Here we go again...the culmination of the week that Liverpool swims in San Tropez false tan.
It's the Grand National Festival.
It's brilliant; thousands of orange women wearing their specially acquired frock and 'at, men walking around with bad suits and trilbies in the vain hope that everyone thinks they are top racing pundits and 'hungry' taxi drivers circling like vultures waiting to fleece the next out of town drunk.
Oh and then there's the night life, dominated as ever by the elite few who continue to wear their racecourse pass throughout the night and order Pimms and lemonade as temperatures outside plummet to 0 degrees.
It's no wonder that this event takes place in Liverpool, no other city in the country would tolerate some of the antics that take place, or moreover, the publicity that it attracts. Even the racecourse owners have now banned 'unsavoury' photos which lend themselves to the sort of publicity that has dominated the event as of recent years.
Below I've posted (and commented) on some of them.
"I've lost my betting slip, can I just check to see if it's up your arse?"
"Make sure you check for broken glass before getting too intimate"
"...and Black Thong makes her way into the winner's enclosure, passed some amused punters.."
Now for those of you in the know, you'll realise that these photos are all historical from previous years. The reason is because if any dodgy photos are published this year, then the photographer responsible will have his permit for this year and any future years, withdrawn. So much for free speech at Aintree.
My problem is that we don't see the same sort of publicity for Ascot, or the Derby at Epsom, or any of the other middle class piss-ups, which has to include Henley Regatta and the ultimate in all social occasions, the Tory Party Conference. These things do happen there you know.
Yes, even I can be critical of what goes on at Aintree this week and the reality is that the working class at play (particularly in Liverpool) sells newspapers. It's as Owen Jones quite rightly points out "Chav culture"; the demonisation of the working classes. From Benidorm to Bulgaria, young British kids have been labelled with this Chav tag. But we all know that it goes on in other cultures.
I've seen naked students doing press ups on the banks of the canals of Amsterdam; part of Freshers Week traditiion I was told. And we've all seen that Americans can party with the best of them.
So why do we like to highlight this as part of British culture when the truth is that it's part of all youth cultures? Likewise why single out the Grand National festival in Liverpool when we know that Glorious Goodwood and the other Southern middle class events are as bad (if not worse).
My take on it well it's simple.
The establishment owes nothing to Liverpool, history tells us that; the only mainland city to return an Irish republican MP to Parliament, the only city to experience a Police Strike, the city that disobeyed Thatcher and resulted in the disqualification of its Councillors and of course Hillsborough. For anyone in the States that hasn't heard of Hillsborough, just Google it to see how the British establishment closes ranks on the working classes.
So anything that could present this city in a decent light has to be put back in its place and that includes The Grand National. Bookies love it, punters adore it and even the locals can make a few quid on the back of it. But, no, the press have to mock and denigrate it because that's what their owners want.
So to all those people out there who follow the press line and "diss" the National I say, "Get your tan on, order a pint of Guinness and back the horse with the most letters in its name."
Come on AP McCoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's the Grand National Festival.
It's brilliant; thousands of orange women wearing their specially acquired frock and 'at, men walking around with bad suits and trilbies in the vain hope that everyone thinks they are top racing pundits and 'hungry' taxi drivers circling like vultures waiting to fleece the next out of town drunk.
Oh and then there's the night life, dominated as ever by the elite few who continue to wear their racecourse pass throughout the night and order Pimms and lemonade as temperatures outside plummet to 0 degrees.
It's no wonder that this event takes place in Liverpool, no other city in the country would tolerate some of the antics that take place, or moreover, the publicity that it attracts. Even the racecourse owners have now banned 'unsavoury' photos which lend themselves to the sort of publicity that has dominated the event as of recent years.
Below I've posted (and commented) on some of them.
"I've lost my betting slip, can I just check to see if it's up your arse?"
"Make sure you check for broken glass before getting too intimate"
"...and Black Thong makes her way into the winner's enclosure, passed some amused punters.."
Now for those of you in the know, you'll realise that these photos are all historical from previous years. The reason is because if any dodgy photos are published this year, then the photographer responsible will have his permit for this year and any future years, withdrawn. So much for free speech at Aintree.
My problem is that we don't see the same sort of publicity for Ascot, or the Derby at Epsom, or any of the other middle class piss-ups, which has to include Henley Regatta and the ultimate in all social occasions, the Tory Party Conference. These things do happen there you know.
Yes, even I can be critical of what goes on at Aintree this week and the reality is that the working class at play (particularly in Liverpool) sells newspapers. It's as Owen Jones quite rightly points out "Chav culture"; the demonisation of the working classes. From Benidorm to Bulgaria, young British kids have been labelled with this Chav tag. But we all know that it goes on in other cultures.
I've seen naked students doing press ups on the banks of the canals of Amsterdam; part of Freshers Week traditiion I was told. And we've all seen that Americans can party with the best of them.
So why do we like to highlight this as part of British culture when the truth is that it's part of all youth cultures? Likewise why single out the Grand National festival in Liverpool when we know that Glorious Goodwood and the other Southern middle class events are as bad (if not worse).
My take on it well it's simple.
The establishment owes nothing to Liverpool, history tells us that; the only mainland city to return an Irish republican MP to Parliament, the only city to experience a Police Strike, the city that disobeyed Thatcher and resulted in the disqualification of its Councillors and of course Hillsborough. For anyone in the States that hasn't heard of Hillsborough, just Google it to see how the British establishment closes ranks on the working classes.
So anything that could present this city in a decent light has to be put back in its place and that includes The Grand National. Bookies love it, punters adore it and even the locals can make a few quid on the back of it. But, no, the press have to mock and denigrate it because that's what their owners want.
So to all those people out there who follow the press line and "diss" the National I say, "Get your tan on, order a pint of Guinness and back the horse with the most letters in its name."
Come on AP McCoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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