E I Addio

That really seems to be the nub of the issue in many peoples minds. So much of it is in desperate need of reform but the vested interests and those on the gravy train have set their faces like flint against any sort of change that encroaches on their personal status and influence. They are so dumb and out of touch that they could not they could not see that even a few minor concessions woukd have almost certainly been enough to swing the referendum in favour of the remainers. Instead of blaming the fishwives of Hartlepool the anger of the remainers should be aimed at the elite of Brussels and Strasbourg Would that include the Tories led by Blair and Brown ? You remember, the ones who had hedge fund managers paying less tax than their office cleaners. The onee that were quite happy to send expendable soldiers to their deaths in Iraq for want of spending enough money on protective equipment. The ones that tried to cover holes in the economy by selling off the gold at rock bottom prices. The one that promised British jobs for British workers and didn't deliver. Funny how people's memories play about when politics are involved. Whatever happened to humanity? Try looking on the doormat of the House of Commons, the European Parliament, or United Nations. You might find someone wiping their feet on it

I make you basically right on that, but as you correctly said about Margaret Thatcher, whether people think she was good or bad depends on what side of the fence you were on . The same will probably apply to Brexit. Some will probably benefit , others won't. The other thing is that there are all kinds of other world events that come into play that are not forseeable now, and that can have a massive bearing on things. Elections in America , Germany and France can be massive game changers, as can the economy. People can speculate on these things but none of them can foresee the future. Steve, you remind me of Mark Twains famous comment " I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened " We aren't even out of Europe yet, no point in worrying. The vote has happened, nothing you can do about it, just roll with the punches, play all your hunches and just keep ploughing on. You might be surprised. It's only money anyway. As long as you've got your health you have the most important thing .

I can't remember the Royal Family telling me what to. Only the law makers have done that . Personally , I don't see what the Royal Family have to do with the discussion. I agree that there is no logic in them having their position buy birthright, and I am nor a royal flag waver, but basically they don't encroach on my life. I can see the argument for replacing them but I am not sure the alternative is any better, especially if you consider for example the case of Baroness Ashton, never been I elected to anything in here life and on the strength of being a mate of Blair, she gets parachuted into the jod of EU Comissioner with the power to influence people far more than the Royal Family. Personally I think it's people like her, Kinnock and Mandelsson on the EU gravy train that turn people against it far more than immigration.

The House of Lords doesn't actually make any laws. It's nothing like the EU parliament at all. The Royal Family don't make laws either.

I think Robert Watson-Watt, Sidney Cam, R J Mitchell and Hugh Dowding plus a few others had something to do with all that. Eastern Europes done things for us and we've done things for them (including 1939). No reason why they shouldn't come here if they have a job to go to and a place to live. Whether it means their politicians that their politicians, amongst others, should be EU Commisioners etc directing how the UK should run its affairs is what the referendum was really about

Yeah, of course they are . No doubt about it. Even went to war in 1939 because they didnt want those stinking Germans over here running the show. Bloody racists. Or, to put it another way round, it's amazing how people always play the race card when all else fails. Except that most of Northern Europe is all the same race anyway. You wouldn't know where most Europeans originate from until they open their mouths. Drifterent nationalities, same race. Therefore, not racists.

As a neutral and no particular fan of Tai, I think a lot of different things are getting tangled up here. I don't really see how Tai has a particular obligation to ride in UK Speedwáy. He is a professional in a career that could come brutally to an end at very short notice, and if his best income is from abroad, so be it, just as is the case for any other sportsman, musician, tradesman or businessman. We don't know why he won't ride for GB but we doknow the BSPA have an abysmal record of paying riders late and so little they are out of pocket. It's not Tai's fault the rules allowed him to be drafted in to the Wolves team on a ridiculous average. I find it rather distasteful that it happened but Tai was only a pawn in that game. It's not for him to decide what's right or wrong in that respect. He got a job offer that suited him and he took it. I do however think he does himself no credit with his public pronouncements and the language that he uses. Nicki Pedersen has the personality to take on the pantomime villain role and get away with it. Few others can. Tai is not particularly articulate with his adjectives and to my mind shows himself up. He could and say the same things far more low key and far more effectively . He almost invites slanging matches. To illustrate, look at the thread about Peter Karlsson. Everybody he agrees he is a great rider and a great bloke. With Tai, the plaudits are likely to be limited to great rider. He has neither the personality nor the vocabulary to be impressive in his public staements, but he could still be a great champion all round by conducting himself with a bit more decorum, a bit more like PK. Bottom line I suppose is that those fans who were winding Tai up were paying £19+ to do so, and in effect paying his wages. The same can't be said for the BV announcer though who really needs to sacking.

