Milibrand: The Interview - OFFICIAL VIDEO The Trews (E309)

Hung Parliament

Scarier then Jimmy Krankie

I have concluded that on 8th May we will see a hung Parliament much to my annoyance. I hate the idea especially because the ‘Party of Scotland’ hold the key to number 10 according to the polls.

It is really depressing for me the thought of months, weeks, and years with false smiles and plenty of backstabbing with politicians fighting over good news and blaming the bad on each other. Good news for newspapers and TV news who will have lots of column inches and TV time to fill.

I only hope that Labour leader Ed Miliband is big enough to shut the door on claim jumpers like Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg who will be fishing for a job in a possible Labour cabinet. It didn’t work for the Tories and the right wing press would love it just a bit less than if it was the nasty Scots.

It is like Winston Churchill inviting Adolf Hitler to sit in on the war council during the Second World War. I bet Prime Minister David Cameron would have loved to shut out Clegg and the rest of his other job hunters. But the greed to become PM was too much for Cameron and he snapped up the offer from Clegg, support for jobs.

The Scottish thing besides doing my head in as got me thinking who will be in charge of the SNP members of Parliament. Will it be party leader Nicola Sturgeon, who is not a Member of Parliament and won’t be after the election so can she lead the Scots in Parliament? On the other hand, maybe she can.

The most high profile SNP candidate expected to enter Parliament when it re-sits is former leader of the SNP Alex Salmond, worryingly. I don’t believe ‘wee’ Nicola will have an easy ride if Salmond is leader or head boy of the Scots in Westminster. There could well be clashes between the two has Salmond tries to put his stamp on Westminster where he will surely be the leader of the SNP in Parliament. It has to be killing him seeing what has happened to the SNP since he stood down as leader.

The leader of the SNP in Scotland will happily say she is not interested in an official coalition along the lines of the Tories and the Liberals but by vote-to-vote. Would Salmond like a title? Maybe Deputy Prime Minister if Miliband caves in on the pressure to do a deal with the SNP. The union ‘Unite’ are calling for Miliband to do a deal as well as some labour MP backbenchers who are not showing much loyalty to their brothers and sisters fighting in Scotland.

Cardiff City I do love you

Only one game left and this awful season is over. We can then sit back and see where Cardiff City takes us over the summer before the start of next season and how it will all shape out. I’m not hoping for much but I am looking to be surprised and this doom and gloom already descending will go away.

We finished the season at home but I was disappointed not at the three points they are always wanted with three always better than one. Why was I disappointed! Against the worst team in the championship, we could only score one goal in play while the other two came via penalties in the 3-2 win. Without the two pens, we could have lost to a team bottom of the League without an away win all season. Not great is it but a win is a win.

I can honestly say in my years supporting and watching my beloved Bluebirds there has been some truly shitty times. From relegation and plying our trade with the dead men at the bottom of the Football League all painful. We have seen joke managers to crap owners come and go through the door but this season has been the worst my far. I have lost that spark that made me a Cardiff City fan and I can’t think why?

Maybe it was the sacking of former managers Dave Jones and Malky Mackey both of whom I rated or funnily enough, it could have been promotion to the Premier League was a factor. I hate what the Premiership stands for, greed and more greed. When a 20-year-old turns down £100,000 a week it just shows why the League is poisonous to football as a whole.

It was always on the cards we could end up one hit wonders in the Premier League but I was expecting more out of this season at the least a play-off place. At times, I felt we were that poor we could have drop into the trap door but we have to be thankful they were some piss poor teams below us.

Come the start of next season come I will still be a Bluebird that will never go away because it is for life I just hope that passion is back.

Labour to win in Wales

I have been so busy soaking up the Election intrigue over the border I have not been keeping up with what has been happening in my own backyard.

 

There looks to be no worries for Labour in Wales, as the core support for the party seems to be holding firm unlike the turncoats in Scotland. The latest poll a week or so ago admittedly before the Welsh leaders debate shows Labour on course to gain two seats Cardiff Central from the Liberal Democrats and Cardiff North from the Conservatives. Also, remember to take these polls with a pinch of salt never take anything for granted.

