I’d like to invite all of you who enjoy chicken to join me and try this beautiful sandwich.

My lovely Wife decided to prepare it to celebrate my total weight loss up to last week of 50 lbs – I’ve only another 53 lbs to go to achieve my target weight loss of 7 stones and 5 lbs (103 lbs).

My target of 17 stones (238 lbs) may still seem like a heavy weight to you but the last time I was 17 Stones I really was super fit, with a 47 inch chest and a 32 inch waist.

I don’t expect to have that waist size again so I’ll settle for 34 inches!

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into 4 pieces
2 Ounces of finely chopped onion
1 clove squeezed garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Salt and pepper – I recommend ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar – I’ve used a dry white wine
4 small lettuce leaves
8 tomato slices – or more if your family like tomatoes
4 soft whole meal rolls

CURRIED SALAD DRESSING INGREDIENTS

4 table spoons of mayonnaise, plus extra for spreading on rolls
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 Ounces of finely cut onion
2 Ounces of finely cut celery
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint – I use half that amount of dried mint.
2 table spoons of coarsely chopped cashews – expensive but nice

Cooking is a quick and simple 2 step process

Step 1 Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, add chopped chicken, onion, garlic, ginger and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Stir continuously and cook for 6 minutes. Now reduce the heat and slowly stir in white wine vinegar. When perfectly mixed, transfer chicken on to a plate to cool.

Step 2 Add mayonnaise, lime juice, curry powder, ginger, onion, celery, mint, cashews and chopped chicken to a medium mixing bowl and stir thoroughly. Finish seasoning with salt and pepper, lime juice and hot sauce to your liking.

Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on to each roll, and spread chicken salad evenly between four rolls. Add a lettuce leaf and a few tomato slices per sandwich and serve with your favourite side salad.

This may sound like a special treat but once you / your family have a taste, it will become a favourite! Nor is it too hot so kids love it and won’t pile on weight if they get to like it too much!

Parents can enjoy it with your favourite white wine.

Incidentally – the average number of calories in a 70 cl bottle of white wine is around 500 calories which isn’t too off putting, is it?

You may need to buy a number of extra dry ingredients you don’t already have so I’ll pass on various other recipes over the next few weeks that you can use them in.

Obviously, if you’re cooking for more than three, just increase the ingredients proportionally.

By 2006 the number was reduced to 58,200.

Over a period of 26 years this represented the loss of 16% of the total number of Pubs (0.6% per year)

2006 – 2009 was a different Story

During these short 3 years a total of 4,634 Pubs closed increasing the closure rate from 16% in 26 years to over 8% in just 3 years (2.7% per year).

We shouldn’t forget that the Government’s Smoking Ban in Pubs was introduced on 1st July 2007.

Not only are we loosing some of our favourite Local Pubs, but the Government has once again shot itself in the foot to appease a few thousand Wet Liberals and Religious Dickheads who oppose pubs.

The Exchequer is loosing in excess of 250 Million Pounds each year in taxes!

You may argue that the Government are recouping much of this from the increased alcohol sales in Supermarkets but this just isn’t reflected by Government figures.

So how many Pubs will remain by 2050?

Based entirely on the above figures that have been supplied by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) when the much debated 2050 eventually arrives, the UK will boast fewer than 500 Pubs!

How much will a Pint cost in 2050?

If you believe the forecast figures produced by perfectly reputable organisations on the Internet, you’ll be told that a Pint will cost only an extra 6 Pence – but you don’t seriously believe this – do you?

The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) announced in February 2010 that we could expect the cost of a pint to be 4 POUNDS before the end of this year.

If we’re guestimating the price of a Pint in 40 years from now perhaps it would be logical to go back 40 years and check the cost.

I’m distraught!! A Pint of beer in 1970, the year before decimalisation was a penny less than 2 shillings or 10 Pence as we all know it now. but then the average weekly wage for men was only 28 Pounds a week.

