Why Policing Non-Action and Labeling it Prejudice is Damaging

Over the weekend, I made a mistake in getting dragged into a Twitter war. It's the most unwinnable and laborious task, and one that requires a thick skin to deal with the inevitable snide comments from strangers.

The war of words was off the back of an incident involving an "LGBT campaigner" and former England rugby star, Austin Healey. 

This weekend was Rainbow Laces weekend; a weekend of campaigning to highlight LGBT issues in sport, of which many still exist. It was uplifting to see positivity about the campaign and is an understated and effective way in raising awareness.

However, Austin Healey, while commentating on a Premiership rugby clash on BT Sport, didn't mention the Rainbow Laces campaign during his stint. This was his only crime, and it now seems this is punishable by being labelled "homophobic". 

Austin Healey now commentates on Premiership
rugby on BT Sport.

Let me be clear. Austin Healey didn't say anything homophobic while commentating. He didn't sit idly by and listen to a co-commentator being homophobic. He didn't insinuate anything homophobic in his coverage. In fact, he didn't say anything at all. This, according to the LGBT campaigner, was enough to label him a homophobe; and not only did he do that, he then published Austin Healey's private response asking him why he had been labeled as such to his tens of thousands of followers.

This enabled a pile on. More and more people piled into Healey and labeled him a homophobe, and for what? For NOT saying anything?

What kind of world are we now living in where saying nothing is comparable to true prejudice? 

Setting the threshold for homophobia so low threatens to alienate the very people we want to educate as LGBT campaigners. We must not forget that the majority of people are not homophobic in 2020. Setting the "Homophobia Bar" as low as "Not Saying Anything" categorises 90% of the population as homophobic; which is wholly untrue and frankly gross.

We are not fighting at the Stonewall Inn here; where aggression and demands were the only way forward towards acceptance. 

We are working on changing attitudes. To educate people that what they say and do can have an effect on the well-being of LGBT+ people. We do not need to harass and demand answers from people who say nothing. Otherwise, they will turn around and walk away. We cannot force people into becoming cheerleaders, and while the more allies, the better, forcing people to become allies potentially makes them uncomfortable and detracts from the entire point.

An example I use is from the NHS. We have a Rainbow Badge scheme; where employees sign up to wear the Rainbow Badge as a sign for LGBT+ patients that we are there to listen and won't be prejudiced against them.

The NHS knows that forcing people to wear the badge is detrimental to the entire point, so don't do it. What if a young person comes to A&E in crisis, and the first person they see is a badge wearer who doesn't know what to do? They're only wearing the badge because they've been forced to. It makes the situation much worse.

However, while the damage seems to be minimal in this case, instances like this threaten genuine careers. The cancel culture - as those online call it - polices people to the nth degree, and now it seems to have grown into non-action being policed and punished accordingly.

Going after individuals for not saying anything is a bizarre notion. I understand if Healey had said or done something homophobic; the LGBT campaigner would be within his rights to call him out on it. I might well have backed him up. but, we're not dealing with JK Rowling here. Austin Healey is a man being attacked for saying nothing.

I could even understand the attack if Healey had said nothing in response to perhaps a co-commentator saying something prejudiced.

But to say, "You're homophobic" on the basis of no content is not only odd, it is arguably slanderous. Unfortunately, it seems the LGBT campaigner may be in hot water, and if it does come to pass that this is taken further, I hope he learns a lesson in picking his battles.

I have the upmost respect for people who stand in the way of adversity and prejudice and fight, but all respect and credibility is lost if you go and look for battles that simply do not exist.

It pains me to quote a right-wing thinker, but quote him I must on this occasion. Douglas Murray - the author of 'The Madness of Crowds' - thinks there are some in the LGBT community who wish beyond all wishes they were fighting in the 1960's. 

"They foam at the mouth at the sheer prospect of a violent uprising, or to be a part of the Stonewall Inn riots, and are trying to create the same in the modern day, except the opposition isn't there."

Unfortunately, I am inclined to agree, and it makes me feel uneasy to do so. The majority of the population are on our side; they KNOW that homophobia is wrong. By grouping everyone who isn't outrageously vocal about it as homophobic has the potential to turn these supporters against us. 

How would you feel if you supported an issue but a know-it-all labeled you for not being vocal about it? And then posted it on social media so other people can shout it too? You're not going to nod accordingly and pick up a battle axe. You're going to feel disenchanted. You're going to feel angry. You're going to walk away and in the meantime, we've lost a potential ally.

As I type, we are nearing the end of '16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence'. 

By the very same logic used in this instance, Austin Healey has three days to denounce domestic violence, otherwise he is very much for women-beating.

See how ridiculous that sounds? There is no middle ground anymore. It's either you are a cheerleader for the cause or you are wholly against the cause. It is apparently becoming no longer acceptable to be left alone to live your life, and this is by far the most concerning aspect of the whole episode.

Oh, and as an aside, when I approached him about his comments, the LGBT campaigner called me a "cunt" and then blocked me. Only unblocking me to have another pop before blocking me for a second time.

Speaks volumes.

The Leak, The Man and the Battering Ram

Today feels like the kind of day that needs to be immortalised in blog form. The kind of day where you finally get home and laugh, because somehow, the events that have preceded it are too ridiculous to process. I believe there are a few examples of such days deep within these pages...

It all started at 7:30 this morning. A normal Thursday, wondering what the inpatient ward was going to throw at us that day, albeit rather wet outside. The inclement weather necessitated a rain coat, and as I opened the door to the cupboard that stored said coat, I did think to myself, "I haven't actually opened this cupboard door in weeks."

What I was greeted with, apart from the ensemble of junk that is thrown in there and forgotten about, was a trickle of water from the ceiling, straight down my golf bag which, it turns out, was now half full with water. The mould that had gathered on the ceiling was biblical and there was a sizable bump on the ceiling. This was going to cave in, at any moment.

I rushed upstairs, for the leak must have been coming from the flat above. I knocked on his door, to no response. I banged hard on his door, to no response. I opened the letterbox and shouted, "Emergency!" through it, to no response.

All I could hear was silence, with the intermittent sounds of running water.

"Is he in trouble?", I thought to myself. I was now torn between worrying about my flat flooding and the welfare of this admittedly loud and obnoxious neighbour. I ended up calling 111 - that non-emergency number - and asked what I should do. 

The result was the appearance of a single paramedic who tried all the same things I did to no avail. Knock on the door. Bang on the door. Shout through the letterbox. Nothing, but the noise of running water...

"Well, I've got to call the fire brigade and break in", he said, nonchalantly and with no warning. All of a sudden, things felt rather real. Within minutes, a team of firefighters were dragging heavy kit up the main staircase, including one of those battering rams you only ever see on '24 Hours in Police Custody' as they bust open a drug den. 

I was told to go back to my flat and wait inside, with only the increasingly heavy leak pounding the bottom of a bucket for company.

Now, the flats in this block have just been fitted with brand new doors, so they are probably the sturdiest they will ever be, but the fire brigade took at least 15 minutes to crash through that door. It was like a building site. Neighbours came outside to enquire what the hell the noise was. 

