Review: BOXING CLEVER by Andy Costello
There are few sporting stories that combine the achievement of so much, followed by utter collapse, as that of Andy Costello. I first met Andy some six or more years ago. He had called and asked me if we could get together over a coffee to talk about his life story. It sounded interesting, and … Continue reading
Reporting Hatred
This morning I received an email. It came through at 08.40, and was long. Very long. Ten pages long. I won’t put up the bile-infected rant; there is no way I want to promote his lunatic theories. Suffice it to say, every terrorist attack, every rape and murder, pretty much, is entirely the responsibility of … Continue reading
Immigration and Customs – Help!
OK, a brief diversion. I mentioned to a friend on Twitter yesterday that I had a chequered history entering Canada. There was the time I was picked up by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police to you) and driven off in the back of their cruiser, or the time when I was refused entry … … Continue reading
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
I have been growing more and more alarmed by the way that the police in Britain appear to be operating as a more and more paramilitary, unregulated force. And it is not a force for good. When I was young, I wanted to join the police. In fact, I tried to (my eyesight wasn’t good … Continue reading
Glocks, Brownings and Delays
I was listening to the radio this morning and thinking what a joy it was to hear something sensible on guns. For a bit. Well, it made a change. The trouble is, journalists really do have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. The piece began by saying that the British Army has at … Continue reading
Drugs again
Drugs – Yet Again Ach, I really, really dislike returning to this, but really, what is the point of the anti-drugs policy? I saw this today http://chapman.dailymail.co.uk/2011/11/your-best-friend-calls-you-and-tells-you-heshes-really-sick-how-do-you-show-you-care-1.html and felt the irritation rising again. A nice picture needed to calm me down now. Let’s see. Ah, water. That’s good. Is there a purpose to our “War … Continue reading
Punishments
One of the guys who tried to incite other people to riot. Nice guy. Ok, I know I’ve been muttering darkly about executions and punishment recently, but this one gets me going. Two young guys were sentenced to four years each, and suddenly the liberal press has gone into overdrive. Screams of “disproportionate” can be … Continue reading
To Birch or not to Birch?
Ok, this one will probably get me some irritated responses, but what the heck. When I was ten or eleven, I can clearly remember the day when it was announced that coporal punishment was to be banned from school. The reasons were obvious enough to any thinking adult. First, how can a grown up smack … Continue reading
Rioting and the Police
Who started the riots this week? God knows. I don’t live near London, Bristol or Manchester, so it’s all very confusing. However, there are some facts which seem pretty fixed already. The timeline was: 1. Police pursue (not at speed, only monitoring) a young man whom they suspected of some crimes, specifically firearms crimes; 2. … Continue reading
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