Adelaide: A warning from history!

As England prepare to face up to being one down going in to the Adelaide test, there is much to be learned from the history books. By common consent, one of the finest sides to tour Australia left our shores in 1958. Captained by Peter May, the best England batsman since the war, the first eleven looked formidable on paper. The bowling was taken care of by the small matter of Trueman, Statham, Tyson, Laker, Lock and Bailey. With a career test haul of 1127 wickets, this sextet was more than capable of bowling any side out. The batting was featured Peter Richardson, Colin Cowdrey, Trevor Bailey, Peter May, Tome Graveney, Ted Dexter and Willie Watson. Godfrey Evans was on hand to guard the timbers. By any measure, this was a formidable team whichever eleven was selected. They were odds on favourites to retain the Ashes they had won so comprehensively in 1956. They lost 4-0.

That 1958/9 tour is beginning to look rather familiar. The current England crop were expected to romp home with this Ashes series but have thus far struggled all the way. In 1958, Peter May won the toss at Adelaide and invited the Australians to bat. They scored 476 and won by 10 wickets. Richie Benaud took 9 wickets and essentially won the match having rotated his bowlers very cleverly.

Seven years later in 1965, Bobby Simpson won the toss and decided to bat. He contributed the small matter of 225 runs to the Australian total of 516. With the pace of McKenzie and Hawke, Australia won by an innings and 9 runs as, Barrington apart, England offered no resistance.

On the victorious tour of 1970/71, England won the toss and thanks to an Edrich hundred, scored 470. They declared their second innings after Boycott had added another hundred and the match petered out to a lame draw. As in 1965, England played two spinners in Underwood and Illingworth and as in 1965, the spinners failed to make much impression.

Roll forwards to the ill fated 1974/5 series and the Adelaide test once more resulted in Australian victory. Once again the England captain won the toss and invited the Australians to bat. This decision was made because the England batsmen were in fear of Dennis Lille and Jeff Thomson. This time Underwood took 11 wickets in the match but was let down by some poor England batting. This was the match in which the ageing Cowdrey took his Ashes tests to 42 to go past Hobbs and Rhodes. That he was playing at all reflected the paucity of batting resources available to the England selectors. This of course was the beginning of the Lillee and Thomson fast bowling partnership which would go on to motivate the West Indian captain to create a team which could do likewise but with four such bowlers. Cricket, in truth, was never the same again after that.

The England win in 1979 was more due to the missing Australian Packer players. England won this match due to the second innings batting of Geoff Miller and Bob Taylor - hardly the most reliable pair of batsmen in the side. Taylor fell three short of his ton and was ably supported by Miller. The pace bowling of Willis and the relentless nagging accuracy of Mike Hendrick finished the job off ably supported by the new boy Botham.

I end this review of Adelaide tests in 1982. Just before Christmas, the England captian won the toss and invited the Australians to bat. Greg Chappell scored 115 in their total of 438 and both England innings were poor except for the batting of David Gower who mustered a fifty and a century. This time, Australia won by 8 wickets and the customary two spinners of England yielded precious little.

My advice to Alistair Cook would be to bat if he wins the toss. I would also urge him to think long and hard about playing the second spinner. As a punt, I would go for the sucker punch and drop Swann for Panesar as the Australian batsmen appear to have worked Swann out. Panesar would be a shock selection much as Ashton Agar was last summer. Also, if the England top six continue to bat as they have been doing, they need to prepare for a pasting because the Australians go in to this test with their confidence sky high. Too many of the England top six appear uncertain as to where their next run is going to come from. Oh for a Ken Barrington now to just hold down one end with an "over my dead body" mentality!

The 1958 tourists were the shining example of the difference between a team on paper and a team on the pitch. The current crop bears many similarities and need to start performing again if those reputations are to mean anything. In one sense, their loss at the Gabba has been a long time coming and will hopefully have done them good. The latter will only be achieved if they have gone away from that match and had a good long look in the mirror. The senior batsmen in particular need to start scoring runs and prizing their wickets. This should be their starting point in seeking to come back from one down. To do so down under will be no mean feat.  

Have a Sainsbury's Christmas!