 

The Conservatives may lose a seat to Labour but are predicted to regain a seat by taking Brecon & Radnor from the Liberal Democrats. It will be a rough night for the Liberals if the polls are right and could be left with one seat in Wales for the Westminster Parliament. That is on course for the rest of the country where they are going to be the biggest losers on the night. It is a bite touch and go if they can hold on to the one seat.

 

The Welsh nationalists are not in the ascendance unlike the Scots but Plaid Cymru are predicted to hold on to the three seats they presently have. UKIP out poll both the Liberals and Plaid Cymru but that will not result in them winning a Welsh seat. Who knows what the next Welsh poll will bring? Exciting times with the clock ticking down to voting day.

Aldi and Lidl the savers of Osborne

I heard this morning on the radio people are beginning to feel they have more money in their pockets. First off, we haven’t felt this recent rise of prosperity ourselves due to the fact much of it doesn’t touch us although we could join in a bit if we downgrade our shopping habits.

 

We don’t drive so are reliant on public transport and we have seen no reduction in the fares and taxi prices even with the drop in fuel costs. Mortgages are low, we are not in that category either so still no savings there, but our rent as risen and we are hit by the bedroom tax but I am not griping we have a roof over our heads.

 

Therefore, where else is this new found wealth coming from we know the Tory government in the shape of Chancellor George Osborne is taking full credit. However, most of this prosperity can be pointed in the direction of Germany, and the supermarket discounters Aldi and Lidl for shaking up the British retail market. They may have lost two world wars but they have won the war of the supermarkets.

 

They offer no fuss shopping. If you were looking for a tin of beans, you are likely to see two or three different tins on the shelf while at Tesco you could have up to ten different makers of baked beans. They are not in the league of the big supermarkets there stores a compact carrying less lines small is beautiful to them. Aldi along with Lidl specialise in staple items, such as food, beverages, and other inexpensive household items.

 

When things were financially tight, the shoppers of Britain rushed through their doors in search of bargains forcing the Adsa’s, Tesco’s and others to cut prices to stay competitive. However, when things brightened up money wise their customer base continued to growing as shoppers continue to hunt down bargains. To fight off the German invaders the big supermarket used petrol, cutting prices in hope of winning the war but customers where topping up there tanks and driving on to the discounters.

 

So when we see Prime Minister David Cameron and his Chancellor big up the economy he should really be thanking the likes of Aldi, Lidl and the other own grown retail discounters like Pound Shop and others for helping to turn the economy round.

Puppet on a String

Tory poster shows Nicola Sturgeon pulling Ed Miliband's strings

I can’t keep up with the Tories and the bashing of Labour leader Ed Miliband. This morning we had David Cameron on the TV telling us look to the ‘Eyes of May’ because the world will end if Labour come to power.

 

He is all excited about the new bogyman in the room, not the old one, the unions, but a greater and more deadly menace, the Scottish bunch from over Hadrian’s Wall the SNP. Has quick as Billy the Kid he whips out the SNP like some gunslinger shooting from the hip telling us Miliband will dance to the Scottish tune come May. Wait a minute, as he not been dancing to someone else’s tune for the last five years the only way he could govern, I think so.

 

The difference in the eyes of Cameron is the Liberal Democrats are a National party while SNP are Scottish based only. I can see his point! There is no way I want to see another coalition government but it’s on the cards. Will all this scaremongering push the Scottish labour voters who plan to vote SNP back into the fold again, I doubt it. If you are a Labour supporter, we just have to hope the polls have it wrong.

 

If Miliband doesn’t want to play with the Scottish bunch there is always the political chancers, the Liberal Democrats. If you listen to Nick Clegg he was the government for the last five years with everything under the sun down to him and his cohorts, everything good that is. However, while the SNP are looking at vote-to-vote support if you believe their leader Nicola Sturgeon’s. You can bet Clegg would want something as payment like jobs in the cabinet for him and a few others.

 

While Miliband and other Labour representatives are playing down any possible coalition, he will tell you he wants a majority government. He as to be upbeat for all those labour candidates standing north of the border.

 

Conservative chairman Grant Shapps said: ‘The only way that Ed Miliband might crawl through the gates of No10 now is if he’s carried there by the SNP.

‘Nicola Sturgeon would pull the strings and demand weaker defences, more spending and unaffordable welfare handouts. It would be a disaster.’

