FA Cup Semi Final Kick-Off Times

Hopefully the kick-off times for the Merseyside FA Cup Semi final at Wembley will be in keeping with the precedent set over the past 4 years and be at a sensible time. Rumours abound that the Met will insist that the Everton V Liverpool semi final on Saturday the 14th kick off at 12:45.

This would make it incredibly tricky for reds and blues to get down there and one broken down train or car crash on the M6 could mean a half empty ground. The fact that it's a derby shouldn't make any difference. In previous years United V City was at 5pm in 2011, Arsenal V Chelsea in 2009 was at 17:15 so realistically it shouldn't be any different for Evertonians and Liverpudlians.

I know these matches present a tricky problem for the police but it shouldn't be one rule for us and one rule for the rest...hopefully I am blogging un-necessarily and it'll be a nice afternoon kick-off.

Sea Odyssey Giant Spectacular in Liverpool

Just viewing details of the latest event hitting the streets of Liverpool this year. Following in the footsteps of the La Machine giant spider which was brilliant they've recycled the giant girl from the Sultan's Elephant spectacular in London and are having her go on a tour of the city in commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking...should be good if the previous events are anything to go by

What's that coming over the hill? Is it the Scousers? Is it the Scousers?

I have to admit I'd genuinely thought our chance to get to Wembley had gone with the original tie but Everton we immense last night. So rare for us to just put a tie to bed in such a dominant maner.

Felt really sorry for David Vaughan but even 2-0 didn't reflect the way the game unfolded :

Hugely proud of the team and the 6000 people who made their way up to back the lads.

So now Wembley against our lovable neighbours...within minutes of the final whistle Everton have said that all season ticket holders are guaranteed a ticket so that is pretty good. Means we can book transport etc and get everything sorted for another Wembley trip. I know people say the days of the friendly derby are over but this could be a fantastic day for the city of Liverpool. Let's hope so.

Cruddas asks foreign businessmen for 250k for access to Cameron

Well that couldn't look any more damning could it. Disgusting is the word for it. The Conservative party treasurer (not some rogue underling or eager young loose cannon fundraiser) telling foreign businessmen, who aren't legally allowed to donate to uk political parties remember, to pay 250k for shady private dinners with David Cameron at 10 Downing Street. Vile, vile, vile party.

Think back to all those snidey jibes about Labour being in the pocket of the unions....well there you have it, the Conservatives are in the pocket of whichever shady businessman has the cash to buy favour.

Let's be clear union donations to the Labour party are from ordinary workers who each opt-in to paying a small donation. Never let the Tories forget this, it's there in black and white on the pages of the Sunday Times. Corruption and cash for access.

Off leafleting and am attired properly

Loving the Labour campaigning in Liverpool

The football season enters the home stretch

Interesting the see the opening salvos in the mind games between Man Utd and Man City...have to say first blood to United with Alex Ferguson easily dismissing Patrick Viera's comments about Paul Scholes' return being "desperation". Coming in the wake of Carlos Tevez being welcomed back like the prodigal son it was pretty much a "hoisted by your own petard" moment for City.

Cheap shots were thrown back the other way by Rio Ferdinand by saying that you see loads more City shirts around Manchester since they've had their new owners. City fans will be particularly sensitive to that as they've always seen themdelves as the hometown club with United as the fashionable glory-hunters accesory (much the way Evertonians try to paint liverpool).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/mobile/football/17488481

For Everton our season hinges on that cup replay against Sunderland...you suspect our chance has gone now after the annoyance of the original tie (two penalties waved away, hitting the woodwork, wonder saves from their keeper and a ref buying everything Sunderland did). If we do get through a tie against liverpool on the Hillsboro anniversary will be the superb event for the city.

Pray for Muamba

Interesting piece about the spontaneous outpouring of support for Fabrice Muamba and how it manifested itself as prayer

Prayer is natural for footballers

It seems the family are Christians and so regardless of the reasons and what people think of prayer and belief in general it seems to have been spot on. Listened to a very interesting In Our Time podcast on prayer a few weeks ago and they discussed how humans seem to be hard-wired to look to the Divine. I will link to it when I get a chance.

Regardless of all that the signs for Fabrice have been more positive than we could have ever hoped for when we were watching/listening to the events unfolding at Whitehart Lane. Hope he makes a full recovery and my prayers are with him and his family.

At Goodison Park to see an old friend, follow follow follow

Everton is the team to follow...and there's noboday better than Mikel Arteta, he's the best little Spaniard we know

Funny letter from the taxman. Inland Revenue gets sarcastic

This has been doing the rounds for a while but I thought I'd blog it if only just to have it on file.

  
Dear Mr  Xxxxxxx,

I am writing to you to express our thanks for your more than prompt reply to our latest communication, and also to answer some of the points you raise.  I will address them, as ever, in order.

Firstly, I must take issue with your description of our last as a "begging letter."  It  might perhaps more properly be referred to as a "tax demand."  This is how we at the Inland Revenue have always, for reasons of accuracy, traditionally referred to such documents.

Secondly, your frustration at our adding to the "endless stream of crapulent whining and panhandling vomited daily through the letterbox on to the doormat" has been noted.  However, whilst I have naturally not seen the other letters to which you refer, I would cautiously suggest that their being from "pauper councils, Lombardy pirate banking houses and pissant gas-mongerers" might indicate that your decision to "file them next to the toilet in case of emergencies" is at best a little ill-advised.  In common with my own organisation, it is unlikely that the senders of these letters do see you as a "lackwit bumpkin" or, come to that, a "sodding charity."  More likely they see you as a citizen of Great Britain, with a responsibility to contribute to the upkeep of the nation as a whole.

