So, the Iron Lady is dead. At 87 she was the same age as the Queen and my mum, both iron ladies in their own way
.
All the commentators are indicating that there is no grey area surrounding the ex-prime minister, you either loved her or hated her. For my part, I was a fan. While the three day week and other trade union disruptive behaviour was an inconvenience, it highlighted a part of Britain which needed to be reigned in, she obliged. Her alliance with Ronald Regan cemented that special relationship with the USA which Tony Blair did his utmost to tear asunder. That relationship went a long way to ending the Cold War, and the threat which the Soviet Union posed to the West. Gorbachev became a fan too. She was also strong in the face of Argentine aggression towards the Falkland Islands, and stood toe to toe with the IRA. Their bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton only re-enforced her resolve and her unwillingness to be turned.
Closer to home, as the first lady prime minister she end out a message to women that there was no glass ceiling, and what you strived for could be achieved, whatever gender you were. I suspect Cheryl Blair benefited in no small way to the Thatcher pioneering process. A wide and varied range of council house tenants are now home owners as a result of her 'right to buy' initiative and while her Keynesian oriented social reforms were not overly popular, they were what the Country needed at the time.
It is sad to see celebrations in the streets of Glasgow, to mark her passing, with many of the participants too young and blinkered to even understand the climate in which she operated. The miners will continue to hold a grievance as they are of the view that she destroyed their industry. Time has shown that coal was a dying commodity and the lack of investment in the Country's energy policies after that became apparent lies very much at the feet of the Labour government which followed her.
We are all suffering the effects of the nationalisation of British Gas, but most of her other decisions have been vindicated over time as successive governments have not repealed her policies.
She will for ever be seen as the villain of the piece up here on Merseyside, and Derek Hatton was rolled out yesterday to continue the assault on her character, God he looked a mess. It was she, however, who continued to support Liverpool after the Toxteth riots, and whose vision helped to the City to become what it is today. There are many who blame her for the cover-up over the Hillsborough disaster, however, she had used the police creatively during the miners strike and was unlikely to let them be crucified by the victim's relatives at that stage. It wasn't her who opened the gates or made questionable decisions on the day, but difficult decisions she did make all her term in office.
She will be afforded the funeral she deserves as one of the great British prime ministers, and the one thing her death has done is get people talking about politics again. Currently Parliament lacks characters, and like her or loathe her, a character she definitely was. Where would Spitting Image have gone without her?
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Tin Cup
We have returned from Turkey, and can confirm that any similarity to Torquay is very vague. We stayed in a giant all inclusive resort with in excess of 1000 rooms.
When we arrived there were probably 50 other people in occupancy and much of the hotel was still moth balled. The swim up rooms, for example, remained closed all the time we were there. The outdoor swimming pools were available to use but a tad on the cold side, and the specialist restaurants needed at least eight bookings before they would open.
The occupancy rate was boosted, however, by the arrival of Syrianska FC, a Premiership team from Sweden, who were there for some pre-season training. there were about 40 players, some support staff and management, and what seemed like a coachload of supporters. They were well behaved, and worked hard most days, either training or using the leisure facilities in the hotel. The hotel staff had been advised to refuse any requests from the team for alcohol which made for some amusing moments.
Later in the week there was a medical conference and the participants filled all the remaining rooms, so it was interesting to see the hotel suddenly come to life with more staff, more facilities and certainly more people around.
My golf started well and deteriorated as the trip went on. Much like my experience in Cyprus some years ago, I did not play with any English people. My first game was with a Swedish couple, then a couple from Holland, three men from the Czech Republic and finally two Finn's and a Swiss.
The highlight was hitting the 18th at the PGA Sultan course in two, given there is water all down the right off the tee and the second shot is about 180yds across the river, and then two putting for a par.
So that's my 60th birthday celebrations all completed , and I am now thrust into decorating the study which will go through a re-design process to reflect the needs of the leisurely life rather than a conference call dominated commercial one.
As soon as the weather picks up I can start on y shed!!
