CHAPEL END CHARLIE

I was more than a little impressed with episode 1 of 'The Driver' shown on BBC1 last night. David Morrissey plays 'Vince' a 40 something Mancunian mini cab driver living on the verge of a mid-life crisis. He hates driving his crappy old cab and dealing with the low pay, long hours and stress that come with that job. His relationships with his wife and children are equally difficult, indeed it looks like he's heading for a divorce or even mental a breakdown perhaps. Then out of the blue a old mate of his turns up. This friend is just out of prison after serving a long sentence for armed robbery and suddenly the prospect of escaping from this miserable existence he is trapped in and feeling truly alive once again is there before him. But swapping a mini cab for a stolen BMW getaway car is going to drive Vince into the fast lane of life, so this driver soon has to ask himself just how far does he want to go? I for one will be watching over the next two weeks to find out.

This is a good point Mr Malvo. Another good point would be that man in your profession should never underestimate the wrath of a irate postman ...

Point of order! If Tadic is MOTM by a 'clear mile' then Mane can't be all that close in second place can he.

I rather concentrate on another ex manager of ours - Nigel Pearson - who seems to have made a excellent start to his (latest) Premiership career. Okay he's had more than his fair share of 'ups and downs' over the years, but I for one always thought he was a goodun and I'm delighted to see him doing so well. I sometimes wonder what would have happened to this club had Rupert not decided to get rid of him for reasons that made no bloody sense at all to this fan ...

The nightmare scenario is that the Scottish Labour vote collapses at next years General Election and SNP is swept into power with a clear majority of the vote. Then the EU membership referendum promised by the Conservatives during the next Parliament leads to the UK withdrawing from the EU. This in turn leads to the SNP (based on their new mandate) announcing that this decision is unacceptable to the Scottish people and they declare independence unilaterally from the UK there and then. I must stress that I don't see that happening thankfully, but just suppose it did what a proper sh1tstorm we would be in ...

As a rule I don't much like Aussie sportsmen because they're a cocky bunch from a cocky nation and that can soon get on your nerves. But try as I might I just can't find anything objectionable about Daniel Ricciardo. How often do you see F1 drivers being interviewed and they come across as super serious young men with little time for abstract concepts such as enjoying their lives or comprehending just how exceptionally well life has treated them? But I can't remember seeing this driver interviewed without seeing a huge smile on his face, a smile that leaves you with the distinct impression that not only is he having the time of his young life - but that Daniel is also quite wise enough to know it. Add in the fact that he's driving rings around Sebastian Vettal - a x4 Formula One champion - and it all adds up to a remarkable story. They do say that: 'nice guys don't win' and looking back on some F1 champions I can quite believe it. However I suspect that Daniel may well prove to be a exception to that rule because methinks we are looking at a future F1 champion in the making. So super talented, wise beyond his years, and the type of naturally likeable lad that any man would be proud to call his son ... perhaps I am starting to dislike him afterall.

Labour seem to be attempting to sidestep the prospect of a (Tory dominated) English Parliament by promoting the idea of devolving more power to the English regions. The problem with that idea is that these regional groupings they propose don't really exist in the hearts and minds of the English people in anything like same way that genuine historic nations, such as Wales or Scotland, do to their people. Say for instance in this part of the UK we drew a arbitrary line on the map and called it 'Wessex' for want of a better name. The Westminster establishment then devolved some relatively minor powers to this administrative area and held elections to decide who should govern it. History always interests me, but I'm pretty damn sure than King Alfred and the Anglo-Saxons are not subjects that resonate much with the common people of southern England anymore. Indeed, I dare say that if you asked the man in the street what 'Wessex' was he'd probably answer that it is the name of a utility company. This invented thing our politicians have created wouldn't be seen as a real nation that we southerners can identify with, but merely yet another level of unwanted local government - and let's face it the English people care so little about their local politics that comparatively few of us even bother voting in council elections anymore. No, we cannot fudge this issue and I say the English nation will have to have its own Parliament just like Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland now have. Within the constraints of our EU membership democracy demands that what is distinctly English legislation must be determined by English MP's elected by the English people. If the Labour party don't much like that idea then perhaps they'd do well to concentrate on convincing the people why we should trust them with our economy again ... or even deciding to choose the right brother to lead them next time.

