Christopher John Myers

First British motorcycle grand prix podium in 12 years - Britain 's Cal Crutchlow finished third in Sunday’s Czech grand round in a race that featured a sensational last lap, last corner victory for Dani Pedrosa over title rival Jorge Lorenzo. Now Super Cal’s fifth in the world standings. Pedrosa's third victory of the season for Honda cut Lorenzo's lead at the top of the standings to 13 points. bbc.co.uk

Sorry 'bout this, but I just had a flashback to 1958 (or so) when I first heard this and found it hilarious ... Ode to a Robin As I awoke one morning I heard a robin trill A sound so bright and cheery Upon my window sill What merry bursts of melody This tiny creature chirped A sound to ease the tragedies Of life’s unending work As I listened silently A thought then crossed my mind What kind of world would this world be Without that voice divine? With merry notes piercing my brain My thoughts from sleep still dull I gently lowered the windowpane And crushed his little skull

Phew.   We can all sleep soundly in our beds - Croydon Council's Chief Executive, Jon Rouse says there won’t be any riots this year, which reprise last year’s devastation. A few days ago he told the meeting of businessmen and women, organised by Croydon Business Improvement District (BID), that a ‘business as usual’ approach would be a deterrent to ‘any idiots who think they can take advantage of the anniversary’. This is how his words were reported by Croydon Advertiser Unfortunately this complacent view is not shared by the people who know - local businesses. Carl Nielsen, whose music shop was burnt out in last year’s riots, and has since been refurbished, says the root causes remain and unless they are tackled it will happen again. He told the Daily Telegraph , “I think at some point it will kick off again. I see it in the streets with the unemployment rate around here and the kids [who] have got no jobs.” Meanwhile Jon Rouse says that there will be no repeat of the ...

Croydon is one of ten problem areas singled out for a £10,000 government grant to ‘test innovative ideas that will help reduce problem drinking and related antisocial behaviour, improve how communities work together and make real changes to their area.’ But it’s another of these so-called ‘partnership’ ideas that are a) nothing of the kind and b) doomed to fail.   Worse, the fuzzy idea of local police, community activists, local authorities and retailers getting together to tackle the problem is described as ‘grassroots.’   You just know, don’t you, that jargon like this describes pie in the sky? I predict a few meetings, a clutch of platitudinous leaflets and some cash in a few people’s pockets … but no real difference. £10k is Mickey Mouse money and just a distraction from the cuts in police numbers.   This is where more cash is needed – more cops, more prosecutions and more video evidence.   We’ve had loads of ‘campaigns’ – they don’t work. Poor Baron...

Ecuador 's president Rafael Correa professes outrage at Britain for threatening to enter his country’s embassy in London where the self-important Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is holed up hiding from extradition to Sweden to answer rape and sexual assault accusations.   But – wait a minute – who the hell is Signor Correa to be lecturing us? Correa, much like Life President Putin, has grabbed powers over the judiciary and introduced a new criminal offence of criticising his government. One recent victim of this power grab is Journalist Emilio Palacio, of the Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo , who was sentenced to three years in jail for ‘criminal defamation’ of Correa’s government on 20 July 20, 2011. Some grubby human rights record! Human Rights Watch says of Ecuador – “Corruption, inefficiency, and political influence have plagued the Ecuadorian judiciary for many years. In a referendum held in 2011, President Rafael Correa obtained a popular mandate for co...

Don’t you love dreaming up with translations of British epithets?   I do and so, I see,  does Boris Johnson.     Today he writes about the French President and the London 2012 Olympics: “ It isn’t so long ago that French leader François Hollande was over here, gloating about how France was beating us hollow. Well, M le Président, mettez-ça dans votre pipe et fumez-le! Bien je jamais, eh!” To which I’d like to add: Ne recevez pas vos culottes dans une torsion; Vous avez trouvé des idées ci-dessus votre gare; and Rentrer à votre maison avec votre queue entre les jambes Vive la difference! Read Boris’ full piece here: www.telegraph.co.uk