My week (31 May 2021)

Blue is the colour

Contrary to any impression I gave prior to the Big Cup final last Saturday, by kick off time I was in my usual armchair bubbling with apathy. I mean, how do you set about enjoying a match in which you want both teams to lose? In the end, I plumped for the team I dislike the least, which was Chelsea, although their supporters did little to encourage me to get more emotionally involved by booing players when they took the knee. In Kante, Chelsea had the best player on the pitch and, in the eyes of this virtual neutral the best team won in a relative canter.

One thing is for sure now, though, and that’s the certainty that both clubs will now spend large fortunes on new players this summer in order to ensure they monopolise the tournaments in which they play. How fortunate we are that the European Super League plans failed to come to fruition and it’s not just the super rich clubs who get to win pretty well everything.

Nice day for a white wedding

Marvellous news that Alex ‘Boris’ Johnson was able to marry his latest wife, Carrie, in Westminster Cathedral, the ‘mother’ church of the Roman Catholic church in England. With two divorces already behind him, one must assume the church has abandoned its policy of not recognising divorce and indeed now welcomes philandering, adulterous liars and charlatans inside their buildings, too. I am sure same-sex Catholic couples will soon be allowed to wed if God doesn’t hate them anymore, like he no longer hates divorcees.

Indian variants coming over here

It has been truly lovely to meet up with and hug family members and friends again because obviously none of us have done any meeting up and hugging since March last year. Actually, big respect to those of you who have been following government rules when even government officials haven’t been. However, the inevitable variants of Covid-19 seem likely to at least delay and even possibly bugger up any further easing of restrictions.

Our overseas jaunt to Spain in three weeks time has been cancelled by easyJet and I note that some countries, like France and Germany, are announcing they no longer want visitors from Britain because the far more transmissible Indian variant, which is becoming our main variant, isn’t something they want in their countries.

Fingers crossed that the end of lockdown won’t be delayed for too much longer but the increasing infection numbers are likely to see that happening.

Fuelling the debate

The price of unleaded petrol has now reached 129p a litre which will no doubt be music to the ears of the Green Party who made some spectacular gains in Bristol in the recent council elections. At least the Greens haven’t done quite so well in national elections which in terms of fuel prices is a good thing. Only a year ago, they were calling for an increase in fuel duty of 25p a litre. You don’t need me to tell you this would see unleaded petrol coming in at 144p a litre.

A quick check of the Green’s manifesto reveals all manner of proposed additional taxes for motorists in particular, including a carbon tax and increases in road tax. And there’s road pricing, too.

Bristol is renowned for its dismal, expensive public transport so additional taxes on motorists would inevitably have the most serious effects on lower earners, like care staff who travel from door to door making vulnerable people’s lives worth living. The idea carers could traipse around town on buses delivering personal care is a complete nonsense but in the recent council elections people voted for Green Party tax rises which could bring about just that. 129p a litre is extortionately expensive as it is. I dread to think what it would cost should the Greens ever make Downing Street.

Summer’s here

I always think winter starts from 1st September and ends on 28/29th February. I reckon it ended last week, giving us approximately three lovely spring days. Summer officially arrives tomorrow, 1st June and – hey presto – we’ve been promised 24c and unbroken sunshine. It won’t last, of course, because it rarely does. But my God Bristol looks absolutely beautiful today, even if there are long queues of vehicles trying to park at the Cabot Circus shopping centre. Why on earth would you go to a shopping centre on a day like this? I almost think I’d rather be in work, but only almost.