Why can't people simply admit they it when they are wrong?

 Imagine a perfect world. If you could change one aspect of human nature what would it be? I can remember asking an old, wise Roman Catholic Priest this question when I was about 14 years old. His answer shocked me. I thought he'd say "make people less greedy". But what he actually said was "I'd make people want to apologise when they had made mistakes". He explained that in his career the worst things happened when people made mistakes and couldn't bring themselves to apologise. Often what they did was concoct a whole tissue of lies to justify something they knew was wrong. This always troubled me. I couldn't understand how a man who knew so much had come to such a conclusion. I thought that there were many aspects of human behaviour that were far more worthy of addressing. But I have come to realise his wisdom. To some extent, we are all greedy. It only becomes a problem when our greed negatively impacts another person. I want my studio to be better, turn over more money, and make me a bit richer. I'd love a nice holiday with the proceeds. But that aspiration doesn't hurt anyone. If I went and burned down my competitors, that would and I'd have committed a heinous crime. As I am not a psychopathic narcissist, it is not how I operate. But people do do such things and they do hope they get away with it. When they are caught, as stupid people usually are, they come up with lame excuses. Sadly friends and family are often taken in.

In recent weeks, I have seen some terrible behaviour from someone I know and who I, until recently, had a lot of respect for. They have got themselves in a very difficult position, all because they didn't simply apologise when their bad behaviour was initially called out. I can't really say any more, but life would be so much more simple and so much less frustrating if people could simply put their hands up and say "Sorry I got that call wrong". In most situations in life, no one is 100% right or wrong. Recognising that in difficult situations, we have handled things badly and so we hold out an olive branch and say " I will accept I got this wrong, lets try and resolve this amicably" is a strength not a weakness. 

Many years ago, I worked in IT and I was working on an ATM system for a major bank. There was a problem that was causing the system to crash every week during the peak ATM usage time. We were having fraught meetings. I knew what the issue was, but the manager of the department responsible would not agree. He made a huge issue claiming it was our departments responsibility. I made the statement "well, I am prepared to accept that we have issues on our side, but we need to work together to resolve it". He aggressively replied "Well I do not accept that we have any issues at all, so now you have admitted you own the problem, I expect you to resolve it". I was shocked, my attempt to hold out an olive branch had been totally rebuffed. The issue was costing the organisation millions of pounds and also reputational damage and I realised I'd put myself in the the crosshairs. It was an unpleasant situation. I went back, checked everything and returned to the meeting. I produced the details of the way our end of the connection was set up. Their tech boys, who were good guys took this, then checked their end. They immediately realised that they had made a mistake on the setup, that only impacted at times of peak volume. When it became clear that much time had been lost by the manager denying all responsibility for the problems, he looked extremely stupid.

Given the high profile nature of the situation the overall boss was also present. He suggested that the guy apologise for his stance. He stunned everyone by saying "I have nothing to apologise for, it was his comments claiming they had problems that mislead us all". Within a couple of months, he was managed out of the role. It was a lesson for me, I realised that my stance had gone down well and I was seen to be a team player. Sadly I have seen the same scenario play out many times since. It never ends well. 

As I was walking past St Rollox.....

 Back in the dim, dark days of the 1970's, comedy was a very different beast to what it was today. Things which would guarantee a laugh back then, would see you being cancelled or sent to prison today.Casual racism was an almost guaranteed source of a laugh, for comedians such as Bernard Manning and Jim Davidson. Other rib tickling subjects included sexism, homophobia. flatulence and diced carrots. All of this was considered prime time TV material. There were people who made a handsome living simply standing up and spouting jokes on such subjects. When you went to see such comedians and they were not on telly, every second word started with an F or a C.  Within five minutes of the start of any show, you'd probably have had just about every form of abuse that people get cancelled for today.

Until I was about 14 years old, I'd sit with my parents and watch various shows on TV with my parents. My mum was 'not a fan of filth'. She hated mother in law jokes (not least as she was a mother in law). She would describe the racist and sexist jokes as 'cheap laughs' and point out that 'good comedians such as Morecombe and Wise don't need such material. It is fair to say my Dad, who had served in the armed forces, had a different view. His view was that comedy was less about the material and more about the timing and presentation. He said a good comedian could read the phone book and get a laugh. He also said that comedians such as Manning tell blue jokes because that is where the money is in comedy. His view was that Manning had excellent comic timing and was funny, although he sometimes stifled laughs if my Mum was in earshot.

He explained that when he'd been aboad with the RAF during WW2, every so often touring shows would visit the base to entertain them. If it was a good show, there would be a decent band and some pretty girls dancing and/or singing. The comedians 'warmed' the audience up. These were men who'd been away from their loved ones for a long time and many of whom wouldn't make it home. He told me that the best comedians were the ones who's jokes took you out of your dire situation and back to the comfort of home for a few seconds. Jokes about the pub, the dance, mundane normal life, were the ones that were best received if they were funny. I suspect that is where the tradition of mother in law jokes originated (I am not a comedy historian). Men in the forces wanted to be with pretty girls and they saw the girls mums, who knew what the blokes wanted as the enemy. As for the racism in humour, I suspect that the roots of this were also in WW2. My Dad was in North Africa with the RAF and it is fair to say that he didn't have a high opinion of the locals. This was as much to do with the fact that their camps were constant targets for petty thefts, the locals were always trying to scam them and didn't really want Europeans fighting proxy wars in their country, be they British, German or Italian. The British always felt that the locals should be grateful that we were fighting to kick fascists out, but the locals didn't see it like that. Millions of men served abroad and I am pretty sure this was a fertile breeding ground for casual racism and comedians probably soon learned that they could get a laugh at the locals expense. The best comedy is always relevant to peoples lives and situations. Prior to WW2 most British men wouldn't really have come into contact with any sort of Foreigners, outside large port cities.

The pinnacle of this racist/sexist band of humour was around 1977. I can recall Bernard Manning on Parkinson with Esther Rantzen. If you want to see what passed as hilarious prime time telly, then watch that. It is not for the faint hearted. If you watched that show at the time, as I did, you would probably assume that Manning was unassailable as a comedy great. Esther Rantzen had tried to call him out and Manning had made her look ridiculous in the eyes of a 1977 TV audience. What I am sure neither Rantzen or Manning realised was that the whole thing was about to crash and burn. It wasn't 'clean up campaigners such as Esther Rantzen or Mary Whitehouse who changed people's views. It was snotty nose oik's like me and my fellow 1976/7 punks. Eric Clapton made racist remarks at a concert in Birmingham in August 1976. In response,  A bunch of underground musicians took exception to this and within a year, Rock Against Racism was holding rallys and festivals up and down the country.

Rock Against Racism becoming the militant political arm of the punk movement. Punk and Reggae musicians had always got on, and linking up the two genres at festivals was a no brainer.By 1978, the Two Tone Ska movement had started and Two Tone records started releasing records in 1979. Young people bought into the idea that there was no place for racism in society and if you reject racism from Eric Clapton, who is a damn fine musician, and even had a hit with a Bob Marley song, then you have to reject it from the likes of Bernard Manning too. Broadcasters saw the way the wind was blowing and what had made up prime time TV schedules for years was dropped like a lead balloon. The likes of Manning retreated to his club in Manchester, earning a good living but not on our screens anymore. A new brand of comedian sprung up, the 'Alternative Comedian'. My Dad said that they were like comedy without the humour. This new generation were seen as edgy, with shows like Not the none o'clock news and the Young Ones. Out went the sexism and racism and in came a re-imagined technicolour Keystone cops type of humour on acid and speed. My Mum who had hated the sexism and racism of Manning hated such things even more, as she felt it was just posh people shouting at each other. To my amazement, she even once said "well at least Bernard Manning could tell a joke".

