Middle Aged Moan
With age comes wisdom, aches, intolerance and lawn bowls....
So lets have a bit of a moan....
TRAFFIC
The UK traffic eh. There’s a touchy topic for many. It’s getting worse. The old buggers driving to the garden centre, eco warriors biking it double sided, tractors causing dual carriage ways to grind to a sudden halt. I could keep going…….
Traffic (in the UK at least) could be easily reduced with some draconian but much needed measures:
Between 7am and 930am then 4pm to 7pm the following modes of transport or drivers should be banned from using the UK road network:
OAPs
Big trucks that need escorts
Cycling clubs
Farm vehicles (country lanes aside)
Driving schools (country lanes aside)
It’d free so much time for the genuinely required journeys and help industry.
How to police it?
Easy. It’s self policing. Is there a more compliant law abiding citizen than an OAP? Exactly. Commercial vehicles will have the threat of huge fines as a deterrent and cycling clubs are apparently full of sensible chaps so they won’t want to be breaking a law will they.
Obviously a few exceptions need making. Old Ted driving to his doctors would only need to show proof of his appointment to PC Pickerton to avoid a fine.
What about school run traffic I hear you shout? Tricky one that. I’ve left it alone as whichever way you try to alter it, without serious policing and causing even more traffic build up, it’d be actively encouraging poor parenting to force em to walk.
For example, when I was a kid I can’t remember any two car families. Dad went work in the family car and we had to walk to school, rain or shine. The point is, that some changes to our life are actually for the good. Nowadays on a lovely autumn or spring morning make little Johnny walk to school (if it’s safe of course) but on a wet and windy January morning, when Johnnys mummy has access to a car, are we really going to say Johnny should walk to school? Nah.
BREXIT
So the Brexit referendum was back in 2016 and since then, from my non politically motivated or informed view, all that I’ve seen in the subsequent years is politicians trying to work out an exit deal mixed amongst political posturing when they should have been addressing the one key question:
“Why on earth are we going through with this given that the winning majority was so small”?
It’s also worth mentioning that my not really understanding the finer points of our political set up probably reflects a good percentage of the electorate.
The whole referendum circus is yet another example of politicians being out of touch with the general public.
The biggest and best prize of an example of the powers that be being so removed from the electorate though goes to who ever advised David Cameron at the time of the referendum to nail his colours so firmly to the Remain flag.
Mr Cameron may possibly be quite a nice chap in private but he could also be the smarmy faced Eton educated elitist that a lot of people believe him to be.
It was a major own goal to leave him so exposed to those (and there were many of them) who saw the vote as a chance to go against him, his politics and all he and his Conservative party stands for.
As prime minister he needed to state his opinion and views on the referendum but once this was done he should’ve taken a back seat to allow the vote to take place without the influence of political agendas.
So, the answer?
A second referendum?
VAR
Conspiracy Theory?
VAR is an unnecessary evil which I firmly believe is heavily sponsored by TV broadcasters. Take a big game, say Manchester United v Liverpool. So you’ve 60,000 fans at the game plus a further 1m genuinely interested loyal fans watching worldwide (don’t talk to me about the 659m Man U worldwide fan base that has been quoted – yeah, they’re all huddled around a tv in their replica shirts engrossed and passionate about the game eh).
Even with over a million supporters of two of our best supported clubs being televised, there’s still a far larger part of the TV viewing audience that are neutral. VAR adds to the event aspect of a game. If you’re watching a game on TV in a pub between two clubs that you don’t support VAR is quite interesting and a great talking point over a pint. However, if your at a game supporting your club it’s bloody awful. That’s the difference – it’s a spectacle, a talking point – it sells.
The answer?
So, the answer? I don’t know. Apart from getting rid the whole fiasco that is VAR. Keep the goal line technology. I agree with that. But VAR is too clinical. It takes the passion out of the game.
The active fan goes to watch his team to maybe meet up with mates for a ore match pint, see family members that they only really see at matches, relax away from work etc etc, but what the fan really goes to watch his (or her) team for is that almost orgasmic moment when your club score an even half important goal.
VAR has taken that feeling away from the fans. It is an emotional thief. It wants locking up for crimes of passion and we should throw away the keys too.
“I don't believe it!”
