Kmflett's Blog

From @ketchell on Twitter Deputy Editor FourFourTwo

Spurs comfortably mid table here…..

This Obituary of the former Head Groundsman at Lords Cricket Ground Mick Hunt appears in The Times on 30th March.

Obituaries are one of the (relatively few) things the Murdoch Times still does well.

The 2026 First Class Cricket Season starts on Friday and its a reminder that while the focus is on the players, the pitch, the ball and the umpires and ground staff are all essential to the game actually being played

Beard Liberation Front

7th June

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that US Vice President JD Vance has been excluded from the Beard of Summer shortlist as once again he is bringing the hirsute into disrepute.

The campaigners admit that Vance, one of the most prominent beard wearers in the world, remains a problem for those, like the BLF, who seek to promote a positive public image of the hirsute.

Vance has made unwarranted comments on two tier policing in the UK underlining his culture war politics

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, this is not the first time we have had to exclude JD Vance from a shortlist and it may well not be the last either. His ability to damage the interests of the hirsute seems unabated.

Notes

The voting for Beard of Summer 2026 will take place later in June

Indian Premier League cricket 2026: Big Beer meets Big Cricket

The 2026 IPL is underway and will run through the Spring. It is one of the most popular sporting tournaments in the world, not that one might glean this from the UK media (the BBC and Test Match Special aside)

To demonstrate the scale of it, before the season began a consortium including private equity group Blackstone bought one of the IPL teams Royal Challengers Bengaluru from United Spirits which is owned by Guinness and Johnie Walker group Diageo for $1.8m.

The sale marks a first entry into cricket for Blackstone while Diageo is reviewing its non-core businesses.

It underlines that franchise cricket while it’s a game that entertains millions is also big business. A familiar situation for football but with the Hundred in England and Wales also franchised from 2026 something that is happening here too.

Beard Liberation Front

1st April

Contact BLF Organiser Keith Flett @keithbeard.bsky.social

Small Prophets star heads Beard of Spring Shortlist

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that actor Pearce Quigley best known currently for his role in the BBC TV series Small Prophets heads up the Beard of Spring 2026 shortlist.

The list comprises a range of people who have worn a beard during the first quarter of the year, not necessarily full-time, and whose facial hair has had a positive public impact.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said,  we know there will be those who claim that some on the list don’t have a beard. However they have all passed the Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western test which distinguishes between stubble and a beard

There will be two Close Shave Rounds with the highest and second placed from both going to a Final Beard Off vote.  The winner will be announced on Easter Saturday.

Michael Rosen, author Second Close Shave Round

Michael Sheen, actor through to Beard Off Final

Joe Wilkinson, comedian Second Close Shave Round

Emmanuel Gregoire, Mayor of Paris

Zack Polanski, politician Second Close Shave Round

Mark Chapman, broadcaster Second Close Shave Round

Steve Bell, cartoonist

Pearce Quigley, actor through to Beard Off Final

Liz Truss spoke at the annual CPAC conference in Texas on 26th March. Its a gathering of MAGA Republicans which has been a Trump fan club. However the Mango Mussolini didn’t show this year.

Truss used a speech to launch a UK CPAC on the theme of Make England Great Again. She rolled out the usual conspiracy theories and Islamophobia. She remains a member of the Conservative Party.

Allister Heath is the Editor of the Sunday Telegraph. The meme above is a random headline generator produced by the New World

Millions marched around the US on 28th March in the latest No Kings protest aimed at Donald Trump.

Let’s hope the protests continue and grow…

The Together Alliance march in central London on 28th March saw around 500,000 people oppose the far right and racism. That makes it one of the biggest ever demonstrations in British history.

There are excellent pictures on social media and some news sites (check the Guardian and of course Socialist Worker and the Morning Star) which underline the breadth of viewpoints and campaigns represented. Perhaps particularly important were the number of trade union banners. Unions sometimes support such events in principle but don’t always show up in person. They did on Saturday.

In the pictures above I focus on a couple of banners and a placard.

The banners from an IWGB branch and Caribbean Labour Solidarity reflect the fact this march was about many things but certainly about uniting black and white in practice not just on paper. The placards underline another important aspect of really large demonstrations. They are of course home made and while there were plenty of ‘official’ placards to hold, these represent a really important part of the 28th March, the participation of people the left doesn’t always reach but needs to.

500,000 people marched in central London on 28th March against racism and the far right in a protest organised by the Together Alliance. It was likely the biggest ever protest in the UK against racism. While the police who apparently have resumed estimating march numbers after a break claimed 50,000 but the Met Police’s own Twitter account which posts time stamped pictures of protests and locations tells a rather different story.

When it comes to media coverage, obviously social media was an important source of news and pictures. The mainstream media has a tradition of not reporting weekend protests unless they are organised by Stephen Yaxley Lennon of course. The Guardian was an exception. It covered the build up to the march and had live reporting on its website on Saturday. While the print edition of the paper may not sell that many these days its website is one of the most visited sources for news.

The BBC did report the march, which may surprise some, as the report is on the London news section of the news website. The Together Alliance protest was a national march but somehow the BBC thought it was only local London news. One senses some dodgy editorial decisions there. The report itself is OKish.

The BBC did report, rightly, on its front page, the huge No Kings protests across the US on 28th March. Again this will have been an editorial judgement. The BBC is one of the most visited news sites in the US

The Daily Mirror did carry a report featuring the 500,000 figure prominently. I havent (yet) scrutinised all the right-wing media but neither the Sunday Telegraph or Sunday Times appear to have reported it. Sensing perhaps that dissing a huge march against racism wasnt really going to work they chose instead to ignore it.

The good news it that with such a big march those who were there and there friends and colleagues who perhaps couldnt make it on the day can tell people directly in workplaces, communities, clubs, pubs and cafes what took place and why its important to build on it.

Thousands gather for anti far-right march in London – BBC News

Thousands march against far right in London in biggest ever multicultural protest | UK news | The Guardian

The Ambridge Socialist

29^th March

Which way forward for George?

After Reform supporter Derek Fletcher snitched on him, George has had a tag fitted. However after Esme agreed terms to take on the farm, she has offered him a one year contract to assist her with running the operation. So far, so good. Brian has offered George a bung to help with his (dormant) drone business but he wants to spend it on a few Heritage Sheep. Brian seems concerned that George wants to be a farmer when clearly his lot in life is to be a farmhand..

Lady Day

Esme threw a farm warming party to mark taking over the farm on the traditional start of the farming year, Lady Day. Until 1752 it also marked the start of the New Year. Full marks to the Archers for marking the occasion. Keen British historian Nigel Farage was too busy walking out of the Commons because Starmer had called him out to notice it seems.

Changing places. There will be trouble ahead.

Josh has departed for Patagonia

Ben is moving into the Stables

Miranda is moving into Home Farm with Brian in tow (maybe)

Helen is moving next door to Tracy on the Green