MK No Way !

In May 2002 the FA agreed to the franchising of a football club; while the public attention was focused on whether David Beckham's foot would heal in time for the world cup, my football club, Wimbledon FC, was uprooted from South London and allowed to relocate some 60 miles to the north in the soulless new town of Milton Keynes.

To say this hit me and other Wimbledon fans hard is a huge understatement. The FA said it wasn't in the wider interests of football for a new club "Wimbledon Town" to be formed. Within days the fans had formed AFC Wimbledon, they were heady days, creating something new yet visibly born from the wreckage of Wimbledon FC. It was and is as if the spirit of Wimbledon FC had been transported into the "new club".

When AFC Wimbledon kicked off in the CCL in August 2002, we naturally kept one eye on how "Franchise FC" were doing, their scores were announced, and defeats were wildly cheered. When we were playing several levels below them in the football pyramid the chances of us meeting on ta football pitch were minimal. However the odds shortened dramatically once AFC Wimbledon won promotion to the football league in May 2011.

It only took 9 years, but now there was a real chance that AFC Wimbledon would face the MK Dons. In this season's FA Cup the real Dons were drawn away to York City and it seemed that we were heading out of the competition until substitute Charlie Strutton equalised, and forced a replay. The next day the draw was made on live TV and as the balls were pulled out of the container the chances of a tie between AFC Wimbledon and Milton Keynes became ever more likely. And then it happened Cambridge City or Milton Keynes v York City or AFC Wimbledon.

The replay between York City and AFC Wimbledon was played out in front of the ESPN TV cameras, bringing in welcome revenue. York were certainly on top until they were reduced to ten men and eventually the Dons held on to win 4-3.

There was very little chance that non league Cambridge City would spring a major surprise and win at Stadium MK, and in fact they went down by a five goal margin.

The nightmare became reality. MK Dons v AFC Wimbledon. Almost immediately the game was moved to Sunday lunchtime so it can be televised. Nearly everyone with passing interest in football assumed that this was a game that we were all waiting for, but in fact nothing could be further from the truth.

Most AFC Wimbledon fans suffered the hurt in 2002, and asked fans of other clubs to boycott their away fixtures at MK Dons. In the early years it was not uncommon to find pockets of fans at Kingsmeadow wearing replica shirts of League 1 teams who were scheduled to play at Milton Keynes that day.

Obviously the tie has given AFC Wimbledon fans a real dilemma, to go and support our team, or to uphold the principle that we would never go to Milton Keynes. The Club itself has not called for a boycott of the game, the team have to play as a condition of entering the competition, yet at the same time the bars are being opened at Kingsmeadow to allow those fans not travelling the opportunity to watch the game in the company of fellow AFC Wimbledon supporters.

While many fans estimated currently at 2000 are making their way to the game, I still feel that set foot in Stadium MK is validating their existence, so today I've ordered a ticket to watch the game in the back bar Kingsmeadow, and will donate the cost of my match ticket to AFC Wimbledon.

The result of the game only has meaning in as far as its a passport to the 3rd Round and the possibility of drawing one of the top clubs in the country with all the possibilities for financial gain that that would ensure. On December 2nd AFC Wimbledon will take the field against Milton Keynes, the players will act in a professional manner, some fans will be happy to boo and hurl abuse at Milton Keynes owners and fans , but for me that would bring little satisfaction.

In 2002 I felt the move to Milton Keynes was morally wrong and I vowed never to attend a match there, ten years later nothing has changed, as the saying goes "Never Forgive, Never Forget".

 

Somewhere in America

"Somewhere in America, it's starting to rain " (Counting Crows)

It's been some weeks since I've written during that time many events have taken my thoughts back to the USA. Firstly Hurricane Sandy, hurricanes seem commonplace in the Caribbean and the media soon loses interest, and indeed Sandy was of little interest when it ploughed it's way through that region. Things changed once it threatened the eastern seaboard of the USA and New York City in particular.

Now there are few places where I'm happier than in New York City, literally the streets seem to create energy. To watch TV and to witness such devastation and flooding in an area where you have visited, is an unusual experience for a European.

 

 

It was a stark reminder of why government should exist, while conservative America attacks the public sector, when emergencies happen it's government not private corporations that pick up the pieces, and help people get their lives back on track.

The extreme weather that hit New Jersey and NYC soon had an impact on the US Presidential election. Climate Change which had been an issue only in as far as Obama and Romney had avoided it now surfaced with vengeance. On the night of the election as ever I kept myself awake watching the results come in. While pleased Romney lost, I found little joy in Obama's victory. During the campaign I'd followed Jill Stein, the US Green Party's candidate on twitter. The two party politics in the USA stifles debate and ensures that many policy areas are never discussed.

 

November has also seen the start of the NBA season whisper it but the season has started rather well, the Knicks are 7-1 during the first couple of weeks and are definitely the form team at present. However the league is a long race and injuries and dips in form inevitably take their toll.

Finally last week I was reminded of the impact that American music has on me. In London I saw three American singer songwriters, Patterson Hood, Will Johnson and Craig Finn in concert. It was a wonderful evening in the unique setting of the Union Chapel in Islington. Patterson Hood whose new album is one of my favourites of 2012, talked about growing up in Alabama, life there, and the attitudes of its people. Listening to him explain the culture of his upbringing, I thought this is something deep rooted in Americana, and somehow lacking in British music. I need to give that more thought.

 

 

 

A Future that Works

Saturday 20th October and I'm up and out quite early to get to London for the TUC's march and rally - A (Green) Future that Works - the addition is all mine.
No trains from my station at weekends at present, so it was the bus replacement service and then the chance to test my knowledge of the London Underground system when I discovered that the Circle line was closed as well.

I arrived soon after 10.15 am at Temple Station, collected a Green Party placard and leaflets and made my way to where the NUT were gathering.

There was clearly time to do some leafletting, so competing with the SWP, the Morning Star and various other left wing groups I endeavoured to distribute my leaflets while shouting my slogan "Cut Carbon,not the Public Sector". If nothing else this seemed to ensure that those that accepted the leaflet had some environmental awareness.

Soon after 11am it was our turn to move, and we set off at a snail pace towards Parliament. I decided it would be good to see the whole of the march, so I decided to pick up my pace and make my way further forward. Along Whitehall I mingled with large numbers of Unison marchers and along Piccadilly worked my way through Unite until I reached Hyde Park.

