31st December 2004

And so I come to the last entry in my diary for 2004. Like so many men in Britain today I have no contact with my kids. This means that the new year brings its own unhappiness at this loss. The good work done this year by everyone at Fathers 4 Justice has brought to the forefront the obscene injustice of the British legal system. The events at Buckingham Palace brought to the world stage the enormity of the problem and the fact that we in Britain still have a medieval court system which makes the assumption that dads are there to supply money and little else. The system panders to spiteful women who use their children as psychological weapons in order to wreck the lives of their ex-partners/husbands.

These women are self-obsessed and have no interest in their childrens' emotional welfare. The poor kids are forced to take sides in some kind of imaginary war which is totally unnecessary and deeply damaging to the children's welfare. All this is done so that their mother can brainwash her children and rewrite history into a lie which paints her as the poor innocent victim.. Dad is portrayed as Gengis Khan with loads of made up allegations to emphasise the point. Of course to do all this you first have to separate the kids from any contact with their father, because if you don't all the above tactics won't work which is why these women put so much time and effort into this vile practice.

Who are the biggest losers in this? .....simple; the children. They lose contact with their loving father and are filled with hatred for the characture of him that their mother has created in order to achieve this. This way she doesn't have to account for her own actions or behaviour.

 

Just time for me to wish everyone a happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year especially Daniel and Sean.

 

 

12th December 2004

Well, Christmas is fast approaching and I am told that this time has nothing to do with the birth of Christ.......well that's what a woman said on the radio the other day. I'm not a big supporter of organised religion (or organised anything for that matter), but I was brought up with the notion that Jesus was born in a stable etc. etc. and that's why we celebrate at Christmas. Apparently not any more. Christmas has become a celeberation designed to spank your credit card (or better still someone elses) and get very fat and drunk. Most of Britian do this all year round so it's funny that our nation has become so very shallow. It seems to me that the great god Telly has caused our population to believe that the only things that matter in life are instant gratification and pleasure at the flick of a switch. This slide to fake hedonism seems to grip our people and of course doesn't work as the large numbers of post Christmas hangovers (medical and fanancial) will testify.

My Christmas will be a quiet time of rest and reflection. A time to mull over the important things of life....like Sheffield United's results!

22nd November 2004

Hello dear readers and welcome once again to my rant page. I must apologise for the lack of keyboard activity recently, truth is I'm still laughing about the American election result. How on earth has Bush done it again? The yanks must have lost their collective minds. Oh well I suppose being Americans they can't help it.

On a more important note, Sheffield United seem to be on track again after a shaky spell. The Blades are now lurking in 7th place and seem poised to consolidate their position over the next few months.

Thanks to all the ex- Post Office Telephones/ BT people who have contacted me over last few months in response to "Buzby's Boys" which appears on this site. It's basically a record of my days as a telephone engineer which began in 1977. I've tried to capture the spirit of the time and the fact that people of my age were the last generation to experience full employment. When I left school I was offered several jobs and I had the luxury of picking the one I fancied the most. It's a different story nowadays of course following the "Thatcher Years." In my humble opinion that woman has screwed our once wonderful country for the next fifty years. The railways are in chaos, hospitals massively underfunded and most of us don't know if we will have a pension when we retire. All of these disasters can be directly traced back to Mrs. T and her tax-cut policies which some people thought were jolly nice at the time. There's a Yorkshire saying which goes "There's nowt for nowt" and people are now paying for these maniac policies. The rest of Europe have good railways, well run hospitals and much lower retirement ages that we enjoy in Britain. We are the fourth biggest economy in the world and yet ordinary citizens have an inferior quality of life to our European colleagues. So why is this? Where is all the money going? I would suggest that the damage caused by Thatcherism is now being felt. I heard on the radio today calls to re-nationalise the railways. This is because the one remaining publically owned railway company is out-performing its privately owned counterparts. Looks like things are turning full circle.

 

26th October 2004

I'm very sad to hear that John Peel has died. Having listened to John for many years I feel sorry that we will never hear his like again. John was responsible for helping the careers of more new bands than can be imagined. The Undertones and Jarvis Cocker owe him the credit for their first airtime as do many other bands and artists. John was the only remaining original Radio One broadcaster from the station's launch in 1967. The station is now a joke and in no way represents the creative side of the music industry. Instead it panders to the corporate gabbage that the industry churns out. "Peely" had no time for this and waged something of a guerilla campaign to give exposure to new bands who didn't fit into the mainstream. John died of a heart attack while on holiday in Peru. He will be much missed by me and his many listeners.

