Can you say what you like if you give the Tories ten million quid?

 What is the worst job in the UK? I think that is an easy one. It is being Diane Abbott. There are over 600 MP's and they seem to say stupid things almost every time they open their mouth. A stack of them have been sacked for various misdeeds, leading to a spate of by elections. Can you name any of them? All of these crooks, villians, etc, yet the one politician who is always fair game for a kicking is Diane Abbott. I am  not a fan of hers, but as someone who hates bullying, I cannot help but think the singling out of Abbott, who's biggest faults are that she puts her foot in her mouth sometimes, can't add up and is a bit of hypocrite in wanting the best for her kids, seems to me completely disproportionate, when so many get off scot free, when they've been doing actual criminal acts. I am not an apologist for Abbot, but lets have some perspective. The right wing press always choose pictures where she looks like she's been sleeping in a bin and been stung by a wasp. My mate, the Rev Emily Kollveit, Vicar of St Judes, used to work in Hackney and told me Abbot was the best and most helpful constituency MP she'd met. She told me that she really cared about people and was quite sensitive, so the criticisms got to her. Hearing Emily's stout defence made me reassess my previous view of her. I don't know Abbott, but I do trust Emily's judgement, she was a the former landlady of the Chandos Arms, before becoming a  Vicar, so is probably the most streetwise vicar in the C of E.  

The former deputy chair of the Tories made blatantly islamaphobic comments whilst moonlighting on a TV show, but he's still an MP. It took the Tories an age to figure out that it was beyond the pale. When they finally suspended him, he had a hissy fit and quite for the 'Reform' Party. What do they want to reform? Perhaps they want the UK to become a place where blatant racism is acceptable, as it was in the 1970's. On Monday I wrote a blog about nostalgia. In the 1970's, we had blatant racism on TV on a daily basis. Bernard Manning on the comedians, Love they neighbour and Alf Garnett were all perfectly acceptable TV viewing. I saw an interview with actor Warren Mitchell, AKA Alf Garnett, where he said that the character was written to be so pathetic that no one would be able to empathise with him, only to find that everywhere he went, people would say "You are spot on with that Alf". In many ways, the BBC was more 'Woke' in the 1960s than it is now. Swear words were banned and they genuinely tried to make Alf Garnett look like an idiot. Even Love Thy Neighbour, an ITV show, did their best to portray the white racist as a fool, whilst the aspirational black couple next door were shown as intelligent and well to do. Where the wokeness stopped was with sexism, but that is another discussion for another day. 

So fast forward to 2024. The words which formed Bernard Mannings act have been banned. Now we simply say "The N word" or "The P word" and heaven help anyone who uses such things in a humourous manner. Things have moved on. I do wonder what would happen if the BBC decided to have a 70's day and showed all of the worst examples of 70's TV in a marathon show. Would it be funny, or would we say "how could we possibly think that wasn't utter crap". I think my kids would have a heart attack at most of it.

But, there seems to be one group of people that the rules don't apply to and the 1970's are still in full flow. I am talking about Kevin Hester OBE. Why can he say what he likes? Because he gave the ruling party in the UK a bung of ten million quid. When can you say a black woman should be shot in a public forum, and it's OK? When you've bunged the government party ten million quid. Would Bernard Manning still be on TV (yeah I know he's dead, but you know what I mean) if he'd bunged Rishi Sunak £10 million? Would he have got an OBE like Hester. 

I am not someone who is easily offended. I grew up in the 60's and 70's. My Dad run a crash repair business, where I worked as a kid. I was surrounded by working class guys, who's language would make many youngsters hair curl and turn white. The jokes they would share would make Manning seem tame. I stood on football terraces, as racist chants, monkey noises etc were order of the day. I recall watching Black Manchester City goalie have bananas thrown at him at Fulham FC. It all seemed normal back then. It was only when Rock Against Racism called out Eric Clapton for racist comments at a gig in Birmingham, that it even occurred to me that it might not be OK. The Specials and other bands educated me and a generation. You can't love music made by black people, have black mates and think that its OK to treat them like shit, like second class citizens. When Diane Abbott puts her foot in her mouth, if it makes you want to 'hate all black women', you are actually a little bit sick in the head. When I was at FCHS, a bully of Irish origin beat me up in 1976, when they saw me at an England Vs Republic of Ireland match wearing an England scarf. Did that make me hate all Irishmen? No, it made me think that bullies are reprehensible. 

Kevin Hestor has an OBE - That is an Order of The British Empire. He has brought the order into disrepute. He should be stripped of it. As for the Tories, should they give the £10 million back? This is dead simple. The answer is "If the Tories want to be associated with this man and his views, they should keep the cash and say so. If they want to prove that they find them abhorrent, then give it back". Earlier in this blog I mentioned 30p Lee Anderson. If Rishi Sunak wants to appeal to his constiteuncy (people who agree with him, not who live in his area, to clarify), keep the cash and shout it out proudly.

It is easy really. Rishi Sunak needs to demonstrate what the Tories stand for. That is what leaders do. 

That's the problem with the past......

