Ain’t Got a Barrel of Money, and how Mr Tempest started it.

I was never really what one might call inspired at school. Don’t get me wrong – I loved it. I enjoyed the camaraderie and the challenges. I loved PE, when it involved football and didn’t involve cross country or Rugby. Science never particularly grabbed my attention and neither did History or Geography. Maths most certainly wasn’t my bag. Mr Whitham, the Maths teacher used to say ‘Those that want to learn, sit at the front, those that don’t – there’s a pack of cards, piss off to the back and don’t disturb us. I played cards. When I didn’t feel like playing cards, I used to wag it – as we called it. I wasn’t quite brave enough for the full-on wagging experience though. I didn’t leave the campus. When I wagged Maths, I sneaked into extra English lessons.

My school reports probably reflected my attitude. “Jason spends most of his time entertaining his friends.”, said one. “Jason spends too much time being Mothered by the girls,” said another. Most of the teachers, while friendly enough – grateful I suppose that I was no bother, certainly didn’t hold out much hope of me succeeding when I left. The only teacher that ever inspired me was Mr Tempest. He was the English teacher that rather than send me back to Maths / Cards class, would let me sit and help the kids that were struggling. He helped me write stories. I remember one that I submitted for my O-level, called Utopia at Old Trafford. It was the story of a young working-class lad, realising his dream of playing for Manchester United. Another featured an Irish boy who had a big brother in the H blocks. I could spend hours writing stories.

Then, life and adolescence got in the way and I didn’t write a thing for about twenty years. Around the turn of the Millenium, I got divorced and suddenly found myself with a lot of time on my hands, and a lot of stuff in my head that needed to come out. I had an old electric-type writer and one night, decided to write my memoir. After about six abandoned first paragraphs, I realised I didn’t have anything interesting to tell. I wasn’t ready to unravel the emotions of divorce, so I wrote about my earliest memories. When recalling early events, it is often quite difficult – if not impossible to differentiate between genuine memories and memories of stories one has been told by others. Unsure which of the above it was, I wrote about an event that allegedly happened when I started Hackenthorpe Infant school in about 1975.

Apparently, at the end of one of my first days in school, after we’d been learning the golden rules of the school, we were told to go and get our coats on, ready for our Mummy to collect us. Mrs Meades, my teacher was most confused when I refused to budge and sat stoically in my little wooden chair. When Mrs Meads asked why I wasn’t getting my coat I informed her that I wouldn’t be doing it until she said please. i somehow managed to tell the story of my life up to the age of about 15. I even gave the book a title – With Respect!

With Respect! revolved largely around football and my memory of either playing football, thinking about football, reading about football, or watching football. Don’t hold your breath for that book to be a best-seller anytime soon. That said, my Mum read it and afterward, said “You should carry on, I want to know what happened next.” I said “You were there. nothing happened.”

Fast forward another twenty years and I had the misfortune of slipping 4 discs in my back while showing my prowess on the monkey bars to my kids. unable to work and heavily sedated, I decided to relieve the boredom by writing a blog. The blog was about Sheffield United, who under the leadership of Chris Wilder, were threatening to finally get promoted from League One. I read an article about United’s close shave with Europe in 1975, and the subsequent relegation the following year. The blog kept growing. before long it had gone back as far as the 1950s to find out where it all started. I decided to see if I could find any of the old players and see if they would speak to me. That blog turned into what I called a book. It had interviews with a couple of fans and a few ex-players. i edited it a few times then put it away to write a novel, (no, really). When I went back to the book, I made the foolish decision to try and get a publisher.

I’m not going to lie. it wasn’t a pleasant experience. i had some tentative responses and some rather negative ones. one editor made some helpful suggestions on how to improve it. I hated his suggestions. With respect, I thought, I will go somewhere else.

Eventually, I found a publisher that was willing to give me a contract and let me write the book I wanted to write. I am hugely grateful to Pitch Publishing for that. The book was released in February and I am extremely proud to be a published author. I’d love to find Mr Tempest and tell him what we did.

It’s time to review not only the security of our elected politicians but time that people understood the sacrifice these people and their families make.

Yesterday it was announced that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor had received fines for attending illegal parties. Both had previously denied attending the events. The PM, who is no stranger to controversy, shrugged off the news and refused to resign, despite calls for him to do so from leaders of all opposition parties. There is widespread condemnation for the pair and the fines came at a time that has been a trying couple of weeks for the party.

Multiple members of the Tory Party have had their integrity questioned after it was revealed that several of them have or have had non-dom status. Indeed, it does beggar belief that an elected member of Parliament (or their spouse) could claim that their permanent residence was outside the UK. While the status is not illegal, there is a feeling that it is not playing fair either.

Of course, accusations of corruption being aimed at the Conservatives is not a new phenomenon. In recent times we’ve David Cameron lobbying current secretaries of State, we’ve seen ministers forced to resign over extra-marital affairs, talking of extra-marital, there is the dubious relationship between the PM and Jennifer Acuri, and we have seen contracts awarded to family and friends of ministers. Then there is the allegation that billions of pounds of fraudulently claimed Covid support funds had simply been written off. And all of that is before we get to donations to the party from Russian Oligarchs.

Amidst all of this scandal, we have witnessed a steady stream of Tory politicians willing to go out to bat in defence of the party and its leader, knowing surely that we know they are lying. The shameless lies, the corruption and the marvellous excuses they come up with only serve to add to the electorate’s anger. Many people are struggling financially, and many are struggling mentally and it creates a perfect environment for hatred, revolt and radicalisation.

Today, I spoke to someone who is hoping to be elected as an MP at the next General Election. He told me that he wants to help people and to help make changes that will improve people’s lives. I sincerely believed him. It made me wonder if all our MP’s start out this way, and as the old adage goes, power corrupts them, and absolute power.. well, you know the rest.