In truth, comedy wasn't my thing. I was a musician. I like a good laugh and a good joke, but it wasn't something that I was into. In about 1992, I went to a comedy open mic night with a couple of work mates. There were about 40 people there. My mates nagged me to get up and tell a joke or two. They both did and their efforts were painful. They were barracked and given the bird, but inexplicably seemed to enjoy it. I was horrified. I am not a party pooper though. As I got up, the abuse started. Now unlike my mates I am used to being on a stage and I have a whole reportoir of one liner put downs (most of which I've nicked). One red faced clown in the front row, with his rather plump girlfriend shouted "Why are you so fat mate?". I took the mic and replied "because every time I shag your girfriend, she gives me a biscuit". He looked horrified. His mate, who was sat next to him, joined in "Who would shag an ugly bastard like you mate". I shot back "Your mum, that is why you are a double ugly bastard". The third bloke in the group, who wasn't with a girl, then tried his luck "I bet you're a Virgin mate". I replied "Say's the fat bloke in the front row with no girlfriend". By now the whole place was in uproar. I went back to the first bloke's girlfriend and said "I hope the care home is paying you decent money to take these three cretins out". I then noticed she had an empty glass, whilst they all had full ones. I added "blimey, they are too tight fisted to even buy a lovely girl like you a drink,look at them with their full pints. You deserve a medal for putting up with them all night and staying sober". I then saw the compare looking at his watch, indicating that I should tell my joke and bugger off. I had the sudden horrible realisation that I didn't actually have a joke to tell. So I said "I can see he wants me to tell my joke and bugger off now, well I don't actually know any jokes, I just thought I'd come up here and be rude to as many of you as I could, good night". To my amazement, I got a raptuous round of applause. I was a bit worried that the three blokes would take it the wrong way, but they bought me a drink and asked when I was doing another slot. As I'd slagged them all off, they were able to tease each other, which seemed the point. I was pleased that they actually bought the girls a drink as well. Maybe my telling off did some good!

I told them to keep an eye on the listings for my next gig. They are still waiting! I realised that whilst I have a great wealth of material to skewer hecklers and I can deliver them with aplomb, I am useless with actual jokes. I think about 60 seconds was about right. 

So what I am trying to say is that I have great admiration for people who can actually stand up, tell jokes and make people laugh. It is strange that I almost never remember a good comedians jokes, when I go to a comedy show, but I always remember the put downs for hecklers. They are worth their weight in gold, if you are in a band. I've always been of the opinion that if you heckle, you deserve a good verbal duffing up. It is funny because I do recall my mum saying after an episode of "Not the Nine O'Clock News" that in five years time it will be forgotten, but people will still find Morecombe and Wise sketches funny, because truly great comedy is timeless. Like many things in life, she was right. At the time I pretended that Not the nine o clock news was hilarious and that Morecombe and Wise were just a bunch of old has beens, who's time had gone. I was bored and watched an old show on line last night.  I couldn't have been more wrong. 

The Sunday Reflection #74 - Please forgive me all my sins

Please forgive me all my sins,

can we try and start again 

can we still make some sense of it all

Allen Ashley wrote these words for a False Dots song called Winter in Your Heart back in 1985. Ten years ago (2016), the band recorded it and made a video of the song with Allen singing. It is rather different from our Ska/Punk set of current, a gentle, thoughtful song. I have always thought that Allen was a brilliant lyricist who writes incredibly evocative lyrics, and of all his work with the band, this is perhaps my favourite example.

In times of difficulty, troubles, turmoil and stress, I often reflect on songs, lyrics, poems and writings. This is one that I often play in my head, when I feel that I've screwed up and need forgiveness. A central principle of Christianity (not that you'd know it from right wing American 'fundamentalist' Christians) is that you must love your enemies and forgive their transgressions. I often wonder if there is anyone alive who can truly say they live up to this. In fact I know very few people who even claim they try. Donald Trump is staunchly backed by the Christian right and neither him nor them seems to have any inclination to follow this central plank of the doctrine they subscribe to.

And me? Well I'd be a hypocrite if I said I said I did. The Irish genes in me are strong in the grudge holding department. I love a good vendetta and a good grudge. I find it hard to forgive people I like for their sins, let alone forgive people I don't like. I love my wife deeply, but I still occasionally get cross with her over long settled disputes. As I've got older and calmer, this happens less, but there are still a few grudges about long held grievances under padlock and key at the back of my mind.

And when it comes to my enemies. My Dad once taught me "If someone stitches you up over something once, then they are a C**T. If, however they stitch you up twice, then you are the C**T for letting them". Dad went on to clarify that if someone has shown themselves to be untrustworthy once, then don't trust them. I can even recall the exact circumstances. There was someone he knew who had work done on his car and not paid for it. The said individual gave Dad a sob story. The said individual was a well known Labour frontbench politician of the 1970/80's. They didn't come back for five years. After five years they did, another sob story ensued and a promise to ensure that both bills would be settled. When the said individual turned up to collect their car, they asked if they could pay by cheque. Dad agreed and the cheque was handed over. Dad was keen to ensure that there would be no comeback, so he then went around every panel with the said individual and suggested that they take the car for a test drive, to ensure that there were no rattles or other issues.

Once the test drive was completed, Dad said he'd only release the car once a "letter of satisfaction" was signed. This mentioned a thorough inspection and a test drive. Upon signing, the car was released. Two days later, the said individual phoned in an absolute rage. Why? He had called his bank to stop the cheque, only to find it had already been cleared. There used to be provision to pay extra money and have same day clearing of such payments. The individual was very rude to my mother who was the company secretary and answered the phone. She put him on to my Dad who explaind "Listen mate, if someone turns me over once, they are a C**T, if I let them turn me over twice, then I am. However you are a mug and you gave me the chance to settle the score and the bill, so not only are you a C**T but you are also a mug. Now F**K Off and never come back". When the character appeared on TV, Dad most certainly hadn't found it in his heart to forgive him, despite professing to be a good Catholic.

Occasionally, I come across people who test my good nature. I try my hardest to be nice to everyone, and if I can't be nice, I try and be fair. In my business, I have customers who I genuinely can't stand, but who pay their bills. Generally, the reason I dislike them is because I have witnessed them being rude or bullying other people, sometimes my younger staff. I rarely let casual customers I don't know that I am the owner. On several occasions, people have said to me "who do you think you are, your boss is a good friend of mine and I'll get you sacked". This has happened several times in front of my staff, all of whom immediately burst out laughing. We actually had one customer who told his band and many of his associates that he was the boss. I heard him doing it, when I was standing behind him one time and he didn't know I was there. I let him finish and then winked and said "Well if they have any complaints or want a refund I'll give them your number". In truth, I didn't mind as he brought quite a few customers down. It is a feature of the music industry that people tell whoppers and so I don't get too upset. When they bully younger or female staff, that is different. I ban about one person a year from the studios, due to such behaviour. Most send long emails explaining why it isn't there fault and why I am totally unreasonable. I usually invite them to try another studio who I don't like.