 

Off the back of Sturgeon’s popularity, the SNP leader will launch their party’s manifesto pledges in policy areas, which don’t even directly affect Scotland. A shopping list for Miliband to peruse even if he will say he is not for dealing and more ammunition to the Tories to bash Labour. She also gives an ‘absolute guarantee’ that she will not use success in this year’s General Election as a reason to push for another poll on breaking up Britain. She may not but what about the rest of her party.

Come on City

The good old days .. a fill stadium

By all accounts, the official attendance of yesterday’s game was 19,000+ against Millwall but the truth be told it was much lower (rumoured around 12,000) that was due to the fact many season ticket holders stayed away.

There has been a lot of politics around the club and a number of decisions have not gone down well with the fans, namely the manager for one. Fans are always hard to please but if the football on the pitch excites them, you can dampen some of the criticism but show no passion, there will be a tidal wave of negativity, and we have seen a lot of that this season. Passion has been lacking a lot on the pitch at Cardiff City Stadium and that shows in the crowds.

I’m no manager so really can’t say what is happening on the pitch. However, I know what I like but I haven’t taken my badges or played football so they may not work so I will stick to Football Manager. We have to knuckle down and see out what remains of the season but even before it finishes fans are already downcast for next season. Even the club are planning for next season shutting down parts of the stadium in anticipation of poor crowds off the back of poor season ticket sales.

Next week is our last home game of the season with nothing but pride to play for and with Blackpool already relegated, I have a feeling the ground could be emptier than yesterday so why not have a party. Throw the gates open let fans in free or charge them a fiver and get some of those stay away fans back in and fill the stadium, maybe.

Why not fancy dress! Whatever it takes to generate some kind of atmosphere to end this disappointing season on a high. Some competition for the kids, chances to win goody bags, what about win a season ticket or two there a plenty left.

Another debate

The debate last night was interesting everyone but UKIP looking to ride into power on the coat tails of Ed Miliband and the Labour party. Who won, I will leave that to the pollsters fliting between Miliband and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon.

The night was really about Ed Miliband and Nicole Sturgeon. If the truth were told, everyone was waiting on what Miliband would say once Sturgeon asked about the political deal if there is a hang Parliament. The polls show a possible wipe-out of the Scottish Labour party making it really difficult for Labour to become the overall winner to form a Government, the numbers just don’t add up.

The SNP party leader pleaded to form an anti-Tory coalition to lock the Conservatives out of government and together deliver “real change”. Miliband insisted he was fighting for a majority Labour win and repeatedly spurned Sturgeon’s offer. He reminded the TV audience with an eye towards disillusioned Labour voters planning to vote SNP they could let the Tories in to power again.

“It’s about delivering real change – not pretend change – real change for people right across this country, said Sturgeon. “It the case that you would rather see David Cameron go back into Downing Street than work with the SNP? Surely that cannot be your position.”

However, Miliband rebuffed her calls: “I have fought the Conservatives all my life. We have profound differences. That why I’m not going to have a coalition with the SNP. I’m not going to put at risk the unity of the United Kingdom. It’s a no, I’m afraid”.

If the two do enter into a Lab/SNP pact who will be negotiating on behalf of the SNP? Nicola Sturgeon or the leader of the SNP in Parliament who is likely to be Alex Salmond candidate for a Westminster constituency.

If the Tories do win the upcoming election, I can see calls for independence for Scotland. I have my fingers crossed for a Labour majority I would hate another coalition government, it’s a real pet hate of mine.

Afternoon disaster movie

Its 2pm, the Syfy Channel is on, and I am awaiting the start of another disaster movie. The offering today is a fishy tail called ‘Mega Piranha’ and has the announcer said, expect scenes of peril’ and I was up for that.

I love a good disaster movie and even a bad one but the later the film is on the more blood and guts you get to see so I was expecting this film to be pretty tame. If it is a high budget film or low budget, I really don’t care as long as the world is in some kind of peril. Such as an earthquake, volcano, fire, tidal wave, bad weather, sinking ship, avalanche, meteor or throw in a bit of devil, worship vampires and other dark horror monsters I am just as happy – hell there’s even one about an elevator – basically anything that will either kill everyone or end the world.

