The JaYmes Escape

It’s fascinating to be staying in a country and watching the British media covering a domestic news event. Contrary to the picture painted by the BBC Sydney isn’t overrun by swarms of racist thugs. If you’re really interested in what happened have a look at the Sydney Morning Herald for a more balanced picture.

Pictures of paintballing, the Hawkesbury River, and various other madness now online.

One of the most disturbing things I’ve seen in recent days is the political reaction to the London bombings from outside the UK, and particularly from west of the Atlantic. For some seem to be reacting with the sort of secret smug glee you might feel when your disliked neighbour’s house gets burgled instead of yours. On America’s Fox News an anchorman declared that it ‘works to our advantage, in the Western world’s advantage‘, the implication being something along the lines of ‘maybe those inconsiderate Brits will understand now’.

Meanwhile our old and beloved friend George W Bush is Read the rest of this entry »

No need to say that I feel very uncomfortable about yesterday’s events in London. Edgware Road station is particularly close to home for me, having worked in that vicinity for over six years. My thoughts are most definitely with my former colleagues at UBC who are undoubtedly feeling very close to this.

Still, very important to keep a sense of proportion. It is of course a tragedy for those directly involved but it could have been a whole lot worse, and London has experienced many disasters in recent years. The death toll doesn’t seem that far removed from the Paddington rail crash, for example, and terrorism is nothing new to Londoners either.

If I was still there today I would be determined to take a deep breath and carry on living my life as before. There is no reason to let a wimpy little bomb attack change things, and anything it does change is a success for the perpetrators. Stay away from the media frenzy and keep it real. Life must (and will) go on.

1) We already have Schengen, Euro and EEA areas separate from the EU. Why not have a seperate CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) area so Britain can get out of it and stop subsidising farmers for producing overpriced food? We can then keep low-cost airlines, major sporting events on free TV, the right to travel/live/work anywhere across the continent and everything else that’s good about Europe.

2) There’s nothing wrong with a simple ID card, other than pointlessness. But Tony Blair’s plans are not for a simple ID card, they’re for a big computer database that contains all your personal information. What if it gets hacked or infected with a virus? And anyone who says “If you’ve nothing to hide..” might as well install a webcam in their bathroom and send the Labour party the address with the message “I’ll trust you not to watch it (unless I’m a terrorist)”.

3) It’s a good idea to stop shameless profiteering by people who purchase pieces of paper and sell then on at an immense profit. I’m sure we can all survive without the stock market.

4) The Lions beat Wellington 23-6 in front of a largely hostile, booing, mainly-Kiwi crowd. The commentators on local TV described the Lions’ performance as ‘uninspiring’. Maybe both teams could have had a bit more ‘conviction’ but it’s funny how sport becomes ‘uninspiring’ when your team loses isn’t it?

5) I’m still in Auckland. It’s stopped raining all the time.

Not wanting this to become a rugby-dominated site I’d like to leave the national obsession, and last night’s game until later. I’d like to talk about where I’ve travelled to this week and the things I’ve seen; unfortunately the daily trip across town and the inside of an office aren’t that exciting.

So the Lions lost to NZ Maori; and on friday the All Blacks defeated Fiji a staggering 91-0. The Lions are putting a brave face on it, but it looks like the spirit of the Sydney world cup is all but dead. Still, New Zealand is home to the world’s best rugby players, even outside the mighty All Blacks. New Zealand teams have won the Super 12 competition more years than not. The Lions are just warming up; they haven’t even wheeled out Jonny Wilkinson yet. All is not lost.