Have football fans changed?

What is going on with football fans these days? The thought occurred following West Ham's recent 6-0 defeat against Arsenal at the London Stadium. West Ham were four down at half time, igniting a mass exodus from the ground. Every time a goal went in more people headed for the exits. By the end of the game, the stadium was less than half full. Ok, the fans were disappointed and could see no way back. But leave? Many is the game over the years, when fans crammed into the old Upton Park.The days when much of the attendance was standing. Few would leave, no matter what the score. Now, things have only got to start going the wrong way and some fans are on their way back to Westfield. So have the fans changed. Back in the 1970s and 80s, fans would queue for hours just to get in. Yet today, lots of fans routinely turn up late and leave early. Lots go early to get refreshments at half time. Amazingly, many leave early, with the result of the match very much in the balance. The game can be finely poised, on level terms or one side in the lead by a goal but there are still a bunch of fans that favour the early dart. Then, there is the posing. It seems very important to fans today to take selfies of themselves with the stadium providing the backdrop. In short, there seem to be quite a lot of fans attending today, whose least concern is the football. And, it is not just West Ham. The managers of other teams have commented on the lack of atmosphere and passion - the failure of the fans to get behind the team. So have things changed? Well, the cost certainly has - most of those attending will be paying upwards of £50 for a ticket . Even, in these inflationary times, the cost of attending a football match has far outstripped rises in the cost of living. Many of those who used to attend football have been priced off the terraces. Have the middle classes taken over - maybe? Yet, the transformation in football since the advent of the Premier League has been dramatic. The game is more popular than ever, helped by the mass TV exposure. It is safer and more comfortable to attend. It is also more of a family entertainment, with men, women and children attending. The growth of women's football has been a breath of fresh air. So plenty of positives. No doubt, things ain't what they used to be and that in many ways is a good thing. The violence that marred football matches in the past has practically been eradicated. The game has become a trailblazer, rather than a backwater, when it comes to confronting racism, sexism and homophobia. So, many many positives. The worry has to be whether the modern game has lost some of its soul. Is it still for working people? Is the loyalty and passion of the football supporter still there? Do fans just want to physically get together with their phones? Everyone will have an opinion but one thing for sure is that the game is a changing.

Vengeance based criminal justice system is just storing up problems for the future

Some years ago a neighbour, Gladys Cornwall, was confronted by an intruder in her house. It was late at night, when she literally bumped into the man in her house. He fled. The police arrived, taking a statement and providing support. Well into her 70s at the time, Gladys lived on her own but did not want to stay in the house alone that night. She stayed at mine, returning the next day. I had known Gladys (Mrs Cornwall to us) all my life. What was amazing about Gladys was how she bore no malice towards the intruder. She forgave him unconditionally. No need for vengeance or retribution. She was able to carry on with life, rather than getting eaten up with vengeance. Today, vengeance and punishment seems to be the all encompassing motivation relating to offenders. There seems to be an attitude, particularly in the media lexicon on crime, that catching and punishing criminals is all that matters. Fill the prisons up, build more when necessary. Crime and punishment has become a nice little earner for the private sector. The concepts of vengeance and justice seem to have got mixed up. They are different things. When someone loses someone or is violated in some way, most people want some recompense. This maybe the perpetrator being caught and punished, compensation for a wrong done or whatever. Justice though encompasses far more than vengeance. The situation needs to be made better for all concerned. At a popular level, there is a belief that once someone is locked away out of sight and out of mind, that is job done. All can move on. This is simply not the case. The victims have to live with the consequences of the crime - as does the perpetrator. Restorative justice schemes are a way of trying to get justice on all sides. Bringing victim and perpetrator together in the right circumstances to try to get some resolution. Rehabilitation of offenders is also vital. Many lack basic literacy and numeracy skills. They need these and other skills, if they are going to pursue a different productive route when they leave confinement. And most do come out. All but a handful will come out and could be living next door to anyone. Better surely that they have the skills needed to pursue a legitimate path in life, rather than a criminal one, negatively impacting others all over again. What society needs is to address the causes of crime and deal with perpetrators in a way that ensures they do reoffend. A vengeance based system, putting people out of sight and out of mind with little rehabilitation, just stores up bigger problems for the future.