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Yesterday we saw some wonderful sights in North West London. It was #VintageBusDay. I didn't know this until I saw an immaculately decked out 240 Routemaster bus in  Mill Hill Broadway station. I felt a real buzz of excitement and much to the embarrassment of my son, who was with me, started to take pictures, which I posted on Instagram

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My son was bemused by my excitement. I explained that I used to get the 240 to school at St Vincents on the Ridgeway and they used these buses. I then realised that, although he went to St Vincents, he never took the bus. I recall the excitement, when the old, clapped out Routemasters were replaced with shiny new buses, that were square and had automatic doors. I seemed like the future had arrived. The excitement didn't last. I soon felt nostalgic for the old buses, with their open platforms and their bus conductors. I did a google and the date was 16th January 1971. I'd have been eight years old. I vividly recall the last time I ever rode a Routemaster on a regular route, rather than a heritage day. It was the day of the 7/7 bombings. I was doing some work at Debenhams head office on Oxford St. As the horror of the bombings unfolded, I found I was stranded. I ended up working to Swiss Cottage, then took a 13 bus to Golders Green. This was still being worked by a Routemaster. I then got a 240 home. I felt a pang of guilt, as I genuinely enjoyed that journey. 

When I see a Routemaster now, I think of the 7/7 bombing. Had that not happened, I would think of St Vincents, but it was a vivid day. On the 240 bus, I bumped into an old school mate from Orange Hill. I'd not seen him for years. What both he and I didn't know at the time, was that his sister had been on one of the bombed tube trains and she'd lost her legs.  We had a good old chit chat, in blissful ignorance.  A week later, someone said to me "Have you heard about Grant's sister". I was deeply shocked.

My initial joy at seeing the Routemaster stirred up all of these feelings. The past is a strange place. We tend to remember what we want to remember. Yesterday was Mothers day and on Saturday I wrote about how it is a difficult day for me. Nostalgia is a very dangerous thing. When we think of the 60's and the 70's, it is nice to recall the Routemasters, the flair footballers such as Stan Bowles, Rodney Marsh and George Best, James Bond's DB6. It is really easy to buy into the idea that everything was wonderful then and it's all gone wrong now. The truth is far more difficult. It really wasn't so wonderful. The cancer my mother in 1970 was one that killed everyone who had it. She was unique in surviving a total gastrectomy in 1970. Her surgeon, Mr Phillip King, told her in 1984, that she was the only person on the planet, who had the operation then, that was still alive. Now there are treatments and people live. Given the choice between a pretty bus and my Mum, I know which I'd choose. 

The truth is that we usually choose to view the past through rose tinted spectacles. We try and bury the bad bits in a locked room in our memories. I'm all for a bit of nostalgia, I spent Friday night recording a video with my band celebrating the party culture of the 1970's. Here's a few shots of some of the shenanigans that were going on. We had proper 70's party food such as cheese and pineapple hedgehogs, pork pies and sandwiches with ham. We invested in some Liebfraumilch, some Warninks Advocate and some Strongbow cider. We played soul and ska classics from the era.  It was all great fun, but there were some big differences from a party back in the day. No one was smoking in the room. No one drove home drunk. No one was telling mother in law jokes to their mates. No one was hunting around for a can opener to open a can of Watneys Party Seven. No one brought records with them, so we could here the 'latest sounds', they simply picked numbers on Spotify. No one needed to borrow 5p to run to the telephone box, to tell their mum they'd be late home.

But when it came down to it, what we did was pretty much what we'd have done in the 70's. Listened to good music, ate and drank and forgot about our problems for a few hours.

As this decade progresses, it become more like a version of the 1970's by the day. In 1974 Labour won an election to replace a failing Tory government, that had lost the plot. The Middle East was in turmoil, with a war starting the year before. There was a cold war in the East with us all scared about Soviet expansion. The UK economy was in a mess, after an energy crisis. Racism and anti immigrant hostility was on the rise, following Idi Amin's expulsion of Kenyan Indians. The parallels are almost uncanny.

I suspect that in 1973/4, as we had three day week and the lights going out, the idea that anyone may look back on the 70's with fond nostalgia, would seen insane. That is the trouble with the past though, you can never quite escape it. In fact, no matter how awful it really was, it seems we don't really want to, even if we could. 

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My band, The False Dots were founded in 1979 and are still going 45 years on. 

Our next gig is at the Beehive, in Bow on Saturday 23rd March. Here is avideo we made celebrating the car culture or the 1970's. Please come and see us at our next gig on Saturday 23rd March at the Beehive in Bow, click here for tickets.

TICKETS CLICK HERE

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The Saturday List #432 - Ten things about my Mum that I didn't appreciate when she was alive

Mum and I in 1983  
When I was the bane of her life

Tomorrow is my least favourite day of the year. It is Mothers day. As my Mum died sixteen years ago, all it does is remind me of the fact that she's dead. There are people who are good children and there are people who are terrible. I am definitely in the terrible category. I have six siblings and I think I caused my parents more upset and grief than the rest of them put together. Although they had their ups and downs with my parents, none of them ever sought conflict and arguments in the way that I did when I was younger. If they did something that my parents wouldn't like, they would try and keep it quiet. I couldn't be bothered with all of that. In some ways, I was lucky, being the youngest. They couldn't be bothered having the same arguments with me. Whereas, when my elder brother and sister caused massive rows with my parents when they chose to live with, rather than marry partners, with me they actually seemed pleased that someone might calm me down. If I thought they were wrong, I'd tell them and not back down. All of my brothers and sisters did well educationally and all did post school education of some sort. I didn't. I went through several periods of not talking to them, following perfectly avoidable rows. When I was living at home and they went away, I had parties where valuables were nicked. Not only that but I found my Dad's stash of good wines and polished it off with my mates. Whereas my Brothers waited until they left home to stop going to Church, I just announced I'd had enough of it all at 14 and refused to go. My parents were both religious and this hurt them. 