I soon found the Green Stall and handed in my placard and spare leaflets. It seemed far more interesting watching the various banners and groups arrive in the park, rather than listening to predictable speeches.

During the day I was interviewed by a team of American broadcasters who wanted my opinions on political situation of the Uk and what impact I felt the march would have, and then I was photographed by a Scottish Green Journal.
Really not sure why either selected me.

Altogether there was a good turn out of Green banners and members. I got the chance to talk to a number of people and with crowds estimated at 120,000, the march though smaller than last year's event was still worthwhile if unreported in the mainstream media.

Neal Ardley

The procedure to appoint a new manager for AFC Wimbledon was thorough; apparently there were more than 40 serious applicants and these were filtered down to a final three. Eventually the decision was made to appoint Neal Ardley.

Neal Ardley is coming home is the general feeling, I watched him as a youth team player at Wimbledon FC, he graduated to the first team in 1991-92, he player for the club in the Premiership years, he was there when we got relegated at Southampton in May 2000. He stayed with the club and was part of the last Wimbledon team, by which time I suspect he was the club's longest serving player.

He later moved to Watford, Cardiff and Millwall, before becoming head of the youth academy at Cardiff City. However I suspect that as a player he will be best remembered as a Wimbledon player.

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of attending a fundraising dinner where Neal spoke along with Terry Burton (now Under 21 manager at Arsenal) . He spoke about how he felt the night of the relegation at Southampton. He shared stories of how the Club that we all loved disintergrated. Later that evening he signed my Wimbledon shirt which had "Ardley 18" on the back. For some time now it's been framed and hangs in the room where I'm typing this blog.

His return to become the manager of AFC Wimbledon seems right, he knows the culture of the Club, he knows the history but also he has the coaching qualifications, the desire to develop youth players and the contacts in the game to be a success at the Dons.

Football Management is a precarious business, and uyltimately 99% of managers get the sack, but I desperately hope Neal's succeeds not only because it would mean that AFC Wimbledon progress but also because this story deserves a happy ending.

Tomorrow Neal takes charge of his first game away at Fleetwood. Last week he stood by and watched as a team selected by caretaker manager Simon Bassey  lost 2-1 to Cheltenham. Not the easiest game to start with, but I'm sure he is under no illusions. If the team had been playing well, the previous manager would still be here. Changes will take time, so all I can offer is good luck to both Neal , his coaching staff and the team tomorrow. Bring home the points.

It's all about the Bike !

Since the London 2012 Olympics I have taken a greater interest in cycling. It was the excitement of track cycling that was the catalyst. The tactics and spectacle of competition in the velodrome provoked my interest. In recent weeks this has spread further into road cycling aw well.

Our recent two week stay in Crete gave me the opportunity for a spell of concentrated reading. I started with Victoria Pendleton's autobiography, I'd started it before our journey but it's such a compelling story that I'd finished the book almost by the time we'd arrived in Crete. I'm not at all surprised that the book has been short listed for sports book of the year, it delves deeper than most autobiographies, and recently I compared it with Tony Adams "Addicted" as a book where the author gets beyond a catalogue of competitions & championships.

I progressed onto Chris Hoy's autobiography, a more straightforward account than Pendleton's but enjoyable, and particularly interesting in the early chapters where Hoy was trying to progress in a sport unfunded where practice was anything but easy. That Chris hoy has become Britain's greatest olympian this year means that I'm sure the book will be updated in the near future.

Finally I became engrossed in David Millar's book " Racing through the Dark".  This is very much the rise,fall and rise again story of a road cyclist. For most people the pages blow the lid off the secret world of road cycling.

I've also started getting the bike out of the garage. So far this has been simply to cycle down to the village to get the morning paper, but I've become interested in cycling around the area. My gear work needs work to ensure that I can climb even the meagre hills that Essex offers.

On my way to get the morning paper Inoticed that there was no where to park bicycles securely in the village. While I don't want to over emphasise the risk of theft, but with the number of people cycling increasing this is a facility that we should provide, and so I have now taken it up with the local parish council.

This week I've started to research social cycling and the possibility of establishing a social group in my village. Perhaps I'm not alone and there may be others who'd like to cycle around the area, but are reluctant to go out on their own.

Yesterday I listened to the two hour % Live programme on Doping in Cycling "The Peddlers". This week the axe finally fell on Lance Armstrong. From American hero and respected international campaigner for cancer survivors to disgraced sports cheat. The evidence points to the fact that he systematically doped his way to seven Tour de France wins. As I'm starting to research cycling round the country lanes of Essex, the news is full of EPO, blood transfusions and speed.

Sadly Armstrong's crimes throw a cloud over the whole of the sport; yet since the olympics over a million more people have taken to cycling. On Monday I found myself in Kensington High Strret in central London, amidst the buses and traffic , a strady stream of cyclists were commuting to work on two wheels. Cycling is booming, yet more needs to be done. Many more people would cycle if they felt safe on the roads, the number of serious injuries and fatalities is a major deterrant to developing a cycling culture in Britain.

In the Netherlands there 1.1 bicycles per head of population, is there really any good reason why Britain should not follow this example and go Dutch !

A change in the weather

Written 3rd October

To quote Bob Dylan " a change in the weather, it's goin' to be extreme". Bob wrote that back in the 1970's. If my memory serves me right, it's from "You're a big girl now" on Blood on the Tracks. That line has revisited me on the penultimate day of our stay in Crete.

I've woken with two differing sensations, the first is pain, my big toe is throbbing, the aftermath of our trip to the Gorge. I'm not that surprised as I've suffered from ingrowing toe nails for the past 50 years, and my feet took a hammering on the downhill section of Sunday's walk. The other sensation is that the weather is changing. I thought I could hear wind in the night, but in fact it was the sound of the waves. Having been near silent for the past twelve days perhaps this is a reminder that it's now October and autumn will soon hit even Crete.

In an attempt to get our legs back to normal , we decided to take a good walk around the old town of Rethymno, up past the Fortress before walking towards the sea. The waves are pounding the rocks in a way we've not seen before, the sea no longer a transparent blue is now the shade of grey familiar to anyone who has sat on a beach in the south of England.

