Last Christmas I wrote about the Tory lead Government’s plans to attack the poorest and most vulnerable people in society, cutting benefits, cutting wages and cutting worker’s rights. In the news as this year closes we hear about dead icons, football managers being fired, celebrity chef’s allegedly taking drugs and former X factor winners sleeping with teenage girls..  so while deciding what I should write about I read a blog by a colleague of mine about music. He said that I wouldn’t like it because I wouldn’t know the song. He was right, I didn’t know the song (she’s your lover now), but it made me wonder what it is about a song that touches some people so profoundly.

There have been thousands of books about a million pop stars; there have been endless quotes about music, from Shakespeare to Marley. The late reggae legend is credited with saying “the good thing about music is when it hits you, you feel no pain”. Oh contraire!

The beauty of a great song is that you feel all of the artist’s pain.

I have read many other quotes about music such as Plato’s “music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything”, and Charles Darwin’s “if I had my life to live over again I would (read some poetry and) listen to some music at least every week”, and then are simpler less deep quotes such as Bob Dylan’s “play it fucking loud!”

I think someone also once said that music is the soundtrack to your life. As clichéd as that is, it is for me the truest of remarks. Whether it be the song which topped the charts when your first born arrived or even the song you played while your first born was conceived, music has the ability to ignite and remind the most vivid memories. People spend months deliberating over what should be the first song they dance to as a married couple at their ceremony, and some spend years considering what should be played as they leave this earth. My choice by the way, on our wedding day was Jeff Heeley Band’s Angel Eyes, although the sentiment in John Miles’ Music (was my first love and it will be my last) was extremely tempting.. I am yet to decide on my swan song.

You can choose music to suit your mood and you can choose music to set the mood. There are songs that are generally accepted as great, such as Queens classic Bohemian Rhapsody, which always seems to top polls when voters are asked to name the best song ever. There are also multi-million sellers that are absolute drivel, but somehow manage to capture the imagination of consumers and listeners such as Joe Dolce’s Shaddup your face, which for some reason kept Ultravox from the number one spot, despite Vienna being a more obvious choice.

Some people look for sublime crescendos, while others associate with lyrics and others just like the beat. Whatever your taste, there is something for just about everybody.

Some people will be influenced by the music their parents listened to. As a child in the seventies, our home was full of 1960’s classics and later with 70’s country rock like The Eagles and Jackson Brown and Bad Company, with a helping of Charlie Rich and Cliff Richard. I certainly blame/ thank my parents for my random tastes in music. I can happily listen to Elvis Presley, the second highest selling artist of all time, yet just as easily sing along to Billy Ray Cyrus’ Achey Breaky Heart. There are times I like to listen to sombre music from bands like The Smiths and there times I like to listen to meaningless 80’s pop songs, depending on my mood.

This time of year there are always dollops of cheesy offerings filling the airwaves and there is often a debate about the best Christmas song, I am torn between Muds Lonely this Christmas and the wonderful Fairy-tale of new York, described by one as the perfect song to sing drunk, by Kirsty McColl and The Pogues.

If there needed to be proof that music is in the eye of the beholder and that there is something for everything, take a look at the back catalogue of the all-time top selling  band The Beatles, who have sold over 600million records. They are responsible for giving us such classics as the anthemic Hey Jude, the thumping Twist and Shout and the unforgettable Yellow Submarine.

People who say todays music is rubbish are simply wrong. Today’s music, whether it is to our taste or not is tomorrows classics. To people for whom it means something today it will continue to do so, it will bring to life their memories and fill their thoughts with sadness and joy. If music is the food of life , we shall never starve.

Last December a 23 year old woman was gang raped on a bus in Delhi. The assault was so depraved and violent that the victim had to have part of her intestine removed, and later died from her injuries.

Six men were charged and four were sentenced to death after being found guilty. One suspect died while in custody and a sixth, who was a minor in the eyes of Indian law, received the maximum sentence possible.

The shocking case caused understandable outrage, sparking violent protests on the streets of Delhi which resulted in the law being changed to allow the death penalty.

What is more shocking is that this was not an isolated case carried out by a group of exceptionally vile men; this is quite common with remarkably similar crimes being reported with alarming regularity.

There were an estimated 25,000 reported rape cases in India last year alone. Between 1971 and 2012 the number has increase by 902%.

A 22 year old photojournalist was gang raped in Mumbai by four men who had allegedly previously raped at least four other women. They believed they would get away with the crimes because the thought the authorities would not bother to investigate just another rape case. The accused also threatened the victim, saying if she did go to the police they would post videos of the attack on the internet. Undeterred the brave victim did go to the police and the attackers were arrested.

In a separate attack just 10 days later, a 3 year old girl was allegedly raped at play school.

Her family were reluctant to report the rape at first as the accused family were said to be rungs above the victim’s family on the social ladder. Police in India often treat accusations of rape as trivial, particularly when the victim is poor.