Crash. Crash. Crash. 

I had half an eye on proceedings upstairs, and half an eye on the now growing bump in my ceiling and the small cracks that had started to form, with more water seeping through them. This is going to go...

Crash. Crash. Crash.

Finally, they got in. What they were greeted with was a blissfully unaware man in his late-50s sitting on his sofa watching TV. 

I kid you not. He had not moved. He had a neighbour banging on his door and shouting "Emergency!" through the letterbox. He had a paramedic do the same. HE HAD FIVE FIREFIGHTERS TRYING TO SMASH HIS DOOR DOWN WITH A BATTERING RAM.

"Oh, sorry, I just thought the council were doing some work." 

Flabbergasted doesn't cut it. Annoyed doesn't cut it. Laughably moronic doesn't cut it. There is no word or phrase in the English language that adequately described that situation. He then had the cheek to be angry to the fireman for breaking his door down. 

"Well, at least he's alive", said the lone paramedic, as he laughed his way back to his Vauxhall. 

But the story doesn't end there.

One of the firemen stopped by my flat on the way down to have a look at the leak. It turns out the source of the leak was from the flat upstairs, via a broken water valve in a small cupboard. No one's fault. I can't say I'd have noticed it if it was me. One of those things, I guess.

The fireman came into my flat, looked at the bump and the continuously leaking water and made the sure fire mistake of poking it. 

Crash!

Through came the water. The fireman took the brunt of the force, with the now multiple buckets helping out and only some water making it out into the hallway. Much to the delight of his mates, he was now drenched. It was an amusing moment in an otherwise farcical morning.

So, the water was off. The leaked water had escaped; and I'd seemingly got away with very minor damage and a strong smell of damp. 

By this time it was 10am, and I was two hours late for work. They knew what was happening, but whatever happened from here, I knew I was in for a long day as I'd now have to finish at 8pm and not 4pm like normal.

To my landlord's credit, (I am a council tenant, so it's a housing association), they sent round an electrician to make sure it was all safe, (it was), before I went off to work, leaving my poor Mother to negotiate the influx of other tradesmen who were coming to fix the ceiling.

This is the point where we found out I have an asbestos problem. To be honest, given how today has gone, I'm not even surprised. At one point, I thought I wasn't going to be allowed to go home but, again, to my landlord's credit, they arranged for a crack team of asbestos specialists to come round and cut away the asbestos. 

So now I'm home. Typing this. The smell of damp still persists, there are small puddles in the hallway and there is brick work exposed on the ceiling with a fuse box nearby, but I'll always have the story of how a neighbour of mine didn't realise that firefighters were smashing his door down as he watched Loose Women. 

Sometimes all you can do is laugh, right?

Why Cricket?

The clock ticks along to 1pm and it's time to walk out to the middle. Over the boundary rope and on to the freshly cut outfield towards the crease. The opposition throw the match ball between themselves, hungry for your wicket. The opening bowler marks out his run up and places the small white disc on the ground; indicating the point he begins his run in towards you.

"Middle stump please!" I bellow to the man in white, stood at the other end of the pitch.

"That's middle", he responds courteously. "The bowler is right arm over". Knowledge I am already aware of, as this 10-year rivalry is about to have a new chapter written into it's pages. I carve out a line with my boot spikes, from middle peg, over the batting crease and position myself on it and look up. The bowler, over 6 feet tall and built like an oak tree trunk stands waiting, the hard new cherry in his hands, fingers caressing the seam. I look around the field; four men stand behind me, mittens poised waiting for a nick. The others stare in with the devils in their eyes, waiting for their moment of glory.

"Play." The one word that signals the start of something magical or something torturous. Who knows what today will bring.

The bowler runs in as I watch the ball intently. Stood stock still until he draws his arm back. Years of practice and habitual repitition draws my bat up with him and bang... The ball hits the middle of the bat followed by a roar of, "No!" just in case the ball going back to the bowler means the only friend I have out there with me decides it's the signal to run.

The game begins...

Cricket is a sport that I was never truly exposed to as a child. We were much more a football family, my focus on goalkeeping and Luton Town, but it was the 2005 Ashes series that ignited an untouched flame inside me that has burnt - sometimes wildly and sometimes barely - for the past 15 years.

Cricket is an infuriating sport. Up there with golf, sometimes you wonder why on Earth you spend so many hours playing it, wondering whether today will be the day you find the middle of the bat you spent hundreds of pounds on, or whether you find the gaps in the field. Even today, I struggle to find the words that adequately describe the addiction to it all.

It's not the "standing around in a field" angle that makes me think, or "chasing after a small red ball" either, but instead the anticipation. The anticipation that today, you could feel indestructible followed, sometimes, by the realisation that you are not.

Cricket is the only team sport that is fiercely individual. You play in a team with ten others but whether you have bat in hand, or are running into bowl, it's all down to you. One day, you can score a hundred runs and be the cream of the crop. The next, you can miss a slow ball and be clean bowled for 0. There is no other sport where you can go from hero to zero and back to hero so frequently.

It is also a dangerous sport. It is often labelled as "boring" and "uneventful", but there are moments out on the field where you marvel at batsmen avoiding what is a cricket ball essentially with the hardness of concrete. 

You see, cricket is 90% in the head. You can have the best technique, the best kit, playing on the best grounds but if you can't ignore everything else that's going on around you and focus on that small, hard red ball coming at you, you're toast.

...

I stopped writing this post at that point. You see, for the past couple of years, I've considered giving up playing. My reflexes aren't the same; my eyesight is going, and I can't seem to find the ability I once had, making cricket more annoying than it really should be. Today, I played in a knockout semi-final; a big game by all accounts, and I barely slept the night before.

I've played 220 games for my club - over 15 seasons - and I can't remember a game that I was so nervous for than this one, except maybe Finals Day in 2013. I am experienced now, but today felt like the last chance. I'm not even 30 yet, but today just felt like it was make or break.

I only scored 15. The pitch was a farm, (literally) and batting was almost impossible. While one ball took off, the next one rolled before the next one jagged sideways off the seam. It was very tricky.

In making that "good" 15, I found the middle of the bat more often than not. However, one shot, an on-drive straight back past the bowler with perfect technique and timing flicked a switch in my brain.

I can still do this. I do have more to give.

Cricket is a sport than can muddle your brain. Even the professionals have a higher rate of mental health issues because of the cocoon one finds themselves in when things aren't going your way. I don't quite know how to explain it. It's as if you know you can do it, but you can't. Making you question whether you can do it at all.

We lost today; part and parcel of any sport, meaning it's the last game of our truncated season. Looking at the scorecard, a 15 next to my name is certainly nothing to write home about. But that single shot - a shot that almost all pundits agree is technically one of the most difficult shots in the game - has suddenly made me realise I can offer something, and has committed me to a 16th year of this crazy, infuriating, mind-boggling, brilliant sport that we call cricket.

Just one shot. Fine margins...

