Watch this space

Sorry is the first thing to say to all of you that have missed my thoughts on homelessness and life and things in general but I have been really ill and really busy. I am now back to full strength and raring to go. People find it strange that someone like me who really has been asleep to the world for so many years has an opinion. Alas I do and what I think is that most people want to shout that things are not right and just don't have the time or simply can't because of pressures from work or home. I do it just to upset the apple cart. So this coming week I have a few things to say so watch this space

Who cares

The world has gone mad or this country has gone haywire I think. Take for instance going to the shops or waiting for a bus. It's bad enough that during the day you have to worry about being robbed or mugged but at night it's a no no. My friend who lives in a reasonably quite part of London says he will not go out at night because of youths in gangs and fear of being robbed again. I live in central London and I don't go out unless it's in town to do my thing. It's so crazy but who really cares about what's happening. The government make all these laws to try and stop it but when you think about it they don't work because it's the softly softly approach and inb most cases only a sticking plaster solution. Get tough on crime. How is the question I'm asking because from what I know until we do in fact treat crime as an offence against the people of a decent society we will not improve the situation. Should we make prison more of a punishment and not the holiday homes they are fast becoming known as. have you ever heard the expression i can do the time standing on my head. well this is what most prisoners say. Should we be tougher when it comes to the law? Because if you get a youngsters stealing and taking drugs and commiting serious crimes isn't it best to fire the warning shots now before it gets to late. What should we do if a parent has lost control of the family. Should we still blame the parent. It's funny but not everything is so black and white. People keep telling me there is an awful big grey area but all I see is a soft society that is willing to live with what's going on. In the old days people would help each other but today people live in fear of being stabbed or shot and this is not the way to live. Tell me what you think.

A death on the street

Most people think that a homeless man who dies on the streets have family or friends that can be contacted but this is not the case for most homeless. It's a case of a paupers grave with virtually no one seeing them off. It's one of the things that I dreaded. Homeless people lose all ties with family and genunie friends and if you think about it, most people we meet on the street and call freinds are in fact only aqqaintenses. They only become part of our lives the longer we are on the streets. It's sad to hear that a homeless man has died on the street but it's a fact of life but did you know last year more homeless people died from being attacked on the street than ever. This is another growing concern because not only are youngsters being knifed to death but if you're asleep in a shop doorway you more likley to be asaulted or seriously injured just because someone thinks its funny and are probably drunk. there are too many pits falls for people living rough. The problem is there are too many people willing to take advantage of that fact.

Exiting a lfe

I tend to read or hear the news most days but when I hear people saying as I did today on a bus that homeless people really don't know what's going on in the world. I do get frustrated. Homeless people do have a bad rep and the conversation I overheard was the result of a man getting on the bus with his blankets and because he was a little drunk and quite loud. The thing that I gleamed from the overheard conversation was that the public still had no idea what had befallen this man to become like he was. It dosen't matter who we are we all have times we can't handle but most of us have friends and relatives to turn to but most homeless people don't and they rely on strangers for help and guidance. Not all homeless people started out as drug addicts or drunks but it is now the situtation they are now in and believe it or not most want out of that life but don't know how to find the exit. no matter what we have to keep on finding ways of showing these people there are better ways to live a life and i don't think its forcing them in to rehabs or specialised places like John bird the founder of the big issue would like to see. There is a saying which I think is true for most people who have an addiction and that it is, that you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

Safoo The Extraordinary Mouse.

"Today's story is about a small mouse called Safoo, who I must say was quite a clever mouse as mice go,” said the old storyteller.
The children sat with a look of expectation on their faces. They always enjoyed the old storytellers tales and today was no exception...

Safoo was a thin grey mouse with little black spots on the end of his nose, which his mum said where mouse boiled spots and they would disappear when he was older. He was rather small for a house mouse, Infact he was one of the smallest mice anyone had ever seen, he wasn’t much bigger than a newborn baby, but that didn't stop him doing all the things that bigger mice did. He loved to run and jump about in the fields where he lived. He often dreamt that he was the biggest mouse in the world living in open fields. Just having fun and doing what ever he liked.
“Watcha doing Safoo?” said a voice.
It was Safoo’s best friend Bonus. Now bonus was a giant of a mouse with big dark patches all over his body. He also had a high-pitched voice and a limp, which sometimes made him look and sound a bit strange but safoo did not see anything strange because Bonus was his best friend..
“You’re not smiling today, something wrong?” “Were you playing in the field all on your little lonesome?
Why didn’t you come and get me?” Bonus said looking at Safoo out of the corner of his eye
I did, but your dad said you couldn’t come out to play. So I tried to play by myself. It was fun at first but its not the same as when you’re with me said safoo quietly while kicking a loose stone.
So you missed me? Safoo missed me, safoo missed me safoo missed me Bonus started to sing.
Suddenly Safoo saw something move in the bushes. He whispered to Bonus something’s moving over there. Then just as he was about to say something else when a giant of a cat came sauntering towards them. Bonus began to shake uncontrollably.
“This is it “cried Bonus “we are going to become cat food and I’m going to be cooked till I’m well done. I want my mummy. The cat stopped and looked Safoo straight in the eyes. Then without warning it made a slashing movement as if to say you mine.

If you want more you'll have to buy the book

I did it and said it

I have now finished my children book to my satisfaction and I think it quite good (first few pages coming next) but none of this would have been possible if I hadn't have gotten my self clean from drugs and had the right kind of help on the education front. When I think back to my days of nothingness I keep thinking that so much of my life was a waste but all I can say now is it's a shame and in the past.
When I go out on to the streets to do what I call the Jamie interviews I ask ordinary people why they donate to charities like St mungo's or crisis. Most of the time the answer I get is that the government do not do enough to help those groups the are disadvantaged. What does this say to me? It says that people do want to help and in most cases would mind a penny rise in tax if they knew it was going to the right government initiatives. Believe me when I say there are a few schemes out there that are not right. Lets say today's young society. Its full of the must have gadgets and clothes but you have to be well off to afford them or have several credit cards which of course leads to debt but all this still gives us the haves and have nots and if you put all the have nots in to a small area spattered with a sprinkling of the haves you are going to get a certain amount of resentment and of course crime. Most people blame the area, the rate of unemployment, poverty in fact there are number of things to indicate this. People and statistics say that a higher percentage of these people end up addicted to something or end up on the streets. In truth anyone of us could fall victim to living a life with no hope and on the streets. We all walk a very thin line. I agree that a higher percent do in fact come from deprived areas
but I also think that people make bad choices in life and suffer for them. What we didn't see years ago was helping being given to people that really needed it. Now we have several charities doing exactly the samething. Why ? lack of communication and in some cases lack of vision and understanding of the real problem. Which is what I am always saying about the government

