Quintin Jardine's blog

I haven’t been following the World Snooker Championships very closely since Stephen Hendry was knocked out, but I did note  the result, and also the fact that the beaten finalist, Ali Carter, suffers from a condition known as Crohn’s Disease. That prompted me to do a little research into the condition. As a result, Mr Carter is something of a hero in my eyes. And so, for different reasons is Ronnie O’Sullivan, a guy whose family background reads like an Eastenders plot line, but who seems finally to have arrived at a good place. All the more sad then, that these two men, at the top of their sport, face being driven from it by the intransigence of Barry Hearn, snooker’s Gauleiter, whose grand plan for the game will require everyone to play 27 tournaments each year in global locations, often in cubicles with nobody watching.

Already Stephen Hendry has quit, prematurely in most people’s eyes, O’Sullivan is taking a six month break, and Carter’s medical condition, which is incurable, will never stand up, surely, to the rigours of  the new circuit. Mr Hearn was quoted only last week as saying that it was all part of being a professional and that he couldn’t care less about players’ concerns. Two years ago, Mr Hearn took a controlling interest in World Snooker Limited, the game’s commercial arm. Then he was seen as its saviour. Now it seems, snooker needs someone to save it from him.

Thanks again, but as a matter of fact I have American family from coast to coast, and I’m going to continue to rely on their advice, since all of them have their feet planted firmly on the ground. Also I have many friends in Canada, and I can understand that if you substitute ‘Mm-hmm’ for ‘You’re welcome’, you might draw the odd strange look.

Have fun writing your book. As a little background research, you might care to take a look at this:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/8362003/Tally-ho-pardner-Foxhunting-in-America.html

I am disappointed. I know that the great days of Scottish journalism ended when the Barclay brothers bought the Scotsman and its associated titles, and were consigned to the dustbin of history when they sold them on to the hapless Johnston Press, but I had hoped that a spark of true quality remained.

Since February 14, thousands of Scottish media man hours have been invested in coverage of the escalating problems of Rangers Football Club, and the tenure of its ‘owner’, Craig Whyte.   Thanks to the likes of the intensely annoying Graham Speirs, and some very good football writers, we have been able to follow the saga as it has developed then unravelled, then developed again, as mysterious Singaporeans have come and gone, as Blue Knights have gathered at their Round Table, only to bottle out of actually undertaking the quest, and as an American with a sound business record but no possible idea of the complexities of our football culture seems about to take the reins from them, and ride forward into the unknown.

We know all there is to know about Rangers, until the next twist in the tale, that is. So why do I feel let down by Scottish journalism? This is the reason. When my wife asked me this morning, ‘Why isn’t this man Whyte in jail?’ I could give her no sensible answer.

In its coverage of this scandal, our editors seem to have become so parochial that they cannot think beyond football. This story is about more than Rangers, and the impact of their potential demise. Far too little attention has been paid to Whyte himself. From the moment he was unveiled as the new Scottish business hero, the self-made billionaire who was going to get the former billionaire, Sir David Murray, off the hook of owning Rangers, and rip its purse-strings from the miserly hands of Lloyds plc, he should have been subjected to the most intense scrutiny. For a business hero to be unsung, that’s one thing, but for him to have done all that high value corporate turn-around stuff, yet still have a personal profile below the threshold of visibility,  that’s another. Mr Whyte was a mystery demanding to be investigated, but nobody did, at least nobody who was any damn good at it. He is the real story, and has been since day one, but our media seems not to be interested in anything beyond Ibrox Stadium and Edmiston Drive.

If it wasn’t for my friend Bob, who has Rangers in his bloodstream, I wouldn’t know about this:

http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/south-west/70007-3m-shortfall-expected-after-pritchard-admin/

If it wasn’t for the fact that Bob has a friend who was invested with the firm at the heart of this drama, he might never have known about it either.

If it wasn’t for the reporter who investigated it, tweaked out the underlying facts and published them, I might never have known that  Craig Whyte was the company secretary of Pritchard Stockbrokers Ltd, a Bournemouth based  firm that went down the toilet on the very same day (yes, Valentine’s Day) as Rangers did, taking an estimated £3.4m of clients’ money with it.

