. Make it happen. It is certainly better than contemplating banning scrums completely. With regard to banning upright tackling I think this too is not a bad idea. Freeing up the attackers arms should allow the ball to be offloaded more quickly thus keeping the ball alive and reducing the number of occasions when the players turn into Greco-Roman wrestlers fighting for the ball on the ground. Another of my pet subjects could also come into play. If the game becomes more fluid do you need so many buffalo roaming the savannah or can we get more gazelles into play. I would also like to see the number of substitutes reduced but you know that already.

Before moving on, the scrum thing would be relatively straight forward for the merry whistle blowers but banning upright tackling is more complex. Changing ingrained behaviour would take time and with six weeks of training before the season was to restart this might not be enough. We the viewers because you can guarantee the sensible option of getting the stadiums open isn’t going to happen would have to be patient.

The only other comment is World Rugby will send any new initiatives out as proposals for unions to adopt dependent on the state of play in their countries. It is likely the UK will need to adopt them in full where perhaps the Kiwis might be happy to water them down (with soap for at least 20 seconds of course).

Interesting piece on BBC website. Professor Tim Spencer has come out saying the late banning of sporting events ‘caused increased suffering and deaths’. Now here comes the vested interest. He just so happens to be leading the charge on the tracking for the government. There is no quantifiable evidence with phrases like ‘increased several fold’ and lots of ‘probable’ and ‘probably’. Where are the definitive numbers and the facts? There aren’t any! If people want bullshit they can read this and isn’t hindsight a blessing for all.

Right all you flat earthers, you moon landing deniers and those who think JFK was killed by the CIA Elvis is alive, I bet you didn’t see this coming. Nor did Dominic the weasel Cummings! Whilst in Barnard Castle I bet the weasel didn’t spot the GlaxoSmithKline (gsk) laboratory researching things such as vaccines. This being the same gsk who allegedly have a track record of fraud and overcharging the NHS. The same gsk who have links to Bill Gates and would benefit beyond their wildest dreams if they were able to be first to a vaccine that the government then insisted we all had to have. Of course this is all made up nonsense by me........... but do search the web for gsk and Barnard Castle. Of course check your eyesight first.

An excellent homily to the late lamented common sense is doing the rounds. If you haven’t read it please do so. I will try and reproduce here tomorrow.

No joke today. If you need a laugh just watch Cummings dig that hole deeper and wider and laugh at those defending him. What a joke that is.

Monday 25th May: 09:30

This is what lockdown does to you. I forgot it was Bank Holiday Monday today. I am here now so let's crack on.

Despite the parless state the global economy is in and the very big concerns about the finances of the clubs and regions in rugby CVC have stumped up between £120m and £140m for a 28% stake in the Pro14. This will be welcome news to those who manage the coffers in the short term but will it be as positive in years to come. I know I have the reputation of being the "cloud in every silver lining" but sacrificing 28% of revenue and relinquishing marketing and TV negotiations to CVC might not be such a good idea. I said this when they bought into the Premiership and nothing has changed my mind. Just read about CVC and F1 if you think I am wrong.

I expect CVC to now turbo charge their pursuit of a stake in the 6 Nations. They will be seen as a White Knight riding over the hill to save the unions but when the 6 Nations is only available to view on Amazon Prime at an exorbitant cost you and I might have different ideas.

The Pro14 are hoping to get back to action on August 22nd with a series of local derbies. Ireland are setting the pace and are in negotiation with their government and the broadcaster about the plan. If successful I am sure the other nations (maybe not South Africa) will follow suit.

The battle lines are being clearly drawn in the sand over the salary cap. Wasps CEO Stephen Vaughan in an interview with The Observers Paul Rees has quite openly said the clubs simply cannot go on chasing the dream with a flawed financial model and being propped up by benefactors. He has made his club's position very clear in that the salary cap and the whole process behind it needs to change and Lord Myner's report is the basis for that change. He makes some good points about the Rugby Players Association making very positive and constructive contributions to the debate . The same cannot be said about Steve Lansdown's dismissal of the report. It is an excellent piece that captures the fact that at last some, if not many, within top flight rugby have finally woken up to what common sense tells is us is an unsustainable financial model. Well worth reading.

Wasps have themselves been guilty of pushing the boundaries and many questions have been asked when their squad looked loaded with high cost stars. They have not covered themselves in glory with the move to Coventry with them kicking the soccer club out of the Ricoh Arena and failing to deliver on the promises to players about state of the art training facilities and image rights payments. It comes as no surprise Vaughan is ready for a new beginning.

George Kruis has confirmed his departure for Japan. No surprise there.

