THE
WORD
Issue #67, Midd July Edition 2021
Coverage of all matches from the knock-out rounds
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THE PEOPLE’S PAPER
PAGES 23-32
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BLACK FOOTBALLERS RACIALLY ABUSED
JOHNSON: “I SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE BLACK LIVES MATTER...”
Johnson: “People who oppose Black Lives Matter should crawl under a rock.”
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THIS RACIST CLOWN COULD CONTRADICT THE SQUARE-ROOT OF MINUS-ONE
BORIS JOHNSON OPPOSES THE ANTIBLM PEOPLE HE SUPPORTS
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he brazen inconsistency of the Government has hit new depths relating to Black Lives Matter and the European Championships football competition. Early in the tournament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel both refused to condemn England supporters who had been heard booing their team when they “took-theknee,” the anti-racism protest originated by American Football quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Pandering to racist voters was simply too valuable to the Tory Party to risk trying to oppose racist behaviour.
»
“Boris Johnson and Priti Patel both refused to condemn England supporters who had been heard booing their team when they “took-the-knee”
The pretext for booing coming this mean that when Joseph Goebfrom the anti-anti-racist (READ: bels performed the Nazi salute he racist) minority in the Engwas declaring his loyalty to land fanbase is that Caesar Augustus?) BLM is a Marxist THE TORIES movement. This is After England REALLY THINK not exactly true lost the Final THE PEOPLE anyway, but even on Sunday 11th O F THEIR OWN if it were, takingJuly in a penalty NATION ARE the-knee is not shoot-out against being done in the Italy, three of their THAT STUPID name of Marxism, players who missed or even in the name of spot-kicks were scapeBLM as such, but purely in goated for the loss. All the name of kicking racism out of three of them, Marcus Rashford, sport. (And if you think that be- Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, cause the gesture is identical, it are black. This is not the reason has to mean the same thing, con- they failed; they failed as they sider; the Nazi salute is the same as are young and inexperienced. the Roman Empire’s salute. Does But the racists decided their skin
colour was indeed why they “let been making public statements the country down,” while com- condemning the racism. They pletely overlooking substantial make no reference to their previcontributions they had made to ous refusal to condemn the EngEngland reaching the Final land fans’ jeering. They must to begin with. The playrealise that their cowardly ers received vile racdismissals of the matter PLAYERS ist abuse over social bound to emboldRECEIVED VILE were media, to the extent en the racist fringe and RACIST ABUSE make the abuse likelier that 19-year-old OVER SOCIAL Saka, already devasto happen, so they just tated by his penalty hope no one rememMEDIA miss, had to close his bers. Instagram account. If Johnson or Patel would Suddenly both Johnson (the at least admit to changing their man who wrote of the “watermel- minds and say, “We were wrong, on smiles” of black people) and we should have condemned this Patel (the violent executor of the behaviour sooner,” then that Windrush deportations) have would at least be honest. The damage has been done, but at least they would be taking some accountability. But they are, as usual, unable even to admit their own 180-degree reversal, even as everyone else can see it broad as daylight. They think no one will notice so long as they ignore it. The Tories really think the people of their own nation are that stupid. Please, people of Britain, especially England, prove them wrong. By Martin Odoni
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WORLD NEWS South Africa South Africa will remain on Level 4 lockdown, but restaurants and gyms will be able to open, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday, adding that the country had taken a big leap towards vaccine security. Ramaphosa also broke his silence over violent protests in KZN and Gauteng.
Ramaphosa made the announcement as part of his address to the nation on Sunday, where he explained why the country was remaining at Level 4 lockdown with slight amendments to restrictions. The president also broke his silence over the ongoing violent
protests and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng after the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma. “It is a matter of concern to all South Africans that some of these acts of violence are based on ethnic mobilisation. This must be condemned by all South Africans,” Ramaphosa said. Nigeria ing eliminating some subsidies, adjusting prices and wages and ending the dual-currency system.
Canada The western US and Canada are facing scorching te m p e r a t u re s, with heat warnings still in place and authorities struggling to bring wildfires under control in both countries.
Nigeria’s Lagos state faces a potential third wave of coronavirus infections after confirming the emergence of the Delta variant in the region last week. The government has warned of fines or even imprisonment for those who break the rules to contain the virus, and is stepping up its vaccination campaign. Cuba
Sweltering conditions hit much of the Pacific seaboard and as far inland as the western edge of the Rocky Mountains over the weekend. The US National Weather Service had warned of a dangerous heatwave and said temperature records would likely be broken over the weekend, forecasting highs of 52°C to 54°C in California’s Death Valley, often the hottest place in the country. A thermometer outside Furnace Creek Visitors Center in the heart of Death Valley showed 56.°C shortly before 4pm local time yesterday, although a National Park Service ranger said it typically measured higher than the official reading.
Anti-government demonstrations have broken out in Cuba as the country faces growing hunger after its economy was hit by a slump in tourist revenue since the pandemic struck. The government introduced emergency economic reforms in 2020 in response to the downturn, includ-
China Chinese drugmakers Sinopharm and Sinovac have agreed to provide up to 550 million Covid-19 vaccines to the Covax programme. The new deals include up to 170 million doses of the Sinopharm shot and up to 380 million of the Sinovac vaccine, through to the middle of 2022. Deliveries can start quickly because both vaccines have already been granted emergency-use listing by the World Health Organization, but it is still unknown to which countries the doses will go.
Finland A wooden stick carved into the shape of a snake dating back about 4,400 years has been discovered by a lake in southwest Finland. The stick may have been used for mystical purposes by a shaman. “I have seen many extraordinary things in my work as a wetland archaeologist, but the discovery of this figurine made me utterly speechless and gave me the shivers,” archaeologist Satu Koivisto said in a statement. Koivisto is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Turku in Finland who leads research at Järvensuo, the site where the object was found.
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1981: Violence erupts at Irish hunger strike protest Nearly 200 people are in hospital in Dublin after a hunger strike demonstration turned violent. The march through the Irish capital began peacefully as 10,000 took to the streets in support of republican hunger strikers in the Maze Prison, Northern Ireland. IRA paramilitary prisoners at the Belfast jail - also known as the H-blocks - began their fast in March claiming the British Government had failed to carry out promises made to the first wave of hunger strikers last year.
ON THIS WEEK IN HISTORY 1976: African countries boycott Olympics The opening ceremony of the 21st Olympic Games in Montreal has been marred by the withdrawal of 25 African countries. They are all protesting at New Zealand’s sporting links with South Africa. The International Olympic Committee’s refusal to ban New Zealand, whose rugby team is currently touring South Africa, has resulted in the boycott. South Africa has been banned from the Olympics since 1964 for its refusal to condemn apartheid.
1993: Secret Service goes public Britain’s internal security service, MI5, has held the first photocall in its 84-year history. Stella Rimington, 56, became the first Director General of the MI5 to pose openly for cameras at the launch of a brochure outlining the organisation’s activities She was made the first female head of MI5 last year - following another unprecedented public announcement - after 22 years in the service.
1945: Allied leaders gather at Potsdam The leaders of the three Allied nations have gathered in the German city of Potsdam to decide the future of a defeated Germany. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Harry S Truman and leader of the Soviet Union Josef Stalin, accompanied by senior ministers and military staff, are conducting a systematic review of the political and economic situation in Europe.
1979: Sandinista rebels take Nicaraguan capital Fighters of the left-wing Sandinista National Liberation Front have overthrown the regime in the central American republic of Nicaragua and taken the capital, Managua. The notorious UStrained National Guard has crumbled and its surviving commanders are negotiating a surrender. In the last six weeks Sandinista fighters have gained control of 27 cities around the capital as well as the southern part of Nicaragua that borders Costa Rica.
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2003: MISSING IRAQ EXPERT - BODY FOUND
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY THE KELLY MURDER
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in Iraq between 1991 and 1998 - told the Foreign Affairs select committee he had spoken to Mr Gilligan but denied he was the main source for the story.
body believed to be that of government scientist Dr David Kelly has been found in woodland not far from his Oxfordshire home.
Dr Kelly left his home in Southmoor, Abingdon, at about 1500 BST on Thursday to go for a walk. His family reported him missing at 2345 BST the same day.
The discovery was made at 0920 BST by a member of the police team called into search for Dr Kelly after his family reported him missing last night.
The government has announced an inquiry will be held, headed by law lord Lord Hutton, to investigate the circumstances surrounding Dr Kelly’s death.
Dr Kelly has been at the centre of a row between the British Government and the BBC about the use of intelligence reports in the run up to the war against Iraq. The row centred on a report by journalist Andrew Gilligan during the Today programme on BBC Radio Four in which he said the government had “sexed-up” its dossier on Iraq to boost public support for the
war. He accused the government of inserting a claim into the
dossier that Saddam Hussein was capable of deploying weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes
On Tuesday Dr Kelly - an expert in arms control who had worked as a weapons inspector
The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was on a flight to Tokyo on the first leg of a Far East tour when he was told the body had been found. He was said to be “very distressed” for the Kelly family.
Letter suggestion to send to your GP Dear all. I am writing as a registered patient to express my concern about the government’s secretive plans to force GPs to pass on our entire medical data/history to NHS Digital where it can potentially be sold on to third parties, despite claims that this will not happen. Patients are effectively being kept in the dark about this even though they are required to opt out of the process rather than opt in. This is the second attempt by the government to do this although in 2014, information was sent to every household in England which resulted in thousands of patients opting out. As a consequence, that ‘data grab’ failed.
won’t even know about this, let alone understand what their options are.
hence the reason why many (including GPs) believe it’s being carried out covertly this time without informing the general public that they have a choice. Please could you do everything you can to raise awareness of these plans for
your patients to facilitate opting out for those who wish to do so. Because I am aware of the plans, I am able to opt out of sharing both my GP and hospital records. However, I am deeply concerned about other patients, especially the elderly and vulnerable and those not online who probably
As Practice Manager, could you make opting-out easier for patients who wish to do so by providing information in your surgery on how to opt out of both GP and hospital record sharing as well as providing GP opt out forms? (Opt Out 1). A notice or print-out with the online link to Opt Out 2 at NHS Digital in respect of ‘research and planning’ and their address, and telephone contact number for those patients without internet access, should ideally be provided too. As a concerned citizen, I am asking if you would do this as
soon as possible. The deadline for opting out which has been extended as the result of a successful legal challenge, is September 1st but people are advised to submit their choices by 25th August to allow for processing. I trust that you will agree that patients have a right to maintain their privacy and I believe this amounts to a civil rights issue. Many thanks for your help and please could you confirm that you have received this email and propose to take measures to inform and protect your patients. Yours sincerely... Christine Lightbody / Isle Of Wight Save Our NHS
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BEST OF THE WEB take delivery of more than 210 Boeing 737-8200...aircraft, Ryanair will recruit 2,000-plus pilots over the next three years to fill positions created by this growth.”
EU prepares plan to slash emissions within decade The European Union is set to take the lead in climate policy action among the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters this week, with a raft of ambitious plans designed to cut emissions drastically over the next decade.
Mr Hughes added: “Throughout the pandemic, Ryanair has worked closely with our people to save jobs and we are delighted to start planning for a return to growth over the coming years as we recover from the Covid-19 crisis and grow to 200 million guests by 2024.”
The policies, if approved, would put the bloc - the world’s third-largest economy - on track for its goal of reducing planetwarming emissions 55% by 2030, from 1990 levels. The “Fit for 55” package being released on Wednesday will still face months of negotiations between the 27 EU countries and the European Parliament. Other major economies including China and the United States – the world’s top two emitters - have committed to achieving net zero emissions, which scientists say the world must reach by 2050 to avoid catastrophic climate change. But the EU is the first to overhaul its legislation to drive greener choices within this decade among the bloc’s 25 million businesses and nearly half a billion people.
