30 Apr 2009
Swine Flu - A Damien McBride Conspiracy?
29 Apr 2009
28 Apr 2009
Homage to Catalunya - And Chelsea No More!
. More Than A Song......
"Barca!" was written in 1974 to celebrate FC Barcelona's 75th anniversary. A great song for sure, but penned under the rule of a Spanish dictatorship on its last legs, after 40 years of power. And whilst the corrupt Franco regime had done lots of bad things to the entire population of Spain, nowhere had its vengeance against those who had stood, fought and died for democracy and freedom been harsher than in Catalunya, and its capital city, Barcelona.
But despite the oppression - including the bricking up of the Catalan Parliament, the execution and exiling of its leaders, and the banning of the Catalan language and the the Catalan flag - throughout, a safe haven for the people had been the terraces of FC Barcelona. Even attempts by the dictatorship to crush the club on the field through direct funding of its main rival, Real Madrid, plus the bribery and intimidation of officials and more had failed.
So listen the words of this rousing tune in this context. Yes a celebration of 75, now over a century of a fantastic football club, but more than this. More than a club. Mes.
That is just one - but the big - reason I will be supporting Barcelona tonight against Chelsea, and I hope beyond in the Champions League final in Rome next month. And the contrast between the fast flowing expansive football of a club owned and ran by its own members - its "Socis" 160,000 strong - and the grinding dull output of the personal plaything of a foreign billionaire could not be greater.
And whilst most Chelsea fans have thankfully moved on, amongst them will be a not insignificant band of racists and neo-fascists, who would have been well at home in the Falange of General Franco - they still even use his salute.
So Samsung or UNICEF? Democracy or dictatorship? Football from the community or bought in football - bought in with dodgy money.?
........I'm with the original, and forever, Peoples' Club!
- Et Viva la Quinte Brigada!
Read more...27 Apr 2009
A Legend Speaks!
26 Apr 2009
God is a Wee Bald Guy from Ayrshire - if you work at Scotland on Sunday
Scotland on Sunday is this morning leading with an article in which tycoon billionare, Sir Tom Hunter mumbles something about the Scottish Goverment cutting income tax by 3p. "It has got to be good", he answers to a question from an SoS reporter.
But Tax cuts? Even the Tories in the face of the UK's £175bn fiscal deficit and rising, have all but admited any tax cuts for the forseeable future are an impoosibilty
But here is SoS peddling it a a realistic Scottish only policy choice. Desperate stuff journalistically. "Rio Ferdinand shagged three hookers" would be a more newsworty headline - and he probably did. Yet it's us Bloggers that make things up, hype, publish tripe!
25 Apr 2009
Ma Dull Day at Hampden
Dissappointing to say the least - a goal down in 70 secomds and beaten three nil, going on five. Enough said.
But the Rangers team that comfortably saw off the Saint today? - not a single "star" amongst them , not one who would be guaranteed a start in even a bottom six Premiership side, or most of the Championship ones. Honest, decent, pros but "jobbers" - and every Rangers fan in that stadium knew it.
But Rangers and Celtic are great clubs, have massive support, and are global "brands" that still rival the Man U's and Real Madrids. But for how much longer in the set up they now find thmesleves? They are now drawing massively on historical pedigree, not footballing reality.
St Mirren Win The Scottish Cup - Exactly 50 Years Ago Today
.........Find out how they did it - and in front of over 100,000 fans, not an Old Firm one in sight.
Read more...24 Apr 2009
22 Apr 2009
Jagielka Took a Notion
Jagielka took a notion
To errupt that sea of blue
So we left old Fergie’s boys behind us
On a sunny Wembley day
Timmy Howard he was brilliant
Pulling off two magic saves
In a team of Toffee heroes
On a sunny Wembley day
Hibbert, Lescott, Cahill, Feliani
Neville, Osman, Saha, Pinar, Baines - Leighton Baines!
And a subs bench of more than fifty thousand
On a sunny Wembley day
Davy Moyes he has a notion
to lift high the FA cup
That Chelsea boss he does not even want them
He rather smoke some hash than join tht bankers' club
Some billionaire and mafia money
Cockney wide boys no one cares
We’ll have a subs bench of more than 50 million
On a sunny Wembley Day
Jagielka took a notion
To errupt that sea of blue
So we’re off again down to that London
For a sunny Wembley day
© Alan Smart, 20th April 2009
16 Apr 2009
AYE WE DID!
.... For Lyrics go Here
AudioMP3? - e-mail me at ayewecan@gmail.com and I'll e-mail you one back for free. (Cup semi weekend service only) Other times - go to my MySpace site and download it there, still for free.
And want to "rip" (download) the video? Do so with my blessing - try this guide http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fok3lcUMdzE There are plenty other guides - tricky, but once youve done it once, easy. Like winning The Cup!
Read more...13 Apr 2009
World Champions!
12 Apr 2009
Fred Goodwin, my Chauffer!
11 Apr 2009
Britain's Worst Prime Minister
As a student of history, I am of the firm opinion that Gordon Brown is destined to be judged the worst Prime Minister of the democratic age.