Eroding things

They say times change and people should change with them but at what cost? Should we allow ourselves to be dictated to by any government that slowly erodes away our freedom of choice. It seems to me that although this government is intent on modernising Britain, it has forgotten the fundamental rights of it's voters and that is to have a say on the policies that are now being put forward. The one thing that I have never seen is a letter from any party asking me whether i agree with any government proposal. we base our society on freeedom of speech yet that seems to be getting so limited. Are we a country that is as progressive as we think? it's a question we should ask ourselves because as one government becomes old and outdated a new one always has other ideas. I ask myself what has this government done for me or come to it wat have they done for anyone? Have they their own social agenda to build from and is this why they see everyone in the same light?
We all have certain goals to reach in life but its the law of human nature that some will neeed much more help than others. This is what any government should look at. It's like the actual level poverty in this country. We know it exists but to what extent? Did you know that around 1,000,000 children only have one main meal a day and these are the people that are mostly on benefit or low income. Did you know that many people on benefit have to go without for a least one day. These are the things we dont hear about from any government. We hear about tax credits We hear about child benefit We hear about welfare benefits going up but what we dont hear about is that any increase is also met by much higher rising costs and the true figure of poverty suffered by people in THIS country. Has anything really changed? I dont think so

There but for the grace of God go I. It's funny but I've heard these words a few times this week as me and a few friends have seen homeless people asleep in shop doorways. I feel that sometimes it's only by the smallest margin that some of us do not end up on the streets living a life constantly trying survive. It's funny really because most of us struggle at it but we manage to avoid the pitfalls. We live life as it comes and we all know that life has its ups and downs but when you have more days down than normal it gets to you and when they turn into years, life becomes meaningless, a life of no hope. How do you give people back that which they have lost? I am always being told that life always goes in the blink of an eye or life is far too short to make mistakes but somehow we make them and I think what makes us unique is our ability to learn from them given the chance. I'm getting on a bit in years now and I keep hearing the phrase you can't teach an old dog new tricks. What aloud of b--lsh-t. I don't know where people get these saying from but if you think about it, it doesn't make much sense because we keep saying we learn something new everyday and by the way a leopard does change its spots.

I am still around

Just thought I'd let you all know I was still alive and kicking, as you probably know over the last few years I have been doing different things but who would have thought that I would have been doing three reports on empty homes for radio 4. Which I will be putting on the blog as soon as I get a recording of all three.
What surprises even me is how far I have come since those days of sleeping rough on the streets of London without much hope of a future. Learning to read and write was a gift but it's not all about my having that ability although it does help a lot. It's about me suddenly finding out that I am not as stupid or useless as I had been told for most of my life and that I could beat a drug habit that had taken over the whole of my life. The Question that haunts me is, how things got so bad without me seeing it? Common sense would tell you things were out of control but I guess when you do the same things day after day, that way of life also becomes a habit. I suppose it's a bit like leaving the washing up till the next day but when the next day arrives you leave that as well until it piles up so high it crashes. You might think it's just shear laziness but actually it's an old habit. I used to think that everyday was going to be no different that yesterday but in fact everyday is different even if we don't sometimes feel as if it is. I still think life is strange but not as strange if you do not live it to its fullest..

I was just thinking about the smoking ban that comes into effect later this year and boy am I going to be in trouble. Sometimes the smoke from my house can be seen for miles as I burn things when I am cooking and to console myself I always sit down and light up a fag. Now the ban does say smoking in a public places. So when the smoke from my house drifts into the near by pub and someone notices me smoking. Am I going to get an on the spot fine? The trouble with this new ban on smoking I think is that most people that do smoke have a habit and we all know getting rid of a habit can be murder. What I find strange or maybe no one has thought about this is, if by allowing people to smoke in their own homes there is much more of a chance for sons, daughters whole families to become passive smokers are the government saying it's ok to give your family cancer. We are always on about greener climates allowing people to smoke outside. To me it seems the government are saying it's ok to pollute our air. Comings from me that's saying something as I am a smoker myself.

Empty homes

Well, I'm at it again interviewing people for the radio four program you and yours. I have been to different places to find out why public properties are not being used and left to rot or why aren't some properties being put back into public use when they can be. Things seem to be confusing. I went to wells in Norfolk to find out why a police station and two adjoining houses where not being used and ended up finding out about a police funding shortage as well. In a place called Goole there where 117 houses earmarked for demolish by east riding council. Which where in fact in better condition than the flat I live in right at this present moment. What was even more strange was that only an estimated thirty houses where going to be built in their place and I went to London's north circular to find out why some houses have been empty for thirty years.
We seem to live in society that says we must modernize we must replace old with new but it just seems to me when we have a housing shortage not just in Goole or London but all over the country that common sense has been totally thrown out of the window. Not everything I suspect is as it seems but wouldn't it be great for people and local government to come together and say look we need housing and here we have it. We don't need to build so many more houses on green belt land. The question I ask is it the fault of the Labour movement and their plans to modernize Britain and build a better future as they keep saying? What I'm saying is the government is elected by the people for the people. They should take notice that not everything they do and say is right for the people. A large number of politicians have come from the same background as their electors and are now in the privileged position to help the people of this country but common sense has to prevail. It's natural for people to want better things but it has to be a balanced. I truly believe this government has not achieved much in the last four years in fact I think it has made the poor poorer. The less fortunate less fortunate. A lot of people had faith in this government but that has flown out of the window because of some of the policies and decisions it has made. I am not a fan of this government and I used to be but if this government keeps on putting economics before the peoples needs. Then we will be in for more rough years. I know getting the economics of the country is the right thing to do but when you see house prices rising, electric rising, water rising. petrol rising to unbelievable prices. Then you have to start thinking that something is wrong. When the ordinary man in the street doesn't see any light at the end of the tunnel and has to work extra shift to make ends meet, then we live in a false economy. Building new houses doesn't build a better Britain. It just paints a pretty picture. It's people that make places better.