In one final irony, Pritchard’s client list included, at the time of its collapse, Rangers plc, for whom it was holding £223,214. This doesn’t just beg the question, ‘Why did Mr Whyte lodge almost a quarter of a million with a company in which he had an interest rather than pay a few of his debts?’ It screams it. This story is worth the front page of any Scottish broadsheet. Maybe I’ve missed it, but I don’t think so.

The picture that the Scottish press has painted for us, through its editorial negligence, shows only Rangers, and the tangential issues seem to be all about punishment and the sanctions that should be applied to the club, for its cavalier attitude to its debtors, and in particular those who happen to be fellow Scottish Premier League members. The picture that I can see shows the entity that is Rangers plc as a victim, just as those who may lose out (but hopefully will be indemnified) through the collapse of Pritchard Stockbrokers are victims. How many others are there, to be found in the periphery of Mr Whyte? None, I hope, but a half decent editor would have sent his best business reporter to find out, some time ago.

Thanks for that, but I wish you’d left me your full name. I would hope that what you’re saying is correct, since I do try to push the envelope every time I sit down to begin a new book. As for the rest, the current estimated population of the USA is 313 million. Are you trying to tell me you’re familiar with the vocabulary of every one of them?

This has been a week of Murdoch bashing, and no mistake. The old man has been labelled unfit to run his company by the Labour members of a Commons select committee. These are people with short memories if they cannot recall the days when Rupert’s was the most assiduously kissed arse in Britain, or the fact that it was their own leader whose lips were the most puckered. Almost as distasteful has been the zeal of  the rest of the media in reporting their condemnation,and that makes it all the more important that their short-comings are not allowed to slip under the radar.

Once upon a time there was a fine British newspaper called the Daily Telegraph. It was the home of Bill Deedes, one of the great journalists of my lifetime, and of distinguished figures across the board. In its hey-day, its Page Three was better read than that of the Sun, by those in the know. If ever there was a titillating court case, the details of which were a little too fruity for the other broadsheets and contained words that were too long for the tabloids, you would find the full and unexpurgated version there, unless it was beyond the basest definition of good taste.

Then along  came the internet, with its on-line editions, and the world changed. The Telegraph joined the rest in the gutter, and worse than that, it became vicious and censorious into  the bargain. Even its news reporting became imbued by this and has reached a point where editorial thought seems to have disappeared. Here’s an example. A couple of days ago, a footballer got himself into trouble in the north west of England. He was arrested on an assault charge, then released on bail pending further investigations. A short time later he was arrested again, ater a motoring incident, and charged with driving while disqualified, while over the limit, and without insurance. If this man is guilty as charged, then I have no brief for him, but to me there seem to be three questions that need answering.

The first is for the police. How come this guy was released, under the influence, after being accused of punching a woman in the face? They may not have anticipated that he would go out and commit a raft of, alleged, motoring offences, but surely the safety of his, alleged, victim might have been a consideration. He was arrested at 3:30 am. At 5:30am the car accident happened, and the driver of the other vehicle wound up in hospital. Shouldn’t that have been prevented by the simple and normally routine act of locking the guy up for the night?

The second is for the editor of the Telegraph? If that very obvious question occurs to a simpleton like me, how come it wasn’t put by your reporter?

The third is also for said editor. His disreputable organ chose to publish, in its story, the address of the footballer involved, but not in its entirety, only the town in which he lives and the street. I’ve just had a look at it on Google Earth; we are not talking modest family terrace here, we are talking leafy suburbia and serious wealth. In recent years, the burglary of footballers’ homes has become a significant part of the black economy in the north west of England. That being the case the Telegraph‘s partial publication has put not only the accused footballer at risk, but potentially, the homes of every one of his neighbours. So my question for Mr T0ny Gallagher is this. Was your action one of negligence, thoughtlessness, or stupidity, or was it deliberate? And if it was the latter I’ll put a supplementary, one that was put to someone else along time ago. Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last?

In less than two weeks, QJ will be on the road working his way through a series of events to launch Funeral Note, the twenty-second Bob Skinner novel. I’ll post these, and anyone in the vicinity will be welcome.

