Rugby Passion - but not for the English?

I was in the pub yesterday watching England play Ireland and not for the first time was struck by how cheerful, joyful even the Irish supporters were, and how quiet the English fans seemed in comparison.

And then I wondered – are they (we) quiet for a reason? Inhibited, perhaps? Even intimidated – psychologically at the very least?

I remember being in a pub in Düsseldorf during the World Cup when England were playing Wales, and looking at the unmistakeable wrist gestures from the Welsh fans when the English national anthem played, or when “Swing Low” was chanted. Was there a pub brawl? Of course not. But maybe there should have been.

What’s at the bottom of it? Do the Scots, Irish and Welsh really hate the English? And if so, why?

Maybe it’s got something to do with the turgid rugby the English have been churning out for the past – er – 6 years. Or the fact that Swing Low really is a terrible song, something to be embarrassed about. And God Save Our Gracious Queen doesn’t quite stir the blood or get the pulse racing.

My own impression it that we English are not really hated at least when it comes down to rugby, but we are buttoned-up in a way out Celtic neighbours are not. And our rugby isn’t the most entertaining. And the post-match interviews from England management and players are so up-tight and “on-message” as to be scary. So maybe time to chill-out, lighten up a bit. We don’t have to use fake tan but…..Martin Johnson, hope you are reading this. And good luck Mr.Cipriani.

What has happened to Hugh Grant?

I've just come back from watching Hugh Grant's latest film - "Have You Seen the Morgans". Hmmm.

It seemed like a harmless idea, go watch a rom-com lasting an acceptable hour and forty minutes. Plus I had been to see "Up In The Air" with George Clooney the day before, rather enjoyed it (despite Mr. Clooney's clear infatuation with himself) and so was suitably in the mood for another film. Bring it on. And besides: what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon in January, having the odd giggle, bit of popcorn.....?

Or - as Hugh Grant might say - so I thought.

It really is a shockingly bad film. I am not a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker, and I don't really understand her appeal. A beauty she ain't, and that's putting it mildly  - not to speak of her less than stellar acting abilities.  But Hugh Grant - really, really awful. Was I surprised? Well, no, and that's the truly shocking thing.

I confess to being a sucker for any film that Hugh Grant appears in, despite knowing that he has, over the years, done many truly, embarrassingly awful films. But Four Weddings and a Funeral, with its pre-PC wit, its whiff of the 1980s (a much maligned decade in my view) sits deep in my film consciousness, as do a few other great Hugh Grant moments and films. The pull is there, I buy the ticket and hope for the best.

Well, the film was terrible. Flat comic lines, poorly acted, dreadfully implausible plot.

And Grant himself: please... He really shouldn't subjet us to his inability to act in this very direct, no-holes barred manner. It's against the rules of polite film-watching - I mean, it's clear that he was never ever a really good actor, but he had his moments, his turns, albeit a limited repertoire. But to openly and at great length force even his fans to admit that he is so, so poor is, as I say, in bad taste. Leave us with our memories. Don't assist in dismantling your iconic status.

Will I go and see the next film Hugh Grant makes? Depressingly, the answer is yes. The pull of fond memories and the hope that the next one could just give us a touch of genius again....too great to resist.

Do you ever get hooked on someone, a film star, a musician, a writer, who wrote or sung or said something that so inspired you once, that you always go back to them, despite more than clear indications of waning talent? Woody Allen, maybe? Morrissey? Do tell.

Quality Cues

Deeply puzzled by quality cues on food packaging in the UK. Not to say disturbed.

It would seem that "Made in Britian" accompanied by a little Union Jack flag is a very popular way of flagging quality (excuse the pun). The word "proud" often appears as well - as in "produced with pride".

I can understand that all the buzz about carbon footprint has embedded itself into the UK popular consicousness, if that is what you can call it, over the past few years.

I still find the presence of the Union Jack baffling. Firstly, it implies that everything from "the Continent" (that strange place also referred to as Europe) can't be as good. Hm. Patently not the case as anyone who has been to a German or French market (no, they don't call them farmers markets there) can testify.

Secondly, it smacks worringly of a nasty form of xenophobia - limited in outlook, suspicious of anything new, provincial. Especially when combined with the word "proud".

Nationalism plus a "back to the soil" movement - wasn't that exactly the groundswell that fed extremism in the 1930s?

As an additional aside - I thought the Union Jack had been replaced in terms of popuarity by the Welsh flag, the Saltire, to reflect regional identities.....

What's your view on the Union Jack/ buy British revival on food packaging? Does it make you believe in the quality more? Do tell, as Nancy Mitford might have said.