I have never really been sure whether loving your enemies means letting people who mean you ill carry on. If someone does me wrong and issues what I believe is a genuine apology, I will forgive them, but I will do everything in my power to prevent them from having the opportunity to do it again. And me? Do I expect my enemies to forgive me? There are a couple of people, who I know hold severe ill intent towards me. I understand their reasons and why they hold their point of view. Perhaps the example best known to readers of this blog is Brian Coleman, disgraced Tory councillor and GLA representative.  In light of the situation between Donald Trump and Greenland, I thought I'd see what Brian had to say about Mr Trump. I had to sniggered when I saw this tweet which maybe Mr Coleman may feel has not aged well.

Despite claiming to be a Methodist and last time I checked, living in a flat owned by the Methodist Chruch, on a subsidised rent, it seems that Mr Coleman is not really one for loving his enemies and he rather admires Mr Trump for the same reason. 

It may surprise Mr Coleman to know that I don't consider him to be an enemy (and not just so I don't have to  love him). I think he's a sad individual who I wouldn't consider to be a worthy enemy. My personal view is that grown men who attack women or children should go to prison, to keep the rest of us safe, but when Coleman was disgraced and lost office, any real interest I may have in him evaporated. If he was a man of dignity and honour, he'd have apologised to Helen Michael after he assaulted her and begged her forgiveness. My dispute with Coleman was that he called me a few nasty things, whilst in office. I won a standards case against him and if he'd had any sense he'd have learned his lesson. He didn't and ended up attacking Helen Michael on Finchley High Road. I'd like to think that anyone I have transgressed against, I would be big enough to apologise to.

When it comes down to it, the doctrine of loving your enemies is a beautiful concept but I am not sure that the human race is actually capable of it at this stage in our evolution. It is a real shame, because the world would be a better place if we could put enmity aside and work to make the world a better place for everyone. The sad truth is that whilst people like Donald Trump are President and people like Brian Coleman admire him, we will be lumbered with a world where injustice thrives and disputes abound. 

If I pray for anything at the moment, beyond the health and wellbeing of my family and friends, it is that a new generation of leaders will emerge, who are good people, who aspire to rise above pettiness and greed. Is it really too much to ask countries to pick leaders who are genuinely interested in making the world a better place?

Here is Winter In Your Heart, the song which I started the blog quoting. It seems apt for a Winters Day in a world that is seemingly going mad.

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The Saturday List #372 - The eight times I've had to re-invent myself!

 Did you know that legendary British Rock and Roll guitar hero Hank B. Marvin's real name is Brian Rankin?  Regular readers of this blog will know that his son, Paul, was the drummer in the False Dots for six months in 1980. Hank was kind enough to let us use his private studio at his home in Radlett and joined us for a jam. He gave me some excellent life and career advice, all of which I took on board. I asked him if Hank Marvin was his real name. He laughed and said "No, I'm actually Brian Rankin, but I was advised that if I was going to succeed in Rock and Roll I'd need a more rock and roll name. I was told I needed to re-invent myself, but as Buddy Holly had glasses, I stuck with that look. I decided to adopt a cool, calm, enigmatic persona, as part of Cliff Richards backing band". He then said "The best guitarists all have an air of enigmatic mystery about them". I decided that I quite fancied a bit of enigmatic mystery. I told Pete Conway that I was going to adopt a new name, when I shared it he pissed himself laughing. That put me off that idea. I decided to simply be Rog T. I realised that Hank was onto something though. 

1. Rock and Roll Guitarist. When you have a role to play you have to reinvent yourself for it. I was actually painfully shy around people as a teenager. I preferred to hide and dodge parties and family events. But you can't be shy and dodge attention as a member of a rock and roll band. So I reinvented myself as a rock and roll guitarist, a mouthy show off, who always has a pithy response to any heckle and who is quite happy to wallop unruly audience members around the head with a guitar. Hank had advised that it is good to have a private and a public persona. Keep them seperate or you will end up in trouble. So my new persona, Rog T of the False Dots was born. It never really occurred to me that this would be the first of many re-inventions.

2. IT Professional. In 1983, I was skint and needed a job. I had no qualifications, so I decided to do a TOPS course in computer operations, so I could get a job. I soon learned that the key to success was to be be confident and if there was a problem, say "just leave it with me". Usually I hadn't got a clue what to do, but I am a quick learner and I'd get the manuals out. At work, walloping people with guitars and having pithy put downs is unprofessional. I learned to keep calm and try and keep other people calm around me. I also learned to be generous with my colleagues and the people who work for me. Always give people credit, don't steal it for yourself. 

3. Band Manager. Between 1992 and 1996, I managed an Indie band called The Sway. They had a lot of artistic success, played some great gigs, issued two wonderful singles, but never had any real commercial success. It was a huge learning curve and I learned that to be a successful manager, you have to be a bit of devious bastard and have less morals than a tom cat in a barn full of moggies on heat. It is a highly competetive field and everyone is trying to shaft everyone else. Just as I was starting to get my head around the business, the band split up. I realised that this was one re-invention I could do without and although I've helped a few bands out since, I would not become a band manager again.

4. Dad. In 1995, my eldest daughter was born. I had always said that I didn't want kids. The reason, I think I am uniquely badly suited to the responsibilities of being a parent. As a kid, I was always thick and naughty. As a teenager, I was a rebel. As an adult, I am selfish and lazy. I took the view that such a person simply should not have children. When Clare suggested that we have kids, I said "The only condition is that you do all the work". She thought I was joking, but I wasn't. When Maddie was born, I realised it was no longer a game or a joke. I had a beautiful baby who meant the world to me. But in truth, the only way I could even start to cope was by trying to reinvent myself as a responsible adult. Given that all my kids are brilliant, I suppose I must have got something right, but that was probably just marrying Clare and letting her do the work. When Maddie was 14, some girls in the class above her were bullying her friend. She beat them up. I had taught her how to box and punch, and she was a swimming champion. I was called to the school and informed she was being suspended. Mr Ward, the head said "Physical violence is totally unacceptable. My response. "I've always taught my daughter to stand up to bullies and it seems no one was doing anything about a gang of older girls bullying her friend, so I can't criticise her actions". Mr Ward was shocked, but I stood firm and said "Are the girls getting suspended for bullying". There was an embarrassed silence. I stated that I would support a suspension of my daughter if the other girls were also suspended. After a quick discussion, Mr Ward agreed. There was clear evidence of this. Part of the deal was that I  would explain to Maddie that beating people up at school was unacceptable and she would be expelled if it happened again. I told her that violence is always unacceptable, and is the last resort of fools. However I said that if authorities are acting unfairly, sometimes you just have to suck it up. I cannot claim to be a good Dad, but the kids seem to like this re-invention and accept me as I am. 

5. Studio Owner. Running a studio is a very different thing to being in a band. We see many young people come through the doors. Many are vulnerable. Many have challenges. Some are very badly behaved. Sometimes events happen, where emotions run high. I've had to adopt an elder statesman. Like my IT reinvention, calmness is a key factor, but another thing that is even more important is to be able to support people who need a bit of encouragement. When people have failed auditions or been thrown out of bands and are distraught, telling them that they must believe in themselves, learn the lessons of the setback and be better next time is key. I've had many setbacks in my career, but I am still having a blast at the age of 63. That is a key part of the message. I always give examples of artists who had many knock backs, but got there through sheer persistence. Being a kindly elder with experience is a blessing at times.

