Arsenal v Man United

A couple of years ago the prospect of getting tickets for Arsenal v Manchester United was as likely as me being propositioned by Cameron Diaz. However times change and I was able to get two tickets for my son and I.

We arrived in Finsbury Park in enough time to watch Manchester City v Spurs in the Auld Triangle. There was little doubt that the roof would come off if City scored, and so it did, only to be slightly muted by the fact that it was Nasri who opened the scoring. Even sweeter the fact that Spurs clutched defeat from the jaws of near certain victory. At 2-2 Defoe missed a gold plated chance and seconds later Ballttelli was upended and scored the resulting penalty, to give City the victory.

Not surprisingly we made our way to the stadium in fine form, and stopped to pay a visit to the statue of Thierry Henry. Sadly Henry's calf strain meant he was unavailable for selection.

The game itself showed Arsenal's strength, great finish by Van Persie, and the weakness woeful defending and a failure to see games out. At the end for the first time their appeared to be genuine unrest amongst supporters with a vocal minority calling for Wenger to go.

As someone once said, you're only as good as your last game. Arsenal have lost three games in a row, and that followed by a reluctance to open the cheque book and an empty trophy cabinet since 2005, has meant some fans have reached breaking point.

It makes the upcoming FA Cup tie v Villa and the league fixtures ahead all the more important. Admittedly Arsenal remain in the Champions league and face AC Milan home and away over the next month or so, but to many fans success in Europe seems but a dream when points are lost at Fulham and Swansea.

Cuts,Airports and Solar Tariffs

January has been a month of exactly exciting political news . As if I needed to know the two Eds , drove Labour closer to the Tories by announcing that they could guarantee any of the Tory cuts if they were to be reelected in 2015. Immediately I thought, a real OG. Why oh why do they persist with accepting the Tory agenda. Ed Balls mantra of too fast and too deep was painful enough, but actually this was worse. Surely they could have argued that some Tory cuts could not be justified morally, or they could have argued that job creation, cutting down on tax evasion, or indeed scrapping some schemes (Trident,HS2)

Meanwhile the London Mayor race is beginning to heat up. Ken Livingstone has made cutting fares as the central plank of his manifesto, meanwhile Boris Johnson has raised his proposal to build yet another airport for London, this time in the Thames Estuary. The media have dubbed the scheme " Boris Island". At present the main parties have given the idea at best the cold shoulder. The environmental lobby especially the million strong RSPB have a strong hand to play. So why is Boris flying this kite. Arguably its all about votes, and its an attempt to ensure that he is not seen as a supporter of a third runway at Heathrow, a surefire vote loser in west London.

Finally the government has returned to court over its attempt to cut the subsidy to the FIT scheme. Once again the judiciary have ruled the government's action unlawful, in that the change the policy midway through the consultation period. Sadly it seems that the government wish to appeal again,this time to the Supreme Court, this of course will prolong the uncertainty. Its estimated that it could take up to 9 months before the SC could hear the matter. In the meantime jobs will be lost in the solar industry as the industry's firms can no longer plan ahead, and many potential customers cancel enquiries and orders. The best analysis that I've on this matter comes from Caroline Lucas : copied below

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The solar industry needs to know the UK government can be trusted

If policy can be changed retrospectively, why should business believe that the UK is a safe place to invest?

Construction workers fixing solar panels. Photograph: Michaela Rehle/REUTERS

This week, the government lost its appeal against a judge's ruling that its move to change the rates for solar feed-in tariffs before the official consultation has ended was "legally flawed".

The high court ruling is a real victory for the solar industry and for those households, businesses and community projects in my constituency who would have been left high and dry by attempts by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) to apply a retrospective change to the rate.

There has always been widespread acceptance that the tariff would need to be reduced as installation costs fell and economic realities shifted. But the focus of the cross-party and public campaign against the government's plans has been the speed and scale of the proposed cut, which has already caused huge disruption to the solar industry and the 25,000-plus jobs it has created.

The courts have now twice ruled that these actions were unacceptable. Importantly, the courts have also sought to uphold a key principle about the very nature of government investment policy.

The central question is this: if policy can be changed retrospectively, why should business believe that the UK is a safe place to invest?

