Is It A Crime To Be Young?

In Barnsley town centre tonight and for the next six months the answer is yes. Anyone under 16 between 9.00pm and 6.00am will be in breach of a dispersal order, if not accompanied by adults. What a deeply depressing and spiteful course of action by the Police and Council. The justification is the need to clamp down on bad behaviour. But launching this blunderbuss at an entire generation is wrong. The message is that youth itself is a problem.
The use of youth dispersal orders is controversial but where they are used in residential areas to deal with harassment there is at least a level of justification. To employ this measure in a town centre, where lets be honest, congregating is meant to happen is deeply sad.
I hope the young people in Barnsley are able to find a voice that will be heard, but I suspect that the kind of Police that implemented this measure are not big on listening to or caring about what young people think.

Bird of Prey - Richard Griffiths

For most people Richard Griffiths will be Uncle Monty, the Dursley or heaven forbid the cooking copper in Pie in the Sky. Of maybe people will think if him from the History Boys. For me I will always associate him with something much earlier in his career. It was 30 years ago, and  Griffiths played the lead in a computer conspiracy thriller called Bird of Prey.  I have never seen it since and suspect it might have not stood the test of time. But there were a number of remarkable features. Firstly, being made in 1983 it was made at the threshold of the digital age. Kids as school had ZX spectrums and they could do nothing of interest with them. This thriller about digital conspiracy felt so new and on the edge. TV inspired by Kraftwerk. But secondly it was that Griffiths had the lead role, playing a repressed, beaten down civil servant working opposite (but not with) an even greyer colleague.
Griffiths gentle voice and distinctive shape got him many character roles. But I still think nobody today would risk casting like this in a high profile thriller. Griffiths character proves, after many reverses to be tenacious and brave. It was luddite at heart, fearing a Kafkaesque world that through manipulation of computers peoples lives are changed.
I am now going to put Bird of Prey on my Birthday wish list.

Commuting for Big Kids

Commuting is a grim reality of London life, but made more bearable when the grim task can be made to feel a bit more like play.
 Was bimbling home from work last night on the bike with a couple of miles to go. As I went round a bus, a black figure flashed past on a Bianchi. He was on the drops giving it full gas. Ahhh temptation,  I could not resist giving it a go. For the uninitiated, one of the joys of cycling is drafting. if you can sit close to the guy in fronts wheel you  get a massive helping hand. If you get in the middle of a big bunch the effect can be huge and exhilarating. I kicked myself into life and sprinted to get on his wheel. It is these moments when one is not commuting through Croydon anymore  but in some imaginary breakaway in the Tour. I managed to get on and enjoyed the ride for a mile. My man was keeping a decent pace going.  I thought I had better come through and take a little turn on the front. It would have  been rude not to. As I came round I realised it was Northern Jon, one of my club mates from @oldportlianscc.
One of the true pleasures of cycling is it allows grown men to chase around acting like big kids. But there is another pleasure in seeing somebody you know through the sport out on the road by chance. These are the kind of experiences that makes commuting by bike so different from jamming my body into a sweaty tube or exchanging gestures with other motorists as I sit burning precious fuel in a traffic jam. One hears about the dangers and aggravations of cycling in London, but these little, unsung pleasures that set it a part.  

Metal Theft

Most landlords and builders are rightly fed up with metal thieves making off with pipe work and cabling with no concern for the consequences. Interesting to read that in Turkey they have gone the whole hog and pinched an entire bridge. 

Native

Sometime back I watched an interesting documentary about a Native American tribe who had transformed their impoverished community by building a casino on their reservation. Basically so much money was rolling in people were fighting to prove their membership of this tribe. What seemed sad is that yes the casino provided wealth but is wasn't doing much else. Most of the community was still affected by unemployment, they weren't producing much. But the casino meant enough money was coming in. It was fragile though because it relied on the State's laws on gambling.
I was chatting to my brother last night. We were talking about how you can measure a nations true wealth. It occurred to me that we have become very similar to that Tribe. Our casino is bigger, its the Stock Exchange but there are plenty of parallels. Beyond the south east and the orbit of the financial sector all meaningfull industry is gone and the government is often the main employer. The casino has is ups and downs and the whole place depends on it. However much we may despise the bankers there isn't much of a fall back is there. If the roulette wheels stopped turning we would be in the dodoo. Then the next question, is it an 'if' or is it a 'when' the wheels stops turning?

Boris goes Splat!