6. Blogger. Now there are two elements to this. The first is that what I write is as near to the real me, as you will get. But I have a different blogger persona, for when I am interviewed on Radio/TV as a result of my blogging, as occasionally happens. Usually I am called when there is a massive screw up on a subject I've blogged about. TV and Radio want pithy, short soundbites, not monologues. I am not by nature, a pithy soundbite guy, but I have learned. I always have a few prepared. Usually they get the ten minute monologue and don't use it! They do however generally use the pithy one liner. When you do media, you need to think exactly what you want to get over and make sure that you stick to it. Occasionally you get an aggresive host, who ambushes you. This happened to me on BBC Radio London, when I was asked to contribute on the ULEZ subject. I stated all of the damage the change was doing. The host said "So you think protecting your income is more important than protecting childrens lungs?". I hadn't anticipated such an aggressive question. I realised that if I was to do such interviews, I needed to do my homework and have something reaady for such a curveball. The answer I should have given is that given was that the policy was just moving polluting vehicles to other areas of the country, so someone elses kids suffer. We need a national clean air strategy, that addresses the worst pollution times and hotspots. If you re-invent yourself, you have to do it properly.

7. Politician. In 2009, I was asked to stand as the Lib Dems candidate in Mill Hill. This was a really big reinvention. The first thing to learn is that you can't tell people what you think of them. When you knock on someones door, you are invading their privacy, so if they tell you something you don't like, you have to be polite, smile and move on. There are several people I really remember. One bloke opened the door and said "I'm BNP and I hate the Lib Dems, why should I vote for you". I should have moved on, but I couldn't resist an argument. "Well are you happy with the job the Tory Council are doing with potholes, looking after parks..." He said "No".  I then said "neither am I and the only way I can sort it out is if you vote for me". We had a long conversation, he was quite reasonable. I realised that most people who support people like the BNP do so because they feel totally abandoned and let down. I realised that parties like the BNP and Reform feed on this feeling of injustice and failure. Their answers are simple, but devisive. Blame some group that is a vulnerable minority and claim that without them, everything would be just fine. They neglect to say that the problems with the UK are far more complex and deep seated. We need a new industrial strategy to build growth and generate money to fix schools, roads, the NHS, etc. Until the BNP or Reform properly address this, they have nothing to contribute. A country with no plan is a country with no future, and my greatest criticism of Reform is that distract political debate away from fixing the country and making it work. I have never really wanted to be a politician. I do however think people who don't want the job do it better. 

8. Band Singer. Now I guess that you probably think "What are you on about, you've been in a band for donkeys years, and you have sung at various times throughout". The answer is quite simple. Being a singer and being a guitarist are two totally different skills. I hadn't appreciated this myself until I took over the front man role when Allen Ashley departed in 2020. Stepping up and doing a few numbers, then stepping back is different. You have to read an audience, engage with them, be dynamic and adaptive. Playing guitar is mostly about just playing notes in the right order and moving around a bit. You realise that everyone is looking at you. My style is very much in the Ian Duryesque storyteller school. No one would pay money to listen to my vocal gyrations. They come because I am a rabble rouser who tries to make sure everyone has a good time. I also have realised just how important it is to ensure that people hear you. As a guitarist, I wasn't too bothered about what the singer was up to. I've learned to turn my guitar down. That is a real change!

Have you had to re-invent yourself?

You can see the latest reinvention on Sunday 15th March from 2pm at The Dublin Castle in Camden Town. 

SIgn the petition to stop restrictions on Freedom Pass usage

 There are proposals under discussion in London to restrict and remove Freedom pass usage. The argument being made is that it is too expensive for London in the current climate of budget pressures. A petition has ben launched to oppose this very regressive change. The figures used, as far as I am concerned, are not realistic. The impact of the change will be huge. I don't believe that the savings will be realised and it will cause congestion on the roads and overcrowding on trains, buses and tubes. It will also impact charities and voluntary organisations which rely on unpaid volunteers for help.. 

I assume that the figure quoted is based on the cost of the journeys currently made by Freedom Pass users. The assumption is that all of these journeys will be made. I do not believe they will. Let me give one example. During the football season, I walk nearly a kilometer from my house to the 384 bus stop at Apex corner, to take the bus to Hadley FC. I do this as I do not need to pay for the journey. If I had to pay, I would probably drive, as would many other fans my age, causing congestion on Barnet Lane every other Saturday. A car journey is more convenient, but as the bus is free, it means that I generally use it. I also regularly have to visit hospitals etc due to various medical issues. I nearly always take public transport, but this would add hundreds of pounds a year to my costs. I would probably drive to a lot of these appointments. When I drive to Barnet Hospital, I avoid paying what I consider to be expensive parking fees. There are suburban roads nearby that I use to park on. I would expect to see a massive increase in parking in such roads, resulting in massive expansions of CPZ zones. 

Then there is the effect on hospitality businesses in London. I generally meet friends 2-3 times a week, see bands etc. I would definitely get out less, if Freedom Pass usage was restricted. These businesses, many of which already are sruggling would take a huge hit. 

As to the effect on London's roads. More cars and congestion would be inevitable. There is already a huge shortage of car parkings spaces and the pressure on these will get worse. I had to drive my daughter to a hospital appointment in Victoria yesterday for 10am. The journey took approx 90 minutes. I would expect this to rise to nearly two hours if people switch from using public transport to cars. This makes London a far less attractive place to do business. 

One of the arguments about Freedom passes is that many people still work and are using the pass to go to work at well paid jobs. As you cannot use a pass before 9.30am, this is only true for people who can work flexible hours. For many who do start work after 9.30am currently. they may well decided that if they have to pay, they will travel earlier and this will actually add to congestion on already busy rush hour trains. I regularly do a slot on a radio show in Croyden. I take the 9.43 train from Mill Hill. This trains is actually very busy, mostly with people taking the first train that can be used witha freedom pass. My assumption is that some of these people will move to earlier, even more congested trains. 

Then there is the issue of people whop volunteer for charities in London. I volunteered for many years at a homeless daycare centre near Victoria, called The Passage. Many of the volunteers were people who travelled using a Freedom pass for free. I have recently enquired about restarting volunteering, as I have more time on my hands. If I had to pay to attend, I am afraid to say I won't do it. A years worth of volunteering would cost over £500 per annum for me. I love the work the charity do, but not quite that much.

When the costs are quoted, these are notional costs cobbled together by an accountant. All of the buses, tubes and trains will still run. They will just be emptier and less efficient.  AS so often happens, accountants know the cost of everything and the value of absolutely nothing

Please sign the petition here. I have started to wonder why we elected Sadiq Khan and a Labour council in Barnet. It seems that whenever they do anything, it involves giving some group in London that doesn't deserve it, a good financial kicking, and the hospitality industry gets hit by stray bullets from the driveby shootings. 

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The Sunday Reflection #73 - What is a genuine sacrifice?

 Robert Elms made a comment on his show this morning, after playing a John Denver track for a listener going through a rather tough time. Some time later in his show, he read a readers email thanking him for playing the track. Robert made a comment that he always felt slightly embarrassed when people thanked him, as he was just doing his job and he enjoyed it. It stuck in my mind. My mind turned to Donald Trump and the Nobel peace prize. Unlike Robert Elms, Donald Trump feels that he should achieve the highest accolades for his work and his acheivements. Mr Trump boasts that he has stopped eight wars and millions of people are alive today because of his efforts. Whatever Mr Trump may or may not be, humility is not something he is ever prone to. 

