political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
First Premiership Footballer Comes Out of the Closet...
As a Tory. Today Chelsea's Frank Lampard declared that he's a Tory supporter and would like David Cameron to win the election. He told the Daily Telegraph's Spy Column: "I had a really good chat with David. As a footballer I don't want to get involved with the campaigning thing but I am a Tory and I really like David Cameron." Good for him. [grudging respect] As you might imagine, I am not Frank Lampard's greatest fan after his derogatory comments about West Ham, but he can't be all bad, I suppose [/grudging respect]. Sorry, I take that back. He's still a tosser.
The BLUE shirt kind of gave it away, eh? :)
ReplyDeleteI prefer his uncle, Harry Redknapp. I hear Harry could be the next England Manager? How fab would that be?!!
Celebs and their politics! What fun!
ReplyDeleteFootballers don't have to worry about not getting work because they are public Tories and your average Chelsea fan probably won't be too offended. The BBC won't give him too many pundit jobs though and I suspect his England performances will definately come under severe examination by the BBC crew, with no one putting his case, and lots of airtime given to Gareth Barry to tell everyone how crap he is!
Interesting implication - that a footballer is afraid to admit he's a Tory in a working class sport with a working class following.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is, that the game is classless now (although rugby union remains middle-class, because it's played exclusively in private schools).
Lampard, of course, was privately educated and I would expect the majority of children of Premiership players to have the same privileges.
With the money they earn, I daresay most players would be interested in a low tax, small government regime.
I remember Hunter Davies, in his great book about Spurs, being surprised about the captain Mike England being a Tory. England would have been the first of many.
"The working class can kiss my arse,
I've got the foreman's job at last".
There are exceptions. Alex Ferguson is still Old Labour. But what do you expect of a Scotsman?
...and so still is David Cameron!!!
ReplyDeleteWho or what is West Ham? Does it matter in real life.
ReplyDeleteStrange thing is Alex Ferguson is not above putting the odd million or two into a tax scheme. And I gather that quite a few Premiership footballers have done the same.
ReplyDeleteI thought you meant a gay premiership footballer. I have a few friends in sports journalism who have alledged as to which premiership footballers are gay.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't possibly comment.
RS
As far as I can see only two former rugby internationals have become MPs-Wavell Wakefield (Con) and Derek Wyatt (Labour)
ReplyDeleteAs for football the former Celtic and Scotland Goalkeeper (1967) Ronnie Simpson became a Tory/Progressive Councillor on Edinburgh City Council in the 70s while most opf the Rangers team were Unionists (sorry Tories)
"...rugby union remains middle-class, because it's played exclusively in private schools" - that's ignorant and wrong on 2 counts.
ReplyDeleteRugby union is not exclusively middle class in many parts of the UK, and is played in many state schools too. I know, we played 2 of them when I was at my public school!
Iain says, "He's still a tosser!" !
ReplyDeleteStand by for another Sir Bufton Tufton moment. He's bound to turn up at some Tory do and sidle over to you.
"Hi, Iain, I'm the tosser!!
Its going to happen - its God's will.
Twas in Telegraph Spy yesterday btw.
ReplyDeletebebopper said (11.17pm) "...(although rugby union remains middle-class, because it's played exclusively in private schools)."
ReplyDeleteWill you lot stop saying this? Rugby union is played across a range of schools and by a wide cross-section of the population.
Today I was a spectator at Chesterfield RUFC which hosted a tag rugby competition for local schools. There were 13 teams and about 150 players involved. Not one of them has been privately educated.
On Sunday mornings I help coach one of the junior rugby teams at Chesterfield. There are around 250 players in total at the club ranging from 7 years old to 16 years. I would guess that 99.9% are state educated.
I read recently that the average salary for a professional rugby union player is £60,000 a year. Given the physical nature of the game many of them will be lucky to get a 10 year career from the sport.
Don't talk rubbish about rugby union (or rugby league, come to that). Today's soccer players are overpaid prima donnas who set a very bad example to the young kids that watch them.