When my mum became frail and housebound, we became a lot closer. One day I was chatting to her and she confided that her and my father were driven to their wits end by my behaviour as a teenager. She said that she couldn't believe it when I actually got a job and started doing OK. She said that my Father had changed his view of me before he passed away in 1987. He'd realised that what he'd not appreciated was that I was my own person and he'd come to respect that. She said that it had taken her a lot longer, as she always had felt that we were just one cross word away from a row. I look back on those years and I realised that there were many things I didn't appreciate about my mother. Here are the top ten.

1. I didn't appreciate that she'd worked hard for everything she had. As a kid, you just take it all for granted. Before I was born, my father had serious medical issues and she had to keep the family fed, clothed and housed, during his long periods in hospital. They ran a car repair business and she had to deal with a pretty unruly workforce. It cannot have been easy.

2. I didn't appreciate the way she dealt with monstrous health issues. My mother was told in 1970 that she had stomach cancer and that she would die within three years. I was seven years old. She was told that even if the total gastrectomy she had was successful, it would just buy her a couple of years to get her house in order. No one survived longer than that. She died in 2008 and from completely unrelated issues. It was only when I was diagnosed with cancer that I fully appreciated what she'd come through and how much she shielded us from her problems.

3. I didn't appreciate her intelligence. She came from a working class Irish family who had nothing. She completely reinvented herself and was the brains in the organisation. My Dad would have spent every penny the second he earned it. My mum was the one who made the business successful. Not only that, she was incredibly well read. Almost until the end of her life, she read three books a week. She hated the fact that I was so thick as a child, in the remedial reading group at St Vincents. Dyslexia wasn't appreciated then. She found ways to get me reading, buying comics and telling me that they were just as good as books. With the pictures, it made it easier to work out what was going on. I think many parents of six children might have given up on the last one.

4. I didn't appreciate why she was reliant on alcohol. After my mum was diagnosed with cancer, she was advised by her surgeon to drink as much Guinness as she could "to keep her weight up". In 1984, she asked him if 8 pints a night was too much. He replied that there were two ways of looking at it. Everyone else on the planet who had the operation she had in 1970 was dead, so it must be doing some good, but maybe cut it back to three a night and see how it went. She always listened, but would top it up with a scotch at night to "help her sleep". I though she was just a bit of drinker (being polite), but now realise it actually got her through.

5. I didn't appreciate her cooking skills. You get home and you get your dinner. 99% of the time, I loved it. It was only when she made tripe and onions and brawn that I didn't. I especially loved the bread and butter puddings she made and the stodgy dishes like toad in the hole. She always encouraged us to cook and gave me a love for it. I just took that for granted.

6. I didn't appreciate her political acumen. My mum was a socialist, Dad was a Tory. She would read the Guardian every day. As a small business owner, she would always say "Small businesses do better under Labour, but most owners only think of tax, so are too stupid to see the full picture". She explained that Labour put money into the economy, so people have money to spend. Tories take money out and put up interest rates, so that only the people with old money and savings benefit. I could chat for hours about politics with her. I was pleased when she once told me "You are the only one of my kids who really understands the issues". I have always taken an interest in economics and had some fascinating debates with her. She could have been a very successful economist if she'd had the right opportunities. When I listen to Rachel Reeve I am reminded of my mothers intellect for such matters. It is only now, with hindsight that I really see this.

7. I didn't appreciate her generosity. My Dad used to joke that my mother was a skinflint and a miser, because she counted the pennies and got exasperated with his spending. In hindsight, I realise she was actually very generous, but only in a way she though was sustainable or where people deserved it. She gave a lot of time and money to charity. She would rage against people who helped her at the Church jumble sale and would pilfer the best items. She fell out with a few 'ardent churchgoers' who she caught nicking at the Church jumble sales. My father would say "So what, it's pennies". She would reply "That makes it worse". She wanted the money to go to where it should go.

8. I didn't appreciate her glamour. She was my mum. I didn't want a glamourous mum, but she was. She always made the best of herself. When she had a massive stroke in 2001 and aged 20 years in three seconds, I was horrified to see the change. She was in hospital for six months. When she came out, she couldn't communicate effectively. I would sit and drink a Guinness with her and try and get her talking, even if I couldn't understand a word. Eventually, I found that when she was relaxed, after a couple of Guinness, she could communicate. I said "Mum, is there anything I can do?". She said "Yes, I want my hair done". I arranged to take her to the salon. I explained to Sue, her hairdresser that she was very different. Sue said "I don't care, if she wants her hair done, I'll do it". She went there and when she came back, she was like a new person. The salon shut shortly after, so Sue would visit her at home. It was the best therapy she could have. In truth, especially when I was younger, she embarrassed me. I wanted a dowdy mum, who didn't want to stand out from the crowd. How stupid I was.

