Colonel Irrelevant

Apparently we love being taxed. This is something bad for all Americans. But actually, we put up with taxes because they are a reasonably efficient way of keeping things ticking over. Roads are repaired, schools operate, doctors are available and so on. Americans spend more time completing tax forms than is necessary on the off [...]

Apparently we are in trouble for adopting St George as our Patron Saint. Well, the English did. The Irish have Patrick, the Scots have Andrew and the Welsh have David but why make things complicated? Adopting a Saint from another country of birth is the next thing to have a pop at. St Andrew, Fisherman [...]

Recommended restaurant – Papparazzi in the old town. Quality Italian food for about twenty five pounds per head all in. Brilliant!

The Hymn ‘Jerusalem’ obviously irks Stevie G. Why isn’t clear, but he hasn’t done his homework again. 1) Blake wrote Jerusalem after a dream 2) the Glastonbury myth is related to Joseph of Arimathea and the child Jesus travelling to Glastonbury. It’s a myth. Like the WMD myth but more harmless? 3) It’s seldom sung [...]

Mr Clever Clogs asserts that England couldn’t have become The Evil Empire unless the Isles of Wales, Ireland and Scotland had been enslaved. Last time I looked, Scotland, Ireland and Wales all have islands, but are not, generally speaking Isles (except Ireland). But why let Geography get in the way of a good moan. Anyway, [...]

According to Grasse, the people of Brittany and Wales were practicing Druids long after the Middle East was basking in monotheism. He then makes the leap to declare that England was held in thrall to the Druid, who paid no taxes (of which more later). He declares that the Ancient Order of Druids survives to [...]

Mr Grasse decides to take his first attack at the English as apparently we ‘own’ the English Language. Of course, we as the English do own it. That’s why it’s called English. We make it, mold it and bend it to fit our needs. Too right. It’s alive, and we speak it and that’s good. [...]

I picked up a book called The Evil Empire by an American called Steven A. Grasse. No idea what the A stands for but it isn’t ‘authoritative’, ‘accurate’ or anything sensible like that, I bet. He’s written the book about ’101 ways that England Ruined The World’. The trouble is he’s often wrong, misguided, he’s [...]

… well, not as we usually think about it. 20/20 is like cricket on speed, with extra testosterone added for good measure. Wham, bam, thank you … er …. that’s where things fall down, But 3 games most days, quick as you like and with lots of runs, wickets and action. It’s possibly the most [...]

… at least in Hannover. There is strange music emitted from the drains in front of the Hauptbahnhof. Great idea if noise was the major environmental effect caused by drains however it does nothing to make them smell any better.