The Daily Fail carries an interesting piece about clubs "bleeding cash" and the impact on players. Francois Louw talks about his concerns and his perspective of the current crisis. Another article written by Will Kelleher well worth looking at.

What is a surprise and a real mindbender is come September we could see Saracens playing in both the Championship and the Premiership. The Championship is planning for the new season to start in September as normal. Relegated Saracens will be part of that league. With any restart of the Premiership now being pushed back into August the only possibility of completion is by running through to the end of September. Saracens will be part of that. What a shambles.

What a shambles is right. World Rugby is considering new laws to cut contact and speed up the return to playing. Scrums and mauls are in the firing line. The piece is best covered in The Times. (Thanks Bard). Might as well call it rugby league and be done with it.

On a more positive note World Rugby is happy to see common sense prevail with the northern and southern hemisphere nations talking about aligning the calendar. Moving the 6 Nation is the most obvious thing to do and from a fans perspective playing it in March/April when the weather should be slightly better makes a lot sense. The English and French clubs will cry 'foul' buy change is now inevitable and this one seems to be a positive change.

The biggest shambles, no, disgrace, are the actions of the weasel-in-chief Dominic Cummings. The fact Boris hasn't sacked him beggars belief and how anyone can defend the man is beyond my ken. I remain convinced lockdown was unnecessary, some of the facts we have been given are plainly wrong, and some of the direction of travel such as compulsory vaccination is most disturbing but Cummings defied his own boss's instructions and he should suffer the consequences.

Mind you it doesn't help when equally arrogant, fame hungry clowns like Piers Morgan and Gary Lineker get involved.

That'll do for today. Back tomorrow but at the slightly later time of noon. There are some really fascinating articles now surfacing challenging the charge to lockdown and the blind ignorance of the unbelievable long term damage to the economy and the people governments actions have done.

Friday 22nd May: 09:00

If unlike me you are happy to watch rugby being played behind closed doors with hybrid rules on a TV in your living room all on your own then don't hold your breath in anticipation. The PRL clubs met yesterday and couldn't agree on a return to training date, nor on neutral grounds and they were nowhere near on agreeing on how long it would take to prepare the players properly. Then factor in the players who continue to express concerns about the lack of real clarity about safety and testing. Me, I am more than ever convinced the clubs should stop the posturing and plan for a full-on September return.

They haven't started the discussions on the salary cap yet. That'll be fun. There is a groundswell of opinion that drastic action is needed and Lord Myner's report is the way forward. In The Guardian there is a piece that states the players are concerned that some clubs will go bust by Christmas and greater financial transparency is a must. The indications are the players have no issues with a new approach especially as there are murmurings of discontent about the super rich players in any club versus the vast majority who are having to negotiate new contracts that are 20 -30% lower than before.

You know where I sit on clubs financial viability and the role of big money benefactors. It is not sustainable. Unless they wake up to the reality of the situation then not one but several clubs will go to the wall. The more I think about it the better that could actually be for English rugby as a whole.

Three Queensland Reds players have terminated their own contracts as a result of being forced into taking pay cuts. Being forced, in the UK at least, into a pay cut is often a breach of contract so doing what they are doing makes sense. They are now free agents to tout themselves around for new clubs. I bet they are quickly booking Japanese lessons and their weasels of agents have probably already slithered from under their stones and on their way to the beautiful, amazing Land of the Rising Sun.

Sports agents, nearly as low on the scale of human life as injury lawyers and know it all clowns who write blogs.

And the winners are ............... Roche of Switzerland. Yes they are about to make millions selling antibody test kits to the UK. I can't moan too much as I consistently said the testing we have is useless and what was required was a test to see who has had the virus. Let's see if this brings any relief to the misery.

Oh how I wish I had 20/20 hindsight like all these people now coming out of their bunkers saying we should have done this and we should have done that and a report in 2016 said this and someone else said that. Please can we stop this nonsense and focus on the Armageddon which is staring us in the face. Economic meltdown and the destruction of society as we know it. Being a smart arse gets you nowhere.

I don't normally agree with Michael O'Leary of Ryanair, I find him an odious sort, but with regard to the nonsense being spouted about flying I do on this occasion. The plans for quarantine on arrival in the UK and how it is going to be policed is nonsense. The plans about social distancing on planes is nonsense. The plans for social distancing at airports is unworkable. If the Europeans and other countries are opening up their airports and getting their tourist business ready for business so should we. Fill the planes, get the airports open, get the UK spending, and people working.

Talking of airports. I woke up this morning with tiny aeroplanes at the top of the stairs and all over my duvet. I should never have left the landing light on.

