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They couldn’t care less
Tomorrow, the Genesis Scottish Open golf championship enters its final day. This morning the tournament organisers brought forward all the starting times. The leading trio tee-ed off just after nine. Why? Because the weather people thought there might be storms in the afternoon. Did they material? No.
Tomorrow they will begin even earlier. Rory, Kim and Fleetwood will be in play before the clock has struck 9, and the starter’s work will be done. Why? Because the same weather people think there might be strong winds in the afternoon.
Having just come through the five minute rain shower that was the sum total of the feared storms, I am wondering when golf stopped being an all weather game. Could it have been when the European professionsl tour sold its soul to the US Tour?
In addition I am wondering whether anyone involved in these two cowardly decisions gave a moment’s thought to the interests of the thousands of fans who have shelled out big bucks to watch their heroes, but were left with no realistic chance of getting to the venue before 7am. Actually that is not true: I am not wondering because I am sure they don’t give a toss.
Due
For the last 15 years, since the Qataris bought football, my motto has been ABC = Anyone But City. However with Sheikh Jassim hovering around Man U, and the Saudis owning Newcastle United, I have to face up to reality.
But all that aside, there is Pep and there are the rest. When he was promoted from being the Barca B coach to the top job, my friend Carlos said that he wasn’t sure about him. Carlos didn’t live to see his doubts assuaged, but I am sure he was smiling down on Turkey last night.
City deserved to win last night because they went out there with only that in mind, unlike Inter, whose first objective was not to lose. Plus they’re the best team on the planet.
Crystal
So here’s how I see things playing out. The Tories lose all three by-elections. A little over a year from now there will be a general election. By that time Boris will have found himself a safe seat.
The poll results in a change of government, with a coalition or a minority administration, Rishi resigns. Boris runs for leader and wins. The minority government collapses. There is a general election, and …
Ivy
Got to say this: as a society we are becoming more and more cruel, but even that is outstripped by our cynicism. As witness this morning’s staged performance by the saintly Holly what’s her name. My disgust is tempered only by my knowledge that what goes around comes around.
Seriously?
Skechers Slip-ins. Really? Seriously? Why? Shoes for lazy ********.
The Wild West Show
I see that in Scotland we have a Circular Economy Minister. That reminds me of the mythical bird that flew in ever decreasing circles until it disappeared up its own arse. Hopefully that will come to pass.
Utter
I watch golf on Sky. Unfortunately that brings with it a ton of advertising by Rolex. I don’t know who writes the copy but whoever does must have a degree in pretentiousness. Some of it doesn’t even make sense.
Guys, it’s only a watch.
Logone
Lured by the impending end of ‘Succession’, and to fill the space between episodes, I have been revisiting the first season, in which I never quite invested at the outset. If the makers get the ending right it may well go down as an all-time great series, up there with ‘Breaking Bad’, and the sadly neglected ‘Homicide: life on the streets’.
My big fear, though, is that I might turn into Logan Roy.
Off with their heads
This evening I forced myself to watch The Windsors: Coronation Special, because Channel 4 advertised it as comedy. It wasn’t: it was satire. What’s the difference? Cruelty. Comedy is laughing with people. Satire is laughing at them.
Raab
I’m crying quietly into my cereal for those poor people who were bullied by Dominic Raab.
For the record, I spent nearly all of the 1970s in the Civil Service, as a press officer. We worked closely with Ministers, including Willie Ross, who had a fiery reputation but was actually a fine man. I never met one who could have been described even remotely as a bully.
The Civil Service itself, that was another matter. My unit was led by a man who was a bully of the first order. He was not alone. At the top levels there were tales of phones being thrown out of windows. I’m sure things have improved since then, but even now if the benchmark by which Raab was judged was applied across the board within the Service itself, I am sure there would be more than a few heads rolling along Whitehall.
+
Anyone who has Paramount and isn’t watching Rabbit Hole needs to correct that omission. Anyone who doesn’t have it . . . tough.
Graceless
I watch a lot of crime drama on TV. I’m open minded about it and never overly critical. But I have limits. I reached them at the weekend watching the latest episode of Grace. I have read none of the books so I don’t know the extent to which they have been adapted, but there came a point on Sunday when the plot took a completely unexpected turn. I’m not easily surprised. When I am, my usual reaction is, ‘Nice one, well done.’ On Sunday I spoke it out loud. ‘Nah, You’re kidding. You’re having a laugh.’
No spoilers, but was it just me? Or did anyone else find their credulity stretched to breaking point?
Sex and drugs and rock and roll
One of my buddies filled in an on line form recently. He was given a multiple choice of gender, but ‘male’ was not an option. We are now Cisgender Male or Cisgender Female… or not as the case may be. Google the word and you will find yourself in fairyland. You will be told that
‘Cisgender is a gender identity. Cisgender people have a gender identity that aligns with the sex that a doctor assigned them at birth. For example, a male who is cisgender will identify as a man, and a female who is cisgender will identify as a woman.’
Focus on the phrase, ‘the sex that a doctor assigned them at birth‘. That suggests that doctors have a remit that goes way beyond healing the sick.
You know, I reckon it’s time that those of us who are actually normal . . . that would be the majority . . .fought back against the Woke, and restored a feeling of sanity to our society.
There’s nowt as …
The media, and the irrelevance that is John Swinney, are insisting that Kate Forbes has destroyed herself by opening up about her religious views, which are, let’s say, traditionalist. However the media will not have votes in the SNP leadership election, and Swinney will only have one. What does the silent majority believe? We’ll find out when their votes are cast.
He’s back
Finally, after much technical wrangling, Resurrection Man, the complete collection of short stories that chronicle the disappearance of the not so late Oz Blackstone, is available in the Amazon Kindle store.
And Tom is in it too. The precursor to a new series? You never know, I have a hankering to go back to St Marti.
Alexander Armstrong
We have a few stupid laws in Scotland but the worst is the one that won’t let a supermarket sell alcohol until 10am.
I don’t know why. Does anyone else?
The manner of her going
I do not belong to Nicola Sturgeon’s party but my admiration for her as a politician has grown throughout her time in office as First Minister.
That was underlined today by the manner of her resignation announcement. It was eloquent, dignified and above all graceful. When set alongside the departures of recent UK Prime Ministers, the contrast could not be greater.
Love her or hate her she’ll be a hard act to follow.
Quintin Jardine's blog 