Which brings me to my next point.  Whilst there may be some spirit of truth in your assertion that the taxes you pay "go to shore up the canker-blighted, toppling folly that is the Public Services," a moment's rudimentary calculation ought to disabuse you of the notion that the government in any way expects you to "stump up for the whole damned party" yourself.  The estimates you provide for the Chancellor's disbursement of the funds levied by taxation, whilst colourful, are, in fairness, a little off the mark.  Less than you seem to imagine is spent on "junkets for Bunterish lickspittles" and "dancing whores" whilst far more than you have accounted for is allocated to, for example, "that box-ticking facade of a university system."

A couple of technical points arising from direct queries:

1. The reason we don't simply write "Muggins" on the envelope has to do with the vagaries of the postal system;

2. You can rest assured that "sucking the very marrow of those with nothing else to give" has never been considered as a practice because even if the Personal Allowance didn't render it irrelevant, the sheer medical logistics involved would make it financially unviable.

I trust this has helped.  In the meantime, whilst I would not in any way wish to influence your decision one way or the other, I ought to point out that even if you did choose to "give the whole foul jamboree up and go and live in India," you would still owe us the money.

Please send it to us by Friday.

Yours sincerely, 


X X Xxx
Customer Relations 
Inland Revenue  

Thoroughly depressing derby

Really thought Everton had a chance there tonight, can see why Moyes played the formation and team he did but really that is an opportunity lost. The Cup is one thing but you should never short-change a derby...it sends out a message to the other lot and leaves you there for the taking.

Depressed....hope it pays off on Saturday but I have to say all I can see tonight doing is stealing our momentum. Ah well, we'll see

Jupiter and Venus very close

Have been loving looking at these too shining together in the night sky recently....reckon if the moon has set and you lived somewhere very dark you could get a shadow from them they are that bright

Rebekah Brooks arrested along with her husband Charlie

The blogosphere is having a field day with Charlie Brooks column in the Telegraph today ahead of the Cheltenham Festival "The happiest moment of my year is about three hours before the first race at Cheltenham on Tuesday" says Charlie...unlucky Sir. He was arrested along with Rebekah Brooks as part of the corruption enquiry lead by Lord Leveson

The BBC have put together this useful chart of all the players in this sordid mess.

Media Corruption map

Nice to see David Cameron linked so prominently in there, thick as theives with Brooks and Coulson...terrible, terrible judgement or an arrogance that he can appoint/associate with whoever he like (Emma Harrison anyone?)

Football schadenfraude: "Jelly and ice cream when Rangers die"

Have to say an apology at the start of this one to any Rangers fans reading, not a piss take more just a saluting of the bonkers inventivness of the Celtic fans schadenfraude over the Rangers administration.

"We're having a party when Rangers die"

onto "Jelly and ice cream when Rangers die" and "pass the parcel when Rangers die" and then "Doing the conga when Rangers die" (presume "Musical statues when Rangers die" is there somewhere) then we have the slightly crazy "Doing the Huddle when Rangers die" and the truly bonkers "Passing wee Andy when Rangers die" and "Lateral movement when Rangers die".


We're doing the huddle when Rangers die


Lateral Movement when Rangers die


Pass the Parcel when Rangers die


We're doing the Conga when Rangers die


The Huns are going bust

Lansley refuses to publish the NHS reform Risk Register report.

This really is sinking to a new low in this whole sorry debacle. Now Andrew Lansley is refusing to comply with a court order to release the NHS Reform risk register report. If the bill is nothing to worry about and will benefit the service overall then why not comply with the Freedom of Information request and let us all see it. Pathetic the way he's handled this whole thing.

If he continues to blithely ignore the warnings of virtually every single person involved inthe National Health Service whilst trying to bury reports on his reform bill surely his position is untennable and his bill a write-off. It's actually getting pitiful now.

NHS risk register: Ministers lose Freedom of Information appeal

Ministers have been ordered to publish a risk assessment of the NHS shake-up under Freedom of Information laws.

The Department of Health had appealed against an FOI ruling that the transition risk register, requested by Labour MP John Healey, be published.

But it lost, despite civil servants' warnings that to publish confidential advice could have a "chilling effect".

Mr Healey said the ruling gave "strong legal support to a full and open debate" about NHS plans for England.

"The judgement backs the public's right to know about the risks the government is taking with its NHS plans," he said - accusing the government of having "dragged out" the process for 15 months.

Well done to Andy Burnham and John Healey for fighting tooth and nail on our behalf. Further shame on Quisling Clegg for his pathetic crocodile tears and posturing...you can't public voice concerns about a bill you've voted through parliament at every opportunity.

Yet another Liverpool sunset pic

Sorry if these are getting dull but I don't ever seem to tire of things like sunsets, sunrises, night skies etc.

Get home and rushed upstairs and caught this just as it faded....even as I type this it's gone

Andrew Lansley runs away from a protester

Not often I post a Daily Mail link but it seems to not being reported on the BBC

Lansley runs away from a protester



What on earth is this rotten bill still doing in parliament, it should be killed off right away. The entire country wants it scrapped. What's particularly galling is the likes of Clegg writing letters about how he doesn't like it....after voting for it at every opportunity.

Liverpool bids farewell to HMS Liverpool

Popped down to the pier head to see HMS Liverpool on it's final visit to it's home city. Heck of a lot of people were doing the same. Nice to see

Good win for Waterloo at the rugby today

Nice afternoon at Blundellsands today watching Waterloo rugby Club get a bonus point win against Altrincham Kersal. Pity Everton couldn't beat QPR to really make our day

We are Evertonians...

Got this through this morning, season tickets have gone up a bit but am pretty pleased to see that kids pay the equivelant of £5 a game and it's around £10 for under 17s.

We are Evertonians, we go the game, that's what we do