John Peel 1939 - 2004

 

12th October 2004

Great win by England against the Welsh on Saturday. We look to be in a good position now at the head of our group.

I watched with considerable interest Bob Geldof's programme about marriage and divorce on Channel 4 tonight. As you probably know I, like so many fathers these days, haven't seen my kids for five years. I am one of the many victims of the ridiculous family courts system. It's a system which basically panders to spiteful women who use their children as psychological weapons against their former husbands. It seems that men like me are now fighting back against a clearly perverse system and what's more the politicians have woken up to the fact that there are votes to be had from the part of the electorate who have been descriminated against. Of course it's not only fathers who are affected but also grandparents, uncles, aunties etc. In fact it's usually one half of the children's family who are excluded from contact to appease spiteful, brainless, callous individuals who use children to wage war on their ex-partner's families. Truth is that men are fed up with being treated as second class citizens and we are fighting back to see our beloved children. There is a definite change in the air as the effect on the children is immense, not that their mother's seem concerned about the damage that exclusion from a proper relationship with their own father causes the children. No, they are obsessed with the idea that they are victims and need to be felt sorry for. Well not any more. Your time is over and a fairer system is only a matter of time away. It works perfectly well in other countries where parenting is still shared even after divorce.

 

5th September 2004

I watched the England v Austria game last night. What a shambles! We were 2 - 0 up after seventy minutes and looked to be cruising. But then the usual trait of reverting to type occurred. Instead of playing possesion football to kill the game, the team started the old habit of long-balling it everytime we got the possesion....WHY?

It was appalling tactically and shows a lack of understanding of how to win big games.The match was all but won and then the lack of discipline and concentration surfaced. Players started playing for themselves and not the team and began grandstanding, no doubt with an eye to being selected on Wednesday. This has become quite a problem and shows a lack of strong leadership on the pitch. Beckham has not been impressive for some time and I wonder about his focus. Perhaps he has too many distractions off the field?

We also don't have a "proper" centre forward....someone who is strong in the air and who can hold up the play. Why does Sven completely ignore the best centre forward in the country, namely James Beatie. There seems to be no place for Beatie despite his obvious strength and goal scoring ability. Give him a chance! I would also play Shaun Wright-Philips and rest Beckham. Yes I really do mean it. Shaun's on fire at the moment and has the ability to run past defenders in a way that no-one else can. He would terrify the Poles on Wednesday. So I say drop Beckham for now and go with Wright-Philips. Steven Gerrard as captain for the game. I would stick with David James too. One mistake is not a crisis for a goalie. Generally, David's played well for England. So I say keep him in the side.

My team would be: James (we're all human), Ashley Cole, G. Neville, Terry, King (great player), Lampard, Gerrard (Captain), Wright-Philips, *Owen, Smith

* I would have played Beatie instead of Owen if he'd been in the squad.

 

30th August 2004

The Olympics have finished and last night I watched a bit of the closing ceremony. All that Greek music reminded me of a holiday I had in Corfu. The Greeks did a truly marvellous job despite all the doom merchants who had predicted chaos.

It was a shame that the marathon was marred by the unwelcome intervention of a moron who grabbed the Brazilian runner who was leading the race . It was the same dick-head who ran on the track during last year's British Grand Prix at Silverstone. The consequences of this idiots actions at Silverstone didn't bear thinking about. Memories of the late Tom Pryce's fatal accident at Kyalami during the 1977 South African Grand Prix came to mind. Poor Tom was killed when his car collided with a track marshal who had run across the track. Sadly, Tom and the marshal both died instantly.

I thought they had locked the Silverstone trespasser in a nuthouse, but no he reappears to molest the poor chap from Brazil, who despite the incident, finished 3rd. What a hero!

I think the powers that be need to look at the possibllity of some kind of award for the Brazillian to recognise his achievement, given that his running career may have been ruined by the Silverstone half-wit who will, hopefully, be thrown down the deepest bottomless pit the Greeks can find.