The acting abilities of the actors can be pretty poor like the hero in this film I am watching ‘Mega Piranha’ Paul Logan as Jason Fitch is from the cardboard box school of acting. It was produced to capitalise on the 2010 film Piranha 3-D but with no bikini clad Kelly Brook nor Riley Steele that was a disappointment.

Whatever the danger in the end most of the time the good folk of earth kill off the aliens, monsters, or end of the earth threat normally with seconds left on the clock.

Newzoids - TV review

I made the decision to watch ITV Newzoids and quickly realised it was no ‘Spitting Image' a poor substitute for the 80s/90s classic.

I had one little chuckle during the whole 20 odd minutes of the show it was just not funny. Andy Murray sitting in bed on is wedding night; tennis racket in hand just didn’t cut it, boring. He needed a ‘sex coach’ in comes the mummy joke. Its prestigious predecessor also had a boring character, snooker great Steve Davis and he was really boring but funnier.

And stop already with the inane Clegg/Cameron housewife/underdog situation, it’s been done… and better by David Owen and David Steel in the for mentioned ‘Spitting Image’. I will probably watch it again it’s only the first in a six series run and the reaction on social media was ok. These days it is the quickest way to judge a programme via social media.

The puppets were ok but still second rate compared to ‘Spitting Image’ puppets technology can detract some times. If you take the film, Alien for instant the spaceship looked like a piece of junk compared to the prequel in Prometheus.

So what made me chuckle? The Barack Obama joke saying he holds the record as the only black man to run twice – without being shot by a US cop.

If Newzoids may have left me a bit under impress but luckily, ‘The Delivery Man’ followed it an ITV comedy followed it I actually enjoyed.

Spitting Image

The Living Wage

A start

Prime Minister David Cameron and other political leaders are making promises in the run up to May’s General Election about bringing the low paid out of tax.

 

Maybe it would be better for the country to bring wages to a level where everyone could pay some tax. Maybe then, the tax rates across the board could be reduced generating more cash in people’s pockets.

 

The living wage is a start but to make a real step forward it will need to be set higher. People working with decent hours is the way forward making this country prosperous not for the few at the top of the ladder. It would need a major change in the attitude of many businesses, which I doubt would be forthcoming.

 

Keeping wages low at the bottom of the wage chain seems to be all consuming for some businesses who bemoan the minimum wage let alone a possibility of the living wage. It would reduce the working benefit bill, housing benefit and the like meaning more money for the NHS, education, the police and defence things that matter along with others.

 

There will never be full employment. It is a pipe dream and some kind of El Dorado in the minds of some politicians and unions. Maybe Cameron and his election spin-doctors will come up with the idea of putting the unemployed on zero hours contracts something the Tories are yet to announce.

Game of Thrones - Now waiting on episode 5

When I read about the Games of Thrones’ first four episodes of the new season had magically became available on the internet I got all excited as the first episode had yet to air in the UK.

I checked my normal streaming site, low and behold, there they were all four, and all of a sudden, I got weak at the knees. The plan was to watch them like normal, one episode a week not having Sky Atlantic it was an iffy internet stream for me until Sky allows the said channel on the Virgin platform.

I decided not to be greedy and watch all four in one sitting sounded easy in practise but I am known to be somewhat weak at times. If I did watch all four, I would be starved for five weeks until the fifth episode.

Well as I mentioned, I am weak so I sat through a four hour Games of Thrones’ fest. To be honest the second I clicked on the first episode I knew I would so now it is a long wait for episode five. Was it worth it! Yes it was and what away to spend four hours and I will not be giving any spoilers so you can feel safe.

Vinyl returning - I could have a bit of that

Watching BBC Breakfast this morning there was a piece about the revival of vinyl records with a new vinyl album and singles charts. Official Charts Company have launched the UK’s first weekly vinyl chart because sales of vinyl albums and singles continue to soar. It brought back happy memories of my long gone vinyl collection.

I may be of a ripe old age, but today I get most of my music hits via YouTube instant gratification but I would love to go vinyl again. Recently I wrote about my all-time favourite album, which was ‘Signing Off’ by UB40 and listen to the full album for the first time in donkeys’ years. That was thanks to YouTube. At the time, I was thinking about my well-played vinyl album wishing I still had it.