Cystal Palace played Chelsea in the League Cup 15 years ago on  a night when it pissed down with rain and the Selhurst pitch was a bog. ascwasctheir style palace hoofed a ball upfield. It should have bounced harmlessly into the Chelsea keepers arms. But it didn't, it went splat into thevmud and stayed there for the on rushing Palace player to score. Boris Johnson being interviewed by Eddie Mair reminded me of that splat.  Mair seems to be offering an approach to the political interview that has been out of fashion for so long it is hard to recall if it ever existed before. Since Paxo battered Michael Howard with his Mr One Question assault the bark has been as important as the bite. The interviewers manual demanded that when confronted with a political big beast one should harry the prey from the off. Hence Humphries surly snapping, Paxo's impatient scorn and Marr's acidic disdain.
But that seems to be shifting and a softer but no less effective style is emerging with Eddie Mair.  Boris Johnson is the kind of bruiser well able to go toe toe with those that favour the frontal assault. But Mair took him apart yesterday with a more tangential low key plan of attack. He tickled the trout. Rather than exaggerated indignation he went with subtle questions that aggregated gently but deliberatly. Of the current crop of politicians Johnson is amongst the most successful in the media, but he does rely on being Boris to bounce through any sticky stuff. Yesterday morning it was all splat no bounce. 

Lucy Meadows

It is a terribly sad that Lucy Meadows chose to take her own life. It is sad that narrow minded spite stirred up in the press played a part in that. The press has its jargon about this kind of thing 'monstering.' But it is simply bullying, picking on somebody who is much weaker just because they are different.
Her decision to transition may have been confusing for the children she taught, but was unlikely to do them any harm. The same can't be said for the values of those that hounded her. But it is not a story entirely without hope. It appears that her employers were supportive. Something that would not have been the case a few years ago. I also sense the views of the press are a bit behind the zeitgeist. A couple of weeks back I was in a pub in Croydon on a Saturday night. The pub was busy but I noticed a small Trans group were there. They were relaxed, and nobody seemed phased. 

The Man in The Van

Sometmes its the little things that make a difference. Yesterday morning was pretty cold and grim for my commute. it was not improved when after only going a couple of miles I felt the growl of a rear wheel puncture. Arse. A rear wheel puncture is a reminder that 'yes it is only my winter bike but it still needs cleaning occasionally.' My arrival at work was now going to be both late and dirty. As I changed the tube, whining to myself about my ill fortune a man in a red Transit hooted and pulled over. My immediate assumption was he would be after directions. But no, a smiley chap leapt out and said 'are you ok, got everything you need?'
I did and I was fine but that cheered me no end. The guy was obviously at work, going through Croydon, and on that road it would have been so much easier to drive on by. But he didn't and if I hadn't been ok it would have been a lifesaver.
So, thanks again mate for stopping, and making the world a better place.

Welcome Back Spartacus

It was great to see great to see Spartacus aka Fabian Cancellara pull off the win in the E3 Prijs yesterday. Last year our man seemed a bit out of sorts. You can't entirely blame him with the peleton   adopting an 'anyone but fab' approach to last years classics, and the allegations of 'mechanical doping' before that. But I had expected him to show his strength at the Olympics.
So to see him take the win ahead of a select group including Sagan was great. I suspect there will have been a few groans in Flanders at the news that Fab is back. Ah the table set before us, we have enjoyed the amuse bouche, now onto the menu proper - Ghent Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders, and Roubaix. Let the cobbled classics shake rattle and roll.

The Strokes

I was kind of surprised to read that  the Strokes have a new album out. In my nemory they are so lodged in a particular moment 15 years ago I can't really accept them outside of thar  narrow frame. I heard New York City Cops on XFM, it was their best song, at a time when XFM still felt a bit new and different. It was that era when they hoped  that one could have a radio station as bizarre and eclectic as a John Peel Show and make money. Wrong! Enter Capital Radio Roundheads to rotate the hits, push up the phone in compos and ditch Mark Lamarr talking about 40 year old ska records.
I was pretty excited by that first hearing, Britpop was by then  a million miles from Suedes swaggering underdog. An injection of something fresh from te States was more than welcome to my ears. I bought the album, went to see them live. It was there that I kind of realised that my ears had changed. Ten years before I would have hoovered up their noise. But by theclate 90's my palette had broadened, I was older. In large doses The Strokes rather than feeling refreshing and now, felt over familiar. At a time when listening to Reggae and Country was revealing a whole new world of ideas, The Strokes just felt like a patchwork of old ones. In many ways like Britpop  had been.
But I also remembered seeing Bauhaus in 1982 and the revelation that gig ad been to me. A 30 year old that night would have droned on about them just copying Bowie, with a bit of Pistols thrown in. I kind of realised that maybe this band was not meant for me, but for a new generation. So that is where I left them. My ears still prick up when I hear NYCC but that is it.

