Nice guys, finishing last, Jimmy Saville and John Terry.

Right, let’s have the shameless plugs out of the way first.  Day 8 is up and almost worthy of a read, for no other reason that I spent some time writing it.

With that done, off we go.

They do say that nice guys finish last, and unless that is a reference to a male porn star, it is usually said with a certain amount of mocking disdain.  I would, if pushed, class myself as a nice guy, having not really done much that would fall into a bad or evil category. Apart from that poo in 1997 that was like a house martin’s nest on the back of the loo and I didn’t clean up.

Still, I think you’d agree that is small beer (unless you were the one cleaning it up).

So with that in mind, with recent events of the world, I do wonder if that adage is depressingly accurate?  The world does indeed seem content to be taking itself off to hell in a cart propelled by hand.

A non exhaustive list of proof?

The media is pretty much proven to be more or less entirely corrupt, hacking phones of dead teenagers, printing lies (Hillsborough) and being in close collusion with whatever politician has the most power at the time.  The recent findings around Hillsborough seem to demonstrate that the hierarchy of the police, the media and the government were intent on rewriting events for their own benefit.  It took 23 years to get anywhere near the truth and still no-one has gone to jail over it.

Politics.  Well, of course they all rig their expenses as their salaries, at more than twice the national average are not enough, and most weeks one of them is resigning for some indiscretion or other.  That of course is only the stuff we do know about.

Football, the national game is full of racist liars who can’t keep it in their pants, and that is just John Terry.  The others are just too stupid to live, such as Ashley Cole, a black man, lying to protect a team-mate who, that’s right, abused another black man, for being black.  Then, when the findings were published, showing how he had been found to be lying, along with this mate, he sends an obscene tweet expressing his displeasure.  This guy drives a car…on the road….with other people around.  He shouldn’t be allowed sharp objects in his house never mind behind the wheel of a car.

The church.  Not one of my favourite past times or institutions, but that is a whole other rant altogether.  The men of God seem to think this gives them a free pass to kiddy fiddle whilst preaching to their flock that they are all sinners, encouraging guilt and saying we should aspire to be like them.

Banks.  Well, I used to work for one, but the nearest I got to corruption was taking a quid out of the till to buy my dinner as I had no change.  Others it seems, as we all know, were above the law up there in their penthouses.  We are still battling through the financial mire, and may be forever more.

And now, it seems the entire world of light entertainment is guilty of the biggest cover up since the bloke on the grassy knoll.  Half of the BBC’s stars of the 70s and 80s appear to have been guilty of crimes against puberty, which is bad enough to find out many years later.  What is completely intolerable is the parade of has been know it alls who have been grabbing their last five minutes of fame by claiming that everyone knew about it.  Yep, that makes you look great!  Enjoy the cheques for your stories, they may be the last.

I haven’t even mentioned the tragic case in Wales, which looks like it will turn out for the worst.  That is not a subject for a pithy moany rant of a blog, it is just too tragic.

Is there an institution that is actually what it purports to be?  Is everything in society rank and rotten? Is the only way to really get ahead to be either a conscienceless buffoon in a football shirt, a scheming politician or a greedy amoral banker?

I’m none of the above, and don’t really have the ambition, drive, ruthlessness or skullduggery to be.  And I must admit, I am losing my sense of humour over all this.  For us mugs that play by the rules, pay our taxes, and if we had forelocks, tugged them, it seems the spoils of war are less.  I know, I know, I am doing fine.  Despite the economic Armageddon and everyone else’s best attempts recently, I have never been out of work, and yes I too earn more than the national average, but that, I think, is through hard work and being half decent at what I do.

Perhaps it works the other way?  Maybe when you get to be excessively successful and/or rich you begin to think you are charmed and not bound by the laws and morals of everyone else.  That might well explain to some extent Saville and Terry.  I acknowledge the former is innocent till proven guilty but I’ll take my chances and apologise if he is found to be innocent.  I am not too concerned!

The latter is one of the vilest human beings I have encountered.  A liar, a cheat, a racist and a thug. Still, he’s good old JT, an English Lion, a good geezer, and apparently is going to keep his job when certainly had I called someone in my line of business a “fbc”, I would be very quickly dismissed.

Mind you had I already been involved in a nightclub brawl (many have forgotten about that caught on CCTV), slept with my best friend (and colleague’s) wife, and assaulted a member of staff from a competitor in front of everyone (the Champions League semi final knee to the back episode, which of course he denied till he saw the replay) then I wouldn’t have been around to get sacked for racial abuse.

I know I am singling him out, and yes all teams have idiots.  Barton, Suarez, Merson, Adams, Giggs and countless others have indiscretions they will not be proud of, but I am tired of the blind eye that seems to be thrown to this loathsome character.

I don’t rant often, but I do admit to it in my summary at the top of this blog.  Call this a vent of the spleen.  When I was growing up, if I had any ailment, from a sore toe to a raging fever to a missing limb my Mum would tell me it was because I was tired.  I suspect this out of character rant may be down to the same issue.  I feel pooped with busy work weeks, lots of travelling and equally busy weekends, so maybe my body is exorcising this in the form of severe grumpiness.

Still, this is my blog and if I can’t rant here where can I?  It’s either this or some sort of Falling Down Michael Douglas episode on the M602 of a morning.

I may need a holiday?  What do you think?

My grumpiness was not helped last week as I tried to get Emily insured for our raging beast of a 1.0 litre Peugeot 107, so that we can go out and help her learn to drive.

Quotes ranged from £3500 to £9000, and they all went up as soon as she eventually passes. Still, one silver lining was that I vented my rantage to Simon Mayo on Radio 2 for his “Wisdom of the Day” feature.  I was amazed that he actually read it out.

I think I should go immediately to bed to catch up on some much-needed rest.  I’m up at 4am tomorrow for another journey south (weren’t they a crap North East duo from X Factor?) so I think it is for the best.

How long till Christmas?  Don’t tell me, it will only start another rant, and nobody wants that.

Till the next time…..