When we arrived there were probably 50 other people in occupancy and much of the hotel was still moth balled. The swim up rooms, for example, remained closed all the time we were there. The outdoor swimming pools were available to use but a tad on the cold side, and the specialist restaurants needed at least eight bookings before they would open.
The occupancy rate was boosted, however, by the arrival of Syrianska FC, a Premiership team from Sweden, who were there for some pre-season training. there were about 40 players, some support staff and management, and what seemed like a coachload of supporters. They were well behaved, and worked hard most days, either training or using the leisure facilities in the hotel. The hotel staff had been advised to refuse any requests from the team for alcohol which made for some amusing moments.
Later in the week there was a medical conference and the participants filled all the remaining rooms, so it was interesting to see the hotel suddenly come to life with more staff, more facilities and certainly more people around.
My golf started well and deteriorated as the trip went on. Much like my experience in Cyprus some years ago, I did not play with any English people. My first game was with a Swedish couple, then a couple from Holland, three men from the Czech Republic and finally two Finn's and a Swiss.
The highlight was hitting the 18th at the PGA Sultan course in two, given there is water all down the right off the tee and the second shot is about 180yds across the river, and then two putting for a par.
So that's my 60th birthday celebrations all completed , and I am now thrust into decorating the study which will go through a re-design process to reflect the needs of the leisurely life rather than a conference call dominated commercial one.
As soon as the weather picks up I can start on y shed!!
Monday, 11 March 2013
Mull of Kintyre
My birthday celebrations continued at the weekend when SWMBO treated me to a long weekend at the Turnberry hotel in Ayrshire. Turnberry has two golf courses, the Ailsa and the Kintyre and I was fortunate to play both.
Friday I was scheduled for the Kintyre and Saturday the Ailsa, but on waking on the Friday morning I was greeted by Wallasey like conditions, strong winds and a bit nippy, so I was keen to take on the Open Championship course in close to it's toughest state.
When I arrived on the first tee, I was informed by the starter that there were three clear holes ahead of me and nobody behind for half an hour. Effectively this meant I had one of the top ten courses in the Country all to myself, what a joy....
The anorak in me knows I first played the Ailsa course in May 1989, something I have made reference to in previous blogs. I went round in 26 over par that day. Friday, however, was not about my score, but about the challenge and the conditions. I did manage to par the 6th hole and got a few fives elsewhere, but I came off the course exhilarated and elated by the whole experience.
The next day I took on the Kintyre course and I was keen to play a competition type round to post a reasonable score. I joined a husband and wife to make a three ball, and they made me aware the lady was a novice and the round might be painful. It would not have been my ideal scenario, but off we went none the less.
In May 1989 I played both the Ailsa and the Kintyre on the same day. The Kintrye was, actually called the Arran in those days, and it has changed somewhat during the passing 20 odd years. I was, therefore, keen to see the new design.
Things did not start well, and I was taken aback by the tight nature of the opening holes, however, I kept to my plan to post a score, and after opening 8,5,5,8,7 (33) against a par of 20, I went round the remaining 13 holes in 9 over par, a very satisfying days work.
The hotel improved as our stay went on. The first night we ate in the 1906 restaurant and the food was average at best. We had a bar meal the next night which was excellent, and then had out own private dining room the final night, which did seat ten, but nobody else had booked it. It was the hotel equivalent of a Michelin starred eatery and did not disappoint.
The Friday night and Saturday the hotel was accepting GroupOn voucher guests and it appeared that the staff were somewhat off hand with them, whereas our attention level increased when they realised we were there for longer than the one night deal the other guests had booked.
Its definitely a place we will revisit, with the BMW championships scheduled in late September. So I will have to get to Royal Liverpool and try to qualify for that again.
Friday I was scheduled for the Kintyre and Saturday the Ailsa, but on waking on the Friday morning I was greeted by Wallasey like conditions, strong winds and a bit nippy, so I was keen to take on the Open Championship course in close to it's toughest state.
