Watt Tyler, Where Are You Now?

Yes, you’re tired of the expenses scandal; I’m tired of the expenses scandal; we are all tired of the expenses scandal, but we must not allow this issue to die by a process of lethargy and exhaustion. That’s what Joker Brown, ‘The Best Man for the Job’, is relying upon. One would have thought, though, that he would have acted with a little more skill and political acumen in playing the game of time and opinion, but these are qualities the man clearly does not have.

The one thing that may have been to his credit is to get on top of the whole fiasco in the way that David Cameron has, even though his own MPs expenses claims are, for the most part, far more outrageous than those of the Labour benches. But he did not; it got on top of him.

Now, only two days after he emerged from his ‘vote of affirmation’, refreshed and renewed, he has reappointed Shahid Malik to the government. Malik stepped down last month as justice minister after revelations about his creative-and lucrative-living arrangements. Shady Shahid claimed a minimal rent for a three-bedroom house as his main home while designating his London property as his second home, allowing him to make off with an impressive £66,827 in three years, the maximum allowable. He also claimed £65 for a court summons for non-payment of council tax. My, what fools we mortals are!

Now Shady has been ‘cleared’ of wrong doing by Sir Philip Mawer, the Joker’s adviser on ministerial conduct. What wonderful news, one bright light on a dismal episode! Well, yes, it might be, except the Joker is refusing to allow Sir Philip’s report to be published. Is there anything this man can do right, anything at all?

Let me finish with two letters from today’s copy of the Telegraph which made me smile;

SIR, We know have the absurd situation of an unelected Prime Minister being nursemaided by a twice-disgraced former MP who, as an unelected peer, sits at the Cabinet table alongside other peers, one of whom, the new Minister for Europe, comes straight from Brussels. Cromwell would be apoplectic and so should we the electorate.

SIR, I am becoming increasingly frustrated by MPs, including Gordon Brown, telling me that, despite what I might feel or think, what I actually want is for them to continue the fight against the recession on my behalf, because I know they are the best people for the job. This wholesale nationalisation of public opinion is becoming very annoying.

Watt Tyler, where are you now we have need of you? Alas, all we have is Jack Straw. :-))

Duck Soup

This affair gets more ridiculous by the day. Among the latest revelations I note that a Tory MP claimed for a ‘Duck House’ that he could float in his pond. Yes, a Duck House! As far as I am concerned Westminster, our present Parliament, is an Augean Stable of corruption, turpitude and filth. Oh, where are you Hercules? These people, the Members of Parliament, are supposed to be the best and brightest. I find it difficult to conceive of the worst! I can just imagine how this is playing across the rest of the world, you know, that place firth of these shores that ‘did corruption’ when we did not! At least the appalling Michael Martin, the Speaker of the House, is going, a man who was never, ever fit for such high office, a man that Charles Moore described, with his usual cutting wit, as being ‘thick as mince and tatties.’ Martin is just a particularly acute symptom, not the disease; that goes deeper; yes, it does. Enough, enough, enough!

The Crooks' Parliament, or if this is Democracy Let it Die

It was once the practice to remember English Parliaments by the name subsequently given to them, usually determined by some notable feature. I mentioned the Long Parliament in a previous blog. Others that come to mind are the Mad Parliament, the Merciless Parliament, the Fire and Faggot Parliament and the Parliament of Devils. It would be an excellent idea, in my estimation, for this admirable practice to be revived; yes, indeed. My favoured name for the present assembly has to be the Expenses Parliament or, better still, the Crooks’ Parliament.

How I would love the people of this country to rise in a body, as in V for Vendetta, a march on Westminster to watch the benighted place blow apart, to remember and reverence Guy Fawkes. I think a clarion call is required. I would favour the stirring the words of the German poet Carl Theodor Körner Das Volk steht auf, der Sturm bricht los-The storm is out, the People are roused.

OK, OK, there is a strong element of sardonic humour here but, in all seriousness, democracy in this country is sick and sickening, perhaps terminally so. I note from an article in this week's Spectator (16 May) that the whole Westminster system of democracy rises and falls on a mere 20,000 votes, that’s 0.5% of the total electorate, in key marginal constituencies. It is here where the real battles are fought; the rest, the bulk of the electorate, count for nothing. I voted for the first time in the General Election of 2005. The way I feel at the present I don’t think I will ever vote again.