For two minutes, no longer, at breakfast it rained. Now this would not warrant a mention at home, however in conversation with a local shopkeeper who was selling me a pair of sandals (the first pair I've had since childhood), she said that was the first rain since April. Stunningly she remembered the last time it rained well " it was a Sunday" she replied.

A summer of complete sunshine unlike in Britain. However that has not been good news to the people of Crete. Later in the day we spoke to a bar worker in the pub where we had spent time watching football and cricket during our visit. She said September had been a good month, but in comparison July and August had been poor. The reason, extreme heat. Temperatures had reached the mid 40's centigrade. Now whether the heat kept the tourists away is probably unknown, we sense that some people across Europe have been apprehensive about travelling to Greece. Scare stories about the Greek economy undoubtedly haven't helped.

My mind turned yet again to extreme weather. In Britain we had drought in early spring and high levels of rain throughout summer. In Crete no rain and intense heat, a similar pattern has occurred in much of the USA. As October brings the end of the tourist season , this was another sharp reminder that the effects of climate change are many, while our experiences have been different, both changes will have had an impact upon food production in this sense the effects of "extreme weather" are shared.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger !

Written Monday 1st October

It's the morning after and I'm sitting on the hotel balcony writing,the pain in my feet especially my big toes seems to be going, only the dusty boots just in my vision give a reminder of the day gone by. Overnight my thigh muscles and especially my calves have tightened, frankly I'm walking stiff legged reminscen of a cowboy without a horse. Why the discomfort ? Yesterday we chose to walk the Samaria Gauge.

When this trip to Crete was being planned, a gorge walk was built in to the schedule. Being the type of person that I am, I rejected the easier Imbros Gorge and argued that if we were going to do one, it should be the Samaria, the largest gorge in Europe.

Picked up at our hotel soon after 6am, yes that early on a Sunday morning, we travelled by coach though central Crete , as the sun came up we drove through field upon field of orange groves. The guide informed us that here the soil was so fertile that they can harvest oranges twice a year, and there is no need for artificial fertilisers. By 9am we reached the start of the walk , we got our ticket to the National Park (50 years old this year), and now owned by the Greek government.

The first four stages were virtually a continuous descent, down jagged , irregular steps. It started at over 4000ft and ended on the river bed below. The zig zag path Xyloskalo took us down 3300 ft in just over a mile. Water breaks provided relief and an opportunity to come face to face with a Cretan mountain goat.

We crossed the river,which in late September was more like a stream, and eventually arrived at the deserted village of Samaria. The last inhabitants left in the 1960s. It was hard not to think of the lifestyle of those people living their lives in such an isolated location, with donkeys as the only feasible method of transport. We decided that this would make a good stopping point for an early lunch, however the spinach pie that I bought with me, attracted a number of wild bees. Samaria has many seemingly attracted by the wild thyme whose scent hangs in the air.

Onwards upwards and then down through the narrow passageway between rocks and on to the coastal resort of Agia Ronmel. It took us five hours, and I've to write about it. Thirteen kilometres across rough terrain, a challenge and one that many tourists would be ill equpped to deal with.  Apparently in high season 2000 a day trek through the gorge, yesterday's temperature of 33 degrees was dehydrating and however much water I consumed the thirst returned. I celebrated completing the walk with a beer, a mistake as I soon follow it with orange juice and two cokes, such was the extent of my dehydration.

Our journey home allowed us the opportunity to view part of the south coast of Crete from the vantage point of a ferry. The sea was as still as I've ever experienced, as we glided along the Libyan Sea . The south coast of Crete so unspoilt and unlike much of the north coast with it's enclaves of EU tourists and those from further afield.

The ship allowed a distant view of Gavdopula and Gaudos. I calculated that Gaudos was indeed the southern most point of Europe and indeed it is. Nest stop Africa. I took satisfaction in seeing it, and thought of those from North Africa who have desparately tried to reach such islands to escape conflict.

Our day trip once again put us in the position of being in a minority, heavily outnumbered by German tourists. The Cretans are exchanging sun for Euros. The previous morning we had visited a local market, and witnessed the vast range of locally grown fruit and vegetables as well as local olive oil, honey,eggs etc. Sacks of oranges , courgettes and tomatoes on sale. This is an amazing land.

The tour operator Thomson market the trip to Samaria as a walk, frankly that is akin to saying the Tour de France is a bike ride. The Samaria Gorge is a hike, a trek and indeed a challenge. A walk in the country it is not.

Minoan Magic

September 28th 2012

Yesterday we travelled to Knossos and Iraknaio to explore "minoan magic". I've long felt that Ancient Greece and mythology in particular have been sizeable gaps in my knowledge. It's strange that I spent 13 years at school and somehow such a rich civilisation by-passed me. Once I moved into higher education I was immediately drawn to modern history and even in those years when I taught history the curriculum jumped from the Stone Age to Roman Britain without considering Ancient Greece.


Our journey to Knossos was spent learning something of the history of Crete. It soon became apparent that because of its strategic importance in the Mediterreanan it has undergone several invasions, from the Venetians and Turks of course through to the Nazis in the second world war.

The Palace of Knossos owes much to a British archeologist Sir Arthur Evans ; however walking around the site of the labyrinth one is immediately struck not by the gap between Minoan Crete and 21st Century Europe , but more by the similarities.

Some 5000 years ago the people of Minoan Crete had invented a method to move water around the site of the palace, they had constructed a sewage system and even had a rudimentary air conditioning system. Food was stored to allow 500 or more people to live there.

We saw early board games and signs of primitive athletics. It is easy to point out the bizarre rituals and beliefs in gods that involved both human and animal sacrifice,but at times our own world defies rational explanation. All in all I came away having learned a good deal about Gaia, the half bull/half man Mitator and how the expression "take the bull by the horns" exists not only in the English speaking world but also in ancient Crete.

General Strike

26th September 2012 - General Strike in Greece

We were supposed to be visiting Knossos today and the Archeological museum in Irakleio. However unlike the tour representative we were aware that the 26th is a general strike in Greece.

Over the past few days I've noticed a few posters fly-posted on empty buildings around town, but that aside there was little around the town to make the public aware of the pending strike. For most local businesses trying to take advantage of the last weeks of the tourist season it was very much "business as usual".

