Kmflett's Blog

Beard Liberation Front

5^th July

Contact BLF Organiser Keith Flett 07803 167266

Concern as National Liberal Club discourages sandal wearing

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that with the 2023 Beard, Shorts and Sandals Season in full swing it is concerning that the National Liberal Club has introduced a new dress code where wearing of sandals is ‘discouraged’ although not officially banned.

The full 2023 season officially opened on May 1st and weather conditions have been mostly suitable for flaunting of the beard, shorts and sandals.

The campaigners say that while the image of a Liberal beard and sandal wearer is a stereotype it is also an important part of British culture that should still be promoted in 2023.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, its unclear why the wearing of sandals is now frowned upon at the National Liberal Club. Beards and Sandals are part of a great Liberal tradition.

2023 Season Guidelines

1] Shorts should ideally be three-quarter length-‘culottes’ for the 2023 season. The length of shorts is particularly important as climate change may mean that unprotected legs get sunburnt.

2] Footwear should be casual. There is a considerable range of sandal type footwear now available. Some leave parts of the feet and toes open to public view, while some does not. The BLF is not prescriptive about the matter.

3] Socks should usually not be worn.

3a] If the beard, shorts and sandals are to be displayed in relatively busier urban areas it is likely to be prudent to wear closed rather than open casual footwear and ankle socks, not visible to others may be worn.

4] There is no prescription or definition on what type of beard may be worn, or how this may match with the shorts and sandals. This is left up to the individual.

E P Thompson on the role of boycotts & the Making of the English Working Class

Parliament gave a second reading to an anti-boycott Bill on 3^rd July. Only 10 MPs voted against but rather more raised issues about how important boycotts are. The history only really went as far back as the boycott campaigns aimed at apartheid South Africa, which were very effective.

In fact boycotts going much further back and as E P Thompson showed in the Making of the English Working Class had a role to play in the formation of early radicalism and trade unionism.

He reports the radical Hazlitt observing dissenting Ministers of the Church stuffing raspberry leaves into their pipes. Their aim was to avoid taxable goods like tobacco and bring down the pre-1832 Governments of Old Corruption.

Similarly Henry Hunt who was the speaker at Peterloo in 1819 sold breakfast powder, roasted corn, which was designed to replace tea and coffee and similarly therefore boycott taxable goods

When union organisation was illegal under the Combination Acts in the 1820s craftsmen working under the union rate would be boycotted.

In short the boycott as a tactic has a very long history in British politics. Its not something Tories liked or like.

Crisis for Starmer as Labour PM backs Aussies for Ashes

Anthony Albanese the Australian Labour Prime Minister has backed the Australians men’s and women’s teams to win the current Ashes series.

He has also criticised Rishi Sunak for remarks he made about Jonny Bairstow’s stumping on the final day of the Lords Test on Sunday.

Labour leader Keir Starmer now faces a dilemma. Will he support a Tory Prime Minister on this latest Culture War, show solidarity with his Australian counterpart or simply abstain.

Perhaps a drawn rubber would be Starmer’s choice. A little dull for some but perhaps in keeping with the Labour’s persona.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jul/04/australia-pm-anthony-albanese-australian-cricket-team-ashes-2023-controversy

4^th July & US Beer. Progress in history?

American Independence Day actually did result in US independence from the UK.

In due course Prohibition was enacted (something the UK never quite managed though there was and is no shortage of adherents) and then over turned.

More recently and partly influenced by classic UK beer styles (think for example Fullers ESB) the US beer industry took off with what remains a vast range of craft brewers.

The 4th July was the one time in the year (the other being the start of the Great British Beer Festival which imported US beers, albeit via a ship) when in fairly recent times you might find a small range of US beers.

The White Horse in Parsons Green (for London drinkers) ran a festival and more recently some of craft beer bars.

Originally, in my memory, the US beers were marked by, in particular, two characteristics. Firstly very hoppy (and strong) IPAs. Secondly very strong and robust stouts and porters.

I distinctly recall a GBBF where a glass of Habanero IPA (which was very chilli-ish, at least as it then seemed was being thrust on unsuspecting drinkers by myself and several others.

But as readers of my blog know capitalism is a dynamic system and the world moves on.

Hoppy strong IPAs and robust porters and stouts are now produced in large numbers by UK breweries.

So what is the space for US beers in the UK now?

There is a growing recognition that if the beer takes ages to get here it may not be in the best condition.

Some US breweries now have UK operations/distribution to promote their beer. As likely as with Brooklyn the beer is brewed here (in this case by CarlsbergMarston)

US breweries also pioneered something that is a feature in the UK- larger breweries taking over smaller ones. That bloke with the beard (Karl not me) had a point when he underlined that capitalism leads not to competition but to monopoly.

The sheer scale of US craft brewing means that there will always be interesting stuff to try, a good deal of it cutting edge and a lot of which I hugely enjoy (in small amounts). But is beer history still progressing here?

