Monday 18 July 2011

A Recovery Rant

It’s been a week of recovery for me.  Last weekend drained the batteries, but I would not have missed any of it for anything, it was just one long festival of music from start to finish. 

It’s also been a week of endings and new starts.  

And here I would just like to thank all my friends who have sent messages of goodwill, offers of help and more.  One really does not appreciate just how many true friends are out there.  I really do thank you all.   

I’m sure everything will sort itself out in the long run.  In the short term I have a couple of things to keep me busy for a bit on top of re-organising life.   Many will already know that I’ve put a few items up on the Web Site as part of Dickie’s Big Sale Off which I hope will keep the cash flow going until everything is sorted and put in order.   If you’ve not taken a look at the Song and music books I’ve put up for sale take a look HERE.  There’s some little Gems, and some relatively rare song collections. 

Seems to be a week of change all round.  

I really find it astounding what is happening with regard to News International.   Were we really so naïve as to think that “hacking” and “back handers” was not widely used by our Journalists to get stories, be it Celebrity chit chat or to get a deeper insight into more serious matter, like murder and terrorism, or politics.  

I find the whole thing to be a complete over reaction, yet heads are rolling all over the place, with huge doses of hypocrisy as Journalists, Politicians and movers and shakers queue  up to fire big guns at Murdock and his crew.

Don’t get me wrong I’m no Murdock apologist.   What I am saying is that we are all guilty of letting our Media magnets get away with all this stuff for as long as I can remember, and just perhaps the writing was on the wall as long ago as Maxwell – yet we ignored it, choosing to put up with shoddy and biased Journalism.  

It does show how our Public Life has become so corrupted, as the ethos of the backhander or something for nothing became ingrained in our psychic.   Take for example Steven’s.   Did it not occur to him that accepting a freebie from a Health Spa would be wrong?   That it might come back to bite him?    But it illustrates just how deep it all goes, when not even now, our top copper does not appreciate that he had done anything wrong – he resigned because of the complex relationship with the former Deputy Editor of The News of The World.   

Seeing those Policemen last week, Yates and company explaining away dinners they had with people they were supposedly investigating as being quite “normal” and then wondering why their integrity was being challenged was just so bemusing.  And what about the Copper who having been involved in the Investigation took a job with News International – nothing wrong with that is there!!

What I find so insulting is that the Coppers defence appears to be that News International assured them that they had not done anything wrong!  So that’s alright then.   The only trouble is that it demonstrates a dual approach to Policing, for it you or I were suspected of a crime, one we would not be allowed to take the Investigating Copper out for Dinner, two, we would have been immediately dragged in for deep interrogation, our houses searched, our computers ceased etc. etc.   Just why did this not happen in the case of News International?

And we all know why.   Only at the time we would not have admitted it. 

But what about Cameron?   We have a Prime Minister who is so naïve to think that when Coulston said his hands were clean, actually believe him, despite warnings from all directions.   All this talk of second chances etc is just clap trap.   

One really has to work on the principle that if the Editors and Senior Execs didn’t actually know what was going on, they should have, and thus if nothing else their Management ability or judgement is questionable.   On that basis Coulston should never have been employed by Cameron in such a Senior post. 

And so while our so called National decision makers and opinion makers go to war with each other all we can do is look on and wonder at the weakness of these self-important people.  
The fact is that for most of us it’s all a non-story.  But it’ fun watching the blood flow.

So back to the music.   

And another busy couple of weeks is looming.  

This week all the usual activities are on the go.   And you can check them out HERE   It’s Handsworth FC on the 19th July at The Cross Keys, with a special guest, and the Davenports will be in action on Wednesday  at Burton Street, and at the weekend there’s the Tramline Festival happening throughout the Hillsborough in Sheffield, The Shanty Festival in Hull and the Stainsby Folk Weekend.  

For some next week will be the one, with Nellie Folk on Monday 25th, the MBMT Myke’s Birthday Bash on the 27th, and Acoustic Rotherham 12 on the 31st July.    Again all details will be found HERE

Thanks to the Facebook friends who have sought out the Mashers Band Page and clicked the “Like” button, we’re pressing ahead towards 10%. Hehehe.  

Over recent weeks the site has had more hits than ever, which is great news for the local artists who have their music featured on the site.  So thanks to everyone. 

And please – if you can spare the time run off a few of the fliers that are available HERE and spread around your Club – or Festival that you might be going to. 

That’s it for this week.    If more comes in over the next few days I’ll keep you informed.

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