An answer to womble

I believe it doesn't matter who you are whether you come from a wealthy back ground or poor. Getting an equal footing in to whatever you choose to do is important. Going to college is one of the things we in this country used to pride ourselves on but more and more people are refusing to go to college because of the debt it incurs my idea was to give everybody an equal footing and yes, some people come from a wealthy background and they do get into better paid jobs but shouldn't we give everybody the same chance. I know we need gardeners and plumbers ect. But people today want to be more. Take me for instance I want to be more than what I am. I regret not being able to reach my full potential. What you said in your comment made sense but if people have the drive to be more, then we should help them do it. The country would benefit with more doctors more scientists more teachers. We live in modern times but charging someone who can't afford education to me is so stupid. So my idea a couple of blogs ago was I think good and a better way of students paying for their education.

Freedom of speech

Well well, we seem to be seeing the Labour party in a different light today after they threw a eighty year old heckler out of their conference. Hasn't any body told them about a persons right of freedom of speech. It seems that Labour do not want to be heckled by anyone. They should read my blog sometimes. They would have me put in stocks if it were in the old days. I believe that a person has the right to say anything he wants because we have a legal system that deals with slander and liable. The Labour party are always making promises but how would they feel if someone took them to court for breach of promise. I believe they still can these days. If they can't accept criticism then they should not be in office. People will always be criticised no matter what they do. People will always disagree with something the government do. It is no reason for anyone to do what the country saw being done to an old man today. An apology should issued by Labour or they will lose the peoples respect. It's that simple

Oh to be a politician

For years and years I always figured politicians to be very very intelligent but over the last few years, well since I got my sense and sensibility back. I have begun to realise that they are as fallible as well anyone else, after all some of the ideas they come up with are not the most sensible. I also have begun to wonder what really inspires a politician to become a politician after all it does seem they're under fire most of the time. Is it because we expect them to know all the answer to our problems. The word politician means one who is skilled in the science
or administration of government. Now I know some are and some are just ordinary people who have a passion for government. Most have been to college. The reason why I mention this is, that some people even those on the street are very very intelligent and with the right qualifications they could become someone. An MP for example. For someone on the street this is an impossibility. For someone that comes from a poor back ground it is less likely their full potential will be achieved. The government are always going on about people going to college and their being a fairer way of getting people into college. To make them pay what they can't afford seems unfair and stupid to me. The government will say but we have all these schemes to help with those that do get into debt. How many students do you hear about that do have debt to the tune of thousands of pound? How many do you hear about that are still in debt since the tuition fees started. The answer probably lots. The best is, it was politicians who thought up the idea of tuition fees and the funny part of it is that some of them didn't have to pay tuition fees. Talk about irony. I had this thought. A scheme that recoups the student fees after they had passed exams and got work. My idea was to take from earning. Say someone got a job and was earning twenty two thousand a year and lets say tuition fees were five thousand pounds. Why not get a thousand pound a year back that way instead of charging fees to students that have nothing. Of course at the beginning of the course there would have to be a legal contract drawn up before the student started their course. But I think my idea is quite good and I'm not even a politician

It's just an echo

As I sit listening to the news and my head spins with all this talk about New Labour. I feel let down by it all. I just get the feeling I have already heard this all and its just an echo of what's been said already but only louder.
Tony Blair to me, needs to see an ear specialist as he does not seem to be listening to the people that elected him. I know that he can't do everything but he should listen to what's being said by the people that matter and that's this country. Not People in other countries. It's what's best for the people of Britain that should take center stage.
I know people are saying we should get out of Iraq but if we do it now there will be more bloodshed and we could end up with people from another part of the world being killed in their millions because we didn't stay till the end. I disagreed with the war and still do but I wouldn't want to see a bloodbath and I feel that's what would happen. Who do I blame for getting us to this point I blame Bush and Blair.
Blair shouts and shouts about New Labour but it's just the old one in disguise. Blair is like the magician he shows you what you want to see and then you see it disappear. The illusionist is what I call Blair he seems to deliver what he says, but does he really?

A couple now sleeping outside Rymans in Victoria. Westminster don't you think it strange that the houses of parilment are just a quarter of a mile away if that. I wonder if they know there's a buy two get one free offer.