Especially if you couldn't attend because you were banned from the stadium. Neverseenthatbefor.

A good start would be the BSPA actually understanding the rules they pass instead of coming back afterwards, as some did this year saying they didn't understand the heatleader list, or getting halfway through the season and saying they got the EDR set up wrong. Edited for accuracy !

What can I say that hasn't already been said ? The way he is respected and admired across the whole Speedwáy spectrum says it all. Few riders have achieved such admiration. The way he has conducted himself would make him admired in any sport. But behind that modest exterior , which was more like an insurance clerk than a Speedwáy rider was a competitor as hard as nails, as we saw time and again in his 3 years at Lakeside. Some of my outstanding memories in the whole of my time following Speedwáy was the 2013 season when it seemed that almost every match was going down to heat 15 and it was down to PK and Dave Watt to go go out and seal the deal which they did everytime with what seemed like an almost telepathic understanding of each other.Even when Wolves were in town PK was still a Lakeside man at the time and took great delight in putting one across Freddie Lindgren, who I don't think, from memory ever beat PK at Lakeside. Thanks for some brilliant memories Top Man, a credit to the sport.

d It's all very subjective, but I agree that Kennett should go in there. He came to Lakeside 2 seasons ago with confidence almost at rock bottom but his confidence in his sweeps round the fence has been remarkable. His race with Doyle in the Lakeside -v-Swindon A fixture was , for me , probably the Race of the season.

Flange and Stevebrum have made up again now. Steve gave Fred some Groupon vouchers for a weekend break at Hotel Dignitas.

Perhaps in a less vituperative and more objective manner than Fred. The fact is, 8 teams start the competition, 7 will lose somewhere along the way. Everyone knows what they face when they start. Virtually every track in the country has its good and bad meetings. It's in the nature of the sport. The trick track slur doesn't wash. Peter Karlsson at his peak was brilliant there as were others. There fact that a team turn up with riders that can't ride it doesn't diminish the track. In any sport, there are ups and downs, decisions that go for and against you, but there comes a time when I you just have shake hands, s ay well done to your opponent, stop the excuses and move on, otherwise it diminishes the ethos of sport. Unfortunately the BSF seems to attract a fair number that have probably never done any serious sport and apart from tapping their keyboards and have no idea how tough it is to perform some days. Constructive discussion is fair enough but sometimes a bit of sportsmanship wouldn't go amiss. "Well done " and "Congratulations " are not difficult things to say. ,

Oh dear, sounds like the spineless wonder can't handle the fact that his side got a tonking. Blame the track instead of the riders.

Once again the Misanthropic Misfit returns to try to spoil a perfectly enjoyable thread, venting his spleen with personal bile better confined to pm's because nobody else is interested. Maybe he has eaten too many sour grapes. Well Done Wolves, commiserations to Belle Vue. Sport is all about winners and losers. A pity someone has to come this far to collapse at (almost) the final hurdle but that's what makes it interesting.

When the BSPA held a fans forum earlier this year, a mere 50'or so turned up. That just about shows how much the moaners are really interested when it comes down to leaving their keyboards. You really believe a mass demo woukd happen ? A lot of speedways problems are very little to do with the AGM itself, they are more to do with failure to properly implement whatever rules are made, and back door rule changes half way through the season, of which the signing of Lindback on a 7 is a prime example.