Violence against women in India is commonplace. It starts in childhood. Gender selective abortions and female infanticide mean that males outweigh the female population massively. Worryingly high levels of child marriage, domestic violence and teen pregnancy are seen as acceptable by many. Thousands of young females disappear every year, sold into slavery or marriage (or both) while the authorities take little interest and in many cases are bought off by the perpetrators, such is the level of corruption and disrespect for females. When rapes are reported it often takes over a month before police even register the complaint and the accused are often left free to threaten the victims.

 

A recent survey in the country showed that 57% of Indian boys and 53% of Indian girls thought that wife beating was justified.

The change in the law will do little to stop these horrific crimes when the attitudes of the country’s population are so laid back about such abuse. It will take generations to change the behaviour of men and the willingness of some women to turn a blind eye or in some cases even be party to the actions of their men.

Of over 700 alleged rapes in New Delhi last year only the high profile bus gang rape ended in conviction.  

While India appears to tolerate or simply accept rape and abuse of women, it recently passed law banning homosexuality. Being homosexual was decriminalised in a landmark verdict in 2009 but the supreme courts in India overturned that verdict this week. The decision further highlights the appalling attitudes of the authorities in India.

India and its people should hang their heads in shame. They are the people who must eradicate this behaviour by educating their young, respecting females and prosecuting those guilty of the crimes. It is unacceptable for these incidents to continue and the world must put pressure on the Indian authorities and the 1.2 billion people that live there to put a stop to it.

Sadly, one year on from what the world hoped was a turning point, little or nothing seems to have been done to change it.

 

 

                   

                                                                    Nelson Mandela 1918 - 2013

In June this year, I wrote an article about Nelson Mandela. It was written at a time when the world’s media were camped outside his house waiting to break the news to the world that he had died.

I wrote how he would be remembered for his dignity and courage and for dismantling Apartheid.

Last night the world began to mourn the death of Mandela, in his 95^th year, as he finally succumbed to the lung infection he had battled for months.

Tributes flooded TV screens and social media sites as politicians past and present, people who spent time with him in captivity, and friends and family members queued to heap praise on the man who many can honestly say is the most influential figure of our time.

I wrote in the summer that Mandela was no saint, being the co-founder of a militant group in the 1960’s, which led him being jailed for attempting to overthrow a government. I also wrote of the dangers of prohibiting people like former EDL leader Tommy Robinson from having a voice, and how he could become a free speech and human rights martyr.   

In contrast to those celebrating the life and mourning the loss of Mandela, there were right wing political commentator’s whinging about Margaret Thatcher getting less favourable coverage. There were left wing supporters attacking the right for once calling for Mandela to be treated as a criminal and a terrorist.

Whatever the opinion of Mandela’s early life, those political wanabees could learn many a lesson from the first black president of South Africa’s later life. When Nelson Mandela emerged from prison in 1990, his attitude was that of reconciliation rather than resentment or revenge, his demeanour full of dignity and strength not hostility.

The two sides bickering like children over who loved him or hated him the most are futile and pointless, disrespectful and distinctly trivial when compared to the fight Mandela fought. With hardly room for cigarette paper between the beliefs of the left and the right in this country, it is hard to believe that so recently in South Africa, people actually believed that the rights and lives of people were decided by something as simple as the colour of their skin. It seems ludicrous today that people with dark skin were not allowed to ride on the same bus or buy food from the same shop as people with white skin. There simply is no justifiable argument to support those beliefs. These were the evils Mandela was fighting.

I read somewhere among the tributes last night, someone had written “let us pray that we see the likes of him again”.

I commented “let us pray we never have to”.

I and millions of people living in South Africa and around the world, believe that thanks to Mandela, we never will.

As hard as it to believe the struggle Mandela and his fellow black people faced in those days, it is even harder to imagine the sacrifice he made in pursuit of his beliefs.   Offered conditional freedom years before his eventual release, Nelson Mandela had the courage of his convictions and the strength to say no to that freedom. He believed that his release had to be unconditional, and he gave up his right to a life, his right to see his family grow up and his right for freedom so that others could have those things today. On his release he refused to call for Black preference or to fight for the rights of just black people. He wanted freedom and equality for all.  

He famously said during his trial in 1964 “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

 

When he passed away last night he left the world a place much closer to those ideals than the place he began his life.

As he made his exit, in a final twist of fate, the story of his life “Mandela: Long walk to freedom” was coincidentally premiering in London.  This coincidence will quite likely fuel the conspiracy theories that he either died months ago or even that he is still alive, and that it cannot be just a coincidence that he died on the day of his film premier. There are always such theories when the most powerful and influential people in history die.

It is no coincidence either that Nelson Mandela will be in the history books forever as a leader, a politician and man of greatness.