More and more people seem to be coming homeless  

Browns speech at Labours conference

Since all the parties started having their annual meetings I have been waiting for someone to speak with passion and commitment. Today Gordon Brown spoke and I thought great, what a speech but after careful reflection I started to think. Today his speech concentrated on the future of our country and making it great again. He also spoke of what Labour was doing for our children, in education and training ect. Which I think is great but he didn't say much about what he was doing for the adults or youth of today. He didn't say anything about improving pensioners lifestyles, about giving them a fair pension. He did say that he wanted a future great British society that didn't say me me me all the time. His words were, never again should we say them and us, but in today's climate it seems like those words will be lost because there are those that have and want more and those that have nothing, having less then nothing. I was just wondering after seeing all these programs on what the government has done in reality. It seems to me only a little change has come since this government first took power and it's not really in the poorest areas of Britain. The fact that crime seems to have risen and the poorer have actually gotten poorer seems to have eluded some politicians Any change is a good thing for this country as it was run down by the last government but shouldn't this government be listening and supporting its people. We all know governments give with one hand and take with the other. It's an accepted thing now days, but wouldn't it be great for a government just to say, if you want us to do this then we have to put tax up. As the beer ad says a refreshing change and I think this government would find that people are willing to pay more for what they want. For what Gordon Brown was proposing he will need to put tax up. What with his shortfall on the economy.
As yet nothing for the homeless who are not part of a society it seems. Are they the second class citizens we are to afraid to talk about? Yet they live and breathe the same air. They spend the same money, they pay the same VAT and when they work they pay the same taxes. How can a country like ours accept that we do have poor people and still not allow them to live decently? But that's what we do everyday we see them on the streets asleep in shop doorways. When we walk through run down estates. We walk past because it's an everyday scene. Something we have gotten used to. Sometimes we say to ourselves oh what a shame or I couldn't live here. When we see people living on rundown estates. our automatic reaction is am I going to be mugged or something? Its that feeling of trouble. We want to get away as soon as possible. We maybe came from some estate like the one we pass through on our way to work? We just can't wait to dissociate ourselves because we know that this was where hope was at it's lowest and it was only luck that we manage to escape. How can a country like ours stand still while people are homeless through no fault of their own or maybe have problems beyond their control. How can we stand still and say to ourselves at least we're okay?
I have to admit this government has reduced the number of people sleeping rough but not by the figures they say. I go out and speak to people at night that are sleeping rough and I seem to be seeing more and more. I truly believe that by trying to cure one problem the government has now created another in what is now being called hidden homeless. These are the people stuck in limbo as it were. In hostels, B and Bs and don't forget the people that are still sleeping on friends floors. To be truthful I don't think Mr Browns speech said too much, only that I am pruning myself to be the next prime minister and this is what I think you want to hear. Do I agree with Labours future policies? I have to say I do, but what is it going to actually cost? And what about the people of today? They are the ones that are going to teach our future children. They are the ones that need financial help now. What about those that cannot possibly afford a bed or cooker on benefits, can't afford loans because they already owe. They are the ones that I believe these politicians should be thinking about and not tomorrow. If poverty exists today then no matter what the governments plans for the future are I do not see change so long as there is poverty. It has to be tackled today not tomorrow. Hope has to be given back to those who have none because they can't work or want to, but it's not available. Hope has to be given to those children of today that see no future when they leave school. Hope has to be given to those on benefits. These are the people that voted hoping for change.
We can all be politicians in one way or another and can make passionate speeches but the saying action speaks louder than words really does apply to our government.

Racism

A couple of nights ago I went back on to the streets to interview a couple more homeless people. Whilst we were there we heard of the divisions between homeless immigrants. A fight broke out and it was all about race. This surprised me as race had no hold in a homeless community. It didn't matter where you were from, your colour or religion didn't matter one iota. Now it seems there is a resentment growing among the homeless that too many foreigners are using and abusing the homeless system. When I asked why they thought this the answer came back on several levels one was that casual jobs like sandwich boarders now where foreigners and if they tried to work the wages where less than the minimum wage. The other was that it's seems that day centers are being used by immigrants who are not actually homeless when I asked how can you tell they said look around at the faces you see tonight sleeping on the street and see how many turn up at the day centers. One person said I can't even learn to use a computer anymore because its always booked up by someone from another country.
I know that racism has always been at our doorstep in everyday life but to hear about it from homeless people does shock me. but is our system really being abused by immigrants or are we just being hypocritical of people that want to learn. What I would say is that race should not play any part in today's society whether homeless or not.

I am sorry for the inconveince for those that want to read my blog but for now you will have to use www.jamiesbigvoice.blogspot.com I will try to get jamiesbigvoice.com running again soon.