Eurovision Song Contest : The Story of Fire Saga (2020)

While the actual Eurovision Song Contest this year was cancelled, fans of the world's biggest singing competition had a silver lining to look forward to with the highly publicised film about the contest that hit the small screen today.

As a Eurovision fan, I was highly sceptical. An American comedy star writing and leading in a movie about a subject many people, especially here in Britain, make light of? Surely it was going to be a highly misleading caricature of the show some of us have grown to love?

Will Ferrell plays one half of the duo 'Fire Saga', along with Rachel McAdams and what transpires, (despite a few factual inaccuracies easily noticeable to the esteemed fan), is a story of two geeky Icelandic musicians making it all the way to the Eurovision Grand Final, albeit with a few hiccups along the way.

The film doesn't end as one would expect for a film of this manner, but the story does encapsulate everything a feel good story should and indeed captures the real meaning of Eurovision perfectly. The underdogs go from laughing stock to Europe-wide sweethearts - with suitable interjections from our very own Graham Norton - and at the end, you're left with goosebumps and a big smile across your face.

No one believes in this pair. Despite Sigrit Ericksdottir (McAdams) having a stunning voice, the duo are consigned to singing stupid songs in their town's only beat up bar. Every year, Lars Erikssong (Ferrell), submits a song to the Songvakeppnin (that's the show that Iceland has to choose it's Eurovision act), and every year, he hears nothing back.

Until, by chance, he and Sigrit are invited to the show in a "lucky" scenario and then reach the actual Song Contest by an even luckier scenario, which becomes the one gruesome moment of the film that makes you jump slightly, much to the delight of Lars and the derision of his Father...

The movie has a familiar narrative, the two dreamers concealing their love for one another, claiming the music is the only thing that connects them, but although the film is based around the pair and their bizarrely odd exploits, there are two other performances that stand out throughout the two hours.

Pierce Brosnan, (yes, James Bond himself), plays Lars' strict, disparaging Father who is openly ashamed of his performing son, claiming he makes a mockery of him and embarrasses him at every turn. Hearing a faux-Icelandic accent from a man I first saw play a suave British spy was a tad odd, but his character adds to the feel-good aesthetic that makes this movie.

However, the stand out performer for me was Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey, Legion, Night at The Museum). He plays the Russian act, Alexander Lemtov; the self-acclaimed favourite of the competition, and his act is suitably homoerotic to derive sniggers from the LGBT+ community, of which Russia are of course no fans of.

Gay dear? Me dear? No dear!

His camp demure, his fake pursuit of Sigrit and the four topless men he dances with on stage create a character so delicately created, that it's only at the end that it becomes obvious. Somehow, I don't think this film is going to be allowed in Russia...

It does have a couple of (very) minor flaws, only noticeable if you have an intricate knowledge of the workings of Eurovision but this is entirely forgivable and also a wonderful interlude featuring real Eurovision acts from days gone by at a VIP party.



From Loreen to Conchita, from Netta to John Lundvik and Alexander Rybak's violin, the three minute mash up of Eurovision and pop hits is a real singalong highlight and a big tick for the Eurovision fans watching on; and maybe provides a brief glimpse of what happens behind the scenes of our beloved song contest.

As a stand alone film, and (hopefully) without my Eurovision fan bias hat on, this film puts a smile on your face and is a cracking story of the underdog. It doesn't quite get douze points, but a very solid 8 points from me.

Eurovision 2020 - The Contest That Never Was

I can get past how Covid-19 has closed pubs and stopped football and cricket and made life exceptionally boring, but one thing I genuinely found hard to accept was how it decimated Eurovision week.

Last night should have been the Grand Final of one of the most competitive years in recent times, featuring a good 15 songs that I absolutely adored. However, the coronavirus stole the contest and we were treated* to a replacement tribute show instead.

So, to replace my annual review of the contest, I have decided to rank every winner from number 63 to number 1, a sign of absolute madness or absolute boredom. You decide.

Rather typically for a boy of my generation, I think a lot of the older songs will be lower down the list considering the time difference, so I apologise in advance for what may be some travesties.

And considering it's a day late, I'm going to whizz through them and hope you don't spot the mistakes that will surely be incoming. And don't argue if you disagree, because you surely will. It's what makes Eurovision almost unique!

So without further ado... (*questionably)

...

#63: Rock Me by Riva for Yugoslavia 1989

#62: Tom Pillibi by Jacqueline Boyer for France 1960

#61: Everybody by Dave Benton and 2XL for Estonia 2001

Why this song needed three people to sing it, I shall never know, and none of them would look out of place in a DJ booth at the back of your local Slug and Lettuce.

#60: The Voice by Eimear Quinn for Ireland 1996

#59: A-Ba-Ni-Bi by Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta for Israel 1978

#58: Amar Pelos Dois by Salvadore Sobral for Portugal 2017

Sorry, I just don't get the love. Salvasnooze...

#57: Net Als Toen by Corry Brokken for Netherlands 1957

#56: Non ho l'eta by Gigiola Cinquetti for Italy 1964

#55: Si la vie est cadeau by Corinne Hermes for Luxembourg 1983

#54: Fengad av en Stormvind by Carola for Sweden 1991

#53: Hard Rock Hallelujah by Lordi for Finland 2006

Props for bringing something new and different to Eurovision but screaming doesn't do it for me. Although two years later, they tried the hard rock route again and I rather liked it so, ignore me.

#52: Dors, mon amour by Andre Claveau for France 1958

Robbed the song commonly known as 'Volare' that wasn't called 'Volare' to victoire...

#51: Every entrant from 1969 (Lulu, Salome, Lenny Kuhr and Frida Boccara)

Honestly? Just to get 1969 out of the way. What a palava...

#50: Nous les Amoreux by Jean-Claude Pascual for Luxembourg 1961

#49: Puppet on a String by Sandie Shaw for United Kingdom 1967

#48: Believe by Dima Bilan for Russia 2008

Cringe...

#47: L'oiseau et l'enfant by Marie Myriam for France 1977

#46: Ein Bisschen Frieden by Nicole for Germany 1982

#45: Apres toi by Vicky Leandros for Luxembourg 1972

#44: Dansevise by Grethe and Jorgann Ingmann for Denmark 1963

#43: Refrain by Lys Assia for Switzerland 1956

Sorry...

#42: Love Shine A Light by Katrina and the Waves for United Kingdom 1997

Sorry again...

#41: Een Beetje by Teddy Scholten for Netherlands 1959

#40: Ding-a-Dong by Teach-In for Netherlands 1975

#39: In Your Eyes by Niamh Kavanagh for Ireland 1993

#38: Un Premier Amour by Isabelle Aubret for France 1962

#37: La La La by Massiel for Spain 1968

Catchy? Yes. Completely unimaginative and undeserving of a Eurovision title? Also yes.