 

 

Depression and mental illness: all in your head or in all our heads?             

 

 

Last night I read a beautifully touching piece by a friend of mine, about the devastating loss of his sister. When I first read it I thought thank god I’ve never gone through that. I was thankful that I have never lost anyone that close, which is quite remarkable in its self, considering I am in my 40’s.

When I read it a second time I felt quite sad that I had never experienced the kind of happiness and closeness that my friend spoke of. The unspoken connection between him and his sister, the fond memories that linger today, faded but not forgotten, made me think that while it is obviously important to mourn the loss of loved ones it is vital that we also celebrate them.

 In my limited experience, I have known the catastrophic effect that losing someone can have on individuals and families, sometimes shaping the rest of the life of the surviving members. I have witnessed the complete transformation of a happy loving carefree loyal friend, who following the death of her beloved father completely lost her self and became a self-obsessed bitter sad individual, dependant on medication to function on day to day basis.

I have wanted to write about mental health for some time but the subject is so enormous and so sensitive that I simply didn’t know where to start.

On reading the text of the eulogy my friend shared led me to wonder how someone can experience such joy and closeness, then have it taken away, without suffering some kind of damage. Depression and stress are still rather taboo topics in this country, but I wonder is the potential to suffer these diseases in all of us.

I think it has never been, and possibly never can be determined which event is the trigger and which is the symptom?

I, in the past have suffered depression and stress and I have blamed the excesses of alcohol. There was a period in my late teens when I would drink 8 or 9 pints at lunch time, sometimes more, eventually resulting in me suffering a fit, when I got blazing drunk when I had measles.  The alcohol fuelled the fever to the point where, were it not for the assistance of others I could easily have died. Following the seizure I went to hospital where I was told to my dismay, that if I continued to abuse my body in such a way, that I would be dead in three years.

That was the wake-up call I needed to reign in the drinking, but have still suffered bouts of real anxiousness, deep depression and self-destructiveness even when sober. This leads me to question whether the booze and behaviour were the cause or just a symptom. Indeed often I can find no cause or trigger, which tends to exasperate the situation in my frustration.

Although I feel no shame for these bouts in times of clarity, during the darkness I have no desire to share my feelings and rarely discuss it even now. I have learnt to recognise the onset and on the whole have managed to pull back from the abyss, but not everyone is so lucky and I am in no way naïve enough to believe that I am now immune.

 I am fortunate to have only experienced relatively mild forms of the disease and suffered little or no detriment as a consequence. Others have more severe, more dramatic break downs and lose their jobs, their homes and their family. Some lose their own life.

England cricketer Jonathan Trott made the brave decision to fly home from the ashes in Australia, due to a long standing, stress related condition. It was brave because he faced a backlash from ignorant people who either don’t understand the illness or simply don’t believe in it.

Some unfortunate comments were made publicly, but on the whole Trott has receives widespread support. There is a growing wave of support for sportsmen and women who suffer from mental illness, thanks in no short measure to high profile spokesman such as footballer Clarke Carlisle, in TV documentaries. Some politicians have publicly admitted to suffering from the potentially crippling effects of mental health issues but still there is not enough awareness. Who knows how many people in the country suffer from such illnesses? Due to the very nature of it, there is still a reluctance to admit to it so there can be no accurate measure of just how many people suffer in silence.

I have in the past been a little unsympathetic to homeless people, believing that they largely choose to be homeless; that may be the case, but how many of them are actually making a rational decision? Surely no one in their right mind would opt out of society and resort to begging in the street, but not in ones right mind it is easy for situations to quickly escalate before one has no choice. The effect of the illness could theoretically be costing millions of pounds each year to just repair the damage rather than treating the causes.

Hopefully, as more prominent celebrities and high profile sportsmen speak out and more people have the courage to discuss mental health issues on social network sites and other media, eventually there will be a realisation that any of us can be hit by depression and stress and that there does need to be help and that mental health issues are not all in your head.


http://jamestringham.wordpress.com/

http://www.bipolaruk.org.uk/bipolar-uk-news/2013/11/29/finding-serenity/
 

 

On January 1^st 2014, Britain opens its doors to Bulgaria and Romania.  UKIP leader Nigel Farage is doing the rounds, telling BBC news programmes such as Question Time and The Daily Politics that the 30million people living in those two countries will turn up on our shores to join the 100,000plus that already live here.

Tempted by the well paid labour and our free health services, Farage claims it is inevitable that they will flood our country, despite the fact that they are also free to enter any other country in Europe, including Germany, Spain, and France.

The main political parties here have done little to quash the scare mongering, with communities and local government secretary Eric Pickles repeatedly refusing to estimate the actual numbers we expect. 49 year old former Conservative member Farage has relentlessly used his exaggerations about immigration to bolster his argument that the UK should leave the EU.