* Update: The moron who attacked the Brazillian runner in the Olympic marathon has been given a 12 month suspended sentance by a Greek court. What a joke! The stupid bastard should have got life. This idiot lives in England and I hope his neighbours give him a warm welcome when he returns.....a couple of hours on a bonfire should do.

 

19th August 2004

Good win by England in the friendly against Ukraine. Three good goals especially the one scored by Shaun Wright-Phillips, he looks like a great player for the future.

14th August 2004

It's good to see the Olympics have started. All the doom and gloom merchants have been proved wrong again as the facilities provided by the genial Greeks are said to be outstanding. All the carping in the press about lazy Greek workers appears to have been concocted to fit the ethnic stereo-typing so loved by the press hacks.

I hope Great Britian's team members do well and hopefully some will come back with medals. Of course we find it difficult to compete with the Americans and Australians who have government mega-bucks behind their training facilities. In Dear Old Blighty our government gives sod all except a good luck card unless someone wins a gold medal at which point My Little Tony (Tony Blair) will rush out into the limelight to bask in the reflected glory. It's about time tax payer's money was diverted from some of the less constructive beneficiaries who currently attract cash mainly because of their political correctness.

Anyway, good luck to everyone.

3rd August 2004

Some things never change do they? Last July I told you about the effect that spammers were having on my e mail. Things quietened down a little as I understand that over in the former colony (USA) the FBI had swooped on the ring leaders. The relief was, unfortunately, all too brief. I thought I would share with you again the article I wrote in July last year as it seems to be just as relevant today.

Article from "Dear Diary" July 2003

I've been terribly upset lately because some beastly chaps from the United States, who I understand are called spammers, have targeted my e-mail. My poor inbox has been creaking under the weight of these unexpected deliveries, most of which appear to be from a chap named Hernandez. I feel sorry for poor Mr. Hernandez having to waste his time sending me details of his latest generous offers, which alas, I cannot take advantage of. I only wish I had a septic tank that required emptying and if I had I would certainly get Mr. Hernandez to do the job for me, after I had ducked his head repeatedly in the deep end of course. That would be a spiffing wheeze. I am worried just how much information my Microsoft operating system divulges to the general public. Mr. Hernandez seems to feel that I need some enhancement in the …..shall we say "wedding tackle" department. I didn't know Windows Millenium Edition passed on that kind of information to the general public or possibly my computer has been hacked in some way…thus revealing my shortcomings to Mr. Hernandez.

Mr. Hernandez is also a part-time pharmacist and he appears to specialise in the supply of a tablet called Viagra. He is very enthusiastic when extolling the virtues of his product, although I find his promises of discreet delivery somewhat worrying, as I would not like a large truck with the word Viagra, painted in three-foot high letters down the side, parked on the driveway at Hanna Towers, whilst Mr. Hernandez delivers my order.

Mr. Hernandez must be a very resilient sort of chap. Despite the fact that I never reply to any of his e-mails he never the less keeps sending me information on his latest bargains. He must be a sterling fellow of some resolve to stick so doggedly to his task despite the disappointing results. Perhaps Mr. Hernandez is very lonely and doesn't have many friends. It must be difficult for him to get out as he spends so much time in front of his computer and on his Viagra deliveries. I hope he finds someone who will write back to him very soon as I fear I might become terribly rude and tell Mr. Hernandez to stop writing to me as I'm afraid I do not have any need for his products. Poor chap, I hope he finds a friend soon.

19th July 2004

Is it me or is it impossible to sit down and watch telly without someone ringing me up trying to sell me something? It was bad enough when the calls were confined to my local double glazing company but now people are ringing from as far afield as India just to annoy me. Sunday dinner seems to be their favourite time and my weekly enjoyment of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is nearly always interupted by someone from the sub-continent interogating me about my buying habits. Just to make the experience even more irratating they manage to punctuate the call with a two second satellite delay which makes normal conversation almost impossible. I don't know of anybody who greets these invasions with anything other than "get lost" so why do these companies do this.

I recently cancelled my electricity and gas supply because my then provider moved their call centre to India. No sooner had I done this than they rang me up to demand to know why I'd cancelled the agreement with them. Guess where the call came from.........yes India. You just can't win can you?

