Blogging

Blogs have been non existent for ages – sorry to anyone who actually cared! Work pressures etc. have curtailed blogs here, but I am gonna rectify this very soon.

Man of Kent

England Team for the Wales Game

England Coach Martin Johnston named his team for the RBS 6 Nations game vs Wales at Twickenham on Saturday. How did I do with my preferred selection versus the actual team?

So, not bad.  Not sure about Dan Cole in the reserves cos I’ve never seen him play, and think that Louis Deacon should never be in any England squad, particularly ahead of Kennedy, Lawes etc.

Will we win?  The team looks good on paper, but it depends on the mindset of the team on the day.  If they stick to the robotic, by the numbers of England Teams over the past few years, then not a chance.  If they break out, then definately.  The Taffs will be up for it as usual, and the Lee Byrne affair will probably spice it up for them even more.

Prediction?  Ever the optimist, I’m going to say England by 9.

Labour’s record of Change

from redrag

Man of Kent

RIP Bill McLaren

Legendary Rugby Commentator Bill McLaren died today, at the age of 86.  Rest in Peace, a true rugby gentleman.

A Classic Commentary

Favourite Quote “I’m no hod carrier but I would be laying bricks if he [Jonah Lomu] was running at me.”

Man of Kent

England’s Six Nations squad

England’s 32-man squad for Six Nations Championship:

So, Martin Johnson has named the England Six Nations & Saxons Squad. Not too bad, with the a good chance that the starting XV will be quite exciting.   I’d love him to select Ashton instead of the one trick pony (donkey actually) that is Banahan.  However, I don’t like the selection of Shontayne Hape for a number of reasons -

• He’s been selected ahead of Geraghty.  OK Shane has been a bit flaky, but he’s a real talent
• He’s 28, with less than a season of Rugby to his name (OK, Rugby Union for you chippy northern league types)
• He’s not playing that well, in a Bath side that has been truly appalling this season
• He’s a New Zealander, who has represented that country at a professional sport
• League players (for all the chippy Northerners protestations otherwise) have not generally made the transition to Union sucessfully at the Highest Level when moving late in their career (they do well at Premiership/Super 14 level, but not generally at International Level – the blessed Jason Robinson excepted!)

I dislike his selection, just as I disliked the selections of Henry Paul, and Lesley Vainikolo, not because they are former League player, but because they are cheapening the England Jersey, after playing League for the Kiwis.

Now, you may think that I’m inconsistent because I welcome the return of Riki Flutey, and the continued inclusion of Dylan Hartley, but these two have never represented New Zealand at the highest level at Rugby, let alone any other sport.

Ayway, as I said not a bad squad, and if I could pick the team this is what it’d be (more lightweight than the probable XV, but massively more exciting in the back line) -

1. Sheridan
2. Hartley
3. White
4. Shaw
5. Lawes (I know Borthwick will probably be here)
6. Moody
7. Croft/Haskell (the other on the bench)
8. Easter (God of War)
9. Care (Must be set free to break)
10. Flood (or Wilkinson if Johnson bans him from standing deep and taking dropgoal shots)
11. Monye (out of form but complimentary to Ashton)
12. Flutey
13. Tait
14. Ashton
15. Armitage/Foden

Reserves:  Wilson, Thompson, Borthwick (Lawes probably), Croft/Haskill , Armitage/Foden, Hodgson Wilkinson

Don’t expect it to be anything like that in the backs, but still think we’ve a great chance at HQ against the Taffs on 6th Feb.

Man of Kent

Whitstable in the Snow

It’s a bit strange to see snow on the beach, but pretty! The Lad of Kent may be small, but he’s loving every minute.

Home, snowy Home!

Tankerton Beach

Beach huts from Tankerton Slopes

Man of Kent

I like England Rugby’s Twickenham Centenary Shirt

England take on Wales in the 6 nations on the 6th of February, and to mark 100 years since the first International at Twickenham (also against Wales) England will wear a one-off commemorative jersey. The pearl white shirt was inspired by the one worn by that winning team (how we’d love a victory in February too!).

I like this even more than the official Home shirt, mainly because of it’s traditional look and the fact that the sponsor’s logo is very small and on the sleeve.