Following Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal at Lords on Sunday a Culture War has broken out as to whether his dismissal was in the ‘spirit of cricket’. Rishi Sunak says it wasnt.

In reality the concept, ill defined, is that cricket should be played fairly, with respect for opponents and no sharp practices. W G Grace is clearly a role model..

Even without the commercial pressures of modern sport the spirit of cricket is and always has been about imperial preference. England adheres to it as do Australia (but less so) and other countries not so much.

CLR James in Beyond a Boundary(1963) had some thoughts on the general subject

‘spirit,vision and self respect which was imposed on us by the fact that our masters, our curriculum, our code of morals, everything began from the basis that Britain was the source of all light and leading and our business was to admire,wonder, imitate,learn’

Spirit of Cricket Culture War #1 Johnson & Sunak

On the last day of the Second Ashes Test at Lords England’s Jonny Bairstow was given out stumped by the umpire as he had wandered out of his crease before ‘over’ had been called. It was a mistake by Bairstow a very experienced player and TV footage showed he had done the same on earlier balls.

Ben Stokes noted that to appeal for a dismissal, which the Australian keeper Carey did, was not in the spirit of cricket and Bairstow should have been informally warned by the Australian captain first.

Perhaps but there was no question Bairstow was out and the Umpire right too to give him out.

Rishi Sunak who actually likes cricket has now weighed in and started a Spirit of Cricket Culture War.

In fact however as Sunak no doubt knows the Culture War had already been started by Johnson

Johnson has given an interview to the Junior Chronicle, the Eton boys magazine, edited by Peter Rees Mogg. He argued that if you’re a batsman and the Umpire gives you out behind even though you know the ball hit your pad and not the bat, you respect the Umpire and walk.

However as the House of Commons voted on 19th June Johnson is a liar and his version of Bazball continues to be about himself winning.  Hence he has told The Times that there is always another innings, W G Grace style.

This point is also in the spirit of cricket which is really about gamesmanship or more practically how to cheat while claiming to hold to time honoured principles

Beard Liberation Front

2nd July

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that after a review of TV footage it is satisified than no one with a beard was involved in the incident at Lords on Sunday when several members of the Australian cricket team were involved in an altercation with MCC members.

The incident took place as the Australians had left the field for lunch and walked through the Long Room. Words were exchanged between a small number of MCC members and at least two Australian players.

The BLF understands that some of the members comments may have been pognophobic and equally that none of those who appeared to be involved.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, the President of the MCC Stephen Fry was a recent contender for Beard of Summer so the times are changing. Even so MCC members are still far too clean shaven

The sound of the Day 5 crowd at Lords

Australia won the Second Ashes Test at Lords on the 5^th day of the game, Sunday July 2^nd.

I’ll post on Bazball and beards but one interesting issue was the sound of the Day 5 crowd at Lords. It certainly a fair bit of commentary on Test Match Special.

The crowd on  Day 5 of a Test, particularly a Sunday, is unlikely to be corporates and more broadly democratic in so far as that can ever be said of a Lords crowd.

The crowd was brought to life by the dismissal of Bairstow, stumped. It was certainly out and Bairstow was careless but some thought the Australians should not have appealed.

Perhaps. This set off a considerable amount of booing of Australian players. Ordinarily the Lords crowd manages little more than polite claps(and snores after lunch). Was it the booing of a reactionary mob or a celebratory crowd hoping for an England win? Or a mixture of both.

According to former England captain Andrew Strauss the booing came from people ‘who don’t normally come to Lords’, with some tickets reportedly at £25(normally well over £100). Strauss briefed a meeting of Sunak’s Tory Cabinet at an awayday held at a Windsor hotel at the end of February 2023 on how cricket strategy could help the Tories win.

The mob of MCC members who barracked and jostled Australian players in the Long Room at lunch were certainly that

Where have all the tweets gone long time passing

Where have all the tweets gone long time ago

Where have all the tweets gone

Into Elon Musk’s recyling bin everyone

When will they ever learn

When will they ever learns

KM Flett, Age 66 & a bit

The Ambridge Socialist

2^nd July

The Ambridge Fete: a chance to protest. Turn Ambridge into France

The organisation of the Ambridge fete and Eddie Grundy has persuaded Lynda Snell to look back at its history. She has found evidence from the 1880s where she noted peasant types with stick on beards. Not perhaps an accurate history.

Beyond ferrets however the Fete is an excellent time to protest. Turn Ambridge into France

Knacker Burns

Sgt Burns is still pursuing an alternative police career which will involve wildlife and nature protection and arrest for Eddie Grundy

Titchener Update

Meeting Lee in Gloucester Titchener has regrets, as indeed we all have that he is still in the Archers

Tom and Helen

Tom has confessed to paying some of Helen’s legal bills with money from the photo-shoot. All’s well that ends well? Clearly not. Tom is the Ambridge village idiot