9. I didn't appreciate the fact that she loved me. My mum was not demonstrative. She wasn't a hugger. I always thought that she'd have been happier if I'd not been around, as I caused so much grief. I took her to France, the week before she died and she told me that life was a strange thing and that the best thing of all for her was her kids. I said "Even me?". Her response shocked me. She said "You were by far the most difficult, but you've always told me the truth. I love you for that". It was an honest answer. When we struggle with our children, we have to remind ourselves that they are special and unique. When they upset us, they are just being themselves. She told me that once she realised that when we argued, I was not doing it to upset her, she said she found she no longer got quite so upset with me. I never really appreciated that until I thought about it after she went.

10. I didn't appreciate the amazing support she gave me in my music business. I wouldn't have a studio without my mum's support. She gave me the opportunity to rent the space from her and gave me invaluable advice on how to run a business. The studio always paid its way and she never bailed me out, although she did loan me money to do a couple of developments, when I persuaded her the business case stacked up. In 1990, three years after my Dad died, she was considering selling the industrial estate she managed. She was retiring and didn't want the hassle of tenants. I persuaded her to let me and one of my sisters and one of my brothers take on the day to day running. My sister, who is a barrister did the legal side, my brother, who was on site did the maintenance and I handled lease negotiations with tenants and drew up a plan to improve the yard and boost earnings.  Years after, she confided that she never intended to sell the yard, but knew that if she told me that, I'd step up. We ensured that she had a good income in her later years. The arrangement was formalised a few years later and we are still going and running a thriving estate with a successful music business.

God bless you Mum and thank you. I am sorry that I took so long to appreciate you. Happy Mothers Day.

Maybe we don't deserve better than Biden or Trump

 I rarely foray into foreign politics, but they say that when America sneezes, the world catches a cold, so it does affect us. Yesterday, in the USA, the last faint hope that the choice for US citizens would not be Donald Trump or Joe Biden disappeared, as the so called 'Super Tuesday' results were counted and Nikki Hayley withdrew from the race. In this election, it is not so much catching a cold as having dementia that is the worry. It is impossible to watch Joe Biden and not worry. Biden is 81 years old and he looks it. He simply does not look completely with it. As for Trump, he is not much better. He's 77 and despite the spray on tan and dye'd hair, age is catching up with him. 

Last night, I was having a drink (well actually a tonic water, as it was a non drinking day) with my old football mates. The subject of Trump and Biden came up. "Surely America, with a population over a quarter of a billion people can find someone better?" was one comment. Another was "America deserves better". When I got home Mrs T was watching the Peston show, discussing the budget with Rachel Reeve. Whatever your political hue, any reasonable person would conclude that Reeve is a top quality politician. She knows her onions and it seems likely she'll be an excellent chancellor. She worked for the Bank of England before becoming a politician and understands economics. I am a fan of people who have proper jobs before becoming politicians. When I contrast the conversation she had with Peston with any coverage of Trump and Biden, it is a stark contrast. Trump reduces everything to a simplistic, bombastic, transactional level. One of my friends said that Trump would keep Russia, China, Hamas and Iran in line, as he's an unpredictable loose cannon, and they dare not attract his wrath. This is a mantra that is repeated regularly. There is an element of truth in it, but it misses the big picture. All of these organisations think in the long term. To understand their strategy, just look at the Taliban in Afghanistan. Their strategy with the USA was to simply keep fighting, until the US got sick of war and went home. 

They know that whatever Trump does, he's only going to be there for four years, if he wins. So long as they don't provoke him into a catastrophic response, they can do what they like. Trump is not a details man. Trump has a high disdain for Nato and Putin knows this and will exploit it. So long as he can keep Trump onside, his long term strategy is well served by Trump. Brexit disengaged Britain, a staunch supporter of the EU border states, from Europe, this was a major victory for Putin and made his Ukraine war something far more sustainable. Having disengaged Britain from Europe politically, if he can get Trump to disengage the US from NATO, Russia will be in a dominant position in Europe, despite the fact that the country has shown it can't even win a war in Ukraine. Without NATO support, nations such as Germany will not want to risk the ire of Russia. 

Trump also claimed that Hamas would not have attacked Israel had he been President. As he's provided no analysis of this claim, it his quite hard to assess it. I suspect that what he means is that he'd have given Israel carte blanche to do what they like to destroy Hamas, without any quarter given to humanitarian concerns. Trumpian logic is that without the US holding Israel back out of concern for ordinary Palestinians, the consequences for Hamas would be so dire that they would be forced to surrender. I am not entirely sure Jihadi's think like that. It is worth remembering that Trumps policies dealing with Jihadi's in Afghanistan were catastrophic and paved the way for the Taliban takeover. Trump didn't care. In his mind, it's a long way away. The Jihadis, be it in Afghanistan or Gaza know that whatever happens, Trump will be gone in four years. Whatever he does, they will bide their time. Trump's strategy is to disengage and not involve America. 

Having said all that, only a fool would say that Biden has done any better. In fact, on foreign policy he has been a disaster. It is actually hard to argue with Trumps logic that he'd have done better, it would be almost impossible to do worse. In Ukraine, the US has stopped supplying arms, leading to the Russians going on the offensive. With regards to Hamas, Biden seems to have no strategy at all. With regards to Iran, again, I have no idea what his aims are. Looking closer to home, it is clear that Biden hates Great Britain. It is almost embarrassing to note that Trump seems to love us. It will be interesting to see how this dynamic would change with a Keir Starmer government and Trump in the White House. I've no idea what sort of relationship Starmer would have with Biden if he wins again. Although politically closer, I think that Biden is implacably anti British. 

