Stodge ponders the restart of horse racing As we all know, Glen Cassley is about eight miles west of Lairg in the Highlands. Glencassley is also the name of the horse that won the 5.25 at Wetherby on March 17th, the last horse race run in the United Kingdom. You can keep your football, cricket, rugby (both codes) and even motor sport – my sport of choice is the Sport of Kings and I miss it and I miss my…
We haven’t spent much time of late looking at some of the wacko things that Trump comes out with. The latest is an assertion that he has been treated worse than Abraham Lincoln. The obvious response is that Lincoln was murdered. What could be worse than that? There’s little doubt that COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on the WH2020 race with primaries cancelled or postponed and the Democrats having to put back their convention till August. The impact on…
The most seductive words in the English language are it’s not your fault. Finding someone else to blame is human nature. We all love to be told that some rank bajin is responsible for whatever ills us. We don’t have to take responsibility for ourselves, if we can only blame someone else. This is why conspiracy theories thrive. Some shadowy figures were responsible and therefore we’re not to blame. The most successful people I know never blame others, even when…
During this pandemic one of the most uplifting moments has been the now promoted Colonel Tom Moore raising millions for the NHS at age of 99 now 100. He’s been an inspiration to us all as evidenced by the thirty million plus pounds raised and him becoming the oldest person to feature in a UK number one single. As noted above he’s been honoured with a promotion from captain to honorary colonel but I wonder if he’ll be awarded a…
April is the cruellest month. At least, that is what the authorities hope. The government has carefully signalled that it intends to begin a slow relaxation of the lockdown, if Britain continues to move out of its total eclipse by Covid-19 into a penumbral recuperation from the most ferocious aspects of its onslaught. The government has to wrestle with two conflicting risks when making its decision. If Britain comes out of lockdown too early, it might risk a resurgence of Covid-19. If it waits…
The efforts to combat COVID-19 have divided America and overnight saw extraordinary scenes when hundreds of protesters, many of them armed, burst into Michigan’s state capitol to object to plans to extend the state of emergency in the state. The State’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has incurred the wrath of Trump for not being appreciative enough of his efforts. The idea that anybody armed to the hilt could enter a parliament building while it was in session is quite extraordinary…
We cannot go back to how we were This is the reaction of many to the pandemic, now stalking many lands. Globalisation – at least as enjoyed over the last few decades – is over, a reset of relations with China, a change to the state’s role to the chagrin of those wanting a small state, low taxes, free markets, borders will not be as open as before etc.,. Well, some or all of this is probably true. Big events…