The Football Season is Over

"Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body; it calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. If it is heeded in time, danger may be averted; if it is suppressed, a fatal distemper may develop" Winston Churchill Whenever I hear the word criticise, I tend to think about American wailer Alexander O'Neal and his slick brand of 80s R&B, and in particular his big hit, er, 'Criticize'. Midway through the track, O'Neal pipes "don't criticize my friends", and this line has sprung to mind of late when it comes to how the Government have handled the Coronavirus crisis, and how the press have handled the Government in return. It is said that the first duty and priority of Government is to protect its people, and that the role of the press is to hold those in power to account. Well, it's fair to say that both have been failing in their respective jobs in recent times....

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed" Mahatma Gandhi If there is one positive that has come from the crisis that we currently find ourselves in, it is that it has shone a light on some simply inexcusable and fucked-up behaviour from certain wealthy individuals and the companies that they are involved in. As many ordinary people, and other businesses, have rushed to do good or have worried about how to survive, there are those that have looked no further than themselves, or even seen it as a time to fill their boots. This when their own personal wealth would allow them to minimise the impact if they took some responsibility themselves. Make no mistake, this sort of shit has always been going on. It's just that in Normal Times, we sadly don't pay enough mind to it and it sneaks beneath the radar. All of this is what most would agree is Bad Capitalism, or put another way, corporate shithousery. And t...

"May you live in interesting times" Traditional Chinese curse Trolley Rage Our streets are empty. Our pubs are closed. Greedheads, thugs and idiots are emptying the shelves in our stores. And the football season is over. Or at least as good as. Coronavirus. COVID-19. Potentially a pox on all our houses. It is clearly a terrible thing, but what are the odds on us contracting this plague, that seems like some sort of vague Hollywood bogeyman? At the time of writing, there are more than half-a-million cases worldwide, up by 300,000 in the space of a week. Almost 600 people have died in the UK. Those odds are shortening all the time, folks. There has been much speculation about the best course of action to avoid the damn thing, but I guess the best thing is to follow the guidance provided by health officials, not panic, and to use your common sense. And that's where we have a big problem. Because common sense has gone out of the window. Go to any supe...