I cannot recall a worse choice for the Americans than Trump and Biden. The only selling point for Biden is that he's not Donald Trump. I doubt even the staunchest Democrat can honestly claim to be excited by him. He is just a doorstop, keeping the door open until someone better comes along. I think Nikki Hayley was on the button with Trump. If Trump wins, the planet will suffer. None of the problems will go away, they will fester, just as they did in Afghanistan during his presidency. All Trump and Biden managed between them, was to ensure that all the deaths of British and American soldiers in two decades were completely in vain. 

But getting back to the choice and my friends comment that we deserve better than Trump and Biden. Maybe we don't. Maybe the fact that we are too lazy to actually demand politicians of the calibre of Rachel Reeve, who know what they are doing and can string more than three sentences together without losing it, means that we deserve exactly what we are going to get. It's like insurance policies. We don't read the small print, so we get stung. And it is our own fault. 

Why Jeremy Hunt made my flesh creep as he gave his Budget speech today

 There are some things that are so horrible that you simply put them in a dark room in your mind and shut the door on it, hopefully to be buried forever. Very occasonally, something happens, and that closed door flies open, and the rotting corpse of the  rancid memory rolls out. I guess we all occasionally have flashbacks induced when we see things that are unpleasant and remind us of such things.

Today, I sat down with a nice cup of tea to watch the budget speech by Jeremy Hunt. Up until now, I've not really minded Jeremy Hunt. He seemed one of the less stupid and nasty Conservative ministers. Today I saw a completely different side to him and it made my flesh creep. Why? Well let me take you back to September 1973. I had just turned eleven years old and I excitedly turned up for my first day at Finchley Catholic High School. It is a real shock, going from being the big boys at St Vincents Primary School to being the little squirts at big school. 

One of the first things I learned was that it wasn't a nice place to be. The school still had pretentions of being a Grammar School, despite having been a Comprehensive for four years. The Boys in the fifth form and the sixth formers were all Grammar school boys. They looked down on us, as none of us had passed an eleven plus ( I certainly wouldn't). The school was divided into three distinct areas. The Lower School (forms 1 & 2), the Upper School (Forms 3,4,5) and the sixth form. 

The sixth formers were by and large viewed as a bunch of nerds, all being Grammar school boys, by us plebs. What made matters worse, was that the most nerdy and unpleasant had the title of "prefect" bestowed on them. This meant that they had certain priviliges, the main one being that they  could enact their more psychopathic urges on the new recruits in the lower school. The teachers used them as a proxy paramilitary force, monitoting dinner queues etc. They were allowed to relentlessly bully us, allegedly to keep us in line. They were a nasty bunch, but by and large, they lacked real gumption. 

As bad as the low level physical abuse tha you'd experience, they could give minor punishments such as lines, for small infractions. Larger ones were passed to the teachers to deal with. Worse still, in some ways, was they way they'd humiliate us. They all seemed to be fluent in Latin and have degrees in sarcasm. They'd refer to you in a  condescending way, probing to find any insecurity. Comments like "Tichborne, how come you haven't grown any pubes" or "Tichborne, did your mother drop you on your head as a baby" or "Tichborne, can't your parents afford soap" were typical. 

Today, as Jeremy Hunt baited Keir Starmer about his weight, he had the exact demanour of one of these awful specimins known as FCHS prefects. Condescending, making personal comments and getting cheered to the rafters by his mates. I found prefects to be the most loathesom of all at the school. I saw them as collaborators and narks. Sadly, when I saw Hunt, that was all I could think of and it made me feel ill. The sooner he's gone, the better. 

Hendon constituency deserves better than Ameet Jogia

Ameet Jogia

Over the last few weeks, I've seen an ever increasing number of communications from the Conservative candidate for Hendon, Ameet Jogia. I have a few MP's over the years. For many years, we had a sensible and rather decent Conservative in the shape of John Gorst. Gorst was pro business and a good constituency MP. He was replaced in 1997 by Labour's Andrew Dismore. Dismore was a hard working MP. I was not keen on him, as I felt he was a slippery individual, who admitted that when he campaigned to replace Gorst in 1997, promising to retain Edgware General Hospital, he knew that a Labour government would close it anyway. He was replaced in 2010 by Conservative Matthew Offord, who won by 103 votes. Offord built up a decent majority over the next few elections. Offord put a lot of work into cultivating conservative religious voters who opposed things such as same sex marriage. Whilst Gorst and Dismore were hard working MP's in the constituency, Offord is largely invisible most of the time. I was not disappointed to see him stand down. 

Ameet Jogia struck me as an odd choice. He's a councillor in Tory councillor Harrow. I'd never heard of him before he was selected. I felt he was probably the weakest of the three choices on offer. He has done nothing to dispel that view. From what I've seen, he is an uber NIMBY. He has campaigned against McDonalds opening in Mill Hill. Given that MP's have no role in planning I found this rather bizarre. Apparently McDonalds are hotbeds of crime and anti social behaviour, if you believe his leaflets. He has also campaigned heavily against the Hendon Hub and the Edgware Broadwalk redevelopment. Not having been involved in Barnet politics until he was selected, he is either unaware that both schemes were dreamed up when the Tories ran Barnet. He is putting the boot into Labour, who simply carried on the policies of the previous Tory adminstration. Either Jogia doesn't know the history of the various schemes, which is rather poor from a candidate, or he's deliberately misleading people about the policies of the local Tories. Neither is particularly good.