The story of the blog so far

For those of you that don't know the story of my blog well, it goes something like this the idea of a blog was started by Crisis the charity that supports the homeless but they had to find someone to write the thing. So they asked me with the words Jamie would you write a kind of web site which is called a blog it will only take about an hour or so a day. They conned me. They got one up on the real McCoy. I automatically said what the hells a blog and with the help of the Hansard Society I got up to speed and off I went. Originally the idea was to give homeless people a voice in the run up to the general election and as crisis had a big voice tour coming up. I was invited to join the tour. The idea of the tour was to sit down and talk to prospective MPs about homelessness and put our points across and at the end of the discussions we'd get them to sign a pledge to end homelessness. It was a tour of five major cities. Anyway things went so smoothly apart from the saga of getting lost a few times. Which you could write a whole series of comic sketches about. The blog went from strength to strength. Then I wrote something about having my own political party a comical piece and it was feature in the newspapers. Since then the blog has taken on a life of its own. Although it was only meant to cover the general election I seem to have made it a blog for everyone. With the views of homeless people and the general public I think that I have done a good job so far. The worry of will we be able to control what Jamie puts in the blog has never really come up as it was my blog and my opinions. I control what goes into the blog. I know I can be opinionated and sarcastic at times but my idea was to create something that was different, honest and based on fact rather than old news and to show homeless people have a sense of humour.
All homeless people want is to be heard and to be part society. Not second class citizens. What I will always try to do is show the public the sort of things that they don't see or hear about. Have I succeeded so far who knows people say the blog is a good read. But I know I can do better.

One of those days

I am not having a very good day my computer at home as crashed and I have been trying all morning to recover work that I saved on my hard drive and hadn't saved anywhere else. These things happen, but why always to me. I think someone up there's saying Jamie we have left you alone for a month just to let you know what it's like when everything runs smooth but we can't let that happen anymore. Basically they're saying we don't like you anymore. What wouldn't I give to be the finger of fate or the one that deals out things to happen. I'd have some fun with all these politicians that constantly make promises they know they are never going to be able to keep. Oh and for all the war mongers of the world I'd put bombs on their toilet seats after all they think it's the safe place for them to be, so I've heard and all the kids that play truant everywhere they went even if it was a shop I'd make it so they thought they where going into a school. Well I'm having to pay for this session on a computer I just thought it would be nice to let you know what I was thinking. I'd better go now as I have some of my own work to do. Oh I forgot I'd make everything in plain English so everyone could know what I was saying.

The new me

To answer the woman on the bus. Yes I have had a change of image. I no longer have the long scruffy hair and I no longer look like I've been dragged through a hedge backwards as you so kindly put it. (old picture in my profile)I am so glad you like the new me. Thank you for reconising me from the piece in the paper. It was nice of you to say you like my column although it's not a column it's a blog. To answer your question on why are there so many homeless people. Well, firstly there are not enough council houses being built to house the families we have in this country and as soon as they are built they can be sold off in five years. Secondly many homeless people have problems from drugs to drink to mental health and at present I can't see any government changing that. I think it was due to the Thatcher era when the conservatives cut government spending. The health service, councils, old people, road building, house building all suffered. We now have a culture of housing estates where the head of the house has been on the dole for what seems like ever. Their children have now grown up and they are on the dole and their children are now running around seeing the same future for themselves. Some people on the streets are these people they have lost faith with society and all it promised. Now they have the added problem of whatever ails them. Is there cure for homelessness? I believe so but we are a long way from finding a solution

Another thought

I was just thinking while watching a keep fit program about all this health scare thing we have in this country. We seem to worry more these days about what we eat and how long we can keep it stored so we can still call it fresh. I now jog only twice a week and that's just to get rid of my middle age spread I seem to have got. When it comes to what I eat. I seem to eat anything. I don't worry about how long its been in my freezer or my ice box. Sometimes I think about all the people starving in the world today especially when I see such a lot of good food being thrown out by supermarkets and believe me when I say some of it still has an in date on it. My friend who calls himself a freegan gets all this food and eats it and he has never fallen ill from it. So the question i ask is why so much waste and why the worry.

The blogasphere

I am not a very good reader of books or other peoples blogs but just lately I have been browsing through the blogasphere and have come across some interesting sites like Richard Allen's of the political times and tech wonders but every site I come to has its own uniqueness like confused gerl some I just can't understand because they are in some foreign language and some because they don't make much sense and I've come across the ones that seem to have no life in them, but a blog is a blog and the more people see this as a tool for someone to say something important. It might be about the world in general, it might be about the difficulties you face personally or it might just be about how you disagree with your employer or what your firm stands for. In a world like we have today we need to keep up with the Jones. We need to know how some of the people of this world are coping and blogs are a much more personal way of doing so. So in the next few years I hope to see the number of bloggers treble as I know I've still a lot to learn from other people and just imagine how many on line friend you can have.

Some funny things

Did you know that Australians are now sending convicts back to England saying they have been reformed and did you know that rats and mice are refusing to eat outside McDonald's as they have now gone too vegetarian and did you know that a politician that says he doesn't lie is not being honest.