A recent report from University college London’s migration research unit, found that migrants coming to the UK since 2000 are less likely to claim benefits or social housing than people who already lived here. The study goes on to report that immigrants contributed £25 billion to our economy in the same period. This bucks the popular perception  the right wingers would have us believe that foreigners will come here taking all our houses, claiming our benefits and increasing crime rates.

It is high time politicians and certain quarters of the media stopped muddying the waters and had the grown up, honest debate about immigration that Farage calls for, but debate based on facts, not fantasy.

UKIP and Farage deserve to be congratulated for raising the issue from being whispered about behind closed doors, to the top of the political agenda. It is now possible to discuss immigration without being accused of racism, although there are still no doubt those who will have that agenda.

While it is arguable that immigrants are taking all the houses, what is clear, is that we need more houses. The down side of immigration “what if’s” dominating the headlines is that issues such as housing shortages, the increasing cost of living, and precautionary measures against the threat of terrorism get pushed down the agenda or shaped to fit the agenda.

Terror suspects such as Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed are able to disappear by simply entering a mosque and changing into a Burka. He has been undetected since the 1^st of November. Urgent action needs to be taken on the clearly ineffective measures we currently have in place, yet we spend time debating whether the Burka should be banned. Someone asked on TV last week, as terror suspects escape in taxis, should we also ban taxis?
 

We need honest, transparent and sensible debate on the real issues that matter from our democratically elected leaders not lies, hearsay and mis-leadership from second hand car salesmen.

 

Coral the bookmakers are giving odds this weekend on the next premier league manager to lose his job with Fulham boss Martin Jol at 6/5 and Norwich’s Chris Hughton 6/4.

Football managers are paid huge sums of money (compared to most of us) to tell millionaire footballers how to play the beautiful game, but are the games top coaches paid too much or are they worth their pay.

Jol’s Fulham are currently in 16^th position in the premier league, having won just three of their first ten games. In one of those games his team scores two contenders for goal of the season and yet he will if they lose to Liverpool at the weekend he will be edging even closer the exit door. The 57 was previously sacked by premier league London rivals Tottenham, during a defeat against Getafe CF in 2007. He has claimed he found out about his fate via a text from his nephew before the game had ended.

Current leaders Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger faced calls for the sack in the opening days of the season after an opening day defeat to Aston Villa. Criticised for not bringing in fresh talent, fans seemed to have lost patience after failing to win a trophy in almost a decade. Three months later and £42 million spent on highly rated German, Mesut Ozil, the gunners are 5 points clear having not lost since the Villa game.

Even the self-proclaimed special one, Jose Mourinho and new Manchester United boss David Moyes have been subjects of the sack race rumour mill.

So are managers unfairly judged too harshly or are they lucky to be in the job?

An inspirational manager can transform the fortunes of a club, given time and faith. Current Everton boss Roberto Martinez cut his teeth in management at Swansea. At the time they faced extinction narrowly escaping relegation from the football league. Martinez’s style of play and inspirational man management transformed the club into the premier league outfit they are today. Crewe legend Dario Grady has served the club for over 30 years in various capacities and is credited with discovering some of the best young talent in the game.  One could argue then that some managers, given the time by the clubs directors can justify the money they earn are arguably more important than their millionaire playboy charges. In contrast it is easy to feel for managers such as Terry Connor, who enjoyed 13 games at the helm for Wolves before being replaced or former Charlton boss Ian Dowie, who was in charge for just 12 games in 2006.

Chelsea hero Roberto Di matteo was dismissed by the Stamford Bridge outfit after just 8 months in charge despite winning two trophies including the prestigious Champions League trophy.

So while it may not look good for Messes Jol and Hughton, they should take heart from the premier league’s longest serving and most successful manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Sir Alex lost his first game in charge to Oxford United, followed by a dull draw at Hughton’s current club Norwich. In 1989-90 there were calls for him to be sacked by fans and journalists alike. After a run of 7 games without a win it was widely expected that his reign would be ended until Mark Robins scored the winning goal against an in form Nottingham Forest. His team went on to win the FA Cup that season, the first of 5 and 13 league titles in a 25 year spell.

Maybe 25 years from now Sir Chris Hughton will be the most distinguished manager in history, but sadly I fear a home defeat at the hands of West Ham this week end could be the final nail in his Norwich coffin.

Is Russia the land that time forgot?

 

I am the first to admit that I know little of Russian culture or history, but there has been several alarming stories coming out of the country in recent weeks.

In June this year, a law was passed by President Vladimir Putin banning propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to miners. In addition there has been a catalogue of attacks on the rights of gay people, including a court decision that attempting to confront homophobia was extremist as it “incited social and religious hatred”. The court went on to comment that such extremist activities present a threat to Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The year before Putin was elected in 2012 the European court of Human Rights fined Russia for violating several articles of the European convention by banning over 160 pride events and marches between 2006 and 2008.

