B*llocks or not ?

Aside from being illiterate, muddled and near hysterical, he comes across as a complete plankhead.

He's about as welcome as a turd in a swimming pool
 
When he isn't doing his countryside alliance thing (mind you he's pretty critical of their management) Charlie has a tradition of using his silly little column to politicise racing. Not sure how he got that job, it's as if he knows someone in the media somewhere.

The slightly amusing thing is that Charlie is all for free market economics and the survival of the fittest, until it comes to training race horses, where he seems to think a subsidy is necessary. As Norman Tebbit would say, trainers can always get on their bikes (or the ferry to Deauville) now if they wanted.

The bottom line is that racing is a web of inter-connected interests, all of whom would be a diminished force were a single one removed. Sadly, the industry itself often makes the mistake of thinking they're the linchpin. They're important, of course they are, they're essential, but hey're also a wheel in a clcokwork mechanism. You can start with any point in the chain and speculate what happens if X was removed. No bookmakers = no punters = no sponsors = no prize money = less owners = no horses

Most scenarios end up with point to point hobby racing or very rich privateers settling personal match wagers

As it happens, the most significant recent advances made in the bookmaking industry in terms of deregulation have occurred under Labour govenment's. The conservatives have been pretty poor in comparsion. Charlie has omitted to mention the 'Portas Report' for example which recommended that bookmakers be removed from the high street and slung down back street alleys. Blair and Brown by contrast introduced the gambling act which allowed them to use clear class windows, advertise using PoS, advertise on television, and they abolished the 9p betting duty. It was a Labour government that tried to build the super casino (defeated by a combination of Teresa May, the Tories, and a small group of Labour MP's centred around Diane Abbott).

It was the conseravtives of course who first tried to sell the Tote in 1989, until Michael Howard (he of Folkestone racecourse) stopped it in 1995. The Labour government tried to sell it again, but stalled on two separate occasions (largely due to market conditions rather than any point of principle admitttedly) Ultimately is was sold in 2011 by David Cameron, but I think you could argue that either party would have sold it, just so happened they were on watch

Anyway, if Charlie wants to go to France, let him. It would serve the French right if we could send a few back there (we just know that he won't though), but racing has no more to fear from Labour as it does from the Tories. The idea that Miliband is going to close down Royal Ascot is just silly. We've had Labour government's before and non of them have tried to close Ascot to my recollection
 
Absolutely agree. He clearly misses the important point that the old prozzie gets two days off at Christmas before everybody is lining up to fill her knickers with twenty pound notes on boxing day.
 
The bottom line is there was a report out a few months ago that said we'd lost something like 20% of cricket clubs in the last decade. Participation in golf has dropped by a similar amount. Athletics clubs are borderline now, even with an Olympic 'boom'. Racing too faces a lot of challenges - because we live on the 'planet Football' - QED

The additional problem racing has is that it ain't a great sell. In fact as spectator sports go, it's poor, and doesn't have the sorts of emotional things that other sports can hang their hat on

It's doooooooooooooooomed
 
1. If it's in the Telegraph it's probably b0llocks.

2. If Charlie Brooks has anythng to do with it it's probably b0llocks.
 
Warbler said:
The bottom line is there was a report out a few months ago that said we'd lost something like 20% of cricket clubs in the last decade. Participation in golf has dropped by a similar amount. Athletics clubs are borderline now, even with an Olympic 'boom'. Racing too faces a lot of challenges - because we live on the 'planet Football' - QED

The additional problem racing has is that it ain't a great sell. In fact as spectator sports go, it's poor, and doesn't have the sorts of emotional things that other sports can hang their hat on

It's doooooooooooooooomed
Click to expand...

disagree.

As a sport that is followed it's in decline, especially flat racing with its charmless connections but the racing day is as busy as ever. Ascot is booming. Like the new stand or not it has big crowds regardless of fixture. I go racing 30 odd times a year and usually the same fixtures. Lanzarote, second day Xmas Kempton and especially newbury challow hurdle day had bigger crowds than I've seen for a while
 
Don't think so Simmo, he had an argument with an owner and jacked it in. Are you thinking of Graham Bradley who was alledgedly training horses at Brook's yard ?
 
The slightly amusing thing is that Charlie is all for free market economics

Really? I thought he was ukip? UKIP are protectionist and their soulmates are those of similar mindset on the left
 
Man Mood pulled up in a two horse race at Southwell was the horse in question.
Horse was favourite but had breathing problems and Brooks suggested to owner if he backed the other runner he would be quids in whatever the result.
 
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