Rugby players and their supporters show more discipline, control and respect for the referee than most of the soccer players we see on the TV.
Rugby has a better model to teach our children than the so-called "classless" game of soccer.
Oh Iain you tease! Although if a footballer was to come out as gay I'd be more than happy for it be Lampard, what a hottie! :)
ReplyDeleteI read also that Vinnie Jones is reported to be a Tory supporter.
It would be interesting to know what political inclinations footballers' have. Millwall have a bad reputation but John Smith opened the New Den when Labour leader, I don't know the exact reason why (he didn't come across as a typical Millwall supporter!).
To the tune of Que Sera, Sera
ReplyDeleteSteve Gerrad, Gerrad
He's big and he's f*cking hard
He bigger than Frank Lappard
Steve Gerrad, Gerrad
bebopper - Rugby remains middle-class in England so I agree with i mckellar.
ReplyDeleteAs for Rangers and Celtic. There have been in the past problems with sectarian violence amongst their supporters. Remember Gazza's infamous goal celebration?
Just thought I should let you know that there is something on your blog (possibly a moving image advert) which causes my browser to crash.
ReplyDelete'I prefer his uncle, Harry Redknapp. I hear Harry could be the next England Manager? How fab would that be?!!'
ReplyDeleteAs a saints supporter (for my sins), I couldn't think of anything worse...
bebopper said...
ReplyDeleteAlex Ferguson is Labour because he's Scottish.
Can I point out that in the May election in Scotland a huge majority voted against the Labour Party, which is not even the biggest party in terms votes or seats.
Alex Ferguson is however one of a diminishing number of Scotsmen who having been brought up in a world where Labour was the protector of the working class is still deluded into believing it is a force for good, instead of the opportunisic, uber-capitalist, corrupt organisation it is now. Rather like Man. Utd actually.
South Wales is the part of the UK where Union is a working class sport, elsewhere it tends to be middle-class. Although in Leics. the Tigers have a working class following.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that anyone's politics are influenced by Sports or Show business people.
Apart from knowing that Jim Davidson is a 'Tory' that put me off voting Tory for life.
Often wonder how Iain copes with knowing that, 'Homophobic Jim' belongs to the same party as he does.
I doubt it Wrinkled Weasel - that would involve teaching Lampard to read.
ReplyDeleteYes I saw it yesterday ..., still its a good story. Making Conservatism cool is vital and most sportsmen are actually Conservatives. Now hey can say so...when is Mr. Wilkinson going to tell us the obvious truth hmmm?
ReplyDeletePS -I never fail to play my part by being effortlesly cooler than the po faced dullards of the left with their ickle-baby-do-as-mommy says attitude to their own minds .
PS I see Asian lefty Blue Peter bint who turned up at Ken Livingstones thingy is going to host an ITV current affairs show. This is the sort of mix of popular culture and politics I expect to see covered tommorow !
( arf arf)
Guido - Blair has financial snout in the trough in some shenanigans in the hong of kong.
ReplyDeleteIain Dale - A posh public school footballer with more money than Tony Blair, might be amenable to the lower tax regime under the Tories, although he ain't willing to get out of bed to campaign for it...
Hmmmm - Enjoy your time as 'Number One' - it may not last very long..
Rugby union is not exclusively middle class
ReplyDeleteNo indeed , I was struck by the ordinary-ness of the accents in the England team. Rugby has never really been for the exclusive elite anyway . It was played by Grammars and minor public schools.
To become leader of the Liberal Party you have to go to a school where they play a game invented by Monks in 1437. It involves throwing a fag in the air whilst big school shout
" faggy faggy faggy"
...laying bets on the extent of head injuries when he returns to earth.Apparently Dutchy Clog once threw a fag some 30 ft in the air breaking his neck and spine.( Not as exclusive as Millipedes leafy Comp of course)
the richer you get the more you support the tories.
ReplyDeletesimple mathematics, doesn't matter whether you're a footballer or businessman.
Lampard's Dad played for England, you know. More respect required from mere blogger to footballing great.