As we are still in the EU I am not sure of the legality of enforcing this sort of rule (restraint of trade, free movement of labour and all the rest if it ). I suppose though they could say to the riders we will only give you a contract if you are available to us for x amount if time, which would be fair enough. The problem is their clubs are far more cut throat in self interest than the BSPA are, so if for example one club said to Doyle you can only sign for us if you only ride in two leagues, someone else needing a top heatleader might well say, come to us Jason mate and we'll let you ride in Sweden and GB

Give him a break. He is still trying to work out why Jerran Hart still hasn't been released.

Well, now you come to mention it, I have assumed it to be the case. Surely he can't beat Old Father Time for another year can he ?

For me the most pleasing thing about the result is that Peter Karlsson will bring down the curtain on a glittering British career in a Play off final. He is obviously not the man he once was, and I would have preferred to have remembered him as he was, rather than how he now is, but he has been such a great servant to British speedway it will be a fantastic way for him to bow out. Hope he scores a few and we see few last flashes of the Old Master. A man after my own heart. It needs to be sorted out but I am not holding my breath.

All that is true. Agreed the system works for the benefit of riders with ability but the problem is that it is manipulated to the benefit of certain clubs. No way should Newman be at Poole year after year as an EDR reserve. There should be more moving between clubs so that the bottom clubs one year get a clear first choice of reserves the following year. Of course , the system will never operate to its full potential while the PL numpties refuse to have anything to do with it. There needs to be graduated progress from NL to PL reserve then PL to EL reserve, in order to give the widest possible opportunities to riders and the widest pool of riders gaining experience for clubs to choose from. The fact that a high scoring reserve like Newman has spent three years with the same club is an indictment of the system.

One of the things about any sport is that the closer you get to victory the harder the competition gets. Sometimes it takes a bit of backbone to go out and do your best when circumstances conspire against you and your best laid plans unravel. Sometimes you just have to take it on the chin , as Lakeside will probably have to tonight. Unfortunately, Lakeside, like most other clubs have a vocal minority that have obviously never done any serious sport in their lives, probably never even run for a bus, some of them and don't realise how bloody difficult and soul destroying it can be at times. You just have to breathe in breathe out and move on to next year, trying again and ignore the damn silly comments that people make, e.g. Joe Beevors stupid comment above, about them not being good enough to beat Plymouth . Lakeside are only going through what Leicester, Coventry , Kings Lynn, and eventually Swindon have already had to deal with. Having said that, the communication from the management has not exactly been all it could be this year. I thought Cookie said at the Fans forum in Feb that Nigel Pearson's company had taken all that side of things over. If they have they haven't exactly made a roaring success of it.

Doubt if Ben Morley or Robrt Branford will beat a BV rider but I am delighted to see Robert being given a run out in the hope that as a British Passport holder Lakeside might be able to form an opinion of him as a possible EDR reserve next year. He has guested against Lakeside a couple of times this year and although he didnt score well I was super impressed with his attitude. He really got stuck in on a track he was having difficulty with. I think he coukd we'll be one of the big improvers of 2017. Love to have him at Lakeside.

Like a lot of Speedwáy meetings it could be determined by gate positions that set th scene for a heat one advantage and a psycological advantage, especially if that advantage is held in heat two. If it's 2-4 to Poole after heat one and 5-7 after heat two Wolves have a mountain to climb. If Wolves are four points up after heat two anything is possible

Except that when Andreas Jonsson was brought back to Lakeside he was assessed at 9.03. This is the root of the problem. They are incapable of making a decision and sticking to it. First it's an 8 then it's a 9 then it's a 7. If there was a specific formula, set in the rules like the EL/PL conversion everyone would know what's going on. If 7 is the correct figure then by definition they got AJ completely wrong, if AJ was correctly assessed then they clearly messed up big time with Lindback Even by the usual BSPA standards they have made a complete dogs breakfast of this one.