Legends

As I write these words, it has been announced that Michael Jackson has just died from a cardiac arrest aged 50. He was due to begin a series of comeback concerts at London's O2 arena on 13 July which sold out within minutes of going on sale.
Singer Michael Jackson dies at 50

It was also announced earlier today that Farrah Fawcett had died of cancer in Los Angeles aged 62.
Screen star Fawcett dies aged 62

Farrah was a stunningly beautiful actress, who will be remembered for her big TV break in 1976 when producer Aaron Spelling cast her in Charlie's Angels as one of the original crime-fighting heroines.
It's really hard to explain to today's generation just how iconic Farrah Fawcett was back then. As a young guy growing up in the seventies, Farrah was every man's dream and her long blonde hair had women visiting their hairdressers around the world.

As for Michael Jackson.....well his death is a definite shock - and yet I'm not entirely surprised, considering the rumours surrounding the man.
MJ at his peak, was THE benchmark in popular music, dancing and music videos. He was a uniquely talented musician, whose impact was global.
In this aspect, the man was a true pop music legend who ranks alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

Yes, I respect MJ as a musical genius - heck, I've strutted my funky stuff to his music back in the day.
However my opinion on the "Wacko Jacko" eccentricities and the controversy which surrounded his latter years is another matter.
But my opinion is irrelevant now - only God can judge him...

Adios Ronaldo...

Ronaldo Leaves Utd

So it's appears to be "Adios" if the £80 million bid from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo is successful.
Well good riddance - for all his undoubted skill, Ronaldo's egoistical attitude had long become tedious.
Man Utd accept £80m Ronaldo bid

Eggs away!

BNP leader, Nick Griffin, was forced to abandon a press conference outside the Houses of Parliament yesterday, after being pelted with eggs by anti-fascist protesters.
Griffin was bundled into his car by his bodyguards, and promptly drove off.
Egg attack on BNP leader Griffin

I guess that's what happens when you're the leader of an eggs-treme party...

Seriously though, I thought yesterday's events were counter-productive. As much as I loathe them, the BNP were democratically elected to council and now European seats.

The egg-pelting stunt will gain free publicity for the BNP and their views - even worse, it will gain them sympathy, with Griffin seen as a "victim" who was denied his right to speak freely.

To me, the best way to fight the BNP would be to let Griffin and his cohorts speak. Interview them. Ask the BNP about their plans for the economy, their fiscal policies, the NHS, education, Britain's foreign policy, the environment and so on. Surely they can't blame all Britain's ills on asylum seekers and immigration?

Griffin and the BNP are tapping into a wellspring of frustration and rising xenophobia. But if you look closer, they doesn't have any answers, apart from the usual racist clap-trap...

The morning after the night before...

Gordon Brown has faced his Labour critics after another minister quit with a blast at his leadership. Environment minister Jane Kennedy said she could not support him as leader.

It came as the Labour party, recovering from the cabinet coup, digested a disastrous night of European election results which saw them beaten into third place by UKIP in the European Parliament elections.

The Tories came first, but failed to increase their total share significantly, while the far right BNP gained seats for the first time at national elections.

The Lib Dems saw their share of the vote shrink slightly, while in the South-East and South-West, the Green Party beat Labour into fifth place.

However, only 34% of the British electorate turned out to vote - one of the lowest turnouts in recent times.
Labour slumps to historic defeat

Nearly 1 million people voted BNP. But the BNP's success can be traced to the collapse in votes for the Labour party - the British people simply had enough of "New Labour" and Gordon Brown, and it showed with these results.

When one considers Labour's £5 billion tax raid on pension funds (by Chancellor Gordon Brown in 1997), ID cards, the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty that never was, the abolition of the 10p tax rate, sleaze, and (lest we forget) the UK economy saddled with a mountain of debt - it's not surprising that Labour supporters voted with their feet and stayed home.

But for those people who didn't vote, either as a form of protest, or as a result of apathy, you can't complain about the result...


The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmund Burke (British Statesman and Philosopher, 1729-1797)

Oh Brother.....