I was mulling over this and the idea of sacrifice came up. I don't mean the ritual sacrifice of animals, something which I find rather disturbing if I am honest. I mean the concept that we give things up, or endure hardships. At this time of year, we make new year resolutions. Often these are things like new diets, giving up alcohol, doing punishing exercise routines. The idea is that such sacrifices are good for us. But are they? Clearly if we havea  chaotic lifestyle and alcohol is harming us, then yes. But to me the concept of  'dry January' is ridiculous. If you simply start bingeing on the 1st February, it is really rather silly. Similarly with diet and exercise routines. Going on a punishing run, when you are unfit is a rather good way to do yourself some damage. Similarly, with diet changes, if you starve yourself and then go bonkers, it will do you no good at all. There is a notion that the effort of sacrifice is good for the soul is to me, a bogus concept. I am all for New Years resolutions, but we should make them achieveable. A sacrifice is only worth making if it leads to a permanent change and development. 

Let me give you an example. At the start of 1985, I was in a period of turmoil. My health was not great and the band had recently split up. I had been advised to avoid alcohol and change my diet. I was feeling rather depressed about everything, I started thinking how I could make this a positive. I took a long look at myself and the band and realised that although I'd been in a band for six years, I needed to radically change my way of working. As I wouldn't be going to the pub, I would practice guitar for three hours a day and I'd also do a professional songwriting course. The course I chose was one evening a week for ten weeks. When I finished school in 1981, I vowed I was done with education, so this was a big thing. I thought it would be boring and I'd hate it, but it was a revealation. Combined with properly practising guitar, I realised that the whole way I'd approached music had been flawed. I had thought that this whole period would be a sacrifice, but it was a revealtion. By June, the band was back up and running and I had a whole new lease of life and energy musically. 

So was that a sacrifice? Not at all, it was wonderful. There are many things I've done as a 'sacrifice' that I ended up getting more from than I put in. Volunteering at The Passage homeless daycare centre was one such thing. I didn't like getting up at 5.45am to get there for the breakfast shift at 7am, but it was brilliant and was a real education. 

At Catholic Primary School, the Nuns would tell us about 'Holy People' who used to do all manner of self flagelation etc, to purge them of their sins. To me this always seemed ridiculous. If you commit a sin, put the harm right. If you make a mistake in life, rectify it. I've made plenty and where I can, I have tried to make amends. Sometimes this can be a simple apology. Sometimes it can be some sort of reparations. I was intrigued by the debate about whether the Church of England should make financial payments as it benefitted from the slave trade. I had an elderly Jamaican friend who explained the concept to me in 1985. If my Great Grandpa robbed your Great Grandpa, and so three generations of my family lived in a mansion, whilst three generations of your family live in abject poverty, denied education and opportunity, surely a decent person would recognise this and seek to undo some of the damage.

His view was interesting. He did not blame the current generation for the sins of their forefathers, you cannot change the past. But you can give the current generation of those, who are still in poverty, a chance. His view was that bursaries at the best schools and universities should be set up and paid for by those who are still benefitting from the crimes of their forefathers. They do not not need top be forced into poverty, just make some sort of amends to recognise the fact that their priviledge was not the fruit of their own work. Is it really a sacrifice to give back something that should never have been yours in the first place? To me, that is the crux of the matter

The Saturday List #371 - Ten years on, ten reasons to celebrate the life of David Bowie

 Ten years ago, we awoke to the sad news that David Bowie had passed away. There are many aspects of Bowie's career that were a huge influence on myself and many other musicians. So it is only fitting to celebrate Bowie's anniversary with a list. 

1. Rebel Rebel. If you have never been in a pub with someone you fancy the pants off, put Rebel Rebel on the jukebox and kissed them after the line in the chorus "Hot tramp, I love you so" then you have really never lived. There are many Bowie songs that to me are important, but this line perhaps gave me the happiest five seconds of my life. Pubs, kissing pretty girls and juke boxes are three of the best things in the world and when they all come together for a split second, it is the absolute best. 

2. Space Oddity. This song absolutely fascinated me. The video of Bowie in a rather bad space suit was perhaps my favourite video. The concept of Major Tom floating in his tin can absolutely fascinated me for years. "Planet Earth is blue and there is nothing I can do". People do not make such songs anymore, more's the pity. The strangest thing is that for several years, I felt like Major Tom, floating in his tin can. Before the arrival of punk rock, I felt alone and isolated. It chimed with me. It also gave me hope for the future. I felt Bowie wrote the song specially for me, even though he clearly didn't

 3. The Man who fell to Earth. I used to love science fiction. Most science fiction films are crass excuses to have lots of explosions and special effects. There was none of this. It was a very dark, powerful and disturbing film. It is probably one of the very few science fiction films that has a plot that is credible, if you accept the premise that there is alien life. Bowie was excellent and I doubt anyone else could have pulled the role off as well. It showed that Bowie was far more than a singer.

4. Lou Reed Transformer. Bowie was the producer of this album. Lou Reed was clearly a genius, but he was not someone given to making great, accessible pop records. Bowie took all of the dark energy around Lou Reed and somehow managed to package it in such a way that the rest of us mere mortals could somehow enjoy it. I happen to think that Perfect Day is the perfect pop song. Bowies production of it is incredible. If I have any regrets at all regarding Bowie, one is that he did not do more production of other aartists.

5. Mott The Hoople - All the young dudes. The generosity of Bowie as an artist is not really something that is widely recognised in the way it should be. All the young dudes is an absolute banger of a tune. Many artists would have greedily kept such a song. Bowie gave it to his mate Ian Hunter. A couple of years ago, my good mate Lee Thompson of Madness sung it with The Silencerz at The East Barnet Festival. Lee was brilliant and it just brought home what an amazing pop song it is. 

6. The V&A Bowie Exhibition. One of my old schoool mates was a curator at the V&A, in about 2005, we met at a school reunion. We were chatting and he was explaining that the V&A were looking at ways to reach out and engage a wider audience. I casually remarked that they should do an exhibition on the costumes and art of David Bowie. In 2013, the V&A did the original Bowie exhibition. I have no idea whether it was a pure coincidence. I don't really care, I was just glad that we got the chance to see it. Other exhibitions of musicians have since taken place, but none has been anywhere near as interesting as Bowie's. I believe that Bowie actually transformed the V&A from a place I had no interest in as a philistine, to my favourite London museum.

7. Low. Side one of Low is probably my favourite Bowie record. I could just talk about the great music, but the thing that always fascinated me was that it was recorded in West Berlin, at the height of the cold war. There was an oppresive feel to the album and a certain desperation and intesity in the vocal performance that I don't think Bowie acheived before or after. It is by far the best of the 'Berlin Trilogy' of Bowie's work. It really stirred my fascination and in some ways was an inspiration for my own relocation to Stockholm in 1981. I read an interview with Bowie where he said he needed to "be somewhere else and be a different person" after the cocaine fuelled excess of Station to Station. That stuck with me and I felt the need to do the same thing in 1981, although I have never been a coke head. It was the best thing I did. It gave me a differernt perspective on life. Bowie's Berlin sojourn was an inspiration. I am not quite sure whether "what in the world" or "be my wife" are my favourite tracks on the album, probaby whichever one I am listening to at the time.