The Fear of Budgets Past

This might be a false memory, I am not sure. I remember viewing the budget with dismay as a small boy. Not because any threat to pocket money but because of TV. The coverage of the budget in 1973 was not exactly snappy, but my grievance was that it meant no children's programes that day. BBC1 needed the space for grey talk about money. At that stage if ITV had any children's programes they weren't an acceptable alternative. At that stage everything on BBC 2 involved two or more men in glasses droning on regardless of the topic. It was the era when the announcer would tell you if a programe was going to be in colour. In case you didn't realise.  So while parents got to fret about money, 6 year olds arrived home from school to find Jackanory and Deputy Dog had been stolen from us.
I have never really ever fully forgiven the budget for being a dull disagreeable intrusion on my pleasant daily  routine. This became a more tangible resentment when I took up tobacco. 47p for 10 JPS! I only had 50p dinner money. Chancellor's are a little more creative these days. It did feel in the 80's that it was just a debate about how much fags booze and petrol were going up. Or that might just reflect my concerns at the time. I have a more middle aged view of these things now. The Budget remains a dull intrusion on my pleasant routine, however I now value that dullness. I can't think of anything as frightening now  as an 'exciting' budget. 

Cyprus Honey Trap- a Golden Fleecing

I mean no disrespect to the average Cypriot who is facing having to bail out their banks from their own pockets. However, there is curious dimension around Cyprus having lured billionaires to become citizens and now, well fleecing them. Basically Cyprus offered the kind of Tax regimen that billionaire shipping magnets and Online gambling entrepreneurs like. The kind of regime that means they get to keep their money for themselves. To be honest given a free choice most of us prefer that kind of regime.
However the Cypriots had a wheeze up their sleeves. This opportunity was not open to all. To become a citizen you had to deposit millions of € and invest heavily in Cyprus. So having now lured them in, the tables are turned. All these billionaires are now caught with a big pile of cash in easy reach of the Cypriot exchequer. Ah schadenfreude. Don't you just love it. Of course even if they do have 10% of their money snaffled they are not about to go without. That pleasure goes average punter who put away a few quid for their retirement.

Lady Vanishes

It looked like nice Sunday evening stuff. I don't watch much TV that isn't cycling related but the Lady Vanishes felt  like a cheery way to spend a couple of hours. Everyone was clearly working very hard and it was delivered with enthusiasm but there were two things one could not escape. The source material was so dated and actually quite silly that it became a parody of  old British films set  'on the continent.' The central character demanding foreigners speak English, and the whole world accepting the authority of an Oxbridge professor. One might be able to suspend the disbelief if it was a film made 60 years ago, but it wasn't and I couldn't.
The other part was that the whole thing was so frantic that it did not bother to create any characters that went beyond  stereotype. Even The character of Iris Carr remained a two dimensional collection of period mannerisms and unlikely decisions.
I have seen the Hitchcock version though not recently enough to make a fair comparison, but I was left with the question how was it meant to benefit from being remade. 

Milan San Remo and cycling closer to home

It is not often the weather in Kent so beautifully mirrors that of Italy, but today both the professional peleton lining up for the MSR and the 9 Old Ports headin off from West Wickham got to enjoy a long ride in the cold pissing rain. To be fair the pros went a lot further and a lot faster, but at least when we sat down to drink Peroni this afternoon we could enjoy some inkling of what they we going through.
The initials signs weren't great. Lot of the riders had ditched out early and the race was rerouted and restarted. There was clearly some serious bitching about the organising of the event going on. But it turned out to be a cracking race, with dirty faced riders going through all manner of pain to stay in touch with the leading group. Brave but ultimately unrewarded efforts by Chavanel and Ian Stannard. A right old battle then Ciolek pulling off a cunning win. Great stuff.

Milan San Remo - The Sprinters Classic

Going to be watching this classic with a few cycling mates as we hide from the wind and rain tomorrow PM. We are going out for a blast early so  will  be throughly windswept as we sit back  and envy those lucky enough to be riding in Italy.