So disappointed

I was listening to the Liberal Democrats yesterday at their annual conference in Blackpool and I was expecting to hear something that would make me understand why they think they are the new threat to labour and to be quite honest it was like a damp squid. Let me see if I can explain just on one of the things ah yes, the privatization of the royal mail, a money making organization but was a money losing organization due to the fact of what I would say was the modernization and I believe will lose money again because of modern technology. How did I come to this well lets take for instance and remember this is my brain at work first thing in the morning and I haven't had a coffee yet. Well, if there are 14.2 million bloggers in Britain that means there are that many that know how to send an email and if we are honest it's more reliable than the post. So if the post office send 26.5 million letters a day they are a least falling short due to modernization by lets ten million and if technology keeps on growing at it's present rate. The post as we know it now will be a museum thing of the past. All over the world there are so many people that send emails rather than the pony express which the post office has now been nicked named once again and to privatize something that cannot possible out run modernization I think is going to cost us dearly no matter what the LIb Dems say about they'll keep the price of a stamp down. That's one subject the other was the war in Iraq all the Lib Dems had to say was just that they sided with the UN basically we thought there was going to be this outrage at the war and all we got was how the bloody UN worked well, near enough. Well, today's another day I wonder will there be fireworks or just another repeat. Oh by the way any political party that doesn't foresee the closure of the post office in it's present form should go for an brain scan

I am always on about the talent we have on the streets. Here are a few performing at a skylighter which is a talent showcase run by skylight in the crisis building every second month

Answer to Jen's comment

Well, I thought a big brother of homeless people was a good idea but I think you under estimate the value of a program like that. People want to be entertained and believe me they would be and I think a few arrests would be made after the show because I can't see any addict or alcoholic not saying something about their past. Some of it would be funny some would be so sad. But you are right when you say people tend to turn their backs on certain problems hoping that someone else will deal with it. I am sorry to hear you might be heading for a rough time but keep your chin up and do the best that you can and things will be ok. (I hope) As life gets tough I have found out to my cost. We get tough too. We can only learn as life deals us its cards. We will make mistakes, wrong boyfriends or girlfriends which takes us years to realise they are not the one. Doing something without thinking might be the wrong choice to make. Then again, maybe life isn't meant to be as smooth as we wish, maybe life is meant to be just that. Life!

Answer to comment

In answer to Tessa's comment, yes we used to send people to convict colonies but that was in an age when we didn't know what to do. In a modern day society we now have the common sense and a legal system to prevent some miss carriages of justice. Of course justice sometimes times gets things wrong but everyone gets a trial whether fair or just, is another question but twelve jurors decide the fate of the accused. To put people in prison seems unfair to some people but what other way do we show the criminal element of society that unlawful acts will not be tolerated. We no longer put someone behind bars for just being bankrupt. Prison as I have said is no longer the deterrent it was and we have to find ways of making it a deterrent. To say that we would be taking a step back into the dark ages is not wrong but we have to find out where the prison system fails. Should a murderer serve only ten to fifteen years when he was given life imprisonment. My view is life should be life. It seems that people think taking away a persons liberty should be enough but in the world we live in it seems its not. For instance a burglar broke into your house and assaulted you to get away and you got seriously injured in today's climate he could sue you for any injury he received. Which doesn't make sense to me. I don't believe in revenge but I think its becoming clear that because the law doesn't seem to protect the innocent then people are starting to take the law into their own hands. This is why I feel that we need a strong deterrent and if it means we have to get tough on the undesirable element of society then so be it but if it means we have to send them to prison then we have to make prison the most unwelcoming place on earth. I just don't see how we can keep on defending people in prison. I did wrong and I went to prison but it was not a deterrent. It for me was a welcome break break from my everyday struggle.

Truckman 77 I do read all the comments but I like to mull over things before I make another comment. Send me you blog name and I will look it up. I'm glad that you reading my blog has made you want one of your own. By the way I have a new email especially for people who want to email me. Its' jamie.mccoy2@ntlworld.co.uk sorry it should be jamie.mccoy2@ntlworld.com See i do get things wrong occasionally

Sleeping on city streets

I woke up this morning really early and was getting bored with watching my selection of videos. So I decided to take my camera and take photos of people sleeping on the street. I forgot to put new batteries in but looking at people trying to sleep brought back memories of what it was like when I was in their position. I could remember trying to block out the sound of the passing traffic, swearing if it was too noisy and I could remember the distinct smell of the street that light stench you wouldn't really notice until first thing in the morning. People can say to themselves oh what a shame as they pass by but if they knew how people on the streets survived they'd think twice when they said some of the things I've heard them say like, it's their own fault or they should get a job or it's alright they are only drug addicts or alcoholics. The best one I've heard is it's okay they want to be there. Those people who say and think this are the ones who if they were in the same position would doing the same. I always seem to use the word live when I talk about someone one the streets but on the streets you don't live you survive by what ever means possible. I know that people regret some decisions they make in life like Patrick who I once wrote a poem about. His only regret in life was that first drink. My own was that first drug. I think that making mistakes is part of life. It's what makes life, life, if you get what I mean. We all make mistakes and some of our greatest mistakes are yet to come. I think to realize not everyone is perfect or has some flaw is what giving us that human defining quality. So as I was wandering through my city streets staring down at the homeless thinking how many of them where lying there through one stupid mistake and how many really do want something good to happen to them. I know I used to. I just had this thought if I'd have been perfect then there would be no need for me to write my blog as we'd all be the same.

