Aberdeen City Centre Update and a lot of Digression

Happy St Andrew's day.  Isn't it a disgrace that we seem to celebrate the patron Saint of Ireland more than our own?  They've tried to steal our national sport and pass it off as their own (golf) and aided and abetted by the drinks trade have tried to brainwash a generation into thinking St Patrick is our Saint.  But I digress.

Sorry I've not blogged a great deal lately, was under the weather last week and now the boys aren't great (heavy cold and tonsillitis respectively).  But again this is not the thrust of this evening's blog.

Aberdeen City Centre is in the news a lot.  If you believe the local media and the Police it's like Tombstone on Union Street of a weekend.  Wasn't Val Kilmer superb in that film his finest hour I'd say - what happened to him?

Anyway when 5 people who read this blog and would not be too upset if I called them middle aged ventured into the Wild West this weekend I thought it was a good chance to judge for myself and I have to say I've come back with a confused picture.

The Police have been bigging up in the local radio today a build up of SS Stormtrooper proportions of Officers to Police the City Centre from the weekend just past until after the Festive Period (or should I call it Winterval so as not to upset my diverse, multi-cultural readership) to combat this anti-social behaviour.  This instantly confuses me as this is the time of year when people who are not normally in Aberdeen go out for Christmas Parties, so it's not the usual "ned" element who are the main pub goers.  Maybe the Police are very worried about gangs of middle aged Administration Assistants seducing said neds in Chicago Rock (if it's still open!?). 

Anyway back to our night out in the Bronx.  After a lovely tapas meal in Eljos (highly recommended) we went for a quick drink before we retired for the evening and sure enough outside the pub a young lad was cornered by 5 cops.  Now we couldn't hear what was going on, but he didn't seem to have caused too much of a rumpus and it certainly appeared that being surrounded by so many Police wound him up a damed sight more than he had been before they arrived mob handed.  A Police van then turned up and this made him struggle with them as he obviously knew the inevitable trip to Queen Street was about to happen - it all seemed very heavy handed. 

We then walked half the length of Union Street passing various drunks and one loud and aggressive female who was certainly committing a breach of the peace, with no Police to be seen whatsoever - I guess they were all in the Maria with the solitary guy they'd picked up half an hour before.

I appreciate they cannot be everywhere, but for it to take 5 of them to lift one guy for a seemingly minor Breach of the Peace, whilst the rest of the main thoroughfare was bereft of uniforms seems madness.

I have to say though in certain pubs there is an undercurrent of menace.  The place in which we were having "one for the road" was full of real undesirables.  A large contingent of them had plunked themselves right in the centre of the pub and were not moving for anyone who tried to get past.  You got the feeling this was deliberate and they were dying for someone to make an issue of it so they could turn nasty.  Complete bell-ends.

Can't finish my first blog of this week without commenting on the big news of the weekend - Aberdeen 1 Rangers 0.  Well done Dons you did us proud!

After this blog only one song recommendationcan be appropriate - Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting."

Recession is Almost Over - Who are they Kidding?

I see the BBC and our wretched Government are still peddling the myth that the recession is just about over.  They were gutted when the economy contracted again last quarter, after constantly blowing smoke up our arse for weeks beforehand that it would grow.

So much for that bastard Brown's "best placed country to beat the recession" bullshit.  We're now the only major Global Economy still in recession and yet the State Broadcaster hardly raises a peep in protest.  Of course, the recession only hits one part of the population - the wealth creating, heavy tax paying private sector. 

No wonder the BBC, Government and Public Sector think it hasn't been too bad out there.  But you watch them squeal like piggies at the abattoir when they don't get their usual inflation busting pay rises next year.  We'll have the power mad Union Barrons all over the airwaves demanding a 1970s "everyone out" scotched earth policy.  I'm sure the rest of us will get by if the Romany Travellers Equality Diversity Yoghurt Knitting Breast Feeding Street Football Co-Ordinators go off on strike for a couple of days.