#36: Tu te Reconnaitras by Anne-Marie David for Luxembourg 1973

#35: Merci, Cherie by Udo Jurgens for Austria 1966

#34: Rock and Roll Kids by Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan for Ireland 1994

#33: I Wanna by Marie N for Latvia 2002

#32: Toy by Netta for Israel 2018

#31: All Kinds of Everything by Dana for Ireland 1970

#30: Waterloo by ABBA for Sweden 1974

Now, this was voted as the UK's favourite ever Eurovision entry of all time last night, but ever since I was forced to sit through a 4 hour show of a tribute band at the Princess Theatre in Torquay in 2004, I have always had bad flashbacks whenever an ABBA song appears... So... Sorry. Not sorry.

Only as high as 30 because it's a staple of the Eurovision Song Contest...

#29 Un banc, Un arbre, Une rue by Severine for Luxembourg 1971

#28: La Det Swinge by Bobbysocks! for Norway 1985

#27: Secret Garden by Nocturne for Norway 1995

#26: My Number One by Helena Paparizou for Greece 2005

#25: Satellite by Lena for Germany 2010

#24: Insieme: 1992 by Toto Cutogno for Italy 1990

#23: Save Your Kisses for Me by Brotherhood of Man for United Kingdom 1976

#22: 1944 by Jamala for Ukraine 2016

A song that's actually grown on me a lot, but I'm still annoyed it stole the title from Dami Im...

#21: Why Me? by Linda Martin for Ireland 1992

#20: Hallelujah by Milk & Honey for Israel 1979

#19: Making Your Mind Up by Bucks Fizz for United Kingdom 1981

#18: J'aime la vie by Sandra Kim for Belgium 1986

#17: Hold Me Now by Johnny Logan for Ireland 1987

#16: Poupee de cire, Poupee de son for Luxembourg 1965

#15: Running Scared by Ell & Nikki for Azerbaijan 2011

#14: Every Way That I Can by Sertab Erener for Turkey 2003

#13: Only Teardrops by Emmelie de Forest for Denmark 2013

#12: Arcade by Duncan Lawrence for Netherlands 2019

#11: Take Me To Your Heaven by Charlotte Nilsson for Sweden 1999

Into the top 10 of my favourite Eurovision winners of all time, that I haven't really given an awful lot of thought to but I was bored on a Sunday evening because of lockdown...

#Joint 10th: Wild Dances by Ruslana for Ukraine 2004

Not wanting to put either outside the Top 10, I've gone all 1969 and included two!

I saw Ruslana live in Lisbon in 2018 and she was absolutely superb...

#Joint 10th: Fairytale by Alexander Rybak for Norway 2009

This is a brilliant and original song and would have been higher but for an awful performance in the grand final in Moscow...

#9: Diva by Dana International for Israel 1998

An iconic moment in the history of Eurovision... Many people's favourite of all time!

#8: Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley by The Herreys for Sweden 1984

My ultimate guilty pleasure song...

#7: Ne Partez pas sans moi by Celine Dion for Switzerland 1988

I will always believe that Celine Dion has the best voice in world music of all time. Sends shivers down my spine whenever I listen to her...

#6: Fly on the Wings of Love by The Olsen Brothers for Denmark 2000

It took me a long time to actually realise this was a Eurovision song (as 2000 was a bit before my time!) and actually first heard this thanks to a dance cover by an obscure band called XTM. 

#5: Heroes by Mans Zelmerlow for Sweden 2015

Genuinely could have this top 5 in any order given how much I like them and Mans gave me a hug at the London Eurovision Party in 2015 so he gains a place for that.

#4: What's Another Year? by Johnny Logan for Ireland 1980

Literally have not stopped listening to this for the entirety of today, which may mean it's higher than I meant it to be, but the iconic Mr Eurovision's first Eurovision win is beautiful.

#3: Molitva by Marija Serifovic for Serbia 2007

Truly, truly beautiful and again, reprised so amazingly from Marija in the backdrop of empty Serbian streets last night. Have always loved this song and will continue to do so.

#2: Euphoria by Loreen for Sweden 2012

Many people's favourite, especially from my generation, this performance was an absolute stand out.

#1: Rise Like a Phoenix by Conchita Wurst for Austria 2014

For sheer power, for the staging, for the dress and for the impact it made, this will always be my favourite Eurovision entry and will take some beating. The reverberations it sent around Europe were monumental, plus she's so down to Earth and lovely to boot. A deserved Number One!

...

So there we are. Given a week or so where I thought this through properly, the order may be different but roughly, there are my Eurovision winners ranked bottom to top!

See you in Rotterdam in 2021, where (fingers crossed) everything is back to normal!

Happy Birthday Captain Tom

Today marks the 100th birthday of Captain Tom Moore, an army veteran who raised a remarkable £31million for the NHS by doing laps of his front garden. Stories like this occasionally go viral, but because of the current coronavirus situation, and the fact Captain Tom was nearing his 100th birthday, this particular viral moment became that little bit more special.

Today, Captain Tom received a birthday card from the Queen, was made an honorary Colonel by the British Army, given an England cricket cap and enjoyed a fly over of a Spitfire and a Hurricane, all of which is raising the spirits of a nation depressed by the lockdown. The whole spectacle was rather fantastic.

What makes this even more special, is the fact Captain Tom lives just down the road. I say, "down the road", he lives in Marston Moretaine, a village just outside my home town of Bedford, but only a couple of weeks ago did I realise I coached his grandson, Benjie, at Bedford Cricket Club and also know his daughter, Hannah.

It makes me proud of our little town that something so big is happening so close to home. It just makes me smile during what is becoming a very difficult time.

Deep Into Quarantine

We are now into week six of lockdown in the UK, and I have to admit, it's starting to get to me slightly. The weekend just gone was supposed to be the first week of the new cricket season, my 15th for Bedford CC, but it has been postponed because of the current coronavirus crisis.

I don't want to get my hopes up of any cricket at all this season.

Living in a flat without a balcony leaves me feeling jealous of people with gardens and a bit of company, for my life has become all work and no play at the moment. I am still required to attend work at the hospital of course, which does at least mean I see people, but with no sport (in real life or on the TV) and no pubs open, my social life, along with everyone else's has come to an abrupt halt with no real sign of when it will resume.

We've been warned not to expect things to ever get back to normal - which is as confusing as it is daunting - but reading up on the "exit strategy", the authorities have five tests for which they use to ascertain whether it is safe to open up society again.

1) The strain on the NHS. The strain on our health service has not been as catastrophic as we first thought - indeed, a whole Nightingale specialist hospital sits empty in a Birmingham suburb as I type, so the lockdown and social distancing measures have obviously worked.

Whether we have reached the peak of cases yet is hard to measure, but I have just read that the daily death toll is the lowest since March, which is a sobering yet positive piece of news amongst all the darkness.

2) Which brings us on to the second test, a "sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rate". It is too early to call this a "sustained" fall, for weekend figures are always distorted but there are potential signs that we are coming down from the peak.

Or the peak is a couple of weeks away. The truth is, no one knows.

3) The rate of infection needs to decrease to "manageable levels" before life gets back to normal, a mechanism no one can ever measure effectively because not everyone in the world is tested. While the official figures stand at over 200,000 cases, the real number could be millions.