You're homeless you're not the same as us. Rant

Being homeless isn't a crime but what's happening to homeless people is. How would you feel if you had to live life on the streets and being looked down upon everyday because of one mistake or it was the only alternative for you in the situation you where in. I get very angry when I hear people say homeless people are stupid and it's their own fault or they're not like you and me. Last night I went out and about the centre of London to see if the situation had gotten any worse since my last foray. It does seem there are a few more living on the street but only in certain areas of Londons West End. In Westminster the situation seems as bad as ever. While many homeless charities focus on the need to re-educate people on the simple things of life like learning read and write and how to cook. There are a certain number of people we seem to be missing and those are the ones that are too ashamed to say I need help either because they can't read or write or because of their unsureness to learn new things. Having a time table to learn also doesn't fit with the homeless that sleep rough after all their first Priority is surviving another day. Not how do I learn to cook a cake or spell the word cat. I know there are a few day centers that now have the facilities to teach people these things in the mornings but if your homeless and tired all you want to do is have a hot drink and some food and try to get some sleep while you are in the warm. Even if that means every so often you are woken up. So you see the dilemma homeless people face. It's just like being in an endless ring until someone comes up with another solution to the problem then some people will always lose out. What I would like to see is a sort of signed agreement between homeless people and who ever, lets say a night shelter. They would accommodate them if they learnt the basics skills. So many homeless organizations are trying to do this with the homeless they have gotten off the streets and we only have a few that see homelessness everyday of the week. I strongly believe that everyone has the right to be treated equally whether you are homeless or in a hostel and everyone should have the right to learn. So back to the people that think homelessness is their own fault and they aren't the same as you or I. Well that's tosh. Everyday I speak to people who I would have thought would not have the time of day for me but if they don't see any difference between myself and them why should other people ? Just because someone is a bit shabbily dressed has a can in his hand and is homeless doesn't make him any different from you or I. It's just someone who has a problem or why should we demonise a girl living rough when all she did was get away from the abuse she suffered. When I was a kid I was always told that before I opened my mouth to speak I should think about what I was going to say and for all of the people that speak before their brains work. Try thinking first.

Empty homes

This week has been one of those weeks when things just don't seem to add up. I have been to different parts of the country interviewing people for BBC radio four, trying to find out why so many properties have been either left to rot or empty, who owns them and why the hell are the government and local authorities are saying build more houses. Were these cases of just bad management or building just for the sake of it or just a waste. I spoken to people from wells next the sea in Norfolk about a police station and a couple of houses that were no longer in use and why nothing was being done. I also interviewed the Norfolk police administrator about them. He was saying they were still in use and they were not a housing concern but they were in the business of policing. The fact that initially the police receive their monies from the tax payer is of little concern to the police and if you look at it logically the tax payer actually owns the property. If they did say alright we will build 20 houses here but two must be for our officers wouldn't that be bridging the widening gap between the police and the public. My second stop was in a town called Goole near Doncaster it was a small industrial town that has grown in the last few years and now faces a housing shortage like as lot of places in this country. When I stood looking at these perfectly good houses I was left speechless as these where perfectly good homes that just needed to be refurbished. When I asked locals about these properties I was told that the local east riding council had made this plan for demolishion some years ago and things have dramatically changed in the area. Developer from the area said he could refurbish these properties and turn them into two and three bedroomed houses and have double glazing, central heating and he would be able to sell them for a small profit. So what's the problem the problem is that the authority is not listening to the people of Goole

Oh brother

Would you believe it? If you hadn't read all the hula baloo in the news papers about big brother and the racial tensions that has been stirred up by what I personally think is a clash of cultures. The sniping that's going on is just the tip of the ice berg. Is it a clash of personalities or just plain ignorance. Can you imagine if we had all the previous prime ministers in the house I wonder would everything be politically correct? It does seem that in today's society we do put ourselves into little groups of people. Take homeless people for example they form their own groups. The same can be said for others and this is what I see happening in the big brother house let me in there I will sort it out.

Smack of double standards

When we hear that a minister like Ruth Kelly is putting her son in to a private special school it makes me wonder if there are double standards now at work in the government. Is she admitting that the education system doesn't work or is it the fact that going through the state system takes too long as it has been proved. An education body has already said its no good. When this government tell us that our state education system is as good as any, then puts their own kids into public schools. It smacks of double standards. I was on the bus today and as per usual I was ear wigging on a conversation and one of the things that was said was that before she became a minister she would have had to go through the state school system but if memory serves me she was the education secretary that closed over 100 special needs schools because she said they were not working and the system she put in place made has made it much harder for special needs children to get places. Ironic don't you think? Today she stands side by side with Tony Blair who apparently backs her decision. Me, I agree that she has to be a mother first before a politician. This another thing that won't just disappear over night for her

Christmas is nearly over and I have spent a few hours giving back something at the drinkers shelter. Most of the time was spent teaching people how to blog and download things from the internet. A new blog was set up for the drinkers to comment and write stuff. It seems to have been a success. getting people who wouldn't normally use computers is what I call a first step. It's like when I first started writing poetry. I put them up on the wall then someone else did. Before we knew it there was a wall full of peoples poetry. Its such a rewarding site just to see people doing what they thought they had forgotten or just didn't have the opportunity to. Will I be back next year? The answer to that is easy. Yes. It will be mixed emotions if I see the same people because you want the best for them but as we all know life is not perfect.

What is a community

Communities with in communities is what I think we have in this day and age. We have the well off in one sector and the middle class in another and the less fortunate in another. we have always had this class divide. Maybe for centuries probably since we started to barter for goods. yet separation from each other has become a thing we discuss and have been doing for years. what is the difference between a poor man or woman to someone that has everything. if you think about it nothing because we all breathe the same air. We all sweat and most work hard. the question is can we keep up with the Jones? why should we? Individualism is the key word, which we use quite often. people don't wish to be poor but circumstances dictates they are. this applies to all, rich or poor. Just because someone is poor it doesn't mean they are not intelligent or can't make something of thier selves. Is there such a thing as middle class?

Government for government sake

I think if I was in government, I wouldn't make it hard for people to get affordable accommodation. Affordable housing seems to be one of the key issues but I know I would be not be building homes for people to buy on such a large scale. This government keep on building homes for first time buyers and people that can afford to buy. They also say that 75% of the population actually own their own homes I don't know where they get their figures from but it's around 49% so I've been told. The other thing is why do this government say we care about the less fortunate when they take away from them. every yuear government spending diminshes to a bare minimum. This year we have seen gas and electric go up markedly yet they haven't done a thing to help the elderly or the sick also the new welfare reform does nothing to address the problems of the less fortunate. In fact some will be a lot worse than they are now. In a year where the chancellor says we are well off. The poor of this country are getting poorer. It seems like New Labour are the Jekyll and Hyde of politics. They have one face in public but behind closed doors they are intent on policy change no matter what the cost.

showing compassion

It's sad but at this time of year we seem to forget those that have disappeared due to illness. Many simply can't be with us today because they have died. It's was these people that needed the help the most during the year not just at Christmas.
One day last week I was in the west end of London and we saw a homeless man who we thought was asleep on the pavement. It transpired that he had a heart attack but that wasn't what got to me it was the amount of people that just stepped over him. I can remember one MP or lord somebody sometime ago commenting that he had to step over homeless people when he came out of the opera and that there was no reason for it.
Have we really become that immune to people in trouble? Have we become a society that would rather tend to a sick dog than a sick person? I have had my troubles over the years and like so many i not given a second glance. It was only when people treated me with compassion one Christmas that changed my life. I now hope like so many people that have given up their time at Christmas to help others in need that we never forget that showing a little compassion is what makes us a part of a better society, a caring society but lets not just show it at Christmas. Homelessness is not only at Christmas for some it a life time of nothing.

