Yet more proof that the Coalition government's theory on Arts funding is skewed beyond all comprehension.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/we-cannot-offset-arts-cuts-say-philanthropists-2027712.html
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So the new Minister for Culture has asked major Arts funding bodies to look at cuts of 25 to 30%.
I recently posted on this subject here http://www.bartonbydesign.co.uk/mr-plug/?p=233
So we are looking at something even more serious. Whilst I genuinely believe that there is an opportunity for all arts organisations to really innovate and create as a result of the austerity, it would be wrong of me not to rant in the strongest possible terms about the cultural impact of this financial rape of what makes our country so precious. Just a brief scan through the Arts Council’s website http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/ will show you some of the superb, exciting and educational projects that will go under the knife. Of course, the Arts are seen as a “Soft” subject, but are they really? When you consider the income that the Arts generate in this country, “Soft” is not the appropriate word. Soft, is a word that could be applied to the complete failure of this government to address the actual cause of the problems in the first place. Vince Cable was at the forefront of the criticism of the bankers, but now seems to be keen on leaping into bed with the bankers and kicking those who do not deserve it. Is this what power does for you Vince? The Lib Dems massive u turn on Tuition fees, which is now mutating into the ill thought out idea of a graduate tax just shows them up to be what they have become; the slightly softer side of what we will grow to think of as the harshest of Tory governments in history. I wanted to run from the party kicking and screaming. I have decided however, to rejoin the party, and try to fight against the changes to what was a superb party.
Whenever anyone questions the “Austerity measures”, I have noticed that it is still ok to refer back to the mess that Labour left us in. I also seem to remember that we wanted to get away from the punch and Judy politics that Cameron Clegg so publicly denounced in the lead up to the election. This new politics has the stench of the old about it, and I fear for the young people that are going to be affected so very deeply by these ridiculous measures.
I will be writing to my beloved MP on this, and many more issues, and expect a swift response. I might even update the blog with the letters.
This time next week, we shall be preparing for our week in the Lakes with the lovely "Pops" family. It is a couple of years since we were last there, and although we will be without our smallest companion this time, I am really looking forward to it. We approach the end of a hard fourth year of the business, and I am very much looking forward to a break. We have survived the recession, and numbers have remained good, and when we look at what has happened with so many other companies like ours, we can be rightly proud. Next year we will be exciting as it will be the culmination of some of my writing projects, and the beginning of some more. I hope that they turn out to be fruitful, as they not only give the company an edge, but also give me the chance to vent my creative spleen. We move into the next year with the threat of cuts to the arts hanging over us all. This new coalition government is waving the axe around with wild abandon, and it is only a matter of time before things start to get difficult in our industry. I hope that everyone can remain calm, and use it as a creative force rather than a destructive one. Some of the best works of art can be traced back to moments of austerity.
I write this, dear reader, from the safety and comparative warmth of my new MAc mini. Well I say new, it is actually second hand…a purchase from ebay. I was disappointed to see that my Dell machine, had collapsed under the weight of it’s own crapness, and worked out that in order to fix it, I would need to spend somewhere in the region of £150 to £200. It was no longer covered by the inadequate warranty, and as a result, I would be forced to spend around 50% of the original asking price in order to get it up and running again. I object to this. I have over the last year, become an advocate of the “Cloud”, and as a result, I have been backing up to my hearts content, just on case a catastrophe like the one that recently occurred befell me. I weighed up the pros and cons of the alternative. I was surviving on my Dell laptop. Recent Dell behaviour leads me to believe that this was not a sensible option and that the laptop should be used as a back up only. I could simply buy another PC, on one of Dell’s attractive “buy now pay in ten years time when the machine has long since given up the ghost” deals. Again, this seemed like a less than sensible idea. So off I trotted to ebay to see what was on offer. I also enlisted the help and advice of the army of geeks that I know, and pretty much all of them said “Get a Mac”, you wont regret it. I have to admit that a few years ago I would have scoffed at such a suggestion and announced my allegiance to all things PC, however, I have enjoyed the use of my iPod and latterly my iPhone, and in fact become a big fan….so why not I thought. So here I sit…typing away on my Mac. It’s weird…it doesn’t feel quite right yet…however, all of it seems to work, and I am finding my way around. Much like moving into a new house, nothing quite works to start with, but you begin to feel more comfortable as the days go on. I have to admit also, to a moment of frivolity, in that I have purchased a second mac as well. I was looking for some particular software for this mac, and happened upon a listing for another machine that contained the software I wanted, and lots more….it went for an unbelievably cheap price, and so I await the delivery of my second Apple Baby. All in all, I have spent £160 for 2 machines, Delivery, and software. If they go wrong, then so be it…for that price I cannot really complain, and it will have been, if nothing else, and interesting experience. I shall wait and see how reliable the machines are, and if I become a fully paid up member of the Apple Love-in….so far, I am slightly smitten….like an old pervert in a bar….
