I’m in London this weekend . There are those who naturally assumed I was over to be awarded a belated MBE, but that’s not so. I was actually over to run a half-marathon with my daughter. Phoebe did a decent time – just over two hours – while I did a rotten time, and not even torture would persuade me to say how rotten.
It was the Royal Parks Half-Marathon which, if I hadn’t been half-dead from fatigue, I would have appreciated in terms of the setting. But what did strike me was what a pleasant people the English are when they’re at home. Cheerful, encouraging, supportive – by and large, at home, they are a delight to deal with. I’m also impressed by how multi-ethnic London is. You can walk up a shopping street and for maybe fifty yards, a hundred yards, not see a white native face. Personally I think that adds wonderfully to the attraction of London, but our taxi-driver wasn’t so sure.
The Royal Parks Half-Marathon was arranged with great precision. They had a drop-off point for bags, put in and retrieved inside two minutes, they had stalls selling sporting stuff of all kinds, dainties of all kinds. They even had a superb women’s choir – two choirs singing together, actually – after the race. And the vast majority of the people running had t-shirts showing the charity they represented – for children, for old people, for cancer, for MS – for every conceivable social or medical problem. It was inspiring to see the selflessness of so many people, all of whom had raised hundreds of pounds to help others in need. Volunteers organised the day, volunteers ran in the race, volunteers fed hundreds, thousands of pounds into social and medical need.
And then I had a Bad Thought. Is it all a distraction? Is all sport a distraction? Somebody said that the Republic of Ireland’s win would feed into Enda Kenny’s decision as to when he’d have a general election. Enjoying sport, participating in sport, raising funds for good causes – it all keeps our minds off a government that is busy (certainly in the case of Britain) taking decisions about the NHS that will result in the deaths of many people. Not to mention the many people that have died in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq. Are there two worlds: the world of ordinary people, who get along together, help each other out, enjoy innocent pastimes. And another world of government and wealth, which adopts policies that deliberately strip out support for those in need (“The British people must learn to work like the Chinese or Americans” – Jeremy Hunt, and yes, Virginia, I very nearly did make that Freudian slip the presenters of the Today programme made). Isn’t it ridiculous – no, wicked – that the populace is distracted into doing good or having fun, while the government amasses more wealth for those least in need.
Funny the things you think about after doing a half-marathon. Even a rotten one.
Running and thinking about the way a country is run is no mean feat. It is pathetic to think that many ‘Labour’ MPs have lost the run of themselves given their stated intention to back military action in order to protect civilians in Syria. The also rans in the Labour Party are prepared to defy Mr Corbyn who is opposed to British military involvement in Syria. Labour MPs may well don their running shoes in order to run with Conservatives and peers in an arms race, however, they will be overtaken by those determined to run in a humanitarian and diplomatic marathon.
Bombing campaigns have resulted in tens of thousands of people being killed and maimed. Historical artefacts have been destroyed given the wanton destruction. Tens of thousands of people are homeless through no fault of their own and the best idea some Labour MPs can come up with is…more bombs.
Be glad your fate is not in their hands.
“The British people must learn to work like the Chinese or Americans” – Jeremy Hunt. Wow, what a statement. Not content to cutting tax credits to the most vulnerable working families in need, they now want to work them like the Chinese. What next? Chinese sweat shops? Or should I say British sweat shops? People working 15 hours a day for £1 per hour for their Tory voting employers? or should I say Masters?
I’m sure Jeremy Hunt is willing to lead by example and start to work like a Chinese person. Would he be willing to give up his expenses and his over the top salary? Would he be willing to do REAL, heavy lifting, work instead of pen pushing and making ridiculous, hypocritical statements? Nah, I didn’t think so.
Why on earth the British people voted back in the Tories I don’t know. As Jude says the English may be cheerful and nice in their own country but my mother wouldn’t agree with that. Whenever the Tories are voted in my mother always says: “That’s the stupid English again, voting in those Tories”. No offence to the English but I’m 100% behind my mother on this one. Repeatedly electing people that seeks to make the rich richer and the poor poorer is the height of stupidity.
I agree on the stupidity bit – but remember it was Irish people voted in a FG-Labour government, and may conceivably do so again, just like the British.
What’s the phrase attributed to Dick Tuck–“The people have spoken—the bastards”!!
Lets just hope the Irish people aren’t as stupid as the English Jude….
Keep on running, Esteemed Blogmeister, and folk will think you are warming up as a candidate for the forthcoming go-stop General Election in the Free Southern Stateen.
Perkie’s inner pavement plodder was once inspired by Dustin Hoffman back in 1976 to consider becoming a Marathon Man. But just when he had his mind up (in 1990) his hopes were dashed. The Marathon Bar was just that: barred. If he was to achieve his ambition he would have to tog out in those ghastly (gasp) Snickers.
No way, nougat. Alas, nowadays, one’s memory is the only part of one’s anatomy which gets to jog. And jogged, in return.
The Marathon, of course, has a particular resonance for the 26 counties. Being 26 miles in length. Or, more precisely, 26.21875 miles. As Liverpool afficionado, Dec ‘The Neck’ Lynch never fails to point out. (Liverpool, being the real capital of the 26 counties, is represented by the post-decimal point number).
And as you relax in your London deck chair, EB, jacked but cheered, you will be glad to hear that all is feckin’ grand over here in the Feckin’ Grand Canyon aka the FSS.
One quotation which reverberated more than most around the same canyon over the weekend was the one made by a go-stop politician in a politico-sporting context. A context which, coincidentally, was raised by your goodself.
That was the soon-to-be former politician whose surname, curiously enough is inextricably linked with the activity of running. Having run for over forty years, however, he is shortly due to swop his seat for a seated position. Even as he hunkers down in a broadcasting bunker and puts his motor mouth at the disposal of the the even more lucrative side of a microphone.
-Sit, Rabbit, sit !
The canyon-reverberating quotation in q.: ‘Martin O’Neill is a cerebral person’.
Eh?
Cer-e-bral. In the context of Irish soccer? Oops, Republic of Ireland football. Where the long ball lamped up the length of the pitch is the long enduring legacy of the wee MON’s highbrowed predecessor.
That would be the lovable charlatan from ‘Ashington, Nort’umberaland whose memory is enshrined in a bronze statue in Cork Airport, also in a seated position. Lovingly attired in fishing gear and holding a Mayo salmon. Cork,? Yes, dat Cork: de Reb-el County of Cork..
Of course, the seated Pat Rabbit, ex MP to be (for it is he !), in fairness, might have been thinking more of Martin O’Neill, OBE in a political rather than a sporting context. That both will shortly be on theplump payroll of the same Media Midas, Denis O’Brien (for it is he !) is, ar ndoigh/ ca va sans dire, completely irrelevant.
(Though wearing glasses in a footy context can indeed be classified, one is now given to understand, as cerebral).
Could be the ‘cerebral’ designation might well have been uttered in the context of the wee MON’s poppy-wearing propensity.
But, of course, as Remembrance Day (November 11) is not due to start – at the earliest – for at least another three days, judgement must be suspended.
In f., going forward., at the end of the day.
Or you could equally be as stupid to vote in SF who flip flop on serious economic issues.