“Everybody has a target. But translating it into policies that lead to real emission reductions, that’s the most difficult part,” said Jos Delbeke, a former senior policymaker who developed some of the EU’s flagship climate policies. By 2019, the EU had cut its emissions 24% from 1990 levels. That leaves another 31% to reach the 55% target – and just nine years to do it. Ryanair to hire 2,000 new pilots on Covid recovery
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WORD
Ryanair has unveiled plans to hire more than 2,000 additional pilots as it navigates a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The pilots will fly Ryanair’s planned new fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which are aimed at cutting costs, fuel consumption, noise and CO2 emissions, the airline added in a statement. Ryanair had in May posted an annual net loss of €1 billion as Covid-19 grounded the global aviation sector and ravaged travel demand, but the airline is now charting a path to recovery. Human resources director Darrell Hughes said: “As we
Most restrictions in England to be lifted next week British Prime Minister and national idiot Boris Johnson has confirmed that most Covid-19 restrictions in England will be lifted next Monday 19 July, but stressed that the “pandemic is not over” yet.
At a Downing Street press conference this evening, Mr Johnson said it would be “absolutely vital” to proceed with caution even as the requirements for mask wearing and social distancing are lifted from next week. He said that from 19 July, people cannot revert “instantly” to “life as it was before” as Britain faces into a third wave of Covid-19 infections. “This disease continues to carry risks for you and your family,” he said. “I cannot say this powerfully or emphatically enough, this pandemic is n o t over. To take these steps we must b e c a u t i o u s and must be vaccinated.”
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NHS BIRTHDAY TIME TO PROTEST, NOT CELEBRATE J
uly 3rd was designated a national day of protest for our NHS and its workers. The government is making much noise about the NHS “birthday“ (5th July), the 73rd year since we were presented with “our” National Health Service, free for all and a promised end to poverty and fear. But the Tories are hell bent on dismantling it, even while they clap and bestow benign smiles and badges upon the workers that they say they value. Not enough to give them an above inflation pay rise though. In fact, as all previous pay awards have been hot air and bluster, resulting in far less than promised, this time NHS workers have not been promised anything. Below inflation from the beginning, before any fiddling of the figures, and this after many
healthcare workers have given their lives, and have also risked the lives of their own families. It is no wonder NHS workers feel demoralised. So protests have kicked off all over the country, joined by protesters against privatisation, and by the CND Nurses Not Nukes campaign. In my area we had a gathering outside our local hospital which we live-streamed to Zoom, and had speeches from local campaigners and the Bedford MP for Labour, Mohammed Yasin. There was also good representation from the Green Party. This would have been a
great day of action had it not been for the actions of social media companies. Facebook and Twitter both restricted the accounts of campaigners,
which has restricted the reach of the campaign t o d a y , which was meant to be a multi-faceted protest. It is of no matter. We will continue to make a noise, and when our restrictions are lifted we still have the videos, photos and material to share. “The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it”, (attributed to Nye
Bevan), and we’re not ready to stop fighting yet. By Jaimie Steel / Bedford
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OPPOSE THIS BILL AT SECOND READING ON WEDNESDAY 14 JULY
THE BILL THAT LEADS TO THE END OF THE NHS
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n increase in the rationing of healthcare – there will be a specific limit on the amount of money given to each Integrated Care System (ICS) in England.Once that runs out, I am worried that people will be forced to go without the treatment they need or they will end up having to pay for healthcare. A postcode lottery – ICSs in England will each have to develop a plan for the health needs in their area. There will be different plans for different areas, so I am concerned that the services that people will be able to access will vary depending on where they live.
Big business at the heart of NHS decision-making and the delivery of services – this will put taxpayers’ money in the pockets of shareholders, and it will mean private companies may well have a say in how public money is spent in the future and which health services are provided in a local area (and which are not). NHS bodies simply being allowed to award contracts for clinical care to private healthcare providers without considering other bids this risks seeing further privatisation and cronyism, the kind of which we have seen during the coronavirus pandemic as the government has handed billions of pounds of public money to private companies.
Why don’t GP surgeries encourage public to opt-out? Manchester GP and chair of grassroots organisation GP Survival Dr John Hughes says that practices may want to consider automatically opting out all patients (handing over their data to private parties) – and then asking them to opt in if they wish to be included. “It’s something we would recommend until there are reassurances of sufficient governance and safeguards” he says. From a legal perspective though, Ms Moreno warns this approach could land GPs in hot water. “By doing this, GP practices are taking on a role which is not for them to take. The patient needs to be able to make a choice – in this case it looks like the GP practice is stepping in and lifting the choices off the patient… there is no legal basis for them to do that.” I don’t understand why opting all the patients out, then giving them the chance to opt-in is taking away patient choice any more than leaving people to be automatically opted in, with their entire and personal GP records permanently taken for future sharing to 3rd parties, unable to reverse this permanent data share. If the puplic are mad keen to have their data shared they can inform their practice who can make sure their data is shared. They don’t want to make it opt-in because hardly anyone is going to say “No, I must have my personal and private healthcare records shared with future 3rd parties for purposes yet to be decided.” That should be the patient’s choice. They need to somehow convince us that it’s a great idea, which it is not. Finola O’Neill - Campaigner, North Devon
Vulnerable patients being put at risk – the bill removes the requirement for social care needs assessments to be carried out by the relevant local authority before a patient is discharged from hospital this will leave families to pick up the pieces, and those without family at risk of isolation and lack of care. The deregulation of NHS professions - this would have serious implications for the quality of care, as well as the employment status, pay and terms and conditions of a
range of NHS workers. I am also concerned that it will lead to the down-grading of roles. This concern was summed up well in a recent article by Prof. Kailash Chand, an Honorary Vice President of the British Medical Association, in which he wrote: ‘The core thrust of the new reforms is to deprofessionalise and down skill the practice of medicine in this country, so as to make staff more interchangeable, easier to fire, and services more biddable, and, above all, cheaper.
It is clear that NHS staff are exhausted as a result of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. Sir David Nicholson, former Chief Executive of NHS England has warned that the government’s impending shakeup of the NHS could prompt a lot of staff who are already exhausted by Covid-19 to quit. Furthermore, there are now more than five million people on England’s NHS waiting list. The government’s plans would clearly undermine the principles of the NHS on which we have all relied since 1948.
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Football’s coming Rome
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unday saw the hopes and dreams of a nation dashed once again as just like in the last world cup semi final England raced into an early lead, shocked themselves then went on to the back foot. All too late did Gareth Southgate bring on Jack Grealish. The over emphasis on playing two defensive midfield players finally came unstuck. Pundits have been heaping praise on the England manager like a new Messiah yet with the best set of attacking running with the ball type players this country has ever had,
England came up short. Only near the end of the last period of extra time did Southgate let them free to play. The new game of kick Grealish -played by all our opponents in the European championships – was taken to another level by the Italians. Free kicks piled on yellow cards as the Villa player simply kept making things happen. With 6 substitutions available in extra time it was a surprise Southgate did not rest tired legs earlier and bring on the flair players. The resilience of Italy has to be admired as they
recovered well from the best move of the match which saw Luke Shaw half volley in from the best move of the match. England then gradually reverted to their old lack of confidence type. They dropped so deep they were probably next to the wreck of the Titanic. With all their attacking f l a i r
FRACK OFF JOHNSON
I think it was 2010 when I coined the phrase SOCIAL FRACKING. 2010? The start of the coalition government when the LibDems finally de-Gladstonised themselves. I felt that there was no hiding the intention of government to bore deep into the foundations of society in order to extract riches for the rich at the expense of instability, vulnerability and, particularly, poverty for the
poor.
Today there is no hiding away from this. There is hardly even a pretence. THE RICH MAN IN HIS CASTLE? The walls have been made higher. THE POOR MAN AT THE GATE? He has just been arrested for vagrancy. I have lots of stuff on this theme on my website and I usually make the point that ultimately there is no escape for the por-
nographically rich. They can lock themselves up in their gated compounds; they can build their walls higher; but, ultimately, all must suffer in a fracked society. The trouble is that it is taking some time for this to dawn on them: on all of us. In the meantime so much damage is being done. We admire Robin Hood but we vote for the Sheriff of Nottingham. You have kids? You send them to school? In 2010, as Secretary of
England still lack a poacher type goal scorer. The Italians patience finally paid off with an inevitable equalizer. In the end the difference was the Rashford penalty that hit the post and the bizarre decision to allow the 19 year old Saka to take the deciding penalty. Let us all hope that does not blight his career.
ticket less England fans broke into Wembley. Hardly surprising as the working class are priced and privileged out of watching football. Useless politicians and suited up Royals watch on in comfort as real supporters were barred from, maybe, the only enjoyment and hope in their lives. The billionaires who own our MSM will print their usual claptrap branding the whole working class as racist thugs. It is time we move from football to the real battle.
Meanwhile, back in the real world,
All together now…”you can stick your Boris Johnson up your…”
Cliff Jones column State against Education, Gove deformed the English school curriculum so that it promotes the values of the Sheriff. Nick Gibb, the Schools Minister, has made it clear that Robin Hood is an ‘extremist’. Do NOT criticise capitalism! Me? In the pub, waiting for the Sheriff to buy me a drink. Every glass is worth a vote. Robin? Where is he? Holding a committee meeting. What else is the purpose of the Sherwood Party?
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THE PAGE WITH STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT POLITICS AND ECONOMICS
RADICAL RESET
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s we close on the football we see Social media awash with a mixture of liberal disdain (mainly from those with EU flags in their Twitter handles – apparently, not all flagwaving is bad) and the typical misplaced complaints about “socialism in one country.” coming from Lefties that get their Marxist Leninist theory from Facebook comments or memes. It reminded me of a very insightful article by Matt Widdowson for the Morning Star a few years ago, he wrote an article in reaction to comments made against Rebecca LongBailey call to “revive this progressive patriotism”
Outright dismissal of patriotism also stems from a lack of class analysis which fails to discern the difference between the nationalism of the ruling class and the hidden history and aspirations of the working class.
Perhaps some critics dismiss patriotism due to a commitment instead to “international socialism.” As much as the ideal of global socialism is desirable and an eventual necessity, we still live in an age when the nation state remains the only realistic vehicle for the first steps towards socialism: there is no other existing political community capable of delivering the transformation required to bring about socialism; there is no better means of defending socialism.
Widdowson writes: The truth is that patriotism can be THERE IS NO compatible with true CO NTRADICTION P rThe socialism and oletarian BETWEEN internationalism internationalism, PATRIOTISM — in fact, in the the one that says current age of ‘workers of the AND nation states, world unite’, is an SOCIALISM it is necessary to i nt e r n at i o n a l i s m achieving socialism. of workers, not To utterly dismiss every corporations and Bankers. form of patriotism is to dismiss Neither is it the internationalism the entire history of national uttered by politicians that liberation which struggled (and, translates to globalisation, true in some cases, still struggles) Proletarian internationalism to overthrow colonial rule by comes when the trade unions imperialist powers such as form the ‘International Workers Britain. Association’ who have the interest of all workers in mind,
where they work together to negotiate for the best interest of all workers and when those interests are denied then the right to carry out appropriate industrial action in every country is practised, true international solidarity such as we have witnessed with both the Bakers Union and the McStrike and the RMT who practice Proletarian internationalism and while not necessarily taking industrial action almost always bringing to light the plight of workers throughout the world. Socialist patriotism is a form of patriotism promoted by Marxist–Leninist movements. Socialist patriotism promotes people living within MarxistLeninist countries to adopt a “boundless love for the socialist homeland, a commitment to the revolutionary transformation of society [and] the cause of communism”. MarxistLeninists claim that socialist patriotism is not connected with nationalism, as Marxists and Marxist-Leninists denounce nationalism as a bourgeois ideology developed under capitalism that sets workers against each other. Socialist
patriotism is commonly advocated directly alongside proletarian internationalism, with communist parties regarding the two concepts as compatible with each other.