ReplyDeleteWhen Alex Ferguson joins Frank in supporting Cameron then we'll know we're heading for a landslide at the next GE. Don't laugh! I hear murmurings that Alex is well p***ed off with Brown's feeble performance so far and thinks the country's going to the dogs.
ReplyDeleteNews in today's Mail of another New Labour icon in trouble:
As the police launch an investigation into her husband, BBC queen and Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark is accused of a cover up, and of personally enriching herself through her Labour connections:
"...The truth is that there is nothing "fearless" about this rather smug face of the BBC's liberal, bien pensant establishment.
Through her closeness to Labour bigwigs and her often illconcealed political bias, she has diminished the BBC and revealed the true, incestuous nature of the modern political class."
Well worth reading in full!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=492360&in_page_id=1770
Yawn Yawn Yawn. Frank and his Father have always been Blue noses, and everyone has always been aware that the Lampards are Blue noses. This is not an amazing revelation
ReplyDeleteShould be interesting hearing Tory supporters rambling on about all the bloody foreigners, while Frank plays in a team full of em.
Not hugely surprising that he's a Tory given that he earns 110k a week.
ReplyDeleteFootball is the only industry in which Old Labour's Clause 4 approximately endures
ReplyDelete"the full fruits of their industry" indeed.
Where else do the employees enjoy so much, the shareholders so little, and the customers b-all?
Now he's a Tub Thumping Tory Tosser instead of just a Chelski Tosser so that may help the aliteratively inclined. Meanwhile Respect Renewal / Talksport seaside extravaganza is in tatters here. Allegedly due to a Conservative plot.
ReplyDeletefootballers are just rich people - therefore they're Tories, cos they think they'll help them keep more of their money...
ReplyDeleteOh, if only Bristol Rovers Stuart Campbell came out of the closet!
ReplyDeleteOh dear… Of the big 4 clubs only Chelsea FC have failed to support May day For Nurses campaign. Chelsea, over paid, un-charitable and full of foreign players. Perfect Tory Fodder.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.maydayfornurses.com/?module=players
Who is Frank Lampard?
ReplyDeletePatriccus said... "I doubt it Wrinkled Weasel - that would involve teaching Lampard to read."
ReplyDeleteFrank Lampard went to a Public School.
I am not a huge fan of your politics, and I think the writing on your site is sometimes sloppy and poor.
ReplyDeleteYet, there was something so endearingly human about this post on Frank Lampard (and about your Godmother), which broadsheet columnists will never be able to replicate. For all those who criticise blogging as encouraging the 'cult of the amateur journalist', I think there is a lesson here.
Blogging does something different. It fosters ae far more direct link between writer and consumer. It offers a stylistic and real urgency. Sometimes writing standards are poor, sometimes comments are of questionable quality, and sometimes bloggers do have an inflated sense of self-worth. But on no level should there be a direct comparison made between newspapers and blogs - blogging operates in a completly different medium with its own rules and standards.
Some may like it, some may not. But those who think they are 'above' blogging, are the kind of cultural censors that make it a necessity.
You all know this already of course.
Keep up the work, Ian.
Newmania 9.29am
ReplyDeleteI suppose Tony Benn and Ruth Kelly were fags.
Patriccus 9.06am
I think Lampard has 12 GCSEs including Latin.
Another good reason to keep Gareth Barry in the England side - and no I'm not Bob Piper.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Frank Lampard that guy who missed a sitter and now we face the chop out of Euroepe.
ReplyDeleteYep! Typical Tory, all cash and grab and nothing for the Country.
Gary
Le Saux came out as a guardian reader some years ago and got a volley of abuse for it so don't think most players are natural labourites.
ReplyDeleteWell done Frank - just goes to show he's got brains in his head as well as his feet - as for anyone supporting West Ham.......only joking Ian!!
ReplyDeletehardatwork - it wasn't about 'politics'! it was because he was reading a broadsheet - not a tabloid!! doh! :)
ReplyDelete