Today walking around Rethmyno the only sign that there was a strike was the number of teenagers crowding around certain bars and cafes. The local school teachers and the university are obviously closed. It is little wonder that the public sector are taking industrial action given that the three party conservative coalition is proposing a 15% pay cut, on top of last years 15%. Not surprisingly the people are saying that they can't withstand another bout of austerity.

The Greek TV stations and BBC World ( our main source of news) focus on the march and demonstration in Athens. Greek TV suggested that 50,000 marched on the Greek Parliament. That figure came from the Grrek police and is widely reported as an under estimate. However the media rather than focussing on the 50,00 peaceful demonstrators prefers to show a relatively small number who sought to engage the police in armed combat.

The message is that the public are telling the new government that took power only in June, that they will got accept austerity quietly. Meanwhile in Crete the sun shone and mosttourists seemed blissfully unaware.

Chania and beyond

I've wanted to visit Crete for best partof 30 years or more. I recollect in the late 1970s watching a TV drama entitled "Who pays the Ferryman ?" which was set on the island and I was thrilled by the scenery especially the harbour views. Life has a way of delaying plans and as a result I reached Crete in late September 2012.

We're on a tour named "Discover the West", determined to avoid hiring a car we've booked three coach tours and plan to use public transport (buses) for any other journeys. The tour centres on the town of Chania. Once in the old town it offers the charm,bustle and harbour that I've been hoping to see. Obviously at this time of year tourists outnumber Cretans but the setting still retains its character.

We sat in a harbourside cafe to have lunch, to our left a Mosque built when the Turks invaded Crete has been converted into a craft market (no comment). I succumbed to a plate of grilled sardines (I've told myself that I will not eat a diet of fish this holiday), but the sardines are excellent washed down by a Mythos. We watch as horse and carts go by.

This is perhaps the first European holiday I've experienced where British tourists are obviously outnumbered. The dominant grouping obviously comes from Germany, with a fair number of Dutch as well. In the current economic climate the number of German tourists is significant, Greece could certainly use the Euros that they spend here. The local population work hard, the season will be over by November. As before my thoughts are drawn to the propaganda in some of the UK media, that the plight of Greece is the result of the Greek people shunning hard work. Yet again my experience is completely the opposite, those o working in the restaurants and hotels are working tirelessly often without a day off in a week.

Crete we are told has a million olive trees , our guide on the coach suggests that many of those working in Chania will return to the land when the tourist season ends. I'm not convinced.

Crete is the largest of the islands I've visited, in its current situation you might expect a Cretan separatist movement to develop, but we've seen no signs of that. Instead Cretans we've spoken to are proud to be Greek, they've been invaded many times perhaps that explains this pride and determination. We've been here only three days but I sense we have so much more to see and learn.

Terry Brown's Yellow & Blue Army

(written Wednesday 19th September , uploaded 9th October)

A day of very mixed emotions; people follow football clubs with their heads and hearts. My head had told me for some little while that the time was right for managerial change at AFC Wimbledon. In football talk the manager and the coaching staff had taken the Club as far as they could.

Results this season have been poor, and as weeks past the only strategy appeared to be to loan more players. Fans and I suspect players could see that there was no masterplan and little or no pattern of play. The Board a few weeks ago made an announcement that they had spoken to the management team about the seriousness of the situation; however results have not improved and two defeats at home in three days was the tipping point.

Last night after a 1-0 home defeat to Torquay, Terry Brown walked around the ground applauding fans, who in turn reciprocated. The bulk of those present were aware of what was taking place and they all appreciated all that Terry Brown had done for the Club.. He arrived when we were languishing in the Ryman Premier League. The aim to get to the football league in ten years had stalled. Terry Brown refired the engine, promotion to Conference Football was achieved via the play offs and of course two seasons later AFC Wimbledon reached the football league via the play offs and the dramatic penalty shoot out at Eastlands.
It only took 9 years, was in no small part possible because of Terry Brown.

As he walked slowly around the ground, the mood was reminiscent of the scenes when Brian Clough left Nottingham Forest. Fans remembered the good times rather than the predicament that it now finds itself in.

The Club now needs to find a new manager.I sense that every manager, even the greats, have a sell-by date, but like people in other forms of employment they rarely leave at their peak. Sadly for every AleX Fergusson or Arsene Wenger there are many who never peak or who stay too long.

Terry Brown is a good man, a decent person who has had to cope with much during his time at the Club> He deserves to be respected for his past successes not the past couple of months.

Postscript(Saturday 22nd Sept).
It's late afternoon and I'm sitting in my hotel room in Crete. I'm following Wycombe v AFC Wimbledon on my ipad as Simon Bassey wins his first game in charge as caretaker boss. It has also been revealed that the Club has asked Dave Bassatt to act as a consultant as he and the AFCW Board will interview candidates for the managerial position over the next week or so.

Green Party Conference September 2012

It's many years since I've attended a conference, and my experience in the past has come from the NUT and Labour Party; for this reason I wasn't sure what to expect from the Green Party Conference in Bristol.

 Having joined the Party I knew that I wanted to learn and immerse myself in the culture of the party.

For personal reasons I was unable to attend on the opening day (Friday) when the formal hand of the party leadership would take place. Caroline Lucas would hands over the reins to Natalie Bennett. Since conference ended I have watched their two speeches and the speech of Caroline Lucas sums up exactly why I found myself atrracted to the party and why I would spend the next three nights in Bristol.

At 9am on Saturday morning I was in a workshop learning the ins and outs of conference, this familiarisation would have been essential to someone unfamiliar with this type of debating forum. On a personal level I found it useful, it jogged the memory and prepared me for the days ahead.

The main session of the morning was taken up by speeches from Jason Kitcat , leader of Brighton and Hove Council whose theme was Brighton's getting greener. This was followed by the handing over of the deputy leadership from Adrian Ramsay to Will Duckworth. Will gave a personal moving and humourous speech. He explained that after becoming a house husband after a fruitless year looking for work, he read every party's manifesto and discovered that the Greens agreed with him on everything, and he joined the party in 2008. He co-formed Dudley Green Party in 2009 and by 2012 he became the party's first councillor in that authority.

