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THOUGHT FOR THE MOMENT, #2 What is the percentage balance of intentions when a person answers a question with a sentence starting with the word "look?" To avoid an answer or to tell an outright lie? Clue: the sum of the two options is 100. BORED OF EXCELLENCE AND SKILL After ten weeks of inch by inch, blow
by blow of every tiny increment in the engineering solution to rescuing
the miners in Chile, surely I was not the only one who was therefore
completely unsurprised and unastounded when this meticulous and
carefully created project succeeded? And thus found myself completely
bemused by the wall-to-wall television coverage of something that had
become as predictable as a week having seven days. Yet further proof
that the news channels have far too much air time to fill… BETFAIR FLOTATION Sanity seems to have prevailed on the announcement of a target value of £1.5 billion. The profits cannot justify it in a business that lacks appreciating assets in land, bricks and mortar. Others have complimented how it has developed due to excellent marketing, an area which has no substance, and is rather inclined to expand bubbles to maximum prickability. But, on the other hand, imagine if the US relaxed online gambling restrictions to fit in with the rest of the non-Islamic world... SOMETIMES THINGS REALLY DRIVE YOU ROUND THE TWIST At the moment it is the BBC. There is, as usual, too much talk, too little sport on their European Athletics Championships coverage (and the talkers rarely have anything useful to offer - nobody is allowed to use the phrase "banned performance enhancers" in the same sentence as "Dwain Chambers," only "past indiscretions" is allowed). They have been fooled or brow beaten into making an horrendously unnecessary fuss because it is exactly two years to the Olympics. Suppose it may prove nice for anyone who pops their clogs in the meantime, unless it comes from over excitement. And they are doing a season telling us how great the Normans were. They were a nasty piece of work, sabotaging centuries of goodwill between Anglo-Saxons and the Irish, by invading Ireland and banning the use of Gaelic, as they were paranoid of people talking a language they understood. Many editions of Anglo-Saxon law codes, which insured that even the lowliest pond dweller got a fair and regulated hearing against the most powerful noble in a dispute were scrapped because it inconveniently prevented them slaughtering the population on a whim (thus they were prototypes of Oliver Cromwell, one of the most unpleasant men in English history - the fact that his statue is outside parliament sums the place up), and what we know of the Anglo-Saxons may have been even thinner had Henry III not had an Anglophile streak. And the destruction of surviving elements of classical civilisation in Sicily is deemed to be one of their great achievements. Scrap the Normans, return to appreciating Anglo-Saxon codes and values, with their emphasis on fairness and appreciation of good story telling, horses and beer. Actually, what is the real annoying aspect about the BBC is that they still can churn out he good stuff, such as "Death On The Mountain" which was on BBC4 Tuesday night and does an excellent job of filling in the career story of Tommy Simpson, when many people now will have heard of him dying in the Tour De France, but be unaware of the full story. But these things get tucked away, unpromoted and hard to find, because the window-lickers pap holds sway. FOOD FOR THOUGHT 2005 election. Labour get 700,000 more votes than Conservatives, and gave a comfortable overall majority. 2010 election. Conservative gain over 2,000,000 more votes than Labour and fail to gain an overall majority, despite a rise in the Lib Dems percentage of the vote (and a rise in number by a 1,000,000 or so) resulting in them actually getting less seats. Add in the fact that nearly a million people - just under 5% of the turnout - voted UKIP and have nothing to show for it. More proof that the current system is not fit for purpose. Mind you, on Channel 4, the election special ended up somehow discussing the doom of humanity with Brian Cox, who wisely declared that the number one threat to the human race is "our own stupidity." Which probably explains why most people think that the British electoral system is a help rather than a hindrance. POLITICAL INTEGRITY So Gordon Brown's "all my woes" interview with with television's most putrid person (now that is an achievement!) was not a cynical timed nod to the impending, but unannounced election. We know this because it was assured by Alistair Campbell, the only man that Tony Blair can call on for "I want to be the honest one in this picture" poses. "PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION" Whilst acknowledging that pure proportional representation can allow every fruitbat and wingnut an unearned shot at a political career, translating the percentage of the euro election vote for the English, Scottish and Welsh areas makes interesting reading. Might one particular party have cause to feel a little aggrieved? Clue - the Lib Dems got 1.6 times as many votes as them, but 5.5 times as many seats... % seats earned seats won Conservative 27.7 20 25 UKIP 16.5 12 13 Labour 15.7 11 13 Lib Dems 13.7 10 11 Green 8.6 6 2 BNP 6.2 4 2 SNP 2.1 2 2 Plaid Cymru 0.8 1 1 English Demcts 1.8 1 0 Christian 1.6 1 0 Socialist Labr 1.1 1 0 NEUTRAL NEWS 16th March - David Cameron makes a remark suggesting that the BBC licence fee increase of £3 should be cancelled. On BBC News, they showed only the remark about reversing the previously published rise. On Channel 4 News, they included a lengthy supporting explanation that the increase was based on the view that the BBC needed to keep pace with advertising revenues for commercial channels, which the recession has made unrealistic. I am sure that the fact that each of the two showed the item in a way that was extremely beneficial to their own station's perspective of the situation is a pure coincidence, and based solely on editorial assessment of the time available. Isn't it? CURRENT AFFAIRS Actis, which is the privatised fund management arm of the Commonwealth Development Commission (now CDC), made a $19 million dollar profit last year, after having