What the Spice Girls' announcement is like

Imagine that your friend in Sydney had leaky valve in her heart, and would die without an operation to fix it. However, the operation itself could be fatal. Still, she decides to go ahead with it; it is scheduled for two months' time.

You immediately ask your boss for some time off so you can go and be with her; because after all, if the operation goes wrong, you'll never see her again. Your boss agrees, and you schedule a flight out to there.

But then, two weeks before you are due to leave, your boss becomes remarkably silent on the topic of your trip; in fact, in one conversation you overhear, he says "IF" you go to Sydney.

Finally, just over a week before you leave, he says that you can't go to Sydney next week because he wants to take some time off. He wants to take his niece on a fishing trip, so you'll have to work.

Whether or not you immediately quit that job would depend on how much you needed a job. But you'd be furious, and SO sad, and if you stayed in the job you would try desperately to cancel the airline tickets... and maybe you can't.

That's what it's like to be an Australian Spice fan, except that quitting your job and going to Sydney anyway isn't an option.

If it was a genuine "family committments" reason, it would be easy to reschedule the other tour dates - I mean, they hadn't even been rescheduled after the extra US concerts were added. If the kids have to go back to school and Victoria wanted to be there, simply reschedule for during school holidays. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezie. None of this "Who knows what the future will bring" bullshit.

But they didn't. They've gained a quick inflow of cash and a quicker inflow of publicity for themselves. They can now go and do whatever solo projects they want and be guaranteed sales. Or rather, Mel C can. Disgustingly, her fans are sticking by her, even though this is obviously her fault.

The SG Defender 1 Rule: When a group breaks up, the former member who launches their solo career first is the one who broke up the group.

Well? The rule extends to cancelled tours: When a group cancels a tour, the member who releases a press statement saying "It's not my fault" is the one who caused the cancellation of the tour.

Mel C did that. Even though the tabloids unrealistically blamed Mel B as well, she hasn't said anything. Mel C knew that she was an obvious target for blame, so she immediately put her fans back onside by saying "I really wanted to continue the tour".

How disgusting. Her fans do believe her, even though the last 9 years tell a different story.