Worthwhile

It's the end of Christmas day old friendships renewed and new ones made. As we leave for the night to go home to our own lives. We stop to reflect on just how much of a difference we have made to someones life. Maybe none but maybe we have just a little. So has the time been well spent and has it all been worthwhile. I myself believe so, because one minute of listening to someone talk about their problems could be the thing that ignites a small fire just by us being there and who knows maybe in a couple of years they will be doing exactly the same.

Inside a crisis at crisis

Most of us when we were kids had this thing about Santa coming down the chimney with a sack full of goodies just for you. I always thought this was a bit far fetched even as a kid as we didn't have a chimney and I often wondered how the hell Santa left my presents but age has caught up with me and and the truth is out. Good times and good dreams have have come and gone at sporadic intervals. The only thing that has been constant is time. I am definitely older and a little wiser. So seeing people who have nothing not even a roof over their head at Christmas is sad but seeing them drown from life's problems is sadder. Christmas is a time most of us spend with families and friends but for some, it's a time of reflection and what could have been and sadness . Most of us have all hit low patches in our lives me included but just imagine having to suffer in silence for years and the only way to get away from it all was to run as far as you could but even that isn't far enough. With no hope of a future you turn to the bottle or drugs thus becoming another outcast. One of the socially excluded. Its that simple to become homeless and disillusioned.
At Christmas things only become more meaningless as memories are drowned by booze and drugs and the future well, what future? There isn't one, not one you can see anyway. It's funny but Christmas is a time of hope during the year there isn't much of that about.
All the volunteers at the crisis open Christmas give that just by standing around guarding doors and just talking to people that during the year would normally be ignored. Showing people that they are normal gives the first glimpses of hope and who knows what follows? maybe a merry Christmas.

A picture of homelessness

Forty Christmas’s have been and gone since homelessness was brought to the fore and we are still talking homelessness and what it does to people’s lives. The myth that these are the people that want to live this way was dispelled years ago. I have been there are lived the life not by choice but out of sheer necessity. Having been there I know what homeless people are going through. When you first arrive on the street there is a certain apprehension but no clue as to what will happen there is also a mild fear but there is that hope that everything will turn out fine and nothing phases you until it gets cold and rains and you’re soaked to the skin or you have no money in your pocket and are really struggling to survive. This is what I call the desperate days. When you think about stealing and you start off buy shoplifting bars of chocolate just to ease the hunger you feel then you find out that there is a soup van that gives out free tea and sandwiches. So you become part of the homeless crowd waiting for it every night. It’s then you notice people look at you in a certain disapproving way. Then one day you get fed up of having nothing. You pluck up the courage to sit down and beg because that’s all that’s left for you to do. You sit there looking down at the floor not wanting to look into people’s eyes because you’re ashamed but after a while and days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months, months into years. You get used to it. It becomes away of life. You start to mix with other homeless people who get by drinking or using drugs and in the blink of an eye you find yourself doing exactly the same. By the time you realise you have a habit it seems its too late and there is nothing left but the daily chore of drink and drugs that’s how I felt everyday of the week but something changed. I went to my first crisis open Christmas where people treated me as if I was a person not someone to be looked down upon.

I have heard about all these great schemes charities and the government have come up with this year but how do you get someone to take that first step. Crisis has part of the answer at their open Christmas centres and that is normality, being treated like a real person makes a real difference to most homeless people and by engaging them in conversation or just listening is a starting point. Giving people that first glimmer of hope, gives homeless people their first insight into what could be. It’s not about forcing people to conform as some have had terrible lives but it not plain sailing. Some have major drink and drug problems and to add to those ill health. Getting these sorted is a high priority but that is the start, the tip of the iceberg so to speak. There are all sorts of problems and reasons for people becoming homeless and once you start the process of engagement you can start solving the problem the next step I think is re-education. It is just another part of the solution as most people lose their confidence and skills once on the streets and quite a high number of homeless people cannot do the simple things like reading and writing I could not but can now as you can see.

Although there are things in place for sixteen to twenty five year old. In most cases for them it’s a problem of access but if you are over twenty-five lives just gets tougher. There simply is nothing unless you look far and wide and then its just luck in finding something. Then there is what is called the revolving door people repeatedly becoming homeless. There are several reasons I think they are loneliness, old habits and not being able to cope. Life on the streets may seem simple but let me assure you it’s not.

A merry Christmas to all and a christmas poem

This Christmas.

This Christmas where will we be?
Will we be in the heart of a family or friend?
Still with disasters and fences to mend.
Will we be holding the loves of our lives?
Sons, daughters, husbands or maybe our wives.
Will we be reminiscing old times?
Or maybe reviewing old crimes
Yet together whatever.

This Christmas what will we see
Will it be beauty and love in the eyes of a child?
As she opens her toy.
Will it be laughter and smiles as a father plays with his boy.
Will it be the sound of people?
Together
Whatever.

This Christmas will we be true to our hearts
Simple and plain
No demons to tame
Will be wishing for a world that has peace
Where love has a freedom and does not have a leash
Or will it be just twenty-four hours of laughter and smiles
Families and friends.
Coming together to shine
Together
Whatever


This Christmas
Will this Christmas be that Christmas of hope
A Christmas of change
Of coming together
Whatever.

Action not talk.

I have been thinking about the homeless situation over the weekend and have come to the conclusions that we are actually going backwards. Forty years ago there was an out cry about homelessness. The government in power at that time suddenly had to take action. Which they did by funding more hostel places. They soon became the warehouses of the homeless. I believe once that once again this is happening but this time on a much larger scale. People might say this is a harsh view to take as the government are doing all they can but are they? This the result of not building enough houses and continually reducing funding that was much needed at that time. Now we have this large problem that will not go away by just talking a good talk or manipulating figures. It needs affirmative action. Single homeless people get a raw deal in general but if you become long term homeless then it becomes mission impossible. I have loads of questions to ask various politicians but the one question that keeps on haunting me is why do governments always refer to families when they talk about housing? We have young and old single people that need homes as well. My own view is if you want to build solid communities then you have to include every aspect of needed social housing because communities are not made up of just one type of person. The other thing that I have been thinking about is second class citizens and do they really exist. Some would call them hobos or tramps or the dregs of society as I have heard recently but how can you condemn someone for having a life style different to the norm and in some cases a life style that just can't be helped? It's funny but a few years ago I was the silent type but now I'm saying what people have been dying to say. Some would say that I am not politically correct but what the hell if you say what's on your mind and speak frankly. Then people will either agree or disagree. This is what leads to debate and hopefully action. I am just a normal man but I can see things in a different light because I have been there and have the t-shirt so to speak but I think my views are balanced.