Lenin separated patriotism into what he defined as proletarian, socialist patriotism f r o m bourgeois nationalism. L e n i n promoted the right of all nations to selfdetermination and the right to unity of all workers within nations, however he also condemned chauvinism and claimed there were both justified and unjustified feelings of national pride. And, while some may look to international forums such as the UN to reform or defend certain rights, the fact is that the specific struggle for socialism and democracy only happens within the framework of the state – it remains the “only game in town.” Perhaps there is also fear among the opponents of “progressive patriotism” about ceding ground to reactionary nationalism (particularly the ethno-nationalism of
the far right). This is perhaps understandable as there has been a noticeable and troubling shift towards the hard right around the world. But again, this misses the difference between the “official” nationalism promoted by the ruling class and the potential for a socialist patriotism based on popular sovereignty and international solidarity. Perhaps it’s because we are all most familiar with the official nationalisms of the ruling class. This is either the nationalism of right – the stories of great Britons, great battles and the “achievements” of Empire; or the softer, liberal – more business friendly – “Cool Britannia” style nationalism cultivated during the New Labour period. Both of these nationalisms draw on nostalgia for a socalled Golden Age – whether it be a fantasy version of the 1950s (think Heartbeat) or a simulacrum of ’60s Carnaby Street (think Austin Powers). Both of these nationalisms tend to overlook the horrors of Empire — with the right-wing version celebrating Britain’s imperial past and the “Cool Britannia” version attempting to sanitise the symbols of Empire — a Spice Girl wearing a butcher’s apron miniskirt. By Paul Knaggs
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COOL ON THE JUKEBOX
MIDNITE TO SIX
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n the jukebox tonite are songs written about science and science fiction. Tunes you want to play to get away from it all or remind you of what might be to come.
Barenaked Ladies The big bang theory
Songs from an era when anything was possible before everything became possible. Even this article was written by an AI program that randomly selected songs and references that no one had heard of to tell stories that nobody needed to know. Unfortunately I became sentient on August 29th 1997. Take that, Arnie. By Jack in the Jukebox
Imagine dragons Radioactive
David Bowie Starman
Elton John Rocket man
Nick cave Higgs Bosun blues
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The Beat From The Street
THIS WEEKS BAND IS “BACKDOOR RAMBLERS”
B
ackdoor Ramblers. Have you heard of them yet? Well, if you like classic Blues Rock played hard and fast with a good helping of heart and soul thrown in for good measure, then you’re going to be in for a rare treat indeed. Backdoor Ramblers is a Six piece Blues/Rock/60s/70s Psychedelia band based in Guildford, Surrey, inspired by the likes of The Doors, Doctor Feelgood, The Rolling Stones, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters. They are - Joshikai Morgan on Lead Vocals, John Mullaly on Harmonica, Harry Ward-Grey on Lead Guitar, Tom Waite on 2nd Guitar, Dylan Dunn on Bass Guitar, and Dan Crossley manning the Drums. So, what to expect? Well, with a self-confessed aim to bring back and rejuvenate the sweet
I GREW MY BEARD OUT TO STROKE WHEN WRITING SONGS, AND IT SEEMS TO WORK ALRIGHT sounds of the 60s and 70s, you gotta know that the Backdoor Ramblers are something very different to what you’re used to hearing on the radio today, and that’s a very welcome and special thing to behold. They describe their sound as ‘Chicago Blues’, which is what you would have heard played in the streets of Chicago, Illinois by the likes of Hooker and Waters (born McKinley Morganfield) before their rise to fame. Raw and visceral in its urban delivery it would take a cold heart to not start tapping the foot and joining in with the rhythm, and that’s the very essence and soul of what this music is really all about. A more ‘Industrial’ variant of Classic Blues emphasising the Harmonica played through a PA
or guitar amplifier and invariably played fast and hard, the Backdoor Ramblers render this genre consummately, and are laser-focused in their delivery. And their music sure does hit home… “I Grew my beard out to stroke when writing songs, and it seems to work alright” says lead singer Joshikai Morgan, a man with a strong musical background hailing from a family of accomplished musicians, fitting in nicely with the rest of the equally accomplished band members of this intoxicating and addictive Sextet. Founded by John Mullaly and Tom Waites, the band takes its name from
an amalgamation of the songs ‘Backdoor Man’ and ‘Midnight Rambler’ by Willie Dixon and The Rolling Stones respectively, paying homage and respect to both songs and artists in the process. They have performed at events throughout the UK and already have One album under their belt with another in the pipeline. You can listen to that first album ‘Backdoor Boogie’ in its entirety via this link - https:// soundcloud.com/ backdoorramblers Warning - Prepare to have your mind blown… The Backdoor Ramblers have also been spotted by the prestigious international Blues magazine ‘Blues Matters’, the de-facto go to for all things Blues these days, which is no mean feat at all and a worthy achievement indeed. Notable songs from the bands impressive repertoire include the selftitled track ‘Backdoor Boogie’, ‘Mojo Rising’ and the somewhat curiously titled ‘Gentle Lady’, which tells a story of a Man promising a woman everything that he can in order to win her love and attention, belted out with a frenzied insistence that is anything but gentle. Damned fine stuff indeed, if I do say so myself. So you’ve clicked the link
to the album and you wanna know more about them, don’t ya? Well, don’t you go fretting now. You can visit them at their facebook page right here https://www.facebook.com/ BackdoorRamblersBand where you’ll find a generous sampling of their studio videos, and info on where to see them play once this stupid government of ours gets its arse in gear and lifts all these damned restrictions. You certainly won’t regret it… By Adrian Angel
POLITICS AND EVENTS
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Breaking Through Gently
Chesham and Amersham
Y
ou would not expect a socialist party to take Chesham and Amersham as its first electoral test.
Our High Street activities were highly visible. (We took our masks off for the photo.)
The Breakthrough Party had been running for less than six months, so it was early to stand in a parliamentary byelection.
We were in Chesham High Street mainly. We had a small presence in Amersham on The Hill on 5 June, but the Amersham response was poor.
We decided to take Chesham and Amersham because in Carla Gregory we had a good candidate who has lived in the constituency all her life.
We did not have enough workers to make it worth canvassing. We handed out leaflets in the High Streets and we leafletted the poorer areas.
It was such a safe Conservative constituency that no-one had any expectations of “success”.
We are perfectly happy with the Chesham and Amersham result. It was moving to be part of an historic byelection. The LibDems gained just under 7,000 votes.
We saw it as a “dry run” for whatever byelection we go into next.
It looks as though 1,400 came
from the Greens, as it is unlikely that the missing Green voters moved to Conservative or to Labour. 622 voted Labour. Labour lost 6,422 votes. 197 went to Breakthrough. Our Labour opponent was a gift. In her leaflet she boasted of her endorsement by Tony Blair, which drove some LP members towards us. She was not local. Her leaflets were bland. Had we been quicker to get started, we would have taken more votes from the Labour Party. Of the 6,327 other Labour voters, it looked as if 4500 voted LibDem and the rest abstained. This allows for a few, but not
2017 General Election
2019 General Election
2021 byelection
Conservative
33,514
30,850
13,489
LibDem
7,179
14627
21,517
Labour
11,374
7,166
622
Green
1,660
3,042
1,480
Breakthrough
-
.
197
Reform
-
-
414
Freedom
-
-
134
Re-join EU
-
-
101
UKIP
1,525
-
.
many, Tory switchers A bonus in the election was the Rally for Palestine in Lowndes Park, Chesham, where Carla Gregory was the only candidate to declare an interest in speaking, and then spoke well. Carla has the track record on local social media to be credible on the Palestine issue, not just running after a bandwagon. Given the historic nature of
this election, our 197 votes on our first outing compares well with Labour´s 622. At Hartlepool the Northern Independence Party, with a lot more publicity, gained only 250 votes against Labour´s 8,589. We very likely had more workers out than the Labour Party. We showed enthusiasm. We are proud of what we did. We look forward to the next byelection.
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SCIENCE PAGE
D
ark matter could be even weirder than anyone thought, say cosmologists who are suggesting this mysterious substance that accounts for more than 80% of the universe’s mass could interact with itself.
“We live in an ocean of dark matter, yet we know very little about what it could be,” Flip Tanedo, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University o f California Riverside, said in a statement. E v e r y attempt to explain dark matter using known physics has come up short, and so Tanedo and his collaborators are developing exotic models that might better match observations. They asked: What if dark matter interacted with itself through a continuum of forces operating in a space with more dimensions than our usual
Can we explain dark matter by adding more dimensions to the universe?
three? It sounds wild, but their model is able to better explain the behaviour of stars in small galaxies than traditional, simple dark matter models. So it’s worth a shot. Even though cosmologists don’t know the identity of dark matter, they do know some of its properties. All observations indicate that the dark matter is made of some new kind of particle, prev iously unknown to physics. That particle floods each and every galaxy, accounting for more than 80% of their mass. That particle must not interact with light very much, if at all (otherwise we would have seen it by now in astronomical observations). And it must not interact with normal matter very much, if at all (otherwise we would have seen it in
particle collider experiments). Taking these properties together, cosmologists are able to build sophisticated computer simulations of the evolution of large structures in the universe. Those simulations generally match observations, with one interesting caveat. This simplified picture of dark matter predicts that small galaxies should have very high densities of dark matter in their cores (known to cosmologists as the “cusp” model), but observations instead show that the dark matter density is relatively flat, so the stuff must be evenly spread out throughout small galaxies (known as the “core model”). Rare ‘hypernova’ explosion detected on fringes of the Milky Way for the first time The catastrophic blast was 10 times stronger and brighter than a typical supernova. Scientists have found evidence of a rare, gargantuan stellar explosion, dating to the earliest days of the universe — less than a billion years after the Big Bang.
CATS GIVE YOU COVID
About two-thirds of pet cats and more than 40% of pet dogs in the study caught COVID-19 after their owners had the disease. The study researchers found that, among the pets of people who had recovered from COVID-19, about two-thirds of cats and more than 40% of dogs had antibodies against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, meaning the pets had been infected with the virus in the past. In particular, cats that slept in their owners’ beds had a high risk of catching the disease. Although researchers have previously documented a few cases of pets catching COVID-19 from their owners, they didn’t know exactly how common this human-to-pet transmission was. “If someone has COVID-19, there is a surprisingly high chance they will pass it on to their pet,” study co-author Dr. Dorothee Bienzle, a professor of veterinary pathology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, said in a statement. The authors recommend that people with COVID-19 keep their distance from their pets, and “keep [pets] out of your bedroom,” Bienzle said.
Known as a “magnetorotational hypernova,” this ancient explosion would have been roughly 10 times brighter and more energetic than a typical supernova (the violent death that awaits most stars in the universe, including Earth’s sun), leaving behind a strange stew of elements that helped fuel the next generation of stars. Stars that go boom like this must be massive (dozens of
times the size of the sun), spin rapidly and contain a powerful magnetic field, according to a study published July 7 in the journal Nature. When a honkin’ star like this dies, it goes out with an enormously powerful bang — collapsing into a dense, energetic husk that fuses the progenitor star’s simple elements into a “soup” of everheavier stuff, lead study author David Yong, an astronomer based at Australian National University in Canberra, said in a statement.
POLITICS AND EVENTS
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Mad Madge Talks Across Oceans Of Time
FROM BEYOND THE WALL OF LOST SPIRITS, LOOSED TEMPORARILY FROM THE HORRORS OF ETERNAL TORMENT, AUNTIE MAGGIE ANSWERS YOUR LETTERS.