His achievements?
Getting elected? - nope, not even by his own party, A vote? - can't have that!
Ending sleaze ?- nope, its got worse, can't even sack the likes of McNulty, Smith or Hoon now as they are no worse than the rest of them - they just got caught
Economic prudence? , - nope. Brown has presided over the most wreckless credit fueled boom in history that has brought near every major financial institution in the UK to its knees - and now the Treasury as well. All on Brown's brief, his unique brief. He set up the FSA, made all the appointments, wrote all the rules
And now the revelations about Damien McBride, Brown's Head of Strategy and Policy, until his resignation caused by the expose of his plans to smear senior Consrevatives. And paid over £100k per year of taxpayers money on Brown's recommendation that he was the best man for the job. Brown hand picked, groomed, brought McBride with him from the Treasury, consciously allowing him to bief and spin against Labour MPs, journalists, and now her majesty's opposition .
There of course was Charlie Wheelen, caught up in this latest scandal, that everyone in his office appears to have known about - execpt poor innocent Gordy. But Charlie Wheelan is just one of a long line of official smearers going back decades. I remember John Rafferty, the unctuous head of the Glasgow based Volunteer Centre who helped Brown smear his way up the greasy pole in the 1980's on the backs of cash syphoned off from projects designed to help the young unemployed. And then there was the legendary Tommy Graham MP - a buffoon and an embarrassment, who survived for a decade as an MP for one reason only - Gordy. Brown needed him to spy and blackmail dissident members of the Scottish Parliamentary Labour group. And in the end Tommy could have buried Brown with what he knew, why he held on so long - (try going to Tommy with a big cheque Daily Telegraph or News of the World, that payoff money must be running out) .
Normally Labour, or any party, would just remove so useless and hopelessly compromised leader - but Brown is such a schemer he has even planned against this eventuality, made sure it can't happen. It will be down to the people to vote him out - the people this great democrat has so meticulously avoided asking about anything.
2 Apr 2009
Wembley Here We Come!
Go here for Audio track download (MySpace)
The Leaving of Goodison
We were born in the City of Liverpool
It seems a long time gone
But in our soul runs the rhythm of the Merseybeat
We hate Bill Shankley and we hate St John
We first kicked a ball across the Stanley Park
Then the landlord he put up our fees
So me moved down the road to play at Goodison
We were first and we will always be
Chorus
So its fare thee well to Dixie Dean
To the Winslow and those Cavern days
Its not the leaving of Goodison that grieves me
But our Peter living far away
Lets’ remember the team of Harry Catterick
Wright, Wilson Gabriel, Labone and Young
Harris, Scott, Temple Trebilcock, and Harvie too
Like Alan Ball they are forever young
So its fare thee well to Dixie Dean
To the Golden Vision and those Cavern days
Its not the leaving of Goodison that grieves me
But big Our Peter living far away
Let’s raise a glass to Howard Kendall now
Our greatest living boss
He had us Champions, in Europe and at Rotterdam
We showed those red shite who was really boss
So its fare thee well to Graeme Sharp
Kevin Sheedy and to Andy Gray
Its not the leaving of Goodison that grieves me
But big Our Peter living far away
I look back to Wembley 95, my greatest ever day
Where we beat Sir Alex and his millionaires
We kicked those Roy Kean so hard
He couldnae play
So its fare thee well to Barry Horne
To Neville Southall and to King Joe Royle
Its not the leaving of Goodison that grieves me
But when the dogs of war went off the boil
Now we gonna have to leave old Goodison
Were off to Kirkby and to Tesco’s ground
But were from Toxteth, From Bootle and from Wavertree
And see that Kirkby it’s another town
So think again the People's Club
Please don’t take us for a bunch of fools
It’s not the leaving of Goodsion that grieves me
But the leaving of dear Liverpool
Now we beat‘ burgh in the quarters of FA cup
And beat the Villa, the red shite too
Next up United, as easy as they come they say
And then the Arsenal or those Russian blues
Because we’re Wembley bound with Davy Moyes
With Phil Neville and the toffee blues
Its not the leaving of Goodison that grieves me
But the prices of that London booze
But well calling out to Duncan Ferguson
Now sunning it in Spain
Dust down those Puma football boot
We need a striker so forget you weans
Please, please stay fit Louis Saha
Cause were heading down that Wembley way
Its not the leaving of Goodison that grieves me
But those red buses on the motorway
So its fare thee well to Dixie Dean
The Golden Vision and those Cavern days
Its not the leaving of Goodison that grieves me
But our Peter living far away
© Alan Smart, 8 March 2009
1 Apr 2009
Obama is Scottish ! - and in more ways than one
No April fool, but because he is in town.
And for Tartan Day 2009 - 6th April.
To fully get this you need to watch the original Irish version
Yes, and I wrote and sang the Scottish version. Have a go singing it yourself - here are the words, and even the guitar chords
Go here for audio track download (MySpace)
View non sub-titled and other related videos here
Read more...