Organic food for thought

One or two people who know me have wondered if I might get my knickers in a twist at the news that organic food is no better for health than factory farmed food.

Not really, is the answer.

Health and nutrition have always been very low down the list of reasons I would choose organic food over a synthetic alternative, if I had the option. Think about it. If I was that concerned about health matters, I would have a very different relationship with lager than the one I have now.

No, the reason I would plump for organic is that the label often implies a lot of other good stuff too. For starters, organically raised livestock is free range. Anyone who has watched the various documentaries on battery farmed chickens and still doesn't think this is an important issue is just a savage, if you ask me.

And the general nature of the people who are behind the organic food industry means that organic products are likely to have all kinds of other ethical credentials too. Fairtrade? Sometimes. Local? Where possible. High standard of animal welfare/husbandry? Every time. Farmed in a sustainable way? Absolutely.

And that's before you even start considering the effect of pesticides and the likes on the environment itself.

Mostly though, I like the fact that organic options exist because it makes some people think about where their food has come from and how it is produced. You don't have to be a lentil eating leftie to be concerned about these things either.

The introduction of organic options helped kick start a revolution to attitudes towards food in this country, with people demanding more of their supermarkets, some even turning their backs on poor quality, over-packaged (and over priced!), tasteless sludge.

In a country where some 'Concrete Children' don't even recognise an onion when they see one, surely that's been a good thing.

The firms

I read via The Marple Leaf how Burnley and Oldham fans were scrapping in Manchester during the Masters football event at the MEN Arena.

I remember Burnley supporters being a particularly nasty bunch whenever Tranmere came across them over the years. Back on Boxing Day 1987 (I think I've got the year right) they came over all Christmas spirit by arranging a pitched battle in Prenton Park's Main Stand between the Police and the 'Burnley Suicide Squad'. Tranmere's collections of misfit hoolibobs didn't even get a look in.

Anyway - and watch my twitter followers rocket here - I thought I would list out the ten clubs whose fans, home or away, I have seen having a right ruck with some of Birkenhead's less enlightened football folk.

Good grief, I never learn. I once had to shut down one of my other blogs (Super White Memories) due to unwelcome attention from hoolibloggers - and they'll love this one.

Anyway, here goes. Ten crowds I would have preferred to have avoided....

1. Hull City (h)
2. Wrexham (h) and (a)
3. Hereford United (a)
4. Burnley (h) and (a)
5. Port Vale (h)
6. Birmingham City (a)
7. Preston NE (a)
8. Bradford City (h) - in a pre-season friendly for blank's sake!
9. Bury (a)
10. Chester City (a)

Incidentally, the most non-threatening away fixture I've ever attended was last year in the First Round of the FA Cup at Accrington Stanley.

The Big Lunch

I've been trying to think of something astute or amusing to say about The Big Lunch, but I can't really.

Basically, if our experience is anything to go by, it's a huge success and one in the eye for cynics who sneer at the idea of community.

Round Are Way in Newton-le-willows, the road was closed to cars, we had bouncy castles, face painting, a chocolate fountain and loads of food. All good fun. Even those who didn't want to take part had the good manners to evacuate their homes until the party was over.

And don't be fooled by there being so many kids in the photo. This was definitely for adults too. I never knew before that one of the neighbours used to be in a band and he kept all the PA equipment when they split. Slightly tipsy karaoke became a distinct possibility for some....

The special ones

I think I was ever-so-slightly-just too young to get The Specials when they were first around.

I remember claiming to be into ska, but I only really knew the headlines: Special Brew, Mirror in the Bathroom and one or two of the most well known Specials hits like Message to You Rudy, Do Nothing - and Ghost Town of course.

In fact, when you're 11 years old and growing up cocooned on the posh side of the Mersey, Madness always seemed far more accessible and easier to like than any of their two tone mates, so they were probably my favourites.

It's only with The Specials being topical again at the moment that I've had another look at them, realising what an absolutely fab band they were and are.

The free Specials CD given away with The Sunday Times last week is excellent. It includes a whole load of songs I have never heard before, but which turn out to be classics that haven't dated at all.