Again, no one knows.

4) Bringing us neatly on to the fourth test, ensuring supply of tests and demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) is met for future demand. The availability of PPE has been a major talking point throughout this crisis; we haven't been getting all the PPE we need in a clinical environment, let alone the public getting what they need.

And Number 5 - whether all of the above would risk a second peak in cases causing more deaths, illness and, from what I can tell, the Government's priority - "economic disaster". Only until all of these are met will we see a semblance of normal life returning, and as April draws to a close, I can't see it happening any time soon.

So what do you do? With nothing to do apart from work - and many more with even less - you could be forgiven for thinking that everyone should be becoming a master of a craft, or working on being their perfect self - indeed, many think they HAVE to be doing this to be considered a "lockdown success", but this is far from true.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

(Abraham) Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs begins with the most basic human necessity, survival. This involves breathing, food, water (and sex - although, this is to be debated.) You cannot physically work your way up the hierarchy until the current needs are met.

Which is when we come to safety. "Security of body, of employment, of resources of health or property." At this most unique of times, nobody is guaranteed of these, therefore we cannot work our way up the hierarchy.

Even family and friendly relationships cannot be truly met under lockdown, and we are miles away from the events that people are expecting of others with "nothing else to do." Creativity, spontaneity, problem solving all play second, third or fourth fiddle to the safety and security of our being.

In short, it's okay to be a sloth at the moment. It's what the world is asking of you. To keep safe, keep healthy and find your way to the other side.

Good luck.

Has It Hit Home Yet?

We're into our third week of lockdown.

The numbers of deaths are now well into the thousands; the number of cases well into the tens of thousands and no doubt, thousands more untested cases across the land. If you weren't taking it seriously before, you better be now.

I truly experienced the reality of it all for the first time today. As a mere administrator at the hospital, my time is often limited to desks and computers on a specific ward, but given the staffing shortage, my services are required in the centralised administration hub this week. This involves visiting a number of wards and areas to update neglected systems, left to gather dust by other sick administrators.

Today was ICU. Intensive Care. I'd been up there a few times in my time with the NHS, but today was quite simply eerie. Intensive care at my hospital has 8 beds, increased to 12 because of this crisis, in a circular pattern with the nurses station in the middle. I was only there for 30 minutes, but I felt trapped in a circle of coronavirus, the sounds of gravely ill patients struggling to breathe surrounding me. It was quite simply awful.

This evening we have learnt our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has been admitted to intensive care with this virus. All of a sudden, it's becoming apparent how serious this is. After a weekend of people flouting the rules to sunbathe in the spring sunshine, a feeling of frustration has turned to a feeling of anger. How can people be so careless?

Today, I literally listened to the sounds of people's lungs failing. It's a sound I'm struggling to get out of my head.

I'm no fan of Boris Johnson, but knowing he's in a similar condition to those I saw today puts a bit of perspective into it. Hearing about what Covid-19 physically does to your body means I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

The worst cases of this coronavirus can cause respiratory failure; what is called a Pneumonitis. The inflammation of the lungs can cause membranes to break apart, allowing water to leak into the lungs.

It feels like drowning. Really, really slowly.

Has it hit home yet?

The Streets Are Empty

There are no cars on the road. There's no one walking on the pavements. The shops are closed.

The streets are empty.

There are now no more words for how serious this is. The coronavirus has spread across the world, causing thousands upon thousands of deaths and an unprecedented amount of illness, causing the world to grind to a halt.

Economies are tanking, people are losing their jobs, (the USA now has 3 million unemployed people, an American record), and any semblance of normal life has gone.

For me, the weekdays are fairly normal. I am classed as a "key worker" in the NHS, so at least I still get a regular income and get to keep a routine but for millions of others, their world has been turned upside down. It's really rather horrible.

And because of the situation, there's nothing else to talk about. Nothing else to do. If you're caught outside and either not going to or from work (if it's essential) and not gaining supplies that are food and medicine, you can be fined by Police.

Therefore, nothing is happening.

And to make matters even worse, I've just this second found out that my number one crush in the whole world, AJ Pritchard, has quit Strictly Come Dancing.

When will the bad news end?!

The World Has Changed

I'm still trying to get my head around what is happening throughout the world. It's a scenario I never imagined I would find myself in, where we are being asked to stay inside because of a virus. It's like a really boring Hollywood movie.

I've already clarified in the two previous posts that I am highly anxious about all of this. In the last day or so, our Prime Minister has enforced the closures of pubs, clubs, cinemas, restaurants, theatres, sports grounds. You name it, if it isn't essential, it is closed. We are being asked to live the most basic of lives in the most complex and interesting world and it is absolutely horrible.

The numbers are startling. Italy has recorded thousands and thousands of deaths because of Covid-19 and current statistics have our country heading towards the same path. The fact of the matter is, this hasn't really started yet and no one knows what is coming.

However, as a lot of people keep saying, it is important to stay positive. Working for the NHS, at least I have a secure job unlike 5 million self employed workers who are now left in a state of worry.

There are also some fantastic initiatives going on, such as community kindness groups on social media, the ongoing mix of humour that is Twitter and even an online pub quiz hosted by a sports commentator called Nick Heath, that I managed to get 26 out of 50 on this evening, which distracted me for an hour or so.

And it's Mother's Day tomorrow, which is an exceptionally important day in our family's calendar as Laura and I nearly lost our wonderful Mother 6 years ago, (doesn't time fly!) We're going for a river walk and a small picnic, which is technically against the advice of "social distancing" but a boy needs his Mother from time to time. I have also written a poem to go insider her Mother's Day card:

...

It's been a long old time since '91
the world has changed some may say.
I am the person I am because of you,
looking out for me come what may.

Thank you for being my counsellor,
my personal shopper, my cleaner.
Thank you for always being there
even during the times I was meaner.

Thank you for your constant support
through times, both thick and terrible.
My sister and I, both adults now
will always be eternally grateful.

It's been a long old time since '91
with bottles, toys and cots.
But one thing that has never changed
is that I love you lots and lots.

Lockdown

We are in unprecedented times.

Five days after I wrote a post on the outbreak of coronavirus, Covid-19, I don't think I anticipated how quickly and how ferociously everything would just stop. And it's absolutely horrible.

Schools are closed, restaurants are closed, offices are closed and everyone is working from home, apart from us in the NHS. I am quite thankful for this, as I'm not sure my mind could cope with the genuine isolation for weeks on end so keeping some semblance of routine has become a god send.

But that is it. Everything is cancelled, from football and indeed all sport to the Bedford River Festival, from theatre shows to Eurovision, everything is off. My calendar, once full of rugby and football fixtures, waiting for the influx of cricket fixtures is as empty as the hospital I'm sitting in, and quite frankly, I'm terrified of the affects of zero social interaction whatsoever will have on my once fragile mind.

Wait, I said the hospital was empty? During a pandemic? That's right. I work on Paediatrics at my local hospital and initial fears that the whole child population and literally their Mothers would appear, no one has. It seems people are too scared to go to hospital unless absolutely necessary, but despite social distancing measures and even talk of a complete lockdown, one fears this is the very definition of 'calm before the storm.'