So apparently a Playboy model, Brazilian student and a Wolverine lookalike are among the 16 'housemates' who have entered the "Big Brother" house for the 10th series of the Channel 4 "reality TV" show.
Contestants enter house for BB10

Sorry, but having avoided BB series 1 to 9 like the bubonic plague, I see no reason why I shouldn't repeat the same process with Big Brother series 10, Playboy model and all....

Gordon Brown - dead PM walking (continued)...

Dear Gordon,

We both love the Labour Party. I have worked for it for 20 years and you for far longer. We know we owe it everything and it owes us nothing.

I owe it to our party to say what I believe no matter how hard that may be. I now believe your continued leadership makes a Conservative victory more, not less likely.

That would be disastrous for our country. This moment calls for stronger regulation, an active state, better public services, an open democracy.

It calls for a government that measures itself by how it treats the poorest in society.

Those are our values, not David Cameron's.

We therefore owe it to our country to give it a real choice. We need to show that we are prepared to fight to be a credible government and have the courage to offer an alternative future.

I am therefore calling on you to stand aside to give our party a fighting chance of winning. As such I am resigning from government.

The party was here long before us, and we want it to be here long after we have gone. We must do the right thing by it.

I am not seeking the leadership, nor acting with anyone else. My actions are my own considered view, nothing more.

If the consensus is that you should continue, then I will support the government loyally from the backbenches. But I do believe that this question now needs to be put.

Thank you for giving me the privilege of serving.

Yours,

Rt Hon James Purnell MP

And so with these words, Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell plunges Gordon Brown's government deeper into chaos tonight, after quitting the cabinet and calling on the prime minister to step down.
Purnell becomes the third minister to leave Brown's Cabinet in recent days. The home secretary and communities secretary had already announced they were standing down from cabinet.
PM told to go as minister quits

What now for Gordon Brown and the Labour party?
James Purnell might well believe he's acting with the best intentions, but the British electorate will not vote for a party in crisis. Furthermore the British people will not tolerate another unelected Prime Minister.

Gordon Brown - dead PM walking...

Hazel Blears has followed Jacqui Smith in resigning from the cabinet, following the MPs expenses row.

The Communities Secretary had been under fire over her expenses and was tipped for the axe in a reshuffle expected after European and English local elections on Thursday.

The timing of her resignation, on the eve of the European and English local elections, appeared to be increasing pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which, according to some observers had left him "fighting for his political life".

On Tuesday, news emerged that the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and Tom Watson, a government minister and key Brown ally, will also stand down, fuelling further speculation about the prime minister's authority being undermined.
Brown pressure after Blears quits

Gordon Brown is becoming a dead man walking. With the country in the midst of an economic crisis, the parliamentary expenses scandal still unfolding, leading to widespread disillusionment with the major political parties, and cabinet ministers joining the queue of MPs lining up to spend more time with their families, his government appears to be unravelling before our eyes.

Barcelona Viva!

Manchester United's dream of clinching back-to-back Champions League titles ended in defeat after the team was comprehensively beaten in the final by Barcelona in Rome last night.
Barcelona 2-0 Man Utd

For the first several minutes in this final United were rampant - then Samuel Eto'o scored for Barça, and Fergie's men simply disappeared. Xavi and Andres Iniesta ripped them to shreds.

Barça were definitely the superior side, they kept the ball and passed United to death. United were poor, and on the rare occasions they actually saw the ball, it was handed straight back to the opposing side. The second goal from Lionel Messi merely put United out of their misery.

So a hearty "well done" to manager Josep Guardiola for winning the Spanish league and cup as well as the Champions League for his first season in charge, and humble pie for the myopic British press who wrote Barça off. Reading some of the papers prior to the match, it appeared all United had to do was turn up and take the trophy, after all, wasn't Barça supposed to have a dodgy defence? Instead it was Guardiola instead of Fergie who had the historic night.

Furthermore, congratulations to Thierry Henry and Silvinho on winning last night. For Thiery this is an honour he has richly deserved (I only wished he won it with the Gunners back in 2006).

Finally, I seem to recall Patrice Evra boasting after United beat Arsenal in this year's Champions League semi-final: "It was 11 men against 11 babies"

What goes around, comes around, eh Patrice?