8th July 2004

Hello readers. I feel at a loose end now that the Euro 2004 footie has finished. Back to the normal TV progs which seem a little bland compared to the drama of the last few weeks. Apart from getting over the disappointment of not having the foresight to put my life savings on Greece to win at 60-1, therefore ensuring my early retirement to Spain, I have to say that I've realised just how crap mainstream telly is. I'm a devotee of the History Channel and so I don't often watch the Beeb, ITV or the Channel 4 and 5 pornathon and now I know why. The standard of offerings is appalling and mainly aimed at people with the same intelligence as a pet gerbil. Nightly catfights in the Queen Vic followed by gay Superintendents in The Bill followed by celebrity cock fighting. What a load of crap! So I'm stuck with Hitler's girlfriends and shark mating habits over on Discovery.....of course I could always switch it off.

Pass the remote.

28th June 2004

Back on line at last. My trusty computer decided to pack up a couple of weeks ago and none of my technical efforts (swearing at it and hitting it repeatedly with a big hammer) could restore my gadget to health. Finally I bought another PC and flatscreen thus permitting my reconnection to the world wide web, internet thingy.

A lot has happened since my last written offerings including England's return home following the quarter-final defeat. Much has been written about the short-sighted ref, agricultural standard penalty spots and the futures of Mr. Beckham and Mr. Eriksson. My own thoughts are as follows.....lets all take a break and some time to think. Any changes in personnel at this stage would be madness as our qualifiers for the World Cup start in the Autumn. Personally I think the only ingredient we lacked was a bit of luck and no amount of sackings will change that. What's required is a positive attitude and a belief in ourselves, plus a little good fortune, that's the difference between good teams and world beaters. In the meantime well done lads it was a great effort!

 

5th June 2004

Good win by England against Iceland today..... we go on to meet Kwik Save in the final.

I hope it will be a great Euro Championship and hopefully England will do well. Let's hope the idiotic tabloid press give the team a chance and don't moan everytime something goes wrong ensuring more pressure is put on the team. The boys need to relax and play with the flowing style that is only possible if the expectation isn't unbearably high. We also need a bit of luck to come our way too.

 

25th May 2004

I watched the Monaco Grand Prix at the weekend which is something that I don't do as much as I used to. There was a time when I was mad keen on Formula One but nowadays although I watch most of the races I must confess to a certain waning of interest. It's all become rather predictable and the domination of big business within F1 has reduced the championship's sporting quality as now it's become a platform for major motor industry big boys to strut their stuff. I preferred it when it had a more homely feel.

I must confess to a certain level of amusement at the way in which Heir Schumacher departed the race. Yes Michael, slam your brakes on in the middle of a dark tunnel....great idea. He then stomps off in a huff blaming poor old J.P. Montoya. If anyone else had done the same thing they would have been called all the stupid prats in the book, but because it's Michael all the pundits make excuses for him. Well not me I'm afraid, I have a less charitable response. In my humble opinion Michael does these things to intimidate other drivers and on Sunday he outsmarted himself. So I say tough luck old boy. Michael's had it his own way for far too long.....mainly because of his own remarkable ability and the speed and durability of his Ferrari. But I would like to see the other teams giving him a harder time. By the way McLaren...what the hell has happened?

I have more thoughts about Formula One and an account of my own sorjourn into motor sport on my

Motor Sports Page.

14th May 2004

And so another football season ends. The Blades just missed out on a play-off place but I still think it's been a good season. We just lost our way a bit after Christmas due to some changes in the playing staff. Mid-season changes like this always need time to settle in and we just ran out of time. The team look good for next year with some excellent youngsters like Francis and McCloud breaking through.

I had the pleasure of being treated to another day with the Blades for the Stoke game on the 17th April 2004. My old friend Alan Palfreyman invited me and my wealthy brother Pete as guests. You can read about it by clicking here.

Up the Blades!

I look forward to Portugal where England have a tough group stage to negotiate. I can't wait as I'm sure it will be an excellent championship come what may.

 

Yes that's me with Jagg's shirt (we're not worthy!)