World Soccer News

World soccer news: For week of December 20th

Soccer Crusaders: Crosses on shirts upset Moslems

Soccer is known for knocking down many barriers, except for those fortified in religious fanatism. One Baris Kaska, a Turkish lawyer from Izmir, filed a complaint against UEFA with the local court asking for the annullment of Inter Milan's 3-0 Champions League win over Fenerbahce on account that the "Italians wore a red cross on a white surface." For Kaska, a clear symbol of the Crusades.
"The cross reminded me of the bloody days of the past. In my opinion, the design of the shirt openly suggests the superiority of one religion," claims Kaska.

Naturally, the complaint has no chances of prospering since UEFA approved the design of Inter's reserve kit, inaugurated on the occasion of the Milan club's forthcoming centenary. Indeed, Inter had the sensitivity to ask Fenerbahce whether they would object to their using the crossed shirt at San Siro, and the Turks said no problem.

Barcelona, who sell tons of shirts in Islamic countries, have forestalled a possible customers' boycott by redisigning their coat of arms in the batches intended for Moslem markets. Instead of the city's patron saint St George's cross in the upper left corner, Barça's coat of arms on sale in Islamic states cointains an ordinary vertical red line on the white surface.
"They don't tolerate crosses, be it Barça's or another club's," said a Spaniard living in Saudi Arabia to the La Vanguardia daily.
"Barcelona's merchandise sells well, but it would not be the same if there was a red cross drawn within a white square."

John Terry six weeks out of action

Chelsea's captain and England international John Terry will spent at least six weeks on the sidelines after sustaining an injury during the London derby against Arsenal. The team doctors confirmed Terry broke three bones in his left foot.
The international defender tried to continue playing even after Eboué's rough tackle, but the pain was too strong, forcing him to abandon the pitch. Eboué apologized to Terry for the tackle before getting injured himself.
This has been yet another blow to the Blues, already without Ricardo Carvalho since the early stages of the season.
The brave skipper could return to action against Birmingham in late January and should certainly be ready for Fabio Capello's England debut against Switzerland at Wembley on February 6th.


Kaká's double triumph

The journalists who determine the winner of the Golden Ball in France Football's poll have a similar taste to that of the coaches and skippers of national teams taking part in FIFA's contest for the world's best player.
As a consequence, the same player has won the Golden Ball and the FIFA's award in the same season for the tenth time in 17 years. This year's double winner is Milan's Kaká, the fifth Brazilian to have unified the two most prestigious individual prizes in soccer.

That was not the end to Kaká's astonishing run of trophies: by winning FIFA's World Club Cup, the 25-year-old attacking midfielder has become only the second player to have won the set of soccer's most distinguished trophies. Just like Marco van Basten in 1989, Kaká has collected the Champions' League, the Supercup, the World Clup Cup and the Golden Ball. Van Basten could not win FIFA's player of the year award simply because it was not given before 1991.

Here are the ten double-winners since 1991, when FIFA started to award the prize for the top player of the year.

Golden Ball plus FIFA award

1992. Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1993. Roberto Baggio (Italy)
1995. George Weah (Liberia)
1997. Ronaldo (Brazil)
1998. Zinedine Zidane (France)
1999. Rivaldo (Brazil)
2002. Ronaldo (Brazil)
2005. Ronaldinho (Brazil)
2006. Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
2007. Kaka (Brazil)

Inzaghi like Cruyff and Rijkaard!

Filippo Pippo Inzaghi has become the third European player to have scored a goal in all three finals of club cup competitions in the same cycle.
Before Pippo, only two Dutchmen achieved that distinction.
The first was Ajax' Johan Cruyff, who scored twice against Inter in the Champions' Cup, twice against Rangers in the Supercup and once against Independiente in the Intercontinental Cup in 1972 and early 1973.
Eighteen years later, Milan's Frank Rijkaard repeated the feat in the games against Benfica, Sampdoria and Olimpia of Asunción.


