OK, so I'm sad, I'll admit it. I've stopped in (albeit because I was baby-sitting) and watched all of the Eurovision Song Contest by myself.

Personally speaking, I don't understand why Serbia won (or for that matter why the UK came 23rd), except for the fact that politics get everywhere.

For what it is worth, I had Germany, Sweden, Ukraine, France, Greece as my top 5. I figured Scooch deserved 9th or 10th. It wasn't that good a song, and the performance was decidedly average.

Still, I guess it shows what I know about music.

Anyway, congratulations to Serbia. After the shit that that country has been through in the past 15 years, maybe it deserves the glamour and positive attention that Eurovision will bring to it.

So it's June 27th when old Tone will pack in his job at No 10 Downing Street and rejoin the back benches.

It can't happen to quickly for me. I can't stand him. As a person, I'm sure he is very amiable, but I think he has become absorbed in his own cult of personality over the last few years.

He took us into a conflict in Iraq that has all the hallmarks of becoming a more recent version of Viet Nam. He has lead a Government where it's members have consistently lied about their behaviour. He has taken away the ability of the Labour Party to make it's own policies, introduced links between business and the Health Service, failed the Third World and sucked up to George W Bush, all in the interests of leaving his mark on history. The guy is a grade A, certified wanker.

The sad thing is that I'm not convinced that Gordon Brown is any different. I hear the rhetoric about Brown being his own man, but I think he will end up leading us down a very similar path, and ending up much as John Major did. Personally speaking, I will be voting for whoever stands against him.

With a new leader, I can see the Labour Party hanging on to power in 2 years time at the General Election, albeit with a much reduced majority. That will give Brown 6 years as PM. After that, it's anyone's guess as to what happens.

What has made me laugh today is the calls by both the LibDems and the Tories for a snap election? Why? Are they hoping to scare the new leader into having Parliament dissolved? Rightly or wrongly, the people of Britain voted the Labour Party into office. Was there a General Election when Thatcher was ousted?

Precedent has been set already, and surely the new PM deserves the chance to establish some of their own policies and take the country in a new direction over the next couple of years (or not as is their right). Then we can make an informed decision at the next General Election (in 2009 or 2010).

If I had to summarise Blair's term of office, I would say disappointing. In 1997, I worked from 7am until 10pm getting people to vote, manning polling stations, knocking on doors, driving cars and entering numbers into computers. In the end Hugh Bayley was re-elected in York and Tony Blair took office. There was an air of hope about the country. We expected a change after 18 years of Tory mis-rule. Much was promised, either tacit or implicit, and things did change.
However, the last few years seem to have become bogged down in the same lies and deceit that contaminated the Tories term of office. Maybe it's true that power corrupts, but surely we need to find a new way now, before it's too late.

Mr Brown, if you do take office as PM, make Ed Balls your Chancellor, and bring the troops home from Iraq. If America wants to have militants kill their troops, it's up to them, but we deserve better.

Tony Blair, Prime Minister for only a little while longer. Thank f**k!

So I sat and watched the game last night on Sky. I knew that it was going to be a fairly bland game, and I was right. There were no starters for United last night who would be first choice if every one was fit.

In fairness to the team though, it was a steady performance. The only disappointment was Dong Fangzhou, our Chinese striker who seemed to be off the pace for the entire time he was on the pitch. He was replaced by Wayne Rooney with about 20 minutes to go. I know he's been in Antwerp for the last 3 years, but for me, the jury is still out. He didn't seem to add anything to the game.

Kieran Lee and Chris Eagles both looked good on the right hand side. Kuszczak had a good performance in goal, and looks like he might push Ben Foster for the number 1 keepers role when Van der Sar leaves the club. Smith and Fletcher worked hard in midfield and Richardson seemed to enjoy his creative role.

I really hope that Heinze doesn't leave the club in the summer. He doesn't have the pace that he had before his knee injury, but he can still do a job on the left hand side, and I think he will give us depth at centre back as well. He is certainly a better defender than Silvestre.

Anyway, just one game to go, against West Ham, on Sunday. For what happened in 1995, I hope we stuff them and Wigan beat Sheffield United. That way, West Ham will be down in the Championship.

My heart goes out to the parents of Madeleine McCann. I can only imagine what they are going through.

I'm sure everyone who reads this will join me in hoping that she is found safe and well, and returned to her family.

How cool is that. Roger "The Rocket" Clemens, one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history is returning to the Bronx to pitch the remainder of the 2007 with the Yankees. I'm made up.
Clemens pitched for the Yanks between 99 and 03, winning 2 World Series titles in 99 and 00 and taking the Yanks to 2 other World Series appearances in 01 and 03. His best mate, Andy Petitte re-joined earlier in the year.

Even at 44, Clemens has a lot to offer the Yankees, at least for this season. With Pettite and Clemes in the pitching rotation, along with Mussina (when he's fit) and Wang (when he's fit), the Yankees have 4 very good pitchers, with another couple fighting to take the 5th spot.
The pitching needs to start working if they are going to make up the games they are behind the Red Sox. It hasn't yet, and that's why the Yankees aren't in 1st place. The offense has been working, with A-Rod hitting home runs (see earlier post). We just need the pitching to get the other guys out.