I amassed a collection of just under a hundred albums. Not that big of a collection compared to others but I had other things tugging at my finances. Thinking back I had a diverse musical taste one of the more unusual albums was the ‘Big War Movie Themes’ and I hate punk but somehow ended up with a Sex Pistols album, I think I paid for it as well, I know I did.

There was nothing better than the needle hitting the vinyl with a crackle before the music starts. You then lay or sit back with the album cover or a separate sheet of paper reading the lyrics.

It would be a commitment listening to an album, first side one before turning it over for side two. You didn’t want to mess around picking out the odd track like you can easily do these days as you could damage it. One little scratch could ruin the album so you treated you vinyl with loving care.

I may well go back to vinyl but I would need to find a record player.

Sideways look at a week in Politics (3)

It has been a bad week for the Tories with their personal attacks on Labour leader Ed Miliband which have somewhat backfired. Accused of stabbing his brother in the back over the leadership of the Labour Party and being willing to betray his country over Trident has put Labour into a lead in the polls.

The constant attacks particularly in some of the press have been really over the top with the backstabbing and betrayal story coming from a piece written in the Times newspaper by the current Secretary of Defence.

For most of the past few weeks, the two main parties have traded leads of one or two points, with each new poll contradicting the one that preceded it. Today, however, three polls suggest that Labour has opened up a lead – one of three points, one of four points and one of six. Even one of the two polls in which the Tories retain their lead suggests a shift in support towards Miliband’s party.

All the parties have spent the week promising to spend, spend, and spend but very little talk about how they will pay for it. If someone does come up with some figures, other parties are quick to jump into the fore saying the figures don’t add up. I suppose that’s politics but it’s very boring.

Labour may be picking up in England and Wales but in Scotland the rise of the SNP and wee little Nicola could wipe out Labour north of the border together with the Conservatives and Lib Dem who this weekend are all predicted to have just one seat apiece.

If anyone is holding all the cards at this election it’s as to be the SNP whose leader Nicola Sturgeon was rumour to want present Prime Minister David Cameron to win the election. The SNP and the French ambassador quickly denied the conversation took place but I could see where a Tories win would be a great help. It would reopen the whole independence referendum again and if there was no deal with Labour, then all the Queen maker would have left is another go on a referendum to see Scotland break away from the union.

I can’t see any new government being eager to offer Scotland a chance of independence again because next time they could well win.

Promises hard to keep in coalition

One thing you can guarantee leading up to an election is parties will throw money at you with all kinds of promises. With all this talk about austerity, it’s as if they all have a money tree that only appears just before an election.

There is only a finite amount of money in the pot. To keep these promises some budget has to be cut or someone somewhere will have to lose a job. I call them ‘Election Bribes’ that in today’s political atmosphere you really can’t guarantee due to the fact of coalition politics.

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg was today talking about low cost taxpayer-funded loans designed to help young people get into their first rental property by paying the cost of the deposit - usually a month or six weeks' rent. Nice you may think, but wait a minute there is no chance of him being Prime Minister even if he manages to get his deputy Prime Minister job back his promises may not be kept.

Remember the tuition fee promise he made before the last election. Broken because he couldn’t deliver due to the fact the Tories said no to the policy. However, they were willing to throw the promise in the dustbin for a few jobs around the government table. Most parties have their own policies to help first time buyers and help for the younger generation. The Tories have a system to help first time buyers so does the Labour party and the other parties who are hoping to have a say in the makeup of the new government come May 9th.

Dirty Leeds

Not every welcoming

It’s always hard if you are a fan and you feel the need to boycott a game through no fault of your own. This weekend hundreds of Cardiff City fans will be in that position due to Leeds United derisory allocation of 500 tickets. In the reverse fixture earlier in the season at the Cardiff City Stadium, Leeds fans were offered 2,200 tickets.

Officially, there will be no Cardiff City fans at the ground but that has not stopped Cardiff fans purchasing tickets to sit among the Leeds fans. There could be the potential for trouble. Leeds have up to 2,500 tickets for away fans and earlier on in the season Birmingham who have had their own fan problems in the past took over a thousand fans to Leeds around the same figure Cardiff would have expected to take for this game.