30th April 2004

Sad to say that United seem to have missed out on the play-offs for this season. Our draw tonight against Ipswich is probably not enough to secure our place unless one of the teams in the first six suddenly nose-dives and we win against Preston. I was appalled to see banners in the crowd questioning the players' commitment. Not the kind of thing you want to see as you kick off a major game. I think these people are seriously misguided. United are in a transition phase at the moment and young players like McCloud and Francis will reap rewards in the coming seasons. Neil Warnock has done a marvelous job over the last few seasons but the results have brought new expectations and a growing impatience in some areas. I say we should congratulate Neil and the team on another great season whether or not we reach the play-offs. We have a healthy bank balance and our ordered finances secure our beloved club's future. Others have sought to gamble with big purchases and have driven their clubs to near extinction. Our friends at Leeds will vouch for the folly of this strategy. I say remain calm and patient and continue the good work of the senior team and encourage the youth academy to bring on new talent. There in lies the sensible future and promotion to the Premiership.

I wrote about this on the 24th February and you can read my comments below. I have not changed my opinions on this subject despite recent disappointments.

My Days With The Blades

10th April 2004

Poor old Blades...I've just watched the worst performance of the season...awful. Defending like statues the Blades were given the run-around by Sunderland who look an impressive side under the leadership of Mick McCarthy. I decided, however, not to let this minor setback ruin my Easter weekend. So with this in mind I've taken a good rest and watched footie for most of the hols. With the Champions League games this week, it's been a real football feast. It was good to see Arsenal getting knocked out of the F.A. Cup and Champions League in one week. Not that I don't like Arsenal, just because they beat United last year in the semi-final of the F.A. Cup. It was good to see some of that arrogance wiped of their faces. It's always dangerous to count your chickens in football. A month ago Arsenal were being tipped to do the treble, I for one predicted that they would not win anything this year. They are too dependent on Henry. If he were to get an injury they'd be a different team. Let's wait and see.

28th March 2004

Hello dear reader. I must apologise for the slight gap in communications. I've had a cold for a few days so I have, as any man would, lolled around on the settee trying to pull the most miserable face I can. Not that there's anyone to see it, except Mr. D'arcy, my mum's lurcher who's been staying with me while mumsy's been away on her hols. I hope you've noted that I wrote COLD and not FLU. That's because that's all it's been..... a cold. I hate people who always insist that they have flu even when they've only got a cold. They seem to think that their efforts to arrive at work, in order to infect everyone else, will get more attention if you claim to have flu and not a mere cold.

Mr. D'arcy (A true hero)

Some years ago, my then youthful body, was stricken with Asian flu, which was doing the rounds at the time. I lay in my sweat soaked bed for two days only leaving its security to crawl on hands and knees to the bathroom. Be in no doubt that when you genuinely have flu you certainly know it and you certainly will not be at work telling everyone all about it. I therefore present my layman's guide to flu diagnosis to clear up the "Is it a cold is it flu" debate.

Question 1...... Are you capable of standing up without the use of scaffolding? If your answer is yes, you have a cold. If its no, then you have flu.

If you have either a cold or flu treat as follows....STAY AWAY FROM ME!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7th March 2004

The poor Blades have been knocked out of the F.A. Cup by Sunderland today. We just didn't get going in the first half and by the break we were one nil down. The second half was much better as Sunderland's goal-mouth looked like the Alamo. Ah well, we can always concentrate on the league and promotion now.

 

1st March 2004

It's with great sorrow that today we have said good-bye to one of the all time greats of football. John Charles died last week and his funeral took place today. The man known as "The Gentle Giant," Wales and Leeds football legend John Charles died at the age of 72. He was admitted to hospital in January after feeling unwell prior to an appearance on Italian television. He underwent two operations in Milan and had part of his foot amputated due to serious blood circulation problems before being flown back to England.

There will be a minute's silence for Mr. Charles before Saturday's Premiership match between Leeds and Manchester United, at Old Trafford. Fans at Cardiff's Ninian Park will pay their respects before the Division One game against Sunderland as will crowds at every Welsh Premier ground.

John Charles

The Welshman, who also starred for Italian giants Juventus, was never booked or sent off in his career. Former Republic of Ireland manager Jack Charlton remarked on how he was overawed by Mr.Charles when he arrived at Leeds as a player. "I had just arrived at Elland Road and they were all talking about John Charles," said Jack Charlton.

Leeds issued a club statement expressing their sadness at the death of Mr. Charles. "He was widely regarded as one of the greatest players the game of football has known," it read.

John Charles joined Leeds when he was only 17, scoring more than 150 goals in eight years, including 42 in the 1953-4 season. He moved to Italian giants Juventus for a then record fee of £65,000 in 1957 and scored 93 goals in 155 matches. Dubbed the "Gentle Giant" by Italian fans, he also netted 15 goals in 38 appearances for Wales.