8. Tin Machine. This much derided period of Bowie's career is something I believe should be re-assessed. I saw Bowie twice. Once at Wembley on the Glass Spider tour, which was a huge disappointment. The other was with Tin Machine at Brixton, which was absolutely brilliant. Bowie was a great rock and roll singer and I think he just fell victim to musical snobbery during this period. I always thought it was great that he just wanted to be the singer in a band.

9. Lulu. Bowies collaboration with Lulu was something that I really didn't get at the time. Lulu was Britains favourite bubblegum pop girl. No one really recognised that she has a great voice. Bowie wrote and produced "The man who sold the world" for her. It was her first top ten hit of the 1970's and the highest chart position she reached until "Relight my fire". Bowie saw something that everyone else missed. 

10. The Lazarus video. Bowie's parting gift. Can you imaging you know you are dying, you are presumably in pain and turmoil, yet you do that. I think it is actually a very positive and hopeful song, in a rather odd way. It is the perfect full stop.

Rock and Roll Stories #56 - A very special 50th Anniversary!

 What were you doing 50 years ago? As I write this, it's ten past one on the 8th January 2026. Fifty years ago, I would have been a thirteen year old at Finchley Catholic High School. It was a Thursday. We most likely having the lunchtime register taken after lunchbreak. We'd all be in a sombre mood. It was the first week back after Christmas. Our form teacher Alison MacFarlane (Now Alison Shuttler) would no doubt be asking us to sit down and behave. I met her at a school reunion years later. We were officially the worst class in the history of the school. We won't go into why, but not only did we disgrace ourselves on a day out to Margate, but also on a religious retreat to Damascus House, which would have resulted in the perpetrators being expelled, but for the fact that 18 boy stood up and took responsibility for the damage. But fifty years ago, none of that had happened yet.

I wasn't into music. In fact I felt betrayed  by the music industry. This was the top ten

1. "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Queen
2. "Glass of Champagne" - Sailor
3. "Mamma Mia" - ABBA
4. "In Dulci Jubilo"/"On Horseback" - Mike Oldfield
5. "Art for Art's Sake" - 10cc
6. "Let's Twist Again"/"The Twist" - Chubby Checker
7. "Wide Eyed and Legless" - Andy Fairweather-Low
8. "King of the Cops" - Billy Howard
9. "Itchycoo Park" - The Small Faces
10. "Happy to Be on an Island in the Sun"  - Demis Roussos 

Of these, I actually only remember five songs. Itchycoo Park is  a classic, but it was a re-issue. I've always had a soft spot for the Small Faces. I wasn't really a 10cc fan. I've always thought they were very good musically, but they never really did it for me. But it's a passable song. The Chubby Checker songs are classics, but I don't recall this re-issue. I'd actually loved ABBA when they won Eurovision with Waterloo. You can't say Mamma Mia wasn't an absolute classic, but as a thirteen year old, it wasn't for me. Years later, I was amazed to learn that Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols wrote the intro to Pretty Vaacant when he was trying to play the riff! What is not to like, but back then.... And then the No1. Bohemian Rhapsody. Fifty years of this awful monstrosity! When Queen came out and released their first single "Seven Seas of Rye" I thought they were amazing. Then they released this. No record in the history of music more sums up everything I dislike about Rock and Roll. It has complete and utter nonsense lyrics. I can't stand Brian May's style of guitar riff and solo. I once met him and he was not pleasant, which I was actually pleased about, as it would have been awful to have realised he was a lovely bloke. I cannot stand pseudo operatic rock vocals. Being fair to Queen, their drummer and bassist can groove, just listen to "Another one bites the dust".  That song has always been a bit annoying to me. I wrote a song called "Run Down" for The False Dots a year before, which had the same riff. We stopped doing a perfectly good song when they released it, as I wasn't having anyone saying we'd nicked it off Queen. It is no surprise that such a good bassline was written by the bass player though!

It seemed like the sort of stuff I liked, T-Rex, Bowie (circa Rebel Rebel period) was in decline. It has all started to become a bit too clever. I'd watch TOTP and it was people I thought were Tw*ts like Jimmy Savile, introducing songs I didn't like. There is not a number one in the whole year that I liked. What I didn't realise was that I was standing on the edge of a cliff and I was about to fall off. I had no clue. The first inkling was in December 1976, when I saw the Sex Pistols on The Bill Grundy Show. I actually watched it with my Mum. No one had ever seen anything like it. I was fascinated and terrified of these strange people. My mum saw through the whole thing straight away. She realised Grundy was drunk and for her, it was his lecherous advances towards Souixsie from the Banshees that really made an impression. She saw a bunch of drunken teenagers being silly and a dirty old man trying to hit on what she perceived a vulnerable young girl. 

Of course, no one had actually heard the Pistols then. They didn't have a record out and I had no idea what punk rock was. I sort of assumed that, like Queen, it was all a charade and they were secretly intellectuals and rocket scientists. I mean, we all knew that thick yobbo's couldn't actually play music, didn't we? I genuinely felt that music wasn't really my thing. 

So what is the special anniversary? Well, 1976 was the last year of my life when music didn't matter. It was the last year that I didn't go to a gig. It was the last year that I felt my life was directionless, pointless and a waste of time. Being dyslexic, I was "a thicko" at school. I'd had the joy of remedial reading classes at Primary School. As for music, I was told I "didn't have a musical bone in my body" at school and by the Church Choir mistress. A cousin of mine kindly once offered to show me how to play "Yellow Submarine" on the guitar, but why would I want to play that? To me it was a load of old cobblers.

In fact, just about all of the music and bands I liked, were dismissed by people I knew as either "lightweight" (Syd Barratt era Pink Floyd, The Small Faces Lazy Sunday, T-Rex), Unsophisticated and repetitive (Ska music in its entirety) or worst of all untuneful and unmelodic (The Velvet Underground, Suzi Quattro - Can the Can). I would receive "worthy" advice to check out the likes of Cat Stevens to year 'proper song writing', Eric Clapton 'proper guitar playing', The Beatles 'Proper Pop Music'. And I did. I assumed I was subnormal, because I found most of it highly dull. I once made the mistake of telling a Beatles loving relative that "Live and Let Die" was Paul McCartney's best song. The term 'Pile in' hadn't been invented, but that was what happened. 1976 was the last year that I laboured under the belief that I was wrong and everyone else was right when it came to music. 

But there was something brewing. Lots of musical thicko's like me were getting thoroughly sick of it all. We had realised that what seemed to pass as proper music was as dull as dishwater. We were listening to our elder siblings old records and thinking "It didn't used to be this boring". I didn't know it at the time, but up and down the country, such people were finding each other, having furtive conversations in corners of pubs, clubs, school common rooms, playgrounds etc. People were getting together and playing, simple, tuneless music and finding that it sounded incredible! People were starting to discover these bands and thinking "This sounds great". I didn't know any of this. I was just sitting in the shed at the bottom of my garden, feeding my goldfish and thinking to myself "Surely there is more to life than all of this".

There was. But I hadn't got a clue, as Miss MacFarlane called that register. And here is what it lead to. This was the single we released last year. God Bless The False Dots. Without you, I don't think I'd be here.

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Barnet's Labour Council screw up again over Church Farmhouse Museum Sale

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Lets file this under the "you couldn't make it up" folder in the Barnet Council litany of cock ups. A local historian alerted me to this advert >>

Dodgy developers have long been in the habit of posting notices about dodgy developments in the locality just before Xmas. It appears that our Labour Council have adopted this strategy with contentious local developments. This advert was apparently posted in the December 18th edition of a local papers. 