The last 36 hours or so have been personally quite scary. I have developed mild chest pains leading to a shortness of breath, one of the symptoms to look out for when it comes to this respiratory illness that's sweeping the lands; and I had begun to panic that I had come to work and infected an entire department.

I spent the majority of this morning in the ghost town that is Accident & Emergency, being hooked up to every machine under the sun to come to the conclusion that there is nothing physically wrong with me and I am in fact suffering from quite acute anxiety about the whole thing.

As I mentioned in my last post, my anxiety doesn't come from the pandemic itself, but the effects of it. I'm not sure how I can cope without football, without cricket, without sport or bars or nights out or EUROVISION. The idea of all work and no play has been a perennial fear of mine for as long as I can remember and I'm about to be forced into it.

Things are going to get worse before they get better...

Coronavirus

We've had SARS, we've had MERS and we've also had swine flu and bird flu amongst the regular influenza that we all know and want to avoid at any cost. We seemed to get through it all without as much as a whisper, but now? COVID-19 seems to be in a different league.

There was a game I used to play as a teenager, called 'Pandemic'. The objective of the game is to create your own virus and kill off the human race by acquiring attributes such as symptoms, whether it becomes airborne etcetera etcetera. At one point it was just a game. Now it's real life.

You see, I was complacent. "It's just flu", and sure, for 28-year old me, it might well be but there is something about this latest outbreak that scares me. It's been four whole months since this mysterious new illness sprung out of the bat caves of Wuhan and only in the past week have I appreciated how dangerous this could be.

There is no immunity, there is no vaccine or cure and we have gone from a few cases on the other side of the world to an increase of 100% per day on cases and deaths. Yes, death. Governments around the world have put their countries on lockdown, closed borders, cancelled events en masse and quarantined huge swathes of the population. This is bad.

But what makes it worse is that our Government, the British Government have taken a typically stubborn and stoic stance on the whole thing and with over 1,000 confirmed cases and 21 deaths as I type this, we're still at the point where the official advice is to wash our hands.

Think about that for a second. Countries across the globe are closed for business and our government is saying, "Wash your hands". There is even debate about letting the virus pass through the population to make it quick, and while on paper that may sound like a logical argument, let's break it down into numbers.

67 million people live in the United Kingdom, and the mortality rate based on figures around the world is at 2%. That's 277,000 people. And our Government are contemplating sacrificing them to speed up the economy. I can't think of anything more ghastly.

But that's not it. 10% of the people who catch this illness will be critically ill, (6.7 million if you let the illness roll freely) and our NHS is fatally underfunded as it is. We are in no position to deal with this, and frankly, I'm a bit nervous of going to work on Monday morning. I think it's inevitable I'm going to catch it.

There are numerous and wide-ranging factors that I simply haven't got time to talk about in fear of turning this blog post into a thesis, but one factor I do want to speak of is self-isolation. Official advice states we need to self-isolate for 7 days, which if you're a Netflix and/or Football Manager fan sounds great, but the impact on ones mental health is not good when you're locked inside for a whole week on your own. Maybe I fear that more than the actual virus.

But what else can we do but carry on? Trust that what we're being told is true. I may be reading back on this in a decade's time, like I have recently on old posts here, and wonder what all the fuss was about.

Or maybe I'm the last human alive and lamenting the lack of action and purpose when it was vital we weren't so God damn British about the whole thing.

We don't know. And maybe that's what I fear the most.

Post #655 - A Life Update

Ladies and Gentleman, we're going old school with the blog post!

I gave up on the daily(ish) blog life a while back, ditching the monotonous for the review and the preview but given I am currently in the midst of a long late shift, I thought I'd provide a little update for those of you who are, like me, beset with the boredom of a Monday.

I mean, work isn't bad. It can be boring, sitting on a reception desk of a hospital ward, especially on a late shift of midday to 8pm, but there is one huge difference now than there ever has been.

I have a plan!

My work history, as detailed within these very pages, has been fractious, fraught with nerves, anxiety mixed with a distinct hatred for working life in general. The problem was that I had no plan; no future goals or any idea where I was heading. In my mind, I was going to be stuck behind this reception desk for the next half a century. It really was that bad, and my mental health issues clouded any reasonable judgment and thinking time.

Whether it be the realisation that I am no longer a young whippersnapper, (young maybe, but certainly no whippersnapper), or whether it was the emergence of a well-timed internship advert, my future prospects just seemed to click into place; the once square-shaped jigsaw piece finally moulding into a circle and slowly slipping towards completion.

Therefore, life behind a reception desk doesn't seem so bad when I know I'm not going to be here forever. I am 6 months into a sports journalist internship and am going through the regular struggle with Student Finance to get funding for a diploma in journalism via the National Council of Training Journalists which, in tandem, will be enough to get me on to the ladder of a journalism career. Even if that finance doesn't come to fruition, I have learnt of a nifty back up plan involving pension payments. At 28 years old! It's the clear thinking you see...

My general outlook has changed as well. These past 18 months have been different, and I no longer think of someone who suffers from a mental illness, but an ordinary bloke who sometimes just can't be arsed. Just like any other member of society. I've relaxed somewhat; probably because of a touch of wisdom on my part and a genuine appreciation that things could be much worse.

I guess it's called "growing up". Although, talking to my sister the other day, she said she doesn't feel 31 at all, but more mid 20s. I'm 28, (30 next year!) and don't feel like I should be. I remember very distinctly being amazed at being allowed to watch Titanic as a 10-year old and me feeling guilty about it as it was a 12 movie... Where did 20 years go?

I've come to a sudden stop in my typing; a sign that there really is very little else to talk about. Stability is the key word here; a word that has not been completely prevalent in the decade of adult life I have behind me, but it sure is welcome.

You see, for all of the counselling and GP appointments and crisis interventions and inpatient stays, some of the advice does stick, even for someone who was as stubborn as I was.

"You cannot live every day as a King, sometimes you have to accept that you are a pawn". Sometimes, merely accepting that coming to work and sitting behind a reception desk for eight hours, as boring as it may be, provides income so I can have a happier life outside of these four walls and away from this mustard-coloured desk. It's all rather simple, but it's better than chaotic.

The big nights out are less common than before, but admittedly no less vanilla; the stories continue to come, along with the hangovers. But these days, they feel earned instead of necessary. I feel less guilty about them than I used to, although my Mother would not be happy if she knew, although I have a fair idea that she does.

And there we have it... I lead a calmer life now, more appreciative of what I have and those around me and more aware of the impact it can have on others. I don't know what triggered it, but I'm all the better for it.

Six Nations Championship - 2020 Preview

The latest instalment of the Northern hemisphere's premier rugby tournament is nearly upon us, with the six nations of the Six Nations ready to rumble in a post-World Cup tournament full of new faces.

For those of you who don't know, Wales won the 2019 edition, the 20th Six Nations to take place and secured a Grand Slam in the process, giving them a fantastic springboard into the World Cup that took place in Japan over the autumn.

