The fact that Rafa Nadal’s early exit from Wimbledon is front page news only underlines how the current male tennis elite have become a class apart, expected never to lose. Whereas the women’s game is suffering from a plethora of interchangeable players none of whom match the former greats. There are parallels with political leadership.
Wimbledon will be denied the chance of a Djokovic-Nadal classic (it may yet get a Federer-Djokovic semi followed by one of them taking on Andy Murray in the final). But these two have dominated men’s tennis over the past two years – and the triumvirate have won 28 out of the last 29 grand slams – the top prizes in tennis.
The really interesting thing about this is the way that each player has inspired the other to raise their game. Roger Federer – five years older than Nadal – was gobbling up the opposition in routine victories before Nadal broke through: like Tony Blair against William Hague or Iain Duncan Smith or Margaret Thatcher against Michael Foot. Looked great but was barely tested – by the opposition at least. Since then Federer has won less – but arguably played better. Nadal then looked set to dominate, until Novak Djokovic discovered gluten free diets and the power of patriotism, leading Serbia to its first ever Davis cup win (tennis’s team competition), and lifted himself above both Nadal and Federer. But after a year in which Nadal could not beat Djokovic, a remodelled serve and more aggressive game looked to be evening up the Rafa-Novak rivalry. Poor Andy Murray sits by and wishing he was five years younger (or older).
Meanwhile the era of the great women’s champions is over for now. The Williams sisters are no longer the force they were; Steffi Graf is in Las Vegas with the kids and Martina and Chrissie who shared a riveting rivalry in the ‘70s and ‘80s are wheeled out as pundits not players. Six different women have won the last six grand slams and eight have won the last ten.
So the choice is between a few really established leaders who bestride the international stage and challenge each other to do better and raise the bar for the rest: or a mix of nice but anonymous people who briefly emerge to the fore, fail to capture the public imagination and then leave the stage to the next person who has a good two weeks, with the game not developing or growing. Who comes out on top is fairly random – who has a good draw, holds their nerve at the right time. Noone is going on to really redefine the game.
It is tempting to say that political leadership in the west looks much more like the women’s game than then men’s. There are few figures who look set to make it into the history books as great leaders. Few people look set to dominate their own local politics for a prolonged period as government after government reaps the electoral consequences of austerity. And no one is imposing themselves on the game and challenging others to raise their own standards to meet them.
As we saw with Blair-Brown, political rivalries can be destabilising too (and much less fun to watch). But there is a real sense at the moment that there is a crisis of political leadership – with nobody matching up to the demands of the time. We really need some dynamic leaders to light up the world stage - more Novak and Roger and Rafa than Maria, Victoria, Sam and Petra.
And the good news for Rafa fans is that at least this year there is a second chance to see him at Wimbledon – just let’s hope Lukas Rosol isn’t in the Czech Olympic team.
Friday, 29 June 2012
Monday, 22 August 2011
Test Match Special
Here is a blog I wrote last January as England won the Ashes... looks even better as they move to No.1 in the world - and since David Cameron spent time with the team last Friday some lessons he might learn.
The signs in Australian cities exhorting the public to “watch history be made” as England took on Australia for cricket’s Ashes disappeared very rapidly as the sponsors realised that this was the wrong sort of history – the first England series win in Australia for 24 years. But before the dust settles completely , it is worth looking to see whether there are any general lessons that might be learnt from England’s success.
Lesson 1: prepare well
The 2005-6 Ashes debacle (when England surrendered 5-0¬) was partly caused by a totally inadequate preparation. This time the team went out early; warmed up and was ready for playing in Australian conditions by the time of the first test.
Lesson 2 : have a strategy based on analysis
England had a plan for every Australian player – for example where usually every Australian beats their average in an Ashes series, this time they collectively underperformed. Their backroom staff had developed their strategy based on an in depth analysis of the weakness of each player.
Lesson 3: don’t panic in the face of setbacks
One of the most impressive things about this Ashes victory was the reaction of England’s management to their loss at Perth. Rather than panic the reaction was simply to admit that they had played badly – but to recognise that this was a failure to execute rather than a flaw in the underlying strategy. So England stuck to their plan – while the Australians got carried away on the back of a single win.
