What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
iankirkebc 
As a lifelong supporter of Notts County, who currently languish just outside of the playoffs in the National League (fifth tier), you may think that what happens to the glamour teams in the Premiership is just a distant speck on the horizon to me, and that I should be simply ushered away from any engagement … Read more
As the closing arguments are being made in the Derek Chauvin murder trial in the courthouse in downtown Minneapolis, I would counter the title of this reflection with a bellowing rendition of the 1983 Elton John classic, “I’m still standing.” Yet does my simple categorisation of good and bad really stand up to scientific scrutiny? … Read more
The former Prime Minister David Cameron’s willingness to respond ‘positively’ to requests for evidence in the Greensill scandal reminds me of the famous Richard Nixon quote, “There can be no whitewash at the White House” in his first Watergate speech in 1973. Those of a certain age will know how that poorly scripted contrition ended. … Read more
I like eggs. Scrambled are my favourite and even I can rustle up a good effort upon two slices of toast. The dish does rely on a few simple processes underpinned by one fundamental truth – cracking open the requisite eggs. “Res ipsa loquitur” I hear some of you say, if, like me, you have … Read more
Over the years I have become sceptical about the position of the Royal Family. Save a trinket for foreign tourists to fawn over I neither considered the Royal Family to have much constitutional legitimacy or meaning. I had avidly watched The Crown on Netflix and considered the Royals to be, overall, a dysfunctional family and … Read more
So, I got your attention? Good! I have an admission to make – I have a mental health issue. I would hazard a guess that if we’re honest, we all have mental health issues. When asked about the subject matter some years ago I recall my pragmatic response – we are all nuts, it’s just … Read more
When something puzzles, surprises, or overwhelms me I tend to be sucked into a vortex of discovery, often buffeted by contradiction and confusion. A sense of clarity normally emerges although the wonderful thing about being human is that our minds are often fluid. When someone suggests that changing my mind is in some way a … Read more
From experience once you reach a certain age social gatherings have a pattern of predictability. The preamble, usually with glass in hand, engages with an unspectacular icebreaker: “Tell me, what do you do?” Not wishing to offend these professionals too much, “I’m in IT, HR” or any other job that can be similarly abbreviated can … Read more
Buildbase FA Trophy semi-final Notts County 3 v Hornchurch FC 3 (Hornchurch FC win 5-4 on penalties) After that result I’m popping out to the shops. In 2007 The Daily Telegraph revealed that Notts were the most stressful team to support. Today they became the most embarrassing. Yet tomorrow I will wake up and still … Read more
The other day I happened to walk into a room when a certain public figure was talking. They hold an eminently important office. People’s lives are affected by their words. What oozes from the orifice directly under their nose carries gravitas. Without naming names, you know who I am talking about. Yet all I heard … Read more