Sentimental Socialist

You know when you hear a song for the first time, and you instantly recognise that you are going to love that song for the rest of your life; none of that, three months down the line What the hell was I thinking? cascade of regrets (yes, Maximo Park, that barb is directed at you), but a song that you have to play again and again, and when you do stop listening to it, it's less a case of you edging yourself away from the tune in your head, stereo, iPod and Computer, and more a matter of life getting in the way.

That's how I'm feeling about the song '1985' right now. It was the opening track off of the Manic Street Preachers 2004 album, 'Lifeblood'. Christ, how did it take me three years to stumble across this song? I guess that must have been during my Delgados period - not period I regret, I hasten to add, btw - but the joy of stumbling across a track you absolutely adore is tinged with the bitter-sweet feeling that you missed out on the track first time round.

Kara is already sick of the song but, to borrow one of her own lines, I'm "Psyched. 17-year old style."

Secret Squirrel

Could the reader from Derby please contact me offlist.

When this sort of thing happens, you don't call out for Richard or the Dude*

*This post was originally going to be entitled: Brilliant, google alert's letting me know that there's a new message on spopen. Must rush to see what it says.

Dick Cheney '94: Invading Baghdad Would Create Quagmire

Hat tip to Dave B.

I Can't See The Street For The Trees

What is it about Kensington and natural disasters?

First, this bundle of energy hit our local Post Office a few months back and now, this morning, a tornado hit our street about 6.30am. Pics are available here and here via the Kensington (Brooklyn) blog. The Pizzeria across the road from our apartment block lost its awning and we did what we could to help our retail neighbours in the circumstances: we ordered a Pizza Pie out of solidarity.

Memo to self in future: however much you want a morning cuppa - Tetley British Blend - don't go out at 5.30 in the morning to get a carton of skimmed milk from the local 24/7 Fruit and Veg store when there is thunder and lightning in the sky . . . New York 1's Pat Kiernan's is predicting a tornado in your area . . . and you were just looking at John White's wiki page a few days before.

The Genial Thug

Quote of the day:

“Blair’s great skill was personal charisma - what used to be called bullshit. Merde de beouf. Whereas with Brown, there’s been nothing of that whatsoever. He’s got a very good brain - better than Blair’s - and a very good sense of direction, which I think Blair didn’t really have. Blair, in the end, was rather like Wilson: bullshit and nothing else, whereas Brown has a very solid understanding of what he’s up to.” [Denis Healey interviewed in last Saturday's Guardian.]

Hat tip to Neil at the Drink Sots.

Hibs Stars in the Eyes

Before I forget, what it is about the recent celebrity endorsement of the silky football at Easter Road these days?

First, the manics James Dean Bradfield is spotted at the Hibs/Bolton pre-season friendly (scroll right - the bloke in the shades, carrying his situationist texts in a green carrier bag), and now, from last night's game at Tynecastle, Hunter S. Thompson and Zoe Ball are spotted asking River City's Tam Dean Burn if he has a copy of issue 10 of The Leninist from his CPGB-PCC days.

Ken Stott and Ronnie Corbett were unavailable for comment.

"A satin sash and velvet elevation"

Don't be fooled by the green and white scarves and the happy smiling faces. It's not a picture of exultant Celtic fans after winning a corner against the Killies on Saturday, but the Scottish Patient and his fellow sufferers rightly celebrating the turning over of the Jambos at Tynecastle last night.

I'm developing a real soft spot for Hibs at the moment for some reason. Any club that loses year on year players of the calibre of Brown, Murray, Killen, Riordan, Whittaker, O'Connor, Thomson, Sproule and Caldwell, and yet still come out the following season with a team playing some of the best football in the league deserves a break and a half.

In the case of Riordan, I can't express enough how pissed off I will be if he has another season at Celtic kicking his heels on the bench whilst running his hands through that ridiculous haircut of his. The bloke is a class act on the pitch, and the latest noises from the Daily Record rumour mill that he will be shipping out to Sheffield Wednesday in the near future has me pissed off in a way that Maloney, Petrov and Beattie heading to the Midlands never did. And Strachan and his fans wonders why he's never been fully embraced by the fans?

Walt disnae do class struggle

When is a blog not a blog?

When Alan J. of Mailstroming blogging fame conjures up a new page entitled, Socialists For Free Access.

Interesting articles linked include:

Marx: Theoretician of Anarchism

Psychology and Socialism

Why are you still here? Click on the links.

You're Killen Me

It's going to be a long season.