The UK riots - My view

By Simon Wright (Personal column)

SO, ‘BROKEN Britain’ lies in ruins after last week’s horrific scenes of rioting and looting across the country.  Note to toy manufacturers, no batteries have been included in these burnt out shops, homes and businesses.  Some shops look like the burnt out shell that was The Loft nightclub after the 2009 fire in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, whilst others remain open for business as if last week was a storm in a teacup.

     It wasn’t though.  Approximately 3,000 arrests have been made by police, with at least 60 per cent of these having been charged for the crimes.  The damage is likely to end up reaching £1billion pounds and it is a dreadful promotion for the capital city, with the 2012 Olympics now less than a year away.  Chelsea Ives, one of the rioters, was an Olympic ambassador.  That’s an embarrassing image sight for the organisers and I’m pleased the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has backed us.  I’m shocked to realise that we have so many idiots in our country.  London was the worst hit, but there were also severe disturbances in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol, with minor damage reported in Nottingham, Gloucester, Oxford, Wolverhampton, Milton Keynes and West Bromwich.  So, why did we end up all fearing for the establishments we live and love last week in the worst riots seen in this country for many a generation.  Many reasons have been given, which I will go into detail later on in this blog.

     First of all, as I tuned into Sky throughout Monday night last week, I was appalled to see what was happening.  It shook me to a core and I felt sick to the stomach.  Anger was building up inside me; as the pictures saw London look like a disaster movie, with many industries looking as battered and bruised as you would if you’d taken on Mike Tyson in his prime.  I was leaving the country in 48 hours time and when I heard of trouble reaching my own hometown, I started to wonder what I would come back to.  Luckily, it has calmed down since then, but the damage has been done and left so many heartbreaking stories.

    Ashrof Rassle is brave to say he still loves this country and wants to stay.  The Malaysian student is recovering in hospital after he was attacked and robbed on the streets by thugs.  The video was recorded and uploaded to YouTube and is an absolutely disgraceful act.  I feel massively for Trevor Reeves, who could only watch in horror as his local furniture store burnt down in Croydon.  It had survived two World Wars and lived through four generations of family, what a tragic way for the business to end.  Then there’s Richard Bowes, who was attempting to remonstrate yobs that set fires to bins near his home in Ealing, only to be beaten to death in an act of cynical behaviour.  Finally, there are the three young lads in Birmingham, who were protecting their livelihoods (businesses and mosques) and ultimately paid the price, with their lives.  I’m so proud to see the community of Birmingham come together at a time of such overwhelming tragedy.    

     The government has taken a load of stick for their handling of the carnage to have descended on the UK and some of it is fully merited.  More organisation has to be used around holidays, with rotas the only way forward.  I’m sorry, but you cannot have the five main figureheads of the country (Home Secretary, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Mayor of London and Chancellor) on holiday at exactly the same time.  The one politician I did feel sorry for was Boris Johnson.  He was heckled in the streets, but he was trying to help and also got involved in the cleanup in Clapham.  It got worse when Boris was bullied in an interview last Tuesday night (August 9) by ITN anchor and Daily Mirror columnist Mark Austin.  Johnson did really well to get his points across, despite Austin’s ignorant attempts to butt into his answers.  The way he handled the interview was very professional and dignified.  As for Austin, it was a foul piece of journalism and a bad example of how to do it.  For me, a respected news anchor dropped the ball here.

     As the week has progressed, I have been deeply unimpressed by the way David Cameron has handled this national crisis.  If I knew he was going to be this bad, maybe he should have stayed in Tuscany after all, sipping his precious cappuccino!  Despite the destruction, he still wants to cut 16,000 jobs on the police front.  What on earth is he doing!  Has he had his eyes shut throughout?  If anything, we need more police on the frontline as the anarchy broke out.  I’m afraid Mr. Cameron has been just as clueless of late as Arsene Wenger!  One message to Dave; I’m sure they do decent deals on priceless coffees at Starbucks if you really are that desperate for a caffeine boost!