His description of the other parties strategy was spot on, particularly the Labour "hiding in the cupboard" analogy. As he said "forget the grey,it's the 50 Shades of Blue that get me hot under the collar"

I went from the main hall to two sessions that discussed media and stategy. Both were thought provoking, as I tried to adapt messages and strategy to suit my situation in Ingatestone.

The afternoon dealt with motions , a range of issues from working hours to animal racing. Late afternoon and I was sitting in the Compass debate between Rupert Reed  and Neal Lawson ( Lavour Party and Compass Organiser). Compass has been the one genuine non sectarian campaigning broad based body on the left in recent years. Based around the concept of the Good Society , Compass has engaged in debate on key themes, the debate on Saturday was on the issue of growth.  it was a well rehearsed debate, in part because I'd listened and read Rupert Reed's analysis via Green House. However Neal Lawson made on comment that struck a chord and I'll undoubtedly use again. He said : " We live in a utopia , the trouble is it's not our utopia, its one designed and made by neo-liberals".

On Sunday I made a beeline for a discussion group on whether to pay an allowance to the party leader. While Caroline Lucas lead the party this issue really didn't arise, as an elected politician, first as an MEP and then MP, she could fulfil party and media engagements easily, however there was a realisation that if the party was to advance the new leader would need time to devote to campaigns,meetings etc and this would be rendered ineffective if the leader had to find employment. It was an interesting debate with valid contributions on both sides. Ultimately it was decided to pay an allowance, again a historic decision for the party.

Sunday ended with a plenary session discussing party pollicy on disability followed by a panel debate on "What if growth doesn't happen ? A long but personally rewarding day, where I felt more attuned and engaged.

Back on Monday and an early session on Greens in Power, a discussion organised by the Association of Green Councillors. For the first time I felt inclined and confident to contribute, I was beginning to meet other delegates and interact. Later that morning I went to a feedback session where I could make some points as a "newcomer" both to the party and conference.

Overall this was an inspiring experience, and one I hope to repeat, to quote a headline I read on Guardian online : " They're jolly, they're green, and they might be giants"

The End of the Season

A win in the penultimate game of the season and Surrey are safe. A month ago our place in Division 1 appeared to be in jeopardy, but an upturn in performance has seen Surrey accumulate sufficient points. It seems that last season's champions Lancashire will be relegated, such are the turnarounds in county cricket.

The dispute between the ECB and Kevin Pietersen had at least one positive, it gave Surrey a quality batsman in the middle order when one was most desparately needed.

In recent months players have been changed more regularly than socks, and the selection policy has to say the least been baffling. In the penultimate game at home to Nottinghamshire, fast bowler Tim Linley took five wickets in the Notts first innings; all good you might say, except Linlay has been overlooked for much of the season.

Nothing highlights the problems at Surrey more than the treatment of Matthew Sprigel. For much of the season Spreigs has been a mainstay of both the CB40 and T20 sides. On more than one occasion he was steered Surrey to victory when defeat looked on the cards. Yet the Coaching staff have denied him the chance to cement a place in the county championship side. A player who bats, who has taken valuable wickets in limited over cricket and excels in the outfield, has effectively been an outcast from the county side.

I assume it came to noones surprisewhen it was announced that Matt was joing Northamptonshire for next season. No one could blame him, but Surrey have lost a local cricketer who has played for the county since 9 years of age. Even more bewildering was the fact that Coach Adams told the Surrey members forum in August that he regarded Spriegs as a player of immense potential. Actions and words seem some distance apart.

I'm sure many Surrey players will be delighted when the season ends, it seems that it will conclude with rain once again the dominant feature. A season that initially promised much has unfolded in ways that no one could have imagined. Perhaps everyone needs to put time and space between them and the Oval. Hopefully next season a clear pattern and strategy will evolve,and cricket will once again be fun and the sun will shine.

London Olympics (part 3) Hottest ticket in town

If you were to ask most of the British public what their personal highlight of the London Olympics were, you'd get a multitude of answers. I sense the names Ennis, Wiggins, Farah, and Hoy would feature regularly. Of course the bulk of the British sports loving members of the public are not nuts about basketball.

In the second week of the Olympics the basketball tournaments moved from the Basketball Arena to what became the North Greenwich Arena. For three days I made journeys down to North Greenwich to watch some of the world's finest players.

Friday saw us witness the Spanish team produce a great second half comeback against Russia. On Saturday night, with a 9pm tip off, we saw the womens gold medal game between USA v France. Now when the tickets first went on sale this was my biggest catch. I must admit that the idea of seeing a gold medal presented, the flags rising, the anthem played, it all was part of the experience I had hoped for. France kept it close for 15 minutes but there was little doubt that the USA women would gradually wear them down, and they did.

Now just before the Games started I was told that more tickets were being released. I went online in desperation rather than hope. In a flash it appeared on screen, there was a ticket for the mens basketball funal. The only issue was the price, the ticket was near courtside, the most expensive ticket in the house. A quick conversation at home, ended with the statement "it's a once in a lifetime opportunity", and so I bought it. Needless to say it was the most expensive ticket that I've ever purchased.

On Sunday morning I'd arranged to meet some friends in the bar where the night before we had cheered Mo Farah to success in the 5000 metres. After a couple of beers chatting over the basketball tournament, it was a case of taking my seat. With my camera in hand I watched Knicks Carmelo Anthony & Tyson Chandler warm up, somewhat closer than when I watched them at Madison Square Garden in February.

Here was my chance to watch LeBron James and Kobe Bryant two genuine NBA all stars who I'd never watched live before. The game itself lived up to expectation, Spain kept it close and indeed went ahead in Pau Gasol they had one of the games outstanding performers. His brother Marc acquired fouls too quickly and his absence on court cost Spain dearly. Just as Spain got close in the 4th quarter Le Bron stepped up, my enduring memory will be of him driving to the basket and dunking the ball.

 At the end the USA won 107-100, the Spanish players knew that they had got "that close" but it was the star spangled banner that played.

A week later with the memory of the game still vivid, I'm just so pleased I bought that ticket.

London Olympics Part 2

The London Olympics covering so many different sports allowed me to engulf myself in one of my fascinations - sports photography.  I'm fascinated at how sports photographers capture the moment. Writing a couple of days after the Olympics finished, I've started to wade my way through the last two weeks newspapers to cut out and keep a scrap book of sports photos that will hopefully act as an additional memory and souvenir of the London Olympics.