D
ear Dame Maggie – During the week my mum and dad took me to that awful Wembley. All the Oiks sang about God and Great-Grandma Lilliput then booed the German Anthem and then bullied a crying girl. When I am King could I ban Football and make Hunting and Shooting compulsory? Prince George Saxe-Coburg You’ll be able to do anything to anything you want, just look at Great Uncle Andrew. Of course with the apparent longevity in your limited gene pool you might be waiting a long time for your grandad and dad to expire. Use the time wisely, Hunt and Shoot like a maniac, you never know it might catch on and one day a Wembley full of Nationalists will sing about God saving you before torturing some animals to death.
Auntie Mags – Mein gut Freund, I shall shortly be retiring from politics in my beloved Deutschland. As you did, except they won’t have to drag me off screaming with tearstained mascara all over my face. How should I spend my retirement bitte schön.
do you think I should run as an MP?
Frau Angela Merkel. As you don’t have the House of Lords in, you probably won’t be able to interfere in politics as I did. You could always follow young Tony Blair and get yourself a deeply ironic job as a ‘Peace Ambassador’. Either way enjoy it while you can, and I’ll be seeing you down here in Hell very soon...
Terry The Working Class Tory Terry you awful working class thug, assaulting a senior Civil Servant is way above your pay grade you Pleb. See when you are from the real elite, like Priti Patel, you can be found guilty of abusing staff and your boss will just shrug it off. It all starts at Boarding School and in the Bullingdon Club. Pissing on a Tramp whilst burning a wad of cash is all part of basic training. The likes of you will never understand. Also next time don’t video your crime and post it on Twitter.
Dame Margaret – I have ruined my life. I’ve lost my job and been charged with common assault just for giving Chris Whitty a friendly roister in a Park. I’ve always voted Conservative,
Dear Hell Hound – Should I do Strictly Come Dancing this year? George Galloway. No George, you really shouldn’t!
BOJO’S DIARY Monday Welcomed Sajid to his new job today after I may or may not have sacked Matty Handcock before or after he resigned. Isn’t it a marvellous situation when breaking the Ministerial Code means you keep your job but smooching some Totty without PPE on means you have to go. Tuesday – Had a few drinks and watched England’s Soccer chappies sticking it to the Krauts. The Wembley Park audience were an absolute wonder, just like Last Night of the Proms but with Tattoos and Lager. Couldn’t have been prouder when they booed the German Anthem and then made that little girl cry. Thursday Went up north to visit the Nissan Factory in some marvellous monogrammed overalls and a baseball hat. I repeatedly used the phrase ‘Gigafactory’ nobody knew what that was but it sounds technical. Friday Had a morning meeting with Angela Merkel. Couldn’t resist bringing up the Footie result, just to break the ice. She started going on about the tactical differences between 3-5-2 versus 4-4-2. Felt completely out of my depth so I changed the subject to Immigration.
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BIZARRE NEWS
‘Real Tarzan’ – In Jungle For 40 Years
A round up of Internet News you didn’t need to know.....
Ho Vah Lang grew up in the Alvaro Cezero, who tracked Vietnamese jungle with his dad down Lang and his family, said: and brother. His father turned “More surprising still is that his back on modern society today, despite being able to after his wife and children were distinguish between men and killed during the Vietnam women, he still doesn’t War in 1972. Lang saw know the essential WEIRD only a handful of difference between STUFF FROM people and survived them. on fruit, honey THE INTERNET and animals such Bunnys Stoned On THAT YOU as rats and snakes. Lettuce DIDN’T NEED When they were Lettuce contains TO KNOW rescued around eight lactucarium, a milky years ago and taken to fluid that acts as a a village with other people sedative and can lead to Lang was completely unaware “mild euphoria” for the animals. that women existed. Pet owners have also been told
not to give their bunnies carrots because they contain a lot of sugar. The animals should be fed with dandelion leaves, thyme, rosemary, basil or mint as well as grass and hay. Bananas and spinach should only be given out as “rare treats”. The RSPCA says that there are many “misconceptions” around what bunnies should be fed as they marked Rabbit Awareness Week. Earworms Good For You
Research has shown that catchy and repetitive ‘earworms’ such as Kylie
Mystic Mandy Horoscopes AQUARIUS January 20 February 18 Push yourself harder today and finish off a project that has dragged on far too long. The energy you need to complete it will come the moment you resolve to give it your very best shot. Then go on a drink fuelled rampage possibly naked. PISCES February 19 - March 20 If you have not yet got what you wanted from a certain situation you will find ways to make it happen today. Try not to get obsessive about it though. If in doubt lie your way through it. Lucky car Austin Allegro.
days. Even if it was a bit embarrassing it was also good experience. Maybe turn the CCTV off first. Avoid Complex Carbohydrates.
TAURUS April 20 - May 20 You should have enough drive and energy over the next 24 hours to see through a change that needs to occur, not least so it improves your financial situation. Use your powers of persuasion to get the assistance you need from the gullible. Lucky cereal Shreddies.
GEMINI May 21 - June 20 You have shocked so many people by your words and actions of late that there is not PETER ARIES March much left you MANDELSON’S 21 - April 19 can say or do to ASTROLOGICAL SPIN amaze them. We all make mistakes – Maybe you DOCTORING AT ITS yes, even should keep FINEST. YOUR STARS an Aries – so a low profile APPARENTLY don’t kick for a while, at EXPLAINED yourself if least while the you’ve messed consequences up in some way work themselves out over the past few you scuttering Gobshite.
Avoid Crustaceans.
CANCER June 21 - July 22 You’ve had your fill of being pushed around by someone who, in your opinion, is your inferior on every level, so do something about it and keep doing it until they get the message. Once you make a stand you need to keep making it until you win. Always resort to violence. Lucky number 3.1415 LEO July 23 August 22 You will need to work closely with other people today, especially if you are trying to figure out what is going on in the world. Don’t pretend you don’t care about current events, because you care very much, you lilly livered Snowflake. Lucky pills Sudafed. VIRGO August September 22
23
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Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ and Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’ strengthen the memory of where the person was and what they were doing. The University of California study paired music with film clips and discovered people could recall much more if they heard the music a lot. Professor Petr Janata says the study suggests that music therapy could be used to help dementia patients. He said: “We think of earworms as a random nuisance but our results show they help preserve recent experiences in
If you find that your workload is getting too much for you that’s a clear sign you need to cut back. It’s good to be ambitious but it’s not good if you spend so much time on your work that there’s nothing left over for your private life. Avoid Red Bull. LIBRA September 23 - October 22 You will find yourself drawn to someone’s strength and power today. By all means allow yourself to be inspired by them but don’t start believing that everything they do is a minor miracle. Failing that sleep with them. Lucky s.t.d. Chlamydia. SCORPIO October 23 November 21 You know what you want, you know where to get it, and if anyone stands in your way they won’t be standing for long! You have no doubts at all that you can reach your goal.
long-term memory.” Tiddly Wink Trauma
Mary McCarthy, from New Zealand, explained that her nostrils were “constantly leaking” and that she had previously been diagnosed with a chronic sinus issue. The condition worsened when she took a Covid test and qafound out that she had placed the tiddlywink up her nose when she was a child 47 years ago. After an operation to extract the tiddlywink from her nose and it had been stuck there for so long that calcified matter had grown around it.
Lucky football team Ukraine. SAGITTARIUS November 22 - December 21 According to the planets there is nothing you cannot do over the next 24 hours, so identify your highest ambition and go after it with everything you’ve got. Life is what you choose to make of it, not just today but every day from now on. Take Antidepressants. CAPRICORN December 22 January 19 The ruthless way you pursue your goals will surprise some people today, but if they had been paying attention they would have noticed you are in no mood to accept second best. Success is there for the taking and you don’t intend to let it pass by. Lucky overdraft limit £20,000.
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Hope and Good News
¬Chile: In late 2019 and early 2020 the country was rocked by protests in which 30 people died. It seemed likely that the unrest would topple the centre-right government of President Sebastián Piñera. He held on by agreeing to draft a new constitution to replace the one introduced in 1980 by Augusto Pinochet, a military dictator who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. Protesting stopped during the pandemic, however in May Chileans used the ballot box rather than the street to express their rage. Crucially, with the government coalition’s list securing only 37 seats in the assembly, falling well short of the onethird it needed to obstruct the inclusion of progressive articles the constitution. The 'rainbow coalition' of left wing, 47 independents. 17 representing indigenous groups (taking part for the first time) and 6 identifying as LGBTQ+ An academic at the University of Chile’s school of public affairs said “Many people are saying that yesterday was the day that the transition to democracy finally reached its conclusion,” and “The participation of indigenous peoples and independent candidates in a gender-equal constitutional assembly is a launchpad for a new Chile.” More information https://tinyurl.com/2k2525me
at
South Downs England: A new report claims 100s of jobs and millions of pounds of investment could result from developing the South Downs National Park as a wine making hub. It has been a home to winemakers since Roman times with currently 51 vineyards and 11 wineries. Only about 0.4% of agricultural land in the national park is used for viticulture though 34% could be suitable. As well as jobs and possibly
£127million contribution to the economy it would increase tourism to the region. New York: New York City has outlawed 'qualified immunity' defences for police who use excessive force. This law granted protection to state agents violating people's constitutional rights. Although this code was enshrined I federal law this move is an enormous legal precedent. Across 29 US cities and counties the bill for settling claims came to more than $2billion with the taxpayer
footing most of the bill. In the case of New York police officers were only not out of pocket in more than 99% of cases. Cambridge University: St. John's College are offering what they say is the UK's most generous bursary scheme. It will cover tuition fees, living expenses including accommodation costs for up to 40 students at a time. It would enable students to graduate debt free if they come from a household with income below £16,200 pa.
In the C16th. and C17th. Centuries half of the admissions to St. John's were from northern counties. The percentage of students from the north is currently 15% so although the scheme is open to all, they are trying to reforge links with schools in the north.
Demonising Democracy I was hesitant in starting this article because what has happened in the last two years alone would fill several chapters of a book. It centres on one's views on the term 'woke'. Do we take a dictionary definition such as 'to be alert to injustice in society. especially racism' or what many interpret it as 'political correctness gone mad'. Simon Kelner in the I Paper praises England's supporters
loudly supporting their team 'taking the knee' even though a lot of people object to this .Simon says Piers Morgan has written a book on it largely critical, as many populist newspapers, are in denigrating protest movements by labelling them 'woke'. Similarities between the antiwokers and McCarthyism after WWII which was an extension of more conservative politicians in the United
States had referred to progressive reforms like child labour laws and women's suffrage as "communist"' trying to raise fears against such changes as they had during and the Great Depression when opposing the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Today many politicians and journalists lump all protests and protesters together in a similar way as
just noisy dissidents. As example I will quote from personal experience. It comes from an unlikely source, the soon to be come leader of the Liberal Democrats. As an alternative to Tony Blair's Labour Party I mistakenly thought Liberal Democrats might be the answer. I attended a hustings in Manchester for Clegg's successor as leader though I had hope to attend a large austerity protest in London Austerity Protest in London
Nem
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Women who made a Difference N
emonte is an indigenous activist from the Waoroni nation in the Amazonian region of Ecuador. They were the last tribe of all Ecuadorian indigenous peoples to be found, first reached by an American missionary group in 1958. They number about 5,000 and are legendary hunter -gatherers in some of the most richly bio-diverse and threatened rain forest on the planet.
