Cambridge United ( the "U's") are off to Wembley for the Conference play-off finals. I sincerely hope they make it back into the Football League. They deserve it.
The play-off final kicks off at 4pm Sunday May 18th.
Sunday, 4 May 2014
Vote Green?
See http://www.greenparty.org.uk/ .
Reading their values on their website (see below) they are very close to my own. Maybe I should vote green in the EU elections in a few weeks' time?
"We live in unsettling times.
Many of the securities that our parents and grandparents fought for – a functioning National Health Service, free education, and an affordable home – now look out of reach for most of us.
Coupled with this, climate change is bringing unpredictable and threatening weather patterns.
People feel let down by politicians, and yet there has been an explosion in political activism. People want to do things differently and aren’t afraid to be bold and challenging.
We believe that public services should be for the benefit of the public, not sold off in bits; we believe that education is worth investing in and not something that should mean a lifetime of debt; we believe in leaving behind a better world for our children and grandchildren.
This is the only world we have and its welfare, above all things, should be the highest priority for us all.
Politics should work for the benefit of all, not just those who shout the loudest or have the deepest pockets.
We believe in “The Common Good”.
A vote for the Green Party is a vote for The Common Good."
Reading their values on their website (see below) they are very close to my own. Maybe I should vote green in the EU elections in a few weeks' time?
"We live in unsettling times.
Many of the securities that our parents and grandparents fought for – a functioning National Health Service, free education, and an affordable home – now look out of reach for most of us.
Coupled with this, climate change is bringing unpredictable and threatening weather patterns.
People feel let down by politicians, and yet there has been an explosion in political activism. People want to do things differently and aren’t afraid to be bold and challenging.
We believe that public services should be for the benefit of the public, not sold off in bits; we believe that education is worth investing in and not something that should mean a lifetime of debt; we believe in leaving behind a better world for our children and grandchildren.
This is the only world we have and its welfare, above all things, should be the highest priority for us all.
Politics should work for the benefit of all, not just those who shout the loudest or have the deepest pockets.
We believe in “The Common Good”.
A vote for the Green Party is a vote for The Common Good."
Dead quiet!
My son is watching snooker on TV in the bedroom, grandchildren are both asleep in beds and in the lounge my wife and daughter-in-law are reading books. The TV is off.
All is very quiet - lovely.
All is very quiet - lovely.
Family day
This afternoon our son Tim, his wife and their 2 delightful young children came to stay for the night. They go back to London after lunch tomorrow. We love their company and especially enjoy the little grandchildren. The youngest of this pair is not quite 3 and her elder brother is 6.5 years old. They have cousins in Kent who are a little younger.
Gerry Adams released
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-27278039.
Gerry Adams has been released from custody following days of questioning over the 1972 murder of Jean McConville in Northern Ireland. A file is being prepared to decide whether charges will be brought later. Mr Adams has always denied involvement in the murder.
One thing is certain: if Gerry Adams is summoned, justice may be served, but the Northern Ireland peace process will be irreparably damaged . In some ways, a greater peace would be served if he was not prosecuted, even if the PPS believe he was involved. Sinn Féin are "engaged" in the peace process and alienating them would not be in the long-term interests of the province. The next six months will be critical for the peace process. I am glad this decision is not mine to make.
In an ideal world the evil past would be history. One good thing would be for both side to say where "The Disappeared" are buried i.e. those killed by the IRA and protestants but whose place of burial has never been known. For the families this has been a nightmare. I am a believer in a amnesty for past political crimes and realise some who committed real atrocities would be free men. Evil was done on both sides of the divide in the last 50 years. Surely better to bury the hatchet of history and to work constructively for a really long, peaceful future. One of the enduring images in recent years in Northern Ireland is of Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley - once sworn enemies - enjoying a laugh together (the so-called "chuckle brothers"). If they can make peace there is real hope.
Sadly, this is Northern Ireland and nothing follows sensible paths. We must now wait and hope.
Gerry Adams has been released from custody following days of questioning over the 1972 murder of Jean McConville in Northern Ireland. A file is being prepared to decide whether charges will be brought later. Mr Adams has always denied involvement in the murder.
One thing is certain: if Gerry Adams is summoned, justice may be served, but the Northern Ireland peace process will be irreparably damaged . In some ways, a greater peace would be served if he was not prosecuted, even if the PPS believe he was involved. Sinn Féin are "engaged" in the peace process and alienating them would not be in the long-term interests of the province. The next six months will be critical for the peace process. I am glad this decision is not mine to make.
In an ideal world the evil past would be history. One good thing would be for both side to say where "The Disappeared" are buried i.e. those killed by the IRA and protestants but whose place of burial has never been known. For the families this has been a nightmare. I am a believer in a amnesty for past political crimes and realise some who committed real atrocities would be free men. Evil was done on both sides of the divide in the last 50 years. Surely better to bury the hatchet of history and to work constructively for a really long, peaceful future. One of the enduring images in recent years in Northern Ireland is of Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley - once sworn enemies - enjoying a laugh together (the so-called "chuckle brothers"). If they can make peace there is real hope.
Sadly, this is Northern Ireland and nothing follows sensible paths. We must now wait and hope.
Saturday, 3 May 2014
Salcombe, Devon - where I came from years ago
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| Salcombe, S.Devon |
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| Looking out to sea - Salcombe |
Friday, 2 May 2014
Politics in Northern Ireland
Politics in Northern Ireland continues to puzzle me.
I am in no position to say whether or not Gerry Adams was in any way, shape or form involved in the murder in 1972 of Jean McConville. In many ways I hope he was not.
There is a kind of uneasy peace in the province. In many ways, the sectarian violence of a few years ago has gone, yet the fundamental sectarian bad feelings are still there simmering just beneath the surface. A visit to Northern Ireland still has reminders of the past: the barriers between Catholic and Protestant areas are still there in Belfast, the police stations still have huge barrier fences etc. The politics is divided on sectarian lines even now, not politics in the sense we know it elsewhere in the UK.
It seems to me very little would be needed to change the current (uneasy) peace back to violence.
Why cannot the ordinary folk of this most beautiful province cast the past aside and really embrace peace? True peace can only come when forgiveness has a chance to flourish. We are still some way from this.
I am in no position to say whether or not Gerry Adams was in any way, shape or form involved in the murder in 1972 of Jean McConville. In many ways I hope he was not.
There is a kind of uneasy peace in the province. In many ways, the sectarian violence of a few years ago has gone, yet the fundamental sectarian bad feelings are still there simmering just beneath the surface. A visit to Northern Ireland still has reminders of the past: the barriers between Catholic and Protestant areas are still there in Belfast, the police stations still have huge barrier fences etc. The politics is divided on sectarian lines even now, not politics in the sense we know it elsewhere in the UK.
It seems to me very little would be needed to change the current (uneasy) peace back to violence.
Why cannot the ordinary folk of this most beautiful province cast the past aside and really embrace peace? True peace can only come when forgiveness has a chance to flourish. We are still some way from this.
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