What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
iankirkebc 
The main character in this catastrophe is the United Kingdom, and the chief protagonists in its demise into a pariah state at breath-taking velocity are a precocious liar and a man who is absolutely unrivalled in reaping division – with a surname similar to the small structure you park your car in. On reflection, what … Read more
The Imperial War Museum stands proudly in the leafy suburb of Lambeth, South-East London, protected by two magnificent naval guns pointed upward and poised to thwart an imaginary foe. My previous visits to this iconic structure have always left me feeling incredibly proud of our armed services, and in particular how we stood resolute against … Read more
The late, great, footballer, Jimmy Greaves, is credited with coining the phrase – “It’s a funny old game!” The same can be said about speedway as club fortunes can often experience glory one season, then gloom the next. Peterborough fans will testify to that in recent years. With the often unpredictable nature of rider averages, … Read more
The inevitably of ageing didn’t resonate with me at all until, in my late twenties, I started to go thin on top. Even then, the rest of me seemed to be in fine fettle: skin pretty radiant, eyes aglow, and limbs lithe – even if I do say so myself! The trigger signalling a clear … Read more
According to Aristotle, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” If I had shared a beer – or more fittingly a slug of Kykeon ─ with the eminent Greek philosopher, I would have sought to clarify his baffling supposition. I have always struggled with the … Read more
Eating steak had never had this effect on me before, but this was my first time at 4 Gats – the quintessentially quirky Catalonian restaurant in Barcelona. Opened in 1897, it was renowned as the foremost meeting place of the artistic, eccentric, and supposed outsiders. I felt immediately at ease; no doubt I was sitting … Read more
I awoke this morning dog tired; I had tried counting sheep, but I have to admit I’m no night owl. I wasn’t feeling a hundred percent but thankfully I wasn’t as sick as a parrot. Looking at my reflection in the bathroom mirror – as bald as a coot ─ I nonetheless thought I looked … Read more
I’m often impatient, infuriating, and – apparently – annoyingly inquisitive. In my academic life I have had to become engrossed within huge tomes of social, legal, and scientific data, regularly scanning the tedious text for the golden nugget; the bottom line; the epicentre of the empirical data. This is always a systemic slog with my … Read more
Something magical happened to me in an enchanted forest in Ascot, Berkshire ─ or to be more precise, Lapland UK; but before I tell all, I need to provide a wee contextual introduction … Eons ago, one Christmas Eve aged around ten, I heard odd shuffling noises coming from the landing. Although tucked up in … Read more
Typically, a speedway rider has a choice of two primary modes of headgear: the skid lid and the customary sponsor’s baseball cap. But what if – metaphorically speaking – the choice is far wider; where influence, interest and inspiration provide a greater variety of choice. There was only one way to solve this riddle — … Read more