Aged Snooker Player and Feral Youths

A couple of things to ponder tonight over your glass of something to get you through the day. I've blogged before about the feral youths who roam our village. They are small in number and stature, but high on nuisance value. You'd think we lived in some sink estate in Liverpool at times.

There's a new kid on the block. He is not from our street, but is obviously hero worshiped by the gang from our hood. I can see why. He is a couple of years older, wears baggy clothes akin to a hard ass rapper and has ear-rings in both ears. He must be 11 or 12 years old and thinks he's a Deeside White Dr Dre. Motha Fucka.

Dre and the Hood gang were standing outside our house when I came home tonight. They were behind Mrs MacBeth's car and as I drove up to park behind her, our street's home boys moved. Dre didn't move an inch, instead turned and stared at me. As I parked, he mouthed "wanker" at me. As I got out of the car, this little hard man summoned his new hood to walk at pace away from me.

I imagine this horrible little bastard is going to cause all manner of problems as the nights draw out. Keep reading for more installments as the year unfolds.

I don't think I told you all about an incident last summer I witnessed. One of Dre's followers this evening stays with his grandparents and mother a few doors away. Dad? God knows. He was playing with the gang one evening when his Grandfather shouted him in for his tea. To which Grandad was informed "Fuck off, I'm not coming in, it's a free country".

What in the name of Allah are you meant to do with these kids? I'd never have even thought of speaking to my Granda like that, essentially because of my sheer love for the man and, if I had ever done so, he'd have kicked my arse from here to Kingdom come!! And rightly so. What's happened to respect? I know many who'd blame a woman who left No 10 Downing Street at least a decade before these kids were even born. Thatcher's always a great scapegoat for this country's ills.

On a completely different tack, Thistle Windows in Aberdeen have an really fucking irritating radio jingle (call Thistle Windows Aberdeen 706 treble 5). They're now urging us all to head to their showrooms this weekend to meet Steve Davies. Why meeting a guy who's sport (snooker) has been on the wane popularity wise for years and who's claim to fame (apart from winning 6 world titles) is being a boring sod will make you part with your hard earned for a conservatory or double glazing is unclear to me. Maybe that's why I'm a recruiter and not a PR Guru..............

Until next time, let me leave you with another song recommendation. Tonight it's going back to the original line up of Fleetwood Mac with the legendary Peter Green on board. It's difficult to remember that they weren't always a middle of the road rock band (saying that I love Big Love and Little Lies from Tango in the Night). But here's them at their smoothest, sassiest, sexiest blues best. Need Your Love So Bad. Listen to the string arrangement behind the guitar. Sublime. Download it immediately.

The Kids are (not) Alright

I'm sure you've all read today about the two brothers from South Yorkshire who attacked other children in a sadistic attack.  They have been sentenced to an indefinite period of detention.  This sounds like a decent sentence until you hear they will serve a "minimum of five years".  

Being the UK Justice system that means they will be out in 5 years, be given anonymity and allowed to spend the rest of their lives as free men, like Thompson and Venables who murdered Jamie Bulger in the early 90s.

The pair, aged 10 and 11 at the time of the attack, threatened to kill their 9 and 11-year-old victims. 

During their 90-minute ordeal the victims were stamped on, forced to strip and hit with bricks. 

So who's to blame here? The offenders had a chaotic upbringing with their violent father, mother and five brothers.  They were shown "extreme" horror films and the younger brother had access to pornographic DVDs and smoked cannabis grown on his father's allotment. This may be extreme, but it's not uncommon nowadays for children to be brought up in a home of this nature. 

You might think this is a "big city" problem.  Only happens on sink estates.  Nothing to do with us.

I disagree.

I don't think it matters where you live. We have feral children in the village.  One in particular roams the streets, mother has no idea (or concern) where he is.  She has 4 kids from different fathers and the wee lad is just left to his own devices. 

With a bit of guidance I think he'd be ok (although he always has that wee glint of devilment in his eyes!) but there's no doubt he'll be in the new "superjail" at Peterhead before the decade is out. 