But with South Africa taking the world title, the six nations of the north are looking to reignite their legacies. Here is the run down on the six sides trying to emulate that feat, most of them with new head coaches and a host of debutants in line to make a splash...


ENGLAND 

World Cup Runners-Up
Pre Tournament Odds: 5/6 Fav
Home Stadium: Twickenham, London
Head Coach: Eddie Jones
Captain: Owen Farrell

The World Cup runners-up in Japan have entered a self confessed "grieving period" following their final defeat against the South Africans, the favourites for the tournament need to re-establish their mojo very quickly with their first fixture in Paris against an always unpredictable French side.

And it has not been plain-sailing since that night in Kanagawa either, with the Saracens salary cap breach playing a major part in player relations in the lead up to this tournament. The reigning English and European Champions have been automatically relegated this season due to dangerously overstepping the salary cap, and with multiple players in the England camp, there is a risk of a touch of awkwardness heading into a major tournament.

Big name players such as captain Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje are expected to play a big part in trying to regain the Six Nations title, but the camp were quick to denounce reports of a rift over the Saracens situation, and with margins tighter than a number three, it could become much more important than Jones and company are making it out to be.

England have named 8 uncapped players in their squad with names such as George Furbank making waves in the Premiership with Northampton Saints able to make a big impact if needed. One glaring omission however is a back-up Number 8, with Billy Vunipola struggling with injury and no one to replace him.


WALES

World Cup Semi-Finalists
Pre Tournament Odds: 11/2
Home Stadium: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Head Coach: Wayne Pivac
Captain: Alun Wyn Jones

The reigning Grand Slam champions have shaken off controversy well this year, with pre-World Cup clamour surrounding their coaching staff and betting irregularities casting a cloud over an optimistic side in good form. 

Their biggest challenge is the new coaching setup, as Warren Gatland has moved on along with feared coach Shaun Edwards; and it remains to be seen if a new regime will work out.

They did well out in Japan however, falling narrowly at the semi-final hurdle to a world class South African side and their chances of retaining their crown are looking good, especially with home games against Italy and France kicking off their campaign. A pivotal game at Twickenham could make or break their tournament in Round Three.

Key men belong in the pack, with captain Alun Wyn Jones voted the Player of the Tournament in 2019 in the middle of the scrum along with the Best No.8 in the world at the moment in Taulupe Faleteu and a player I rate highly in Justin Tipuric.

The return of Rhys Webb from Toulon makes him eligible for selection as well, rounding off a positive outlook for a Welsh side I tip to retain their title.

For those of you who fancy a flutter, 11/2 is pretty good odds for a team as strong as this, and despite facing England away from home, they have experience of doing it on the biggest stage. In the 2015 World Cup no less...


FRANCE

World Cup Quarter Finalists
Pre Tournament Odds: 7/1
Home Stadium: Stade de France, Paris
Head Coach: Fabien Galthie
Captain: Charles Ollivon

France will have been disappointed with their World Cup campaign, losing out by a single point to Wales at the quarter-final stage, but the tag of perennial "who knows what" still looms large in a French side full of flair and natural talent but somehow lacking an edge of teams from yesteryear.

Even the most seasoned of pundits struggle to explain why France are so inconsistent, but a new approach might be on the cards as the 41-strong squad has an average age of just 24.

The old guard of Bastareaud, Michalak and Huget have been replaced by the younger breed, with one name in particular to look out for being fly-half Romain Ntamack - a name familiar with the more of ardent of rugby fans - but the Number 10 has been working wonders with Toulouse in the Super 14 and is highly tipped to be the playmaker that guides France to past glories. However, with a tough opening fixture against England to look forward to, before facing Wales in Cardiff - two games they will not be favourites for - their tournament could derail before it's even begun...


IRELAND

World Cup Quarter Finalists
Pre Tournament Odds: 4/1
Home Stadium: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Head Coach: Andy Farrell
Captain: Jonathan Sexton

Ireland were on the wrong end of one of the World Cup's more magical stories as they fell to Japan in the group stages, condemning them to a quarter final with the All Blacks that they inevitably lost, and lost convincingly.

One of the sides with a new head coach in Andy Farrell, the Irish will hope for a clean slate after an up and down time under Joe Schmidt. Their World Cup performance was offset by reaching a Number One world ranking at one point, and a strong Six Nations could be the start of another peak for Irish rugby.

At 34, Jonathan Sexton is the linchpin of an Irish old guard that no longer includes hooker Rory Best, who seemed to be in an Irish shirt since 1980.

Bundee Aki is a name to look out for at inside centre along with CJ Stander who now has enough experience to kick on and be an outstanding performer but I can't see another Irish Grand Slam happening in this edition as Wales and England are too strong at the moment.

There's also been a lot of talk over Englishman Andy Farrell's role in this new look setup. Not because he's English but simply because he may not bring something new to a team that needs it.



SCOTLAND

Knocked Out in the World Cup Pool Stages
Pre Tournament Odds: 33/1
Home Stadium: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Head Coach: Gregor Townsend
Captain: Stuart Hogg

Problems aplenty for the Scottish, and that's not including what was a disastrous World Cup campaign in which they failed to escape the pool, finishing behind Ireland and hosts Japan.

Coach Townsend is already under an immense amount of pressure to reverse fortunes, but he has not been helped by the apparent implosion of Finn Russell, who has been dumped from the squad after an all-nighter before a squad meeting before doubling down and producing an almighty social media storm that has upset almost all involved with Scottish Rugby.

Also the news that the Chief Executive of Rugby Scotland received a pay packet of almost £1 million has reportedly infuriated players and coaches alike, so the problems continue to mount up for Scotland ahead of their opening game in Ireland on Saturday afternoon.



ITALY

Knocked Out in the World Cup Pool Stages
Pre Tournament Odds: 1,000/1
Home Stadium: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Head Coach: Franco Smith (Interim)
Captain: Luca Bigi


There was a time, not so long ago, that many were excited about the improvement of Italian rugby, especially when they beat Scotland in the 2016 Six Nations championship. Led by the effervescent Sergio Parisse, maybe they belonged at the world's top table after all?

But it wasn't to be. Parisse will be given one more game before he retires, but the Italians have not won a Six Nations game since that iconic day five years ago, leading to some saying they should be replaced in the tournament altogether by the up and coming Georgians.

Their chances this year look equally as slim, although Tommaso Allan looks decent at fly-half, but it wouldn't surprise me one jot if they left with the wooden spoon once again. A negative World Cup campaign has also left them in a bit of a rut, (although they missed out on a knockout spot courtesy of two small nations called New Zealand and South Africa), but there's little to get excited about if you're an Italian fan this time around.

...

Wales are my pick. Who's yours?

My Eurovision Favourites (2010-2019)

So as we enter a new decade, with the 2020 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest coming from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, I think it's time to look back on a decade of weird and wonderful songs from the world's biggest music competition!

For no reason whatsoever, I'm going to list my favourite song from 2010 to 2019 for every single country, because that's what the people want!!