Lesson 4 : be ruthless when necessary
Man of the series, Alastair Cook, the England opening batsman who was nearly dropped in the summer when he lost form, paid tribute to the way the selectors stuck by him. But England also made one very ruthless decision – to drop their leading wicket taker, Steven Finn, after the Perth test. Finn’s problem was that although he was taking wickets he was also conceding loads of runs – undermining the whole England approach of strangling Australia’s “get runs fast” batsmen. So Finn was out and Bresnan in – and played brilliantly in Melbourne.
Lesson 5 : manage the egos, build team spirit and make it fun
England’s successful captains are those who can manage the big beasts – and turn them into team players. This time Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower had to contend with the mega-ego of Kevin Pietersen. Some of the stars, like Graeme Swann, didn’t play quite as big a part as predicted- but claimed that they were happier as supporting players in a successful team than in boosting their personal average in a losing campaign. And finally, after tours when there has clearly been a lot of dressing room dissent and disruption, player after player attested to how good the team atmosphere was – a tribute both to the leadership and the supporting, non-playing, members who all contributed.
Finally: keep focus until the job is done
England’s job was done by day four at Melbourne — the Ashes were retained and the nation celebrated. But captain Strauss made it clear that there was to be no loss of focus and England wanted to win the series – not settle for a dissatisfying draw or loss in the final test in Sydney. And England stuck to their plan in Sydney and delivered a textbook win.
That said, it clearly helped that Australia was far from the team they were only four years ago – and far from clear that these ingredients would have been enough to win against the likes of McGrath, Gilchrist and Warne. But opportunities have to be taken. This series was England’s to lose – but this time England planned and delivered a memorable win
The signs in Australian cities exhorting the public to “watch history be made” as England took on Australia for cricket’s Ashes disappeared very rapidly as the sponsors realised that this was the wrong sort of history – the first England series win in Australia for 24 years. But before the dust settles completely , it is worth looking to see whether there are any general lessons that might be learnt from England’s success.
Lesson 1: prepare well
The 2005-6 Ashes debacle (when England surrendered 5-0¬) was partly caused by a totally inadequate preparation. This time the team went out early; warmed up and was ready for playing in Australian conditions by the time of the first test.
Lesson 2 : have a strategy based on analysis
England had a plan for every Australian player – for example where usually every Australian beats their average in an Ashes series, this time they collectively underperformed. Their backroom staff had developed their strategy based on an in depth analysis of the weakness of each player.
Lesson 3: don’t panic in the face of setbacks
One of the most impressive things about this Ashes victory was the reaction of England’s management to their loss at Perth. Rather than panic the reaction was simply to admit that they had played badly – but to recognise that this was a failure to execute rather than a flaw in the underlying strategy. So England stuck to their plan – while the Australians got carried away on the back of a single win.
Lesson 4 : be ruthless when necessary
Man of the series, Alastair Cook, the England opening batsman who was nearly dropped in the summer when he lost form, paid tribute to the way the selectors stuck by him. But England also made one very ruthless decision – to drop their leading wicket taker, Steven Finn, after the Perth test. Finn’s problem was that although he was taking wickets he was also conceding loads of runs – undermining the whole England approach of strangling Australia’s “get runs fast” batsmen. So Finn was out and Bresnan in – and played brilliantly in Melbourne.
Lesson 5 : manage the egos, build team spirit and make it fun
England’s successful captains are those who can manage the big beasts – and turn them into team players. This time Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower had to contend with the mega-ego of Kevin Pietersen. Some of the stars, like Graeme Swann, didn’t play quite as big a part as predicted- but claimed that they were happier as supporting players in a successful team than in boosting their personal average in a losing campaign. And finally, after tours when there has clearly been a lot of dressing room dissent and disruption, player after player attested to how good the team atmosphere was – a tribute both to the leadership and the supporting, non-playing, members who all contributed.