So have we now reached the stage where the whole of our national game needs ripping up and starting again? From the evidence on show in South Africa over the last couple of weeks it would seem so. The world beating members of the squad seemed hell bent on delivering the ball either to the opposition, or very quickly to a team mate so that they didn't have to use their imagination. It reminded me of playing at school, and seeing the kids who didn't want the ball. So who is to blame? Or should we be looking for blame…? Shouldn't we just accept that we are crap and get on with the snooker or something? Well no…We should be better, and I think we are. Was it the manager's fault? Well he certainly made some strange selections. When you are needing goals desperately, you cannot EVER justify bringing on Emile Heskey for example…but ultimately, the opposition in front of us on paper, should not have been capable of competing with us, whereas in he majority of the games, they outplayed us. Was the long premiership season to blame? Well maybe….it does seem to be a cash cow now rather than a football season. That may have contributed. Do the players actually care? Well I'm not so sure they do anymore…. ultimately they can go home and count their millions and the failure in South Africa will soon be forgotten when the Sky cameras are back focusing on them. I am a very strong believer in the power of youth…and we simply do not train our kids to play football as they should….we get them to "lump it up the middle to the big lad" and it simply will never compete with the skills on display in the rest of the world….but here's the thing….I just don't think the football has been very good at all in this world cup…The press have built it up, and built up the stars, but none of them have really shone so far…the odd performance from Villa, or the occasional mazey run by Messi apart…it's been awful….Teams are more scared of losing than they are wanting to win. I'm not sure what the answer is….but it needs to be addressed.
As weeks go, this has not been a great one. Eldest went to hospital for what should have been a fairly routine operation on Tuesday morning at 6.30am. She is still there on Friday morning. She suffered from continued bleeding and lost 1.6 litres of blood. On reflection, this was a massive loss of blood, and could have led to truly awful circumstances. Fortunately, it was recognised as serious, and a further operation, drips and transfusions were administered. She appears to be back with us properly today, and with any luck, should be able to come home. Without going into the whys and wherefores of the surgery and the failure to stop the bleeding, it has been a traumatic week, and I genuinely feel like I have been through surgery. I've not been able to get to the hospital as much as I would have liked as I have been looking after youngest who has been too upset to go to school. It has served as a real reminder of how fragile life is, and how precious my family is. It is amazing how quickly they turn from being a teenager to a baby again. The whole experience has also left me wondering if we let people in authority walk over us a little too much. Whilst the vast majority of the staff at the hospital have been superb, there are some really special people there as well…not least the surgeon who carried out the first operation. His bedside manner was appalling from the first consultations, and nothing has changed my mind since then. Should I look into the whole incident further? Well, some dear friends and relatives think we have cause to ask questions at the very least, and I suspect they are right. I just want my family back here safe and sound first and I will consider what to do next.
I remember World Cups for many reasons. Italia 90 was spent on a boat on the Norfolk Broads…what a week that was. I should perhaps blog about it one day. Then there was the 2002 penalty against Argentina, on the day we moved to our old house. All these memories interlinked with what we were doing at the time. What were you doing when Gazza lost the plot in 1990? I was in Woods Wine bar in Borehamwood…on the brink of tears. So this time around, the memories will be interspersed with the smell of hospitals, and mad dashes backwards and forwards to the train station. Then we come onto Sunday. Germany awaits England, and the usual jingoistic nonsense and references to the war will be mentioned in the popular press. We have been poor so far, and there is not much evidence that we will get any better, but then I remember 1990 and the dreadful performances that we put in back then, so there is always hope. The trouble is, even if victory is secured on Sunday, then the whole nation will start to believe that we can win the competition, and in my experience…that is usually a recipe for disaster…We shall see.
Well it has been nearly a week since our "Gym" was installed, and so far so good. The little routine I have worked out seems to be working quite nicely, and I am feeling pretty good as a result of it. We now have some speakers installed as well so that we can listen to music etc whilst doing it. I have spent a few hours this week doing a bit of research into diets and what I need to eat. As I suspected, it is complicated a little by the fact that two other members of the household are wanting to do this to lose weight and I want to get a general level of fitness but also to build myself up a bit. In particular, as I am prone to the occasional bad back, I have always in the past been advised to "muscle it up a bit". Those of you that know me, will realise that this is a tall order, and will take some time.