Alans continuing progress

As you know that I have been following the exploits of Alan an alcoholic for many years and who is now clean and sober and has been for a while but what changed. I believe it was because he saw things from a different perspective and did things like gardening. He got himself a plot and spent the summer growing things and tending his plot. He even had time to take snaps of a tame fox. Which he named flossy who ate chocolate off his shoes but all in all he has changed some of the things that affected his life like, the people he hung around with. He says things seem much simpler and not so complicated now. He takes his tablets once a day and lives the simple life. As he says one day at a time is all he can manage for now.

A mini pantomime or was it really a bad dream?

I thought while I was in the mood to write. I'd tell you about the strangest dream I think I had. The funny thing is I remember most of it. It all started when I went to sleep one night and who should appear but Tony Blair dressed in a Santa suit, saying "sorry I've forgotten all your presents this year. You haven't been good have you?" Then he started mumbling on and on about me not voting for him and the bad things I said about his beloved Labour party and I said what's new about that fact anyway. Then slowly but surely he disappear into the distant. Then up popped the cabinet singing White Christmas in funny voices and Gordon Brown dressed like the fairy on top of a Christmas tree. The thought of this still gives me goose bumps and sends shivers down my spine. It makes me wonder whether I was having an awful S and M dream but there Gordon was in all his glory. Everything stopped for a short while. Then Gordon came over and spoke to me saying he would grant me one wish and I was to tell him the wish after I had made it. I made my wish but refused point blank to tell him. Sorry Gordon but I still wont tell. Back to the dream. The more I refused to tell the more angry he got and the deeper the shade of reddish purple he got. Then all of a sudden he was shouting and screaming I will become prime minister and if you don't tell I will increase the price of petrol and I still refused. I will increase tax he said smiling a wicked smile and of course I still refused. Then he let out such a squeal that I cowered. He said he was going to reduce the welfare state and reduce benefits to just those that really needed his governments help and the unemployed would have to fill out more forms, which would take years. Then suddenly everything went poof and I think I woke up.

Homeless

This looks like a scene from a Charles Dickens play but it's not. It's another homeless man sleeping rough. This is what the government say they are trying to eradicated but the question I am asking is how come we have heard quite a lot about homelessness and how it's being tackled, since we found out we are hosting the Olympics or am I just being cynical?

Another day on the streets

Another day waking up to nothing. Every time I go to the crisis office I get off the bus and go via the subway at Aldgate where the mini shopping mall was but has now been shut for over a year. There has now been a homeless man sleeping there for quite a few months. Most days you can catch him reading a book, which he says he had to get from the homeless library van that comes every two weeks in Westminster. I asked him why he isn't in a hostel he said to be truthful I have tried to live in one but with all the alcoholics and drug addicts its much safer sleeping here. Plus it's not as noisy. I stayed at the one just down the road and every night there would be a fight or someone would bang on my door to ask if I had a light and it was getting a bit much for me. I need peace and quiet. What's the difference any way when I'm stuck in a hostel doing the same thing as I am doing now. I asked what in fact he was doing and he said just passing time.

No particular place to go

Harry walks the same journey every day to get a breakfast and cup of tea. He has now been living on the streets of London for 15yrs and has tried living in hostels but everytime he gets a little out of hand because of his drinking, he always ends up back on the streets. I asked him why he doesn't try again to live in a hostel? His answer was really simple. How can you expect anyone to live in a place that has no heart. I thought it a strange way to put it but in a way he's right. Homeless hostels have now become a big business. I could set up one tomorrow and it would in fact make a profit but a persons life isn't just about making money off it. The fact that people are being warehoused in these hostels is a disappointing fact of homelessness. Is homelessness a result of government and it's ever changing agenda's on the welfare state and housing or is it a permanant social thing which will never change?

The madness of Jamie

Things have been getting to me down lately and of course the slump that was due had to come sooner or later. With all the things that have been happening this week. I have had these thoughts of just giving everything up but to cure this I had this mad thought and that was, could I actually live on the streets again if I had to? So last night I picked up my old sleeping bag and went into the West End and made my bed outside the camera shop by the Savoy hotel in Charing cross road. At first it was fine but as the night drew on and it started to get colder and to be truthful I started to feel cold. Then it started to spot with rain I started to think about sitting in front of the TV with a cup of coffee and how warm and cozy it was. The thing I learnt was that life on the street just didn't appeal to me anymore and it just wasn't me. I stayed for a few more hours just looking around and trying to remember my days on the street and how on earth I managed it for so long. I know the drugs I was taking then made me numb to the world but there was a lot more to it than just the drugs. This might sound crazy but here's what I think I have learned, I had lived for years being told I was useless and would never amount to much and the belief that someone is supposed to have in themselves just wasn't there. Confidence in my own abilities were none existent and the years of drug abuse had left me with nothing but the instinct to just survive, if you could call it that. The fact that I was me and wasn't seems a bit confusing but if you imagine someone without much hope and nothing going for them, then you have a true picture me at that time. It took a mad five minutes, (well half hour if you count the time I just sat there.) I now call it the day the Thames got stoned instead of me but all this has lead me to where I am today. I know who I am,( I think) I have the confidence to do what ever I decided to do and I keep learning more and more about myself and life each day. The saying that everyone has limitations, has yet to affect me. I have this belief that limitations are just barriers to be broken. It has all come about by people giving me a second chance and help along the way. Which was all I needed but there are some people that need a second and a third and a fourth chance and for some it just doesn't happen. If I have learnt anything, it's that one little thing you do for somebody changes things. It might not be seen but it does change things. Strange but true. It the ripple effect. What I say and do now probably affects someone else. We all learn through change. It just takes some longer than others.

Good days

Sometimes our own little worlds burns and crashes
Yet somehow it keeps on daily turning.
One day can seem like a lifetime
Yet only a few hours have drifted by
So so many times those silent words come to mind
Oh I wish time would just up and die.
Yet the world tomorrow keeps on turning
And maybe keeps on burning.
But good days appear on many more horizons
Where dreams of canvas splendour
And wishes do come true.
It's just life and always a part of you.
So when that inner rage comes out to play
On a hectic nothing day.
Just sit a little while
Let unused muscles form a smile.
Because tomorrow has yet to show its face
And living, reminds you of the human race
Apart of which you are.