Leeds have not confirmed why such a low number of tickets have been allocated. Was it down to the club itself, council, or police. It is rumoured that they offered 2,000 tickets with restrictions on those travelling to Yorkshire before offering an allocation of 500 without restrictions.

Cardiff City Football Club and its supporters groups are both in agreement over the boycott. The latter are looking for answers on why they made the call to reduce the ticket allocation down to 500. Firing off letters to Leeds Football Club, Leeds Council, and West Yorkshire Police under the Freedom of Information Act requesting all correspondence and meetings that have taken place with the Safety Advisory group among others

Cardiff City Supporters club are even considering legal action with the support of the Football Supporters' Federation. If I was travelling to this game, I would be happy to boycott. Away fans at most grounds are treated like a burden. Extra stewarding and policing but they forget it swings both ways when their fans visit our stadium. It’s not cheap being an away fan once you factor in travel, match ticket, food, and drinks it’s a big commitment on anyone’s pocket.

Today Trident .... Tomorrow

If I were in Ed Milibands boots, I would tell Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP to do one if he wants the Scottish Labour vote to strengthen. Listening to voters from up north, they believe Miliband will cave in if he needs the votes to be Prime Minister.

 

Basically, they are saying Miliband will sell out for power and that in my book would be a travesty. It will cost him if he does. Maybe not in parts of England and Wales but Labour could become the new Tories hanging on in Scotland.

 

For years top of the SNP list was to scrap Trident and to see them leave the Faslane Naval Base. Trident question has been push back at the top of the agenda today with news with the Government committing to building four new nuclear missile-carrying submarines.

 

A blatant bit of electioneering on the behalf of the Conservative party announcing it around four weeks before the election with all this political chatter about a Labour/SNP love in to form a new coalition. SNP’s position on renewing Trident is simple, no replacement, which they insist is a "red line" and not to be stepped over. Labour hit straight back saying they are committed to replacing Trident but may review the number of submarines needed from four to a possible three. Again the Labour party strongly stated there are no plans for a coalition with the SNP or anyone has they are fighting for a majority government.

Over the Channel to Weston

The Bristol Queen at the Pier Head

I loved a trip to Weston-Super-Mare crossing on the old paddle steamers that plied the Bristol Channel. They still do but nothing like back in my childhood when they sailed from the Pier Head, Cardiff.

There was always a big queue for the trip with most people heading for Weston but there were other ports of call along the Bristol Channel. It was always a bit of potluck on the weather. The two trips I can remember making one was dry the other wet but it was still a great day out.

Sometimes there would be two ships docked on the dockside, which was a flowing pontoon with a joining gangway, and maybe another waiting to dock that was how busy it was back then. The boats would be full of day-trippers from as far as the valleys, many of which would travel to Cardiff via train or on special buses. I am almost sure it was the Bristol Queen, which took us over to Weston once.

Being tied to the tide, you would leave mostly in the morning making the trip back in the early evening before the new high tide had turned. What you didn’t want to happen was to miss the trip back because you’re be stranded or god forbid miss the tide at the Pier Head meaning you could be stuck in the mud over night until the tide comes in again. The entry to the Pier Head moorings at Cardiff were controlled by signals very similar to those used on railways.

There was a restaurant on the Bristol Queen which would fill quickly even with the trip being so short. They was also a buffet counter where we youngsters could buy sweets and the like and there were benches along the deck to sit on.

Everyone especially the youngsters wanted to checkout up the engines and the paddles but would have to make do with the paddles crashing into the water. We would steam past Steep Holm Island on the way to Weston Pier. I can’t remember how long we would spend over there but enough time to visit family and have some seaside fun.

Kes - Film Review

This Ken Loach film adapted from the novel A Kestrel for a Knave is brilliant. The film is set in a northern coal-mining town a bleak grubby place to live and the film location enhanced by its bleakness.

Our hero Billy (David Bradley) is a bit of a loner, bullied at home by is much older brother Jud (Freddie Fletcher) and at school. One of my favourite scene in the film is when Billy and a group of other troublemakers pulled out of school assembly and told to wait outside the headmaster’s room. Knowing they were going to be searched they passed off their contraband the likes of cigarettes and matches to a young lad who had been told to take a message to the headmasters office. Despite is protests he is just there to deliver a message the headmaster searches him and is surprise by what he is finding seeing has the others have nothing. Along with Billy and the others, he is caned.

