Faith and Football
Good breakfast meeting today with Darren Moore and Dennis Bailey, both former professional footballers and members of my local church, Renewal. We talked about the current state of the game and the challenges of life after football. Darren is a member of the management committee of the Professional Footballers Association and one of the founders of Faith and Football. I last interviewed him for the Independent newspaper when he played for Barnsley ahead of their Carling cup match with Manchester United back in 2009. Dennis runs a football club for disadvantaged kids in my home town of Stratford, a role I interviewed him for in the Guardian newspaper. Both are great examples of footballers really giving something back to the community.
Maldives in the news
The Maldives has been in the news a lot recently following a change of government there. As a frequent visiter to the country I have been following its progress since 2008 when the Maldives held their first democratic elections. In a comment piece for the Guardian newspaper I have looked at why the former President, Mohamed Nasheed, resigned and what his options are now going forward.
The current political situation on the Maldives divides opinion. In a recent article on Comment is free, Mark Seddon posed an important question when he asked why David Cameron has not spoken up for his “new great friend” in politics, the ousted president of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed. He also provides the answer when he quotes Nasheed in one of his interviews as saying: “I could do what the old dictator, Gayoom, would have done, and put these people who are plotting to overthrow me under house arrest. But then that would completely defeat the object of the democratic revolution we have won.”
The Memoirs of Karl Doenitz
On 16 February Amazon are to publish a new version of Karl Doenitz’s autobiography ‘Ten Years and Twenty Days’. Its a great book covering his early life as a U-boat commander in World War One, his role developing the wolf pack tactics, the U-boat war in the Atlantic and his brief tenure as Hitler’s successor. I’m lucky enough to own an original copy of chapter 19 ‘My tasks as Commander-in-Chief 1943-45′ which he signed just months before his death in 1980. What the book unfortunately doesnt cover are the Ten Years and Twenty Days referred to in the sub title which he spent in Spandau prison for war crimes.
Prime Minister announces new Co-operative Bill
Today I co-ordinated the launch of a new Co-operative Bill with The Prime Ministers office on behalf of Co-operatives UK. Co-operatives UK is the trade association for co-operative enterprises and has warmly welcomed the announcement. In a speech at the Hub in Westminster the Prime Minister said that they are to refer the legislation governing co-operatives and mutuals to the Law Commission.The announcement means that the 17 separate pieces of legislation governing the sector, much of which dates back to 1965 and has been developed piecemeal, will now be consolidated into one Act. You can see the relevant section from the speech here.
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