‘Spin Spin Sugar’: terror arrests & household sweeteners

In a story that smacks of the same absurdity as the Brass Eye episode about ‘cake’ (for those unaware of ‘cake’ click here to read more), The Sun newspaper is reporting that anti-terror police have confiscated ’sugar’ from the houses of those arrested in the terror raids last week.

Under the headline, “Terror plot cops find ‘bomb part’ “, The Sun reports that:

COPS searching the homes of 11 terror suspects have seized bags of sugar — a common ingredient in home-made bombs.

Anti-Social Housing: ‘Right to Buy’ and Thatcher’s Legacy

Radio 4’s ‘Analysis: Anti-Social housing’ broadcast on Thursday 26th February 2009 explored the role, function and challenges facing the provision of social housing in today’s Britain. Much of the focus was on the Aylesbury council estate in Walworth, south London where Tony Blair, when Labour came to power in 1997, pledged to defeat poverty and social exclusion (a slide show of images from the Aylesbury Estate can be viewed here).

Central to this was the research undertaken by Tamsie Thomson from the Royal Institute of British Architects who has made an in depth study of the estate:

This estate was built in the mid 1960s in response to acute housing need and it had some of the most dilapidated housing in London. It was the densest ward in the densest borough in the densest city in England.

Cockney Reject: Celebrating 19 Years in the West Midlands

This weekend marks the 19th anniversary of my relocation to the West Midlands: first arriving in Stourbridge on the first weekend of January 1990.

How things have changed..!!??

Since 1990 I’ve had three children, got married (and subsequently divorced), had various jobs (from working in a UCI Cinema through stockbroking for Charles Schwab to co-authoring a report for the European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia), completed a degree at the University of Wolverhampton followed by the successful completion of my PhD at the University of Birmingham. Between these I’ve had many trials and tribulations that are not the sort of thing that need to be repeated here…!!!

But two things that haven’t changed: the first that I still identify myself as a Londoner (more precisely, as someone from Bermondsey); the second, that I haven’t lost my (strong) Cockney accent.

Why is this…?

This Week I’ve…(1st December 2008)

This week I’ve…

…watched some film trailers that Nixon has composed the music for (aka Scott Nixon – spent the weekend with him, his wife and little girl)

…listened to Morrissey’s “National Front Disco” and “We’ll Let You Know” (from “Your Arsenal!)

…read Rennie Sparks’ “Evil” (Rennie Sparks is one half of The Handsome Family)

…laughed at how those who are driven by greed have suddenly seen that same greed come back and bite them on the arse…!!!

…despaired at saying the wrong thing at the wrong time…sorry

…had hope about London – I want to move back there !!!

…been completely random about the last of the international playboys (Morrissey) being a Millwall supporter – random in the extreme !!!

Morrissey: The Last of the Millwall Mobster International Playboys

The Times has published a list of what it describes as the ‘50 Worst Famous Football Fans‘. From those celebrity fans who have drowned near fortunes into their beloved club – Elton John at Watford, Delia Smith at Norwich (“let’s be having you…!”) – to those that you just wouldn’t want – Timmy Mallet at Oxford United, Michael Jackson at Exeter City – the list is an entertaining and highly amusing read.

What caught my eye the most was the inclusion of what must surely be my beloved Millwall’s most famous and most unlikely ‘fan’. Whilst I’ve always been aware that Millwall has had ‘celebrity’ fans – from the glorious Des O’Connor through less than glorious Danny Baker to the imminently glorious, David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye – the list stated that Bermondsey’s finest was most recently being courted by none other than Morrissey. At number 48 on the list, The Times wrote:

Maladjusted, miserable former lead singer of The Smiths who has started swanning about Los Angeles in a Millwall top. Viva Hate.