     Last Thursday, he did say this in an emergency Commons debate; “And to the lawless minority, the criminals who have taken what they can get.  I say this, we will track you down, we will find you, we will charge you, we will punish you.  You will pay for what you have done.”  At least he has stuck to that, with magistrates working 24 hours a day to send a lot of the criminals into prison cells for their actions.  However, boot camps might have to be the way forward, because it might teach all of them a lesson in how to behave.  Any confidence I had in the coalition government has disintegrated.  Nick Clegg looks like a spare part, George Osbourne would rather be somewhere else rather than the House of Commons half the time and Theresa May is under huge pressure now, probably fighting a losing battle for her job.

     Now onto those who caused so much damage, fear and grief to the innocent.  It is inexcusable what they have done and an utter disgrace.  This was thuggery of the highest order.  Some don’t look sorry at all – I’ve heard stories of them smirking in court and laughing away without a care in the world.  You are a disgrace to society and I only wish we had bigger wheelie bins to tip you into!  I say to the courts, lock them up and throw away the key.  Boo hoo that you can’t afford the latest Nike Pegasus trainers, a Dell laptop or a 4-pack of Carlsberg Special Brew – it’s a tough life and we have all had to make sacrifices in the recession.  If you don’t like it, we don’t need you in the country, bugger off onto another planet!

    Despite some of the compensation packages that have been set-up by the government for affected businesses, it will end up being us that pays for most of the damage, not the loonies who did the damage.  Most taxpayers wouldn’t mind seeing these clowns having benefits and hand-outs being taken away from them.  It might help them learn, though that’s unlikely. 

    The parents need to take some responsibility too for the actions of their children.  For some of the criminals, running back to Daddy is probably the best option.  Oh wait, your Daddy probably encouraged you or is getting smashed out of his head at the local watering establishment!  The parents must take more control of their kid’s actions.  I’m pleased to have seen many parents hand their kids into the police.  Well done to you, no matter how hard it must have been, you’ve done the right thing.  To those parents who are protecting their violent youngsters, hang your head in shame, because you are not much better!

    Historian David Starkey will also probably need to find a new occupation.  His comments on last week’s edition of Newsnight have no place on television and he’d better hope that TalkSport offer him a place on their radio programming for sporting history.  After all, they seem to accept those disgraced professionals who make barbaric comments on TV.  Richard Keys and Andy Gray spring to mind!

     After what has happened last week, I have to ask myself, do I want to be a part of this country anymore?  I have to question it.  Our country might recover – but it will take lots of work to repair the burnt-out buildings and shattered glass windows.  I’m afraid, unless these police cuts are reviewed, the EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) is restored and parents take more responsibility, this could easily happen again anytime soon.

     Lastly of course, my symphonies go out to those who have lost loved ones and been significantly affected by these devastating riots.

Disgraced duo return to broadcasting

SPORTS radio station TalkSport will welcome ex-Sky Sports presenters Richard Keys and Andy Gray back to broadcasting on Valentine’s Day.  The disgraced duo left BSkyB less than three weeks ago, following the sexism football row which dominated the national headlines. 

BACK: Richard Keys and Andy Gray return to broadcasting next week

Gray was sacked after being caught making off-air sexist jibes to female presenter Charlotte Jackson, and making offensive comments about the appointment of female line official Sian Massey for the televised Wolves v Liverpool match on January 22.  Keys resigned 24 hours later after his close friend lost his job, after also making offensive comments off-air about Massey and the chief executive of West Ham United, Karen Brady.  Before his departure, he went on the airwaves to speak exclusively to TalkSport about the scandal, because he trusted their integrity.  Now, from Monday morning, between 10am and 1pm – the pair will be reunited to front a daily weekday show on the football events around the world. 

TalkSport saw an opportunity to poach the pair, once negotiations with Al-Jazeera had stalled.  When asked by the media about the appointments, the programme director for TalkSport Baz Dee seemed delighted with the new acquisitions; “Andy and Richard are iconic broadcasters with massive TV careers and I know that will have an impact on national radio.”

It won’t be the first time that Keys and Gray have worked on radio.  Richard started his distinguished career as a sports editor at Piccadilly Radio before landing the anchor role of Sky’s Premier League’s football coverage in 1992.  Before his departure, he had presented over 1,000 live televised games for the network, now in its 20^th year of established broadcasting.  Gray worked as a radio summariser for BBC Radio 5 Live at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. 