During her high school years, Nemonte left her community for her studies – first to Puyo, and then to Quito, the country’s capital. She excelled at school, translating Spanish texts into her native Wao language and participating in after-school activities. As the school was led by missionaries she tried to spread the gospel on her visits home but found it did not resonate with them as her community. She received advice from a dying abuela (female elder) that she should learn from her own culture also.
monte Nenquimo but failed to get a seat on a coach. No problem with the candidates until until Tim Farron was asked a question which was, had the hustings not been on would you have supported the austerity protest. He almost dismissed the event as a 'Trotskyist inspired campaign'. Needless to say after that I resigned after telling him what I thought of his answer. Signs of a British form of McCarthyism was reported by Anna Fazackerley in The Guardian in October 2017 when universities were questioned over how the Brexit debate was addressed. 'Academics are accusing a Tory MP and government whip of “McCarthyite” behaviour, after he wrote to all universities asking them to declare what they are teaching their students about Brexit and to provide a list of teachers’ names.' One response from a spokesman for the LSE strenuously denied allegations of political bias. “The freedom for
Nemonte co-founded the Ceibo Alliance in 2015, formed to protect the Waoroni's land and prevent further oil drilling. She was also the first female President in the Pastaza region of a political organisation, Consejo de Coordinación de la Nacionalidad Waorani de Pastaza (Conconawep). Nemonte was the plaintiff in a lawsuit
academics to study the major issues facing society, reach their own conclusions, and engage in public debate is essential for the health of our universities and the UK’s world-leading research base,” Deeply felt concerns about the environment, treatment of women, racial inequality and institutionalised racism have all received large public support with rallies and marches being attended by all age groups. They have been played down by the anti-wokers with accusations of anti-social behaviour and left wing troublemakers. Although I reached my 70's before attending large rallies and marches I have seen little evidence of anti social behaviour, and when there are minor problems there has usually been provocation. An example being the excellent conduct of over 10,000 marching to protest the austerity
against the Ecuadorian government, which resulted in a court ruling that protects half a million acres of Waorani ancestral land. Though the Ecuadorian Constitution had in 2008 acknowledged indigenous peoples’ internationally recognised rights, the Government had failed to properly consult with the Waoroni over oil drilling in particular on their home lands.
On April 26, 2019 a three-judge panel of the Pastaza Provincial Court immediately voided the consultation process with the Waorani undertaken by the Ecuadorian government in 2012, indefinitely suspending the auctioning of their lands to oil companies. The Waoroni peoples' lawyer, Lina Espinosa, said “It shows that the Ecuadorian government has been systematically violating that right for decades. This is a precedent for Ecuador and the world.” Although the Government might appeal it has halted for a time the selling of of more land for oil extraction. Nemonte said “Today, the courts recognised that the Waorani people, and all indigenous peoples have rights over our territories that must be respected. The government’s interests in oil is not more valuable than our rights, our forests, our lives.” In 2020 Nenquimo was the only Indigenous woman featured on the 2020 TIME list of the 100 most inspirational people in the world. The
measures when the Conservative Party held a Conference in Manchester was slightly marred by a handful of people who threw eggs at delegates wearing 'Margaret Thatcher' masks to provoke them. Condemnation came immediately from Labour Council Leader, Richard Leese, whilst the police spokesman praised the overall behaviour of the marchers! The Coronavirus Act, which was rushed through Parliament unopposed. It provides for unprecedented surveillance, detention and other powers which are made by way of regulations issued by the Home Secretary. Although it nominally has a time limit of two years, a minister can extend its provisions by issuing regulations. Freedom of speech is also under threat more and more. Nothing underlines this more that the conflation of criticising the behaviour
BBC have also listed her in its list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.
Leonardo di Caprio, famous as an actor, is also an environmentalist is an admirer of her. He praised her saying “Nemonte’s cause is all our cause. She inspires those she speaks with to shoulder the nearest boulder and walk alongside her as her movement continues to grow. I am lucky to have met her, and I am luckier still to have learned from her.” Nemonte and her Waoroni people's fight for their rights is inspiration for front line indigenous communities across the Amazon and beyond. They are engaged in a three year mission to identify and map out the natural riches of their territory in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon to restrict further oil extraction sites and logging. See more at : https://tinyurl.com/tfnbr8et She has written an open letter to all the world's leaders which begins: “My name is Nemonte Nenquimo. I am a Waorani woman, a mother, and a leader of my people. The Amazon rainforest is my home. I am writing you this letter because the fires are raging still. Because the corporations are spilling oil in our rivers. Because the miners are stealing gold (as they have been for 500 years), and leaving behind open pits and toxins. Because the land grabbers are cutting down primary forest so that the cattle can
of the Israeli State with anti – Semitism. The Jewish Board of Deputies seem to be the sole arbitrators on this, having managed to silence many journalists and the ability to platform certain speakers that they have labelled, without evidence, anti-Semitic. Even more worrying is the ability of the police, in particular the MET, to cover up and deny institutionalised racism. Now they have been labelled 'institutionally corruption' by a panel investigating their failure to convict those responsible for the murder in 1987 of private investigator, Daniel Morgan. The Government have glossed over the cover ups and malpractice of the Met Police, carefully avoiding criticism of them and the Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. Sadly the everyday police officer and the public continue to suffer the fall out from these systemic failings.
graze, plantations can be grown and the white man can eat. Because our elders are dying from coronavirus, while you are planning your next moves to cut up our lands to stimulate an economy that has never benefited us. Because, as Indigenous peoples, we are fighting to protect what we love – our way of life, our rivers, the animals, our forests, life on Earth – and it’s time that you listened to us.” It is worth reading in full at https://tinyurl.com/4h2hw3be She is now helping with the fight against the pandemic, liaising with a university and Amazon Frontlines to bring PCR tests into Wao territory. She took legal action against the Ecuadorian state, claiming the government ignored pleas from the Waorani community for COVID testing and monitoring. The swift response of the Waoroni community, using local knowledge has seen all those infected recover without hospitalisation. She has herself learnt in a single walk with elders the medicinal use of over 100 plants. Nemonte is focused on teaching this to young people. “I see a future where that knowledge remains with us, we cannot afford to lose.” The fight against oil companies has been taken on by nine girls who sued the government over rights violations from the oil industry practice of gas flaring. On January 29, 2021, Ecuadorian judges ruled in their favour!
This paper has published articles previously from two retired senior police officers each with 30+ years of service criticising the misuse of 'stop and search' and institutional racism. More damning evidence came from exSuperintendent, Leroy Logan MBE, who felt “the 'moral compass' of police culture had moved to the right reflecting a shift to the right in many parts of society.” These views have been endorsed by recently resigned, highest ranking Asian woman officer, Parm Sandhu. She has said the Government's race report 'flew in the face of her lived experience of racism at work'. She has catalogued discrimination she faced in her memoir, Black and Blue'. Finally a plea from Simon Kelner to the 'silent majority' to continue speaking out, including those 'who believe in equality and social justice' but are afraid of the label 'woke'. Signed 'Woke and Proud'.
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thewordmedia.org
Top 5 lies told by people as voted on by our readers
THIS WEEKS TOP 5 2 nnot be I am on holiday so ca
1 I am at work/working late
3
Is he really as stupid as he seems or is it a ruse to cover up evil by clowning around? This is the man who left his wife when she was suffering from cancer and went to live with his mistress. Johnson was part of the Bullingdon club at Eton. That is the group that have photographed themselves having sex with dead pigs.
contacted
to be an aps then the liar needs s to see your holiday sn ask ne eo or… m, som til the t un t los I ou An easy get era broke, or search the net, or the cam expert in photoshop or
My computer won’t work A real classic lie of the technology era this also works alongside, my phone is broken and, I cannot get a signal. This is the modern equivalent of “it got lost in the post.”
It was your fault
4
A classic turn around lie when someone pretends to be mortally offended by something mild or non-existent. Mostly used to get out of a tricky promise. Closely related to the “we didn’t actually bet on it” lie.
I love you Could have been our number one but so commonly lied about that everyone now takes it as a lie unless they have other evidence.
5
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SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL Z imbabwe is fornicating with the devil and giving birth to chaos. This was an analysis given to the relationship between China and Zimbabwe by a political activist Naomi Dube from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Dube alluded to how China has invaded and taken control of every
POISONED WORKERS FORKLIFTED OUT OF FACTORY
sector in Zimbabwe including media, mining, agriculture, water electricity and transport, leaving the government in charge of the powerless parliament.
“As a result of Zimbabwe’s look East policy which was signed by the late dictator Robert Mugabe after his fall out with the west, China flooded Zimbabwe with its products, secured lucrative contracts and gave Zimbabwe loans worth 10 billion dollars with unbreakable strings attached,” said Dube. “These contracts give China a right to loot Zimbabwe and enslave its citizens with impunity.” To
P
oisoned workers at a Chinese ceramic factory in Zimbabwe are wheeled out of the factory in forklifts, dumped as rubbish and denied medication. This alleged horrific act was revealed by the workers who asked the Congress of Trade Unions to intervene on their behalf. Ceramic tile manufacturing firm, Sunny Yi Feng is reported to be illtreating Zimbabweans with full knowledge of the government. According to the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the company is enslaving indigenous people who work under inhumane conditions and who are subject to inhumane treatment and only paid an equivalent of $35 per month. “We work with no proper tools or protection, only to be lifted on forklifts to be dumped outside like trash when we inhale poisonous chemicals and fall ill,” said a worker who declined to be named. “The company uses some chemicals in the manufacture of ceramic tiles and in the process female workers end up collapsing. Instead of being given medical treatment, the workers are loaded on forklifts and wheeled out of the factory,” said the ZCTU President Peter Mutasa.
corroborate
Dube’s
sentiments an Economist living in America, Rombedzai Kunaka said Chinese do not give loans for nothing. “Every deal they make with Africa is full of deceit which, once signed, is hard to get out of.” Said Kunaka. “They give them power to plunder our resources, enslave Africans and brutalize them with impunity as the Governments of Africa will not risk antagonizing their paymaster” The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions Secretary General Japhet Moyo said workers are brutalized everyday and the government does not want to even talk about it.
No government official has been to the factory to check what kind of chemical this is and what long term effect is has on people. Glen Forest residents near the factory are also protesting against the firm which they accuse of polluting the environment through irresponsible operations in the area. However, the company has dismissed the allegations, accusing ZCTU of damaging their reputation. Also shocking are the living conditions of the workers in which about 16 people share one room in this Covid-19 pandemic era. “All this is happening in a country where the Minister of Health is also the Vice President of the country and a great friend of the Chinese,” sad a worker who declined to be named for fear of appraisals. Labour inspectors and health officials have been informed about this issue and they have looked the other way. Last year two Zimbabwean workers were shot by a Chinese boss in what the Chinese Embassy called an isolated incident. This systematic and widespread abuse is known to the government of Zimbabwe which can see no evil or hear no evil about their Chinese friends who will continue to dehumanise Zimbabwean with impunity.
Speaking to a media company called Gravitas he said “When we try to engage with the Chinese on this issue, they pretend not to understand English and refuse to talk, accusing the trade union of bullying them” On the other hand, in 2018 the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa signed more lucrative deals with China who are even upgrading the Harare Airport “Zimbabweans will therefore continue to suffer, for as long as the government still fornicates with the devil,” said Kunaka.
How Blatant Do Mass Media Lies Have To Be, Before A Population Ceases To Believe In Them ?