Homelesness past its sell by date

It always happens to me

It seems that I am a magnet for horrible things. I am at present trying to get my income support sorted as someone in Birmingham has claimed my benefit. Now this is not the first time this has happened but myself and the dss put various safe guards in place to stop this happening again but because of departments not informing the other my claim was closed and of course I was set to suffer once again but I will not let this new bout of trouble get to me as life is full of these little bumps and twists although I must admit I am angry as Christmas is just around the corner but enough of my problems.
I still go out at night taking photos of homeless people, talking to them which I think is more important. Someone who was walking around with me said they are the dregs of society. Obviously they didn't understand the problem and to me it was an awful statement to make as they didn't know the people they were talking about. I said what if the person sleeping over there was a brother of yours. Would you still be saying the same thing? All of us are guilty at times for forgetting they are someone's sons, sisters, brothers ect: but it all comes down to people perceptions of homelessness. We here the argument that most homeless people are addicted to some form of narcotic or alcohol but is this really true? This Christmas over 1500 people are expected to attend the Crisis Open Christmas not all are on the streets quite afew are, the hidden homeless and need someone to talk to. They also may need to see a doctor or dentist. Making people feel normal and there's more to life than blank days. This is the new direction of crisis the homeless charity they believe in empowering people to make their own choices. Whether your on the streets or not.

Homelessness is not just about living on the streets and just surviving anymore, which most people avoid during their lives. It's about more than just a roof over your head because most homeless people who have been living on the streets for some while form, what some would call small communities with in a community. It's the way homeless people survive the streets, each one looking out for the other. This includes the alcoholics, drug addicts. Its so consuming that it does become away of life. My own life is a prime example. Getting away from that life is a problem within itself. Losing the skills and confidence needed to lead a normal productive life is only the start of the problems homeless people face. Not being accepted, as part of mainstream society is another big problem as peoples perception of homelessness goes on what they see in their city centers and what they hear in the news. The fact that it's a misconception that every homeless person is either mad or addicted to something only clouds the issues. Changing societies thinking was and is always going to be hard because everything is not black and white. Government and local councils must take some of the blame as different governments over the years have dramatically cut funding. Recently this government and various homeless charities have made efforts to tackle the homeless problem but like so many in the past but they have all been short lived due to the lack of continuing funding or other problems associated with homelessness. The problem today is this government seem to be solving the problem of rough sleeping but at the same time creating another, hidden homelessness. (People stuck in temporary accommodation or sleeping on friends floors, b and bs ect) I believe a radical rethink is needed on the real issues of homelessness from prevention, to the housing, to learning and skills and these are only part of the answer.
Housing needs to be seriously looked at.
Drug and alcohol dependency needs to be properly addressed because how can you expect someone to go into a rehab get clean and then re-enter society via the streets again. Its inevitable they will return to their former lives.
Long-term solutions need to be found and funding needs to continue once given. All these issue are relevant to homelessness but while we still try to fix all with just the one solution, then we will always be talking about these issues. Every case of homelessness is different and when we start treating them as such then we might actually see some improvement. You can listen to me rant some more on BBC radio4 at 1230 tomorrow when I interview the hosing minister Yvette cooper.

Plain and simply put

Martha is a forty seven year old woman who sleeps rough by Victoria coach station in Westminster. She says that every time she goes to a day centre there seems to be nothing for her. She has been waiting for a vacancy in a woman's hostel for four weeks now and hopes to be off the streets and into a nice warm bed sooner rather later. She did say she had a bit of a sleep in a West London church night shelter. This is not the first time that I have spoken to a homeless women and heard that services for woman are a low priority. I think this is due to the fact that in the early days of homelessness there were more male than females living on the streets but in today's climate it seems there are far more women in hostels and sleeping rough than there were before. This maybe due to numerous things but marital breakdowns and violence seem to be at the forefront these days but there are several reasons why, just as in the case of male homelessness. Which does bring me back to the subject of housing and the need for more social housing. I was speaking to a woman on the bus this morning. Just trying to make conversation as it's just boring staring out of the windows. Anyway it transpires that she has just moved into a flat but the rent is quite an astronomical amount and to find it every month so she has to work extra hours. She said she wasn't sure she could manage the rent all on her own so she had her friend move in with her. I had to agree with her that renting a flat is becoming impossible as greedy landlords are cashing in on the housing shortage. The fact that some of these dwelling are appalling seems to make no difference. Take my flat for instance. My rent has increased by £10 in the last four years. That's an extra £520 a year I have to pay since I first moved in and when April comes next year it will go up another two pounds. This is why I am saying the government should now be saying enough is enough and should be making sure landlords cannot charge the earth. It's something that must be done as the fair rent tribunals obviously do not work and causes more feuding between landlords and tenants it is one of the contributing factors why landlords try to evict. I know fair rents are a mine field for any government but something has to be done as social house building is at an all time low and the housing lists all over the country are forever growing. I have never been that good at maths but even I can calculate that if only 65000 houses are built this years and next year the same. There will still be 1,000,000 people that need of housing and they are just the people on the housing registers.

There has to be one defining moment every so often and I think I have one every so often. So does this mean I am normal? I think another one of those moments has come again. I am going to be putting questions on homelessness to Yvette Cooper the housing minister. It will be on BBC radio four on December the 7th I think. At present I am trying to work out the questions I want to ask.
This has to be a first that an ex drug addict and homeless man interviews a top politician. Funny five or six years ago I would have had everyone committed if they'd told me my writing would lead to all this. I am extremely nervous and after yesterday's performance on the radio I am doubly nervous but I think I'm getting the hang of things. So look out for my spot on radio 4. I have already wrote somethings for the BBC web site you can read them

Is success more than just an illusion

My first lost soul whom I interviewed today is a man call Alan Carter. Who has had various types of accommodation over the last thirty years on and off. For the last four years has had one permanent address of his own.
Alan was born in Coventry 48 years ago and has always had a problem with drugs and alcohol from an early age. He has been in a number of bed and breakfasts. Plus a large number of shared hostel accommodation. Amazingly he has had 15 permanent bedsits and lost everyone of them because of his problems. Which over the years had grown out of control. It's the type of story that is heard again and again. Then ten years ago when he first tried to get help. He was placed into a hostel and after a while put on the Greenwich housing list. His first permanent council flat was unsuitable because there was no access to the services this man required and the help he did receive once given the flat was short lived. So he ended up drinking once again and living in a flat without a bed. It was full of empty beer cans, there was no electric or gas and he had arrears for water and rent. It took another charitable agency to see that this man indeed had problems and they set about getting this man the help he needed and a more suitable address. Alan has now lived at his present address for four years and still receives help when needed. The fact that this man was given just a roof and limited help only helps justify the need in helping people with aftercare. Sustaining tenancies are important and just giving someone a roof over their head is just not enough. Alan has now been drink free for six months which is further progresson on the ladder to sucess.