Former KGB officer Putin has done little to improve the rights of Russia’s LGBT community. The law has been interpreted as a tool to ban parades and marches as well as preventing discussions of homosexuality among teenagers. Since the anti-gay propaganda law was passed in June there has been an increase in violent attacks on homosexual’s and even suspected homosexuals.

One would imagine that such outdated ignorance would be condemned by the modern world, but two USA conservatives had defended the attacks. Brian Camenke, an activist for MassResistance,  who appear to be essentially an anti-gay movement in the USA is quoted as saying on the Harvey this weekend show, “the natural way for people to react to homosexuality- outside of the diversity training – is a degree of revulsion, so if two men start kissing in public you can expect a certain reaction from people”.

The show’s host Linda Harvey, defended the law as logical and claimed it was intended to protect children.

The MassResistance website currently carries article entitled “homo fascism- attacks against churches, citizens and business” and “the infamous fist gate report-we broke the news”. There is also a large banner at the foot of the home page saying “say no to same sex marriage”.

It is the mindless, ignorant bile that websites and movements like these that are a blight on this world, not homosexual people. There should be laws passed banning people like Camenker from spouting such hatred on television. It is he and his friend that are inciting social hatred.

It is the integrity of Russia, America and any other nation that shares their views that is at risk.

Russia, who are set to host the 2018 football world cup, has an equally dismal record when it comes to fighting racism. Manchester City player Yaya Toure claims he faced racial abuse this week at CSKA, a claim the Russians deny despite Greek far-right party, Golden Dawn banners being displayed at several football grounds in Russia recently.

Despite the cold war ending years ago, it seems Putin’s Russia is frozen in time, offering no resistance to racism and homophobia and signing policies that should have been outlawed in the ice age.

                            

Former chief whip Andrew Mitchell was forced to step down from the post last year, after allegations that he called a police officer a pleb.

Prior to this accusation the majority of people did not know what the word pleb meant, and yet the outrage was such that the story ran for weeks before he finally stepped down.

The oxford dictionary defines the pleb as meaning an ordinary person-

 

 

especially from lower social classes.                                                         

Mr Mitchell is the son of Sir David Mitchell, former Tory MP. Before becoming an MP himself he worked for Lazard, one of the world’s largest investment banks, after enjoying an education at Cambridge University.

It is therefore completely feasible that this man would think a mere bobby, ordinary and of a lower social class. One would imagine this would be an accurate description.

Former Conservative politician-turned chat show panellist Michael Portillo said last night live on BBC1’s This Week programme, that he has heard Mr Mitchell use this term privately. Mr Portillo did attempt to retract this statement afterwards. Whether he heard it or not, and whether Mr Mitchell used the word to a police officer is rather irrelevant.

The police are accused of lying to discredit Mr Mitchell.

What is apparent is that the police have not covered themselves in glory, yet again. Mr Mitchell admitted that he had sworn at police officers after they refused him entry through a gate at Downing Street, mumbling “ I thought you lot were supposed to effing protect us”.  

As a fit and proper person, a role model, and an elected representative of the government this is not acceptable. If it was Joe Bloggs on a Friday night swearing at police officer’s he could expect an appearance in court facing drunk and disorderly charges and may even find himself in the court report in the local paper. Probably no more, probably no less.

 

At a time when the reputation of the police is at an all-time low in the media, appearing to try to fit up a leading politician was possibly the most stupid thing they have done. Already accused of dishonesty, brutality, corruption, and more they are now accused of having a lack of integrity.

 

The political classes have taken the mistreatment of Mr Mitchell rather badly. Several MP’s from both parties have stated publicly that they have grave concerns for the public. The point being that if the police can dislodge a man of Mitchell’s profile, power and wealth from his job, effectively ending his career, what chance would a normal person, from a lower social class, arrested in a town centre have?

My feeling is that the incident may have been isolated. It was possibly a reaction to government policy, cutting police numbers. It may have started out as a bit of a stitch up which snowballed into the biggest news story of the year.

It is also my feeling that on the whole, police men and women do a bloody good job.

 Let’s not forget that they face danger every time they clock on; their loved ones not knowing whether they will return home.  

They face hatred and malice from the public, insulted and assaulted for trying to protect us. Appreciated by no one, they are blamed when heavy handed and they are blamed when they are too lenient.

 Some people say that they choose to take the risk because they choose to be police because they are a certain kind of people. I agree. The type of person I would call a hero.

There are undoubtedly questions to ask about some senior officials within the force and there are inevitably, like all walks of life, bad Bobbies. Just like there are bad builders, teachers, doctors, politicians, solicitors, or fast food assistants, some police are bad; however it would be disastrous to tar them all with the same brush. The overwhelming majority of police men and women sign up for the job to help people and make the world a better place – just like most politicians.

 

Why Chris Morgan could sharpen the Blades..

