Just when you thought it was safe more Mop news I’m afraid.
What do you want first the bad news or the good news?
The good news?
Well, the good news is, the Mop’s gone and the bad news…?
Seems the whole affair was over run with hobbledehoys, footpads and cutpurses. Young men fought running battles on the streets and the streets ran with... that horrible sauce you get from McDonald’s. Actually it’s not funny, somebody could have got hurt. One slip on that sauce and you could break a leg easy.
Apparently (writes The Midweek), a gang of 70 young men (some as young as 14) had gathered for the kick-off at 11-30 when they were split up into warring factions ( Jets/Sharks? Montagues/ Capulets?) by 14 police officers. (Is there mystical meaning to these numbers? If there is I think we should be told).
Anyway…having apparently kicked the s*** out of each other the night before one can only wonder where these unruly rival gangs of youths get their energy from. Is it the drugs or just the sheer joy of being alive and young (and on drugs).
Insp Bailey (a policeman on the scene) said ‘I am a local officer and I take pride in my town. It causes me concern that at midnight there are still gangs of such young people on the streets’.
Well Insp it's extremely heartwarming to know that you take pride in your Town but actually if I were you I’d be a little more concerned about the gangs of older people who seem to be frequenting Stratford streets at midnight and later. Just take a wander up to Stratford’s Golden Mile (Greenhill Street) at chucking out time Saturday and you’ll see what I mean. Beirut, Belfast and Baghdad have got nothing on Stratford weekends. Getting home intact is a risky business and who for the love of God would be a taxi driver?
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
The Mop fair has gone and good old S-on-A has returned to some sort of ‘normality’ (I forgot to mention in my previous post that the fair is erected over Friday and er…dis-erected on the stroke of midnight Saturday. All gone by Sunday morning. Amazing). However it will be back in two weeks, thankfully a smaller version with less hot-dog stands and fewer goldfish in plastic bags. And this time known as the Runaway Mop.
History Lesson. Apparently, the main Mop fair was traditionally a time when farmers hired workers and the Runaway Mop a chance for those hired to legally ‘runaway’ from their employers. (I’m sorry if the above appears a bit sketchy but history was never my strong point, which will be proved by my next sentence concerning dates). All this happened…a long time ago.
I promise I shall do some more research (who said blogging was the new journalism?) and report with the facts at a later date, if you can stay awake that long.
Anyway…on the political front…Stratford never seems to have much luck with its Tory ( *Conservative) Members of Parliament (see Profumo & Keeler). Stratford’s present representative John Maples is in deep doo-doo for allegedly plotting his leader’s downfall (Ian Duncan Smith) and has been summoned by the powers that be to explain himself. Things could turn out nasty for The Stratford Herald’s ( I wish no other Herald-we know…we know) diarist. Already the Town’s buzzing with talk of a public execution opposite Tory Headquarters followed by the displaying of Mr Maples head on a spike outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace. All good fun but you can bet they’ll (The Shakespeare Trust) charge a hefty fee to watch the exciting spectacle.
Apart from that bit of political nonsense nothing much else seems to be happening. Stratford is slowly starting to doze in preparation for the long winter months and hibernation, although I did hear that the thespians down at the Jam Factory are holding their breath and stamping their feet, distressed, annoyed and near to fainting at the news that apparently none of the plays this season will be going up to the Smoke (London). This is bad news. Apart from the fact that there's nothing worse than an actor who can't get his/her own way, it means that the poor darlings won't be able to show off in front of their friends. I have no pity. The RSC only has itself to blame. It should never have given up its underground bunker at the Barbican.
* Stratford is and always will be a Tory town. The devil/Adolf Hitler/Jack the Ripper etc could stand for election, no matter, as long as they were Conservative they’d be voted in.
History Lesson. Apparently, the main Mop fair was traditionally a time when farmers hired workers and the Runaway Mop a chance for those hired to legally ‘runaway’ from their employers. (I’m sorry if the above appears a bit sketchy but history was never my strong point, which will be proved by my next sentence concerning dates). All this happened…a long time ago.
I promise I shall do some more research (who said blogging was the new journalism?) and report with the facts at a later date, if you can stay awake that long.
Anyway…on the political front…Stratford never seems to have much luck with its Tory ( *Conservative) Members of Parliament (see Profumo & Keeler). Stratford’s present representative John Maples is in deep doo-doo for allegedly plotting his leader’s downfall (Ian Duncan Smith) and has been summoned by the powers that be to explain himself. Things could turn out nasty for The Stratford Herald’s ( I wish no other Herald-we know…we know) diarist. Already the Town’s buzzing with talk of a public execution opposite Tory Headquarters followed by the displaying of Mr Maples head on a spike outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace. All good fun but you can bet they’ll (The Shakespeare Trust) charge a hefty fee to watch the exciting spectacle.
Apart from that bit of political nonsense nothing much else seems to be happening. Stratford is slowly starting to doze in preparation for the long winter months and hibernation, although I did hear that the thespians down at the Jam Factory are holding their breath and stamping their feet, distressed, annoyed and near to fainting at the news that apparently none of the plays this season will be going up to the Smoke (London). This is bad news. Apart from the fact that there's nothing worse than an actor who can't get his/her own way, it means that the poor darlings won't be able to show off in front of their friends. I have no pity. The RSC only has itself to blame. It should never have given up its underground bunker at the Barbican.
* Stratford is and always will be a Tory town. The devil/Adolf Hitler/Jack the Ripper etc could stand for election, no matter, as long as they were Conservative they’d be voted in.
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