January 2008

[Sweder]

Has an Almería squad ever left these shores less well prepared?
I doubt it. My stodgy, huff'n'puff slog across the downs this morning did little to boost my confidence. Had I managed two midweek outings in recent weeks I'm sure I'd be in better shape. Actually the less is more has become less is less; the lard has settled around the middle, the legs are gradually losing any suggestion of power and the lungs have never truly recovered from the debilitating Christmas lurghie.

Still, there's much to look forward to. Shame it's all bar or resturant related, but frankly that is the principal reason that we flock to Andalucia at this time of year. It's as well not to lose sight of that.

On my travels today I considered the current political situation here in the UK.
Yesterday around 25,000 police men and women marched through London to demonstrate against what they see as a derisory pay offer - 1.9 percent. I noticed one Anthony Wedgewood Benn, former champion of the militant miners back in the bad old days of the Winter of Discontent, standing shoulder to shoulder with the grim-faced rozzers. Benn justified this apparent u-turn, albeit with a gtwenty-year gap, by saying
'I told these people when they were up against us during the miners' dispute that come their time of need I would stand with them, so here I am.'
Fair play Tony. The government insist that they cannot allow public sector pay to rise above inflation. That is, above their own 'official' inflation figures, being in the region of 2%. Most people with a functioning mind in this country know too well that very few prices are rising by 2%. Council Tax (4%) rail fares (goodness knows how much), fuel and other utility bills are going up like prices at Christmas.

Today our government, indeed our parliament, sit to debate MPs pay and a possible increase. Well I have a message for them; get real people. We voted you in and we can bloody well vote you out again. If you keep feeding us this diatribe of pulped figures and plattitudes you'll get what you deserve - booted out at the next election. Not that the next lot will be any better, but there we are.

The hills were shrouded in mist this morning. I'm not sure if it was fog, low cloud or 'mizzle' - mist and drizzle. All in all it made for a gloomy trudge, even though I picked up a little towards the end. At least I know the mist will lift, eventually. This lame-duck government, however, looks likely to continue to operate in a dense fog for some time to come.