In other news, I have realised how close we are to the Summer holidays, and this pleases me no end. Eldest has now finished her GCSE's and now has some decent free time before starting in the 6th form. I am currently writing and working on a number of other shows, and, I need a break. College work starts soon, and what with this and driving looming on the horizon, I have lots to do
 The World Cup has been poor so far, both in terms of England and in general terms. We still await that "Humdinger" 4-3 game that always seems to come along.
Off to work out now
As I continue with my bi-polar tendencies, I find that the morose overbearing feeling of the last few weeks is being replaced by a maniacal energy and enthusiasm. I am pretty sure this is not right, but will go with the highs while I get them I suppose. We have just got back from the hospital with eldest as she has her op next week, and all was well. Seeing her sitting in the hospital gave me a few flashbacks to when she was born. It may sound like a cliche but it really does only seem like yesterday, and it made me realise how precious the time we have together is. She of course would probably tell me to stop being a soppy twat, so I shall stop now. I am about to have my morning workout, This sounds weird. I am not even sure I know what to wear for such an event, or whether some form of safety net would be advisable. I shall do this with the assistance of the audio book version of Alan Bennet’s Talking Heads….a work of pure unmitigated genius in my very humble, but usually correct, opinion.
I have long felt that I need to get a little bit fit. I work very hard, and in many cases, I have to be on my toes as far as my job, as I might be on my feet for hours at a time when directing. I need to be energetic when working with kids basically. Now having reached the princely age of 44, I have just about managed to stay alive, but this is no longer enough. Mrs Plug also feels that although we may have reached middle age, that is no reason to lie down and die. Mrs Plug has been going out walking, but that just doesn't seem to be enough, and to be honest, since I lost my doggy, I really struggle with the going out for a walk for no reason. We decided then, that we needed some other form of regular exercise, and as a result, I am sitting here aching a little. We have purchased three items of "Gym equipment"; An exercise bike/cross trainer, a rowing machine/gym, and an ab development bench. The idea is that we place them in the cellar, and have a daily workout. I realise that in a matter of weeks I shall be failing manfully to put a brave face on the attempt at climbing up a big steep thing in the Lake District, so I am now on an intensive fitness regime
As it stands, everything aches a little, and my stomach is threatening to take my to the European court of human guts. I hope I can keep it up….everything feels tingly and healthy:-)
# So I sit here on a rainy Sunday afternoon with the memories of last nights disappointing result still going around in my head. The media in general, and the fans on many a football forum are already telling us to take down our flags and to tear up the Panini albums as we have no chance. It WAS a depressing way for the game to finish, but the negativity is, I believe, one of the major contributory factors behind why we always seem to come away disappointed. There are only a handful of countries that have ever won the World cup, and for those of us who have not heard it, apparently England won it in 1966 and we haven’t been as good since. Well I hate to mention this, but things have changed slightly since then…I know, I was born in 1966 and I have kind of kept my eye on things since then. I have watched pretty much all of the games since the start of this world cup, and in fact, most of the games in every world cup since 1974. It is very rare for a team to come out and start playing to it’s full potential at the beginning of a tournament. In fact, it is perhaps more common for the eventual winners to be fairly slow out of the starting blocks. Back in the year that shall not be named, England drew with Uruguay in their opener, and the legend that is Gordon Banks told the story on television yesterday. The press got on the backs of the England team and told then they were crap basically. This was in the days when the only Wag you would hear of was from the tail of a dog. I digress….So we witnessed the end of English football by all accounts of last night, however, no-one seems to have mentioned that fact that USA have improved greatly over the last few years, and only last year, beat Spain, and gave Brazil the shock of their lives.The facts however, do not always make for a good story, and lets face it, we all like a good moan. When you watch the match back, you will see that we had the Lion’s share of the possession, and we had several opportunities to have won the game. It is far easier though, to blame the goalkeeper for one error. The mature and responsible message that our press want to send out to kids watching this, is that it is the correct and proper attitude to pillory one man for a mistake, when in fact we could and should have won the game at the other end. Where for example are the critics of Mr Rooney, a player put on a pedestal so high that he must be suffering from vertigo? He was ineffective, wasteful in possession, and optimistic in his choice of shots. He is forgiven, as he is a world class player, but Robert Green is not allowed to make a mistake. The genius perspective would seem to be suggesting that an Injured David James, who makes a habit of the kind of ricket that Green made last night would have been more sensible…or of course Hart, who has not had any International experience. Again, the obvious facts would appear to be far less important than the apparent god given right to rant. Emile Heskey raised a few eyebrows here at Plug Acres. I did not want him in the team, and even after what I consider to be one of his better games, I still do not want him. The wasted one on one opportunity was enough to show me that he is not good enough at this level, and certainly wont be against the very top opponents. In 1990, England drew their first game against Egypt, a team MUCH lower in the ranking than the USA are now, and again the knives were out, however, we ended up in the Semi Finals and lost on penalties, Bobby Robson was knighted, and Paul Gascoigne became an unlikely national hero. The margins are narrow, and I am impressed that so many people seem to know the outcome of the tournament already. I am envious that they will be able to spend all those hours over the next month doing other things rather than enjoying the spectacle and drama that I shall have to endure.
