For all of those who are inclined to pooh-pooh many Britons' obsession with the weather, witness the official reasons why England looked so poor despite winning against Paraguay yesterday:
BBC: England make water plea to Fifa
BBC: We must beat the heat, says Joe Cole
I'm torn: half of me says that if our forebears were able to sieze control of India, the West Indies, and vast chunks of Africa while wearing heavy red serge uniforms and carrying full packs (with additional mutton chop sideburns too) England's professional athletes should be able to manage running about for 90 minutes in hot weather. Then again, as soon as the mercury nudges 75 degrees I personally turn bright puce, sweat like a pervert in a convent school, and have to have a sit down, so I do have some empathy.
Our next game is a night clash with Trinidad and Tobago (ironically colonised by British troops for the crown in hot temperatures); if we fare badly expect to hear excuses about "floodlight allergies" from the England camp.
Oh and Debbie- I haven't forgotten your meme.... given my current world cup obsession, I fear many of the songs can be heard on this show from the BBC: England's World Cup Anthems: a 1 hour special. "We are going to score one more than you...England!" (Not we are going to score one more than you England, but rather we are going to score one more than you, (pause, then get all shouty) ENGLAND!) For those of you allergic to English nationalism, rest easy in knowing that the preceeding show is presented by an Ulsterman.
In other news, there has been a bit of brouhaha in British political circles over how calibrated the Prime Minister's support of England should be, given that he is the premier of the whole British Isles (Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Jersey having failed to qualify for the finals). Luckily, Private Eye has figured out the signals coming out of 10 Downing Street:
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