Tourist at home

let´s go round again

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:52:13 +0100

Well there’s late, very late and just can’t be arsed. The latter is me folks and apogees to all 6 of you who read this blog who’ve been waiting around for exactly 12 months for me to get my finger out and started writing again.

Just read the last post from a year ago and even though I can aptest to being older and certainly not wiser it’s so funny to think how similar things are and if I’ve ever changed a bit

Am in Barcelona again for 3GSM or mobile world congress as it now is
Ashes to Ashes is the new Life on Mars
Got drunk after watching t eh footy
actually moved to the coast but Shoreham rather than Hove
Errr that’s about it.

England is not mine and it certainly doesn’t owe me a living. Coming here every year does make me think of what it would be like to live here. Real fun I’d say

Just a brilliant place.

To hung over to anything other than feign interest in mobile TV products

Will be back. So much to say to no one in particular

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Something better change

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:04:06 +0100

Right, where was I? Yes, the blogging course from 4 days ago obviously enthused me enough for me to sit on my arse and do precisely nothing since. I mitigation the following happened
1: football on Monday evening
2: reacquainting myself on Tuesday with my children and their maths homework (plus Life on mars, currently the best TV programme currently)
3: getting drunk before, during and after Liverpool’s somewhat unexpected but sincerely wonderful win in Barcelona on Wednesday. (I just knew that was going to happen the week after I was there…)
4: hung over Thursday with a hair of the dog press party from Midnight Communications

So this brings us back to here. It’s weird to think that a whole 7 days has past since I arrived back from barca. In these seven days, one my closest friends has found lurve in a big way and is on her way to Belgium for hopefully a new exciting chapter in her life’s journey. SO hope that works for her; she is a top girl. I’ve also found a new house and a sense of satisfaction in achieving one of the changes that I know I must make this year. There are two other key ones but more of them at another time.

Buying and selling houses has become an English fetish and something that I really can’t ‘get’; maybe I should but I just don’t have the seemingly overwhelming excitement about property. I see these things as where I live and where the family will be happy rather than investment potential. Can’t take the whole charade seriously. That said great work from the estate agent: sold our place for exactly what we asked and bought new place for a lot less than what the other part wanted. If all goes to plan, I'll be living 50 yards (60 metres) from the sea in Hove, next to Brighton. Now THAT is something to be excited about.

As is the fact that I just booked a trip to Amsterdam next Wednesday. 19th time to the Dam (only twice as a tourist funnily) and I know it better than basically all other English cities apart from Liverpool where I grew up. IN fact I probably know Amsterdam and its environs better than whole swathes of South and East Liverpool. Then again I’ve never worked there.

There’s a whole lot more to the city than its notorious red light district which basically has the characteristics of any largish English town on a Friday with drunken lads staggering around in Brownian mention.

All I can say is get out the centre and enjoy the museums, markets, restaurants and other places of culture that the city is teeming with. Like Barca that is a city where I could live; I’ve liked working there in the past so hey who knows?

Anyway back to work….

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a strange thing on way to the office

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 15:12:08 +0100

Apologies for the tardiness and lack of replies and posts - too contemptuous of technology after last week at 3GSM to do anything until now.

Today is a funny day - bloging trainng course. NO excuses to be rubbish or late now...

... let's see what happens over the course of the next few hours. Maybe ignorance was bliss. . Jesus, I've started on emoticons already...

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Barcelona: more than a club

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:54:27 +0100

I arrived in Barca on Sunday the 10th and the very kind sponsors of my trip organised things that as recompense for having to get up at 3:45 to catch my flight from London, I had a couple of hours to myself to wander round before we had an official ‘work’ meeting at the Barcelona vs. racing Santander football game.

The city has never failed to inspire me since I came here in 1989 when it more or less unrecognisable as the culture capital that is its now. I can still remember the shed of an airport, the ramshackle Ramblas and other streets, wall with bullet holes in them and a not too pleasant smell.
These days it’s a totally different story, thanks to the superb development that took place for the Olympics. The streets are clean, the old building renovated and there’s a real urban chic and élan of those walking around – with some pride that they should have. The Grand marina is a great place to stroll around; there’s an abundance of wonderful churches, a magnificent Cathedral and shops, not to mention the world class museums.

One of these exits at Camp Nou, home of Barcelona FC and the venue for tonight’s soiree. I last went there on my first visit in 89 and incredibly it’s got even better and more impressive. Hospitality suites contrive to drain the excitement of football matches and this one of no exception. That said the food was regional and excellent and at least we have tickets in the stands and not in a glass box. Not footy to me.