Just a thought

I have always thought politics was so boring that I never really took any notice of what was going on around me. People say that I am above average intelligence you wouldn't think so with the kind I had led until a few years ago. Now I listen and learn about what's going on and sometimes I really do get annoyed when it does seem that the less fortunate are getting a raw deal. The guy from Norway said that where he lived there had been no crime until recently and that criminals now where treated better than most. Even in this country we have the half remission for what they call good behavior but even that seems to have become an automatic thing. They have TVs in their cells and three meals a day. I was just thinking if prison was made more of a punishment wouldn't it become the deterrent its meant to be. I once heard someone from the probation service say because of the number of people in prison reforming them is impossible. I think that's a load of b-llsh-t. Pardon my language. I have been in prison and when I was there you just had a radio and one hour a day if you were lucky. There were things like sewing mail bags to earn your miserly wage and lessons at night for a couple of hours that's what made it a prison but it's what made you not want to come back. Can we learn lessons that will benefit all? I don't know, but to be as soft as we are on criminals is a waste of time and of course we will have those people saying taking away someone's liberty should be enough. Anyway these are just my thoughts what do you think?

A not everything is free moan

Not everything in life is free as most people seem to think or you can't get something for nothing. When the people of a modern day society are being charged for water, which if you think about it is a commodity in abundance in most countries. It's only in the poorest countries in this world that have a real shortage. We complain and complain about the charge and the way it rises every year but can you imagine what it would be like if we didn't have these purification plants for cleaning the water and making it drinkable. It does cost money to build them and maintain them. Most people think it's absurd to charge the amounts that the water people charge. I do as well, but like everything else in this world it has a price tag and for clean drinking water we have to pay. Privatisation I think is the beginning of the end for most things once someone sees there's a huge profit to be made from something. It's all guns blazing to make money. Don't get me wrong I love making money what little I do make, but should these companies make obscene amounts of money for something that is necessary? Another thing I want to gripe about is. Now I've forgotten what I wanted to write. I know it wasn't about my ex. Ah yes it's about junk mail that comes through your letter box everyday. Where I live now there's not a day goes by without some kind of mail trying to give me insurance or sell me something I don't bloody well need. I now have one of those bags the council supply us with full of junk mail. Why is it so easy for these companies to get your name off a register. I think its an invation of privacy there should be some kind of law to prevent this. If there is already why isn't it enforced?

Guns

After the Harvey Nichols shooting . It made me think about just how easy is it to buy a gun and me being me I went to my old haunts in the west end last night. After a few pints in a pub. I saw a few of the old faces and after chatting and reminiscing. I asked how easy is it to buy a gun? What I got was a surprise, for one hundred and fifty pounds I could buy a gun that someone
actually had on them. When I asked why he had the gun? He said he was more likely to be shot because of the business he was in. So he had to have some sort of protection. Which I didn't really understand because if you get shot you have a ninety nine per cent chance of ending up dead and if you have a gun you are more likely to shoot first especially if you are afraid for your life and that is where I saw the problem of some of these so called modern gangsters if they were not in illegal businesses then they wouldn't need guns.
I then went to the east end to where I was born and the Krays ran amok thinking was this area the same as it was when I was there. I went in to a pub on the mile end road which I knew to be a hang out for drugs dealers and people that fenced stolen goods, because of the things I used to do to buy my drugs in my old life. I had frequented pubs in this area before. I was known to some of the regulars after convincing them I didn't do drugs anymore and after chatting for a while. I asked who if anyone could buy a gun? At first I was told to mind my own f---ing business. Then after telling them about my blog and telling them that I would not phone the police. I was told there was no problem in getting a gun. I could be gotten one within twenty minutes for a ton (�100). Not that I put it to the test but the funny thing is because I knew the people I was talking to. I knew it to be the truth. So you see getting a gun is quite easy. We need to do something about it this as we do have a gun culture growing at a rapid rate in this country. We need not only to charge the people who murder with murder but where can, we need to be able to charge people selling guns with accessory to murder as well. Because if you sell illegal guns you know its going to kill, even if you don't pull the trigger. We need to be much more forceful in our dealing with people that have guns. A four year jail sentence is not a deterrent and having one for protection is not an excuse as a vicar in Manchester said and he only got four months and there's me thinking that religion preaches non violence. When are we going to learn that guns can kill? I know what people say, it's the person that pulls the trigger that's the killer but if we can rid ourselves of guns on the street then there will be less chance of someone being able to pull the bloody trigger. It really is that simple and to give long term jail sentences for
possession of firearms can be made into a real deterrent