Investors need to know whether a government commitment to support them can be trusted, or if retrospective changes can be made at any point after investments start.

A lack of trust is a huge disincentive to invest. The CBI describes the government's decision to slash subsidies for solar panels as an "own goal", stating that "moving the goalposts doesn't just destroy projects and jobs, it creates a mood of uncertainty that puts off investors."

In light of the court's decisions and the strong industry calls for certainty, you might expect Decc to want to bring the solar situation to a swift conclusion and do what it can to inspire investor confidence for the future.

But no, Decc has indicated that it intends to stubbornly forge ahead with its ill thought through plans, and take the appeal all the way to the supreme court – wasting time and money in the process.

This means that the many solar PV installers and businesses I have spoken to remain completely in the dark about how they will be affected by the government's shambolic policy wrangles.

Further, it suggests that Decc doesn't understand that investors in Britain need to feel confident about the conditions of the market they are entering. They need to know those conditions will not be radically undercut on a political whim.

No wonder we are facing a double-dip recession if this is the message the government is sending out. I thought that Britain was meant to be "open for business". It seems that some government departments have not read that memo.

The case of solar has implications for all businesses that benefit from any form of governmental support. This could include grants for innovation, research and development, skills training and the establishment of networks.

If the government pursues its solar decision when an entire industry is at stake, why should business believe that government commitments to support research carried out by our universities and colleges will not be withdrawn if market conditions change unexpectedly?

If an appeal is allowed to go ahead, there is a risk that a dangerous precedent will be set.

And while it's certainly possible to point the finger at the previous Labour government to claim that the solar tariff rates were set too high – that the policy was poorly constructed – it's clear that, in the here and now, this goes much further than the solar industry.

So we now need to know if the government will accept the high court judgment and fulfil their previous commitments on solar tariffs. Crucially, we also need to know what the implications are for investment security across the whole the UK economy.

Using the courts to try to steam roller through a retrospective policy change that has already been ruled unlawful smacks of total disregard for the industry.

Decc should accept that ministers got it wrong on solar and pull the plug on this legal merry-go-round, which is putting UK jobs and future investment at risk.

The Return of the King

Monday 9th January, 59,000 people near fill the Emirates Stadium, most of them are hoping to see an Arsenal victory, but also and perhaps even upper most in their minds, they are there to witness the return of the King. Thierry Henry has signed a loan spell to spend the next two months at Arsenal, while the NY Bulls are in their off season.

Henry is of course Arsenal's top goal scorer, but more than that for several seasons he ruled supreme in the Premiership. A player of skill, speed, and va va voom. It's seven years since he left for Barcelona where he won a hatful of trophies and especially a Champions League winners medal that eluded him at Arsenal. Henry has been at pains to spell out that at 34,he's not the same player that left London for Spain. He insists he's here to help the Club.

On the night Arsene Wenger uses him as a substitute. The Arsenal strike force waste chances created by the probing Arsenal midfield. Immediately after half time Henry warms up along the touchline, the crowd roars and rises. With approximately 20 remaining he gets the call from the bench. Ironically Henry is to take the field accompanied by Theo Walcott who has taken over the No14 shirt, but who struggles to fill it. Henry has chosen N012, and takes the field.

Leeds , the opposition, have "set their stall out" for the draw, but Henry has different ideas, with his fifth touch of the ball he receives aperfectly weighted through pass from Alex Song; his first touch brings it exquisitely under control and his next curls it past the Leeds keeper into the bottom corner of the net. It's a good we've all seen before. There has been no more deadly predator in the inside left channel than Henry.

He takes off down the touchline as the crowd erupt, he embraces Arsene Wenger as he is mobbed by team mates. there are 12 minutes remaining, now he offers reassurance and advice to the young players around him, he knows how to "kill a game". At the final whistle, he walks to Arsenal supporters, arms aloft, clearly emotional.

The King has returned.

NBA

The last few weeks has renewed my interest in basketball, in the NBA and the New York Knicks in particular. Locally my team the Leopards have reached the National Cup Final and that means a trip to Sheffield later in the month for the Cup Final. However its the NBA that's really captured my interest.