Time is running out, as climate clock climbs toward 1.5 degrees

There have been many warnings about the need to stay below 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, if the world is to avoid climate disaster. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned of the need to stay below 1.5 degrees, declaring that going beyond that level would bring on famine, droughts, floods and devastation. The Paris UN Climate Conference in 2015 called for a 45% cut in carbon dioxide emissions from the 2010 level by 2030, proceeding on to net zero by 2050. Guess what, last year was the warmest in recent history, with the climate clock moving perilously close to the 1.5 degree warming target. We have seen 40 degrees temperatures in this country. Drought and floods are commonplace. Rising sea levels are becoming the norm, as we seem to be sleep walking towards the crisis. As the crisis deepens, we are served by a back to the future government, putting it's head in the sand. The Tory government is going backwards on climate agenda - handing out fossil fuel extraction licences like confetti. It is notable while the government is letting oil companies drill across some of our most outstanding landscapes, it continues to be less than enthusiastic about renewable onshore wind. Still let’s hope a Labour Government, with a green agenda, will soon come to office. Against this background, it has been great to see progression on the climate and biodiversity agenda in the borough over the past four years, since Councillor Jo Blackman and myself brought the Climate Emergency Motion to the council. There is a climate action plan with 114 targets, some 85 of these are well on track. The use of more renewable sources of energy, converting council vehicles to sustainable sources and more active travel options are among the highlights. Progress has been steady. On biodiversity, there has been extensive tree planting, the extension of the wild grow zone areas, the advance of pollinator pathways and tree pit developments. Exciting plans are afoot at Fairlop and Hainault Forest. In our borough, the climate and biodiversity agenda is advancing, the main problem being speed. The lack of government funding to address this emergency is breathtaking. An emergency needs real investment from central government. Climate and biodiversity really need to come up the agenda. We need to see the whole culture change to one of sustainability. The streets around us need to change, more active travel must be embraced. The dominance of the car needs to be confronted. The climate crisis is way past the point when a bit of recycling is enough. Not to devalue such activity, which ofcourse has a vital role. But much much more is needed. Less driving, flying, eating meat and just throwing things away. There needs to be a community and individual conversion to living more sustainably and treading lighter on the earth. We have begun this journey in Redbridge but need to speed up in all directions over the coming months and years if the planet is to be saved.

Birds of prey exhilerate the senses

Birds of prey exhilarate the senses The sight of birds of prey soaring across the skies really is one of the most exhilarating things to experience, when watching wildlife. The peregrine falcon at full speed (up to 200mph) diving in pursuit of prey. Or the red kite simply drifting across the breeze looking for carrion on the ground. The local area is good for raptors (birds of prey). If lucky, a peregrine maybe seen above Wanstead Flats, the park or golf course. A smaller bird, the kestrel is another local regular. It's distinctive brown back and curved beak, though, the giveaway usually is to see the kestrel hovering above potential prey in the grassland below. Buzzards are also a regular around these parts. On one memorable walk on Wanstead Flats a few years ago, there was a buzzard and red kite soaring above it, in the August sun. A personal favourite is the marsh harrier, about the size of a red kite, the multi-coloured bird soars across the air streams, ready to take rabbits or other prey below. Marsh harriers are rarely seen around here but regularly appear on the RSPB reserve at Rainham Marshes. Further afield, they are plentiful around Rye in Sussex. These big birds of prey show their agility doing an aerial mating dance. Love of raptors was brought home in a recent program by wildlife cameraman and Strictly Come Dancing winner Hamza Yunis. The program, called Hamza: Strictly Birds of Prey saw the photographer tracking his favourite birds around the country. The peregrine hunting along the seashore but also in an urban environment. Hamza's favourite raptor seemed to be the eagles. He filmed some fantastic shots of golden and white tailed eagles. Hamza's excitements and exhilaration at seeing these birds was palpable. Owls also featured, with some intimate filming of a tawny owl in a garden. There are a number of owls around this area, with the tawnys, seen in Wanstead Park and Bush Wood. Little owls regularly appear on the Flats. Also, a few migrating short eared owls sometimes come across the area. These nocturnal operators though are often difficult to seek out. Exciting, though, if you are lucky enough to see one. So, when your out and about, always look up in the sky to see what might be drifting above. If your lucky it may be one of the many raptors, seeking to track down prey or just drifting on the thermals.