Middle Class benefits

In recent days the media has been softening the public in advance of what I'm sure are some unpalatable cuts. Yesterday the Times in its editorial focused on what it deemed Middle Class Benefits. The areas under consideration were child benefit, winter fuel payments, and the free bus pass.

On BBC News the "freedom pass" was raised, when a journalist mentioned that some of her colleagues who were over sixty travelled to work for free. Now I'm sure these are the exceptions.

Rather than lumping all these benefits together under the "middle class benefits" label, as the Times did, it would be better to consider each in turn. The Times was reluctant to grasp the nettle of Child Benefit. Obviously universal benefits are made to a proportion of the population who are not in need, but Child benefit replaced a tax allowance and was designed to be paid to mothers. Two points need to be made, firstly the benefit should be skewed towards the first child, where the largest costs are involved and towards the early years when many mothers are economically disadvantaged. On the other side should government continue to pay women for every child. Should benefits be used to encourage large families/over population ?

With winter heating payments, there is no doubt that elderly people spend a higher proportion of their income on fuel payments. Whether these should start at age 60 is debatable. There is a very strong case that some of this money would be better spent on insulating the homes of elderly people. It is fair to assume that 40% of heating is lost through inadequate insulation.

Finally the Bus Pass, I'm convinced that this would be a political own goal for the Coalition government. People choose to have children, they don't choose to be old. The Bus Pass is an unreal cost, as many buses would travel with empty seats if it wasn't for the elderly.

I'm sure that this is a philosophical debate that will rumble on in the months ahead. The key issue is what facilities or benefits should a society provide for its citizens ? Should some of these only be granted to the most vulnerable ? Ultimately is it benefits such as bus passes that make Britain a decent country, ? If they were to be abandoned we might reduce a deficit but at what cost ?

Saturday news

While I was focused on the Test Match at the Oval. The Dons were in action at Kingsmeadow and maintained their 100% record with a 3-0 victory. Meanwhile at the Arsenal, Theo Walcott hit the headlines scoring a hat trick in a 6-0 demolition of newly promoted Blackpool, pleased to report that Abou Diaby ( the name on the back of my shirt), scored one goal and made another. Norwich City left it late in defeating Swansea 2-0.

Away from sport, my attention was drawn to the Australian election. Parallels with the situation in England are too apparent. On the plus side of a "hung parliament", the australian Greens won their first seat, in Melbourne, and my find themselves in a pivotal position. Meanwhile in the Australian Senate the Green vote went to 12% which should ensure greater representation. Significantly these two results show the difference between AV and STV when it comes to representation of small parties.

Test Cricket

Few of us made our way to the Oval with any great expectations of an England victory and things didn't improve when England lost their last wicket in the first over of the day Leaving Pakistan with a modest target of 148. At lunch the visitors seemed to be moving steadily towards their target, however immediately after the break Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann took three quick wickets and for 45 minutes the impossible seemed possible. Perhaps that's the great attraction of Test Cricket, the way the game ebbs and flows, how wickets often fall in pairs, how the unexpected happens. It leaves the spectator exhilarated. Pakistan deserved their victory and it means that the series is still alive going to the final test at Lords next week.

The Oval test in recent years has become the sporting highlight of my calendar, over in four days it leaves me wanting more, yet knowing that there is a long Ashes winter ahead.

Testing Time

After three days of Test Match Cricket England have a long way to go to save the match. It seems strange watching an Oval test match knowing that there is another test match to the played. The opening day was an unusual day for me, sitting quietly on the Pavilion Terrace. Its rare that I sit on my own, just letting the game sweep over me. Very relaxing. As I walked round the ground I reflected on a few points, firstly in the past a test series between England and Pakistan would have seen large contingents of Pakistan supporters supporting their team. Over these three days this has not been the case. This is in stark contrast to the World T20 Tournament last year.

