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Salutations, Drone. I hope Lady Luck is with you, this joyous time of the year.
It’s like walking into your old local, after many years of living abroad. Other-wordly, yet vaguely familiar.
How you doing, Nate? All well I trust.
Got the Cheltenham fever, so figured I’d have a poke around.
PS. I use the same password for everything. It’s the last thing they’d suspect.
Good post, Miss Woodford – interesting insight.
I think the best thing that can be said about this Obama presidency, is that it’s barely been noticable this side of the water. Better an American President who achieves little quietly, than the one who achieves little whilst managing to piss-off 99% of the rest of the planet in the process.
Was this shortlist compiled during a mutual masturbation session on Epsom Downs by any chance?
Any "Greatest Film" list remains incomplete until ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ is added. Another soaring Leone epic, superbly acted by both the children and the adults, and with possibly the best score in movie history.
Frank Drebin voice-over:
"…and I had to get back to my car, which I’d left at the docks"
Cut to scene of doctor’s surgery with a car in the middle of it.
They just don’t make ’em like that any more. Most comedy is such clever-clever wank these days.
The thrust of the article proposes the theory that Thatcher had unique insight into the ultimate fate of the Euro, and furthermore that this was her only reason for distaste for the currency, and not xenophobia.
On the first point, the economies affected are dwarfed by that of the UK, and the impact to Britain if it
had
joined the Euro, would likely have been much less significant (on a parallel with the French, perhaps) than it has been in Ireland, Portugal, Greece and Spain.
On the second point, I suspect xenophobia more than played a part in forming her opinion. The suggestion that she gave a **** about how Greece would fare economically 20 years down the road is laughable.
The article is essentially cobblers, and is yet another piece of Thatcher revisionist drivel. I can only imagine that many now view her in a different light these days, because she was the last Prime Minister we had with a combination of integrity and honesty. But we shouldn’t forget that those qualities were used to drive a ruthless ideology that effectively destroyed large parts of the UK social fabric, and were rarely, if ever, put to ‘good’ use.
I hardly ever buy new clothes, Pete. I buy top quality stuff from second hand shops. You would be amazed what people don’t want and chuck away.
Certainly I try not to shop at George, or Primark, for example, or any clothiers supplying products manufactured in Asia by kids and forced labour.
Locally produced shoes, which we’ve discussed before, are virtually impossible to buy so, reluctantly, I make an exception. However, I use a cobbler and repair as much as possible.
I try to buy food produced locally/in the UK because of transport emissions and container ship impact on sea life. I buy free range egg products and welfare meat. I buy recycled toilet paper and insisted, in my last job, we used recycled photocopying paper. I don’t eat fish at all – because of overfishing. We’re already eating fish which, ten years ago, we considered tasteless and unfit.
I try to avoid products made in Japan because of whaling and Pacific deforestation. That is not easy at all.
The car – which I dumped two months ago in favour of a cycle and public transport – is the hardest to get rid of. I love my freedom and cars ARE freedom.
At least when we’re all walking round wearing oxygen masks and factor 15 sunblock, I’d have done my little bit.
But the fridge? I don’t even notice it’s absence.
Party round Max’s.
Remittance Man falling in the Champion Chase, after looking every bit as good as ever when winning his comeback in the Emblem.
Dato Star never getting soft ground in either of his Champion Hurdle runs.
Interesting reading, Alan.
It’s perhaps then a question of motivation, rather than talent, that is behind the apparent dependency on the Levy….in which case the industry really is in an even worse state than I imagined.
Delinquency can be forgiven, if the delinquent is swiftly moved along and replaced with a more capable individual. But lack of motivation – for whatever reason – across the board (Board?), coupled with a large absence of external accountability, is a much bigger threat, imo.
I’m not sure that helps your case, to be honest Max, and in the context of the "I pay 57% of prize-money by proxy" argument, I think the points made by Warming Trends do have some merit.
Your extrapolation is a bit too crude/linear, I fear, and regardless, it’s part of the wider "Bookies should pay more" argument, which I think is one that Racing ultimately cannot win (imo).
The current funding scenario essentially leaves the BHA as custodians of the begging bowl; with all the conotations of passivity that conjures up. Where are the graspers at the BHA? Where are the lateral-thinkers who can look beyond the current unsatisfactory arrangements, and develop financial models that are sustainable, and remove (or at least reduce) the hopeless reliance on the bookmaking industry?
The fact is, that there aren’t any. Those in charge at the BHA isntead invest time, effort and money into ill-considered PR stunts like Racing For Change. This points to an outfit who have not only have no strategy, but whose tactical decisions are also highly questionable.
The bottom-line is that there isn’t enough talent at the BHA to take on ruthlessly efficient, profit-driven, real-world orgainsations like bookmakers. And there apparently isn’t enough talent to look at things from a alternate perspective, and implement a radically different approach to funding.
It’s ******, basically.
And on that happy note…
Agree with Alan and Glenn – the BHA’s integrity approach appears to be heavily reactive, with little evidence that they are looking at some of the systemic inadequacies.
Why revised handicap marks cannot be applied more quickly remains a mystery. Surely the BHA’s IT systems would be robust enough to handle the change (which could doubtless be applied both quickly and cheaply).
Getting rid of bookies is a pipe-dream that will never happen. Racing needs to take them on at their own game.
You have to undercut Betfair, and offer a much more competitive product than the High Street can. A low-margin/high-turnover Tote Exchange with an across-the-board 2% commission rate (and appropriate incentivised rates for seeders) is what’s needed.