Of course there are many who see the written  paper media as a declining form, and since this is a blog, I've decided to devote an entry to photos from 2012 of one particularly discipline - track cycling.

I've chosen track cycling because the photography seemed to capture speed,skill, danger and colour. The uniforms and speed seemed to present an almost surreal image. Perhaps because this was a discipline where Team GB excelled it caught my attention more, but the photographers work on occasions seemed to move into the realm of art.

These two photos are of Jason Kenny who won gold in the mens sprint.

The above photos are of Chris Hoy who at London 2012 became Britain's greatest olympian overtaking the haul of gold medals won by rower Steve Redgrave.

The photo below is of Laura Trott who won two gold mdals at the London games, here she's seen in action in the womens' sprint.

 This photo is of the team pursuit and probably ranks as my favourite photo of the Olympics

 I include some photos of Victoria Pendleton whose performances captured the elation and heartbreak of the Olympics

Finally a photo of the womens team pursuit which seems to sum up effort, concentration and commitment.

London Olympics - Week 1

During the build up to the London Olympics it was easy to be cynical, there was plenty to be cynical and indeed angry about. The failure of a private sector firm to employ and training enough staff, leaving a public sector organisation ( the British Army) to pick up the pieces. The corporatisation of the games,not only the role of sponsors but the choice of them. Fast Food Chains, Chemical and Oil companies etc. Finally the establishment of VIP lanes on London roads, fast tracking officials wnen ordinary commuters were threatened with impossible journeys.

However once the games began the focus turned to sport as it should. In week one we were fortunate to have several tickets for the basketball arena. On the first Sunday morning following instructions we aimed to be at Stratford at 7am that's two hours ahead of the first game. The threatened long delays to get through security were non existant, as the army ensured that the process was smooth and efficient.

It was our first sight of the Olympic Park and the various sites. We made our way to the basketball arena to see Tunisia v Nigeria, not necessarily the most enticing fixtures to drag neutrals out of bed on a Sunday morning and indeed there were many gaps in the stands. Of those present many had little or no knowledge of the sport, and I acted as an informal advisor. By the second game Brazil v Australia, more spectators were arriving, the game was of a higher standard.

After the session end we made our way through the park knowing we'd be back later in the week. The opening days saw few medals for Britain ( I'm not happy with the marketing term Term GB), however rowing and cycling are two sports where we began to achieve. Now being a poor swimmer, rowing offers little attraction to me, but cycling has without doubt been absolutely compelling. As I found myself shouting at the TV screen as British cyclists won gold medals, none more so than Victoria Pendleton.

On Wednesday evening I returned to the basketball arena to see womens basketball. My seat which I'd bought late  turned out to be courtside and I was able to see two fine games Croatia v Czech republic and then USA v Turkey. However with the final game tipping off at 10.15pm, it was no surprise that the arena emptied well before the end. Nevertheless it did give me the opportunity to see the stadium lit.

Thursday afternoon and we saw two more games , this time the highlight was seeing Manu Ginobili ply his trade for Argentina. The opportunity to see a three time NBA champion was a highlight, then a close fought game between Russia and Brazil.

Friday saw the first athletics session at the Olympic Stadium. This would see the Park at its fullest as 80,000 spectators made their way to the stadium for a chance to see Jessica Ennis start her campaign to win a gold medal in the hepthalon. No one should underestimate the pressure that Ennis has been under. London 2012 demanded a poster girl to sell the games, and she has fulfilled the role. The crowd in the stadium could not have been more supportive of all the athletes. Cheering British performers while encouraging others. It has something about our culture that often the warmest applause was reserved for those athletes clearly out of their depth, yet determined to compete and give their best.

Athletics as a spectator sport is not like team sports, the passion is in the performance. The crowd is a better gender balance and definately family orientated. For all that I 'm delighted to say I was in the olmpic stadium, and I saw Jessica Ennis complete two disciplines on the way to her gold medal.


Saturday night was one of the most successful nights in British sporting history. Three gold medals in little over a hour. Jessica Ennis was followed by Greg Ritherford in the Long Jump and Mo Farah in the 10,000 metres.  Collectively the success of these athletes together with others over the first week lifted the spirit across the country, at a time when celebrity culture is everywhere, these men and women proved that Britain does indeed have talent.

Their success also said much about modern Britain. The country shared the success not only of Jessica Ennis, a mixed race woman from Sheffield but also Mo Farah, a young man who came to London as a boy, a refugee from Somalia,a muslim, who went to school  here, and supported the Arsenal. When Farah told a reporter, this is my country , I grew up here, and I'm proud to wear the vest of Great Britain. He spoke words that sum up modern British society. Nationality is about identification, not necessarily where you were born.

Hustings!

Saturday usually means sport but today I'm travelling to Norwich for the Eastern Region hustings meeting for the Green Party leader. Having recently joined the Party I have a relatively objective position, I don't know any of the candidates personally, all I know is what I've read on websites and twitter.

The job of leader will be a difficult task, with Caroline Lucas as the Party's only MP, I sense that the media will continue to go to her for quotes, interviews and appearances.

The post of deputy leader is also being contested and it is Green Party rules that the two positins must be held by one man and one woman, therefore this will be a factor that members will need to bear in mind when casting their votes.

As a new member I'm interested in how candidates feel they can attract new voters and indeed members at a time when progressive voters will see the priority as ridding the country of the Tories, and probably many will see Labour as the natural route to achieve this.

There are four candidates for leader and like me they will travel to Norwich today. This may also give me an opportunity to meet some members from Essex for the first time:

The meeting began at 5.15 there were around 50 people crammed into the hall. Each candidates made a three minute opening statement and questions followed from the floor: the questions covered a number of themes included: how to attract traditional Labour voters ? the candidates view of Scottish Independence , how to elect more Greens ?, the party's view of trade unions, and what can we learn from the international green movement.

Overall it was a very positive experience, the mood was positive, none of the candidates criticised each other ( a tendency in internal elections), I got a chance to meet a number of members including a few I'd met in Norwich earlier in the year. I was also able to talk to two of the deputy leader candidates who also attended the hustings. By the time I got back to Essex, I had resolved who to vote for when the ballot paper arrives in the next few days.