been privatised in 2004, when 60% of it was sold for £373,000. That price was assessed by KPMG, which has since received $1.1 million in audit fees and other services from Actis. The NAO recently valued the government’s remaining 40% share at between £182 million and £535 million, casting some doubts on the valuation of Actis just three years ago at £620,000. There is a regulatory device to stop these errors, the Shareholder Executive at the Department for Business Environment and Regulatory Reform. The person responsible for giving the 2004 numbers the thumbs up joined BERR from KPMG. So it is good to know that Panorama is picking on racing as a subject again and not wasting it’s time on the quite possibly corrupt giveaway of several hundred million pounds of taxpayers money. You do begin to wonder if there is some hidden agenda there ADVERTISING STANDARDS It has not gone unnoticed that Virgin Rail have taken to using the theme from 'Big Train' for their TV advertising. Those with not so long memories may recall that Big Train was innovative, surreal, witty and often hilarious comedy. Whereas travelling on Virgin is simply tragic. THIRD WAY NEEDED... Rugby World Cup prompted, it becomes clear that two apparently opposite theories have a gap to fill between them. Watching the close and enjoyable match between Fiji and Japan, in which the islanders appeared to have hands that are no longer capable of catching a rugby ball, and reading Bruce Millington's column in the Racing Post, where he clearly enjoys sport but has a problem with those involve any brains to follow, it is obvious some human traits are neither derived from a Darwinian need for a natural advantage nor any vaguely Intelligent Design. ...AND A THIRD WAY FOUND Due to timing convenience, I was forced to watch the rugby highlights on S4C. Still as disappointing imbalance of chat over action, but as I could not understand a word of it, the raising of ire for pundits being paid to sit and talk rubbish did not occur. Much more enjoyable all round. Will they do racing? THE ONGOING CORRUPTION STORIES Certain areas of the press have become very Messianistic (made up word, but does the job) about this. In some instances very validly, in other cases - where a rider has done no more than express an opinion that proved correct, and picked up a reward for it - with less strength of case. However, we should remember two of the latest innovations in the betting market, spreads and exchanges. How did these take off? Advertising for sure, but also by entertaining, buttering up and even giving preferential rates to journalists to mention them in columns where the writer had a more or less free role on the topic. A comparison worth bearing in mind. WHY NOBODY SANE BELIEVES BOOKMAKERS' PR GUFF The VCBet piece in the Racing Post on the Greyhound Derby was the latest, where they bemoaned the fact that they were down as heavy losers on ante-post betting for the three heading the market prior to the quarter-finals. Yet looking at their prices on the same day, of the other 21 runners, they were clear top price about none, and joint top price about nine. Hardly a sign of being desperate to balance their book - and VCBet were also still joint longest about one of the dogs that they bemoaned. Of course, their two worst outcomes both were knocked out... In the interest of balance, after the Derby with the tabloids screeching in the usual ill-informed hysterical fashion about the amount a Dettori win cost bookmakers, one bookies PR did point out that the figure quoted was the payout not the net loss. But credit cannot be given where credit is due, because I have forgotten who it was. IS THIS A RHETORICAL QUESTION Another of which I was reminded. It could just be shoddy script writing, but as it was from Sky Sports News, it probably is guff-witted, and is cricket related "Scotland and Ireland in action today in the Friends Provident Trophy after their World Cup heroics." Ireland yes. Scotland heroically played 3 and lost 3 It's about spin again. Two recent examples of complete cobblers. The Premiership pleased as punch as the addition of 150,000 spectators shows, they say, interest continuing to rise. Well, Arsenal's increased capacity in the new stadium saw nearly 400,000 extra fans whose only added interest was the ability to get a ticket. So a net drop then, which is entirely dependent on the capacities of the clubs promoted over or under those relegated. A weekend of rugby league in a deserted giant stadium in Cardiff. Apart from the only three blokes in South Wales that do really care who wins out of Hull FC and Hull KR, all it did was annoy the real fans who either spent a miserable day or two stuck in Bank Holiday traffic (and, as the Racing Post observed, destroying the environment), or they did not go at all because of expense and inconvenience. It was clearly, to anyone who watched a few seconds, not the tremendous success that was claimed. Are there enough people who are so idiotic that all this effort is worth making? BRITISH ELECTION After their election successes, the Scottish Nationalists and Plaid Cymru have really come of age. It is clear that the upsurge in results came because plenty of people felt obliged to vote, and finding no party that had an especially attractive manifesto, went for someone who was not Labour, Tory or Lib Dem. However, arriving on the big stage the SNP and PC have joined the big three in overlooking this uncomfortable truth, so qualifying as genuine politicians. A BACKWARD STEP After the fiasco at Kempton, where the course spent a fortune on refurbishing it exactly how the regular customers did not want it, and in complete defiance of the pitiful crowds at all-weather meetings, the man in charge, Julian Thick, has moved to Sandown. In relative prestige this appears like an upwards move from Kempton. Like the Cheltenham Gold Cup, meritocracy is not what it used to be. Mind you, having presided over the utterly inept Defra and the spending of millions of pounds on the Rural Payments Agency to fail to achieve what every other EU country did in a fraction of the cost and time, Margaret Beckett was inexplicably promoted. Other examples of the anti-meritocracy will be gratefully received. HYPOCRISY
AT IT’S WORST
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