Off now for Friday Club "zooming". Back on Monday. Have a good and safe weekend.

Thursday 21st May: 09:20

Being a pessimist, which as I have told you before is an optimist with experience, I fear the salary cap discussion will be a volatile one. With the PRL clubs desperate for cash they can't even agree on getting back to training in the hope of finishing the season and therefore getting the TV money. What chance is there that they will agree on a united way forward with the salary cap, which in my opinion should be adopting Lord Myner's report in full.

Sky have done a complete piece on how the season might end. In disaster is my view unless some tough decisions are made now. I cannot see the Premiership or the Pro 14 being completed and therefore the European Cups will go unfinished. C'est la vie. As I have said before the PRL and the others still wavering should just bite the bullet and finish the season now. Get together and plan a robust way, including fans at grounds, the new season can kick off in September. World Rugby and the unions should get together and plan a full but sensible international program. If there is no let up in the draconian restrictions then work around them. The 4 nations makes a lot of sense (thanks Pete). The European guys should start planning a short sharp competition starting in February thus freeing up space for more domestic games. Yes the RFU and the French Federation and World Rugby should consider the needs of the clubs but we cannot have the tail wagging the dog. Getting rugby back up and running is what we want but I for one don't want to see some half baked hybrid where the game becomes something else. This in my mind is one very good reason to cancel, regroup, plan ahead, and deliver with excellence. (Something Matt Hancock should try?)

Former Wales and Scotland coach Scott Johnson now back in Australia has asked the games ruling body to consider transfer fees. I have proposed this before and can find no reason why it cannot be introduced. Obviously players transferring between clubs would be less prevalent if the unions clamped down hard on the stupidity of paying players below level two. If they can't or won't then I fully agree that if club T, a club with big money backers is enticing players away from club C then club C should be compensated in some way.

As you know Hadleigh Parkes is off to Japan. Why? For the money. In many respects I have no problem with that. A rugby player's career is short as 29 year old Tyler Bleyendaal has found out. A neck injury has forced him into premature retirement. Parkes has been a loyal servant to the Scarlets and serving his three year residency has had a good career with Wales. I am led to believe he is a top bloke and has worked hard for club and country off the field. Having briefly met his parents I can believe that. However, we have a player who couldn't make it in New Zealand, has come over to Wales to play for money, has been lucky enough after three years to play for his adopted country and now is putting something back into the game in the country who has supported him is off to Japan with the lure of money. I cheered as loud as anyone when Parkes played and scored for Wales but I stick by my view the three year residency is wrong. I'll bet in three years time Japan will be one hell of an international team packed with.......... yeah, you can work it out.

There is also the other side of the coin. Thomas Young has turned his back on Wales by signing a new contract with Wasps.

I am concerned I maybe turning into the David Icke of Crowborough but the more I dig the more I think the world has got this all wrong. Covid-19 is another, albeit much more aggressive because of alleged tinkering in a Chinese lab, seasonal flu virus. Building yet more fear by screaming it'll be back is nonsense. Yes it will be back, like flu is back each year and kills tens of thousands. One of the papers used the phrase coronaphobia yesterday. It is true, people are scared but only because they have been brainwashed. Latest polls reveals most people are scared of the virus and don't want to return to work, or go on holiday, or their kids to go back to school.

Why does the PRL want to finish the season? Money. Why is it easy to say I am scared? Money. Right now millions of people find it very easy to say these things because the government, ultimately the tax payer, is paying them to stay at home. I'd have a wild stab that if you removed the furlough and asked the same question you would get a very different response. Why do you think the beaches were packed yesterday? People are on a free holiday. Why is it easy for teachers and underground workers and others to say I don't want to get back to work? There is no pain. Love Boris, hate Boris, I don't care. He and is government are damned if they do and damned if they don't so in my very humble opinion the time has come to stop all the political nonsense and get people back to work. If people don't want to then fine. Stop paying them.

There is a school teacher I know whose child is severely unwell. There is no way she should be going back to work. She and her family and the most vulnerable in society must be protected but all the others who are having a laugh right now need to be back working, IN MY OPINION.

Boris is also going be choking on his cornflakes when he hikes taxes for the rich. He cannot tax the poor or the key workers so he has nowhere to go I'm afraid.

That'll do for now. The grass isn't going to cut itself.

By the way I went for a job interview at the jack in the box factory. With times being tough they said they would call me when something popped up.

Wednesday 20th May: 09:00

This weekend would have seen the finals of the two premier European tournaments. Two very colourful and noisy occasions should have been played out in the amazing Marseille football stadium high above the city looking down onto the azure blue Mediterranean Sea. The Vieux Port would have been packed with supporters enjoying a Ricard or two before heading to the stadium to cheer on their team, hopefully to European glory.