Three years ago, I was listening to the radio yesterday when my attention was drawn to the opening chords of my favourite song played at Christmas time. Irked because it was still a month until Christmas, I tried to think happier thoughts. To my horror, it then became apparent that the song was being used to promote the Christmas offering of the retail behemoth Sainsbury's.

The song was "I believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake. An erstwhile member of 1970s supergroup Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Greg Lake had started his music career with the now legendary King Crimson in 1968. In King Crimson at that time was long time Lake collaborator Pete Sinfield. After leaving King Crimson, Sinfield became a successful music producer and songwriter. With particular reference to Sainsbury's he famously penned "The land of make believe" which provided Bucks Fizz with a bit hit.

But back to "I believe in Father Christmas". I will resist the urge to lament the annihaltion of the song by Toyah Wilcox in the early 1980s. The original song was written as a protest against the commercialisation of Christmas. I could write a book about the lyrics but will instead concentrate on the ones which really matter. The final line underlines the true sentiment of the song; "The Christmas we get we deserve". Interestingly, the third verse contains the lines, "They sold me a dream of Christmas, They sold me a Silent Night". Obviously Greg had Sainsbury's in mind when he wrote it in 1974. Perhaps he saw what was coming and was trying to warn us all?

The irony of Sainsbury's using this song to coax us in to their shops is too much. At a time when the Government has spoken of the need to try and rejuvenate our high streets, has it occured to them why that need may have arisen? Successive governments and local councils throughout my 45 years have shamelessly promoted the growth of out of town retail sectors knowing full well the likely effect on our high streets. They even have the temerity to suggest that one of the problems with our current high streets is too many shops. There weren't too many shops until the Government decided to put them out of business!

My issue is not with Sainsbury's per se. My issue is with the promotion of a retail sector which has contributed to the demise of community spirit and which operates with carte blanche. Unregulated and unaccountable to Government these supermarkets have been allowed to proliferate out of control. In trying to understand the use by Sainsbury's of "I believe in Father Christmas" in it's Christmas advertising campaign, I assume they meant to warn us that if we shop there, we'll get the Christmas we deserve. I suppose we can all take that how we choose. I'm going to buck the trend and use my local high street because I value my local community and choose to support my local small businesses.

Recently, a whiff of common sense emerged from Downing Street. It seems as though the new head of the Bank of England has tried to convince the Government to ditch it's support for the burgeoning housing market in favour of the small businesses. It's reassuring to know that they remember what small businesses are. That said, I hope this is the start of a new trend towards vibrant high streets with their greater community cohesion. Perhaps then we might not see quite so many of our elderly dying due to the effects of the cold. We may also have more time to engage with the people in our neighbourhood. Our local area might even seem like a nicer place to live and we might, God forbid, get the Christmas we deserve.

The video for the song "I believe in Father Christmas" was shot in the Sinai desert and features footage of the Vietnam war. As such, it is seldom shown because it is thought to be too harsh to be shown in the festive season. On the contrary, I would show it all the more to remind people of the true world they live in and the true origin of Christmas. Given the choice of being sucked in to insane consumerism of Black Friday or the reassuring message of Christmas, I know which one I'll be choosing,

A Medical Giant.

I've just learned of the sad death of Dr David Glyn Jones. Where do I start? First and foremost, DG was the man who saved my life. He picked up the fact that I was in kidney failure and got me to the right place with the minimum of fuss. For that alone I will always owe him a great debt. He is also the man who has inspired me more than any other to pursue a career in General Practice. Although he was just 62 years old, a life can't be measured in mere years.

After he retired as my GP, he continued to do some locum work and I would periodically bump in to him at my local Lidl. He was completely unpretentious and had time for all wherever he happened to be. He didn't finish work at 5.30pm because I don't believe he ever did finish work until last Friday. his consulting style was very relaxed and I always felt as though he was continually assesing me whenever I went to see him. He was clever at drawing people out and one instictively trusted him. No flash car, no flash clothes, no flash talk. Nothing flash about him. He was straight as a die and one of the most genuine people I've ever encountered. When my daughter died from meningitis, he was distraught because he had actually tried to get to our house before the ambulance came even though she wasn't even registered with him. When I decided to go abroad with Mindy after Thea died, we went with his blessing against medical advice because I hadn't long started immune suppression for my kidney transplant. He knew that there are occasions where medical advice takes second place to humanity. He made sure I had hospitals to go to en route and provided me with essential items which I might need.