Prevention better than the cure

What a day yesterday. For once I was left speechless on the radio. It left me all flustered and all a quiver but seriously yesterday was just one of those days when I was not having a good going day but I thought I would write what I had to say today.
Many homeless people who have ended up on the streets of our cities develop problems of drug addiction or alcoholism and some even develop illnesses. Who is to blame is it the person that becomes homeless or societies or is it a government and a welfare state that doesn't work properly.
Preventive measures for helping people at the start of their homelessness are low. It's only recently that people have actually been saying prevention should be one of the main focuses for ending homelessness. As many people know I don't agree with John Bird founder of the big issue most of the time but I have to admit that I do agree with his prevention is better than the cure. In the next few weeks I am trying to interview several people that have been homeless and had several places to live but in each case lost their place because there was not the right help or services. I am trying to show that if you don't have the right kind of services even those that have just arrived on the street can become long term homeless and the problem of homelessness only gets worse not better and I am also trying to show the same about people in temporary accommodation and that while waiting for permanent accommodation letting them stagnate is the wrong way forward wouldn't time be better spent teaching life skills because the revolving cycle of homelessness has to stop sooner rather than later.

Housing and homelessness

Since the mid sixties there has always been talk about housing and homelessness and how to remedy the problem. And today we are still talking about it. The fact that there is a national housing crisis and a homeless problem that on the face of it seems to be being tackled. But is it? It seems that although people from several organizations and the Government talk about these things we never seem to see the real outcome and does Joe public know exactly know what's going on?
When councils sold off housing stocks why wasn't they allowed to spend it on new social housing? Oh and wasn't homelessness supposed to be cured within twenty years some 40 years ago?
The fact that we now have people stuck in hostels, in bed and breakfast, sofa surfing, squatting is just another twist is the homeless saga and at the rate it is rising it could reach a million in fifteen years. Governments always come up with facts and figures on housing and homelessness but for a country with the resources we have, should we be still talking about it and should the Government be patting themselves on the back? I did read Ruth Kelly's speech and to me that is what it amounted to. To cure homelessness and to stop me writing about it, more has to be done. Prevention is better than the cure but for the many that are stuck in an endless cycle of homelessness. We need to do that little bit extra. We need to keep making homelessness become a thing of the past. Which at present it is most definitely not. Homelessness today is not just about having a roof over your head it's about learning the skills of life but it's also about learning to live in what people call the real world, society I think you call it but I do sometimes wonder.

On Monday the 27 November I shall be on the BBC radio with a geezer called Alan Sampson the chief executive from shelter. No doubt he will be talking about families and the 60.000 housing shortfall. I will be listening intently so I can answer questions from my own point of view and I do have my own opinions and you'll probably hear them but I think my being homeless has a different slant and a large say on the way I think. Homeless people do not get many chances to say things that matter to them. It's this thing of thinking because you are homeless you are in fact a second class citizen or not a member of today's society.
Facts and figures are all I seem to hear from politicians and such but as I know from my own experiences that's not all that counts. I read Ruth Kelly's speech the other day. The case she makes for tackling homelessness is good but has the government gone far enough or have they in fact just taken homelessness off the streets and created an even bigger problem in what's now being touted as hidden homeless. After all aren't hostels supposed to be a stop gap to permanent housing.
The housing problem all over the country adds to the problems off the homeless. I agree that we have to stop people repeatedly becoming homeless. The Revolving door syndrome as it is known. So shouldn't we be concentrating on housing support once people get housing and the question how long should the support last I think depends on the individual case because every case is different. The thing of how much it cost should be irrelevant as we are dealing with lives and doing it now will definitely save money in the future.
the real question i think now being asked is, is there really an answer to the homeless problem? Homelessness as been around as long as prostitution and if you think about it Jesus was made homeless for a night or two and had to get temporary accommodation.

Homeless any spare change

How often do you see someone in your town or city sitting there with a sign saying homeless and hungry? I see it everyday most places I go but did you know it's not the easiest of things to do. Because it's soul destroying and demeaning. I should know I did it for many years just to feed my drug habit( along with a bit of shop lifting.) I am so glad those days are over but when I see it now I stop and talk to the people begging and most of the time they are genuine but as we all know there are some who are not. Christmas is just round the corner and no doubt we will all see a rise in people begging but should we give well my own train of thought is it is up to the individual but we must not forget that just because they are begging and look rough, they are not part of our society because they are. Most people that are homeless are there because they have problems from simply being homeless to drugs, alcohol or mental health issues or just simply health problems. When you get help for those problems there is still the problem of housing. Every government since time knows when has had this problem of homelessness but forty years ago a film called Cathy come home showed the real perils of homelessness . Homeless hostels and organizations sprang to life. The original problem of drugs and drink at first where a problem because no one would take on these problems. It was only in the eighties that hostels began to accept people with problems. Still today the problem of people with severe mental health problems have not been addressed as there seems to be only a few places available for this type of problem. Homelessness has several faces today but it's still a problem

Back on song and still smiling

Yesterday I brought myself a new camera so I can now go out at night and take photo's once more. Things are looking rosy in my garden right now but as always things change and progress has to have a say or you make a mistake and things seem to go backwards. It's at times like this you doubt yourself, I often do but I don't let it stop me from doing what I am doing. I used to be this guy that never finished anything but now I try my best to. Which leads me to what I am doing for the next couple of weeks. I think I'm doing some radio work on BBC radio 4 interviewing and debating homelessness. Frightening isn't it me interviewing, God who thought this one up must have their head examined but I think I will manage to cope or should I say I thinks the BBC will have to cope with me as I have been told I have a real annoying sunny disposition but that's me. I enjoy life to the fullest. I don't have the perfect life but who does? What's wrong with a smile anyway?

Do I have an ultra motive for what I do? I think so . To give someone the chance to see that drugs and homelessness is not all there is in anyone's future is a big plus for me as I spent so long missing out on life, now life misses out on me. I am so busy doing things I love and I am now trying new things like art and writing songs and music that I have no clue as to what I am doing yet but will get the hang of things sooner rather than later. I do have one song recorded by Don crown who wrote the music http://www.myspace.com/doncrown. It's called when a child is born ( a song of love). So things are looking up although this year my blog has been slow due to commitments and pressure I put myself under. My agenda for this month I do believe is to interview more homeless people and get their stories so far. Life is full of little suprises but suprising yourself is the most unexpected.