When I arrived on the first tee, I was informed by the starter that there were three clear holes ahead of me and nobody behind for half an hour. Effectively this meant I had one of the top ten courses in the Country all to myself, what a joy....
The anorak in me knows I first played the Ailsa course in May 1989, something I have made reference to in previous blogs. I went round in 26 over par that day. Friday, however, was not about my score, but about the challenge and the conditions. I did manage to par the 6th hole and got a few fives elsewhere, but I came off the course exhilarated and elated by the whole experience.
The next day I took on the Kintyre course and I was keen to play a competition type round to post a reasonable score. I joined a husband and wife to make a three ball, and they made me aware the lady was a novice and the round might be painful. It would not have been my ideal scenario, but off we went none the less.
In May 1989 I played both the Ailsa and the Kintyre on the same day. The Kintrye was, actually called the Arran in those days, and it has changed somewhat during the passing 20 odd years. I was, therefore, keen to see the new design.
Things did not start well, and I was taken aback by the tight nature of the opening holes, however, I kept to my plan to post a score, and after opening 8,5,5,8,7 (33) against a par of 20, I went round the remaining 13 holes in 9 over par, a very satisfying days work.
The hotel improved as our stay went on. The first night we ate in the 1906 restaurant and the food was average at best. We had a bar meal the next night which was excellent, and then had out own private dining room the final night, which did seat ten, but nobody else had booked it. It was the hotel equivalent of a Michelin starred eatery and did not disappoint.
The Friday night and Saturday the hotel was accepting GroupOn voucher guests and it appeared that the staff were somewhat off hand with them, whereas our attention level increased when they realised we were there for longer than the one night deal the other guests had booked.
Its definitely a place we will revisit, with the BMW championships scheduled in late September. So I will have to get to Royal Liverpool and try to qualify for that again.
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
Life in the fast lane
Wedged in between my two boozy weekends, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend something called a speed awareness course. This was in no way related to alcohol, but in fact to the way in which I drive my car.
I have made reference in the past to my dislike of speed camera's and the fact they contribute millions of pounds to local government coffer's as a type of stealth tax aimed at mostly honest drivers. Well I was in a room with twenty or so like minded drivers, all there to avoid getting three points on our licenses as a result of driving a few miles over the limit.
In years past the course involved a practical session out on the road with an instructor. These days it's four hours of classroom tutorial, most of which is mind blowingly dull.
The only part I found useful related to the positioning of speed limit signs at the junctions to roads, at a point where the limit changes. Other than that it was a waste of an afternoon, and the sun was out to really rub it in.
Apart from avoiding three penalty points another benefit of the course is to get cheaper or maintained price motor insurance, but with at least one insurance company now considering the course to be the same as an endorsement, that benefit may soon be a thing of the past. As soon as that happens the courses will be a thing of the past.
So while I still have a clean license, I just await the next official police communique inviting me to attend the local magistrates court. Deep joy.
I have made reference in the past to my dislike of speed camera's and the fact they contribute millions of pounds to local government coffer's as a type of stealth tax aimed at mostly honest drivers. Well I was in a room with twenty or so like minded drivers, all there to avoid getting three points on our licenses as a result of driving a few miles over the limit.
In years past the course involved a practical session out on the road with an instructor. These days it's four hours of classroom tutorial, most of which is mind blowingly dull.
The only part I found useful related to the positioning of speed limit signs at the junctions to roads, at a point where the limit changes. Other than that it was a waste of an afternoon, and the sun was out to really rub it in.
Apart from avoiding three penalty points another benefit of the course is to get cheaper or maintained price motor insurance, but with at least one insurance company now considering the course to be the same as an endorsement, that benefit may soon be a thing of the past. As soon as that happens the courses will be a thing of the past.
So while I still have a clean license, I just await the next official police communique inviting me to attend the local magistrates court. Deep joy.
Gone in a haze
The problem with having a birthday celebration which lasts three weeks is that some parts of it just become a blur and days disappear or get lost for ever. My actual birth date was one such.