His decision to leave General Practice was Denbigh's loss. He left due to the crippling mountain of needless paperwork which continues to dog our GPs as I write. He had little truck with the concept of a ten minute appointment and his mantra might have read, "It'll take as long as it takes but it'll be done properly". The funny thing was that I was never consciously aware of people in the waiting room getting fed up with waiting. Perhaps it was because they knew it would be worth the wait. I'm sure he made mistakes because like it or not, all doctors do. But he was absolutely straight with you and left you in no doubt when you left his consulting room.

I missed him when he left General Practice and feel really sad for his family now that he has gone. Having devoted his medical career to the people of Denbigh and the surrounding area, there seems little justice in his passing away so soon. For me, he will always be the man who allowed me to do what I'm doing today because without him, I wouldn't even be here. May he rest in peace. 

Advent: A golden opportunity?

The word advent is now an important part of the Christian calendar. Translated from the latin, advent means arrival and referes to the impending arrival of Christ. Thus did Christmas become such a major festival in our calendar. As such, this Sunday will be Advent Sunday and marks the beginning of preparations to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Christmas in the modern age has been successfully hijacked by the marketing men who strive to make it work for their sales ledgers. A report today reveals that the collective debt of UK householders now amounts to £1,430,000,000,000. That's clearly a lot of money but let's try and make that figure a bit more relevant. It means that on average, every man, woman and child in the UK owes £22,633 through a combination of credit cards, unsecured personal loans and mortgages. Yet at the same time, we keep hearing about this word austerity. Apparently, times are really hard in the UK as a series of government cutbacks continue to exert their vice-like grip.

The problem is that the current level of indebtedness is now just as big as it was in September 2008 just before the financial crash. There are therefore two possibilities. Either the government cutbacks are not working or people are continuing to borrow their way out of trouble. Clearly it's not quite as simple as that but the point is made. People are evidently continuing to make the same mistakes which led to the crash in the first place. The sub prime mortgage scandal in the US has been cited as the original cause of the crash but it's important to address the facts. Certainly the lenders were culpable in lending to people who hadn't a hope of repaying but he the people were equally culpable. In taking on committments which they knew they couldn't possibly afford, they were knowingly going down a path of no return. When one person this, the results are calamitous for that person. Whejn the entire country does this, the results are calamitous for the entire country. We know this because in 2008, one bank went under, one escaped by the skin of it's teeth and millions of people lost their jobs and incomes.

When I'm at home I now prefer the radio because the TV has just become a glorified salesman always trying to tempt you with some new product which you had previously managed without perfectly well. As the retail giants do battle to try and produce the perfect Christams advertisement, the TV programme must now take second place. I exercise the option to which David Cameron refered when he was still leader of the opposition. I turn it off because it has lost it's appeal. I'm happy with what I have and feel truly blessed when I look at those people in the world who have nothing. Literally nothing. If I look at the Philippines, Syria and a whole host of other countries, I am easily reminded of my good fortune and their tragedy.

From the fourth century, Advent was a time for fasting and reflection with even dancing and celebrations being frowned upon. You have only to look around you to see that the concept of fasting now would be unimaginable to the many. These days, people try to do without something they really like for Lent for few fast during Advent. Self denial is fast becoming a thing of the past. Our refusal to compromise and do without is creating misery and this report simply highlights that fact. Our failure to distinguish between what we want and waht we need is costing us dear.

When Pope Francis yesterday published his proposals for the future of the Catholic church, his opposition to materialism was palpable - and rightly so. Not just in the UK but all around the "civilised" world, people are becoming increasingly obsessed with material goods. The problem with materialsim is that it does not make for happiness in the true spiritual sense of the world. It's ok for a brief time but then the novelty is lost and the emptiness continues.