Perhaps Asian cricket fans have abandoned test cricket with the rise of T20, I must admit to be disappointed about that. Test Cricket , for me, remains the highest form of the game. One issue did amuse me at lunchtime, deciding to walk round the ground I saw large number of England fans at the Curry stalls, while Pakistan supporters queued to buy chips. Perhaps that says something about culture in London.

The game over the first three days has been disappointing from an England viewpoint. The only highlights have been Graeme Swann's bowling performance in the visitors first innings. Swann has been England's standout performer over the last 18 months, a bowler who can hold down an end and also be an attacking threat. England 's second innings after Alastair Cook scored a century to restore his reputation, collapsed after lunch, with 6 wickets falling for just 26 runs.

Yet such is the appeal of test cricket and as England cricket fans are long suffering, that we'll be back tomorrow hoping that England can set a target of around 150 and hope for good bowling conditions.

First game of the season

Tuesday night saw the Dons first home game of the season against Histon. Histon are the epitomy of the Club punching above their weight. With John Beck as their manager they won't make many friends, but I sense they'll make it difficult for home sides, and along the way they'll collect enough points to survive.

The Dons attracted more than 3000 for a midweek game, which suggests a steady growth in support. The first half saw the Dons play some good football and with more assured finishing would have had the game wrapped up by half time. As it was it took till time added on for the beakthrough.

The visitors were reduced to ten men, needlessly when the only player who had received a yellow card decided it was smart to kick the ball away after a stoppage in play. The referee obliged by producing a second yellow. Minutes later Danny Kedwell was fouled in the box and got up to score the resulting penalty. A minute later the points were safe when Kedwell set up Wellard to make the score 2-0.

The game also marked our friend Mark 40th birthday, so the victory and Mark's birthday was toasted after the game with beer and cake !

100 days and there's worse to come

It's 100 days since the Lib Dems got into bed with the Tories and inflicted a government that seems to take such pleasure out of cutting the public sector and anciliary agencies.

The Guardian focussed on proposed cuts to conservation and environmental projects. After all the hot air of being Britain's most green government, it's come to this.

That organisations such as the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and the Ramblers' Association have to campaign against the government is an indication of where we are at:

The scope of the proposed is best summarised in the Guardian article below:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/aug/13/plan-sell-nature-reserves-austerity-countryside

Boys' Own Cricket

Saturday saw the final days of the T20 competition. After weeks of glorious weather, rain returned in the couple of days leading up to the final Saturday. The four sides who travelled to the Rose Bowl had played 16 gams to reach that point. In the semi finals Hampshire (the outsiders) defeated Essex, and in the second semi final many peoples favourites , Notts met Somerset. Now Notts were able to recall their England stars Stuart Broad and Graham Swann, and it seemed they were on their way restricting Somerset to an average total and progressing towards that target. The game changed when West Indian international Kieron Pollard plucked a stunning catch out of the sky, one handed, on the boundary rope at long on. The game was interupted soon after by the rain that was a regular visitor across southern England. The game somewhat unsatisfactorily was decided by the D/L method.

The final would therefore be Somerset v Hampshire. The Somerset batting looked by far the stronger, and Marcus Thescothick started the innings by hitting two well placed sixes, Kieswetter carried on the good work, and when he was out, Pollard despatched two huge sixes into the grandstands. In the 18th over with Somerset well set, the game was changed by a short pitched ball by veteran Cork, which smashed into Pollard's helmet. The grill did not save him and pollard was led from the field his eye already swollen and closed.

The Somerset innings limped to a close and perhaps more significantly they lost pollard's 4 over spell, meaning a part time bowler would have to step forward. Hampshire started well and seemed on course when in the 17/18th overs wickets started to tumble. In a frenetic last over , runs were run to the keeper. The last ball and the game still in the balance, Hampshire -one run and victory, even though the game would be tied they win it on losing fewer wickets. Somerset needed a dot ball. The ball was fired into the batsman's pads , lbw was the appeal as Hampshire ran a leg bye. The umpire turned down the appeal, and Hampshire who few gave much hope to were champions.

So many twists I doubt many would have written such a script.