Awarded the CBE in 2001, John Charles, who also had spells with Roma, Hereford, Mythyr and Cardiff, played in the last Wales team to qualify for the World Cup, starring in the 1958 Finals. In 2002, he was made a vice president of the Football Association of Wales.

Swansea-born Mr. Charles passed away at Wakefield's Pinderfields Hospital in the early hours of Saturday. Bob Harris, co-writer of the autobiography 'King John', said: "The end was very peaceful." It was while promoting the book in Milan on 7 January that Mr. Charles collapsed before a TV show with a heart attack.

John Charles will be sadly missed, the great game of football was made greater by his presence.

27th February 2004

Firstly I'd like to give a big welcome to Andy Gray and Sasa Ilic who have joined The Blades today. I'm sure they will be very welcome at Bramall Lane. After our win against Crewe midweek we're back to fourth spot behind Wigan, West Brom and Norwich. Monty seems unable to stop scoring at the moment and he found the net again against Crewe. It's that time in the season when it's head down and grind out the results.

24th February 2004

Oh dear....four defeats in a row for The Blades and already the whingers are out in force. I listened with interest and considerable amusement to the comments made by callers to Radio Sheffield's "Praise or grumble" programme. The usual eyewash about spending money we don't have on more players and the criticism of Neil Warnock made my blood boil. What a load of crap. When Mr. Warnock took over at United we were near the bottom of the First Division and the revolving door on the manager's office was in danger of melting its hinges. Since Neil took over we've had a wonderful period of success which has, as is always the case in football, raised the fan's expectation level. People think that this success means we should pawn the family silver and go for promotion to the Premiership.

The folly of this philosophy can be seen in all its illogical glory just up the M1 at Leeds. Two years ago or so they were in the semi-finals of the Champions League and this sent the fans, the board, the Chairman and everyone at the club into a buying frenzy which will inevitably result in the club being relegated and possibly going bankrupt. That's the harsh reality of football today.

The two teams who look like they are going to get automatic promotion this year are West Brom and Norwich. West Brom have "parachute money" from their brief sojourn in the Premiership and Norwich's success is largely the result of the proceeds from Delia Smith's last cook book. The Blades have not got this kind of money and are unlikely to get a major "money person" to invest in the club unless Neil Warnock's next recipe book turns out to be an unexpected success. That's the reality of the situation and has nothing to do with Neil's ability as a coach. It's just the way it is and fans should accept it or fall into the trap that Leeds have. So I'm content for The Blades to do the best we can within the financial framework we have. At least that way we will still have a club in ten years time unlike many clubs who think that they can buy success. It's a dangerous tactic and one which I wholeheartedly disagree with. Well done Mr. Warnock and all the team for another great season even if we stay in the First Division.

18th February 2004

 

Sheffield is truly buzzing at the moment, at least the Sheffield United affiliated section is. The chaps from Sheffield 6 seem a little lost at the moment but we of the Blades persuasion are looking forward to our FA Cup quarter-final match. The Bramall Lane cash register is again ringing as the mighty Blades progress towards the final stages of the competition. Neil Warnock should be given the freedom of the city if you ask me.

He's assembled an effective team with a budget similar in size to Chelsea's tea club. Shoestring, scoop purchases have been Neil's secret and have confounded the idea that in football you have to have a fortune on tap to achieve success. His attitude is a refreshing contrast to the managers up and down our land who constantly bemoan the fact they don't have any money to spend on players. Even the larger clubs who have spent money (usually borrowed) are jealous of Mr. Warnock's achievements.

A particularly endearing part of Mr. Warnock's character is that he actually speaks his mind and he doesn't care who's listening. He speaks plain English (with a delightful Sheffield accent) and not the "corporate media speak" so loved by other managers. He tells it like it is. Of course he has his critics, but no-one can accuse him of being noncommittal or having a lack of focus. Neil Warnock is a Blade through and through and that's what we love.

UP THE BLADES!