I had a plan as to how my weekend would go....Friday evening in Formby with the outlaws, Saturday playing golf and chilling then a full on family luncheon on Sunday with more golf Monday morning ( my actual birth date) and then a late lunch with SWMBO.
Other people had other ideas, however, so Friday was cancelled, and Sunday became a bit more mega than expected. Alcohol was consumed at a great rate, and when the lads adjourned to the local hostility, I knew there would be trouble.
After several glasses of wine, a bloody Mary and a frozen Margarita in the restaurant, I really did not need a zombie, whatever that is, but that's tradition apparently so after a few more beers, I decided to make my excuses and leave. I remember getting home and watching Match of the Day, but then things went a bit fuzzy.
Needless to say the next day was a complete washout and I complained about my drinks being spiked ( they weren't ), the meal disagreeing with me, and having an anti-social need for sleep!.
The rest of the crew came in from about midnight until 3am!!
The next part of the celebrations is a long weekend in Turnberry chasing a little white ball around in the wind, I must try to moderate my whiskey tasting and enjoy the view. Och aye the noo!
I had a plan as to how my weekend would go....Friday evening in Formby with the outlaws, Saturday playing golf and chilling then a full on family luncheon on Sunday with more golf Monday morning ( my actual birth date) and then a late lunch with SWMBO.
Other people had other ideas, however, so Friday was cancelled, and Sunday became a bit more mega than expected. Alcohol was consumed at a great rate, and when the lads adjourned to the local hostility, I knew there would be trouble.
After several glasses of wine, a bloody Mary and a frozen Margarita in the restaurant, I really did not need a zombie, whatever that is, but that's tradition apparently so after a few more beers, I decided to make my excuses and leave. I remember getting home and watching Match of the Day, but then things went a bit fuzzy.
Needless to say the next day was a complete washout and I complained about my drinks being spiked ( they weren't ), the meal disagreeing with me, and having an anti-social need for sleep!.
The rest of the crew came in from about midnight until 3am!!
The next part of the celebrations is a long weekend in Turnberry chasing a little white ball around in the wind, I must try to moderate my whiskey tasting and enjoy the view. Och aye the noo!
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
Lucy
The weekend just past signalled the beginning of my diamond birthday celebrations. Well if the Queen can have a couple of birthday's why not I?
Twenty of us attended the England v France rugby at Twickenham in a lads and dads day out. A couple of the attendees I had known since we were ten and at school together, and a few were people I had been introduced to, by them, over the years. One chap was an old friend from my working days and several I had met while playing rugby for Twickenham RFC. Indeed one of those used to chase the same girls as me when we were in our early thirties!! All together they were an eclectic group who got on famously.
The match kicked off at 5pm on the Saturday which is not our favourite time to attend, but on this occasion it did give us a chance to visit a local Richmond restaurant, Rock and Rose, for some pre-match tucker , and very good it was too. So with suitable ballast on board, we boarded the bus and sang our way to the ground as we have done for more years than I can remember.
One of my old school friends, Stu, and I have been attending games at Twickenham since early in 1972. We first saw John Dawes Welsh side play. We stood on the old West terrace watching as they beat us comfortably. The only thing that made it bearable was the fact we were in the company of a young Welsh girl from Plymouth, with whom I had plans later. Sadly even that went pear shaped as she had already arranged to meet a lad who was a session musician and singer, elsewhere on the manor.
Some years later when I moved from Croydon to Kingston and started playing for Twickenham RFC, it transpired she married said musician, and he was playing second row at the same Club. We are all still good friends. The subsequent forty years following England around Europe have continued to illustrate just how small the World is, made even smaller by the rugby playing community.
I have played in a few World Golden Oldies rugby festivals over time, and should I do so again, I will be able to wear red shorts. This will mean I can only be caught and held, and not tackled. When I reach 65 I would then be able to wear gold shorts, cannot be touched or tackled and can subsequently run for 15 metres unopposed. That might be worth a go!!!
The celebrations continue in a few days with a family Sunday lunch, after which, like the Queen, I will start to tour some of our colonies. I think I will start with Scotland!!
