Local refs go on strike

Referees in one of my local football leagues - the Warley & District Sunday League - went on strike last weekend, in protest at aggressive players.I say, good on them.

I’ve watched many Sunday League games from different parts of the country and the abuse these refs get can be astonishing. They’re paid about twenty quid, enough to cover their costs of getting to the venue and washing their kit, so it’s clear these refs are doing it for the fun. Take away the fun and what happens - no refs = no football.

In my mind this needs to get sorted out at Sunday league level - AND at Premier League level. Watching Arsenal’s players harass the referee last week was embarrassing. Is it any surprise this behaviour trickles down to the parks?

Offside?

So many important goals seem to be surrounded in was he / wasn’t he offside controversy. Joe Cole’s winner for Chelsea today for example.

Simple solution - get rid of the offside rule completely. Maybe trial games without the offside rule in the Carling Cup next season and see how it goes.

Another security blunder

As if the HMRC blunder wasn’t bad enough, we now have the stunning story of a passport blunder closer to home.

A security guard working just one mile from Bearwood was sent someone else’s passport and driving licence.

It is clear to me that the Government does not have an adequate grip on data management and data security. How a National Identity Register and all its associated databases can still be on the table is beyond me. I have written to John Spellar MP tonight asking him to call for an immediate and permanent trashing of the Identity Cards Act 2006.

Black Country NO2ID is here

Over two years ago I joined the NO2ID campaign. Today I finally got to meet the National Coordinator Phil Booth and other members from the West Midlands. The regional meeting was an attempt to stimulate some local groups. Although the region has many members, there is relatively little activity compared to the rest of the country.

Firstly the turnout was much better than I had expected. Perhaps people’s attention was focused by the HMRC blunder this week, but whatever, it’s clear the anti-ID movement is gathering pace.

Several new local groups were formed, including Birmingham Central, Solihull and one for the Black Country.

The NO2ID campaign has always been politically non-partisan, so I expected to meet a variety of people. However, what I didn’t expect was to find such a variety of parties represented in just the Black Country group - a former Labour councillor, a former Tory member, a Liberal Democrat member (me!) and a UKIP activist. It was a really positive sign for the campaign that the group got on fine and focused on the job in hand, despite wildly different ideologies and beliefs.

For more information, check out the NO2ID website.

What next for England?

There was a stunned silence around me when Olic skipped around Carson for Croatia’s second after only 15 minutes. Nobody could quite believe what they were watching.

Contrast this with the atmosphere after an hour, as the new Wembley finally found an atmosphere. The place was ROCKING.

But then… the last 20 minutes was embarrasing to watch - the players didn’t have a clue how to approach it. Push forward for a third, or defend for the point? In the end they did neither - and paid the price.

McClaren’s departure was inevitable. So, what next?

Quite simply - the FA needs a rocket up its arse. The whole organisation needs restructuring from the ground up. What is the role of the FA now that the Premier League and ‘G-14′ are becoming more powerful almost by the week? Leave the National side debate for a while. This is the more pressing question affecting football from the grass roots, all the way up to the Premier League.

When the time comes to appoint a new national team manager, we must - MUST - employ a tactical brain. Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi spring to mind.

The end of ID Cards?

What a balls up.

Surely now the time has come for the Government to pull the plug on the ID card scheme and the National Identity Register. This proves they are not capable of safeguarding private data on the most basic level. Think what chaos could be caused if everything was linked up.

On Saturday the NO2ID swings into Birmingham for a regional meeting. I would urge everyone angered by this latest twist to come along and show your support. Details below.

NO2ID WEST MIDLANDS REGIONAL MEETING

Phil Booth, National Coordinator, will be coming to Birmingham this November for a meeting of all NO2ID groups in the West Midlands.

Though NO2ID has thousands of supporters in the region, we have been relatively speaking inactive, compared with some other parts of the country. This meeting is open to everyone who wants fight against ID cards and the database state on their patch.

* Come and learn how to set up a group and campaign in your area;
* Meet other campaigners and share ideas;
* Find out where the ID scheme and related initiatives are heading;
* Find out and what you can do about it.

DATE & TIME: Saturday 24th November 2007, 10:30am for 11:00am start.

VENUE: The Priory Rooms, Friends Meeting House, 40 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6AF

[Heading on after 13:00 to The Old Contemptibles, 175 Edmund Street for lunch/beer and further planning.]

Open to all. Free. (Collection towards cost of venue.)

Greens stand down in BNP by-election

Some interesting news from the Princes End by-election here in Sandwell. The Green party candidate Vicky Dunn has withdrawn “in an effort to keep the BNP out”, according to The Stirrer.

Have the Greens done the right thing? In my mind, the answer is no.

It is generally accepted across parties that the best way to keep the BNP out is to have as many candidates as possible. I know the Labour party were pleased when we put up a candidate for this by-election.

I believe the BNP made progress in Sandwell solely due to Labour switchers. By providing more alternatives, the number of votes moving from Labour to the BNP decreases. Labour still lose the votes, but they end up with other parties.

All this is likely to be irrelevant though, with the Sandwell BNP doing a grand job of planning their own demise over the last 12 months. That’s not to say anyone is taking any chances, which is why the above point needs to be made to the Greens.

Heres Comes The Snow…

 

Rutland Road, Bearwood, 6.40pm tonight.

8.45pm - starting to settle

10pm - glad I’m not driving anywhere in the morning

Back in action

Well I’m back - and it’s good to see I’ve been missed. The reasons? My 26th birthday, a wedding reception, two pieces of web design work, two gigs, a software program to learn, my parents moving house, a new iPhone to play with and of course, several Lib Dem meetings. Phew!

I’m also following the lead of a couple of Lib Dem Bloggers by splitting my blog. It’s been getting more and more music focused so in the next week or so I shall split that off and keep the politics separate.

Not much else to report, apart from on the leadership election. After declaring my initial support for Nick Clegg, I have been impressed with the performance of Chris in a variety of media. So much so, that I was reconsidering my vote - until today’s Politics Show that is. Whether Chris or his campaign team was responsible is irrelevant, internal campaigning should be positive.

Clegg wins BBC Five Live Speed Dating

I’ve just listened to what was effectively another leadership hustings on Five Live this lunchtime. Simon Mayo hosted the show where four listeners had five minutes to ask Nick and Chris questions. All four listeners then said they would prefer Nick Clegg to become leader.

Throughout the campaign so far I have seen Chris Huhne impress Lib Dem members with intelligent, articulate answers. On the other hand, Nick Clegg has gained increasing popularity amongst the media and the country as a whole.

Nick Clegg won over all four listeners with shorter, punchier answers. I particularly liked his answer on the decline of UK manufacturing, arguing for some protection whereas Chris effectively said the decline wasn’t a big issue.

We know a major problem with Ming was his potrayal in the media. It seems to me we have a golden opportunity here to pick a leader that the media and the country can love - and therefore make real progress over the next two General Elections.

We must pick Clegg.