                                                   

 

 

Sir Alex Ferguson, Britain’s most successful manager, played football for his country less than a dozen times. He played 317 games for six teams in Scotland, scoring 171 goals. Not a bad return but not what you would call prolific either.

As a manager, he won the Premier League with Manchester United 13 times. He also won the FA cup 5 times and the league cup 4 as well as a cabinet full of silverware won in various European cups.

No one could argue that as a manager he was most definitely prolific.

For much of reign as Manchester United coach his biggest rival was Frenchman Arsene Wenger. Arsenal boss Wenger played 67 professional games, scoring just four times. In management he has won the French title with Monaco, the premier league three times and the FA Cup four times.

England’s most capped player, goalkeeper Peter Shilton played for his country 125 times over two decades. He played over a thousand professional games before retiring at the grand age of 47. After finishing playing he managed Plymouth Argyle reaching the second division play-off final and being relegated the following year.

Former England captain Bryan Robson who played for England 90 times, enjoyed some success as Middlesbrough manager, enjoying promotion to the premier league and spending millions bring in talent from abroad. He eventually left with ‘Boro in a relegation battle and took up the reigns at Bradford who were relegated that season. From Bradford he went to WBA narrowly avoiding the drop in a famous last game escape.

He also had a dismal spell in charge of Sheffield United.

This week Sheffield United sacked manager David Weir after less than 6 months in the role.  Weir is Scotland’s sixth most capped player, representing them 69 times in a 13 year career which saw him play for Hearts, Everton and Rangers. Sheffield United were his first employer in the role of manager but he saw just one victory before being relieved of his duties with United in the bottom three of League one. The Blades are expected to name Nigel Clough as his successor in the coming days. Clough played for Liverpool and Manchester City after making debut for his father, Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest. He played for England 14 times, never scoring before going on to manage non-league Burton, leading them into the football league proper. He also spent four years at Derby before being sacked earlier this season. Will he go on to be another highly successful player unable to cut it as a manager, or will he break the mould?

Other world class, brilliant players such as Pele, Maradonna, Roy Keene, Kevin Keegan and Glen Hoddle who were highly decorated as players have failed to maintain that success at managerial level.  Winning trophies as a player does not guarantee success as a manager. Experience in the top division does not guarantee success as manager. The statistics show that even being a great leader on the pitch does not guarantee success from the touchline.

 

It is with this in mind that I wonder if current Sheffield United caretaker manager, Chris Morgan might be the best option. A tough no nonsense defender, Morgan played 185 times for his hometown club Barnsley before moving to Sheffield, playing almost 250 times for the Blades. If the records of the big names above are anything to go by, Morgan could be just what is needed to restore the fortunes of the sorry Sheffield outfit.

 

Answer the call: join a union

                           Answer the call: join the union.

Answer the call: Raising wages and professionalism in call centres, marks the start of a month of campaigning on behalf of call centre workers world-wide. Although staff in call centres around the world are generally on fairly low pay, there is a report that suggests many of the employees are highly skilled and highly qualified.

The report states that in India, staff earn on average, less than 32 rupees (less than 50p) per day.

72% of French call centre workers are university educated but earn less than 65% of the national average.

The story at home is similar with many British call centres employing ex teachers and ex solicitors among their ranks. The average wage in Britain for a call centre operative is just £17,433.

In comparison the average national wage is £31,511 for men, while women on average earn £24,469.

A customer service representative in a call centre where there is collective bargaining with a trade a union earns on average 7% more than none unionised workers.

The wildly varying reward depending on the type of job you do, along with the misconception that call centre operatives are worth less than some manual jobs needs addressing urgently.

One way to improve the situation is clearly by more workers joining trade unions. A worker on £17000 would be £1190 a year on average better off if they belong to a trade union.  The cost of belonging to a trade union is on average, less than £170 per annum.

So why is it, that so few of our major work forces enjoy the benefits of a recognised trade union?

Many none union members claim they are against the political side of unions and are unwilling to pay the political levy. They don’t realise that there is an opt-out clause or exactly what the levy does. The political levy paid to the unions is so that organised trade unions can hold the government of the day to account, whichever party may occupy Downing Street.
Historically the trade union movement has been influential in fighting for many of the employment rights we all enjoy and take for granted today. Maternity leave and paid holidays, health and safety, and equality in the work place would probably not exist without the pressure exerted on governments and business from the union movement.

Some people see unions as the dinosaurs from the 1970’s that were blamed for much of the trouble at that time. They see union representatives and leaders as militants, out for a fight and to line their own pockets.

The modern trade union is much less aggressive. It is instrumental in helping people from all walks of life including the unemployed. Unite the union offers community membership for just 50p a week. This contribution entitles members to benefits such as access to legal help and assistance with C.V writing and job finding skills and debt counselling.