While I was having coffee with the potential candidate, IS fanatic Ali Harbi Ali was being given a whole life sentence for the shocking and despicable murder of Sir David Amiss MP in October last year. The self-confessed terrorist stabbed the Tory MP for Southend West more than 20 times. The respected member of parliament’s family said that it broke their hearts to know that he would have greeted his murderer with a smile of friendship.

It was revealed during the trial that Ali had also intended to target other MPs, including Michael Gove.

Many people watching TV or reading newspapers over the last couple of years will disagree strongly with the behaviour and the politics of the Government. Many other people will disagree with the politics of the opposition and many have little respect for any politicians – believing them to be overpaid, dishonest, untrustworthy, and out of touch. While much of this may be true, there are 650 elected members. Although we have seen a torrent of corruption and bad judgement recently, many of those 650 men and women came into politics to help others. They are indeed well paid, but they work very long hours, commuting many miles and speaking to hundreds of people each week. They will without exception hold surgeries, where members of their constituency can freely walk into in to their offices. In short, they put their lives at risk every day. All normal, decent human beings know that it is wrong to kill another but sadly happens. It’s time to review not only the security of our elected politicians but the time that people understood the sacrifice these people and their families make.

There are many elected politicians of all parties up and down the country that are good, honest, decent, hard-working people, who like the man I spoke to today, are willing to make those sacrifices to serve the country. Like most of us, they have husbands, wives, partners, children and parents, they have friends, and colleagues, they are human beings.

Anyone found to be threatening, abusing, assaulting or killing MPs must face the full force of justice.  

Unforgivable.

Unforgivable. PM and Sunak fined.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologised – again for letting down the people of this country. He repeatedly told Parliament and the public that no rules were broken and that no parties took place. Today though, it was announced that he has been issued a fine by the police for breaking lockdown laws and attending his own birthday party.

The fine makes the disgraced PM the first ever sitting leader to be sanctioned for breaking the law. Unsurprisingly, leader of the opposition Keir Starmer, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Wales Labour first minister Mark Drayford all called for Johnson to resign. All opposition parties have also called for Parliament to be recalled from Easter break.  Johnson said, “I accept in all sincerity that people had the right to expect better.” For once, he is right, people do expect better. The Prime minister and his government laid out laws that preventing families from visiting dying loved ones in hospitals and care homes. They made it impossible for families to give a proper burial to their dead family members and forced people to grieve alone, not even permitted to let their sons and daughters put an arm around their shoulders, to offer the slightest hint of comfort. We all saw pictures of the Queen, sitting alone as she said goodbye to her beloved husband. While the country bent over backwards to ensure that everyone was safe, Number decided the rules did not apply to them. Johnson’s claim that he was ambushed by a birthday cake wielding colleague is not laughable it is offensive. His defence that he was just stupid and naïve might be a suitable defence for an eighteen-year-old first-time offender charged with drunk and disorderly on his birthday, but not for the most powerful man in the country.

Members of Parliament are elected to represent those that vote for them and make decisions on behalf of their constituency. If their judgement is so bad that they cannot recognise a party, they are not fit to hold public office. Boris Johnson isn’t just an MP, and this is not his first episode of bad judgement. He has a list of decisions, comments and general buffoonery that has cost the country millions of pounds, cost people their freedom and undoubtedly cost people their lives. While making his heartfelt sincere apology he told the camera that he had attended a ten-minute event that he thought was work-related. It has been widely reported that the event lasted at least an hour. He is a compulsive liar that is utterly morally bankrupt. He said today that he won’t resign because he is determined to deliver on the priorities of the British people – that is another lie. His sole priority is himself. He obsessed only by his own power and pleasure. He does not care a jot about the people of this country as long as he can cling to power for as long as he can.

The Met is investigating twelve parties, of which it is thought Johnson attended half. The likelihood is that he will be issued with further fines and will no doubt in turn offer further empty apologies. The Covid 19 Bereaved families for justice group called the actions of Johnson ‘truly shameless’.

Johnson’s next-door neighbour and one-time favourite to replace him in number 10, has also received a fine. Incredibly his spokesperson said that the Chancellor had not been told which party the fine was for. My assumption is that this means he also attended several. SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said that the actions of Johnson and Sunak had offended millions of people who faithfully followed the rules.

Tory MP Michael Fabricant, who has been in the Commons for the last twenty years went to bat for his boss saying “I don’t think that at any time, he thought he was breaking the law,” to add insult to injury he added that he believed at the time the PM thought, “just like many teachers and nurses, who after a very long shift would tend to go back to the staff room and have a quiet drink, which is more or less what he has done.” When pushed by the interviewer on his comment, Fabricant hastened to add that he wasn’t suggesting teachers and nurses were having a party.

Other conservative politicians said that now was not the time for Johnson to resign with the War in Ukraine still raging but the pressure is undoubtedly mounting on the PM and the Party, who must fear at the moment – with Johnson still in charge, that they are absolutely unelectable at the next election.

It’s been a bad week for Chancellor Sunak, the blue-eyed boy of lockdown, who faced heavy criticism recently over his wife’s financial affairs and her tax arrangements. His budget also left the country feeling that Sunak was out of touch or didn’t care about the poor people of this country.

The issue is that the Tories don’t care about the poor people of this country, and to them, we are all the poor people. They are the powerful and the wealthy and the normal rules of decency do not apply to them. Rules are for the rest of us.

While people might ask what Labour would do differently there has been a continual commentary on what the Tories would do. They have plunged more people into poverty and opened more food banks. They have shown time and again that they are callous, sneering, arrogant, corrupt cheats, who only care about themselves.