Australia
Jim's tour of Australia
Tony Blair & Pakistan…
There have been a couple of things dominating the news this week. Tony Blair and the Pakistani cricket team. One is about corruption lies and deceit and the other is about a cricket team!
Lets deal with cricket first of all. So, it’s alleged a few quid has been made by a few skint cricketers. So what. Last week the world was dipping into its pockets to help the poor people of Pakistan who are wallowing in floods. Britain has given the most. This is not surprising as we have a huge Pakistani community and the Brits are among the most caring people in the world…even though we take the piss out of most of its inhabitants!
Great British Rail….
Travelling by train is something I don’t do very often but I am determined to do it as often as I can. This, to be honest, is not really by choice but the ole points are mounting up on the license! I’ve only been back in England four months and already me license is nearly gone…again!
Anyway, off we go to Torquay train station and buy three first class tickets to Weston-Super-Mare. The three of us, now looking like a Royal Marine raiding party, move our way to the front of the platform where I assure Goose and Bill the first class carriages will be.
My holiday…
Well, what a week it’s been. I’ve been watching with some interest as Naomi Campbell gives evidence in the trial of Charles Taylor (what a strange name for a former Liberian president – doesn’t sound very war like to me. If I was him I would have changed my name to Taylor the Terrible – mind you, that was an old England football manager wasn’t it?) Anyway, reading the reports and Wednesday’s harrowing report by James Brabazon in the Mail, reminds me of the time I visited Sierra Leone. Now, this country has been ravaged by war; the people were poor, they had bugs that were so dreadful all they had to do was fly past you and pull a face and you would die of something horrible. I was there with my mate Goose and a beautiful girl singer to entertain the British Army team who were training the Sierra Leonean Army. It was a rewarding trip. The people of Sierra Leone seemed happy and content with life. The war was over and the British were back, in fact, most of the people we spoke to told us they wanted to be ruled by the Brits again. They obviously hadn’t met Tony Blair! I also saw some of the appalling injuries that were inflicted upon people by these gutless thugs. I also witnessed the hundreds of school children beautifully turned out in their crisp white blouses and shirts despite the fact the nearest packet of washing powder was in Durban! I will never forget the people of Sierra Leone – oh and no one gave me any bloody diamonds!