He's accumulated a gang of others with less than stringent parents (including my old friend Ms Audi A3's boy, who's never off the streets). 

We won't let our two out of the garden as I don't want them getting involved with them.  There's always the worry that your own kids, less "streetwise" than these bairns who have had to fend for themselves since they were toddlers, will get abused physically or mentally by these urchins.

It's a shocking indictment on the country, if we have this kind of thing in a wee village in Aberdeenshire, nowhere's immune.

Lord of the Flies house rules I guess.

Music tonight, another Scottish band for you - Franz Ferdinand and the excellent "Take me Out"

Inform the Cokeheads, Hammer the Social Drinker

So this weekend is Cocaine awareness weekend.  Yes you did read that properly.  The glorified county council in Edinburgh are wasting yet more of our money, highlighting to "revellers" the dangers of using cocaine.

Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing (aka Principal Nanny) said: "Many young people are not aware of the risks involved in cocaine use and the Scottish government want to ensure they have all the facts by providing clear information in pubs, clubs and student unions."

Give the young the facts about cocaine use.  Did I miss the meeting when coke was legalised? 

Contrast this liberal, namby pamby, "understanding and getting down with the kids whilst they indulge in illegal activities" bullshit with the rhetoric they save for moderate alcohol drinkers.  You know that (just about) legal drug.  You have a couple of glasses of wine on a Friday night after a hard week at work and you're a binge drinking, anti-social pariah who should be shot at dawn. 

Snort coke and you're a young, liberal free thinking citizen, exercising your right to participate in illegal activities - as long as you have the facts, which have been helpfully passed to you by the caring government. 

What next - Government Ministers out and about checking it before the cokeheads snort it to see if it's 100% pure or if someone has chucked some bicarbonate of soda in it. 

Coming soon - Alex Salmond in Soul Bar, nodding his head at a gang of neds saying, "that's good shit dudes"

What is this country coming to?

Simple recommendation today for the music - it has to be Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel - White Lines (Don't do it), which should be the message being given........

More Grief from the Great Unwashed

Evening All.  Well here's me sitting on my lonesome, Mrs MacBeth in bed suffering from the tonsillitis/bug that has laid our oldest son low and the youngest still not 100% either, so they are all in the isolation room (the eldest's bedroom!!).

Well chaps and chapesses I know how much you enjoy my real life stories and issues and I've another for you today.  I was driving off to a Client meeting and as I approached a junction the quintessential neolithic man deliberately stepped off the pavement and walked at snail's pace across the road, making me brake heavily and wait for him to cross.  You know the type, Benny from Crossroads hat, cheap nylon tracksuit, cheap trainers, protruding forehead and permanent scowl. 

When he had finally crossed the road, I rolled down my window and inquired of him, "When did jaywalking become the pastime of choice for hard men?".

He replied, "F*** off, you four eyed C***".

To which I retorted, "Armando Iannucci, eat your heart out".

By the completely blank expression on his face, it was obvious he had no idea who the genius involved in the likes of I'm Alan Partridge and The Thick of It was. 

I shook my head and drove off, with him standing there with his middle finger raised in a cheery goodbye.

This bone-from-the-neck-up prick deliberately provoked this confrontation.  Yes I shouldn't have risen to the bait, but I'm sick to death of these absolute brain deads.  The country is full to the brim with them.  Scotland used to have an education system which was the envy of the world.  Is it failing, or is it the case that we now have a generation of people who are impossible to educate regardless of how talented the teachers are?

Has the breakdown of what liberals would call the "old fashioned family unit" bred a generation of people with no values or interest in educating and bettering themselves?  Or am I just a sad old git who doesn't understand the wants and needs of these challenged individuals with all their apparent 'issues'?

I'm off to watch the next episode of A History of Scotland I have on Sky+.  Professor Neil Oliver wouldn't call me a four eyed c***

Music tonight "Bankrobber" by the Clash.  Not as obvious as London Calling or I Fought the Law, but listen to Strummer's angry, aggressive vocals.  Mr Jaywalker could learn a thing or two about aggression and intimidation from a man who channeled his anger in a creative manner.