If our collective debt currently stands at £1,430,000,000,000, I shudder to think how much bigger it will be come January. Heaven forbid anyone allows religion to get in the way of a good spending spree, but it might just be that the time has come for faith to fight back and show people another way. The Conservative party was once the party of faith but all that changed about 20 years ago for fear such an association might cost votes. It seems to me that the need for faith in our society has never been greater. Whether that faith is Christian or not doesn't matter. What matters is that people become aware that a world exists beyond the lure of the marketing men.

One of the people interviewed for the report on debt admitted that her debt was nerve racking and made her feel ill. I can't imagine it having any other effect. The report concluded that 74% of those with debt admitted to being unhappy - no surprises there then. At the root of much of the borrowing is avarice. To look wistfully at the belongings of your neighbour is one thing but to enter debt to have the same is quite another. That said, I feel strongly that our children should be taught at home and at school the importance of budgeting and living within your means. For years now, savers in this country have been penalised and this is a national disgrace. We ought to be rewarding responsibility rather than penalising it.

So what of Advent this year. Is this to mark the arrival of yet more debt and yet more misery or could it possibly be an oportunity for us all to just step back and take stock? Advent starts on Sunday and gives us a four week period within which to remind ourselves of what really matters in our lives. It's also a great opportunity to consider all the people less fortunate than ourselves. We sadly seem to be stuck with Sunday trading but that doesn't mean we have to engage with it. I wonder what would happen if people for once turned their backs on materialism and instead turned to their fellow men? Maybe then we wouldn't see so many elderly people dying due to cold and hunger. Perhaps mental illness would become a bit more accepted. The benefits just go on and on so why not give them a try for the next four weeks? What's the worst thing that can happen? It can't put us in to any more debt but might just show us the way out.

PC Hopper - Bent Copper!

In my younger days, I used to delight in some of the satire in Viz magazine. As young adolescents, it appealed to our somewhat warped sense of humour and the characters were literally fantastic - or so we thought.

The news that one of the policemen involved with the Andrew Mitchell "plebgate" affair has been found guilty of misconduct in public office seems to validate the worst aspects of the character "PC Hopper - Bent Copper". Referring frequently to the wrongful imprisonment of the Guildford four and the Birmingham six, this cartoon portrayed the police to be people with integrity of the variety which we wouldn't take kindly to. In time, the references spread to the handling of the Hillsborough tragedy and today's news is just the latest in a long line of examples.

My point though is this. Is there any other organisation in the country which could behave so appallingly and yet take such a painfully long time to take action? All this does is to reinforce the popular view that the police have simply become a law to themselves. There are no winners in this story because Andrew Mitchell has had enough mud thrown at him to put paid to any realistic chances of a comeback. I suspect that this has been the intention all along though and it has done the police no credit. Their recent appearances before the Commons Select Committee showed no regret or contrition. They clearly resented having to be there and their contempt was palpable.

We used to think Viz was just a bit of fun but I'm now starting to see the serious side...

The wind of change

As news emerges that RWE Innology have pulled out of the proposed wind farm off the North Devon coast, we are told that they felt the market conditions weren't right. It is equally clear that the announcement last week by Cameron to shelve green energy funding has been a big factor. Notably, the residents of Lundy island have been vehement opponents of the scheme which hoped to generate enough electricity for 900,000 homes.

There is a wider problem here though. It was announced today that 27% more elderly people died last winter due to influenza or a lack of adequate heating. The latter, as I have written many times before, is because they are faced with a daily decision of whether to eat or heat. The current energy system in the UK is literally sending people to their graves yet still we do nothing to address this. Our continued reliance on fossil fuels is just unsustainable whether we like it or not. It's all very well being a NIMBY but it doesn't alter the fact that we need to find alternatives to fossil fuels. More people will die if we continue to oppose progress.

The greatest indictment here though is the numbers of those who died who had been living alone with little if any contact from the outside world. The decision by Esther Rantzen to launch a telephone service to reach out to the lonely elderly is definitely a step in the right direction. More than this though, we need to look again at day care centres for the elderly. Heating a room for a large group of people is always more cost effective than heating a room for one person. In addition, it brings people together and promotes human contact. If heating is important, the latter is vital. Sadly, it is another illustration of how badly we fund care of the elderly in the UK. We are talking here about people mainly on the old age pension - not retired civil servants on more money than they can hope to spend. Granted, the old age pension is costly but leaving the elderly to die is inhumane. I feel more comfortable with expense than inhumanity so would be prepared to pay more in taxes.