These kind of races are for the samuri of the peleton, riders with incredible speed and bravery. The winner will not just be the strongest guy but the one whose nerve and instincts with take them across the line first. It is a race where the tension builds slowly, rising and rising until it explodes in  the last 500 metres, where one of the big beasts will have dealt the winning blow, a single final explosion of speed. The margins between winner and first loser are tiny. A few years back Cav took it by less than a tyres width. After a coulpe of hundred Km's of riding, it can come down to that.

Can't wait.

One of the joys of this sport is how the landscape and the history of each country shapes the racing, making each event distinct. The Burgs in the Ardennes, the cobbles of Flanders and northen France, the Strada Bianci. Each sets it one individual test.

Child Protection

One needs to be of stern stuff to work as a social worker in child protection. These guys walk a tightrope. I read today that Haringey have had to pay damages to a family for launching an investigation without appropriate grounds. I appreciate that being falsely accused of abuse must be a truly dreadful experience. But what if there is abuse and th Authority fails to act? We have been there before more tan once. Yes they have procedures to guide and protect. But I also bet the team at Haringey like most Local Authority Departments has been under pressure to cut costs. Many jobs require judgement calls under pressure, but there are few where the stakes are so high.

Would a Pickle by any other name taste so sour

Eric (the pickled egg) Pickles has been amusing himself issuing a few admonishments to local authorities. One is his complaint that to much is being spent on translating documents for those who don't speak English. A figure of £20 million per year was quoted. The rationale - providing translations discourages people from learning English. So Eric, please direct me to te credible piece of research that supports your hypothesis. Or is it as I suspect based entirely on your own musings and wishful thinking? It is classic nasty party 'kicking away the crutches encourages people to walk' logic.
My guess is not providing material people can understand simply means they don't access services.
I kind of get some of the argument . 10 yeas ago a housing Association I worked for was having a residents conference. As part of the invitations they asked if people needed help with English. A Vietnamese family advised that yes they would like to come and yes they would like help with English. So a translator was booked, and duly turned up on the day. Sadly the family did not. It would have been cheaper to send the translator to their house to go through the conference 121.
However, most translation is done of information that we actually need people to understand. We need people to really understand the obligations of their tenancy, not just sign it blind, we need people to understand the importance of getting their gas boiler serviced or the fire safety instructions or the rules on recycling. We what the victims of abuse to know who to call, not rely on a relative.
The realty is that most documents are not translated as a matter of course, it s done on request. The reality is that the number of requests is low.
I am sure there are plenty of anecdotes about things being needlessly translated but the vaste majority is done not out of political correctness but out of necessity to deliver services. This was a cheap shot from Pickles that deliberately misrepresents the situation to score a point.

Froome looms

Great to see Chris Froome take the lead in the TA, having taken a stage yesterday. He is the kind of aggressive rider that can set a stage race alight. Probably way to early for this to say anything about the Tour, but it  is great to see him in such combative mood this early in the year.

Sky are once again looking formidable, with Porte taking Paris- Nice, they have some serious strength in depth. But, personal wish. I would love to see an Ian Stannard or a Geraint Thomas show in one of the cobbled classics this year. If I made a pact with the Devil, I would sell a Wiggins Giro win for Thomas to take Paris-Roubaix. Probably makes me a bad person, but so be it.

Sprinting Just Got Interesting

In the Tirreno-Adriatico yesterday Mark Cavendish didn't win the stage. Ok, not the end of the world other than it was exactly the kind of finish (flat and straight) where he has been King of the world for the last four or five years. Nobody cheated, he wasn't disqualified, his lead out didn't let him down, he was just beaten fair and square by Sagan, only narrowly getting the edge on 'he only wins shit small races' Griepel.
The arrival at last years tour of Sagan effectively ruling out the chance of Cav taking a Green Jersey again, with his ability to sprint up hill, certainly livened things up. But now he has gone head to head with Cav where the Manxman has ruled supreme, and won. If the gap has also narrowed with Griepel then the finish of the flat stages in the Grand Tours could be very lively.
It would be easy to think hat this is bad news for Cav but I don't thinks so. His is the kind of man that comes ack fighting. Secondly great champions need great rivals. An ageing Petacchi and the misfiring Farrar were not going to cut it. Now he has some true rivals to battle. Bring it on.

