What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
iankirkebc 
On a balmy Monday evening, as the saying goes, all roads led to The National Speedway Stadium, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Manchester, for the season’s showcase event: The 2022 Sports Insure British Final. Okay, my weather App didn’t conceal the fact that there was a more than fifty percent chance of rain, but nothing could be worse … Read more
A lifetime ago, aged 19, I joined the police with, if I’m totally honest, a principal yearning to be looked after. As an employer this respected profession gave me everything – job security, a decent wage, prospects, status, companionship, a roof over my head, and identity. My self-worth, for an insecure guy lacking in worldly … Read more
Looking back, when I had hair I wasn’t that adventurous with its care or presentation. I usually used whatever was available bath-side and simply combed it from a side parting on the left to the right. Yet I kind of felt pretty attached to it and didn’t really appreciate it until I discovered that I … Read more
Does speedway really deliver the full customer experience? In terms of the on-track action, spectators are treated to around 15 minutes of full-blooded, adrenalin-charged entertainment. But what of the remainder of the spectacle, and how better can promoters exploit the lulls in between the action to ensure that additional revenue streams are maximised and that … Read more
Having often reflected upon my own sense of Britishness I must confess that I am still wholly confused as to why, on the one hand, we appear to have had such an influence on the rest of the world yet, on the other, have ─ in my humble opinion ─ excruciatingly maintained a set of … Read more
From time to time I have been known to indulge in creative writing, but even I am a tad impressed with this piece ─ connecting speedway, a future king and the nineteenth century composer Richard Wagner! Stay with me for the full four laps and I will tell all … I had not seen my … Read more
A long time ago in an existence far, far away, I was a police officer. Joining in 1982, that year and those that followed were once my present day. My era. My modern-day. Nobody ever lives in history, do they? Then something peculiar happened to me. The years became decades and my life looped around … Read more
Confusion can be irritating, infuriating, and isolating. On the flipside, celebrating uncertainty – whilst acknowledging that a lack of answers can be temporarily debilitating – can often lead to exciting discovery and personal growth. Not wishing to sound too much like a motivational speaker, I nonetheless confess that not knowing what I don’t know is … Read more
My first time: Belle Vue Aces 48 v Kings Lynn Stars 42 (Premiership) ─ Monday 16th May 2022. I do like to mix things up in my life, frequently by design, but very often unintentionally. Red wine in the fridge and wearing white socks with shorts – faux pas are pretty consistent for yours truly. … Read more
What is it like to be British? Quintessentially we can be boring, stoic, and reserved, especially whilst drinking tea. Yet we undergo a magnificent metamorphosis when we attend our most popular sport: football. Other countries call it soccer, but its correct name is football – period. Here we become dramatic, vociferous, and unreserved. We can … Read more