Finally: keep focus until the job is done
England’s job was done by day four at Melbourne — the Ashes were retained and the nation celebrated. But captain Strauss made it clear that there was to be no loss of focus and England wanted to win the series – not settle for a dissatisfying draw or loss in the final test in Sydney. And England stuck to their plan in Sydney and delivered a textbook win.
That said, it clearly helped that Australia was far from the team they were only four years ago – and far from clear that these ingredients would have been enough to win against the likes of McGrath, Gilchrist and Warne. But opportunities have to be taken. This series was England’s to lose – but this time England planned and delivered a memorable win
Monday, 31 August 2009
You heard it here first....
well if you are following the blog at all - though odd thing to be doing since have not posted since November. Update that home page more often. This is just to let you know that I am leaving Defra on secondment to the Institute for Government - am going to tell people in the office tomorrow. Timing not quite clear - but will be making the move some time in September. Not clear how google will cope with both Jill Rutters working at think tanks.. maybe we are becoming the same person.
And that will mean that the blog will be open again for business.
And that will mean that the blog will be open again for business.
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Election night
11.50 GMT -- sitting, killing time watching reruns of SNL's Palin (what on earth possessed McCain to do the QVC stunt?).... V Heavy polling in VA according to locals on the ground.... waiting for first results to come through .... Jeremy Vine playing with his graph again... we have to wait for 6.00 for Alaska ..don't think can stay up for that and still make it to my nine o'clock tomorrow...
11.57 -- three minutes to go - to something... .. JV running through obscure counties... David D trying to explain how networks forecast the results...claim that exit polls have Dem bias... laying off blame on ABC as BBC's affiliate.
midnight .. bonfire night in England... -- KY to McC; VT to BO....now cut to filler about Martin Luther King and I had better do some exercises....or revert to watching Tina Fey. Bizarre to think that BO was born six years before the Supreme Court struck down miscegenation laws. 12.10 more discussion on race.... Dem win VA Senate. does that mean BO will win VA? Eric reckons that would be very good news for him - and he is a politics professor. Short tutorial now on separation of powers. Cheney's ex press sec already discussing BO's first 100 days. and now we have Ricky Gervais from New York. They wouldn't do this in the UK.
1.00 am -- PA to Obama -- allegedly... so we finally have a result that appears to matter.. MC chances "pretty darn minimal"...and Jed Bartlett's NH has stayed blue...BO now ahead.... chancs of goign to bed at some point looking better...IL to BO -- and DC finally gets to matter..... plus MA... and DL...suddenly 67 votes ,,, but TN to Mc. Results in now... but so far BO has not taken any Bush states.
1.15 -- Liddy Dole out in NC -- Kathy will be pleased.... saying how much NC has changed ... Raleigh Durham just described as starbucks belt....
1.45 and while I was asleep the popular vote projection which Beeb pundit said could only go in ob direction has just narrowed down fto 50+50 -- that can't be true..better stay awake.
1.50 -- VA seems to have disappeared off the political map... no mention for a couple of hours...
2.05 -- final news that Fox has called OH for BO... finally a state might change from 2004....GA gone to McC - despite the fact that BC won it in 1992....they are saying v close ... DD has finally said that White House ha sliped form Republican grasp -- might be bedtime.
2.35 -- debating whether am going to go to bed or wait up for FL.... getting quite dopey now.
2.40 -- Simon Schama trying to get DavidD to call the election for Obama...Ben Wildavsky - my token republican friend - has told me its all over from McC with PA and OH gone... I think I am going to sign off.... but can't get as excited as I did over Bill C.... I wonder whether I would have done if Hillary had been running...
11.57 -- three minutes to go - to something... .. JV running through obscure counties... David D trying to explain how networks forecast the results...claim that exit polls have Dem bias... laying off blame on ABC as BBC's affiliate.
midnight .. bonfire night in England... -- KY to McC; VT to BO....now cut to filler about Martin Luther King and I had better do some exercises....or revert to watching Tina Fey. Bizarre to think that BO was born six years before the Supreme Court struck down miscegenation laws. 12.10 more discussion on race.... Dem win VA Senate. does that mean BO will win VA? Eric reckons that would be very good news for him - and he is a politics professor. Short tutorial now on separation of powers. Cheney's ex press sec already discussing BO's first 100 days. and now we have Ricky Gervais from New York. They wouldn't do this in the UK.