So, without further ado...

Albania: "Mall" by Eugent Bushpepa, finishing 11th in Lisbon 2018.

Armenia: "Apricot Stone" by Eva Rivas in Oslo 2010.

Australia: "Sound of Silence" by Dami Im in Stockholm 2016.

Austria: "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst, winner in Copenhagen 2014.

Azerbaijan: "Truth" by Chingiz in Tel Aviv 2019

Belarus: "Cheesecake" by Teo in Copenhagen 2014.

Belgium: "Rhythm Inside by Loic Nottet in Vienna 2015

Bosnia & Herzegovina: "Ljubav je" by Dalal & Deen in Stockholm 2016

Bulgaria: "If Love Was a Crime" by Poli Genova in Stockholm 2016

Croatia: "Lighthouse" by Nina Kraljic in Stockholm 2016

Cyprus: "Fuego" by Eleni Foureira in Lisbon 2018

Czech Republic: "Lie to Me" by Mikolas Josef in Lisbon 2018

Denmark: "The Way You Are" by Anti Social Media in Vienna 2015

Estonia: "Play" by Juri Pootsman in Stockholm 2016

Finland: "Blackbird" by Norma John in Kiev 2017

France: "Mercy" by Madame Monsieur in Lisbon 2018

Georgia: "Warrior" by Nina Sublatti in Vienna 2015

Germany: "You Let Me Walk Alone" by Michael Schulte in Lisbon 2018

Greece: "Aphrodisiac" by Eleftheria Eleftheriou in Baku 2012

Hungary: "Running" by Andras Kallay-Saunders in Copenhagen 2014

Iceland: "Hear Them Calling" by Greta Salome in Stockholm 2016

Ireland: "Together" by Ryan O'Shaughnessy in Lisbon 2018

Israel: "Made of Stars" by Hovi Star in Stockholm 2016

Italy: "Grande Amore" by Il Volo in Vienna 2015

Latvia: "Love Injected" by Aminata in Vienna 2015

Lithuania: "I've Been Waiting for this Night" by Donny Montell in Stockholm 2016

Malta: "Tomorrow" by Gianluca Bezzina in Malmo 2013

Moldova: "Run Away" by Sunstroke Project and Olia Tira in Oslo 2010

Montenegro: "Space" by Slavko Kalezic in Kiev 2017

North Macedonia: "Proud" by Tamara Todevska in Tel Aviv 2019

Norway: "Monster Like Me" by Morland & Deborah Scarlett in Vienna 2015

Poland: "Color of Your Life" by Michal Szpak in Stockholm 2016

Portugal: "Ha Dias Assim" by Filipa Azavedo in Oslo 2010 (Worth noting, I didn't like a single Portuguese song from this decade!!)

Romania: "Yodel It!" by Ilinca and Alex Florea in Kiev 2017

Russia: "A Million Voices" by Polina Gagarina in Vienna 2015

San Marino: "Say Na Na Na" by Serhat in Tel Aviv 2019

Serbia: "Nije Ljubav Stvar" by Zeljko Joksimovic in Baku 2012

Slovakia: "I'm Still Alive" by TWiiNS in Baku 2012 - (Slovakia have not been in the contest since 2012)

Slovenia: "Hvala, Ne!" by Lea Sirk in Lisbon 2018

Spain: "La Venda" by Miki in Tel Aviv 2019

Sweden: "Euphoria" by Loreen in Baku 2012 (Narrowly pips Heroes by Mans in 2015!)

Switzerland: "She Got Me" by Luca Hanni in Tel Aviv 2019

The Netherlands: "Calm After the Storm" by The Common Linnets in Copenhagen 2014

Turkey: "Love Me Back" by Can Bonomo in Baku 2012 (Turkey have not been in the contest since 2012)

Ukraine: "Gravity" by Zlata Ognevich in Malmo 2013

United Kingdom: "Never Give Up on You" by Lucie Jones in Kiev 2017

...

And there we have it. The much sought after best songs (in my humble opinion) from each country on the Eurovision circuit this past decade... Let's hope for some more magic starting in Rotterdam in May!

'1917' (2020)

*Contains minor spoilers*

Movies shot using one continuous take are not altogether common, with 'Birdman' the most recent notable example of using such a technique, but even then it barely commands any attention. However, in this gripping World War I masterpiece, it is the centre of the movie as master camerawork follow the trials and tribulations of two young Lance Corporals.

Lance Corporal Blake (Dean Charles-Chapman) and Lance Corporal Schofield (George MacKay) are tasked with getting an urgent message to another Batallion with 1,600 lives on the line; a message sarcastically rubbished with a wonderful cameo from Andrew Scott (Spectre, Black Mirror, Fleabag) as a suicide mission.

"Do me a favour, when you get shot, throw us the flare back. We need them."

This movie does not shy away from the gruesome nature of the Great War. The pair of soldiers, the naïve Blake and the more battle-hardened Schofield, face their worst nightmares; a particularly awful moment being Schofield stumbling and putting his hand inside a long dead soldier's insides.

We quite literally follow them, sometimes in first-person and occasionally branching out to show the horror that awaits in front of their eyes including an array of mutilated bodies, copious amounts of rats and later on, the burning city of Ecoust-Saint-Mein, the location for one of the more poignant scenes in an otherwise hideous backdrop.

The camera work makes this movie. Usually, the unsung heroes of Hollywood have been largely credited with their marvellous work here, and rightly so. As a viewer, you feel like you're travelling with them, sat on the edge of your seat amongst sniper fire and overhead aircraft. You're desperate for both of them to make it.

Two moments in this film however stood out for me. The first being at a pivotal point where Lance Corporal Blake meets a hugely sad end, stabbed to death off-screen by a German fighter pilot who crash landed near them as the two Brits tried to help him. This is made all the more painful by the fact Blake's brother is in the Batallion they are trying to stop.

Second of all came not much later as Schofield stumbles across another Batallion, one of whom has an Asian private, adding the much-needed reminder that soldiers of all races and creeds helped the British cause, even back in the early 20th century.

As viewers, we are immersed in the action but also alienated by the world, taking every step of this torturous journey with the pair, jumping at every explosion and gunshot. When the action takes a step back, you are lured into a false sense of security before the brutality kicks in again, providing a journey leaving you as breathless and exhausted as Schofield by the end.

There are also more noteworthy cameos from big names such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and Colin Firth providing excellent additions to a film already appraised by the big name award ceremonies. It has gained 10 Oscar nominations as I type this, including the coveted Best Picture.

If you're the squeamish type, take care in witnessing some of the more unspeakable scenes throughout this 8-mile journey, but it will be worth it to see MacKay's face as he realises he has reached his final destination. The ensuing sprint across the minefield - widely shown in trailers - is one of the most difficult yet inspiring pictures in recent history and will leave you aghast, especially as you already know it is a massive trap set by the Germans.

Sam Mendes - recently given a Knighthood - has to take a lot of the credit as well, meticulously planning every minute detail to the nth degree, resulting in what a must see for any film fan.

9/10.