A far cry from the turbulent ‘70’s, the modern union has learning representatives who’s remit is to facilitate up-skilling of members in core subjects such as English and Maths. There are health and safety representatives with a mandate to ensure safe working practices, and there are equalities representatives working tirelessly to ensure minorities are treated fairly.

Many elected union representatives are volunteers, giving up their free time to improve the lives and working conditions of their members. Trade councils meet monthly across the country, for free, to organise demonstrations against policies such as the hated bedroom tax or cuts to probation services that will inevitably put dangerous criminals back onto the streets prematurely. Delegates affiliated from many different trade unions contribute donations from branches to various causes and campaigns.

 Without the trade union movement it would be left for the millionaire political classes to thrash out between themselves what is best for us, the workers.

The current government want to dilute worker’s rights with schemes like the rights for shares idea. They asked millionaire businessman Lord Beecroft, a venture capitalist, to suggest changes to employment law. The Beecroft report suggested making it easier to hire and fire workers with no fault necessary. The Lib-Dems claim they saved us from many of his suggestions and years of Labour governments did little to strengthen the role of trade unions.

A recent survey revealed that the number of people interested in politics was increasing while the number of people who trusted politicians was in decline. This supports the argument that trade unions have a legitimate role to play in responsible politics and in supporting the countries hard working men and women to earn a decent living in decent conditions.

The unions are not of course entirely blameless for the situation. They need to be more vocal and more proactive in telling the masses the real benefits of trade unions. They need to expel the myths of union barons living in luxury and union rep’s being work shy skivers.

They need to extinguish the belief that unions defend the wrongs of workers and promote the fact that they defend the rights of workers. They strive for fairness- Fairness in the workplace and fairness in society.

Trade union representatives and leaders are normal working men and women from ordinary working backgrounds living in normal houses, on normal estates in touch with real issues.

Veiled hypocrisy or blatant racism?

The NHS is to conduct a review into whether staff in England should be allowed to wear full face veils. Although the number of women who actually wear the niqab is thought to be very low, the debate is gathering momentum following the recent court case where a Judge ruled that an accused woman must remove the veil while giving evidence.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said “I think it is very important patients do get proper contact with the Doctors and nurses looking after them”. He then said that hospitals must come up with a policy that is right in their areas and that national guidelines were a matter for the professional standards bodies not politicians. This is typical of the atmosphere in this country, where everyone is terrified to say what they really believe or use the slightest excuse to further their agenda.

Mr Hunt went on to say “certainly if I was a patient myself, I’d want to see the faces of the doctor or nurse that was treating me”.

The arguments in favour of wearing the veil are plenty. Some claim it is the right of all women to wear whatever they choose, and should not be dictated to by men. Others claim it is a right to demonstrate their religious beliefs. In response others claim that women are forced to wear them by controlling Muslim men and the women should be free to show their face.

My belief is that all these arguments are valid and there will undoubtedly be cases where all these statements are true.

There are Muslim men who force their women, whether it be wives or daughters to dress in a certain way. The same could be said for many western men, who are equally as capable of trying to control and dominate women. I believe men and women should be free to express themselves by wearing what they like but I also believe that when they are at work they should be willing to follow a dress code if the job demands it. Would we like to see politicians or news readers dressed in tee shirts or revealing tattoos? Would people attend weddings and funerals in football shirts and track suits? Would school children be allowed to cast aside their uniforms and opt for pyjamas for the classroom, or is it simply a case of wearing appropriate attire?   

Banning the Berka or the veil would be as wrong as banning Hawaii shirts, but there is a time and place for certain outfits. If I had to be told I was terminally ill or that my nearest and dearest had passed away, it would not be unreasonable of me to expect face to face contact with bearer of the news.

Considering the aging population, the number of elderly people visiting hospitals is very high. Many of those patients may be deaf and rely on lip reading. How can we ensure patients understand if they cannot see the face of the person they are listening to?

Hospital appointments can be very stressful and often frightening events for many people and it is vital that patients trust the people who work there. Not being able to see someone’s face does not instil trust or comfort.

I absolutely disagree with anyone dictating what others should wear in their free time but we must not be bullied into allowing a free for all. Dress code is not a new thing nor is exclusive to Muslims.

 Personally, I don’t like baseball caps. Unfortunately the shape of my face makes me look like I have a serious illness when wearing a hat, and I fail to see the need to wear them indoors. Recently in a pub at tea time, with most of the patrons just finished work for the day, one of my colleagues was politely asked to remove his cap as it was “policy”. The cap wearer duly obeyed and removed the cap. The cap did not have any offensive logos or words on it. There is no possible rational explanation why someone should not be allowed to wear a hat while drinking beer, yet it was removed. There was no ism the man wearing the hat could use to defend his right to wear the hat. It wasn’t sexism or racism or ageism. The trouble with the neqab debate is that it affords too many bigots and racists an opportunity to say it should be banned because.. It gives too many feminists an opportunity to say this is an attack on women because..