We've got our trophy back, we've got our trophy back.

You can stick your Champions League up your arse.

We are Premier League Champions again. That's 9 times in 14 seasons. Given the amount of money Chavski have thrown at players over the last few yeas, it's a great win.

I'm made up, and I hope we beat them at Wembley, like we did in 1994, to win the Double. That will make it all the more sweeter.

Ronaldo has been a different class this year, and I have to mention the performances from Giggs and Scholes in midfield, but for me, the player that made the difference was Vidic. He's huge and gave the defence so much stability.

With a little luck, Sir Alex will add some depth to the squad next season. I'd love to see a left back come in. I think Bardsley deserves a crack at right back, and Kieran Lee is coming through. I think Heinze is immense, but is better at centre back after his injury, providing competition with Ferdinand and Vidic.

I hope we get Hargreaves and Nani, and a decent striker. I'd love to retain this trophy next season.

Seriously made up.

Another 3 points, and just as importantly, a Derby win against City.

There are some teams you just love to beat, and City are one of those for me. I can't stand them. It's something to do with being brought up as a United fan.

I was disappointed with the ref. He kept 'missing' Michael Ball's blatant attempts to foul Ronaldo. He missed the stamp by Ball on Ronaldo in the 3rd minute and just about everything after that. Even the foul for which he gave a penalty should also have had a yellow card with it.
Michael Ball has joined the list of players that I loathe. His bullying tactics at the start of the game where way over the top and I hope the FA / Manchester City take action. Deliberately stamping on a player's chest when they are lying on the ground is not acceptable. Earlier in the season, Thatcher was banned for his foul on Mendes and I hope there is a similar ban here. Ball could have done a lot of damage to Ronaldo.

Anyway, I hope that Arsenal and Chelsea is a nice draw tomorrow, which would mean that we can go to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night as the new Champions, which would really piss a lot of Chavski fans off. It would go someway to making up for a lacklustre performance on Wednesday night.

With a little luck, by tea-time tomorrow, we'll have our trophy back!

Oh well, another election night comes and goes.

It was a first for me. Normally, I'm heavily involved in the election for the local Labour Party, be it Council Election, European Elections or a General Election.

However, after the General Election of 2005, I took a decision that I would do nothing for the Labour Party until that tosser Tony Blair stepped down as Leader. I can't stick the bloke. I think he is false and I take comfort from the fact that I didn't vote for him.

Anyway, back to the plot. I didn't do anything, and went to bed without really glancing at the results.

I can't say I'm surprised by the result in Scotland. The Labour Party had it coming. I'm not convinced that it is a permanent state of affiars, and I think there will be a swing away from the SNP in the next General Election, especially if there is a Scottish PM.

I did take great pleasure in the result in the City of York though. The Liberal Democrats there took a beating. The people of York really brought the events of the last 4 years on themselves by voting those prats in in the first place. I'm glad that they came to their senses and voted most of them off. It just goes to show that politically, we are like sheep, and always follow the flock, and always thinkt that the grass is greener on the other side.

Anyway, with a little luck, Blair will be gone in a few weeks and I can get involved in local politics again.

Before I sign off though, I should say, for the record, that the Liberals took Cottingham South and Labour was beaten into 3rd place. Still, at least I've got something to spend the next 4 years on!

So what is it with the Church? Last week we were hearing about a paedophile choirmaster who was sent to prison for abusing boys, and then this week, it's a parish priest.

Over the years, we have had to listen to the Church pontificate as to why church numbers are dropping off, and they don't see a link. Despite it's pleadings to the contrary, the Church still has dirty old men involved at a grass roots level, dirty old men (and young men) who like children. Worse than this though, is the fact that the Church is doing a good job at covering it up!

As right-minded individuals, shouldn't we be saying no. If the clerical hierarchy is incapable or unwilling to act, surely the Government and the judiciary should be getting involved and thoroughly investigating. If the Church is found guilty of protecting these perverts, surely the Church itself should be sanctioned?

In my view, the sanctions should be limitless. Time after time over hundreds of years, the Church has operated above and outside the law. Now it is time for this to stop. It's no good the Bishop of Bath and Wells telling us that the Church has to take some responsibility for the priest in Clevedon. The Church has to take all the responsibility for hiding this sick man and allowing him to commit child-abuse. Surely the Church is commiting this abuse by proxy?

After the elation of last week, I'm totally gutted this week. We went out of the European Cup with a whimper to Milan. I haven't seen such a spineless display form United for so long. Not one player really fired. Defensive mix-ups cost us the first two goals (well taken by Kaka and Seedorf) and it was inevitable we would conceed a third when we were playing so far up the pitch.

Normally when United have a bad game, there is at least one player who can take the game by the scruff of the neck Scholes and Fletcher came close tonight, but even they looked half-hearted compared to Gatusso and Kaka who just ran the game for Milan.

I hope this isn't a taste of the next few weeks. We need to get back to winning ways on Saturday against City and then sell the title next Wednesday against Chelski.

I'd like to wish Milan all the very best in the Champions League Final. Hopefully, they'll stuff the Scousers out of sight.

With a little luck and a few good signings, we can go two better and win the damn thing next season.