Twenty of us attended the England v France rugby at Twickenham in a lads and dads day out. A couple of the attendees I had known since we were ten and at school together, and a few were people I had been introduced to, by them, over the years. One chap was an old friend from my working days and several I had met while playing rugby for Twickenham RFC. Indeed one of those used to chase the same girls as me when we were in our early thirties!! All together they were an eclectic group who got on famously.
The match kicked off at 5pm on the Saturday which is not our favourite time to attend, but on this occasion it did give us a chance to visit a local Richmond restaurant, Rock and Rose, for some pre-match tucker , and very good it was too. So with suitable ballast on board, we boarded the bus and sang our way to the ground as we have done for more years than I can remember.
One of my old school friends, Stu, and I have been attending games at Twickenham since early in 1972. We first saw John Dawes Welsh side play. We stood on the old West terrace watching as they beat us comfortably. The only thing that made it bearable was the fact we were in the company of a young Welsh girl from Plymouth, with whom I had plans later. Sadly even that went pear shaped as she had already arranged to meet a lad who was a session musician and singer, elsewhere on the manor.
Some years later when I moved from Croydon to Kingston and started playing for Twickenham RFC, it transpired she married said musician, and he was playing second row at the same Club. We are all still good friends. The subsequent forty years following England around Europe have continued to illustrate just how small the World is, made even smaller by the rugby playing community.
I have played in a few World Golden Oldies rugby festivals over time, and should I do so again, I will be able to wear red shorts. This will mean I can only be caught and held, and not tackled. When I reach 65 I would then be able to wear gold shorts, cannot be touched or tackled and can subsequently run for 15 metres unopposed. That might be worth a go!!!
The celebrations continue in a few days with a family Sunday lunch, after which, like the Queen, I will start to tour some of our colonies. I think I will start with Scotland!!
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
4077 M*A*S*H
I am not a great social networking user. Facebook and Twitter don't really add to my day to day routine. The only one I do register with is LinkedIn. The main reason for this is to keep abreast of any changes people may make to their e-mail contacts, or other aspects of their life I may be interested in.
Today I have just been doing a bit of tweaking to my profile, and have added a link which will hopefully allow people to see the film which inspired the IBM living legend comments.
It's called 'Doggin Around' from 1994, and stars Elliott Gould as a beaten up American jazz pianist who comes back to England to do the Northern club circuit. The support cast is a who's who of British character actors and it is a good view if you get the time.
Elliott Gould utters the immortal words which inspired my by-line, when asked by a young lady whether he was one of those American musical old timers, to which he replied, " Where I come from mam, we like to call them living legend"
I had cause to use it face-to face in IBM when a female colleague similarly enquired of me in a derogatory tone. I was in the company of my business director when the exchange occurred and he too adopted the retort, particularly when summing up individuals careers at retirement parties.
It ranks up there with the wonderful line from the film, 'The Likely Lads' which charted the holiday adventures of Bob and Terry one particularly wet week in Scarborough. "Eh", said Terry, "lets go to Boots, there's always women in Boots"
Today I have just been doing a bit of tweaking to my profile, and have added a link which will hopefully allow people to see the film which inspired the IBM living legend comments.
It's called 'Doggin Around' from 1994, and stars Elliott Gould as a beaten up American jazz pianist who comes back to England to do the Northern club circuit. The support cast is a who's who of British character actors and it is a good view if you get the time.
Elliott Gould utters the immortal words which inspired my by-line, when asked by a young lady whether he was one of those American musical old timers, to which he replied, " Where I come from mam, we like to call them living legend"
I had cause to use it face-to face in IBM when a female colleague similarly enquired of me in a derogatory tone. I was in the company of my business director when the exchange occurred and he too adopted the retort, particularly when summing up individuals careers at retirement parties.
It ranks up there with the wonderful line from the film, 'The Likely Lads' which charted the holiday adventures of Bob and Terry one particularly wet week in Scarborough. "Eh", said Terry, "lets go to Boots, there's always women in Boots"
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