Back in the real world and working in recruitment I think I'm well positioned to judge, let me tell you the bad news.  It's not getting any better.  There's still a lot of people being made redundant.  Every day we have desperate people phoning and emailing looking for work, applying for jobs they don't have any experience for, but I can understand why they do it.  It's because they are desperate to work.  Fancy that eh - people in this country with the ethics and dignity to want to work.  They are becoming a minority that's for sure. 

Just to keep the downbeat mood going, I can't see an improvement in the first half of next year.  With a General Election on its way and up here the oil price still all over the shop, nothing will settle down till Q3 2010 at the earliest.  If they don't get their own way Unison and their ilk will be out on the streets by then, especially if we have a Tory Government.  What fun.  By the way, anyone know when a Recession becomes a Depression?

Music tonight is from Indie Icons James - "Laid".  Requested by an avid reader of the blog because of the "awesome drums".  And I have to say I agree.

Local "Journalism" - Monkeys with Typewriters

Now this post may end up seeming extremely hypocritical, because if you think my purple prose tonight (and every other night for that matter) is utter pants, then it'll feel like the pot calling the kettle black.

But the fact of the matter is that the quality of "journalism" in the Press & Journal (Depressing Journal) and Evening Express (Evening Depress), the local Aberdeen papers is appalling.  This essentially dates back to a vicious industrial dispute many years ago when many top notch journos left and were replaced by anyone with a word processor.

The Evening Express relies on the latest gypsy encampment, oops I mean ethnic traveling fraternity base camp to be set up so they can stir up the locals, the breathtaking incompetence of the City Council and the Trump Resort pantomime to fill their pages.

The Press and Journal is obsessed with anything Sir Ian Wood does, even if it is concreting the only green space in the city centre to sate his ego, erm I mean create a lasting legacy.

Both have a complete and utter determination to run down the City's football club and in particular it's supporters.  I can't think of any other local papers who would continuously criticise their captive audience the way this shower do.  It was the AGM of Aberdeen Football Club last night and the rag took the opportunity to have a go at the fans who turned up because they didn't have a go at the board, alluding to an old myth about Don's fans being so quiet you can hear sweet papers being rustled.   Hilarious.

Aberdeen fans are targeted from all sides.  The Central Belt "newspapers" (the Sun and Record) attack us at every opportunity, printing complete lies about "vile" songs we've never sung, missiles we've never thrown and attacks on ex-Rangers players that never happened.  In a normal City the local paper would be the organ in which you could depend to fight back on these issues.  Up here, they fall in line with their backward, retarded cousins from the West Coast, who are only interested in deflecting any potential problems the Old Firm get themselves into with their obsession with a battle in Ireland over 300 years ago.

Most of these fuckwits who call themselves journalists can barely string a sentence together.  Thank god for the interweb, where various blogs and chat rooms, stir lively debate.  Of course there are still plenty zoomers about, but sifting through you can find intelligent individuals asking the pertinent questions without any agenda.

A quick shout out at this point to one of my loyal readers who has a weekly column in a local Aberdeenshire town paper, whose prose is positively Burns like compared to the kind of drivel you'll find in the sports pages of the City papers.

Music tonight, back to the 80s again with a cracking one hit wonder for you - "Let My People Go" by the Rainmakers.  Vocals are an acquired taste, infectious shouty chorus.

More Problems with Pensioners

Evening All!  Apologies for a lack of blogging over the weekend, was feeling under the weather was a vicious headache and sore throat.  Thought it was the old Swine Flu, but plenty of sleep and some industrial strength ibuprofen seems to have done the trick.

Anyway, thought I'd regale you with another run in with a Senior Citizen.  As you know the oldest of the Macbeth children seems to have caught the thespian bug and his theatre group meet on a Saturday Morning at the impressive Ferryhill Church.  They have a coffee shop there and I while away the 90 minutes by sitting catching up on my emails on my Crackberry and having a coffee and a bacon roll.

