Micheál And Pam
Leo had Kyle and now it seems Micheál has Pamela!
Even in a year of unpredictability, I didn’t bet on seeing the names Micheál Martin and Pamela Anderson in the same sentence but hey I guess that’s 2020 for you!
The former Baywatch star was in touch with the Taoiseach this week, espousing her support for anti coursing (by the way how in 2020 is coursing still even a thing??)
Coursing events were recently suspended in Ireland due to Covid-19 restrictions and Pam wants the suspension to be made permanent here.
The TV star is a passionate animal rights activist and as an ambassador for PETA has been a long time vocal critic of coursing and associated blood sports and has used her platform to highlight the rights of animals.
From the Taoiseach’s point of view the value of having celebrity connections should not be overstated and the Fianna Fail leader could use all the street cred he can get.
His predecessor in the top job was certainly of the “down with the kids’ variety where as Micheál, try as he might, has all the coolness of a school principal trying to fit in by wearing jeans on a Friday.
Aside from supporting the cause itself which seems like a no brainer in this day and age, being in Pamela’s good books can only help the leader of the soldiers of destiny avoid some booby traps come election time (Pun absolutely intended!)
Can’t Be Long Now
I have little doubt that the graphics department at Sky Sports News already has the BREAKING NEWS: SOLSKJAER SACKED BY UTD graphic done, it’s loaded in the chamber and ready for firing, much like the former baby faced assassin.
I said here before that the one thing a Liverpool fan shouldn’t feel for the Manager of Man Utd is pity, but that’s what I certainly feel for the Norwegian.
Solskjaer seems like a genuinely nice bloke but top level football management is ruthless and the fact is he is nowhere near good enough to manage Manchester Utd and I’m beginning to think that even he knows it at this stage, if not, he’s about the only one in the dark about this glaringly obvious fact.
This week was just another horror one in the never ending s**show that has been his tenure in the last year or so.
Crashing out of the champions league and a public spat with Paul Pogba and his horrible agent was not how he would have wanted his week to go and a loss at the hands of Mancheters city in the Premier League this weekend may well just be the final nail.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been given enough time in charge at this stage to put his mark on the team but the levels of inconsistency are off the charts.
Utd can be scintillating, brilliant and god awful often in the space of 10 minutes.
As an aforementioned Liverpool fan I hope the Norwegian stays on as boss as the longer he’s there the longer it will take Utd to recover.
Cover Charge
Good to see a Laois TD to the fore in trying to take on the insurance companies who have been bleeding the nation dry for far too many years now .
Fianna Fails Sean Fleming, Minister of State at the Department of Finance has published the first ever Action Plan for Insurance Reform and to say it’s long overdue would be an understatement.
As reported recently Irish insurance companies motor policies profit was up 9% this year to a staggering 142 million euro and still we regularly hear them playing the poor mouth!
As it happened I got my insurance quote through the post this week , when I saw what they were looking for it felt more like a ransom note!
When Oirish Eyes Are Smiling
Taking on the Irish accent for non Irish actors is a minefield; a quick look at YouTube compilations of failed attempts certainly highlights the point.
Whether it’s Tom Cruise in Far and Away, Julia Roberts in Michael Collins or perhaps the biggest offender in recent times Gerard Butler in PS I Love you the list is as long as the elongated vowels used when attempting the Oirish brogue!
The US reviews of the actual movie, which arrived this week, aren’t going to help much either.
One critic described the movie as ‘demented’ and ‘nonsense’ with another saying it was ”utterly batshit”, hardly ringing endorsements.
The film is due out in the US tomorrow but no date has been set for its release here, given the reviews probably just as well !
The Day Of The Deise
According to the rules here in Laois Today all columnists must remain fair and impartial so to be upfront and clear I am biased when it comes to this weekend’s All Ireland Final between Waterford and Limerick.
I’m half Deise on my mother’s side and having worked in local radio down there for a time and spent so many summers in the home of the Vikings with the Waterford cousins, I know all too well what winning this weekend would mean to the county and I would love to see the eternal hurling bridesmaids claim the Liam McCarthy on Sunday.
That’s no disrespect to Limerick, who ordinarily I would be backing, but blood being thicker than water and all that!
There have been some good games and exciting moments in this years football championship , particularly Cork defeating Kerry, Tipp winning Munster in the big ball and Cavan’s win in Ulster but the dominance of Dublin, particularly in Leinster, means for those outside the pale it’s been a bit of a damp squib , not so the hurling championship.
When it comes to the seat of your pants, thrills and spills stuff, hurling is lightyears ahead of its football counterpart.
There are at least six teams who could genuinely win the All Ireland each year and added to that counties like us here in Laois who are always capable of creating a shock, it’s a championship that keeps us enthralled and this year has certainly lived up to expectations.
H’on the Deise!
You can catch Brian Moss on Midlands 103’s The Late Shift on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights from 10pm to 12 midnight and Saturdays on The Saturday Beat from 5pm to 9pm. Follow him on Twitter here.
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