Sh*T Places to Eat in Croydon

There are loads, and half of then are serving largely chicken based fare.  However that is rather like shoot fish in a barrel, so this bit is dedicated to eateries that disappoint. Places that really ought to do better.
For Breakfast coffee places my baseline is Cafe Nero. Decent solid kind of chain, not super special but generally decent coffee, ok food and cheery service. And of course numerous. So above or below the Nero Standard is my grading system. While I am keen to use small local traders they do have to be half decent.
First up for my grumpy side is Bar Ispani. Being a paperbacks throw from Waterstones in the Whitgift and doing a nice breakfast florentine mini omelette has often brought me there, but my last visit confirmed that it really needs to try harder. The coffee is a top dollar price with a basement taste, its generally expensive and though seemingly staffed by a small army there is a bored indifference in the way they go about their work. Sorry for disturbing your busy schedule of staring into space. Should be a treasure, isn't. Now so massively out gunned on the brunch stakes by Matthews Yard it is probably too late for this punter. Two notches below the Nero Standard I'm afraid.

Tooley Street

I have been to London Bridge hundreds of times over the years. Today, walking from there down Tooley Street and then over Tower Bridge I was struck by how much has changed in my lifetime. I first went up there with my Dad and Brother when I was about 10, maybe younger. Big treat to visit HMS Belfast. That was one of the big holiday treats when I was that age. Up there with a trip to see the Dinosaurs at theNatural History Museum.
I remember Tooley Street vividly, grey skies and black brick walls, the torn remains of yellow posters in a desolate empty road. People weren't flocking there at a weekend then. That was before the  regeneration around the river. Now it is all glass towers and marble. Even the old is made to look new. People hurrying past cafe's and shops, or sitting outside in the spring sunshine. So different.

Galicia - Nice Places To Eat in Croydon #2

While the Glamorgan is a bit of a new kid on the block I think it's is fair to say that the Galicia, that temple to Tapas is something of an institution. There was a time  when apart from a few decent Curry Houses, Galicia was the only Restuarant it was worth making a journey to Croydon for. There is more choice now but it still knocks most into a cocked hat, and frankly why anyone goes to the miserable La Tasca with Galicia so  close god alone knows.

I had a cracking drunken works do there, have been for nice weekday treats with my partner and treated friends. The red Rioja is a good workhorse of a wine covers the standards with some left field option too. Kidney in sherry - yum. jonest.

The place may not be quite at its peak. There is a feeling they are pushing bigger portions over quality right now. Understandable, an nothing disasterous But Just hope its not something that goes any further. The service is exuberant, though the banging of pots and pans along with the bawling of happy birthday is a cruel way of marking the start anyones new year.

Overall it is that it is somewhere nice to spend an evening that is different to anything else around. No disrespect to them but sometimes if the name wasn't written at the top of the menu it would be impossible to tell from the food whether you are in Il Ponte, Zizzi or Pizza Express. There is no threat of that at Galicia. 

The Glamorgan Nice Places to Eat in Croydon part 1

I continue to mourn the passing of Davy's wine vault that once lurked below M&S. Clearly not enough people were in on It to keep it alive in recessionary times. The combination of simple well made British/European dishes, a good wine list, friendly staff always worked for me. while the Restaurant Scene in South Croydon is strong I do miss this outpost in the West.
Which is a roundabout way of  saying i keep hoping a replacement will appear, and this is what took us to the Glamorgan. What used to be a pretty grim old boozer in Cherry Orchard Road has been transformed into a gastropub. We discovered this last Autumn during the Cherry Orchard
 Arts Festival. Lots of naive art and stripped wood give it a nice feel and the staff are enthusiastic, helpful and friendly, though sometimes not the most skilled or deft. But hey, if you get friendly and helpful one can easily forgive.
There is a Southern African slant offering up dishes like Bunny Chow (curry in a hollowed out loaf of bread) Kudu burgers and crocodile steaks. This sits alongside more traditional steaks and European Dishes.
On the evidence seen so far it is doing pretty well pulling in diners but seemed light on drinkers. This is shame as the bar looks a nice spot and they serve up a decent Guinness.
Not quite the new Davy's but a welcome addition.

Bradley Manning and the Vengeful State

Alan Rusbridger has tweeted that the treatment of Bradley Manning is like a boy torturing ants witha magnifying   glass.  It does seem that the Due Process' is being used to make it as painful and degrading process as possible. There is a spiteful nastiness about it. Like Guantanamo Bay the State seems unable to disguise its hunger for simple revenge.
Manning went into this a vulnerable person, and frankly should never have held the position he did. But he now stands as probably the loneliest and most despised man in America.
I a, not sure exactly what I am saying, maybe that mercy is a quality that seems to have been forgotten.