Agenda's

Do I have an ultra motive for what I do? I think so . To give someone the chance to see that drugs and homelessness is not all there is in anyone's future is a big plus for me as I spent so long missing out on life, now life misses out on me. I am so busy doing things I love and I am now trying new things like art and writing songs and music that I have no clue as to what I am doing yet but will get the hang of things sooner rather than later. I do have one song recorded by don crown who wrote the music http://www.myspace.com/doncrown. So things are looking up although this year my blog has been slow due to commitments and pressure in put myself under. My agenda for this month I do believe is to interview more homeless people and get their stories so far. Life is full of little suprises but suprising yourself is the most unexpected.

Fair rents is it that complicated

Last night I went on one of my question sprees asking people what they thought affordable housing really meant. Most people thought it was being able to buy housing at affordable prices but because of today's housing prices rises it wasn't viable. So why does the government keep on about it and why don't they make it easier for people to buy instead of these developers making huge profits from the working class. Some thought it was the governments way of dealing with unsocial housing, whatever that meant but I was outside the opera when I asked the question. Mostly people wanted to ask if there was any government ideas about fair rents. To me this comes under the heading of affordable housing. Here in London getting a flat at a fair rent is virtually impossible and with house prices rising by about 2.5 every quarter buying one is getting much harder for everyone. So the only option for most is to rent but with landlords seeing the opportunity to make money do so. So my question is can the government make good on their promise of affordable housing by putting a ceiling on rents. Just an idea because this would not only make it easier for people that have jobs but may make it easier for homeless people to get much needed accommodation. Anyway these are just my thoughts

What does affordable housing really mean and who is it directly aimed at? I think it's aim at buyers like first time buyers that have an income that supports their life style, after all if I could afford my own house I would jump at buying my own home but what about the 6.7 million people that live on run down council estates that cannot afford to buy? Is this the case of the poorer members of our society being treated as second class citizens and not being considered properly.. When the conservative brought in the right to buy schemes they said everyone should be able to buy their home and it was thought to be a real good thing but as with everything else things go wrong. House prices rise, inflation rises people lose jobs due to redundancies ect. Before you know it you can't meet the mortgage repayment and boom you've lost your house. Which of course happened under the conservatives. Questions need to be asked now that it looks as if house prices will rise once again and people are being priced out of the housing market but affordable housing should also include rented accommodation things like fairer rents, more council housing and private renting and should their be a maximum rent
that can be charged. Like in London a one bed roomed flat costs 250 pound a week in some areas that are now being touted as the place to live. Is that a fair rent and who can afford that? Not a nurse or care worker or cleaner. If you are homeless well what chance have you got? Anyway what do I know about these things after all I have my own rented home.

Another year nearly over

Another year nearly over and it seems I only blinked and really nothing has changed. We are still talking about homelessness and hidden homeless. Funny thing is I meet all these MPs and talked to them but I don't think they really understand the real problem because they haven't experienced it and it's just another problem to be solved the best and cheapest way possible. Like interest rates homelessness is now on the increase again and in areas where you wouldn't expect homelessness to occur but saying that becoming homeless can happen to anyone rich or poor. I myself have had a few problems with mounting debts but I now have them sorted but it's the little things like this that a large percent of ex-homeless people face and sometimes cannot manage. The staggering fact three out of every homeless person that is housed becomes homeless again needs to be looked at. I believe that simple life skills are needed like cooking, cleaning, paying bills and general health things are really important besides normal education. Things do have to change as they say and we have to find more ways to prevent people from becoming homeless and once they are,we have to re-educate people in the simple things which most long term homeless people lose. I hope from next week to write more often as there are a lot of things in the pipeline and as Christmas draws closer the issue of homelessness becomes louder for a short while. don't forget the crisis christmas puddings are now on sale

Jamies top 5 policies

1 The first policy would be to eat the good food guide as Jamie Oliver seems to have a big foot hold in the food guide industry and besides his style of cooking makes my mouth water.
2 To introduce enforced two day potato couchism as too many people are running and exercising. Not enough enjoying the odd burb and fart after meals. I'd also make it ilegal for anyone to run or cycle along side the Thames and on pavements. What's wrong with a couple of days lazing about and being as a couch potato?
3 Stop Politicians from using archaic words and long winded white papers that can be done simply and easily explained by using plain English. I am like so many members of the public common as muck and like things straight forward and simple.
4 Stop exPrime ministers and exMPs from thinking they can become stars of the future by appearing in things like big brother or come dancing. Don't they realize we've seen enough of them when they where in office.
5 Introduce instant interactive TV where we can really say what we think of our government without being deleted or beeped out because politicians only do what they think we want. Not actually what we want. Actually wouldn't it be great not to hear them at all until they said something we wanted to hear.
These are my top 5 policies

Thinking again

I was having a cigarette and ear wigging on a conversation about people being stupid and suddenly thought if only they knew how stupid I used to think I was. Listening to the conversation I had what I call a role reversal when actually the person talking was talking total rubbish because she didn't really know the person she was talking about or the real situation. It was just idle gossip whilst having a cigarette. That's what struck me the most how fact can be expanded upon and be turned into gossip. It's like reading a newspaper and seeing a headline that doesn't really say what has happened or is just an article that's sensationalism at it's best. If we took everything we heard or read to be gospel what a mess the world would truly be in. So I started thinking about David Cameron and what's been said about his style of leadership. My thoughts are that this is the new labour we voted for in the first place. This is the young Tony Blair so is there anything really new in what he's saying? Not really as we have heard it all before only this time it seems to be someone with charisma trying to blindside us into thinking he's the one to make sweeping changes. Take for instance what he wants to do with the NHS, poverty, the welfare state and education all this costs and what he's proposing the figures just don't add up. I only deal in pounds and pence every week but when you have to balance books of billions of pounds you are allowed a little leeway but even my rough calculations say that we will have to borrow more and instead of a tax reduction tax would have to increase by at least three pence in the pound and I was the one that thought I was stupid

Must be dreaming again

This morning was a bit strange and surreal as I switched on my TV to get the news for my daily in take of comedy. Low and behold there was this strange man that I knew from the hansard society, sitting there being interviewed about political interaction and technology. I had to take a swift drink of my hot coffee which by the way burnt my lips just to take all this in. It was the first time I had seen Ross on TV and what a strange picture I was receiving it could have been just me first thing in the morning because I have searched the BBC website and I still can't find the interview so I must have been dreaming.