5 Days at Amla's Test Match

After the first two courses of the summer, the tour of the West Indies and the rather curious one day series (rain affected) against Australia, the South Africans and the summer have finally arrived. With the greatest respect to the previous series this is very much the highlight of the cricketing summer. In years gone by Oval tests were often described as home games for the West Indies, largely because of the large west indian communities in south London, now however the same could be said for South Africa, and there was no shortage of " saffers" in the ground as Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat on the first morning.

This is the first year as a "Surrey and England" member, this means you pay more but are guaranteed a designated seat for England games at the Oval. However as I usually take guests to some days of the test match, this means my viewing was split between the Lock and Bedser stands.

The first morning saw the early departure of Strauss and the dominance of Alastair Cook. Cook is the rock upon which England innings have been built since the Ashes victory in Australia. At the end of the day England stood at 267 for 3 and there was the expectation that they would move the next morning towards a score of around 500.

Friday morning was dull and overcast, it was when rather than if it rains. Wickets soon started to tumble in these conditions, although in some cases poor shot selection was as much responsible as conditions. England rather stumbled to 385, with the general concensus that this was a bit below par for the wicket. Nevertheless after lunch Petersen fell for a duck and South Africa were 1-1. England still felt they could compete on level terms in this game., however the next two days would prove otherwise. By the end of the second day South Africa were 80-1 and early wickets would be needed on Day 3,

The Saturday of a test match, a sell out crowd, the sun beginning to breakthrough and a wicket benign and offering little to the bowlers. New balls came and went and Smith and Amla began to pile on the runs. Amla had offered a chance to Strauss on 40 , but he and Smith plundered the leg side  and runs started to accumulate.

Smith scored a century in his 100th test and fell to Bresnan . England's only wicket of the day , meanwhile Amla joined by Kallis kept on so the day ended at 403 for 2. Amla finshing the day 183 not out.

Sunday, a real summers daybelonged to Amla. He posted the highest score by a South African batsman in test cricket when we went past 278 and then went past 300, the first batsman to do that in England since Graham Gooch in 1990. At lunch Smith declared, frankly had he not declared I have little doubt that Amla could have put Brian Lara's 400 under serious threat. He finished 311 not out.

As the South Africans left the field the ground rose to applaud Hamish Amla off the field. Once again, cricket had shown what makes it such a wonderful sport. Spectators regardless of the allegiance appreciate and applaud skill and dedication

England needed 252 to make South Africa bat again , while some commentators suggested that Smith should have batted another session, the South African captained was determined to leave sufficient time to bowl England out. It has to be said he got the tactics right. The quick loss of Cook, Trott and Pietersen started the rot and at stumps England were 67 for 4.

The only question was could England save the match by batting the whole day, the short answer was no. Although Bell and Prior showed the type of concentration and commitment needed. Sadly for England when Steyn took the new ball wickets began to tumble again and by mid afternoon the tail began to disintegrate and it was only a matter of overs before South Africa claimed victory by an innings and 12 runs.

This is sadly only a three match series, England need to regroup ahead of the 2nd test in Leeds next week. Question marks remain over a couple of the selections, but for the first time in a several years England had taken a "hammering".

The End of Linsanity

It was like a shooting star burning bright but destined to fall to earth. The idea of an undrafted American Asian point guard taking the NBA and New York City by storm was more a story made in Hollywood than on the floor of Madison Square Garden. However last February it happened, the name Lin dominated the American media like no other and I was glad I was there to witness it.

Six months and knee surgery later, Jeremy Lin has signed for the Houston Rockets, the Knicks could not matcgh the Rockets financial package. In the complex world of salary caps and luxury tax, keeping Lin would have crippled the Knicks financially, and so in spite of online petitions Lin moves to Texas.

The NBA keeps its most marketable worldwide asset. The Knicks quickly acquire a reliable, experienced point guard in Raymond Felton and the fans in New York are left with the memories of the night that Lin schooled the Lakers, the back to back covers of Sports Illustrated and a mountain of Linsanity T shirts.

From Sports Illustrated:

HOUSTON (AP) - Jeremy Lin is leaving New York and taking Linsanity to Houston.
The New York Knicks announced Tuesday night that they will not match the Houston Rockets' three-year, $25 million offer for Lin, a restricted free-agent.
New York officially had until 11:59 EDT to decide whether to re-sign Lin, who became an international phenomenon in the media glare of the Big Apple.
The Rockets made it tough for the Knicks to sign off on keeping him by backloading their offer sheet with a $15 million salary in the third season. If the Knicks agreed to that deal, they would've faced a hefty luxury tax in 2014-15 because of other big contracts on their books - between $30-40 million.
Lin now returns to Houston, where he spent about two weeks in December during training camp. The Rockets liked what they saw in the undrafted point guard, but had to waive him because they had Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic on the roster.
The New York Times initially reported the Knicks' decision, citing an unidentified person briefed on the situation.
One sports consultant said the adjustment to the offer sheet was a stroke of genius by Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
"The Rockets deserve a lot of credit for the way they've gone about this,'' said Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based SportsCorp. "It was extremely intelligent - with an assassin's touch.''
The Knicks, though, gave Lin his first shot, picking him up after the Rockets waived him. He was briefly demoted to the developmental league, recalled and finally got his chance when coach Mike D'Antoni put him in with the Knicks floundering at 8-15. Lin scored a career-high 25 points in a 99-92 win over New Jersey Nets and "Linsanity'' was born.
Lin had slept on teammate Landry Fields' couch the night before, still refusing to get his own place as he headed into that week, knowing the Knicks would have to decide whether to cut him or guarantee his contract for the rest of the season.
But Lin proved more than just an overnight sensation - he had 28 and 23 points in his first two NBA starts, and then scored a career-high 38 in a 92-85 victory over Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The stock price for Madison Square Garden Inc. surged on the production and popularity of the team's international star. Lin also made the Sports Illustrated cover in consecutive weeks, only the 12th athlete to hold that distinction since 1990. On Tuesday, Lin had more than 829,000 followers on Twitter.
The more opponents saw Lin, though, the more they seemed to figure him out as the season wore on. He went 1 for 11 with eight turnovers in a humbling, nationally televised loss in Miami and the Knicks dropped their first six games in March.
D'Antoni resigned in mid-March and Lin hurt his left knee less than two weeks later. The Knicks revealed on April 1 that Lin needed surgery to repair a meniscus tear and would miss six weeks.
The Knicks made the playoffs behind surging Carmelo Anthony, but bowed out to Miami in the first round. The Rockets, meanwhile, missed the postseason for the third straight year and have spent the offseason completely rebuilding their roster.
Houston has been trying to put together a package of assets and draft picks to offer Orlando in exchange for disgruntled All-Star center Dwight Howard. In the process, the Rockets lost the unrestricted free agent Dragic to Phoenix, then traded Lowry to Toronto in exchange for a future first-round pick with lottery protection.
With no true point guard left on the roster, the Rockets turned back to Lin. The Knicks may have shown their hand when they brought back Raymond Felton in a sign-and-trade deal with Portland.