While out early one morning in the local countryside, Billy happens on a kestrel hunting. The farmer whose land he is trespassing on shows him where the Kestrel is nesting. Later he returns and climbs up to the nest and steals one of the chicks.

Billy devotes his time to training his bird who he names Kes with the help of books he had stolen. School is still a battlefield empathise by Billy’s run in with Mr Sugden (Brian Glover) the games teacher. Who after losing a game of football because Billy was the goalkeeper he paid him back for messing around by turning off the hot water and giving him a cold shower. To make sure he stays in there has two of his classmate on guard.

We see Billy and Kes steadily build a relationship as he sets about training the bird he even gives a talk to the class and later his teacher turns up to watch him fly him. When his brother Jud asks young Billy to put a bet on for him his world starts to collapse around him.

Instead of placing the bet, he buys some meat for Kes. Jud marches into the school looking for Billy. The bet won and it was a big win and now he wants Billy’s blood, knowing this Billy finds somewhere to hide until the coast is clear. On returning home he cannot find Kes or Jud so he goes out searching for them in the belief Jud freed his bird. However, unable to find his younger brother he kills the bird leaving Billy besides himself. After burying Kes, he goes back to the farm in hope of finding another bird but the nest is empty.

Even though it was only Loach’s second feature, the signs of a great director were already there in the tender way he handled such a tough story.

Sideways look at a week in Politics (2)

After being all square in the polls at 34% last Sunday Labour suddenly jumped into a four-point lead. It is called the Katie Hoskins effect.

This week Prime Minster Dave Cameron handed in his notice to the Queen and as under five weeks to find a job.

Is one out and about canvassing for UKIP

News this week is that David Cameron is a Kardashian and if he wins another term, the BBC will become Kardashian TV.

Nicola Sturgeon maybe not want the Tories to win an outright majority spoiling her chance to play ‘Queen maker’ but she recently told the French ambassador she fancy the pants of Dave Cameron.

Those of an age can remember this awful Scottish import call Bay City Rollers mania, now we Sturgeon mania. Time to rebuild Adrian’s Wall.

marry snog avoid

Marry - Avoid - Snog

The Debate

What was I expecting from a debate featuring seven party leaders not has much as ITV who broadcasted the election event. They spent the day cranking it up has the biggest event since Moses came down from the mountain but I was not overly impressed.

 

Was this the head-to-head people were waiting for when most wanted it to be only Tory leader David Cameron and Labours Ed Miliband. Cameron dodged that bullet of a head-to-head with Miliband who are the only two at the end of the day who can be Prime Minster.

 

The only reason Lib Dem Nick Clegg, Ukip's Nigel Farage, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, the Green Party's Natalie Bennett and Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood are on the platform is one or more of them could be a king maker if there is a hung Parliament. The two-hour showdown, broadcast on ITV from 8pm, and with a handy ‘Rate app’ would have to do the job. I doubted we would learn anything new we know their policies and what they stand for or the lack of it if they have to sell-out their principles to form a Government. The pundits and broadcasters are hoping for someone to slip up are a have an argumentative meltdown.

 

So the event

 

Opening statement from the Greens followed by the other six leaders with no excitement but fingers cross for a fight, fight that everyone wants well the broadcasters anyway. How I rated the opening statements.

Greens 6/10, Lib Dem 3/10, UKIP 4/10, Lab 7/10, PC 2/10, SNP 5/10, Cons 5/10

 

Standing there it looked like a scene from ‘The Weakest Link’ minus Anne Robinson with plenty of nervous smiles. Overall, none of the seven did themselves any harm the questions were what you would expect with the economy, the NHS, immigration, and Europe but there was no fatal killer blow in any of the answers. It got a bit heated but never over stepped the mark. Someone in the audience hackled the Prime Minister over homelessness, which looked to throw him off balance momentarily but standing so close to the SNP leader Sturgeon would worry me more.