Cameron was quite wrong to be drawn in by Milliband's false promise. Let me be clear. Enforcing a freeze on energy prices does not address our dependency on fossil fuels. It is as simple as that. Furthermore, if the Scots decide to go it alone next year (and I strongly believe they will), they will take with them our previous reserves of North Sea gas and oil. Thus, our fossil fuel dependency is about to become even more expensive. A price freeze is all hot air without substance. The green subsidies are vital if we are to make any progress away from our current fossil fuel dependency. It is not optional. Given the choice of spending in excess of £50 billion on HS2 and making the divide between London and the rest even greater or investing in our ailing energy infrastructure, I know which way I'd vote!

The NIMBY can have his moan but progress has to be made. The potential from tidal power in the Bristol Channel and the Menai Straits is immense but we appear to be overly sensitive to the concerns of environmentalists. Given the pollution of fossil fuels on our lanscape, I would have thought tidal power would be welcomed with open arms.

The Peter Principle in 2013

The Peter Principle is one of my favourite truisms. At the same time though, I wish it didn't come true so often. Briefly, the Peter Principle states that in an organisation where promotion is based on achievment, success and merit, each employee will eventually arrive at a position beyond the level of their capability.

Reading this piece, I defy you not to think of at least a dozen people to whom this applies. The recent headlines concerning the Co-Op bank provide us with as good an example as we could reasonably wish for. In promoting a Methodist preacher with no formal banking experience, it is all too easy to jump on the bandwagon and pillory Paul Flowers. The fact is that he only did what most of us might have done if offered such a high salary. He proved he is human. He took the money. I have genuine sympathy for the church whose name has been dragged through the mud with him but not for the politicians who turned a blind eye to his evident inexperience for such an important role.

The Methodists I know don't take drugs or engage in the sort of activities Flowers is alleged to have engaged in. Instead they are decent folk who look out for their fellow man and just try to do the right thing. Whenever a leading figure in the church is exposed like this, it undoes all the hard work of their colleagues who tirelessly get on with the real challenges with little or no recognition on a daily basis. That said, I hope his church shows him the support he will now badly need and I hope he is once more reminded of what really matters in life. He of all people shouldn't need too much reminding. Perhaps his promotion within his church was an example of the Peter Principle as well and the entire organisation needs a period of introspection to learn from the error.

After the crash of 2008, we were nevertheless assured that no bank would be badly led again. This makes it all the more surprising to understand. It wasn't even as though he had a banking background. I note that the Labour party has already begun the process of distancing themselves from the man whose low interest loans they have all too gladly accepted. The relationship of political parties with donors seriously needs to be reviewed because the current system absolutely stinks.

UKIP have the patronage of Paul Sykes. Labour enjoy the patronage of the Unions and the Co-Op bank (even though the latter can barely afford to buy a pint of milk such is the extent of their current mess). The Tories enjoy the patronage of various city billionaires and even the ailing Liberals have friends in high places. There has to be a better way of doing this because it is fast becoming a case of whoever has the most money gets the keys to number 10. This in no way reflects true public opinion and does not reflect well on the current political system.

I read a number of years ago that bureaucracy is rather like an enormous cess pit in which the really big bits float to the top. Sadly, that comparison is depressingly true and we badly need to rid ourselves of that smell. The greatest irony in the Paul Flowers story is that at a time when faith has so much to offer by way of a meaningful alternative to the vices of modern life, it has shown itself to be no better than the rest. Church congregations are dwindling up and down the land yet the church has so much to offer.

As Cameron seeks to distance himself from his green credentials and as Farage seeks to spend his way to an EU referendum, as Milliband seeks to distance himself from all knowledge of Paul Flowers and as Nick Clegg seeks to change with the wind, we can all rest assured that the Peter Principle is as true today as it as ever been. Just as the Co-Op put Paul Flowers at the head of it's massive banking operation, the Unions put Milliband at the head of the Labour party. It seems that such decisions don't concern the likes of you and I.