Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Rancid Ruminations: February 2013

Would you listen to all the guff about the new Croke Park agreement. It's all about looking after the senior public servants as always. And don't forget our TDs are in that category. Nothing fundamental will be done about the basic problems of grossly inflated pension provisions, lack of selective redundancy, and absolutely no consequences for inadequate performance. Like Benchmarking, and like Croke Park 1, it's all about keeping one sector happy. This government is throwing sops to the public by merely tinkering with the issues and upsetting the lower echelons like nurses who actually do useful stuff.

Usually the best team win rugby matches, unlike soccer where it's more difficult to score. Ireland however managed to do just that against Scotland on Sunday. How on earth did this happen? Let me count the ways: Jackson couldn't place kick, Heaslip is not a leader, Earls makes one bad decision, Best's lineout accuracy deserted him in the face of concentrated Scottish disruption (new one on me all that waving and distracting), and a number of our experienced players such as Kearney did not perform. At the rate we are going we'll hardly get a player on the Lions first team - maybe O'Brien and Healy.

What the hell is happening with Tipp hurling? It's unspeakable after that abject failure against Kilkenny last August that they should start the League with a dismal capitulation against a callow Cork team. This is the Tipp team that won an All-Ireland a mere 2 years ago and still retains its youthful core.