The feel good factor

Well, people in Britain are now beginning to feel good. We have now won the ruby world cup and now we have beat those Aussies at cricket. What's next on the menu. Oh yes football or as the American's call it soccer. Bring on the rest of the world I hear people say but, sadly we don't have a team good enough to win the world cup. Never mind what makes a country feel good must be okay. I am one of those people that thought cricket was a dead boring game played by posh school boys and old farts on a Saturday and Sunday. A sort of weekend tradition but after watching the ashes series when ever I could. I just thought well, at last England won something even if it did take a south African and an Aussie to do it but all that said well done for giving the British people that feel good factor.

My friends new baby

Yesterday I got a text on my phone from a friend I have been trying to get in touch with for ages. The text read ladies and gentlemen Freddie was just born 7lbs, 15 and a half ounces. He's a very laid back chap unlike his hysterically happy dad and incredible mum. I don't think he will mind me telling the whole world that there is another member of the Potts family being brought up in a the world and if he grows up to be anything like his mum and dad then we are in for a real treat as they are two of the best people that I know. So congratulations to you both and I have to say welcome to the world freddie.

Visiting friends

I had a meeting with a charity called WWF. No it's not the world wrestling federation. Its the world wildlife fund we discussed the setting up of blogs and websites. I think the meeting went well. I hope they find someone to run their website in a style that grabs people's attention because I personally believe by trying to save the planet from pollution not only are we saving wild life but we are extending the life of our planet and ourselves. I stayed with friends the night before as it the meeting was near Woking. I was pleased to learn I was their first over night guest but a few things got me thinking as they had only just brought their house and moved in a couple of days and I met a friend of theirs. I took a picture of the garden and the thing that hit me was the inflated price of a three bed roomed excouncil house with a fair sized garden that six years ago the cost of buying this house would have been in the region of �85.000 to �100.000. It now cost nearly twice as much. Then on top of all that you have solicitors fees and surveyors cost because I have been homeless I Just couldn't understand why people will still pay these over the top prices I know that living in an area deemed to be one of the best is a plus but to pay so much for the privilege but seeing my friends happy with their new surroundings was enjoyable. It's such pity that house prices are still soaring and people that are working class are now being priced out of the housing market even the governments scheme of owning half of a house doesn't seem to be working. I think it's about time the government really did put their brains into gear and come up with some valid answers to the housing problems after all they are supposed to be the men and women we thought could run our country and do the things needed

Done and dusted

Well, I thought I'd have a quiet night. So I got into bed and started to read. Then all of a sudden the phone rang it was the girlfriend saying Jamie I'm coming round, I have to say this to you're face. I said don't bother I knew what was coming. Can you imagine my surprise when she started to say nasty things like I was selfish, big headed and a two timing toad and that I thought more of my computer than her. You know the usual things whenever she's mad at me. So I hung up on her. Just thought I'd give her chance to cool down. Five minutes later she rang back with the words anyway did you know they haven't made a magnifying glass strong enough to find yours. I thought that was a bit below the belt so I hung up again. She rang back again and said it's over. I just laughed with relief. I thought I'd done something seriously wrong. I love being part of what they call normal. I love the highs, not so much the lows of life. I love to write although I have to admit when I'm writing I lose track of time besides wouldn't life be boring if there where no suprises and everything was perfect. The truth is I forgot to phone her. Well, I'm not perfect. I am nearly there though. Anyway one of the things we talked about was when she had cooled down, was why do I keep telling the world what's going on in my life and why do I keep making her the dragon of the piece and I said to her have you looked in the mirror lately. She hung up and I haven't heard from her since.
But to answer her question anybody can write but to add a little of yourself makes it real so the reader understand where you're coming from. I think that if you want your reader to get to know you then you have to reveal just a little. The thing is though, I did it just to annoy her like she annoys me.