1.00 am -- PA to Obama -- allegedly... so we finally have a result that appears to matter.. MC chances "pretty darn minimal"...and Jed Bartlett's NH has stayed blue...BO now ahead.... chancs of goign to bed at some point looking better...IL to BO -- and DC finally gets to matter..... plus MA... and DL...suddenly 67 votes ,,, but TN to Mc. Results in now... but so far BO has not taken any Bush states.
1.15 -- Liddy Dole out in NC -- Kathy will be pleased.... saying how much NC has changed ... Raleigh Durham just described as starbucks belt....
1.45 and while I was asleep the popular vote projection which Beeb pundit said could only go in ob direction has just narrowed down fto 50+50 -- that can't be true..better stay awake.
1.50 -- VA seems to have disappeared off the political map... no mention for a couple of hours...
2.05 -- final news that Fox has called OH for BO... finally a state might change from 2004....GA gone to McC - despite the fact that BC won it in 1992....they are saying v close ... DD has finally said that White House ha sliped form Republican grasp -- might be bedtime.
2.35 -- debating whether am going to go to bed or wait up for FL.... getting quite dopey now.
2.40 -- Simon Schama trying to get DavidD to call the election for Obama...Ben Wildavsky - my token republican friend - has told me its all over from McC with PA and OH gone... I think I am going to sign off.... but can't get as excited as I did over Bill C.... I wonder whether I would have done if Hillary had been running...
Monday, 3 November 2008
Bad planning
You have 64 quarters of economic growth in which to open your mega-mall and then choose to open in the quarter when recession is likely to be confirmed... such is the fate of the vast new shopping centre at Shepherds Bush which I, along with most of West London visited on Saturday. As others have already commented, it already seems like a temple to a bygone age - so early 2000s - and an odd juxtaposition with Fiona Reynolds calling for people to reconnect with their simpler, non-consumerist selves on the radio that morning - by visiting the conspicuous consumption of the wealthy of an earlier age.
But good to know that, in a corner of W12 there is a place where, with no need to take more than five steps, you can buy Gucci, Prada, stock up with diamonds at Tiffany's (or is that a breakfast place). Notable that there were a lot of people in cafés; long lines to buy England shirts at £ 3.49 at Sports Direct (90% off - get donw there fast) - but not a single high end bag to be seen in the sticky paw of any of the thronging masses.
So is this completely misconceived? Quite possibly. Though once you have made it through the offputting designer village for people valet parking their Porsches and SUVs, there are some more normal stores where the tills may some day ring. And compared to Oxford Street, with about half the number of people, there would be more space to move about and no need to dodge between the lines of buses to get from one row to another. Time will tell whether this becomes a monumental folly. The verdict of a non-random sample at the tennis club in Sunday afternoon was that all had been and none would go back - to which I was the only possible exception (but at my rate of spend that won't make a decent return on £1.6bn this side of the next millennium).
But if not misconceived, it is stunningly badly planned. Not just because the tube station dumps you out by the bus station - not into the mall (the whole point is surely to avoid any risk of exposure to fresh air). Not just because the escalators inside the mall can't cope with people wanting to go both up and down. Not just that the refurbished Shepherds Bush tube has nice white tiles, but seems to have no increased access to cope with - duh - Monroe people. Not just because nothing has been done to make traffic move around Shepherds Bush green. Will any of the people who flocked there on Saturday to then be held in a queue outside the tube station closed for congestion in pouring rain - and who then could not get a bus either - ever bother to make it back?
Of course Saturday was exceptional. It was new. It was horrible weather. But there seems to be a complete mismatch between the assumptions on which Westfield was built -- vast numbers of people arriving from all over London - and the ability of the transport system to plan on anything like a comparable basis. But you wait 11 years for a mega-mall to be built (reassuring that these people are building the shopping mall for the Olympic village) and then you spend two hours in the rain trying to get away from it.
But that is not the only problem with the development... it is literally all shops and a few restaurants. No homes. No offices.