Game’s s not up to much; Racing were beaten as they walked onto the pitch and even missed a penalty at 0-0. Barca wake up from somnambulant start and begin to play or contrive to find ways to miss. Goalless half time but takes Ronaldinho 5 mins to slot- ominously for a Liverpool fan – a free kick. Rest of match is one-sided procession. Ronnie heads in a free kick and only thing left in game is to watch his profligacy in blowing with some style various hat trick opportunities. Biggest cheers of the night for arrival from bench of returning star players.

Barca wins a basketball final again Real Madrid and ground erupts irrespective of football. Mes que un club indeed.

Ironic in an Alainis Morrissette way that that the Reds are here next week – or just bad timing. If we stand back like Racing we’ll get hammered. The idea of the latter is mooted for remainder of night but being mature adult it’s back to hotel wonderfully placed in centre of city in Plaza de Cataluña. Chic ambience shattered by English hen party negotiating entry into bar. That snobbish or have I just seen too many of same in Brighton?

Buenos suenos

Anyway I’m going to on up a new blog here for those interested in the show and all things mobile. Hi ho…

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Homage to Catalonia

Tue, 13 Feb 2007 09:50:00 +0100

Hola de Barcelona. My lack of Catalan prevents me from welcoming you in the local language to the latest blog written today from the very sunny Catalan capital.

Having unsuccessfully tried to convince close relative that I was not on holiday. I’m here nevertheless on work reasons for the 3GSM world congress.

Whilst mobile phones and mobile telephony in general are dull as dishwater to most people it can’t be denied that they both form an increasingly intrinsic part of people’s lives and we’re becoming ever more dependent on the things. Anyway, I’m here, they are here and what I’ll do is try to blog from the show outlining what I think may be of interest. Or not as the case may be.

If I irritate you, bore you or even, God forbid, inspire more info, email me

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Substance: a new order cometh?

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 17:22:34 +0100

Like most footbal fans in England it took a while for the crushing disappointment of the national team’s dismal performance at the World Cup to sink in.

However, in the haze of a drunken hour and following David Beckham’s self important resignation – like we cared? – and the mock auto da fe of Sven Goran Ericsson's exit interview, the thought struck that a tipping point was reached, not only for England football but also in English culture.

Since last summer there seems to be a genuine gravitation back to substance rather than style. Those that govern and entertain us by virtue of a triumph of their charisma over what hey could do seems d to be slipping into dependency.

In football terms the whole WAG circus seemed to sharpen minds that it was what happened on the pitch and not the shops that was more important; Tony Blair hit the buffers when what the country actually wants are concrete policies about sorting things out rather than charm (this could be Gordon Brown's big advantage as he slugs it out with oily Blair-lite David Cameron); in music a lot of gritty, street-level bands like Arctic Monkeys thumped boy bands – even Take That came back with real songs – and the new X-factor darling seemed to have an even more ephemeral shelf life; Jade Goody and cohort dreadful Danielle Lloyd have rather wonderfully brought down the concept of being famous for being famous and BB’s future (and thus its housemates’ fame and inevitable fortune) is in doubt.

In fact David Beckham slipping out into the sunset way out west is further evidence for this. Goodbye, good riddance and take your fame hungry, bad culture influencing other half (Victoria Beckham or Posh spice for the two people who don't know) with you. For good. Be a movie star; be a scientologist; be anything; just don’t be here…unless you want o do something real.

Of course this may be dreadful wishful thinking and dreaming. But as one of my home town’s most famous son’s said. You can say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one…I hope.

Email me to tell me if I am the King of wishful thinking

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Plans for a future (race) war was all I saw on Channel 4

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 16:44:00 +0100

It's over a week now since the UK slipped into one of those horrible periods of moral panic and mass angst over the celebrity Big Brother Jade Goody ‘race’ row.

Those who are much more articulate than I am – and better paid because of it I would hope – have covered this issue elsewhere. I can only recommend the wonderful Grace Dent and Barbara Ellen for their perspective and also that of Anushka Asthana to get a rounded view.

What was noticeable though was just how poorly C4 came out of this. When it was obvious to all who watched that we were not witnessing some common or garden BB bullying but something that belonged in a much darker place , it was striking that the whole issue was allowed to continue by the broadcaster.

Yes the whole essence of BB is to witness first hand how people in a confined space do or don’t get on but, as when B5 nearly descended into a brawl, there are limits. These were undoubtedly breached in the Jade/Shilpa row.

Programme makers Endemeol and C4 were shown to be either opportunistically cynical in rating chasing or just rubbish. I believe the former applies to Endemol and the latter to C4 who did themselves no favours when tackled by the media on the incident.