As a Spurs fan, I know only too well that it is easy to write off our chances too soon. Most of the people I know on the Spurs forum I visit were moaning and whining about our manager early on in the season, but now seem to be a little quieter. Patience is a virtue I believe, and I shall have patience with England for a couple more matches at least. Anyway…I must dash…I’m off to slag off Algeria vs Slovenia
So I sit here on a rainy Sunday afternoon with the memories of last nights disappointing result still going around in my head. The media in general, and the fans on many a football forum are already telling us to take down our flags and to tear up the Panini albums as we have no chance. It WAS a depressing way for the game to finish, but the negativity is, I believe, one of the major contributory factors behind why we always seem to come away disappointed. There are only a handful of countries that have ever won the World cup, and for those of us who have not heard it, apparently England won it in 1966 and we haven’t been as good since. Well I hate to mention this, but things have changed slightly since then…I know, I was born in 1966 and I have kind of kept my eye on things since then. I have watched pretty much all of the games since the start of this world cup, and in fact, most of the games in every world cup since 1974. It is very rare for a team to come out and start playing to it’s full potential at the beginning of a tournament. In fact, it is perhaps more common for the eventual winners to be fairly slow out of the starting blocks. Back in the year that shall not be named, England drew with Uruguay in their opener, and the legend that is Gordon Banks told the story on television yesterday. The press got on the backs of the England team and told then they were crap basically. This was in the days when the only Wag you would hear of was from the tail of a dog. I digress….So we witnessed the end of English football by all accounts of last night, however, no-one seems to have mentioned that fact that USA have improved greatly over the last few years, and only last year, beat Spain, and gave Brazil the shock of their lives.The facts however, do not always make for a good story, and lets face it, we all like a good moan. When you watch the match back, you will see that we had the Lion’s share of the possession, and we had several opportunities to have won the game. It is far easier though, to blame the goalkeeper for one error. The mature and responsible message that our press want to send out to kids watching this, is that it is the correct and proper attitude to pillory one man for a mistake, when in fact we could and should have won the game at the other end. Where for example are the critics of Mr Rooney, a player put on a pedestal so high that he must be suffering from vertigo? He was ineffective, wasteful in possession, and optimistic in his choice of shots. He is forgiven, as he is a world class player, but Robert Green is not allowed to make a mistake. The genius perspective would seem to be suggesting that an Injured David James, who makes a habit of the kind of ricket that Green made last night would have been more sensible…or of course Hart, who has not had any International experience. Again, the obvious facts would appear to be far less important than the apparent god given right to rant. Emile Heskey raised a few eyebrows here at Plug Acres. I did not want him in the team, and even after what I consider to be one of his better games, I still do not want him. The wasted one on one opportunity was enough to show me that he is not good enough at this level, and certainly wont be against the very top opponents. In 1990, England drew their first game against Egypt, a team MUCH lower in the ranking than the USA are now, and again the knives were out, however, we ended up in the Semi Finals and lost on penalties, Bobby Robson was knighted, and Paul Gascoigne became an unlikely national hero. The margins are narrow, and I am impressed that so many people seem to know the outcome of the tournament already. I am envious that they will be able to spend all those hours over the next month doing other things rather than enjoying the spectacle and drama that I shall have to endure. As a Spurs fan, I know only too well that it is easy to write off our chances too soon. Most of the people I know on the Spurs forum I visit were moaning and whining about our manager early on in the season, but now seem to be a little quieter. Patience is a virtue I believe, and I shall have patience with England for a couple more matches at least. Anyway…I must dash…I’m off to slag off Algeria vs Slovenia |
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