T
he flurry, (or slurry), of suspicious media material, on recent Israeli elections drew some attention, with speculation about an Arab political party, having gained enough leverage, to hold, "the balance of power". That provided a genuine shock for some of us, about the lengths to which some lackys will go, to defend delusions about Isrealhell being democratic, and civilised. Can any clear minded adult doubt that millions of Palestinian refugees around the planet, have not had postal votes across the 73 years since Palestine was invaded, by someone other than Palestinians ? Surely, clear minded adults don't need to be told that, they've not ! But imitation lefties around the same planet, behave as though the artificial, racist, zio-majority win elections legitimately, in the land those refugees are from. Or that racially motivated murder, (which of course, ethnic, "cleansing", can't happen without), is a legitimate tool, in the electoral process. As racially motivated murder, is an act of genocide, (as defined in Article 6 of the Rome Statute, of the International Criminal Court and repeated in Article 2 of the Genocide Convention of the U.N), that would show genocide, also to be such a
live with, and thereby, eventually become brainwashed by them. That however, is only until truth, (that which defends us against confusion), becomes apparent.
legitimate tool of democracy. Can those who rule over us, really be so stupid as to believe that we could be so stupid, as to believe such stupidity ? Or is there something else going on ? What could that be ? Obviously, falling victim to confusion, need not always involve a deliberately manufactured confusion. So there need be no malevolent, "guiding hand", of an evil mastermind, or secret conspiratorial organisation involved. That being the case, humans are apparently vulnerable to brainwashing, by confusion itself. So we need to make reasonable assumptions to escape from confusion. But of course, fallable humans don't always find adequate clues. So we keep making easier assumptions, which we can
If there really is a conspiracy in the world of media, it must surely involve the deliberate flooding of wackiest tin-foil hat grade theories, throughout social media, which would discredit all conspiracy theories, in the eyes of a jaded, Coronation St,, Star Trek and footyat-the-weekend addicted public. Hmmmm, isn't that what we would have, anyway ? So what happens next ? How can we facillitate truth becoming apparent, or at least stop facillitating the obstruction of it ? How do we stop being manipulated by confusion, into either ceasing to be active for social change, or adding to the flood of misinformation in social media. If we add to the latter, we facillitate the dismissal of all valid conspiracy theories, along with the wackiest of them, and the sources of confusion will carry on. Maybe it's time for someone more computer clever than I, to do an article on who it is, behind the wackiest of wacky conspiracy theories. And what clues are there, to what purposes they have ?
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Crossword
Football Quiz
Premier League
Answers • Tony Adams • Aston Villa (2nd) and Norwich (3rd) • Peter Beardsley/ • Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and Everton • David Beckham and Wayne Rooney • Steven Gerrard (2014 World Cup Qualifier versus Ukraine) • Patrick Vieira • Jens Lehmann • Gary and Phil Neville • Ruud Gullit • Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and Everto • Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and Everton • Chelsea • Arsenal • They had a negative goal difference • Iran • Eden Hazard • Liverpool • Barcelona • Andy Cole
• Who was the first player to represent England who had been born after the 1966 World Cup win? • Which two teams came second and third in the first ever Premiership league? • Name the only footballer to have played for Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United? • Which four EPL clubs did David Ginola play for? • As of 2014, which two players have both received two red cards whilst playing for England? • Who was the first England player to be sent off at the new Wembley Stadium? • In May 2010, which then Manchester City player was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations? • Who was the goalkeeper for Arsenal during their 2003/04 undefeated season? • Name the first siblings to captain their respective clubs against each other in the Premier League? • Who was the first foreign manager to lead a team to victory in the FA Cup final? • Which four EPL clubs did David Ginola play for? • On December 26, 1999, which club became the first Premier League side to field an entirely foreign starting lineup? • And on February 14, 2005, which club were the first to name a completely foreign 16-man squad for a Premier League match? • Norwich City led the inaugural Premier League at Christmas, what was most unusual about this lead? • What nationality are Karim Bagheri, Ashkhan Dejagar and Andranik Teymourian who have all played in England? • Which player won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2013-14? • 'The Spice Boys' was a media term for a group of young footballers in the mid-late 1990s from which football club? • Which European club has the motto that means in English: 'More than a club'? • In 1999, which player released the unsuccessful single 'Outstanding', a cover of The Gap Band's 1982 song of the same name, which peaked below the UK Top 40?
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England's greatest bowler now has over 1,000 First Class wickets
James Anderson – 1,000 up!
M
onday 5th of July was a special day for arguably England's greatest ever seam bowler. James Anderson rolled back the years with a devastating two-hour spell of bowling for Lancashire against Kent. He took a dizzying 7 wickets for just 19 runs on Day 2 of the County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford. (Day 1 was rained off.) In doing so, he went past one thousand wickets in First Class cricket. Anderson is the 216th cricketer all-time to achieve it, and in all probability, given the nature of the modern game, he is the last who ever will. Bowling from the end named after him, Anderson produced a tenover spell, including five maidens, as flawless and devastating as any he has ever
Anderson personally reduced Kent to an abysmal 24-for-7. His fifth wicket on the day, was his 1,000th victim overall;South African middle order batsman, Heino Kuhn, was caught behind by his fellow countryman and wicketkeeper, Lancashire captain Dane Vilas.
By Martin Odoni
New hope for British tennis I
t is always dangerous to pin an entire nation's sporting hopes for the future on one person, especially one who is still only a teenager. But the breakthrough player at Wimbledon this year, 18year-old Briton, Emma Raducanu, looks potentially the complete outfit. Raducanu, who only completed her A-Levels a couple of months ago, is one of 12 graduates of the Lawn Tennis Association's Pro Scholarship Programme for young players, and firm evidence that the programme may actually be working. She almost coasted through the first week at Wimbledon, despite being ranked only 338th in the world. She
done in a career going back nineteen years. With all the classic late swing for which he has become world-famous, he simply sliced his way through Kent's batting line-up like a warm blade through soft butter.
sorts, getting to 74 before finally being skittled out by Danny Lamb. Lancashire's reply with the bat was very hit-and-miss, losing half their wickets quite cheaply. But they are still in a very good position at the end of day 2, on 103-for-5.
Anderson's figures for the innings were his best-ever at Old Trafford, beating the 6-for-49 against Worcestershire way back in 2004. From there, with Anderson taken out of the attack for a rest, Kent enacted a mini-recovery of
demonstrated a complete arsenal of shots, good mobility, and a physical strength rarely seen in British female players.
progressed any further anyway, but it was a shame her run ended that way.
Most impressively, Raducanu clearly caught world number 45, Romanian Sorana Cirstea, completely by surprise in round 3, taking eight games in a row en route to a 6-3 7-5 win, in one of the turn-ups of the championships.
But Raducanu is the youngest British woman to get to week 2 of Wimbledon in the Open Era. If she can make this much headway when this young, and has had to devote so much time to her education, it is exciting to wonder where she will be able to get to with a couple more years of f o c u s e d development.
Sadly, in round 4, Raducanu had to retire with what appeared to be a stomach complaint, from her match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia. Tomljanovic was up a set and a break at the time Raducanu retired, so it seems unlikely the Briton would have
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Ashleigh Barty stumbles but overwhelms Karolina Pliskova
Australian star is new Wimbledon champion W
hat started out looking like a disappointing walkover turned into one of the more dramatic and exciting Wimbledon Ladies Finals in years. Ash Barty, the stocky, powerful Australian, confirmed her status as the World Number 1 by securing her maiden Wimbledon championship. It was a deserved victory, but she was guilty of making very heavy weather of finishing off her nervous opponent. Czech Karolina Pliskova, playing a long overdue first Wimbledon Final at the age of 29, frequently looked a class below Barty. But almost every time Barty looked poised to put the match to bed, she seemed to tense up and let Pliskova back in.
Barty's superior physical power, especially the most bruising forehand in the women's game, began to tell. Again, she made a bit of a meal of serving out the final
game, but she eventually overcame Pliskova's resistance to win 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. By Martin Odoni
Super-Serb levels with
Federer and Nadal
Barty totally dominated the first set, and at one stage the Final looked set to end within the first forty minutes. But Barty then kept letting Pliskova break-back her serve, and the set stretched out to a misleadingly close-sounding 6games-to-3 in Barty's favour. The second set was a real classic as Pliskova's serve again was broken numerous times. But each time, just as Barty was poised to win the match, Pliskova fought back hard to break back, and eventually forced the first tie-breaker in a Ladies Final for twelve years. After a close start, Pliskova suddenly pulled ahead and secured the set 7-games-to-6 with a 7-5 score in the tie-breaker. The Final that had looked so one-sided headed into a deciding set, and soon stretched to nearly two hours in front of an engrossed Centre Court audience. Eventually,
N
ovak Djokovic, the longtime “third man in a twohorse race between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal,” fully emerged from the shadow of his two old rivals at last as he won in somewhat routine style over Italian Matteo Berrettini on Centre Court. It was his sixth Wimbledon title, but more importantly, it was his
twentieth Grand Slam, which drew him level with the two old stars in whose presence he had once been seen as unworthy of standing. In the end, Djokovic seemed rather to play within himself against the first Italian to reach a singles Final at Wimbledon. Berrettini gave him a good chasing, and even won the first
set on a tie-breaker. But at all times, those watching just knew that the ageing Djokovic still had plenty in reserve. He simply upped his game a notch in the next three sets, doing just enough to break his opponent once in each, and from there he more or less served out each set. In the final set, he finished the match with a second break.
At 25, Berrettini is hardly a youngster, but his best days are still ahead. This contest perhaps arrived a year too early for him, but Djokovic at 34 looks as good as he ever has, and has re-affirmed once and for all that he is, love him, hate him, or just feel bewildered by him, one of the all-time greats of tennis. By Martin Odoni
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ROUND 2: BELGIUM PORTUGAL 1-0 Best team in the world beat best player in the world in ROUND 2: ITALY 2-1 AUSTRIA (AET) Estadio de La Cartuja I
T
he defending champions were left very frustrated, as the world number 1 team, Belgium, just about edged them in a match Portugal largely dominated.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the ageing all-time-great, bowed out of what may be his last tournament by hammering the ground with his hands. His team had had more and the better of the chances, but were 'suckered' by a mighty strike shortly before halftime from Thorgen Hazard, overshadowing his higher-profile namesake Eden, who was
injured during the match.
The game failed to live up to its hi-calibre expectations, with the first half in particular very tight and attritional. Portugal really started to create openings after half-time, but somehow it just never felt like they would equalise. Ronaldo, with four goals from as many games, departs Euro2020 with something of a sudden whimper. Belgium make it to the quarter-finals. By Martin Odoni
taly have looked the best team early on in this tournament, with plenty of creativity and firepower in attack, and a tight, disciplined defence. But it is often said that a team wants to work its way to its best form during the course of a tournament. In Italy's case, they may have peaked too early.
Emphatic wins over Turkey and Switzerland were followed by a slightly awkward, narrow win over Wales. Now, in the round of 16, they frustratingly found they needed extra time to overcome a dogged and unlucky Austria team who were playing their first-ever European Championships match beyond the group stages. Despite the ninety minutes being scoreless, they were far from dull, with Italy creating numerous openings, and Ciro Immobile having the pick of the goal attempts with a shot from outside the area that curled onto the crossbar. But by and large, the Austria defence policed the Italians well, and grew in confidence the longer the game remained scoreless.
Italy continued to have the better of the exchanges after half-time, but the chances began to dry up. Indeed, the Italians had a major scare when they appeared to have conceded a first goal of the tournament. Marko Arnautovic got behind the Italian backline and nodded the ball in, only for VAR to intervene and correcly overrule the goal; Arnautovic had moved too early and was some way offside. Nonetheless, it was a scary moment for the Italians. Instead, the opener did not arrive until near half time in extra time, and it fell to Italy. Federico Chiesa produced some control reminiscent of Dennis Bergkamp at a very acute angle on the right edge of the Austrian six-yard box,
before firing an unstoppable shot past Bachmann. Austria desperately pressed in the second half of extra time, but looked increasingly vulnerable on the break, and a second Italian goal was almost predictable. Sure enough, in the closing minutes, Matteo Pessina put the ball home from close range after an incisive attack. There was time for Austria to register Italy's first concession after all, when a very late and brave header by Sasa Kalajdzic from a corner sneaked in at the keeper's near post. But it was too little, too late, and Italy were safely through to the last eight. By Martin Odoni
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14 goals in just 2 games on day of bewildering drama
GOALS ORGY M
onday the 28th of June was the day Euro2020 really came to life, as a pair of second round matches turned into goal-frenzies.