In fact, you can see a direct line between The Specials' lyrics and the likes of The Streets, Arctic Monkeys, even Lily Allen, although it's quite sad that Rat Race, Nite Klub and Friday Night/Sunday Morning sound as relevant and topical today as when they were written 30 years ago.

Middling

I'm starting to warm to the new dawn at Tranmere. I've still got grave reservations about what John Barnes has to offer management-wise and McAteer doesn't come across as the brains of the outfit, but our signings are good so far.

I mentioned in my last post that Alan Mahon is a good player but, out of the blue, we look quite strong in the centre of the park, with or without him. Paul McLaren has re-signed, which is good. He was our best player the year before last and it's good to have someone on the books who can pass the ball.

While that might make us look a bit lightweight, today's signing of John Welsh might give us a bit more steel in that area - and an Oldham supporting mate has told me what to expect from Mark Allott. So, reasons to be cheerful.

All we need now then is a goalkeeper, because we don't have one at all, although minor details like that never bothered Frank Worthington when he was in charge at Prenton Park. Ah, those were the days!

We want our money back

Tranmere signed Alan Mahon today.

He was a decent player for us when he was here first time around, not as good as he thought he was, and lightweight, but decent all the same. He's still only 31 too - and he probably could have got better wages elsewhere than Tranmere will give him for the next three years - so a good deal for TRFC overall on the face of it.

Well, I should think so. This fella owes us big time, and then some. He first left the club about about ten years ago and moved to Sporting Lisbon, having enjoyed all the benefits of a Tranmere youth policy that saw him end up playing in the Worthington Cup Final and with players who knew a good deal more than him.

His departure at the time was inevitable though and wasn't begrudged. Everyone knows we need to flog one good player a season and, that year, Mahon was it.

Except....it wasn't. Under the rules, young players at the end of their contracts are subject to a transfer fee. They don't bugger off on a Bosman, a tribunal would have determined how much his new club would pay to Tranmere for his services, helping keep us afloat.

Unless, that is, he ended up playing abroad, where the rule didn't apply......

Guess what? Moving to a Portuguese club meant no cash for Rovers and no 'sell on' cash when he moved to Blackburn a year or so later for, wait for it, £1.5m.

Like I say, he owes us big time.

Parklife

Tracking comments on Twitter during Glastonbury last week, most people I follow seemed united in the view that the Blur set was just a bit too shouty.

Overall I agreed with them, so while I was looking forward to the day out, I wasn't filled with too much anticipation for what Blur would deliver on stage when I saw them at Hyde Park on Thursday.

Oh me of little faith. They were absolutely fantastic.

How times have changed. During the ridiculous Blur v Oasis set up in the 90s, I always thought the distinction was pretty clear. Blur were obviously better muso types but Noel Gallagher wrote all the best tunes.

I've got to revise that view now. Thursday had its punky, noisy, shouty moments for sure but the show was absolutely packed full of singalonga stuff, which the crowd lapped up. I'd forgotten just how many catchy songs they've actually done.

Highlights were too many to name individually. Best bit was probably a 10 minute crowd-led version of Tender, which I was still humming on the train journey home on Friday.

This reviewer from Uncut seemed to enjoy the show too.

Prom night

Last night I was treated to the quite surreal sight of the residential streets of Newton-le-willows snarled up by stretch limos, luxury hire cars and posh taxis.

It was quite a spectacle and, genuinely, the area around St Aelred's College came to an absolute standstill.

The occasion was the Year 11 prom, with all the GCSE-level young 'uns getting together one last time for a bash at Rivington Hall.

Our eldest was there. I won't embarrass her any more than to say she looked fab, but she did.

It's easy to be a sourpuss about this kind of thing, I know I personally lost the will to live many times in the build up to the event. My opinions on which shade of make up to choose and which shoes to wear are quite limited.

Some folk seem to have really pushed the boat out too, which will have come at no little cost - an issue itself for many onlookers I'm sure.

But I was talking about this to a mate of mine who is a teacher. He agreed that the vulgar amounts of money some parents throw at these events is an issue, but overall he was really positive about them.

In his view, the school prom is the one time that even the most horrible, disagreeable little tyke makes an effort to scrub up well, providing a rare opportunity for self-pride in some instances.

Hmmm. OK then.