I had a look at Jogia's website to see what he had to say about other issues. I was not impressed. On "investment in local businesses" he says "Our investment in local businesses will also protect local businesses and jobs from rising prices and jobs from rising costs and a changing high street in an effort to ensure that our community shops in Edgware, Mill Hill, Hendon, and Burnt Oak remain on our high streets and encourage residents to shop local." This is highly misleading. The Tories announced a massive rise in the minimum wage, which will add huge costs to local businesses. Whilst I support the idea of paying decent wages, many companies are on their knees, due to high energy prices. Adding more costs to business is going to close many companies. 

Regular readers will know that this blog champions environmental policies. On these Jogia says "It is widely accepted that bad air is a huge risk to health, that’s why over the last 13 years the UK has become a world leader in becoming one of the most carbon-neutral countries in the world.

However, we mustn't push on with the net zero agenda at the risk of hard-working people who cannot afford to pay the price for other countries, such as China, polluting our planet. That’s why I am fervently against the ULEZ expansion in London." This shows a man who wants to face both ways at the same time. He accepts that poor air quality is bad for health, but refuses to do anything to address it. Whilst I was against the ULEZ expansion, it is now simply too late to reverse it. Most people have already got rid of polluting cars in London.

On the issue of policing, he demonstrates that he doesn't know our local area. He says "The Mayor has hiked up his precept this year but we are still seeing our residents in places like Brockley Hill having to pay for security because the Mayor is failing to protect our towns and suburbs." Whilst it is very touching that our candidate cares about voters in Brockley Hill, it is not in the constituency of Hendon, it isn't even in the Borough of Barnet. 

On the issue of transport, he again shows his lack of local knowledge. He claims "If we want to put people on public transport we first need to build the infrastructure to enable this. To get from Mill Hill to Chipping Barnet via car is a 15 min journey but to use public transport it is nearly an hour long." Clearly not a bus user. I regularly get the 384 bus from Mill Hill to Barnet to watch Hadley FC. It takes 10 minutes from the top of my road (Glendor Gardens stop). I will be getting that tonight. 

On education he says "We want to deliver new skills for local children to give them the best possible start in life and with a record £123,093,515 funding for Hendon schools, we are funding schools at their highest levels in history." What he doesn't say is that due to high inflation, every school in Barnet is struggling to balance their books. I am the chair of a charity that funds a local school. I see the challenges at the coalface. It is all very well talking about rebuilding schools, but if they can't afford to pay experienced teachers, then the school will be in crisis.

I have taken the above quotes from his website -www.jogia.uk/ourplan

In my opinion, Hendon deserves better than this. There are many big challenges facing us locally and nationally. Having an MP who seems to have no positive policies, doesn't know the Borough and thinks the way to win is to say all things to all people is a recipe for disaster. If you want to know just how vacuous he is, if you click his "My Plan" page on his website, you don't get a plan, you get a questionaire - www.jogia.uk/form/hendonmyplan - It sums him up. His plan is to tell you anything that you want to hear, so you'll get his vote. 

The Sunday Reflection #7 - Ever wondered what our purpose on the planet is?

 Today, we had my sister in laws around for lunch with their kids. We also had my kids around. It is a sad anniversary, 15 years since my beloved mother in law passed away. Mother in laws were often the butt of jokes in the 60's and 70's, usually being portrayed as interfering harridans, out to make trouble for their inherited in laws. It is not a sterotype I recognised. My mother in law was nothing if not lovely. She was always a willing baby sitter and always made me welcome. When we learned she had terminal, stage 4 lung cancer, we were devastated. She was put on steriods, told she had a couple of months to live and told to get her affairs in order and enjoy what time she had. We arranged a special Sunday lunch for her. The steriods gave her a massive boost and she ate like a horse (relatively speaking) and we had a wonderful day. Two weeks later, she was gone. 

At the time, my wife and her sisters were devastated, my mother in law had been fourteen years younger than her husband, who had passed away the previous year (my mum also passed away in 2008, so it was a rotten time). He had been suffering and had required constant care towards the end. We imagined that she might be able to have some fun once he went, not because we were not devastated to lose my father in law, but because she was full of life. It was not to be. Unlike my mum and my father in law, she wasn't really ready to go and we felt that her passing was premature.

I am lucky in as much as I have a supportive relationship with my partner. We've always seen it as important to get each other through hard times. I often think we only really  appreciate each other when things are bad, as I like to think we both step up. I hadn't actually realised it was my Mother in Laws anniversary until my sister in law came around and mentioned it, The Sunday lunch was not especially planned, but clearly the stars were aligned. My sister in law had assumed that was the reason for the invite.