Smallest Macbeth was with me this Saturday and he is a energetic wee soul who didn't want to sit on his backside so we had a walk to Duthie Park, and had a look round the Winter Gardens.  We then went back to get his big brother.  There's a side entrance to the church, we went there, rang the bell, but there was no answer.  So I went round to the main entrance and entered the church via the coffee shop.

I'm struggling with the doors to get wee Macbeth's buggy through them and I'm instantly confronted by an old curmudgeon.  He is not one of the usual helpers at the coffee shop, who are all pensioners and very friendly.

This arsehole screams at me "are you here for the theatre group", I said yes and he went ballistic.  "Should use the side door"; "can't come in this way".  I protested that I had tried but I couldn't get an answer, to which he waved his hand at me in a "don't care" manner.  All this in front of a mesmerised full coffee shop and a little lad in his buggy confused as to why his dad is being shouted at by a pish stained, foaming at the mouth madman. 

I wasn't feeling that well and after my last run in I just walked away.  I couldn't believe it.  What the hell is it with me and mentalist old fogeys?  I bet the old bastard was at Church yesterday giving it the whole pious Christian thing too.  Hypocrite.

Needless to say they will not be getting my custom again. I'll head to the coffee shop at the Duthie Park instead.  I probably spend a couple of hundred quid a year in there, but no more. 

My faith in anyone in this country is beginning to dive towards zero.  What has happened to this once great country?

So I need a tonic.  A good tune perhaps?  Why not.  May I guide you towards the new single from the Stereophonics - "Innocent".  Mrs Macbeth has always been a fan of these Welsh rockers and this song has converted me.

The Lottery turns 15 - Who Cares?

So it's happy birthday to the National Lottery which is 15 years old today. Millions of pounds have been passed on to good (and not so good) causes in this time and lots of millionaires have been created. And I can't stand the whole concept.

The Lottery is tacky beyond belief. I have hardly ever done it and there's so many games now I've no bloody idea what's what. There's midweek as well as weekend games, and now also Euromillions, where the whole of Europe can get caught up in it - Brits won about £90 million recently.

The whole thing has turned the UK into one big glorified bingo hall, with thousands of people who can't really afford to be spending their dosh on the likes of the lottery sitting at home waiting to call "house".

Is it only me who gets wound up and finds it distasteful standing in the local shop of a Saturday night behind somebody buying copious amounts of "lines" and a scratchcard or seven thrown in for good measure? Normally he's got some cans of Special Brew and a 20 of fags to buy at the same time.

Minority sports like cycling have undoubtedly benefited from the cash, but shouldn't the Government or the various sporting associations be granting this money or raising it by themselves? Even ultra-capitalist Thatcher couldn't bring herself to allow a Lottery when she was in power. If you want to give to 'good causes', set up a direct debit to one of your choice and use the money you piss down the drain every week for the lottery to fund it.

All in all I'd say the bloody thing is yet another tax - however this one is targeted at the thick, poor and hopelessly optimistic. I can assure you this post is in no-way spiteful or jealousy fuelled at the thought of individuals sitting £40 million+ better off this week.

More 80s music for you tonight and let's head to one of the iconic Albums of the Decade - the Lexicon of Love by ABC and the sublime single "The Look of Love".

Could it Happen?

I can't believe I'm about to write this but here goes -I'm beginning to think Labour might win the General Election, or at least hang on for a hung parliament. Brown has had his best couple of weeks in a long time, with Glasgow North East being held comfortably and the Sun's attack on him with regards his letter to the soldier's mother actually backfiring.

Now you can dismiss these two things as the ridiculous habit of the public for feeling sorry for a character who reaps what he sows and that in areas like Glasgow NE you could shave a chimp, stick a red rosette on its arse and they'd still vote for it, but I'm getting a little 1992 feeling here, when John Major upset the odds and beat Kinnock (who probably lost it with his excruciating rally in Birmingham - do you remember "well all right" - Jesus. And of course the Sun's front page "will the last person leaving Britain put the lights out if this man becomes Prime Minister).