In short it is a monument to American suburban planning. Giant mall; inadequate public transport; single use. Disconnected from the local community. A potential blight on other local high streets. Jane Jacobs would be turning in her grave....
But good to know that, in a corner of W12 there is a place where, with no need to take more than five steps, you can buy Gucci, Prada, stock up with diamonds at Tiffany's (or is that a breakfast place). Notable that there were a lot of people in cafés; long lines to buy England shirts at £ 3.49 at Sports Direct (90% off - get donw there fast) - but not a single high end bag to be seen in the sticky paw of any of the thronging masses.
So is this completely misconceived? Quite possibly. Though once you have made it through the offputting designer village for people valet parking their Porsches and SUVs, there are some more normal stores where the tills may some day ring. And compared to Oxford Street, with about half the number of people, there would be more space to move about and no need to dodge between the lines of buses to get from one row to another. Time will tell whether this becomes a monumental folly. The verdict of a non-random sample at the tennis club in Sunday afternoon was that all had been and none would go back - to which I was the only possible exception (but at my rate of spend that won't make a decent return on £1.6bn this side of the next millennium).
But if not misconceived, it is stunningly badly planned. Not just because the tube station dumps you out by the bus station - not into the mall (the whole point is surely to avoid any risk of exposure to fresh air). Not just because the escalators inside the mall can't cope with people wanting to go both up and down. Not just that the refurbished Shepherds Bush tube has nice white tiles, but seems to have no increased access to cope with - duh - Monroe people. Not just because nothing has been done to make traffic move around Shepherds Bush green. Will any of the people who flocked there on Saturday to then be held in a queue outside the tube station closed for congestion in pouring rain - and who then could not get a bus either - ever bother to make it back?
Of course Saturday was exceptional. It was new. It was horrible weather. But there seems to be a complete mismatch between the assumptions on which Westfield was built -- vast numbers of people arriving from all over London - and the ability of the transport system to plan on anything like a comparable basis. But you wait 11 years for a mega-mall to be built (reassuring that these people are building the shopping mall for the Olympic village) and then you spend two hours in the rain trying to get away from it.
But that is not the only problem with the development... it is literally all shops and a few restaurants. No homes. No offices.
In short it is a monument to American suburban planning. Giant mall; inadequate public transport; single use. Disconnected from the local community. A potential blight on other local high streets. Jane Jacobs would be turning in her grave....
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Relative failure
It must be a sign of unsuccessful ageing that the airwaves seem to be dominated by friends. Just getting used to waking up to hear Evan Davis (ex-flatmate) interviewing Robert Peston (friend) about a rescue deal organised by Tom Scholar (ex-flatmate) with dire fiscal consequences predicted by Robert Chote (friend) with Michael Crick (friend) making political mayhem on Newsnight. They are all clearly having a great meltdown.
At least they are still on the top of their game. With the rise of David Cameron a few years ago, it became rather clear that my generation was going to miss out on political power (Damian, Theresa, Willetts all in the too old box - DG and DW don't make it into the pack for the Sky News Top trumps one of my team's husband brought back from the party conference and TM counts as a "veteran"). We seem to have gone to past it without ever being "it" at any point - I suppose there is still Alan Duncan...And my generation of Labour politicos seemed to go nowhere.... we know have a Cabinet of 60 year olds and 38 year olds with nothing in between. Whatever happened to Dave Brown? Gareth Daniel? The nearest we can offer is the official only clever person in the country -- simultaneously charged with sorting out climate change in the morning and systemic bank failure in the afternoon.... the eponymous Lord Turner...and he was at Cambridge.
But the two degrees of separation that is resonating most with those I know is that my cousin's son is a "celebrity" on Strictly Come Dancing (does that make him a second cousin? or something else?). And not just any celebrity, but one who seems to be quite a good dancer. Anyone who has seen me dance (or act) can testify to the power of genetics...
The only problem with basking in reflected fifteen minutes of fame is that I have never met him or my cousin...