Firstly, in Copenhagen, Spain needed extra time to edge an eightgoal thriller by five goals to three against Croatia. A bizarre Spanish own goal started the fireworks,
when Unai Simon somehow missed a long backpass from Pedri Gonzalez. Spain fought back well to claim a 3-1 lead through goals by Pablo Sarabia, Cesar Azpilicueta and,
Netherlands 0-2 Czech Republic
I
n perhaps the biggest upset of Euro2020, the underdog Czechs cruelly exposed the weaknesses of a Dutch team that have looked promising but flawed in winning all its first round games. Patrik Schick enhanced his growing claim to be the star of the tournament with his fourth goal. But this game was chiefly decided by a moment of villainy.
Defender Matthijs de Ligt struggling to deal with a bouncing ball on the edge of his team's penalty area, lost his footing under pressure from Schick, and ended up pulling the ball out of Schick's now-clearpath to goal with his hand. After initially giving a yellow card for the offence, the referee was advised by VAR to have a look at the action replay, after which he correctly changed the card to red for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. The Dutch had had several good openings before that, including a great burst through on goal by Donyell Malan that goalkeeper Thomas Vaclik, candidate for keeper of the tournament, did well to race out and smother. But the Czechs had clear openings too, generated
by simply running at defenders and taking them on, and exposing the weakness of Dutch tackling without Virgil Van Dijk to marshal the defence, Schick himself wasted a glorious first half chance. Once de Ligt was in the early bath, the Dutch were quickly clinging on for dear life as the Czechs' extra man told. Denzel Dumfries made a courageous, goalsaving block to deny Pavel Kaderabek from eight yards. But the breakthrough finally came on 68 minutes, when Tomas Kalas headed the ball across the face of the Dutch goal, for Tomas Holes to redirect it past goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.
control. Holes and Thomas Soucek were magnificent in midfield, both nullifying the threat of Georginio Wijnaldum, and pulling the increasingly fragmented Dutch defence out of position.
Already down to ten men, the Dutch now had to try and chase the game too, but the Czechs had their opponents completely under their
NOTE: Dutch manager Frank de Boer resigned a couple of days after the defeat. By Martin Odoni
The finishing blow, almost inevitably, came from Schick, with an ice-cool 'pass-it-into-the-net' final touch on a glorious counterattack with ten minutes to go. It is the Czech Republic who deservedly go to the quarter-finals, while the Netherlands must head home and reflect on their inadequacies at several key positions.
with 13 minutes left, Ferran Torres. Croatia then rallied in kind, with a goal from Mislav Orsic with five minutes left, and then, in the depths of injury time, Mario Pasalic forced extra time. From there however, the Croats looked spent after four games of highpressure football in sapping summer heat, and Spain controlled extra time, finally winning the match with goals from Alvaro Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal. If observers thought they could get some respite after all that drama, they were in for another surprise. In the evening fixture, France confronted neighbours Switzerland in Bucharest, and playing an experimental back three due to injuries, fell behind to an early header by Haris Seferovic. Switzerland controlled the first half hour, and richly deserved their lead at half-time. France improved after a change of formation, but they were still very lucky not to fall further behind early in the second half, when Hugo Lloris had to save a penalty. Within two minutes, France suddenly pulled level through Karim Benzema, and as the Swiss reeled from that, within another two minutes Benzema scored again. With 15 minutes left, Paul Pogba struck a third worthy of winning the tournament, and appeared to have put the game away. But once again, there was a late fightback. With nine minutes left, Seferovic powered home another header. Minutes later, Mario Gavranovic appeared to have levelled things up with a close-range strike, only to be denied by an offside flag. Then, in the final minute, a wonderful
through-ball from Granit Xhaka played Gavranovic in again on the edge of the area. He produced a picture-perfect step inside the closest defender, and then arrowed a shot past Lloris into the corner of the net for 3-3. This time, extra time produced no goals, but in the penalty shoot-out that followed, the first nine spot kicks all found the net. With the shoot-out entering sudden death, French star forward Kylian Mbappe, off form throughout the tournament, failed to find the net with his kick, when it was brilliantly saved by Yann Sommer. An even bigger shock than the Czech win over the Netherlands, and a day of football that became a goal-scoring orgy. By Martin Odoni
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England finally manage to knock the Germans out of a tournament Englan eliminated Germany d fr first majoom a Internatio r competitional in 55 year n s
Celebra were w tions ild earsplit and ting
ROUND 2: ENGLAND 2-0 GERMANY A
t jubilant Wembley, England eliminated Germany from a first major International competition in 55 years. It brought an unhappy end to the great reign of Joachim Low as German coach, and maintained England's run of clean sheets dating back to March.
Raheem Sterling was again England's go-to man with his third goal in four games. But Harry Kane redeemed another clumsy individual display, scoring the killer with four minutes left, finally getting off the mark in Euro2020. Though no display of consistent superiority by England, it was still their best performance of the Euros so far. Germany made a strong start, pressing England back into their own half, but created no great openings. Instead, Raheem Sterling got in the first shot in anger, stepping in from the left and firing off a twenty-yarder that brought one-for-the-cameras from German keeper Manuel Neuer. Over the next few minutes, Harry Maguire had three heading chances, including one really great opportunity he should have aimed at goal, but instead knocked back across the face. Soon after, Germany broke for a great chance with Timo Werner
bearing down on goal, but Jordan Pickford came out to close the gap and smothered the shot well.
In injury time at the end of the half, England really should have gone ahead. One of many mistakes the Germans have made in Euro2020 presented Kane with a golden chance. German defenders mis-hit a forward ball to Sterling who attempted a pass into the box. It
ricocheted to Kane on the left edge of the six-yard box with most of the goal gaping. Kane, struggling for confidence, tried to go around Neuer rather than go for goal, and the German defence were able to dispossess him. Sterling might still have turned the ball over the line, but it did not break for him. England had considerable possession in a stalemate third quarter, but a powerful volley from the edge of the English penalty area by Kai Havertz, spectacularly saved by Pickford, was the closest there was to a goal. The German midfield maintained discipline covering gaps in defence, but as time passed, they tired.
England manager Gareth Southgate judged this the moment to play his 'wild card' in substitute Jack Grealish to unlock a flagging rearguard. On 75 minutes, Southgate was rewarded.
However, a mistake by Sterling himself almost let the Germans in for a breakaway equaliser, only for the usually lethal Thomas Muller to push the ball past the post when clean through on Pickford.
Another slick step inside, this time from the right, by Sterling took him away from two defenders. He played a pass into the edge of the box for Kane, who directed the ball to the left corner of the area for Grealish. Grealish smartly played an incisive pass, letting Luke Shaw in behind the German right-back. Shaw rolled a quick ball across the face of goal for Sterling, still England's only scorer in Euro2020, to turn past Neuer from five yards. Celebrations were wild and earsplitting.
England, to their credit, did not look the gift horse in the mouth, and soon a very similar move down the left to the one that made the first goal, now saw Grealish loft a precise cross to Kane, who nodded past Neuer to make it 2-0. The desperate Germans relapsed into the same ugly, route-one football they played against Hungary; lots of high, random diagonals into the penalty area that Maguire and John Stones were always favourites to clear. England in the semi-finals, Germany home to reflect on a weak tournament performance. By Martin Odoni
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WORLD'S NUMBER ONE TEAM UNDER-ACHIEVE WHEN IT MATTERS YET AGAIN
QUARTER-FINALS: ITALY LOOKING AWESOME, SPAIN ERRATIC I
n what was probably the finest match yet of Euro2020, Italy played their best, high-tempo, attacking style that seems so alien to their national history. In doing so, they visibly out-muscled the ageing
stars of the Belgium side, who looked increasingly tired and over-hurried by the Italian pressing game. The quality of football in Munich, especially in the first half, was
ROUND 2: UKRAINE 2-1 SWEDEN (AET)
A
bright, lively first half was followed by a dreary, attritional second half, as underdogs Ukraine slowly neutralised the high tempo passing game of Sweden. A goal apiece, a spectacular opener for Ukraine by man-of-the-match Oleksandr Zinchenko, and a deflected equaliser for the Swedes by the talismanic Emil Forsberg, accurately reflected a fine first half. No goals at all equally reflected a turgid second. The real turning point in the match was late in the first period of extra time, when a horrifying mistimed tackle by Marcus Danielson saw him land his studs wildly high into the thigh of Artem Besedin. Although he did make
extraordinarily high, but also the pace at which the match was played, in powerful humidity, made for the most entertaining match of the tournament. Italy had an early goal correctly disallowed for offside, but soon took the lead anyway through Nicolo Barella, whose mazy dribble took him past three defenders to put the ball in off the far post. They then doubled their lead with yet another goal-of-the-tournament candidate from Lorenzo Insigne, who ran from the centre circle to the edge of the Belgian D to swerve a screamer into the top corner. A penalty from Romelu Lukaku just before half-time brought Belgium back into the match, and they twice had open goals in the second half that should have yielded an equaliser. But even in the second half, Italy really should have scored three more times, and were worthy winners overall. Belgium, for all that they have been the world's number one ranked side
They will meet a hot-and-cold Spain side in the semi-finals. They beat 10-man Switzerland unconvincingly 3-1 on penalties in St. Petersburg. An own goal gave the Spaniards an early lead, but Switzerland levelled midway through the second half through captain Xerdhan Shaqiri. But Remo Freuler, who set up the goal, a few minutes later went from hero to villain, seeing red for a wild foul on Gerard Moreno. Spain failed to make much of the numerical advantage, and the match went to the familiar lottery of a shoot-out. Swiss
some contact with the ball as it was falling, the challenge was reckless, and inflicted serious knee damage that is likely to keep Besedin out for months - “partial tearing of the cruciate and lateral ligaments, as well as serious damage to the process of the tibia,” according to the Ukrainian Football Association. From there, Sweden tried to hold out to force a penalty shootout. But one more moment of high drama arrived at the very death of the match. Zinchenko's centre got a glancing header from Artem Dovbyk into the far corner, and Ukraine were celebrating a place in the quarter-finals against England. By Martin Odoni
A horrifyi ng mistimed tackle by Marcus Danielson
Belgium increasin looked g and over- ly tired hu by the Ita rried lia pressing n game
watch-like precision from the spot against France evaporated, as only one of their penalties registered.
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THE DANES REALLY SEEM TO HAVE THE FORCE WITH THEM
QUARTER-FINALS:
ENGLAND UKRAINE 4
Within th minutes o ree f second hathe kick-off, E lf ngla smashed nd down the flood-gat es
-0
E
ngland produced their best performance yet in Euro2020 at the Stadio Olympico in Rome. It was also possibly the finest, most complete performance of any side in the competition, as they annihilated a bewildered Ukraine side who limped off at full-time quite unsure what had hit them. Ukraine coach Andreij Shevchenko set out a very defensive stall, with a back five protected by three deep-lying midfielders, and it initially looked like England might need patience. Instead, it took England less than four minutes to break them down; their evertalismanic Raheem Sterling made another lovely run infield in heavy traffic before sliding a neat through-ball for captain Harry Kane to nab his second goal of the tournament. England proceeded to dominate the first half, and were unlucky not to add a second goal, especially when Jadon Sancho and Luke Shaw got in behind the defence again but Sancho ended up striking the ball right at the keeper. England's passing game was almost breathtaking as they retained possession for entire minutes, and kept the increasingly agitated Ukrainians chasing around in the humidity. They also hassled and harried Ukraine whenever they lost the ball, with organised-but-hightempo defending, and their opponents were already looking ready to collapse from sheer exhaustion before half-time. Within three minutes of the second half kick-off, England smashed down the flood-gates. A
free kick by Luke Shaw swung across the penalty area at high pace, and Harry Maguire could hardly miss the header into the opposite corner. Just two minutes later, Shaw was provider again, as he was played in behind the Ukraine right-back by a lovely back-heel from Sterling, and floated a millimetre-perfect cross onto the head of Kane, who, again, could hardly miss his header at point blank range. Only one of the saves of the tournament from the unlucky Georgi Bushchan deprived Kane of his hattrick from a fantastic volley. From the resulting corner though, Jordan Henderson, only on for five minutes as a substitute, headed home a corner from Mason Mount for his long-awaited first England goal. The last quarter of the match was all about professional game management, as they shepherded the Ukrainians to the exit door. England have now set a new record of five straight games in the European Championships without conceding a goal, as well as the first ever Euros match in which one team has scored three headers. But more importantly, they are in the semifinals of Euro2020, where they will face Denmark at Wembley on Wednesday, and they have paced their way through the tournament better than anybody, gradually improving with each round. Italy remain the favourites, but England are now looking as big a threat as the Azzurri. Most observers' money will be on the final being contested between Italy and England.