Call me old fashioned but putting up someone in a scruffy t-shirt, despite his position, to give the corporate view was not sensible at all. It appeared, and appearances are vital at these times, that they cared just as much as the programme’s appearance as their personal appearance.

As for Endemol, and I speak as a BB fan, they deliberately provoked the row; why else was the manifestly mad Goody clan put there in the first place. Endemol’s Victorian ancestors probably promoted bear baiting.

Following Jade’s defenestration and inevitable media excommunication, what’s left for BB now? Can the same dynamics simply be allowed to develop or will conflict only be permitted when the protagonists are of the same ethnic grouping? How racist is that?

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Sweet Jade Goody, there's one on every train

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 12:59:12 +0100

Well actually sadly more than one. And apologies to the dear departed soul of the wonderful Ian Dury for connecting his wonderful song with the UK's latest hate figure, Jade Goody.

In the maelstrom of opinions - see Kathryn Flett's wonderful analysis of what happened in the house and that of Mark Lawson- connected to how racist or not were Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara to Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty on Celebrity (sic) Big Brother, the one phrase that comes through is that the actions of the three are 'holding up a mirror to contemporary British society'.

To an extent yes it is. We see in the three undereducated oafs something about British society that most of us choose to think that we are above and whose actions are far beyond the experience of most people. Well no. Overt racism is alive and kicking in the UK. The only people who think not would be TV executives and middle class liberal who've bought themselves out of the from line of racism.

MY 12 year old daughter was shocked to see her classmate from an Indian background racially abused by older children at her no-way-in the-ghetto religious secondary school in one of the south of England's most prosperous town. Call centre workers from India go to work safe inn the knowledge that some ignoramus will call then a Paki. Make s you proud.

Yet what makes the Big Brother incident worse for me is that it was constructed deliberated by smug TV executives who once the inevitable genie was uncorked by the arrival of the Goody family were absolutely gutless and powerless to stop it.

It's ironic that those whose voices are loudest in the condemnation of the actions of Jade Goody in particular have been complicit, if not fundamental, in her fame and thus her gladly now truncated stay in the BB house right now.

So why was she there? The programme maker s wanted an agent provocateur and they got one knowing full well what were taking on. The media didn't create a monster; the monster has always been there. Is there any difference between Jade's behaviour in BB 2002 when fellow housemate Adele was about to 'deck her' and now when only Shilpa's Olympian self restraint and dignity has prevented a similar and totally warranted scenario.

The ( let's not forget) mixed race Jade Goody has been described as a bully, racist, ugly and ignorant and yet she?s reportedly amassed around £6 million from her existential stupidity that her soi disant class superiors who run media have funded. They have spent the last five years contributing to Jade?s bank account by breathing the oxygen of publicity into her life. Without such constant exposure, as Shilpa rightly but needlessly pointed out, Jade's life has no meaning.

One great thing about the show prior to eviction was the clanging noise of thus penny dropping into Jade Goody's skull. Einstein she ain't but she wasn?t that dumb to know that she'd done something that might jeopardise her future earning. Predictably and rather sadly, she was interviewed in the UK papers yesterday (So much for being media Polonium 210 as many have predicted. Watch out for the sure to come programmes of Jade goes to India).

Jade and her crew are typical members of the UK's lumpen proletariat who are denied most the 'nice' choices in life by the apartheid that exists in UK state education. Barely educated to work doesn?t come into it. The prospect for working class children undergoing state education in the UK since the late 1970s can be pithily summed up by Withnail's Uncle Monty pithy description of 'shat on by the Tories, shovelled up by [New] labour'.

We have Jades and Danielles because as a nation we don?t care about what happens at the bottom end of society, as long as 'nice' children can go somewhere away from these unworthy proles who are only fit to work in call centres - before they are ironically moved to India. Jades are ranting away everywhere; in every town centre, on every street, in every train.

The bullying an racist comments that 'we' have witnessed are more commonplace and it's delusion al to think otherwise. Anyone who says so is a liar or deluded. Such comments may not be the currency of the daily lives of those in the media or the 'nice' jobs but they are really only uncomfortable about having such feeling s presented live. The UK middle classes are almost pathologically racist; they don't express this racism by ignorant Jade Goody rants, they have more insidious ways such as white flight, emptying out city centre schools of their children, and the hidden glass ceiling that prevent promotions. Look at any media company in the UK: It will be, to quote a former director general of the BBC, almost hideously white.

To continue with Sweet Gene Vincent ends with the line: 'so farewell mademoiselle'. Yep adios Jade. I won't be able to mourn your decline with thunderbird wine', the media will make sure we're still seeing you. They need you just as much as you need them.

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