Sebastian Vettel - what a guy!

Sebastian Vettel yesterday became the yongest ever winner of a Formaula One race when he took the chequered flag at the Italian Grand Prix.

What makes Vettel's win even more remarkable is that he won driving a Torro Rosso. This team is one of the smallest in the field and is the modern incarnation of the woeful Minardi team that lagged at the back of races for all of its F1 life.

This achievement shows that the 21-year-old Vettel is truly a great F1 talent who is sure to be a challenger for race wins and titles in the future. Congratulations to him.

Not so long ago his victory would have made him unique but fortunately he is now just one major talent in a sport full of them.

You may remember in my last post about F1 that I was enthused by the fact that Robert Kubica had won his first race. Since then McLaren's Heikki Kovalainnen has won his first race and with Vettel winning yesterday it means three drivers have had a maiden victory this season.

There are now twelve drivers on the grid who have won grand prix, more than half of the drivers racing this season. What's more, eight of these twelve are under thirty and could have at least ten years racing to go before they leave the sport.

I said it in my last F1 post but I mean it even more now, F1 is back as a competetive sport. Even though Mclaren and Ferrari still have a clear advantage over the other teams in terms of budgets and resources this season has proved that they can no longer carve out the races between themselves and will have to earn each new victory.

F1 is then in the best health its been in since the era of Prost, Senna, et al. In my mind, four things need to happen to take F1 from this to optimum health:

1. Fernando Alonso needs a decent car - He is still the best driver in F1 and should be pushing for victories. Hoppefully Renault will improve his package for next season.

2. Toyota need to keep developing - They have come on enormously this year. Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock are both excellent drivers who deserve their chance at a title shot.

3. Williams need to get good again - They are the only team in the paddock now that exists solely for F1. It is good for F1 when born racers are among the best teams. Nico Rosberg is also an excellent driver who could make the field even more comepetive.

4. Jenson Button needs a good car - This is probably my most contentious point. Jenson has many critics who accuse him of being too much of a playboy and not hungry enough for victory. However, in the past when he has had a decent car he has shown himself to be a very competetive driver. I'd like to see him in a decent car to see if he is as good as his best performances suggest. And if he is, the idea of two British drivers fighting it out for wins is mouth-watering.

The Gray Man Enters

Today Scottish Labour got its new leader, Iain Gray.

Labour are in a mess in Scotland. They are losing votes all over the place to the SNP and, in some places, the Tories.

Typically Labour leaders are local government place-men from the Glasgow area so their members deserve some credit for electing an East Coaster who has worked outside of politics for most of his life.

This shows signs that Labour is realising it needs to change its ideas if it is to play a meaningful part in Scottish politics over the next three years.

Sadly Gray shows few signs of wanting to move the party on, at least if his acceptance speech is anything to go by. In it he criticised Alex Salmond (the fat, bandwagon-jumping First Miniter of Scotland) for going to St. Andrews University and working as an economist while he was out in the schemes teaching poor children and then working for Oxfam in Mozambique - presumably to show up a 'man of the people' image.

Gray was educated at George Watson's College and Edinburgh University, two of the poshest educational institutions in Scotland. Teaching is a respected, professional job with good, if not great, pay. Gray is no more a man of the people (whatever that phrase means in the modern world) than Salmond.

These were mute points to his audience who lavished him with applause.

When will Scottish Labour realise that they are as middle-class as every other party in the Scottish Parliament?

Hopefully Gray will do so soon. Ultimately, the people of Scotland want an opposition leader who holds the Executive to account, not one who devotes his time to pretending to be one of the workers.

George II - Hero

A little praise here for George Burley, possibly the best thing to happen to Scottish football for some time.

Walter Smith and Alex McLeish did a great job at rebuilding the side and we had an excellent run in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. However Burley is the man to take us forward.

Burley does not respect reputations, likes to play attacking football and is prepared to gamble. For the Iceland game he benchedKenny Miller, started with two strikers and played Kirk Broadfoot.

We can't match the big teams if we continue to play defensive football and hope that our lone striker gets a chance on goal. Nor can we do it if we don't cut the dead wood out of our squad.

Burley knows all this and he will be the man who either takes us beyond the group stages in South Africa or loses all of his major matches by five goal scorelines.

George I - Villain

Well, here's my first proper blog for almost three months. There is a good reason for my long-delayed return to the blogosphere.

I was working at a newspaper in Edinburgh in June and July. I optimistically thought that this might lead to a full-time job but alas no such luck. I've since been turned down for one job and been unable to take up two others for a variety of reasons.

I currently find myself on holiday on the Costa del Dole, which is quite frankly the worst experience of my life. You are treated like scum by the people in the Jobcentre, made to fill out stupid forms and receive endless patronising letters telling you nothing you didn't already know. The system is also so open to abuse it's unreal. To put it bluntly, I think I'm losing my soul.

Many people say the dole is the easiest existence there is - being paid not to work. Anyone who has ever said this has clearly never experienced life in benefit land.

Which brings me to villain George. Last month I saw the video below on a music TV station. George Michael tells us how great being on the dole is:


I appreciate he was making a political statement in a very different time but I hate the idea he promotes of having "soul on the dole."

Being on the dole is rubbish and I long for the day I am off it.

9/11 seven years on

I've not blogged for a while, I've decided I need to start doing it again.

Tomorrow I'll put up a full post.

However, today is the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Seeing the memorial service in New York today brought back memories of the shock and sadness I and everyone I knew felt on that day in 2001.

Whatever anyone thinks of the events that have unfolded since I hope we never let this cloud our memories of the tragic events of that day.

To all the victims, rest in peace.