I saw a documentary this week on More 4 called: Great Pyramid: Treasures Decoded. The first 45 minutes dealt with the recent discovery of a papyrus written by someone who had actually worked on Khufu's magnificent Great Pyramid at Giza - for 3800 years quite the tallest structure constructed by mankind. A papyrus of this great antiquity is a spectacularly rare find of course so this part of the programme was interesting enough for sure, but truth be told perhaps just a tad dull. The final segment however did come up with something that really grabed my attention. Imagine the inside of the Great Pyramid if you will and I expect that you like me have assumed that it is a (virtually) solid constructed made of the same stone blocks that can still be seen today on all its external surfaces. Indeed this is the accepted archaeological view of how this pyramid is built - but what if that is wrong? The programme found a experienced structural engineer who has come up with a theory that claims that no builder would actually go to all the trouble and expense of building such a vast construction out of solid stone blocks. What they would actually would have done (he claims) is make the outer layers of good stone blocks, and then fill the inside of the pyramid with all the rubble and sand this huge stone carving process would have generated. To support this theory he has shown that at least one of the (much smaller) 'Queens Pyramids' that border Khufu's massive monument is apparently built in exactly this way. It is also calculated that to build the Great Pyramid as a solid stone block structure in the time available would have required the workforce to manhandle and carefully position (up huge ramps for which there is no evidence) a heavy stone block every few minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for over 20 years. How plausible is that? Please remember that this theory is rejected by some noted Egyptolgists and could well be complete bunkum for all I know - as many others like it have been in the past. Nevertheless it is a intriguing idea that deserves further study I think.

Well the Scottish people have spoken and they've said 'no' - and by a margin that was much more decisive that the final opinion poll's suggested. Although I'm more than a little disappointed to see quite so many Scots voting to break up this 300 year old union of ours I am pleased to see Alex Salmond accepting the result in good grace - he's a truly dangerous man but I don't think he's the villain some depict him to be. I can only hope that calls for another referendum on this same subject don't reappear for many decades to come because this nation needs to rediscover some sense of stability. Why were the poll's significantly wrong? I think the aggressive assertion of Scots nationalism by the 'yes' camp intimidated many union supporters into silence. Pollsters might also need to reconsider the value of asking a 1000 people what they think and drawing broader conclusions based on a number quite that small. Although poor old Alistair Darling did the leg work, much of the credit for this result will go to Gordon Brown. Okay he's not a popular politician in England of course, but his last minute injection of some much needed energy and passion into the faltering 'Better Together' campaign may have made a important difference. The Prime Minister also made an impressively statesmanlike contribution I think - indeed I'll bet a whole English £1 he will win next year's general election. So the union endures then, a little bruised and battered perhaps, but still very much alive. Attention will soon turn to England and the notorious 'West Lothian' question ... and the answer to that nice little problem will have more profound consequences on these islands than anything we've seen today.

Yeah shipmate that's actually what I meant ... You must me a big hit at the MENSA meetings.

I suppose I could care less who you happen to vote for but I can't quite imagine how at the moment. As for your manifest failure to grasp the big issues here ... well to put it in terms you might comprehend you appear to be displaying all the tell-tell signs of some pretty 'dense' behaviour yourself.

Oh do calm down Susan. As it happens I was not necessarily referring to you. But do some on the (extreme) left covertly hate this nation and all that it stands for? Well methinks the relish some are showing at the prospect of the demise of the UK indicates that more than a few probably do.

Those rubbing their hands at the prospect of a 'Yes' vote damaging a Tory Prime Minister they don't happen to much like will do well to remember that David Cameron is what the great Robin Day once described as a: 'here today, gone tomorrow' politician. PM's come and like Southampton managers. The big picture is that Scottish independence will almost certainly shift the balance of political power in England to the right - perhaps significantly. So my lefty mates - if you want to see your political philosophy prosper again south of the border then you better swallow you pride and get behind Dave and the union you secretly despise so - and if that sticks in your craw then console yourself with the thought that you'd actually be on the right side of a argument for once.

Interesting to see that tonight's 'Scotland Decides' debate on the BBC is between Alex Salmond and Gordon Brown - not Alistair Darling you will note. As I asked for Gordon Brown to (de facto) take over the 'Better Together' leadership I wholeheartedly approve of course, but this is a sure sign of just how important it is that Labour voters are won round to the cause of the union in these last few days of the campaign. Indeed it may not be too strong to say that the future of the union may depend upon this.