I’m pleased to say that pre-orders for the new book through http://www.campbellreadbooks.com have broken all previous records. They’re not sold out yet though, and can still be accessed simply by clicking the link on this page.

So it looks like Manchester City have finally bought success. Only Newcastle United stand in the way, realistically, of the best league in world football being won by a club that is to all intents and purposes state owned. Okay, I know that technically it’s an investment trust, but that’s run by a key member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, so let’s not split hairs, or kid ourselves, City fans; your team is state-owned. Those owners will have passed the ‘fit and proper persons’ scrutiny, I’m sure, but how can you apply such tests to a nation where democracy is practised only within the ruling group, and where dissent is not tolerated? Yes, football has financial fair play rules which in theory should keep the playing fields level, but these can be and will be manipulated.

My fingers are crossed for Newcastle on Sunday, but it won’t do any good. Money, and a playing style that recalls Don Revie’s Leeds United at its most cynical, will have had its way over flair and prudent financial management.

This probably sounds like sour grapes from a Man U fan, whose club wouldn’t be held to ransom by Carlos Tevez’ agent, wouldn’t pay ridiculous money for, and wages to, players whom they knew would be only peripheral first team figures, and wouldn’t fork out £40m for Kun Aguero. If it does, you’re right, it is. But consider this. What’s going to happen to City when the Arab Spring,  sweeps through the Emirates, as in time it will?

Yes, I plan to do another standalone novel. It won’t be a follow-up to The Loner, otherwise The Loner wouldn’t be a standalone. However that’s not to say I won’t do a follow-up to The Loner sometime down the road. Geddit?

Thank you, Norah, for sending me this.

It’s brilliant and it isn’t a spoof.

I’ve grown old pointing out that the existence of a province wide police force in Ontario does not preclude the existence of other, smaller forces.

Today, the following is running on the Ryanair website, and is being reported in other media. I will add to its dissemination.

This is the latest round in Ryanair’s bid to screw the maximum commercial advantage from  the forced sale of Edinburgh, and it must be resisted. The company is demanding, as it does all over Europe, preferential treatment over its competitors, and it has no shame in so doing. But this time it is over the top. The figures it quotes are clearly nonsense.They suggest that the obscure loss-making winter routes that they are cutting represent over a quarter of Edinburgh Airport’s total turnover. They imply that it takes one employee to service one thousand ‘pax’. From the first five words right to the end, the statement is riddled with arrogance and distortion. Michael O’Leary and his cohorts have to realise that theirs is a service organisation that relies on public goodwill. If they did so, instead of constantly taking the aggressive posture of the bully, they might find that their airline’s ‘pax p a’ figures actually rose. If they don’t they will find more and more people deciding that civility and service is worth a little extra cost.

Edinburgh Airport was there, and profitable, before Ryanair came along, and it will continue to thrive even if it pulls out entirely.  In fact, I wish it would, and look seriously at an alternative.

In the middle of East Lothian, there sits, right beside the Edinburgh – London railway line, East Fortune Airport, home of the Museum of Flight and its major attraction, Concorde. It has been there for almost a hundred years since it was built to counter the threat of the Zeppelin. In 1919, it became the world’s first trans-Atlantic airport, when the airship R34 took off from there and flew to Mineola, New York. Today it is used by no-one other than a few microlight pilots, motor-cyclists  and Sunday market traders, but for a short period fifty years ago it served as Edinburgh’s airport while work was under way at Turnhouse. It would probably be cheap to buy, the runway could be easily restored and a dedicated railway station could be installed at minimal cost, allowing a direct link to the centre of Edinburgh that would be as quick as the Turnhouse bus. The residents of East Linton and Athelstaneford might have reservations, but these would be  softened by the prospect of improved rail services and rising property values.

Take a look, Mr O’Leary. Yes, I appreciate that it would take a little investment and that spending its own money is not  something that your company is fond of doing. However I suspect that East Lothian Council would bite your hand off for the economic growth you would generate, and that Scotrail would too, for all those extra pax. Freed from landing charges, you could operate as many profitable routes as you liked out of there. On top of all that, there woud be an added, undreamed of bonus. You might actually become popular.