 

Farage, UKIP leader clashed with Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood on the subject of 'health tourism', saying 60% of patients diagnosed with HIV in NHS were foreign nationals. Leanne Wood tells him he should be ashamed of himself for 'scaremongering'. The queen of Plaid Cymru focused purely on Wales in the debate a country she doesn’t lead but would like to one day.

 

Lib Dem Nick Clegg tried but is more or less a dead man walking with an attack on is playmate for the last five years David Cameron and try to cajole a sorry out of the Labour leader for the bank meltdown during the last Labour government. Green party leader Natalie Bennett nervous and was a bit of a nonentity really.

 

Much to my annoyance, the SNP leader picked up the most plaudits for her performance and she was a hit on social media especially. Has for the only two that can be Prime Minister it was a score draw either got the upper hand which I think Cameron will be the happiest having dodged one on two show down with Miliband and Cameron’s pet poodle Nick Clegg.

 

There were four snap polls after the debate they gave the night to four different winners, puzzled I am. The poll of polls of the four gave Cameron the narrowest of wins over Miliband with Farage and Sturgeon in third and fourth respectively.

Better than a Easter Egg

Coming Soon

I will wake up Sunday, there won’t be an Easter egg in sight, and that's the way, uh-huh uh-huh I like it. The only Easter Bunny I want to see come a calling is my Dad with a bag of Clarks Pies.

Not what you would think about on Easter morning but I will be a chocolate free zone happily tucking into my treat of two Clark’s pies with two or three pasties for company. Not all at the same time mind you. My Easter treat is not a healthy option and I could have been better off eating chocolate instead but somehow, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much.

Clark’s pies are off limits, except for Christmas, Easter, and August Bank holiday. I am trying to put all temptation out of sight and out of mind but it rarely works. I don’t think a day goes by without me thinking about eating or buying a Clark’s pie. To top off my pie addiction I have recently started a pie review blog.

Sorry mister Clark’s pie man but my health is important to me. However, this is not a divorce more like a trial separation.

Nanna Love: 50 Shades of Granny - TV Review

Shirley and Marge

Channel 5 is creating a bit of a niche in the unemployed and chav Britain documentaries with shows like ‘Benefit Britain: Life on the Dole’ ‘The Benefits Estate’ and ‘ASBO & Proud’. They also gave us Age Gap Love a demure look at younger suitors for the older lady but last night we were treated to Nanna Love: 50 Shades of Granny this time they crossed the pond to America.

To be absolutely honest, I sat through the programme and was not surprised with my reaction. I didn’t mind the old ladies looking for young love if they were happy. It was the granny chasers, I disliked. The two chasers they featured got my back up but it was the smug Kyle Jones who I found the most annoying.

Kyle Jones, regularly criss-crosses the USA visiting is granny girlfriends. One 92-year-old Marge was a picture of granny hood sitting in her granny chair knitting but she lit-up with the arrival of Kyle. Quickly dons lingerie, stockings, and suspenders (a garter belt for you Americans).

"The first time I met Marge," reported Kyle, "I was 28 and she was 87. I noticed her straight away and thought she was hot."

Kyle has multiple grannies on the go, ranging from their 60s to their 90s. "Wrinkles and cleavage to me is real sexy," he explained.

We see them out and about her looking as if she needed a Zimmer frame, she was so unsteady on her feet. Marge was or still is an erotic dancer and I shudder to imagine what the show would be like.

The highlight of the programme was the arrival of Shirley Andrews, if you can call it a highlight. The 80-year-old pensioner who resides in a retirement village, and enjoys knitting and crochet, regards herself as self-confessed cougar who has had sex with over 1,000 men, most over the seven years since she became a porn star.

We are included in the pairs intimate afternoon stroll in a local park were they disappear into the undergrowth and later in another spot where they are disturb by someone out for a walk. Kyle tells us Shirley is the one but they both have a problem as they both have multiple lovers with Shirley having five ‘boyfriends’ all under 30 and loves taking part in porn films she even has a tattoo circling her nipples that reads 'Gang Bang Queen'.

Others involved in the programme same to be happy 68-year-old widow Anna from Ohio has reignited her sexual passion since meeting adventurous Jones. They met on an online dating site a few years after her husband died – much to her daughters’ displeasure.

The response on social media was negative and shocked for the most part with a barrage of discussed.