I kind of agree with this - even should the 'No' side win on Thursday in the wake of all this damaging division it remains to be seen whether the UK can ever be made quite the same relatively harmonious nation it was again. Should the 'Yes' camp win then the UK (as we know it) is dead. But with Scots opinion split right down the middle whoever wins the result will I think leave of residue of bitterness behind it that will likely lead to calls for yet another referendum to be held before very long - indeed I suspect the separatists will agitate for more vote's until they eventually get the result they are looking for. It would probably have been better if this damn referendum had never been held in the first place - perhaps had Westminster offered the degree of enhanced devolution to Scotland that is now on the table we could have avoided this mess. Better still a root and branch reform of the constitution - with a separate national parliament for England being established to work alongside and with the existing Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland versions under some kind of 'Federal' Westminster administration might have produced a satisfactory answer to the notorious 'West Lothian' question at long last - at a cost of even more bureaucracy and administrative expense course. However as far as I can see there was/is little apatite for that in England, but that is a 'bullet' we are probable going to have to 'bite' one day if we want to create a truly stable and harmonious union again on these islands of ours.

V funny You are to 'balanced perspectives' what Jack the Ripper is to women's rights ...

This is a interesting point I think - what possible right does anybody have to strip you of the citizenship you were born with? I suppose that 'democracy' is the answer, but somehow that doesn't quite seem right does it. Perhaps some kind of joint citizenship arrangement might be possible for people born in pre independence Scotland who wished to retain their UK citizenship. But this is just one example of the 1001 problems a 'yes' vote will entail. If it's any consolation - which I doubt - the people of Scotland will always be 'British' regardless of the outcome of this referendum because Scotland (and Ireland too for that matter) are of course a irremovable part of the British Isles in the geographical sense. It seems to me that the SNP's expressed desire to rid Scotland of one union - the UK - only to then seek immediate admittance to another - the EU - really doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense when you think about it. In effect one of the first acts of a new Scottish Government would be to give away much of the independence they have just fought so hard for! But who ever said that politics are supposed to make sense ... History shows all too clearly just how disastrously things can go on these islands when we fail to resolve our differences harmoniously. With that in mind I can see that if the UK does break up post Scottish independence - and that will be a sad day I think - then something will have to be put in place to replace the many vital functions it performs. It could all be arranged in Brussels I suppose, but perhaps the already established BIC (British-Irish Council) may one day develop into something more substantial than the veritable 'talking shop' that it is today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British%E2%80%93Irish_Council

Early days so far this season of course, but not too early I think to congratulate Ronald Koeman who he has achieved the difficult task of melding a hastily assembled group of players into what promises to be a team that is perfectly capable of competing effectively in the upper reaches of this division. Okay we have spent a lot of money to be fair, but even so this is a remarkable achievement for a manager who is himself new to the rigours of the Premier League. I must add here that my prediction that we might struggle at the start of this season looks well wide of the mark tonight. But as a Saints fan I'm more than happy to have been proved wrong and the only mitigation I can offer for my foolishness is that many years of supporting this club has inbred a level of pessimism into this fan that he finds hard to shift. As for today's match I can't remember the last time Newcastle did anything much at St Mary's, but even so I thought we blew them away with what may have looked like contemptuous ease but was actually the just reward for a bloody magnificent effort put in from every player in a red & white shirt. Even on the rare occasions when we allowed NUFC a brief glimpse of our goal Fraser Forster was well capable of snuffing out any danger - I think in Boruc and Forster we now have a pair of keepers to match any other in this division. The only little worry I have left is that perhaps Newcastle are a 'soft touch' at the moment and hence make us look a bit better than we really are - time will tell I suppose. Today was a rare treat for me and littleun because circumstances dictate that I just can't afford to come to every match anymore - how I envy you lot that can because this season could be yet another special one.

With the result too close to call I was going to say that Scottish independence would be a disaster for the peoples of these islands. But perhaps that's too strong because when you think about it whatever the referendum result life will probably continue much as it had before for millions of ordinary people on both sides of the new/old border. So a highly regrettable development then (in my opinion) but this utterly unnecessary 'divorce' we are contemplating may well rank as a essentially 'second rate' affair in the grand scheme of things. But if we do end up in this constitutional mess then the blame must surely lay with our ruling political class who for far too long have complacently assumed a 'No' campaign victory based on nothing more than early poll results and a arrogant disregard for Alec Salmond and the coalition of the dissatisfied, the dispossessed and traditional Scots anglophobe's he has amassed. The danger signs have been there all along but our leaders were preoccupied with other matters and thus blind to them. Alistair Darling has done his best, but let's face it he's a lightweight when a issue of this importance surely deserved a true political bruiser to front it - such as Gordon Brown perhaps. Even allowing the SNP to dictate the form the question should take was a elemental mistake - if the question had instead been phrased: 'Do you agree that Scotland should remain a part of the United Kingdom?' then unionists would have held the advantage of appearing to be positive and asking for a 'yes' instead of a 'no'. In a vote looking this tight that seeming minor matter may make a key difference. And the tactical mistakes just keep on coming. The Scottish people may well be as capable of error as anyone else is, but they ain't stupid. So Westminster coercing a bunch of (widely despised) bankers into coming out at the last minute and threatening to move their corporate headquarters looks just like the crude attempted blackmail that it surely is. In my experience people don't much like being blackmailed. As for the idea that the price of bread will skyrocket next week if the SNP get their way ... well that is just risible. I say the Prime Minister struck exactly the right note earlier on this week in his 'effing tories' speech. Abandoning that appeal to Scottish reason, and to Scottish hearts, and returning to the 'strong arm' tactics of before may well prove to be the final nail in the coffin of this old union - a old nation that many of us still happen to think is worth something in this world.