Owing to a "labor dispute" and "lockout" , quaint American terms for when one group of exceedingly rich men row with another group of exceedingly rich men over who has what percentage of the profits, the NBA season didn't commence until Christmas Day. The day when the Knicks took on the Boston Celtics at MSG.

The NBA obviously wanting to relaunch itself offered a two week free trial of NBA TV, meaning that fans like me in the UK could watch any game, any time over the web. The next two weeks saw me develop the habit of catching a game most afternoons. At the end of the trial I succumbed and now have a team subscription for the Knicks. This means I get to see all 55 regular season games plus the play offs and finals. If used to the max I estimate that this will work out at less than £1 a game.

I've felt that the reluctance of Britain to embrace basketball was in no small part down to a lack of media coverage. NBA TV will allow me to get my fill. Game on.

Out with the old...

2011 has ended and today the country gets back to normal, after slightly extended holiday period. I feel this is a chance to look back rather than forward, I never have found predicting the future a satisfying way of passing the time anyway. 2011 was in several aspects of my life one of change and pleasure. the year started with retirement very much in our minds. My wife stopped work a year ago and I followed after the summer. the last year months having been a period of taking stock, while undertaking a few projects, now with work more fully out of my system, I can consider the future. The rest of my family can look back on 2011 as a year of new developments, and I still pinch myself as I never expected them to settle so near to us. On one level it makes our decision to move here 20 years ago seem vindicated.

The rain pours outside the window and the wind howls early morning, but in a few hours the panels will be generating electricity, later this week new windows and doors will be installed as another step in making our home more energy efficient.

Looking back 2011 was the year when AFC Wimbledon returned to the Football League. The joy of Manchester in May and the initial pleasure of autumn has now been replaced by a new realism. Promotion has meant that we are minnows in a much better stocked pond. As I write we have taken just 3 points out of a possible 36 from our last twelve games. Our early season form is keeping us away from the relegation places, but the pack below are closing fast and we are being dragged towards the trap door. The next few months will see the story unfold. After 9 years of a near continuous upward march, the project may well stall. Fans accustomed to success need a sense of realism. There is the chance that we have founded our natural level. Ultimately we are a small club with approximately 3500 supporters, we are fan owned without any major source of outside finance, we need to understand that football has altered since our previous incarnation , Wimbledon FC progressed from the old 4th Division to the top of the league between 1977-86.

2011 saw Surrey CCC restore its position in the cricket world, winning the CB40 trophy final as underdogs at Lords, and probably of greater significance gaining promotion back to the top flight of 4 day domestic cricket. Good times have returned to the Oval. In August , England became the world's top test match playing country. This has been achieved over a number of years, but was confirmed after a 4-0 victory over India climaxing with the final victory at the Oval. It gave me real pleasure to wear an England cricket shirt when I visited the Sydney cricket ground in late November.

2011 saw us visit Greece as well as Australia and Singapore. At home in England we had time in Norfolk and Wiltshire. Gradually I'm becoming aware that it isn't the distance and amount of time away from home, that refreshes you. In the future short breaks may well replace the lengthy holidays.

In 2011 I had the pleasure of attending some excellent concerts. In no particular order, Rihmond Fontaine, Jason Isbell, Drive by Truckers (2), Elton John, Gillian Welch, Ryan Adams, Madison Violet, Jim White,and Laura Marling. It was the year that I found the music of Laura Marling, her album " A creature I don't know " was bought by chance but has been played many times. Venues have ranged from the small Borderline for Madison Violet to the open space of Sussex County Cricket ground at Hove for Elton John, but the concert that stands out above all others was the appearance at Shepherds Bush Empire in May of Drive by Truckers. I'd missed DBT's last London show a couple of years back, and so I was backing up for lost time. The track that stands out for me from 2011 comes from the Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit album "Here we rest", it's the opening track "Alabama Pines". American artists are able to sing about their home areas in a way that seems to evade British singer songwriters. Alabama is a state I've never visited, but Jason Isbell is able to create images in the mind of the listener that a great piece of tourism marketing.

Finally 2011 has been a year of political disappointment. However more of this will unfold in the days ahead, the Christmas/New Year period sees politics take a breath, while the media tends to focus on other matters. So I'll do the same, and leave political analysis till later into January.