The Lads

4th February 2004

I'm feeling a little miffed at the moment dear reader. I've been on the phone today trying to cancel a mobile phone I no longer need. As is the case with most large corporations these days, my service provider's customer service department seems to have the sole aim of preventing me from speaking to anything other than a series of recorded announcements, none of which have any relevance to me. I just wanted to tell someone (preferably human) that I no longer needed the gadget in question. Eventually I managed to negotiate myself around the recorded maze and I was granted an audience with someone who had an unnatural interest in my mother's maiden name. "What's it got to do with you," I retorted indignantly. I was informed that this was a security measure to prevent fraud. How odd I thought as my mother's maiden name is hardly a state secret and in any case all my utility companies already know it because that's the first thing they asked me about when I signed up with them. I take it that uttering your mother's maiden name is a sure way to pass any security check. Possibly one no longer needs a to carry a passport as the simple expedient of announcing in crisp, clear voice your mother's premarital tag should suffice. The next time I have any contact with the local police I'll just shout my mother's maiden name and await a smart salute from the good constable.

These modern companies' telephones are always answered by the wrong department, how does that work? My enquiry is never anything to do with the person who eventually answers the phone.... after the recorded Daleks. They then subject you to three-quarters of an hour of Dire Straits until some stroppy madam answers as if you've just interrupted her watching her favourite TV programme. I wonder where they get these people from, they always talk as if I'm a dreadful nuisance and that they have much better things to do than to bother with the likes of me. They always seem so friendly on the adverts. Smiling ladies with headsets, beaming at the camera lens just waiting for my call. How different they are in reality. Perhaps I'm just getting old but young people seem to think it's a sign of weakness to show any manners and seem totally unable to use words like please and thank you.

18th January 2004

Last night I watched Sheffield United claw back a draw (3-3) from West Ham when it looked like we'd been beaten. West Ham were 3-1 up at half-time. The Warnock never say die mentality bears fruit again! I reckon we've a good chance of getting automatic promotion this year although there's still a long way to go. The mighty Blades are riding high at the moment unlike the boys from Sheffield 6 who seem to have lost their way. Not that we Blades are ones to gloat.....oh no. But I do remember a certain amount of ribald comment when we were languishing in the old Fourth Division and Wednesday were in the First. We really had our team's misfortune rubbed in our faces didn't we. That's why I rise above all that malarkey. You never know in football and things can change very quickly. Just ask Leeds United!

If you want to keep up to date with The Blades my brother takes time in between counting his money to write a match report on every game. He goes to every home game and rushes home to his computer to get his report written so you can read it hot off the press. He is the number one Blades fan and you can read his reports at www.peterhanna.net

Or you can go to Google and type in Blades Latest. His site is the top answer which must really piss off the official site's owners. Ah well the Internet is the saviour of the little man isn't it.

Me and Pete with Blades legends (and Palf)

Full report click here

You can read about my magical day out as a guest of Sheffield United by clicking here . I got to sit in the Directors' Box to watch the game (against Ipswich) and I was treated to a tour of the ground as well as a nice meal too. I also got to meet some Blades heroes. I couldn't make use of the free bar because I had my car with me (Author's note: only mindless half-wits drink and drive), but my brother Peter drank my share for me.... what a marvellous chap.

Up The Blades!

13th January 2004

Firstly I'd like to wish Daniel a happy birthday.

There's been a lot of activity recently at Hanna Towers as the old place has been receiving a much needed refurbishment. The smell of drying paint pervades the place and I'm glad the work is well underway and hopefully won't take long to complete. I'm not exactly right up to speed with the latest decorating fashions and so I took it upon myself to watch some TV progs on the subject. Strange people in even stranger outfits informed me that the latest trend was to bodge up your abode with weird fabrics and all things shiny. One puffy ponce minced his way round some poor blokes house slagging off all his possessions. He then demolished his living room and replaced everything with the most hideous cheap crap you've ever seen. The result was dreadful and the house's poor owner had to pretend to Carol Smilie that he was really pleased when it was obvious the poor chap was close to tears. Where do they get these so called experts from? The nearest psychiatric hospital I presume either that or the home for the terminally tasteless. Me? I'll play safe with magnolia.

My front door.

10th January 2004

And so another year begins. I hope yours will be pleasant and full of happiness, good fortune and good health. Me? I'll be happy if our planet can survive another year without a major war or terrorist attack. My bet is it won't. I say this because our leaders, particularly Messrs Bush and Blair are preoccupied with the issues that divide our species and not what unites us. We all want to live in peace and have our children healthy and educated. In most parts of the world this doesn't happen and it suits the western world leaders that this status quo should remain. Power is all about money and money is all about power.