In a 'no' campaign far too dominated by narrow practical objections to Scottish independence I thought David Cameron's speech yesterday focusing instead on the emotional case for retaining the union was borderline brilliant. He's no Churchill of course, but Cameron can be a pretty decent orator when he puts his mind to it. That 'effing tories' speech - a speech directed at people who would never vote for his party in a month of Sunday's - was I think by far his finest moment in office. You can argue about money and technicalities all day long and not come to any definitive conclusion, but by comparing this vote to a bitter divorce and reminding the Scots what truly remarkable things we in the United Kingdom ("this family of nations") have achieved together the Prime Minister - at long last - has provided unionists with a readily understandable counter to the obvious 'Braveheart' style call of Scottish history. Dangerously late in the day alas, but it seems to me that only by appealing to both the head and the heart of the Scottish electorate might supporters of the union take some of the wind out of the SNP's all too full sails. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtpj_skOBuY

Well I say anyone who can stick Benicio del Toro's head down a p1ssed filled toilet and get away with it can't be all bad.

Interesting - If I recall correctly Kosminski was one of the original Ripper suspects mentioned in the McNaughton memorandum. DNA evidence needs to be preserved in sterile conditions in order to maintain its evidential integrity of course, so I'd want to see more evidence re the history of this garment and how it has been stored before going so far as to claim the case has been closed. In truth it will almost certainly never be solved - and that is the key to its interest of course. There'll be yet another book in this for somebody, but I remember just how exciting James Maybrick and the so called Ripper 'diary' was, so caution is the order of the day here.

To put it into perspective I remember a few years ago seeing some of our players challenged to hit a dead ball - into a open goal - from the half way line. Some came close but if I recall correctly none of these professional footballers could actually manage to do that. An easy enough task you would have thought when compared to some of the stunts shown on here I'd love to know how many attempts it takes Remi to get these 'trickshots' right - quite a few I guess - but however many it is his ability to control of a football is phenomenal. Indeed, I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it.

Two years after Art got there I too have been introduced to the remarkable M Gaillard by my Godchildren - if you have never seen him before he really is something special.

Just two episodes in, so I may be running the risk of 'going to early' here, but I must say I've been rather impressed with the start Peter Capaldi has made to his Doctor Who career. When I heard that the new Doctor was to be played in more morally ambiguous and less sympathetic manner, with none of the mild sexual overtones vis a vis his young female companion that all three of his immediate predecessors have displayed, I was more than a little concerned that we may be in for a repeat of Colin Bakers awkward 6th Doctor - and those on here old enough to remember will confirm that he was not exactly a easy Doctor to like. But I need not have worried because returning to a 'older' Doctor has (ironically) breathed new life into a series that was in danger of starting to lose steam. Only time (naturally) will tell, but Calpaldi brings to my mind Tom Baker's brilliantly eccentric and unpredictable 4th Doctor. I'll even hazard a guess that he may eventually prove to be the best Doctor the series has had since Christopher Eccleston's (all too brief) reign in the TARDIS. As for the programmes, the scripts are again outstanding, the special effects perfectly adequate I think, and the new Doctor has benefited from comprehensible story lines so far. Methinks that perhaps Steven Moffat may even have reigned in his notoriously over active imagination a tad - not before time. As for essential companion role, let's face it Jenna Coleman is not only perfectly cast, she is also pretty easy on the eye too. I must admit however that I do miss the simpler - much more child focused - Doctor Who I remember so fondly from my own childhood. But the modern series is what it is I suppose and perhaps contemporary audiences now demand this level of wit and sophistication from their Saturday evening TV. Having said that, I'm not entirely convinced that talk of Doctor Who dominates the playground like it once did in the not so distant past.