Houston, meanwhile, jumped at the chance to reacquire their popularity in China, where Yao Ming became a larger-than-life figure. Many Rockets landed lucrative shoe contracts with Chinese companies on Yao's coattails and Rockets' games drew massive television ratings there.

Walking Away

July 12th and I've accepted an invitation to attend an event to mark the retirement and departure of a number of teachers where I used to work. It's a year since I stood in the same hall and delivered the same sort of speech that I'll hear tonight before bowing out after 20 years working there.

I listen to speeches some mercifully short , others rather long, some eulogies others genuine messages of thanks , I reflect on the past year. In the past twelve months,much has changed around the place. Not in terms of structures, the sports hall is still not complete, but the faces are altering fast. The institution has moved on and I now feel I have.

I think I have now finally detached myself, both from the job I did and education in general. I'm now the first to admit that I didn't realise it would be to leave it all behind. Last July when I stood in the hall I felt I could walk away, but it wasn't that easy.

I've just written a card to someone who I worked closely with congratulating them on retirement, in it I wrote "don't look back", but frankly over the past year it's been hard not to take the occasional glance.

Hard Rock Calling 2012

Last weekend it was music festival time in London and for the first time we attended both Saturday and Sunday. The weather on Saturday didn't look promising, the organisers sent an email advising not to wear sandals or flip flops, not really necessary in my case. However with wellies having become a fashion item in recent times, I may have been in a minority favouring trainers that I accepted would get muddy.

The journey to Hyde Park was made more complicated by TFL deciding to close one line and the nearest station.  Anyway we arrived just as Tom Morello was ending his set, which was a little disappointing, and frankly with hindsight I could have missed Lady Antebullum without too much hardship.

Just before 6pm John Fogerty took the stage; now I remember seeing him as the lead vocalist of Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969 at the Albert Hall. On a Saturday evening with the rain abating for a while, Fogerty was the perfect warm up act. Much of the material was familiar to a large proportion of the audience, as he delivered a number of CCR's hit from the late 60s. At the end of his set he was joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen to duet on "Rocking all over the World".

By now the park was filled to around its 80,000 capacity, all eagerly awaiting Bruce. This was part of his "Wrecking Ball" tour, he had played the festival two years ago, and is so at home playing outdoor venues. However the last two years have brought a number of changes to the E Street Band, most significantly following the death of Clarence "Big Man" Clemons. Importantly Clarence who in the minds of most long term Springsteen fans was joined at the hip to Bruce (see Born to Run cover), has been "replaced" by his nephew Jake Clemons on saxophone. The E street band now numbers about 15 musicians including a brass section and a group of backing singers.

Bruce starts with "Thunder Road" played with only piano accompaniment from Professor Roy Bittan. He intersperses new tracks from "Wrecking Ball" with tracks from his back catalogue, which after close 40 years recording is vast.
A Spanish fan made a banner asking for an obscure track, he'd followed Bruce across Europe asking for it to be played, tonight Bruce makes his day.

It's the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie birth and Bruce invites Tom Morello back on stage to play "Jack of all Trades" and Ghost of Tom Joad, which to me seems the most apt song to celebrate Woody's contribution to American music.

As the concert enters its third hour the rain falls but it doesn't deter Bruce who launches into a run of his more popular songs, Born to Run, Born in the USA, Glory Days and Dancing in the Dark. It's encore time and he is joined by on stage by Paul McCartney. Now Bruce admits that he waited 50 years to play with the Beatle, and in truth my wife has waited as long to see Paul McCartney on stage. They played I saw her standing there and Twist and Shout, before someone pulls the plug.

Bruce is forced to leave the stage, without a goodbye. Clearly the band were not best pleased, and the next morning the decision to cut the power not only made the london media but echoed around the world, my mother in law in Australia was aware of it as it had featured on Australian news. We made our away from Hyde Park, not short changed, but disappointed. It had been an amazing set from Bruce, but the abrupt end, had naturally made most fans lose focus on just what a fine performance it had been.

Less than 24 hours later we were back at the Park. The Sunday bill showed the problem with festivals. We arrived by 5pm to hear Alison Krauss and Union Station, sadly many others were happier to talk, drink and generally ignore the band's set. Frankly I'd listen to Jerry Douglas any night I got the chance, but unfortunately the choice of material, there were a number of slow ballads, lost the crowds attention. Perhaps understandably there only became interested at the more up tempo bluegrass songs, such as Man of Constant Sorrow.

The bulk of the 50,000 were there to see Paul Simon. It's 25 years since he released the then controversial  album Graceland. The use of black South African musicians gave them worldwide exposure, yes it was against the word of the UN boycott, but I doubt against its spirit. ThE UN boycott was designed to prevent established acts going to South Africa and playing to white only audiences during the apartheid era. Simon was doing the reverse and his intention was anything but an act designed to support apartheid.

Paul Simon has a wide back catalogue and he started by playing several familiar tracks before bringing onto stage the musicians, and singers who had helped him put together Graceland. Now sometimes a singer produces a song that raises the bar, Simonwent one step further and in Graceland produced an album of exceptional quality.25 years later, the tracks still sounded fresh and invigorating.

As an encore he came back and played solo the class Sound of Silence before inviting Jerry Douglas to accompany him on a rendition of "The Boxer". It was a night to remember, on a weekend of outstanding music from artists who have perfected their craft over decades.