Homeless and hungry

When you become homeless it's not really by choice . There doesn't seem any other choice. Things just happen beyond your control. Take the teenager bullied and the one that's abused at home, he or she runs away. It's in that instant they made that decisive move to leave,to get away. There was no thought of the future. They couldn't see beyond the relief of finally getting away from the life that is, to a life that could be. It's like saying to a thief but didn't you think about the consequences before you committed the crime. What thief does. It's only as the years go by and you are still living with nothing but your wits and believe me when I say you need them. Do they want to live on the streets trying to survive? The answer sadly is, sometimes their life is sometimes better than it was. After awhile you get what they called street wise, you learn to survive. It's then the streets are home. What's the definition of home ( a place where one lives, a place where a family or social unit lives, a place one can call a refuge.) People on the streets have there own social circles they can often been seen in groups after all they are no longer part of society on the whole. Is it true that homeless people are second class citizens? I would have to say yes. The sadness of it all is that this is a way of life to some and it's by our giving the little we do give to the beggars that some people do actually survive like me for instance why I am still here I haven't got a bloody clue but I wouldn't be here if you hadn't given every morning. Yes it did go on drugs to make me something like a normal human being everyday but it also went on food. You helped me survive. When I am now asked the question would I give? I do, but I speak to the person before I give that way I have an idea what the money is going on. If I think it's going on drugs then I will buy them a sandwich and give then a couple of bob. They might not thank me for it but at least I am helping them survive. For charities and organizations to come out shouting don't give to beggars is alarming in itself. I know this might sound absurd but aren't charities doing the same but only legally? I don't want to run charities down because some do a fantastic job with the little resources they have. I just wanted to point out that ones legal and ones not but I was merely asking the question why? As the goal of survival is the same. I don't condone drug taking but as I see more and more youngsters on the streets and using drugs. I want to help if this means giving a few bob and a sandwich so be it. Survival is the name of the game on the streets. To get where I am today I needed to survive. So when you see someone with the words homeless and hungry on a piece of cardboard look at them as a person. Maybe even speak to them you never know they might surprise you.

Holidays are nearly over

The summer hols are nearly over kids go back to school. Parliament goes back to it usual bickering in the house. Mind you I think the best is yet to come from the Conservatives. Who is going to be the leader will it be Clarke or what's his name? That's how much I know about the Conservatives. I just think it funny that every time the conservatives lose an election they pick another fall guy. I can remember a certain someone saying something about family values and there he was having it off with Edwina. It's no wonder no one trusts them. You had Thatcher giving in one hand and taking twice as much with the other. You had them virtually backstabbing each other. No wonder they are in a mess. I am looking forward to the opening of parliament. How about if I apply for the job? I can get good references. Can you imagine it the right honorable Jamie McCoy leader of the opposition. Well, it would look good on my CV.

Quiet weekend

Well, the girlfriend had to win one weekend of just me and her sooner or later. I actually left the computer alone for two whole days. Can you believe it? But I have been keeping up on events in America. I have always thought of America as being very racist and what has happened over the last week has really shocked me. What amazes me is that the Americans can get aid to another country quicker than they can to there own people. Does race come into it or is it nobody really knew the magnitude of what had happened? The south seems like a third world country from what I've seen on TV. I have been on about global warming this week. Will it now sink in that the climate is changing rapidly and we do need to cut gas and car emissions along with all the rest. Whether we can save the planet well that's another thing but at least we can make it last another thousand years longer.

Hooligans intimidate home secretary

At last someone in power that has had a taste of what the public have to put up with nearly everyday. Hooligans left Charles Clarke intimidated and feeling fearful. He said he understood how crime victims felt after his experiences in his constituency of Norwich and near his home in London. He spoke as the government unveiled new extensions of measures to combat anti social behavior. He spoke of the death of a family friend who was stabbed near his London home. People across the country are suffering everyday of the week with unruly youths and hooligans. There have been more murders than at any time I can remember. The anti social measures the government have taken does not stop them. I am one of those people who thinks thinks bringing back the death penalty is the only way to stop senseless murders. The question always comes back to are we too soft on crime?
Homeless people suffer the most from hooligans. A homeless person is seen an easy target. It seems to me that because of their situation they are abused and assaulted because they know they wont be reported and if they are who is going to believe a homeless person. It's the inconsistencies with law and order and the stigma of being homeless I hope to address in the next few weeks as I interview people.

Thoughts while smoking

I was having a cigarette outside and yes I did put it out in the ash tray provided but I was thinking how strange life would be if everything went as smoothly as you expected it to. Take this morning for instance there I was blogging away merrily and when it came to linking my article, would it link? Would it hell. It was only after six tries that I finally managed it. It's like the girlfriend thing it goes from good to bad but that's what makes the relationship work. My life has been a lot of things but it's never been smooth and that's an under statement. I was just thinking what if as we all do sometimes. What if I hadn't been a drug addict would my life have been vastly different and I came to the conclusion. I doubt it because I was a lazy so and so, if I'm truthful about things. As a kid I thought that I would be doing the same job as my stepfather which involved just pushing a button and opening a sliding door on an injection molding machine. The funny thing about it is, I never did push a button or open any doors in a factory. Another thought I had was who is going to employ a fifty year old man who has never been employed by an employer. I have applied for several jobs but either had knock backs or prospective employers haven't had the decency to reply. It's that don't call us we'll call you attitude. I will keep on trying though things can only get better.