There needs to be compromise. That is a word that is rarely used these days. There is entirely too much use of the phrase "it is my right".

Men and women who chose certain professions should choose a different profession if they want to express themselves by what they wear. If my doctor wants to wear flip flops and socks with checked flared trousers and a frilly shirt at weekends I don’t care. That is his right. If my local MP wants to wear shorts and tee shirt when he isn’t working I don’t care. If construction workers wear a suit on a Saturday night, I don’t care. There is always plenty of time to express oneself and wear whatever one wants but one should expect to respect the need to wear appropriate clothes for their role.

Recent polls have shown that interest in politics is on the increase, while trust and faith in the main two parties appears to be in decline. Three years of coalition austerity have caused hardship and discontent for millions. The introduction of the controversial so called bedroom tax and attacks on benefits have led to resentment from low income families while support for opposition leader Ed Miliband has never really taken off. His party is marginally ahead in most polls but his popularity remains low despite the unpopularity of the government. The Lib Dem core vote of students has deserted due to the u turn on tuition fees and the public still feels mistrust of the political classes following the expenses scandal. Minority parties such as UKIP and protest groups such as EDL have enjoyed some success as a result.

  Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas appeared on BBC’s Question time last night. As the only elected MP the party has, she is to a large extent the face of the party. It was notable on the show that unlike her UKIP counterparts, that she has a valid opinion on most topics as well as the environment. While UKIP leader Nigel Farage takes every opportunity to voice his opinions on Europe and encourages our exit from the EU as a resolution to all our problems, Ms Lucas understands the issues and talks passionately on all subjects.

Current Green party leader Natalie Bennett, a former journalist, has told supporters her party are the only alternative to the “indistinguishable big Westminster parties”.

Running Brighton council as a minority administration since 2011 the party wants to ban advertisements aimed at children and is looking at different ways to boost the economy and end food poverty. Although the green agenda seems to have taken a back seat during the recession years of Con Dem leadership, the Green party appears to have gained credibility. It will use its conference this week to oppose the privatisation of Royal Mail and the NHS. Ms Bennett told her party “we will not rest until we have expelled every last corporate blood sucker from our NHS”.

No doubt the green issues that give the party is name are still very much on their agenda and will inevitably be at the forefront of their policies as we are emerging from recession but it is giving a left wing voice to people who feel marginalised and disengaged from the traditional parties who are looking for a fairer social system. Their website boasts the statement “A Green government will have the courage to pursue responsible solutions to our social, economic and environmental crises through its commitment to fairness, citizen participation, shared responsibility, peace and environmental protection”

Farage’s UKIP will continue to win popularity and increase the number of councillors it has, as it is largely made up of disgruntled Tories but the Greens can take floating votes away from all the main parties if it continues to debate the wider topics that effect everyday lives in Britain.

If they continue to push the other issues the future it seems may be Green.

 

 

Thirty years ago two men from Manchester, Steven Morrissey and John Maher formed what is considered today by many as the most influential Indi rock bands of the ‘80s.  Rough Trade Records signed The Smiths at a time when acts like Culture club and Kajagoogoo dominated the British charts. Hearing aide wearing Morrisey added his unique vocal style to the guitar melodies of Johnny Marr, (as he was now known). While most were rehashing oldies or churning out meaningless drivel, the anti-establishment quartet released four albums in as many years containing thought provoking lyrics about the royal family, vegetarianism and working class northern life.

While Adam Ant and Duran Duran experimented with make up and big hair, and Boy George took it a step further to almost full blown cross dressing, Morrissey looked like he had fallen in his mother’s wardrobe. With unbuttoned shirts and flowers hanging out of his pockets, he looked nothing like a typical pop star. Die-hard fans would claim the appeal of the Smiths had nothing to do with style and everything to do with substance. Many of Manchester’s most successful music acts such as the Stone Roses and Oasis name The Smiths as an influence.  It has been said by others that Morrissey was an arrogant pretentious player, cleverly exploiting a hole in the market while looking down his nose at the people he claimed to represent.

It is still difficult to pinpoint the reason for the success of the band. Titles such as Heaven knows I’m miserable now and Shoplifters of the world unite, did little to attract positive attention and yet a generation of students adored the band and their music and people who were not even born at the height of The Smiths success can still be seen wearing tee shirts featuring logos such as meat is murder and the queen is dead. Despite the longevity of their legacy, the band split in 1987 and unlike many bands have resisted reforming with Morrissey reportedly commenting that he would rather eat his own testicles.

The band have mainly managed to remain aloof and a bit of an enigma. Morrissey’s autobiography, due out next week, has just been shelved due to a “content disagreement” between the publishers and Morrissey. Whether this is a publicity stunt or not we will have to wait and see but if and when it hits the shelves it will make very interesting reading for millions of fans.