It appears that your irregular blogger has further redefined
infrequent. I would offer an excuse but in truth they would only be
self-serving; fabrications on a theme of torpor.
In ninety odd million miles that the Earth has spent
orbiting the sun since my last blog, what has taken place whilst you have
chased the late afternoon wind, a cool beer in a quayside bar and a tale of
blighty from your transient companions?
One of the tropes of television news is to end on an upbeat
note with tales of water-skiing badgers, pensioners high diving into baths of
beans or pandas running for election. It’s
an indicator of the current state of events that last night’s 10 O’Clock
bulletin’s “and finally” levity was left to a debate as to whether ISIS were
instigating female genital mutilation in the territories that they’ve seized in
Syria and Iraq. Seeing as I’ve brought
it up let’s bathe in the horror of recent events. Come on in, the water’s bloody. A passenger jet being shot down over a
warzone that’s a frontier for the rebirth of the cold war. Nice. An outbreak of the ebola virus in West Africa
that’s raising concerns that it <gasp> might spread outside of Africa and
then get reclassified as a real problem.
Lovely. The march of ISIS aka the
“Bad” Al Qaeda across from Syria into Iraq in not as much an attempt to push
the region into complete disarray and instigate a pan-Middle East
conflict. Spiffing. Oh yes, speaking of the Middle East, as if the
region needed an extra push towards the abyss let us dwell on Gaza. The tldr-esque version is that Israel have
taken steps to stop Hamas firing rockets across the border or making incursions
via a network of tunnels. A sustained
heavy bombing has been instigated across targets across Gaza followed by engagements
with ground troops. Claims and
counterclaims are made by both sides. A
school is bombed but only because it is alleged it is being used by Hamas to
fire rockets from. There’s no such thing
as a human shield in Gaza. The scale of
loss of civilian lives is genuinely horrifying.
Today’s estimate that over 1300 people have been killed. 70% are civilians. Close to 250 are children. It’s perhaps one of the fallacies inspired by
night vision surgical strikes that modern warfare leaves civilians unscathed by
conflict when history tells us the opposite.
To criticise Israel is to face the usual tired accusations of anti-Semitism.
Adopt the opposite stance and you’re a
cheerleader for slaughter. Of course,
the bombs are still falling, the rockets still streaking over the border. The civilians, who can’t leave Gaza look to
survive. 24 hours from now 10s of them won’t have. If you’re expecting a joke to round this out
I’d suggest you re-read the last paragraph and reconsider.
This all might be happening and more but don’t be confused
into thinking that its centre stage in society’s consciousness. The number of antiques themed reality tv
shows remain unchanged. It’s the summer
so saturation sports coverage adds a thick layer of insulation from the
day-to-day. Currently the Commonwealth Games
are being blasted out by the BBC on two channels in near 24 rolling
coverage. It never escapes the sense
that it’s a dressed up school sports day and but there’s next to no body bags
on screen so naturally a ratings winner.
Earlier we had the World Cup and what a fantastic tournament it
was. There’s a purity to football that
protects it from FIFA, commercialism, ITV’s coverage so when 22 men step across
the white line we lose ourselves once more to the most beautiful of pointless
pursuits. After two decades of the
Premier League and the chasing of survival over nurturing home grown players England
have faded from being a constant in the later stages to being knocked out after
two games. As Gerrard and co packed
their bags there was the briefest of flurries, the usual accusations that
England needed “passion”. One day the
debate may suggest that we try and develop skills to be able to retain the ball
and hey, let’s go crazy, pass to each other.
We’re not there yet. I lost myself
to the tournament. Holland’s stake
through the heart of tika-taka was a statement of intent that the tedious days
of defensive football were on the wane.
This was a tournament that rewarded the bold. USA escaped the group of death by playing as
a team and forgetting for a while they were minnows. My namesake James “ham-ez” Rodriguez fired
Columbia into the latest stages and was the most expensive player no one had
ever heard of. Add to the mix Nemar’s
drive, Brazil’s sheer total capitulation and inevitably Germany’s grind to the
final and glory. I watched the 7-1
destruction derby of Brazil in a bar in Epidavros, Greece. I sensed beforehand that the bailout might
make the locals not be too fond of Germany.
After their second goal in ten minutes my laughter filled cheering was
shushed in the bar. By half time and
with the score at 5-0 I made my excuses and left. The final summed up the tournament, the team
that “went for it” and took their opportunity won. Soon the opiate substitute of the next season
will arrive. It has a lot to live up to.
Albert Einstein, in part a quote machine is reported as
saying "The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at
once." This doesn’t explain my
tardiness but I hope this brief summary gives you a flavour of events beyond
the calm seas and endless blue skies. I
trust you enjoyed your brief sojourn in Blighty. I hope it was short enough to not allow the
shadows of UKIP, the status quo of domestic politics or the ever expanding
carpet that the unpalatable is swept beneath to enter your frame of
reference. When political debate seems
at times to be led by “Football’s Philosopher King” Joey Barton perhaps we
should all set sail….