Milan's third hat-trick
AC Milan has joined for the third time the select group of the elite European clubs who won the three most important international trophies in one competitive cycle.
Before winning the World Club Cup by beating Boca Juniors 4-2, Milan collected the Champions' League at the expense of Liverpool (2-1) and the European Supercup against Sevilla (3-1).
The world's most successful club picked up their first two hat-tricks in 1989 and 1990 under the guidance of Arrigo Sacchi.
This elite group includes Ajax (twice), Porto, Juventus and Real Madrid.

Hat-trick of titles

1972. Ajax
1987. Porto
1989. Milan
1990. Milan
1995. Ajax
1996. Juventus
2002. Real Madrid
2007. Milan

Wanchope says goodbye in January

Paulo Wanchope, Costa Rica's top soccer export, will bid a final farewell on January 13th against Sweden in San José.
The gigantic striker, who announced his retirement last month, will play his final game at the national Ricardo Saprissa stadium, where he debuted for the national team back in 1996.
The former Derby County, West Ham and Manchester City player scored 45 goals in 73 appearances for Costa Rica and was the country's top scorer until Rolando Fonseca recently overtook him.

European leagues' top scorers

Kruno Lovrek, the leading scorer in the Croatian 1st Division, is the highest scoring player in all of Europe with 14 hits, a goal above a group of six players with 13 goals each. This group includes Celtic's Scott McDonald and Ajax' Jan-Klas Huntelaar alongside two other players from the Croatian League – Nikola Kalinic and Radomir Djalovic.
Only two strikers from the top leagues are present among the European top scorers: the French boy wonder Karim Benzema of Lyon and Juventus' David Trezeguet, both with 12 goals.
The Spanish number one is Sevilla's Brazilian Luis Fabiano with 10 goals, while both in the Premier League and Bundesliga the leading scorers are still within single digits.
Bayern's Klose and Toni, Hamburg's Van der Vaart and Werder's Diego have finished the first part of the season with nine goals on their account, like Arsenal's Adebayor, Manchester United's Ronaldo and Everton's Aiyegbeni.


1. Kruno Lovrek (Zagreb) – 14 goals
2.-7. Nikola Kalinić (Hajduk) – 13
Radomir Đalović (Rijeka) - 13
Jan-Klas Huntelaar (Ajax) - 13
Gheorghe Bucur (Politechnica T.) – 13
Scott McDonald (Celtic) - 13
Hakan Yakin (Young Boys) - 13
8-17. Karim Benzema (Lyon) - 12
David Trezeguet (Juventus) - 12
Oleksandr Hladki (Šahtar) – 12
Peter Graulund (Arhus) – 12
Juraj Halenar (Artmedia) – 12
Sanel Jahić (Željezničar) - 12
David Bunderla (Primorje) – 12
Dario Zahora (Domžale) – 12
Marek Zienczuk (Wisla) - 12
Pawel Brozek (Wisla) - 12

Argentina bought 1978 World Cup, says a mafioso

The former Columbian mafioso Fernando Rodríguez Mondragón has revealed new details of the scandal that allegedly took place at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina and that cost the Brazilians the title.
According to the ex-narco dealer, it was the then Argentinian vice-admiral, Carlos A. Lacoste, who masterminded the bribing of the Peruvian FA so that Argentina would beat Peru by at least four goals and qualify for the finals ahead of Brazil.
"My uncle and dad were called by the players' agent Carlos Quieto asking them to mediate between the Argentinian and the Peruvian FA's, since he was the Peruvian FA's president's friend," said Mondragón to terra.es digital newspaper.
"Two days before the key game, at the meeting in Lima, the Argentinian bought the favours of four players for 50,000 USD each, and their government gave Peru some grain free of charge," continued the infamous Guillermo Rodríguez Mondragón's son, promising to reveal all the names, amounts and other details of the scandal in his forthcoming book.
Lacoste was the chairman of the World Cup organizing committee, short lived president of Argentina and long-time FIFA vice-president.
Argentina won that World Cup by beating Peru 6-0 in the crucial semifinal group game and the Netherlands 3-1 in the finals.
All players involved have always rejected claims of foul play.

Copyright Ozren Podnar/Soccerphile

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