Man of Kent

An apposite summary of our Country’s situation in 2010

From Chris Mounsey, leader of the Libertarian Party at Devil’s Kitchen

“My friends,

We are broke. Our country—whatever it may once have been—is now laden with debt. And this isn’t “the government’s debt”: it is our debt.

The government has no money but what it takes—what it extorts—from us.

We have gone beyond consensus politics: if a man were to come to your door, with a gun, and demand half of everything that you earned—on pain of severe punishment, on pain of the total ruination of your life—would you not protest?

For a moment, lay aside those dutiful thoughts of those starving millions beyond your gate, and think, instead, of those within your own household—within your own family: would you not rather protect them first?

Of course you would: they are your kith and kin and you would expect—would you not?—that everyone, like you, would defend theirs against you were you the one holding the gun.

The government has now utterly removed from you the means of protecting yourself and your family against the man with the gun: indeed, you dare not defend yourself because you fear that it is you, not the mugger, who would end up in the dock.

For the government is the man with the gun, demanding tithes from you: the government is here, at your door. But not randomly.

No.

The government has gone out and bought itself nice things—plasma TVs, second homes, duckhouses, moats. And jobs, and votes. All of those things that you could not afford—because it has been here before: at your door, with a gun.

Five years ago, it was here—threatening you with prison if you did not pay up—for the sake of all of those children who were not yours. You paid, because you had no option.

Four years ago, it was here—threatening you with prison if you did not pay up—for the sake of all of those unhealthy who were not yours. You paid, because you had no option.

Three years ago, it was here—threatening you with prison if you did not pay up—for the sake of all of those uneducated who were not yours. You paid, because you had no option.

Two years ago, it was here—threatening you with prison if you did not pay up—for the sake of all of those feckless bankers who were not yours. You paid, because you had no option.

One year ago, it was here—threatening you with prison if you did not pay up—for the sake of all of those MPs who had no duck-houses or second homes or moats. You paid, because you had no option.

And now the government has spent everything that you had to give, and more, on its pet projects—on buying its second homes, on buying its duckhouses, on buying its votes—and none of it benefited you and yours. Not even by one iota.

The government didn’t care that you couldn’t afford to give any more: it didn’t care that you had no money.

The government didn’t care that you had lost your job: the government didn’t care that all of those thousands of pounds it took in National Insurance payments translated into a few hundred when you were in need.

And now, when you are getting back on your feet—back in a job that is not as good as the one the government destroyed, back struggling to look after your family on the pittance you are paid, back paying off your debts—the government, too, is back: it’s back with the gun.

The government is back—demanding half of what you broke your back to earn—because it has more grand schemes, more votes to buy, more trinkets to deliver to its favoured ones.

Will you so willingly hand over the sweat of your brow? Will you so willingly condemn you and yours to penury? Will you capitulate again?

Or will you fight?

Join us—and help us to stop the extortion.

Join us—and understand that providing for you and yours is not a sin.

Join us—and realise that a society that pulls together is a society that stays together.

Join us—and help us fight for a future in which people help each other voluntarily, because it is right and fitting to do so.

Join us—and help to build a future in which men, women and children take back their work, their birthrights, their dignity and their compassion from a government that cares nothing for you.

Join us.

Because—whether the government is Tory, Labour or LibDem—soon you will have nothing left to lose.”

Nuff said

Man of Kent

Random Travel Pic

Blogging has been non existent ‘cos of work pressures. Here’s another random Travel Pic. Hope to be back properly soon.

River at Vang Vieng, Laos

View of the river at Vang Vieng, whilst sipping an ice cold Beer Lao back in 2005.

Man of Kent

New England Rugby (change/away) Kit

I wondered a few weeks ago about the new England change/away shirt, when blogging approvingly about the new home shirt. Well, here it is – PURPLE! To be worn for the first time against Argentina at HQ on 14th November. I don’t approve – the red change kit was bad enough, but purple? Wish they’d gone back to the traditional Navy Blue. Looks like it may be a bit of a nod back to the purple tracksuits worn by England in the 80′s & early 90′s:

Still hate it though!

Man of Kent