Having been on hand and clearing her throat at Wigan last night, the Fat Lady has gone for a cup of tea, and will make her next appearance in Manchester.

Sebastian Vettel, the F1 World Champion, has been expressing his views on the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is in doubt because the Bahraini royal regime has been wielding the big stick, literally, over pro-democracy demonstrations. He has been quoted as saying: “The latest comment was that we are going to Bahrain to race there I think.” He added that, if that remained the case, “then I think it is safe enough to go and we should go there and race and not worry about something that is not our own business.”

For all his excellence as a driver the young German still has a lot of growing up to do. For those of us who live in democracies, it is our business when aspirations are beng oppressed, fairly brutally; we must worry, and if all we can do to express solidarity is boycott those countries, then we should. Hopefully Seb will come to realise that one day. Or is it simply the case that he will always fit very well behind the wheel of a Panzer tank? In his defence, though, he is simply following the lead of the Formula One autocrat, the octogenarian, Bernie Ecclestone. I reckon Bernie would stage a Grand Prix in Guantanamo Bay if he thought it would make money.

Warning! Don’t get caught speeding in Effingham County (Was there ever a place better named?) as did Jose Maria Olazabal Manterola, our Ryder Cup  captain. If you do, they will fine you a significant amount of money, but much worse, they will take your mugshot and post it on their website, to be lifted and used by any newspaper in the world, including what used to be the Daily Telegraph. Another small example of what can happen when a nation declines to ratify international treaties on human rights.

A nod to Homer and Bart Simpson from Scottish Water who roused my household just before midnight last night by ringing the doorbell incessantly. When I got there the two dunnikin-divers told me that my neighbour had a blocked drain, and demanded to know whether the door between our two houses gives access to his back garden. It does not and I told  them so, but guys, excuse me; he knows that as well as I do, so why the ******* need for a second opinion?!?!?!?

Thanks for your feedback, but I don’t do requests. If you don’t know the difference between arrogance and honesty, I can’t help you either.

Ten minutes to spare? Then log on to this website, and prepare to be astonished/impressed/energised/empowered/enriched/enraged/shocked/disgusted. (You choose once you’re done.)

http://www.thekeysecret.org/

Be sure you play the Youtube video.

In common, I suspect, with many people, I did not know there was a by-election in Bradford yesterday until I switched on the news this morning to hear George Galloway’s victory speech. Having heard it I had to replay it on my iPad to confirm that it hadn’t been a bad dream.

It’s easy to write Gorgeous George off as a music hall turn, particularly after his embarrassing Big Brother performance, at a time when he was out of the limelight and would have done anything for the publicity that seems to re-oxygenate his lifeblood. It’s too easy to do that and it’s wrong. In fact, he’s a dangerous man, and he’s just proved it. Mr Galloway uses the democratic process, but as a tool. His speech in the early hours of this morning showed quite clearly that he would embrace the one party state, as long as that party was his. He is no more a democrat than were Stalin or Hitler, or his dear old pal Saddam, who finally ran out of rope. Since being booted out of the Labour Party, and emblazoning the word ‘Respect’ (a party he did not found, but uses as a vehicle) across his banner, I have heard nothing from him but hatred; no progressive policies, no plan for regenerating our troubled economy, only bile and invective. His tactic is obvious; he did in it London and now he’s done it again. He goes into an area with a substantial ethnic vote and sets himself up as its champion, encouraging discontent, encouraging division. And they fall for it. His love for himself seems to transfer itself to them. We saw through him in Scotland a while back, as his failed intervention in the 2011 election demonstrated, but clearly  where conditions are right, he can still work his black magic, for a while.

This morning, though, he went too far. Given what happened in the Middle East last year, given last summer’s youth unrest in England’s cities, to stand in a largely muslim constituency and announce the ‘Bradford Spring’  then describe it as an uprising among young people, was at the very least inflammatory, and possibly even an incitement. George is hugely articulate, beyond a doubt, but I wonder if he is always aware of the wider implications of his words. If he is invited to discuss them with the DPP, I won’t be too surprised.

Thanks BJ. Always good to hear from  Canada.