At least they are still on the top of their game. With the rise of David Cameron a few years ago, it became rather clear that my generation was going to miss out on political power (Damian, Theresa, Willetts all in the too old box - DG and DW don't make it into the pack for the Sky News Top trumps one of my team's husband brought back from the party conference and TM counts as a "veteran"). We seem to have gone to past it without ever being "it" at any point - I suppose there is still Alan Duncan...And my generation of Labour politicos seemed to go nowhere.... we know have a Cabinet of 60 year olds and 38 year olds with nothing in between. Whatever happened to Dave Brown? Gareth Daniel? The nearest we can offer is the official only clever person in the country -- simultaneously charged with sorting out climate change in the morning and systemic bank failure in the afternoon.... the eponymous Lord Turner...and he was at Cambridge.
But the two degrees of separation that is resonating most with those I know is that my cousin's son is a "celebrity" on Strictly Come Dancing (does that make him a second cousin? or something else?). And not just any celebrity, but one who seems to be quite a good dancer. Anyone who has seen me dance (or act) can testify to the power of genetics...
The only problem with basking in reflected fifteen minutes of fame is that I have never met him or my cousin...
What a difference seven weeks make
Long time, no blog... seems hard to think that only seven weeks ago, PL (Pre-Lehman), we still wondered if recession might be avoided; I only had a couple of bank accounts and the government only owned a couple of banks; the Tories were leading the polls by miles, and Sarah Brown had yet to make a conference appearance; DECC sounded like a brand of 50s electronic goods or something John Prescott might do to a stroppy voter.
So all this has meant busy times...working out how to disentangle bits of climate change from what we do (and concluding that we need a better way of rearranging government to tackle cross-cutting problems, without having to occupy top departmental brains on merging IT systems, finding buildings and appointing even more HR directors). And meanwhile completely failing to book tickets to go over to the US to watch the coronation of King Obama which will make a lot of nine year olds very happy indeed and lose me $100 -- and that is now quite serious money in very feeble pounds.
Tempting to see everything as evidence of catalytic behaviour change towards more sustainable habits - and certainly an undercurrent in some of the press that there are silver linings in recessions- people will be nicer, have more time for each other - perhaps too much as they need not be troubled with the boring inconvenience of work, be weaned off debt-driven competitive consumption and rediscover quilting bees (not sure we ever had those in the UK) as sewing machine sales soar, people discover shoes can be mended and that they do not need a new plasma screen every week. There seem to be huge number fo cyclists in the morning at Hyde Park corner - but that may just be that - until tonight - the weather in October has made up in part for the sheer awfulness of the summer.
But perhaps, the responsible thing now - for people with semi-secure jobs and pensions - is to spend rather than wait for forecast deflation next year. So rather than save - and worry about where to put the cash, the time may have come for an out and out countercyclical consumption binge. But deep thrift is a hard habit to break - and not sure yet that I have yet been catalysed into action.
So all this has meant busy times...working out how to disentangle bits of climate change from what we do (and concluding that we need a better way of rearranging government to tackle cross-cutting problems, without having to occupy top departmental brains on merging IT systems, finding buildings and appointing even more HR directors). And meanwhile completely failing to book tickets to go over to the US to watch the coronation of King Obama which will make a lot of nine year olds very happy indeed and lose me $100 -- and that is now quite serious money in very feeble pounds.
Tempting to see everything as evidence of catalytic behaviour change towards more sustainable habits - and certainly an undercurrent in some of the press that there are silver linings in recessions- people will be nicer, have more time for each other - perhaps too much as they need not be troubled with the boring inconvenience of work, be weaned off debt-driven competitive consumption and rediscover quilting bees (not sure we ever had those in the UK) as sewing machine sales soar, people discover shoes can be mended and that they do not need a new plasma screen every week. There seem to be huge number fo cyclists in the morning at Hyde Park corner - but that may just be that - until tonight - the weather in October has made up in part for the sheer awfulness of the summer.
But perhaps, the responsible thing now - for people with semi-secure jobs and pensions - is to spend rather than wait for forecast deflation next year. So rather than save - and worry about where to put the cash, the time may have come for an out and out countercyclical consumption binge. But deep thrift is a hard habit to break - and not sure yet that I have yet been catalysed into action.
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