Col Blimpy Barnes

In fairness, most of the comments by UK contributors on the Barnes article were _not_ favorable.

Looking at Peter's quotes - I can understand the antipathy, but would still prefer to read the whole article, which I probably have but am too befuddled to remember!

BTW: I prefer Martin Johnson (tho he has also joined the Times after the Telegraph and The Independent - thankfully, The Times doesn't guarantee a self-important dud!), David Hopps, Mike Selvey, Vic Marks, Boycott, Scyld Berry, Matthew Engel ... all better with words, ideas and humour as far as I can judge.

I'd even prefer bloomin' PRINGLE, which is saying something.

:"but would still prefer to read the whole article"

On Page 2, I presented the URL to the full article.

Johnson's joined The Times? that must be recent.

Half-correction: Sunday Times (only, I think) ...

Barnes is a pretty good writer with a chip on his shoulder about Australians the size of a Horrie.

Pretty snidey stuff.

Don't think Aussies should get too over precious though given the crap regularly spouted about the poms in your own press.

Ok, I've read the article, and there are one or two bits of lazy journalism ( I don't think it's more than that) on the whole though - is there much to disagree with?

Bas, I know you like taking shots at the Aussies as much as the next Pom, but for Barnes to use his article to assert "The Australian cricket team have become notorious for pulling out of tours any time that anyone lights a match within 500 miles of a cricket ground." at this time, after labelling them 'weasels' a few months ago is a bit rich, in the wake of what has just happened.

Or do you agree with him?

In which case, can we start calling the English team a nuch of mummy's boys for going home from their Indian tour when the Mumbai attacks happened? Because they weren't in Mumbai at the time, they were in a completely different city, and India's a big country.

"is there much to disagree with?"

Taking the article in context of Barnes previous insistence that the Australians are weasels for cancelling their tour, now that this would appear to have been the correct call, the phrase about the Australian cricket team in the recent article is disagreeable. Contrition from Barnes, rather than further insult, would be more appropriate.

You blokes take too long to say it ... Barnes is a qunt.

'F*ck off Barnes' seems more apt.

hmmpphhff...a big crit to jkl...the 6 * are mine and I take great umbrage with any suggestion of similarity betweem me and the port quaffer duffer