Whether the pair should have second chances in the media industry, especially after what was said remains open to debate.  However, it is bound to boost TalkSport’s ratings.

Keys says sorry, then resigns

THE sexism row in football took another twist yesterday, after Richard Keys resigned from his role as the main football presenter for Sky Sports.  Keys faced the cameras yesterday for the first time since he was caught off-camera making sexist jibes about women not understanding the offside rule.  He said sorry to those he offended, before heading to Sky offices in London to confirm his departure.

In a statement released by Sky Sports, he said; “I am deeply sorry for my remarks and the offence it has caused; it was wrong and it should never happened.  I have thought long and hard and reached the decision that it is time to move on.”

Keys long-time Sky partner in crime Andy Gray, was sacked on Tuesday after new video footage was released seeing the former Everton striker suggest that female presenter Charlotte Jackson should ‘tuck his shirt in’ during a rehearsal for a Monday Night Football game in December.  More YouTube footage appeared yesterday of Keys asking Sky pundit Jamie Redknapp whether he had “smashed it” with an ex-girlfriend.  This seems to have been the final straw for the Coventry City supporter, who has fronted Sky’s groundbreaking football coverage for the past two decades.

Yesterday, Gray also apologised in a statement through his lawyers and admitted he was “devastated by losing the job that I love.” 

The presenters downfall started when they were caught making off-air comments about female assistant Sian Massey not understanding the offside rule in the build-up to Saturday’s Sky lunchtime clash between Wolves and Liverpool.  West Ham chief executive Karen Brady was also a victim to the vulgar comments.  A tape was passed onto the Mail on Sunday and the storm began.  On Sunday, neither made an apology during the televised match between Blackburn Rovers and West Brom, which turned out to be the pair’s last appearance on Sky Sports.  On Monday, the pair was disciplined and suspended by Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis from presenting this week’s Monday Night Football clash involving Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea.  More footage was later released of Gray’s tirade at Massey with Sky reporter Andy Burton, who has also been suspended by Sky for his part in the scandal.  Andy Gray was sacked on Tuesday evening, after the third act of his comments about Charlotte Jackson leaked onto the internet.  Sian Massey, the innocent party in the sexism storm was withdrawn from her line official job at Tuesday’s League Two game at Crewe Alexandra and has been appointed to a Blue Square Premier match at the weekend.  She has tried to keep out of the public spotlight as best as she can, whilst the media continue to hound her.  Ironically, she made an outstanding call in the game at Molineux on Saturday; judging correctly that Raul Meireles had been played onside by Wolves full-back Ronald Zubar, which led to Liverpool’s first goal in a 3-0 victory. 

SORRY: Richard Keys on TalkSport yesterday (courtesy of TalkSport)

Richard Keys took to the airwaves on the sports talk radio show, TalkSport.  See below for some of what he had to say.

“I want to reiterate what I said to Sian Massey during the second half of the Blackburn v West Brom game, not as reported at 5pm on the Monday evening.  I rang on behalf of Andy and myself on Sunday afternoon.  I made an official apology, which Sian accepted.  She and I enjoyed some banter together and we left on very good terms.  I can’t tell you anymore about the conversation beyond saying she was in good spirits and I expressed my disappointment that Andy and I, misguided having some fun had got it wrong.  There is no excuse anywhere for anybody to make a judgement on someone’s else ability to do a job because they are male or female.  “I apologised on the Sunday.  Now, there are some dark forces at here.  I having done that asked whether we could make the public aware that we’d done that, we’d had a conversation and both parties felt it was right to move on.  I was told no and 24 hours passed.  By which time, the world had gone mad.  Now, I don’t know why I was told no, why I was told to stop people from telling them that’s what I had done and I remember saying this to Sian; Sian, I need to make this official.  On behalf of Andy and myself, we unreservedly apologise for our behaviour.  It was wrong.”

Listen to the first 15 minutes of the interview at; http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/audio/2011/jan/26/richard-keys-talksport-interview-audio

Hopefully his departure will bring an end to the embarrassment that Sky Sports has suffered over the past five days.  Can Sky’s football coverage stay strong without these two figureheads?  That remains to be seen.  However, both Richard Keys and Andy Gray have paid the price and rightly so.  There is absolutely no place in the world for these sexist comments, whether they were banter or not.  