It's bizarre, but Brown, who has no mandate from the people to be in the position he holds and who has systematically destroyed the financial structure of this country, is hanging on between 10 and 14 per cent behind in the polls. That's manageable and the party of government always has a late rally. With the constituency boundaries/first past the post system very much now in Labour's favour, for an outright win Call Me Dave needs about 15% more of the vote than Mr "I saved the world, it started in America". He's not there yet and outwith the South East of England he's struggling.

It defies belief. A big problem is people who have no clue about politics voting. A perfect example is at the last General Election a work colleague of mine was asked who she voted for. "Labour of course" she said. "Oh why?"

"Because I like Tony Blair's smile."

When you go to the polling station you should be handed a questionnaire. 5 questions, nothing too strenuous - who's the Chancellor, the Leader of the Opposition, Leader of the Lib Dems, that sort of thing. If you get 3 or more right, you know enough to make an informed decision in the voting booth. If not, you can't come in, because you'll vote for the shaved chimp or the nice smiley man or the nice man with the duck house and moat.

The fuckwits will know who's in "I'm a Celebrity" though.................

Back to the 80s tonight for the music slot and the teen idols who were Wham! "Freedom" may not have been their most famous track, but it actually sold more than the likes of "Wake me up before you go-go", was a huge number one and a fantastic pop song.

Burley Out, Who's In

So the inevitable has happened and Gorgeous George Burley has been given the boot by Scotland. 3 wins in 14 games is a dismal record and his failure to get us to even the play offs in a relatively easy group was risible. Yes he had problems with the Rangers element (who doesn't), but he should still have managed to cobble together a team who could get the runners up spot in our group. His obsession with low standard Championship players and Celtic cloggers (McManus, Caldwell and the fantastic Mr Fox for goodness sake) ultimately did for him.

As an ex-Hearts Manager you would think he would have had his finger on the pulse of the Scottish game but his omission of the likes of Wallace, Mulgrew, Conway, Stevenson and O'Brien, good young players surely worth a chance, is baffling. There are murmurs that he was biased against his old charges, hence Wallace's omission, along with Berra not getting a game ahead of Celtic's gruesome twosome. The thought his wee run at Hearts was a flash in the pan crosses my mind, maybe Romanov really was picking the team! He did get Ipswich promoted and into the UEFA cup, but that went pear-shaped pretty quickly too.

The two blazers at the SFA Smith and Peat, should take a long hard look at themselves too. Smith was very critical of the regime as a pundit but as soon as he put the blazer on he went native. Peat is a poor man's Jim Farry or Ernie Walker. Not a compliment.

So who to replace him. It's a bit of a poisoned chalice really. You need someone who will bore us to death but will get results - probably playing 4-5-1 and matching up to the bigger teams and scratching a 1-0 win against the likes of the Faroes. Craig Brown, Walter Smith and to a lesser extent Alex McLeish managed this.

Smith has been mentioned again, but I think he's burned his bridges following his defection back to the Govan horrors. Craig Levein is as usual mentioned. This guy is a media darling (as is the team he manages, the second most successful team from Dundee) and I can't fathom the attraction. Long ball anti-football with 9 physical players, one tricky winger and a diving midget as his usual first 11, he's won nothing wherever he's managed.

So back to my original point about the qualities for Scotch manager. Bore fans to death with a 4-5-1 formation. Match up to teams regardless of who they are. Be able to raise the team for one off games. Be a media darling in spite of doing nothing of much note. Add in unemployed meantime, hence cheap.

Only one candidate - Sir James of Calderwood, the cuprinol coated buffoon recently released from his duties at Aberdeen. I've already got £10 on him at 14/1 - and the odds are tumbling fast. You heard it here first folks.

Music tonight, my 80s theme has been hijacked by this breaking football news, so two for the price of one tonight, choose from "Ally's Tartan Army" by Andy Cameron or "I have a dream" by BA Robertson.