A WEE PRICK…..

When the news broke, just before Christmas, that the vaccines had been given the nod, it all sounded so positive.

Since then, there seems to have been a fair bit of back-tracking by the powers-that-be about when we’d actually be getting that wee prick in our arms.

Why do I sound surprised?

Then there’s Brexit. “We’ve got it done!” shouted Boris. “We’ve got a great deal, and trade can freely continue”

Really? All those lorry-drivers queuing up in Kent and at Stranraer, filling in endless toilet rolls of red-taped forms, might indicate otherwise….

As do the ominous – for speedway – revelations that major football clubs have suddenly hit a brick wall (their transfer window opened last week, running to the end of the month) as they discovered they simply couldn’t sign a promising lad from Latvia, Estonia or Romania without first registering as visa sponsors, proving he was of a standard qualified to take a British player’s place, and filling in every application form under the sun before he could join them in the pitch.

Again, why do I sound surprised?

So to speedway – and already, the resurging strains of coronapox looms large in front of the sport’s planning.

The much-postponed AGM was due to have taken place, but hasn’t happened. It’s now supposed to be this week. We’ll see.

Confident-sounding assurances from Rugby — that we’d be off and running at Easter with the same line-ups as we’d planned for 2020 — have rather evaporated into vague hints of reduced line-ups, different league structures and a start “maybe in May”. To be honest, there’s a fair bit of deja-vu going about.

Surprised? Moi?

However, I’m not going to be all doom, gloom and I-told-you-so about things, there are bright spots too!

Firstly and mainly, fellow-blogger Sarah’s latest production. You’ll see her announcement in the blog before this – congratulations, Sarah and Shadders.

Next, from a speedway aspect, we don’t know when – if, even – our bonny bouncing Bandits will be rolling the bikes out this year, but let’s look on the bright side. ….

When speedway does start, we’ve got a track ready for whatever team the authorities thrust upon us.

There are good people who used to watch racing at places like Lakeside, Rye House, Coventry, Workington – and Swindon(!) — who have neither a track nor a team. Think about it.

As regards the rest of the mess, it could have been so much worse. Imagine:

Trump might have won a second term.

They might not have found a vaccine yet.

And the Europeans might be standing back, laughing their socks off as Boris, Gove and their idiot mates “led” us into a no-deal Brexit.

See? It’s not all bad.

Honest!

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Disagree with Dick – as so many do? He is always be happy to hear from interesting people at dick@crystalfm.co.uk