FA Cup 4th Round Review - Is The Romance Dead?

This was first posted on January 25th at http://happydude88.livejournal.com/

Three weeks ago, former Nottingham Forest and Liverpool player Stan Collymore claimed on Talk Sport after 3rd round Saturday that the romance in the FA Cup is dead. I hope he is eating up his words now. A month on and the most famous cup competition in the world has slayed three of the ‘big 4’ and has left the FA Cup of 2010 wide open.

As Wembley in the middle of May draws closer, so the big guns continue to run into trouble, and following Manchester United’s shock loss at home to Leeds United and Liverpool’s shambolic exit at the hands of lowly Reading in the last round, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal were the next team with a team full of stars to bite the dust.

The winter of discontent at Stoke of late, with the side in poor Premier League form was put aside yesterday, as they outmuscled, outplayed and outfought their fellow top flight side. Wenger rested his big guns, with daunting Premiership games against Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea on the horizon and this gamble backfired. They should have expected the physical presence of Stoke and the huge danger of Rory Delap’s long throw execution that gave them major problems at the Britannia last campaign. Seventy seconds from kick-off, Arsenal left a gaping hole and Ricardo Fuller beat a hapless Lukas Fabianski to the ball and headed in. It showed the Gunners haven’t learnt their lessons from twelve months ago and a weakness that the youngsters still have. Perhaps, in hindsight, with fixture congestion building up, it was better for Arsenal to exit now rather than play another game in a replay. Stoke’s final two goals were on the counter attack and maximised to great effect – exploiting Arsenal as they pushed for the equaliser. On another note, Sol Campbell looked strong and impressive on his Arsenal return and Theo Walcott’s struggles continued. Surely, Fabio Capello cannot consider him for selection as far as South Africa in the summer is concerned.

With Arsenal gone, the door is open now for Chelsea to defend their FA Cup trophy successful. A comfortable and professional win at Preston, if not glamorous was always expected. Carlo Ancelotti’s main challenge for this trophy may now come from the billionaires on the blue side of Manchester. Yesterday’s 4-2 win at Scunthorpe was hard-fought and if not, flawless, impressive to say the least. Sylvinho’s goal was easily the best of the weekend and has Robinho scored his last goal and played his last game for Manchester City? Roberto Mancini has a big decision to make as the final week of the transfer window approaches. I don’t think Robinho will be a City player in seven days time. For £32million, he has been a disappointing buy and quite frankly, a tortoise could play better on away days. I think Mancini should cut City’s losses ASAP. Meanwhile, credit Scunthorpe United for giving the ITV viewers a fascinating tie. It was a brave and valid attempt.

Elsewhere, the Leeds United fascination in this year’s FA Cup continues. It was an amazing game at White Hart Lane on Saturday night. End-to-end stuff and Tottenham will know that they have been in a game. They could potentially struggle at Elland Road in the replay in ten days time. Will Leeds be able to hold onto the prolific Jermaine Beckford? It’s a tough call for Simon Grayson, as Beckford is out of contract in the summer, so I’m sure the Yorkshire side would like to cash in on their profit. However, Beckford is Premiership class; he gave the Spurs backline a hatful of problems and despite a debatable penalty in the 96th minute, the penalty he took, under so much pressure was top-class. Tottenham have to perform professionally in the replay to overcome this potential banana skin.

Notts County will be very disappointed not to finish off Wigan Athletic, having been two goals up at home. They may have blown their chance, when it comes to a giant-killing and despite their major financial crisis; Crystal Palace produced a stunning performance at struggling Wolves to earn a well-deserved replay. Well done to Portsmouth, considering their major financial peril situation. Overcoming Sunderland, who can’t buy a win if their life was dependent on it, was not an easy scenario and now, Southampton wait in a passionate and lively South Coast Derby in Round 5. And, Birmingham City, Fulham and this season’s cup-kings Aston Villa are still dangers in the latter stages. Should the favourites in blue slip up, these three consistent Premier League sides must be considered as dark horses.

So Stan, who said the romance, was dead in the FA Cup! My message is ‘Never underestimate the power of the FA Cup.’ Roll on Round Five!