The world according to Kirkey
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
According to Ian Dury in his 1977 hit, co-written with Chaz Jankel, ‘Sex and drugs and rock and roll is all my brain and body need. Sex and drugs and rock and roll are very good indeed’. If I were being picky, I would add good food, some cash in my skyrocket and a nice … Read more
As I kid, I remember the double entendre placed upon the street signage: ‘Bill Stickers Will Be Prosecuted!’ under which was daubed, ‘Bill Stickers is innocent!’ A funny play on words but illustrative of the power of English language. Last night in Bristol a demonstration labelled ‘Kill the Bill’ reminded me of this flexibility of … Read more
When did we actually get mugged by the big corporates? Why can’t I simply buy a pair of black plimsolls and walk with my head held high? How come we yearn to be labelled? Like the perimeter advertising hoardings that enclose the Meadow Lane pitch of Notts County. And when did buying a cup of … Read more
The older I get, the crankier and more miserable I appear to become. I would like to be able to put this down to old age, yet the reality is that I have sometimes allowed my mindset to perpetuate this notion, since not everyone I know of a similar age is necessarily so. COVID-19 has … Read more
Two events, separated by hours, which collided one Sunday afternoon connected several seemingly diverse subjects: the British Royal family, the cover of a magazine containing words of a foreign language I do not speak, court jesters, a psychological theory developed in the 1960’s, and my mum. The common thread holding together these odd bedfellows is … Read more
The thing with opinions is that everyone has one. Even if you choose not to engage that is nonetheless a view. As the author of this piece, it shouldn’t be that shocking to note that there will be a clear bias towards my own judgements. If you weren’t moved in some way by the events … Read more
When the disappearance of Sarah Everard was reported I immediately thought of my own daughter. Not too dissimilar in age or beauty. As an ex-cop I instinctively knew that the probable outcome was bleak. As the full tragedy played out on the TV news bulletins, I heard the testimony of several women. One affirmed that … Read more