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Meta
Author Archives: Jimmy Burns
What politics do we want
TV Politics Funny how easily the media and, seemingly, the general public -if opinion polls are indicative- can be swayed from one day to the next. Not so long ago the three major parties were publishing their manifestos each with a variation on devolving power to the people, candidates and their supporters were knocking on doors – some followed by TV cameras, but a majority not. Any mention by Cameron of his ‘Big Society’ vision was notable by its absence from thursday’s TV debate, let us not forget. Suddenly there …
Pigs over Battersea
Pigs Fly in Battersea I know that I am not the only Battersea resident somewhat baffled by David Cameron’s choice of Battersea Power Station to launch his manifesto. The location over the years has come to symbolize wasted opportunity and broken promises. Who can forget the photo of Margaret Thatcher in her heyday as prime-minister celebrating the ‘launch’ of the power station redevelopment under John Broome who later repatriated to Cairo after his business had gone bust. Since then other developers have come and gone, and the site is still …
Gloves off at the Bernabeu
Real Madrid 0 FC Barcelona 2 It may not have been a classic, but it was nonetheless edge of the seat stuff. Gabi Millito’s collapse towards the end personified the toughness of the battle. (Dear Carlos-it’s not all beautiful football!) Some enduring images: Florentino Perez looking increasingly uncomfortable in his presidential box Cristiano Ronaldo looking increasingy uncomfortable on the pitch Messi’s cheeky smile after scoring another goal Pedro fighting back to win the ball. Pedro scoring the second goal. An emerging talent , one of Pep Guardiola’s young boys. Meanwhile …
Campaign diary: An early round
Campaign diary: An early round Woke up just after five am today and caught the early morning chorus, of the benign chattering class: a true symphony of bird song. Such divine presence would lift the heart of any potential voter! Five hours later I find the local Labour party campaign office in surprising upbeat mood. No shortage of volunteers of every race , creed, and age . I heard suggested that the glossy, extremely well-funded leaflet campaign of Tory candidate Jane Ellison has stimulated a response with contributions for Martin Linton’s …
Messi The Child
Messi the Child For me there are two enduring images from the Nou Camp last night. Lionel Messi returning from one of his goals, smiling and shaking his head from side to side and Lionel Messi, when the game was over, clutching the ball in his hands, another huge smile on his face, while surrounded by his similarly joyful team mates. Pace, strength, control, vision all contributed to Messi’s four goals, but so did the spirit of this little big man who plays his best football when he enjoys it, …
A noble game
Next to a felled British hero, there is nothing quite like a great British escape. Arsenal was comprehensively outclassed by Barca for the whole of the first half and much of the second, and yet managed to force an equaliser with one penalty that most of Catalonia believed a major miscarriage of justice. Sitting where I was behind the Arsenal goal, it was impossible to tell, and the replays on the giant screen at the Emirates stadium didn’t help. Was it merely coincidental that all they showed was Cesc Fabregas …
Dogs at Play
So poor Diego has been bitten by his dog. Reading this morning’s Sun frontpage headline ‘Hand of God’ brought back memories of the Falklands War and that infamous ‘GOTCHA’, the day when the Argentine battleship Belgrano went down, with hundreds of young conscripts on board, after being torpedoed by a British submarine. Today’s Sun story had an element of cruel jingoistic reprise, but lacked the killer punch. The dog in question was an oriental Shar Pei not an English Bulldog. And yet Sun readers were still given a study in …
Football is a noble game –or isn’t it?
So what do you get in football for £240m? You get a group of individuals playing for themselves rather than each other, who disintegrate when resisted by more humble teams with a basic sense of solidarity, and a stadium abandoned by a mercenary fan base who can only too clearly see when they have a got bad deal. That was the sad story of the Real Madrid players on Wednesday night as they tumbled out of the Champions League at the Bernabeu stadium having fallen to the magnificent Lyon musketeers. …
Feature Article THE TABLET
Latest issue: 6 March 2010 Is the sun setting on the Spanish Church? Catholicism in Spain Jimmy Burns It was announced this week that the Pope will visit Spain in November. The news comes during a tense phase in Church-State relations after the Spanish Senate approved a new abortion law on 25 February. It is the latest round in a battle that the secularising government seems to be winning Last year an estimated one million people demonstrated in Madrid when the proposals to liberalise the abortion law became public. Now …
Jimmy Burns interviews actress Katie Darling
Published in Friends of Battersea Park review April 2010 Katie Darling swoops into Il Molino bang on the appointed time of 2.45 pm, dressed in a stunning scarlet red trouser suit and boots. Ordering her umpteenth coffee of the day in a loud clear voice, she settles down easily to conversation, clearly warming to the relaxed atmosphere of Battersea’s a la mode cafe, a popular gathering place for people with time on their hands and tales to tell. Together with her husband, three children, and two dogs-the not so young Pluto (White Labrador) and …