Hamish McRaker

On another thread I questioned whether it's right that whilst Australians Sam Masters and Jack Holder each have two jobs, the likes of Lawson and R.Worrall, British born and bred, have been blocked from getting a second job. Also, Steffen Neilsen (British) doesn't even have one job so far, while at the same time the likes of Campton and T.Kurtz (Australians) have jobs. Now, the sad and untimely demise of Coventry Bees has unfortunately exacerbated this. British men King, Garrity, Kerr, Bates and Sarjeant have all lost a job through no fault of their own. Sarjeant now is without any speedway job. Poland look after their own when it comes to giving work to riders. It's time for the UK to get tough now, and send some foreigners away to allow these guys to get fixed up. The Poles would do it, so can we. Also, I wonder how much investment in British speedway there's been from Australia, down the years,or the USA for that matter. Will Greg Hancock or Jason Crump be rushing to form a consortium to buy Brandon as a way of saying thank you to British speedway?

Come on Belle Vue - do the decent thing now and sign the Brits who need work. And some PL clubs can ditch their lowgrade foreigners for the likes of Sarjeant and Nielson

Was Pairman blocked by BSPA because Chapman didn't want the possibility of BV becoming "Poole north"? Would be interested to know what's happened to the previous promoters/owners BOND money, though. Maybe Sir Philip Rising's scope can include this?

So has BSPA been sitting on the bomb money all along, or has it already been used?

I think if Sarjeant wants to ride for a Championship team, M.Campton or T.Kurtz seem most likely to be the ones to move aside.The Nielsen question I've already covered as far as one team place goes, if he wants a further team place it depends on which league his first new team is in.

At the time when this supposed poaching was going on, was Chapman the owner of Leicester (or about to be)?

Thank you I will consider these cases next week

My final decision is as follows: The cases against L.Bjerre and E.Riss I will dismiss on a legal technicality as both are EU citizens and while the UK is still a member of that, they unfortunately have equal rights but not for much longer we hope. However, S.Masters, J.Grazjonek and J.Holder must be dismissed forthwith from their jobs at Wolverhampton,Somerset,and Peterborough respectively and replaced by R.Worrall,S.Neilsen and S.Lawson (the three employers should decide between themselves on the exact allocation). All 6 of the above are Speedway riders and therefore from a legal point of view are all of one single occupational category and therefore interchangeable. This decision will correct a situation whereby non-EU visitors have been provided with employment at the expense of EU citizens who carry out the same job. I will inform the Department of Labour of my decision on Monday morning and it will be immediately binding on the parties.

This season, the number of teams has reduced by 2 (it was nearly 5), I.e. 14 fewer "jobs". I'm not including the NL in this as it's essentially a development league. If two clubs had moved up from the NL, the problem we now have wouldn't have arisen. In this changed circumstance, British riders should have priority when it comes to having two jobs. What we've got is (at the latest count!) 5 instances of foreigners with 2 jobs, while 2 Brits, who would like to have 2 jobs, only have 1 job. We have another Brit (Neilsen) who has 0 jobs and would just like to have 1 and would love to have 2. This just can't be right. Jon Cook isn't someone I usually hold in high regard,but his article in SS praises the way GB speedway has taken back control and is putting British riders first again, looking after our own. Well the above shows that it isn't!

Then theres Lasse Bjerre, Jack Holder, Erik Riss - these 3 also each have two UK employments. Are any of them Brit-blocking in either of their employments?

Aplogies, I'd overlooked Grazjonek. That brings Somerset into the equation now.

...and do the hokey kokey or even better, dig a ditch though the centre green from apex to apex, and get some volunteers to push each side of it a few feet further apart

Now Richie Worrall has been dumped on as well. It's wrong for a foreign rider to be signed up to two clubs while two Brits want to be and can't. Could Wolves let go of Masters and Skornicki (he can go and ride in Poland, they look after their own), and bring in Lawson and Worrall instead? They'd be doing the right thing for Britain.

This isn't a frivolous one! Sam Masters, Australian and average 8.97 has a team place in each league. Richard Lawson, British and average 8.22, has one team place but isn't fixed up with one in the Premiership. Is it time for Wolverhampton to now do the decent thing and give the Brit a job?

There you go. Enjoy....

There you go. Enjoy....

Maybe there's some link with the fabled back straight bogs in the current stadium?

Maybe Private Eye could be interested? Usually keen to dig up the dirt (pardon pun) on local authorities

Interesting to read about the large number of pop-up brothels in Swindon. Why Swindon? Does this explain the slow progress with the new stadium?

Well there you go - after about 50 years I'm starting to get the hang of it! Sounds like promoters can clear off without incurring too many liabilities, certainly compared with the liabilities potentially incurred by club owners, who sound as though they are highly reliant on promoters to be responsible and do their job properly - and vice-versa. Surprised there isn't a club owners' equivalent of BSPA, unless there is already.

OK - so presumably the owner also pays the bond money to the BSPA?

Who is responsible for payment to riders? Club owners, or Promoters?

Time to put out a call to Buster?

Typical

Claudio Ranieri? Soon be looking for a new job