It isn't going to happen and Paul Kitson of The Guardian is lamenting the fact. He says the knockout stages would have reignited the tournament after some pretty drab group games and in warm weather on a beautiful pitch there would have been two great games in store for the fans. He then goes on to write about how rugby without fans is better than no rugby at all. He also looks back and asks if previous finals had been played without fans would the outcome be different. Who would have benefitted from the lack of atmosphere: the Irish perhaps, who would have suffered from the lack of atmosphere: the French perhaps. It is all conjecture but well worth reading.

As mentioned yesterday I watched some of the Bundesliga. It was truly soulless and as a consequence it was uninteresting. I have watched some great rugby from the bygone era, and many Premiership matches from last season and back before that (thank you SKY and BT). Yes the games being shown are the pick of the bunch and Lions tests are always great but the difference, even knowing the result, has been the atmosphere in the background. My view remains unchanged, if games are to be played behind closed doors and you can't even get together with a group of mates to watch on TV why bother? The answer is money, we know that, but there is a risk the true fans will get nothing out of it and become disillusioned. That most definitely would be the case if the games shown are some form of watered down hybrid.

By the way in days now long gone I used to work with the Ricard organisation whose HQ is based in Marseille. Staying in the Vieux Fort drinking an ice cold Ricard before a lovely dinner in one of the many harbour front restaurants. Magnifique n'est-ce pas?

Well, well! I never would have guessed! Bristol Bears sign rugby league convert Ratu Naulugo from Hull FC. The Fijian born player will switch codes whenever the Super League season finishes. No wonder Mr Steve Lansdown wants to keep the salary cap and the marquee players system in place. Muppet.

Players on the other hand, whilst not happy with a 25% salary cut, seem more than willing to buy into greater transparency and a redefined salary cap. A number have come out in support of the report and also the need for players to be more aware of their contract obligations. They will need to think twice about the implications and benefits of signing contracts.

In order to massage Mr Lansdown's ego even more it seems his Ashton Gate is the perfect location for all the unfinished Premiership games. It is now a modern ground with great facilities so I can't really argue with that notion. It just grates a little as I am not convinced people like Lansdown are good in the long term for our game.

The clubs meet on Thursday to discuss the salary cap but with some like Gloucester and Wasps already saying their 25% pay cuts are not a short term fix they are here for a while this could fracture the PRL even more than it seems right now. It could also spark an exodus from England to Japan. I have no problem with that. Bath v Gloucester will always be Bath v Gloucester.

The news is still dominated by Covid-19. What was interesting was finding out The Guardian had refused to print a letter by David Hockney who put forward a summation of evidence that in the fight against the virus smoking was actually a benefit. They said it was too controversial to print. No! They didn't want the public to know the truth because the truth goes against the narrative. I think smoking is a disgusting habit and will kill more people than this virus ever will. It should be banned in totality. However, the facts indicate that for those people who smoke it actually, in this case, gives them an advantage in the battle with Covid-19.

Some months ago I expressed grave fears for the townships of South Africa and the slums of India. I could see the death toll in 100s of thousands. Despite people living on top of each other, often in pretty unsanitary conditions it hasn't happened. Ever wondered why? I'll leave you to do your own research as I think the reasons might surprise you. By the way, strange this is not covered by the UK media.

Again, as expected, the country now moves into 'hunt the culprit'. Who is to blame, whose fault is it that this or that wasn't right, and sadly in many cases how can I make money out of this by finding someone to blame. Sorry folks, I despair at times. Yes, absolutely, we need to learn from our mistakes and plan accordingly for the future but blame and blame again often for financial or political gain gets us nowhere. Actually all it does is drives the truth deeper underground and honesty and integrity further out of reach.

Likewise I despair at the political shenanigans going on with the unions. The RMT, and Unite and the teacher's unions and the labour councils making totally unrealistic demands and wanting only to bring this country to its knees. We are almost there already but with their attitudes not only could we be on our knees we could be prostrate unable to ever get up off the floor. Do they not realise the people that are affected most by their actions are the very people they should be protecting the most. Muppets!

Breakfast beckons so one big HOORAH for Colonel Tom, soon to be Sir Tom. More than well deserved. A true hero and an example to us all.

Wait for it......

I was watching an Australian cooking show and the audience applauded when the chef made a meringue. I was surprised as Australians usually boo meringue.

Might have used this before but well worth a second airing......

Have you heard about the clown that got sacked the other day from the circus? He's taking them to a tribunal for Funfair dismissal.