The USA is totally dependent on oil for its wealth and therefore power. Unfortunately for Mr. Bush's government the majority of the worlds oil sits under the feet of the people whose countries are not all that friendly to the USA. There in lies the problem. The worst case scenario for the USA is that the Arabs get all friendly and together seek to get more American dollars for their precious oil. Of course if this situation were reversed the Yanks would view this as good business in the same way that they hype up the price of technology based products like medicines, Microsoft computer related wares, the arms trade etc. The same does not apply of course when they are on the receiving end of this free market economy. If the Arabs want more for their oil the Americans shout "Offside" and make plans to destabilize the area. Divide and rule is the name of the game as the last thing the Americans want is a united Arab region who can then stick together and extract more cash for their oil.

The solution to this problem is simple, cause the region to become unstable thus ensuring a ready supply of cheap oil. Saddam Hussein has contributed nicely to this, that's why the Americans (and others) kept him in power. They have supplied him with weapons in order to menace his neighbours who in turn have turned to the Americans for protection against a monster which the western governments helped to create. That's why they left Saddam in power after the '91 Gulf war. If they had got rid of Saddam and introduced a democratic government, Iraq would no longer have been a threat to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Saudis and Kuwaities would have said to the Americans " Thanks for the help fighting Saddam, now we don't need you anymore so please leave and take your troops with you." To arrest this the answer was simple....leave Saddam in power. There is an old proverb which asks "How do you get a man to keep a savage dog in his house?" The answer is to place a wolf outside his door. If you kill the wolf the man will throw out the savage dog.

It's so simple isn't it?

Saddam has even been linked by the Bush administration to the events of September 11th . This is nonsense as there is no connection, either religious or political, between Bin Laden and Saddam. Bin Laden's henchmen have even tried to assassinate him. Of course anyone who points this out is labelled as a terrorist sympathiser and viewed as some kind of traitor. It's an old political trick to use terrible atrocities like the World Trade Centre attacks for political advantage. The attitude of politicians is that since this event has happened we may as well use it to do things the public would not otherwise sanction. I call this "The Lockerbie Principle," the art of turning tragedy into political gain. The people who do this are the same people who thought it was a good idea to arm Bin Laden during the Afghanistan war, a move that has now backfired in the biggest way possible. These people armed Saddam during the eighties knowing full well about the atrocities this man was inflicting on his own people as well as gassing innocent Kurds.

One day governments, especially the Americans, may find the wisdom to realise that supplying unstable, brutal despots is not the way to achieve lasting peace even if it provides a short term advantage. We will find that the way to peace is to start with what unites us all, even our enemies, that way we can make a new beginning. We will have to ignore short term political advantage in favour of the long term gain in stability and peace. To do this we have to accept that the things we want in life are just as acceptable a desire even when expressed by people who at present may be our enemies. We cannot shout about freedom whilst oppressing others. It's a strange irony that America, which was founded by a war of independance, now finds itself colonizing other soveriegn states in the same way the British did in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. We saw the folly of this policy and I have to say that our colonial past is responsible for a lot of the strife around the world that still exists today. Broken British promises regarding the Arab state of Palestine after the First World War have fueled the present Middle East conflict. We are, as a species, slow learmers when it comes to history. The cycle of colonization/poltical interference continues today with predicatable consequences. The Americans tolerate no foriegn influence in their own national affairs and yet they seek to dictate to others.

The Americans shout about a war on terrorism. We in Britain have fought just such a war for many years with various terror groups in Northern Ireland (my birthplace). A war which was largely funded by contributions from so-called Irish/ Americans. At the time, the people who lined the pockets of the terrorists cared little about the deaths and injuries suffered by thousands of British citizens (mostly civilian) on both the mainland and in Ulster. Ironically the good people of New York were one of the largest contributors to the cause. Now these people try to take the moral high ground because they have suffered at terrorist attack. It's the old I'm a freedom fighter you are a terrorist argument. This kind of subjective morality is of course fundamentaly flawed.

My view is simple...all violence is wrong even when it suits your own purpose. If we can learn this then perhaps we have a future, if not......who knows.

 

Dear Diary (Other Years)

2003

2005

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