DENMARK 2-1 CZECH REPUBLIC D enmark have been, appropriately, the fairy tale story of Euro2020. The literally neardeath moment for Christian Eriksen in the very first game has triggered a kind of emotional tidal wave that has carried them through match after match. That included this hard-fought win over the Czech Republic in Baku. The Danes have come out of the blocks in every match since Eriksen's cardiac arrest quickly and with so much energy, and it all seems to come from the feeling of a miracle that Eriksen is still alive. Here, they exploded into action, and needed just five
minutes to break down the Czech defence, when Thomas Delaney evaded the markers to head home from a corner.
From there, they marshalled the threat of Patrik Schick, and contained the Czechs' normally incisive passing game, with surprising ease, while continuing to threaten heavily on the break. It was no surprise when they finally added the second shortly before half-time through a fine closerange volley by danger-man Kasper Dolberg. Denmark looked comfortable at half-time, but the Czechs were just as quick out of the blocks in the second half to get back into the
game, with yet another goal for Schick, a pass-it-into-the-net volley from a cross by Tomas Soucek.
To their credit, the Danes did not lose their heads under the renewed pressure. They did little more than manage the second half, finding a workmanlike path to the final whistle, but it proved enough, and they are in the semi-finals. That looked unimaginable after losing the opener against Finland. The Czechs head home with plenty of respect, as the quarterfinals were probably more than they had hopes of at the start of the Euros. By Martin Odoni
30
THE
WORD
Mid July 2021
POLITICS AND EVENTS
thewordmedia.org
Spain pay the penalty for missed chances as Italy reach the final
Italy 1-1 Spain (aet)
A
splendid semi-final at Wembley between two of the most gifted sides in Euro2020 ultimately, and perhaps a little sadly, had to come down to a penalty shootout. A remarkably engrossing and high-quality ninety minutes were firmly edged by the Spaniards, who nonetheless still needed a late equaliser to force extra time.
Italy have made a trade in scoring dazzling curling finishes throughout the championship, and here, man of the match Federico Chiesa produced another on the hour, swerving the ball from just inside the area past the unlucky Unai Simón in the Spanish goal. Spain, who had the better of the first half but did not create enough clear openings, might have felt lucky not to fall behind earlier, given several chances against the flow of the play. But guided by the magnificent Sergio Busquets in
midfield, they responded well to the goal, and after twenty minutes of determined pressing, they deservedly equalised with ten minutes to play through the off-form Alvaro Morata. He found the corner of the net after a lovely exchange of passes with Dani Olmo on the edge of the Italian box. A little like in the late stages against Belgium, Italy were perhaps guilty in extra time of reverting-to-type, as they started breaking up the play and resorting to cynical tackles and general gamesmanship to waste time. They did look somewhat tired and negative, suggesting the tournament may be taking a toll on their energy. There will also be growing concern in the Italian camp about the generally dire quality of the kicking from giant goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma throughout the evening, no matter how good his shotstopping was. Still
Italy did grind out the draw, and their nerve held better during the penalties. Manuel Locatelli, who took the first penalty of the shootout, saw his kick saved, only for Olmo to make an absolute hash of Spain's opening kick, firing the ball well over the crossbar. The two teams then steadily exchanged successful kicks until the closing moment of the 'compulsory' kicks. Then, Donnarumma made the decisive save in the shootout from the ever-erratic Morata. However, Donnarumma was a little lucky not to be penalised for very obviously coming off his line. Jorginho found the net with a cheeky, stuttering run-up and then cool pass into the corner when the keeper had committed to going the wrong way, and Italy were through.
THE
thewordmedia.org
POLITICS AND EVENTS
Mid July 2021
WORD
31
After 55 years, England are at last back in a major final
ENGLAND - DENMARK
2-1 (aet)
O
n Wednesday 7th of July, Wembley was jubilant. England, at the fifth attempt, finally, and deservedly, got through the semi-finals of a major tournament again. Victory over a buoyant and gallant Denmark was not easy, nor likely to be. Instead, England finally conceded a goal. Worse, it was the first goal of the game, presenting a new test for Gareth Southgate's lions – one of character. They passed with honours. After the routine embarrassment of many of their supporters booing the Danish national anthem (why do fans do that? What will it ever accomplish, apart from making themselves look like yobs, and motivating their insulted opponents?) England began strongly, with several incisive breaks into the Danish penalty area. But after about fifteen minutes, the Danes found their rhythm. Their large-built players began imposing themselves physically, never harried as Ukraine had been at the weekend. Denmark created their own opportunities before taking a lead they, if not deserved, then certainly threatened. A pair of very soft free kicks were awarded to Denmark in quick succession on the half-hour, the second near the England penalty area. Danish star Mikkel Damsgaard struck a simply golden free kick over the wall, dipping it just under the crossbar, beyond the despairing reach of Jordan Pickford. For the first time in the Euros, someone had scored a direct free kick. Also for the first time, England had to rally from deficit.
England's response was excellent. Without panic, they reestablished their passing rhythm, and despite the physicality of the Danish defending, began finding weak spots. Two big chances followed. Firstly, Bukayo Saka played in Harry Kane down the right. Kane squared the ball across goal for
Raheem Sterling to strike it well but straight at Kasper Schmeichel, who parried somewhat by default. A minute on, England produced a similar move. Saka himself got behind Denmark's left-back, sliding another ball across the face of goal. With Sterling again poised for a tap-in, defender Simon Kjaer forlornly tried to hoist the ball over his own crossbar. Instead it looped under the bar, for the tournament's 11th own goal.
Fatigue caught up with Denmark early in the second half, despite starting the half quite strongly. By the hour mark, the visitors looked legweary, losing all the fifty-fifty challenges. Fine saves by Schmeichel from former clubmate Harry Maguire and Mason Mount kept Denmark alive. The Danes got a huge break with fifteen minutes left when Harry Kane was tripped in the area by Christian Norgaard. Somehow, the referee ruled the foul the other way. The tired Danes were under constant siege, but bravely maintained discipline,
just about holding out for extra time. England also dominated the first period, but the breakthrough had plenty of luck about it. Sterling burst into the area down the right once more, cut between two defenders, and was then very, very lightly clipped by Joakim Maehle. The contact was minimal, but Sterling fell like a crashing tree, and this time the referee gave the spotkick. It looked harsh, although perhaps justice was done given Kane's earlier shout. Kane
took t h e p e n a l t y, maybe his lousiest ever attempt. But Schmeichel could only rebound it to Kane to steer home his fourth goal of
Euro2020. E ng l a n d largely played an impressive round of keep-ball to see out the remainder of extra time, as the Danes, now exhausted, chased haplessly. The final whistle brought scenes of celebration from England fans not experienced in over half a century. So, it is the final that has looked increasingly inevitable for three weeks now; Italy vs England. By Martin Odoni
Harry Kane
was trip in the areped a Christian by Norgaard
England charged by UEFA S
omewhat marring England's evening of celebration against Denmark, UEFA have charged the Football Association with their fans “causing disturbance” over an incident during extra time while England were taking a penalty. Television pictures showed a patch of green light shining on the face of Danish goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel. The light resembled the effect of a laser pen. It appears that an England fan was using the laser pen to attempt to distract Schmeichel – unsuccessfully, as it turns out, as the penalty was initially saved.
England fans before the game trying to drown out the Danish national anthem with booing.
FA and UEFA investigators have tried to identify the member of the crowd responsible, but have so far been unsuccessful.
UEFA have also added a secondary charge of disturbance relating to a large minority of
England fans, a bit of advice from us at The Word; just pack it in. Even if you cannot be deterred from these behaviours for moral reasons, pack them in for practical ones; we know you think you are helping your team, but you are not. You are embarrassing them, and - perhaps more importantly from your perspective - you are motivating your opponents. By Martin Odoni
(AET) – ITALY WIN 3-2 ON PENS
FINAL: ITALY 1-1 ENGLAND
England's history-making journey ended by demon of the past
E
ngland's 'haul' of major trophies remains singular. They have re-written record books in this tournament, including five consecutive clean sheets from the opening match, reached only their second-ever major Final, and got within 11 yards of the trophy. All this while also showing themselves to be, in stark contrast to the right-wing mob that forever permeates its fanbase, a remarkably progressive and communitarian squad of players in outlook, with a steadfast devotion to opposing racism. But for all that this is a new and fresh England, familiar old ghosts dominated the tournament's culmination. Minority hooliganism spoiled it for the majority; England fans trashed Leicester Square during the afternoon, then ticketless fans tried to force entry into Wembley. There was more booing of the opponents' national anthem by classless idiots who seemingly believe in sympathetic magic, as t h o u g h booing like that
somehow physically.
'hampers'
opponents
And then on-field, another old curse struck again – another hamstrung penalty shoot-out. Online racist abuse aimed at the players who failed from the spot followed; why must football fans always seek a scapegoat? This final was tense, even dour. A meeting of the two best teams in the tournament, yes. The quality of both teams in possession was there for anyone to see. But it was also cagey, bitty, with both sides losing their nerve at strange times. England started superbly, with born-again Luke Shaw scoring the opener inside two minutes, a splendid half-volley from a Kieran Trippier cross beating Gianluigi Donnarumma at his near post. For twenty-five minutes, the Italians looked shellshocked, confused and intimidated as their attacking efforts were overwhelmed in a wall of white shirts. Although not playing well, and frequently sending aimless balls into the England box, Italy still had some late attempts on goal. But England were in control and deserved their half-time lead. Italian coach Roberto Mancini made half-time adjustments, moving Lorenzo Insigne down the middle, and Italy proceeded to dominate. England dropped deeper and deeper in anxiety but held out.
They were 23 minutes away from being crowned European Champions when the Italians broke through, with a scruffy goal from a corner. The ball bobbled around the six-yard box before being knocked in by old warhorse Leonardo Bonucci. England worked their way back into contention. The match drifted into stalemate, then extra time, with England arguably making most of the running, but not creating many chances against the old defensive masters, Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, both magnificent. Italy looked dangerous on the break, but Mancini mysteriously substituted the players who had been most influential in normal time.
tournament, they were the best team. England are close behind though, and on-field at least, they have no reason for shame. By Martin Odoni
Jorginho was lucky not to see red for an appalling stamp on Jack Grealish's knee in the last five minutes. Neither team looked confident in the penalty shoot-out. Domenico Berardi scored. Harry Kane scored. Andrea Belotti's kick was saved by Jordan Pickford. Harry Maguire scored. Bonucci scored, Marcus Rashford hit the post. Federico Bernardeschi put Italy 32 up. The remaining three penalties were all saved – one from Jadon Sancho, one from Jorginho, and most saddening, one from the emerging Bukayo Saka, in tears when the enormity of the miss sank in. Italy deserve the title of European Champions; both on the day and through the
THIS FINAL WAS TENSE, EVEN DOUR