In a rather bizarre move, the Barnet Council is trying to sell the grounds of the Church Farmhouse Museum separately to the building.

Readers of this blog will not be surprsied to learn that the Council has cocked up again. The Advert is defective, in a rather basic manner. The postcode of the Museum is listed as  NW9 4JR. This is actually an address in Colindale. I suspect that the residents of Coxwell Boulevard NW9 will be surprised to find that they live in an open space and the council wants to sell it!

Of course the correct post code os NW4 4JR. It is yeat another example of the slapdash nature of Barnet Council, where nothing is checked. The council must now repost this notice to be legally compliant, costing yet more money to hard pressed taxpayers. This is the second major cock up that Barnet's Labour Council have made as they try and get shot of a building they promised to save when they were in opposition.

They disgust me

I sent this objection to the Council today

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Dear Barnet Council

 

My attention has been drawn to an advert posted in press concerning the sale of Church Farmhouse museum. I trust you are aware that this notice is defective and requires reposting. I attach details

As I hope you are aware, the museum is in NW4, not NW9 as advertised. 

 

I would like to place on record my objection to this assaut on the heritage of Barnet and Hendon. Do councillors and council officials not value the heritage and history of our Borough.

 

I would also like to place on record my disappointment at the lack of even the most basic proofreading of such adverts. Such mistakes leaves Barnet Council open to legal challenge and demonstrates a cultire of slapdash incompetence.

 

I rather hope this sale will be abandoned now, although I suppose that a new advert will simply be posted to avoid legal challenge.

 

Regards

Roger Tichborne

When are we all going to stop pretending that Donald Trump is not a danger to the planet?

It has got to the stage where I wake up in the morning and don't want to put the radio on, or look at the newspapers. I used to be an avid watcher of news channels, but I have almost stopped watching them. The reason? I simply do not want to acknowledge the fact that the most powerful country on the planet is in the grip of someone who appears to me to be a narcissitic psychopath. This is not a new phenomenum, the world has seen such people from the days of Caligula in the Roman Empire, but in this day and age, not only are we painfully aware of it, he has the largest stockpile of nuclear missiles on the planet. It is patently clear that his kidnapping of the President of Venezuala was a breach of international law. From what I know of Maduro, he is a terrible man and he is no loss to Venezuala, but that does not make it OK. 

I recall my Dad telling me that when he was shot down during WW2 over Romania, he was well treated by the Germans and the Romanians. The reason? They knew Great Britain respected international law and the Geneva convention. At the end of the war, as it was clear that Germany was collapsing, those who could made their way to surrender to British forces. They knew that they would be dealt with in a legal and decent way. They were terrified of the Soviet army, they knew the French forces had no sympathy for them, after years of occupation and atrocities. They were suspicious of the American forces, but they knew the British would treat them decently. When the Nuremburg trials took place, they did so under British law. There was a good reason for this. It was deemed imperative that it was seen that justice was done. The Allies all recognised that the only way to have peace in Europe was to ensure that German war criminals were tried fairly and given proper recourse to legal process. Stalin had wanted to summarily execute 50,000 top Nazi's, but Churchill persuaded him that ultimately this would not serve the interests of peace in Europe. The Americans recognised that the German people saw British law as just and honest. The United Nations was set up with the aim of ensuring that International Law was respected. 

This was only really possible because the allies, epecially Great Britain and the USA recognised the need for a system whereby people who broke international law and disregarded treaties could be held to account. No sane person can pretend that the UN is perfect. However the alternative to it is terrifying and that seems to be the road Donald Trump is taking us down. After two election victories and five years in power, Trump has concluded that he can do whatever he pleases and there is nothing anyone can do about it. In some ways, it is a miracle that it took him so long for the penny to drop.

What really shocked me most was reading that Trump had stated that he intended for US Oil companies to run the Venezualan oil industry, after grabbing Maduro. It is a naked grab of a soveriegn countries assets. There was not even the fig leaf of pretence that the USA would oversee free and fair elections in Venezuala, something that might have put some veneer of respectability on what they had done.

The USA is a country that operates under the rule of law. I do wonder what will happen if the courts dismiss all charges against Maduro? I am not a lawyer and have no idea of the legal process Maduro faces, but I genuinely believe the US legal system's credibility is at stake and if they are not seen to do things by the book, it will cause major damage to the country. Dictators such as Hitler and Stalin oversaw rigged show trials to send opponents to the gallows (or worse),thinking it showed them to be strongmen. It actually had the opposite effect, exposing them to the the world for what they are. I simply can't see American lawyers wanting to take part in such shenanigans. It may well be that Maduro has broken US law and will be found guilty by a fair legal process, but the rest of the world will still be deeply distrustful of the process. 

You may think that none of this matters and that the USA is so powerful that it can do as it likes, where it likes and when it likes. In the short term, this appears to be true, but we may well start to see tectonic change in global alliances. It is clear to me that China will see this as a massive opportunity. That could play out in several ways. They could use it as a fig leaf for a land grab of Taiwan. My view is that they are not foolish and would not wish to be seen as being "worse than Trump", as such a move would undoubtedly be a bloody business. China plays a long game and I have no dounbt that their diplomats are looking at ways to strengthen relations with democratic countries appalled by what is a breach of international rules/ I doubt too many nations will come out and say it, many will be asking themselves whether Trump is really a reliable security partner, and whether other avenues should be persued.  I can't see China missing such an open goal. Expect a few Panda's to be gifted to European zoo's.

I am intrigued by how India will perceive this whole business as well. I genuinely don't believe that the West understands the strength of India. I can see a situation where the next century is one where India becomes the dominant world power. I suspect that Trump has hastened that process and opened doors for India's ambitions.

Then there is Russia. If I was Putin, I would be extremely worried about what has happened. It has removed a client and trading partner. It has demonstrated that Trump is serious about grabbing assets. This will not be lost on Putin who was already wary of US ambitions in Ukraine. It has been said that it will embolden Putin and tempt him to try such a grab against Zelenskyy. I doubt it, if this was possible, I am sure that Putin would already have done it. If I was Putin I'd be looking over my shoulder at whether China might be tempted to cool relations, as there are opportunities elsewhere that Russia will be a long term impediment to.

Then there is the EU. Greenland, which is part of Denmark is on Trumps wish list. Whereas before most people doubted the seriousness of this proposal, I suspect a lot of EU strategists are having very sleepless nights. What would the EU and NATO do if Trump invaded Greenland. There is zero prospect of a military response. Trmp will simply laugh at diplomatic overtures. I cannot possibly see Nato surviving such a situation. Europe, with Putin on its eastern wing, may have some very difficult decisions to make. This is not lost on both China and India.

Then there is the UK. Our "Independent Nuclear Deterrent" is under Trumps lock and keys. I suspect that Nato might end up being a rump of English speaking nations, which only endures because it would be a bit embarrassing for everyone to walk out. Sir Keir Starmer is a lawyer. He has nowhere to hide on the question of international law. What he should do is speak the truth to power. The only problem is that he is clearly terrified of Donald Trump. I don't suppose there is any fate worse than spending your life wanting to become Prime Minister, only to find yourself in the job at a time where your most powerful ally is run by a man who will ruin your reputation for ever and there is nothing you can do. Blair was faced with the same choice with Bush and Iraq and Starmer knows that Blair is forever damaged as the man who lied to Parliament and set Iraq on fire. Starmer has no easy choice because we are a very small and isolated country in a very hostile world.