We raised a glass to her and the other 'missing friends', before we started lunch. Earlier I had been contemplating why we are actually here on the planet. As is my want, I went to mass at 11.30pm. For me, it is a time of quiet contemplation. A chance to turn off the mobile phone and reset. I am not actually a very religious person. I do not really get a huge amount out of the ceremonial side, but it does give me a chance to think and to be quiet. For me, that is very beneficial. I was rather taken with one of the African families who attended today. They were all dressed to the nines. They looked wonderful. I almost felt jealous as you could see that they all loved to enjoy themselves and spent the mass beaming. Just before the end, the Priest announced the the it was one of the Ladies in the party's birthday. He got everyone to sing happy birthday to her. She beamed. For me it was a lovely moment. It gave me a sense of happiness that the reading about God giving Moses the ten commandments never would. 

A simple gesture, that made the 300 or so people in the Church feel happy for a few moments. It wasn't religious or spiritual, but it was highly uplifting. As I walked home, a thought coalesced that had been forming through mass. Why are we here? What is our purpose? As is my want, I prayed for a bit of enlightenment. Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes, I will share it, sometimes the enlightenment is personal, so I don't.

Today, in a blinding flash, that enlightenment came. What is our purpose on the planet? We have the things that we have to do, everyone has to pay bills etc, but we have the opportunity to do little things that make other people happy. Today, when the priest got us to sing happy birthday, we did something that cost us nothing but made us all happy. When I got home, I cooked lunch. It was lovely having family around, the first time since Christmas. I think I cooked a pretty damn good lunch. It won't change any of our lives but for a few hours, we were all happy. Maybe, just maybe, if we all deciced to be a little bit nicer and do a few things, that maybe cost little or nothing, but makes someone smile, then the day has had a purpose. 

We all have bad days, we all have reasons why we can't always have a smile on our faces and we can't always make time to make others happy, but if we all just maybe tried 5% harder to make someone, somewhere, a bit happier, maybe we could all find life just a bit better. 

You don't need to go to church, believe in anything or be part of anything to feel better when you make someone smile. For me, perhaps my mission in life has been my band. It has always been important to me to play music and put on a good show. We are a most irreverant band, but I realise we glory in the little things that make life worth living. Not in a po-faced, Holy Joe way. For us, we do it with Ska and Punk rhythms, lyrics with innuendo's and naughty stories, but they do put a smile on people's faces.

When I see much of what is on social media, there is anger, frustration and bitterness. People see only the bad, the things to rant about. Before Facebook was invented, who knew so many people got annoyed about helicopters and flooded footpaths? I try and block people who have nothing happy to say these days. It makes a difference, but I've realised that we need to do a bit more. Not massive things, but just try and make a few people we meet every day a little happier. If we all did that, maybe the small things might be a very big thing indeed. 

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Talking of my band, The False Dots are still going 45 years on. The featured video hopefully has spread some fun!

Our next gig is at the Beehive, in Bow on Saturday 23rd March. Here is a little trailer for it that we made, click here for tickets.

TICKETS CLICK HERE

The Saturday List #431 - My ten favourite album covers of all time

 This list was prompted by legendary BBC Radio London presenter Gary Crowley mentioning on Facebook that Peter Blake was doing the cover for the new Paul Weller album. I absolutely love a good album cover. With the advent of CD's, great album covers became a thing of the past. There was a time when it was an integral part of the package. With the return of vinyl, there is a bit of a trend back to actually having decent album covers. Anyway, I thought I'd make a list of my favourites, with a few words as to why.

1. New Boots and Panties - Ian Dury. 

Ian Dury standing with his son Baxter outside a very 1970's looking clothes emporium, it reminded me of Burnt Oak, where I was at school. This fascinated me when it came out. It was in many ways, the antithesis of the overblown arty covers favoured by the 70's prog rockers, but it was a million times more interesting. It made a statement about what was on the album. I was 15 when this came out and I felt I was somewhere between Dury and his son Baxter in age. The Queen had the Poet Laureate, but us lot had Ian Dury and the cover of New Boots and Panties said everything we needed at know.

2. Band on the run - Wings.

One of the first albums I bought. Side one of this records is both sublime and brilliant. The cover features a stack of the most high profile characters of the era, Michael Parkinson, John Conteh, Clement Freud, James Coburn, Christopher Lee and Kenny Lynch, caught in a spotlight with  a brick wall background. Parkinson makes a gun shape with his hand, which is also caught in silhouette. 

It was an incredibly evocative cover. Getting such figures to pose for the picture was something of a coup, that perhaps only an ex Beatle could pull off. Apparently the celebs were in what Wikipedia describe as a substance haze, following a party at McCartneys. 

3. Ramones - The Ramones

One of the most seminal albums of all time. It's stark simplicity is a thing of immense beauty. I love Tommy Ramone's look, belly button exposed and super cool shades. Joey looking very gangly and uncomfortable Johnny posing for the camera and Dee Dee looking like he simply doesn't want to be there at all. Filmed in black and white, it gives a real classical feel to it. 

In many wa ys they don't really look like the classic '76 punk look, with their long hair, jeans and sneakers. No bondage pants or arty Westwood T shirts. 

4. Dawn Of The Dickies - The Dickies.

All of the previous chices have been rather classic and serious, this is pure fun. The album is an absolute classic, that has been virtually forgotten. The cover is brilliant. The theme is that the the band are being attacked by Zombies, although the Zombies don't actually look that frightening. 

The band all looking terrified apart from sing Leonard Graves Phillips, who is deep in Prayer. Like all of the above, I spent hours contemplating this, as the LP span on the turntable.