Policing the city

I have always said that London is under policed and community policing only works at a certain level. Well, today policing was taken to a new level I should explain. I was on my way to the offices at crisis. I was waiting for my bus and as it was along time coming which does not surprise anyone these days as they are either full or go right by you. Well. I decided to smoke a cigarette. When I finished it I threw it on the ground and put my foot on it. Along came these two community officers who took me to one side and said sir, did you know we could arrest you for littering. I was lost for words and while they were lecturing me on the rights and wrongs of littering I missed my bus. Is this what modern day policing has come to? I think that policing the city should be done by proper uniformed police. community policing doesn't seem to be working as crime figures are still increasing and to tell the truth most criminals think community police are a waste of time and a joke. Ask any full time criminal if they admit to being one. As to the littering of cigarette ends, if they put those ash trays at bus stops like the ones you see outside some offices maybe I wouldn't have to put my foot on them .

Who is Pete Doherty

I have been watching the program on BBC three who the f--k is Pete Doherty. When you hear people say this man is a genius you begin to wonder. I mean the man is a drug addict and is not ashamed to admit it. So to see just what people were on about and I have to say I didn't think much. I just thought this man is a good poet and song writer but genius? Bob Dylan now there's a genius. So how anyone can compare the two I don't have a clue. Could Pete be the new Wordsworth I doubt it but he's still young and learning. Will he make it past that dreadful number 27? Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, are just a couple who didn't. The question I ask is how can a man who has obvious talent and intelligence not see that drugs will destroy him in the end. When even he admits he's an addict. Who is the real Pete Doherty? Is he the person portrayed by the media? Is he the person he portrays himself to be? Is he the little boy lost?

An opinion on blogs

Everyone on this earth has an opinion of their own. I know I certainly do. When you read an article in a newspaper written by a journalist it is there take their opinion on things that are happening in the world although they are based on fact most are opinionated. Now blogs are filled with peoples opinions. Which is why they are different. They are peoples true opinions whether they are anonymous or someone that wants to be known. Blogs will be around for sometime until someone finds out how to make money from them. Then we will see a slow down in blogging but by then there will be something else to take its place. This my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

Poverty and immigration

What really causes run down estates and what we call poverty? Is it having to go without food and water for days. Is it living on a run down council estate trying to make ends meet everyday with no hope of improvement. I have to admit that we live in a country that's well off. Our idea of poverty differs vastly from say Africa or any poor Asian country. I've often heard the comments that we spend too much on immigrants and refugees but If you look at things from their point of view. We live in luxury really compared to most of the world. In this country we have have a growing population of Asians and now there seems to be what is being called Asian ghettos growing For the French to put immigrants into slums I couldn't understand. Why so many immigrants died in over crowded Paris flats when France are themselves a wealthy country is beyond me. It really does sort of give the reason why people make a bee line for Britain. My worry is that if we keep taking people in from other countries are we not in danger of the same happening here. We already have run down council estates that are getting worse. Councils say cost too much to do up. We are building fewer council homes. The government keep on about home ownership when some people haven't even got a home. We can't keep on putting people in hostels and such if we don't build anything. Putting people on waiting lists is just another way I think that figures can be malipulated and it takes years for people to actually get a place by then they are either old or now need moving to a old peoples home. We will have over crowding. We already have people from other countries sleeping on our streets and because they are part of the EU. We have an obligation to see they are alright. What I don't want to see is a situtation as with France the loss of life. I am in favor of giving people from other countries a chance to improve their lives but not at any cost. That facts are simple really we have to deal with our crisis of housing right now. If you stand at a bus stop any day of the week you will always here someone comment on someone's race but that doesn't mean we shouldn't help them or do some people besides the bnp really believe that Britain should be for the British.

The girlfriend

Well, men of the world how do you keep on the good side of your girlfriend because if you buy them chocolates you're accused of trying to make them fat and when I said I'd got another way of doing that. I got a mouthful of endless verbal. She said she wanted to go to the cinema so we did and I paid for the both of us. As we came out all she did was complain about the film. I just went through the oh god what did I do to deserve this phase again. She's not speaking to me again because I started to write some more of my play last night. I would like to know am I doing something drastically wrong or are women the most unfathomable creatures on this earth.

A world of storms

Well, it's happening years ago they predicted a climate change if we kept on polluting the atmosphere. Of course we haven't taken a blind bit of notice and look what's happening all over this world of ours. There have been floods in Europe. In America there have been storms the latest killing thousands. In Asia there have been the worst storms for years. The world has been telling the Americans they need to move away from fossil fuels, that they need to reduce pollution, but it has fallen on deaf ears. We ourselves in this country don't fair much better we have had twisters in the midlands luckily no one was injured. When are we going to get it? When are we going to realize we only have this world and it needs to be here for our children. When it's to late? I believe that it is us, people from all over the world that drive cars chop down forests pollute rivers. We are the ones that are killing this planet now more quickly than ever and we use the word progress as an excuse to do it.