And the man who fancies himself as the next Prime Minister? It is clear he knows the truth, but simply cannot resist brown nosing Trump. It is no surprise that he thinks breaking international law may be a good thing. I suspect that like many things, Farage hasn't really thought it through. 

The American actions in Venezuela overnight are unorthodox and contrary to international law — but if they make China and Russia think twice, it may be a good thing.

I hope the Venezuelan people can now turn a new leaf without Maduro.

— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) January 3, 2026

Although this is a pretty long blog (and one that means I won't be going to the USA until Mr Trump is no longer King of the World), I can sum it up in one sentence. In short, it is clear to me that Donald Trump is a danger to the planet and the sooner we all stop pretending he isn't, the better. 

The Sunday Reflection #72 - Making sense of life through Soduko

 About a year ago, I was on a train upp to Manchester to watch Manchester City play. I always take a couple of newspapers to read on the train. There wasn't much in them, so I started to do the easy Soduko puzzle in the Daily Express. I guess that is how many addictions start, not as a deliberate decision, just as something you drift into when you are a bit bored. Since then, it is the first thing I do every day. I've graduated from easy to medium and hard puzzles. Unless I make a mistake, I can generally do the medium in 10-20 minutes. At the gym, I'll do three medium puzzles on the exercise bike to stave off boredom. In the paper, I still struggle with the hard puzzles, but on the online app I use, I can do the hard in 20-25 minutes generally.

But that isn't really what I wanted to write about. The thing with more difficult Soduko puzzles is that they are all absorbing. Often you reach an impass, where you are so wrapped up in trying to solve it, that you cannot see the wood from the trees. You have to step back, have a cup of tea and reset your mind. More often than not, when I do that, I see the key number and everything falls into place. It is a metaphor for life in many ways. So often, we get so wrapped up that we lose focus and can't do anything. We need to step back, chill out and clear our minds. It is strange how often a seemingly intractable problem can be easily solved when you clear your mind and refocus. 

Then there is another aspect that only recently occurred to me. Like Soduko puzzles, you can solve one of life's challenges, but there will always be another one in the paper tomorrow. It all starts again. I was recently chaatting to a friend, who retired last year. I asked him how it was going. He said "It is far more challenging than I thought. Having nothing to do when you wake up is a difficult thing to come to terms with". I'd never really thought of that before. For me, I never have nothing to do. I am always composing blogs and songs in my mind. There are dogs to walk, a business to run. Gigs and rehearsals to plan for The False Dots. I hate the idea of not having things to do. 

My wife gets infuriated with my Soduko addiction. She thinks I should leap out of bed in the morning and do stuff, rather than lie there with the electric blanket on, doing puzzles. She is wrong. We should all make time in life to do the things we enjoy. They say doing puzzles helps the brain ward off the ravages of age and dementia. I don't know if it is true or not. I guess, like many things, time will tell.

What I can say is that Soduko has given me another tool in the toolset that gets us through this journey we call life. There is no "one size fits all" solution to the puzzle that is life. Today I may find that 2 is the number I struggle with in the puzzle. Tomorrow it could be 2 again, or it could be 9. I don't know. Another lesson I've learned is that there is satisfaction to be had solving such problems. I have realised that when life throws curveballs, sometimes we should see the challenges as  mountains to be climbed and take pride and satisfaction when we climb them. Of course, not all challenges can be solved and sometimes we have tto cut our losses. That is another lesson. 

Anyway, off to walk the dogs, cook lunch, then finish off todays puzzle!

The Saturday List #370 - Every gig I've been to in 2026!

Can you imagine a list with no entries! I've not been to a gig yet this year. In fact this is the first year since 1976 that I've not been to a gig. Would you believe it? However by the end of the year, I fully expect it to be rather longer, unless the grim reaper has other plans!

These are the ones I've been to/performed at,  so far

NONE!

There are several in the offing. In the fullness of time these will, God willing move to the been to

21st January - Marky Ramone at The Dome

15th March - The False Dots and Those Naughty Lumps at The Dublin Castle

Every year, at the end of the year, I do a round up of the Gigs I've been to. When I hunt through the Instagram feed, I'm always amazed at how many great gigs I go to that I forget by the end of the year. This should make all that a lot easier.

At our gig on 15th March we will be releasing our brand new single, It's behind you! Here is a short preview

@falsedotsrog It’s behind you! #bighairyspider #thefalsedots #newsingle ♬ original sound - FalseDotsRog

2026 - Happy New Year - My predictions and my new years resolutions

Firstly, I'd like to wish all my readers a happy, peaceful and fullfilling year. I think that I've never felt less positive going into a new year. As someone who is, by  nature, an optimist, it is hard to look at the state of the nation and the world and feel happy with how things are going. What troubles me most is the sheer dishonesty. We have politicians lying on an industrial scale, which is perhaps nothing new, but what is new is that no one seems to care anymore. Normally at this time of year, I make a few predictions for fun. I was very tempted to not bother, but why should I let the fact that the world is run by a bunch of chiselling spivs influence me. So here are my predictions

Politics.

London Council elections. I predict that although Labour and the Tories will take a bit of a beating, it will not be the domesday scenario that everyone seems to think is coming. I suspect that Barnet will swing back to the Tories. I suspect that a couple of East London councils may swing to Reform, but they will do far less well than expected. I expect the Lib Dems and the Greens to do very well, especially if they do not attack each other and come up with some sort of non aggression pact.

I expect Keir Starmer to still be PM this time next year. Although he seems to be under a lot of pressure, as far as I am concerned most of it is media noise.

I expect things in the States to become more difficult for Donald Trump. There are mid term elections in the USA and this will give us a chance to see how the ordinary people actually perceive Trumps performance. 

Sport.

Once again, I expect that Arsenal will fall short. As Alex Ferguson once said, you win nothing at Xmas.

I expect Manchester United to have had at least two managers by this time next year.

I think Hadley FC will have a great second half of the season and make the play offs.

Music.

I expect this to be  classic year. I am much looking forward to The London International Ska Festival. I think this may be a big year of surprises. My own prediction is that we will start to see a return to guitar based pop and rock bands, which have been out of fashion for a very long time

Technology.

I expect this to be the year when we realise that AI is not the future, although it has an important role to play. I suspect we may see the first beig crashes of AI tech stocks and corporate failures due to AI.

The Weather.

I expect a cold February/March and a scorching July. I also expect that in February/March we'll have the climate deniers claiming there is no global warming and in July we'll have all manner of climate change advocates claiming that the end is nigh. 

My New Years resolutions.

The Gym 

My targets this year. I want to do over 3,000 KM in the Gym, with at least 2,500 on the exercise bike and 500 on the rowing machine. I did 2063 km on the bike this year, 450km on the rower and 36km on the treadmill. I think it is achieveable

Weight

I want to get my weight down to 14.5kg. I am around 16.5 at the moment following Xmas excess. I was doing well until December. 

Music

I hope this will be a classic year for The False Dots, I can't say too much but we've been promised several 'big' gigs. If they come off, it will be the best year ever! We will be releasing a new single in March entitled "It's behind you" and an album of the same name in April/May/June.

Business

This is the year that I expect to see my music business finally emerge from the ravages of the pandemic and have a bigger turnover than 2019! If it doesn't then I might just retire. I am hopeful, pandemics, wars and recessions aside