My family have been instructed that they must play "Stuck in a pagoda with Tricia Toyota at my funeral, or they may fall victim to a scene like this, as I rise from the dead to vent my wrath!

5. Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones.

Any list that did not contain this, is a very poor list indeed. My sister Val had the original release, with the working zipper, which as a wee nipper, I found fascinating. It helps that it is the Stones best album. 

I don't think I took much notice of album covers before this one. You simply couldn't ignore it. As a piece of graphic design it is wonderful. Simple and effective with the stamps of the album name and band name. It reinforces to me the fact that the best images are strong and simple. I quite like the fact that the Stones know they are well known enough to not have a photo of themselves on the record.

6. Sailor - The Steve Miller Band.

I love this album cover. The idea that the earth is the moon, and the band are shipwrecked in a storm has always fascinated me. 

I also love Boz Scaggs pose, with his guitar looking big and wonderful. Drummer Tim Davis is standing at the front in his hat, looking cool and dapper. Bearing in mind that the album was released in 1968, at the height of the civil rights protests, this was actually quite a statement, Steve Miller is almost hiding behind him. Keyboard player Jim Peterman looks like an out of place cowboy. 

I am intrugued by bassplayer Lonnie Turners pose, it is hard to hold a bass like that. Normally you'd hold the base of it. A great idea, very evocative.

7.  London Calling  - The Clash.

There are so many aspects  of this that are wonderful. The lettering is a nod to Elvis Presley, who used similar for his first album. The picture is of bassist Paul Simenon smashing his bass.  Penny Smith, who took the picture, didn't want it used as it was out of focus, but Joe Strummer overrid her, thankfully. The picture is acknowledged as possibly the best rock and roll picture of all time.

The album marked a realturning point in the Clash's musical career. The first album was a wonderful blast of pure punk. The second, in my opinion was just a bit too overproduced and bland. London Calling was the first time you really heard the true voice of the Clash. I almost think of it as a different band to the first two albums. A fitting cover. 

8. Never Mind The Bollocks - The Sex Pistols.

Ok, here's a confession. I was gutted when I saw this cover at first. I hated it. The preceding singles had great artwork and interesting covers. Then this came out. It was just letters, no anarchic images of the Queen etc. My first thought was that Richard Branson of Virgin Records was a cheapskate who was too tight to pay for a decent cover.

How wrong I was. It is one of the most influential pieces of pop/art design of all time. It has been copied, ripped off and reused more than just about any other design concept of the era. 

And it's a great album.

9. Blondie - Blondie.

There are five people on the cover of this album, but for the first twenty years I had it, I only noticed Debbie Harry. I  suspect that this is the only album I've ever bought purely for the cover, I was fifteen at the time and Debbie Harry was my idea of the perfect woman. The album is rather good, which was a bonus. 

It was not commercially successful, the follow up Parallel Lines was the one that broke the band, I was rather chuffed to be ahead of the game. In actual fact, I think this is probably their best album, I love Rip Her To Shreds, which was the single. 

In terms of design, it is simple and wonderful.

10. Action - Desmond Dekker and The Aces 

I just love this image. I have a special love of Desmond Dekker as my first date with the missus was seeing him at Dingwalls on New Years Eve 1985. 

He was a cool dude and an amazing singer. This picture captures the energy and vibe of Desmond at his very best. I have few regrets, but I'd love to have seen Desmond in 1968 when the Israelites came out, but I was six years old.

Making a live action gig pic into a great album cover seems such a simple idea, but it is so rarely executed well. This and the Clash, are to me, the best examples. 

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If you fancy a night out, why not come and see my band, The False Dots on Sat 23rd March at the Beehive in Bow

 Tickets: bit.ly/42qVHCN

Friday Fun 1st March 2024

 So as is the way with us Barnet Bloggers, it's Friday so we have a joke, which I am once again indebted to Mr Robert Wilkinson for 

I guessed orange, but it was chocolate; I guessed toffee, but it was peanut; I guessed strawberry, but it was coffee.

I was wrong on so many Revels.

— Robert Wilkinson (@robertwlk) February 25, 2024

We also do a round up of things to do in the Borough.

Live Music this weekend in the Borough of Barnet

FREE!

Fri

Mar

1

NewJo Devall Jazz Songbird (Jazz, 4 piece) at The Builders Arms, New Barnet 1.3 miles

8pm - 11pm

FREE!

Fri

Mar

1

NewGrace George (Acoustic Covers & Originals, Solo Artist) at Lord Kitchener, New Barnet 1.4 miles

8pm - 10pm

FREE!

Fri

Mar

1

Buzz (Covers 60s - present, 4 piece) at The Three Wishes, Edgware 4.5 miles

8.30pm - 11.30pm

FREE!

The Runner Brothers (Rock Covers & Original, 4 piece) at Butchers Arms, Barnet

9pm - 11.30pm

FREE!

Sat

Mar

2

Johno's Karaoke (Karaoke) at The Kings Head, Barnet 0.2 miles

8.30pm - midnight

FREE!

Paul's Butchers Arms Jam (Rock and/or Blues and/or Pop) at Butchers Arms, Barnet

8.30pm - 11pm

And Finally, if you like a bit of Ska, why not do a trip out to Bow to see my Band, The False Dots on March 23rd. Here's a little preview of what you might expect - Tickets: bit.ly/42qVHCN