“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”
Benjamin Franklin
More from the retrospective planning department at Bradford Council.
There are many who feel that planning in Bradford is somewhat arbitrary; laws designed to govern development and what you can and cannot knock down exist but so too does retrospective planning where you don’t have to worry about such trivia. Small wonder people lack trust in authority.
Shame on Bradford Council if they do not come down like a wrecking ball on Mr Rahim – full story here.
Strategy Anyone?
The Council want our ideas on their “strategy” which may come as a surprise to many unaware of anything remotely strategic. As ever they are going out to consultation, a bunch of nodding dogs trained only to raise and lower hands.
You can find the survey here.
One glimmer of positive news is that they have conceded the current aspiration of building over 42,000 new houses across the district by 2030 is ridiculous. As I and many others have pointed out ad infinitum this was neither realistic nor achievable.
All it did was allow developers the ability to stuff land banks to build where they wanted and when. They effectively established a policy that they had no control over – clever stuff indeed. Even when they do agree a new plan, meantime the developers will be eyeing green fields near you to ring-fence.
A Cheat’s Charter
The objective of the League shall be to nurture Junior Cricket and sportsmanship. To promote and encourage the game of cricket among young people. To bridge the gap between School and Senior League Cricket and to ensure a steady flow of promising talent to senior clubs.#
This is Rule 1 from the Bradford Junior Cricket League and underpins the work of volunteers attempting to pass on a sport that can be beautiful yet ugly, complicated beyond belief and one where fortitude is best taken as a pill.
As school cricket has become rarer than an honest politician, understandably skill levels have dropped away. Most of us persevere preferring to offer kids the opportunity to learn skills that can sometimes defy honest endeavour. We call it character building.
Others prefer to cheat, filling junior teams with “ringers” from clubs who play in different leagues. This has been going on for years in blatant defiance of a league rule, devaluing the traditions of a proud league. Now we have a proposal to legitimise this, in effect, legalising the cheats simply because leagues cannot police the rules.
I have sympathy for hard-pressed volunteer administrators, weary and brow-beaten into submission by arrogant cheats; I have contempt for those “coaches” who prefer to massage teenage egos and chase trophies rather above all else.
The Spirit of Cricket is our unwritten rule book and sport has no place for cheats; the vote takes place next week.
Breaking Brexit News
Nurse!
Disaster was narrowly averted this week as I changed for Pensioners’ Pilates. Pulling on my shorts it was fortuitous that I noticed a hole had developed in the back end; flashing my white butt would have been a bad start to the week.
I was tempted to write to Nike asking them why a pair of shorts could not last longer than fifteen years. When I joined the gym I was fixated on colour coordinated gear all branded with the sweatshop tick; now I prefer to dress like a tramp.
The following day I forgot my towel so was left with only a flannel to dry myself – cue numerous comments – but, regardless whether Bear Grylls does this, I looked a twat.
Chorley Rules
After all this Brexit bollocks at last I read something that I understood about the whole fiasco, published by none other than pub group Wetherspoons. Admittedly Wetherspoon’s founder and chairman, Tim Martin, is a leave campaigner but he does offer space to contesting views.
He demonstrates how a successful UK business is already preparing for life outside the EU. Wetherspoons have been actively replacing EU products with those available in the rest of the world.
Who would have thought that Chorley would be the place to find a replacement for Jagermeister? Strika is a “fine herbal liquer, produced in Chorley.” If Chorley can lead the way lets crack on.
And who would you believe? Blair, Cameron, Clegg, Osborne and the rest? Or someone who has created genuine wealth and employment for thousands? At least give the article a read because you won’t find this on the BBC or Sky.
A Poem
To the eagle-eyed and the half-blind
The youthfully athletic and the geriatric
All shiny new gear and still no idea
Old lags in old gear and all the old fears
A whoosh of red, my that was quick
Anybody find me my middle stick
The ball flies high into the sky
I try not to remember dropping a pie
And when the kid keeps launching you for six
Best not call him a spotty little *****
Come meet again for new tales and old
Nets start Monday – you’ve been told
REG NELSON says
Regarding Cheat’s Charter- not being too involved in junior cricket, was not aware that `ringers’ were herded in to teams in an express wish to win trophies. I believe it to be morally correct to bring in `ringers’, of average ability, in order to ensure fixtures are completed when teams are incomplete- in fact I think leagues should be able to recruit from a pool of willing cricketers from other clubs when struggling to fulfill Sunday fixtures. I suppose there would be always a rogue club that would abuse it!