The average weekly wage today is calculated at 440 Pounds a week.

Conclusions

1970 – Pint price (10 Pence) approximately 0.8% of the average wage

2010 – Pint price (4 Pounds) approx., 0.8% of the average wage.

2050 – Guestimated average wage will be an astonishing 6,908 Pounds.

2050 – Pint price (55 Pounds) approx., 0.8% of the average wage.

Before you burst out laughing, what reaction would you have received in 1970 if you’d told anyone that their average weekly wage of 28 Pounds would be 440 Pounds in 2010?

AND that instead of 10 Pence, they’d pay 4 Pounds for a much inferior Pint in 40 years time!!

The real reason Pubs are closing so quickly

Supermarkets have, over the past 40 years successfully put the majority of small shopkeepers out of business and made the UK Government’s own Milk Marketing Board defunct.

They then turned on the British Beef Industry that decided to export their produce rather than sell at a loss to the Supermarket chains.

Channel Island Tomato Growers were next with 200 of them being forced out of business – the supermarkets now buy from Spain and Portugal.

What makes you think that our Pubs weren’t next in line because I can assure you they have been for the past 4 years.

This was highlighted when the Government kicked up about the low cost of beer and lager sold in Supermarkets but did nothing about it other than make a deal with these huge Corporations that they would knock the Pubs’ “Happy Hour” on the head to damage the pub trade further.

Of course the ridiculous smoking ban also helped a great deal.

Supermarkets have everything you want under one roof – you buy your food, booze and tobacco and consume everything at home – these vast Corporations have the ear of each Government because they pay Billions in taxes every year and employ hundreds of thousands.

Does this sound like a Conspiracy?

Let me assure you – this doesn’t sound like any conspiracy – IT IS ONE!

You are the Public – You need to be controlled – You are slowly but surely being conditioned to conform.

Pubs and corner shops are places you meet / or have met to talk about stuff that matters to you – you soon won’t – which means fewer of you will be able to listen to different opinions other than what you’re spoon fed by the media that’s owned by large Corporations

Think about this because you really are being slowly conditioned to think how Government and large Corporations want you to – in fact Tony Blair and G.W. Bush spoke quite openly about this to close friends during 2001.

Incidentally, if you think I’m talking a load of crap – PROVE ME WRONG!

I driving home from a meeting a few days ago when I had a sudden urge for a cup of coffee.

I pulled into the car park of the Yorkshire Outlet on the outskirts of Doncaster where I live and headed for Thornton’s Coffee Shop, a favourite stop of mine.

Quite a number of shoppers had taken advantage of the first sunny day in weeks and were sitting outside happily enjoying their drinks.

When I slipped my hand into my back pocket for my wallet, I stopped short – it wasn’t there – I checked my trouser pocket – empty – I’d walked out without a penny to my name!

I had two choices – drive the 8 miles home or……… – it had been a long time since, as kids we used to go into the City Centre and bum pennies from innocent passers by.

I thought: “Can I still do it?” – What the hell – why not – and found myself addressing a dozen or so people sitting at the outside tables.

“Look folks, my name’s Cliff Hagen and I’ve walked out this morning without any money and I really fancy a cup of coffee. Is there one of you good people willing to buy a beggar a coffee?”

To my surprise – 3 people at different tables immediately offered – one Lady was obviously a pensioner, another was a young Mum with a young child in a push chair and the third, a middle aged bloke with, I presumed, his Wife.

I accepted the middle aged guy’s offer – he gave me a fiver and said: “Get a bun as well, fella.”

I didn’t buy the bun, returned his change, thanked him and enjoyed the best cup of coffee I’ve had for months.

Thanks Geoff – you’re a Star!

The attitude of these three people just confirmed that even during a recession, Yorkshire people are fantastic!

These kids are all, without exception extremely bright and very “Street Wise” from whom I learn much more than I’m certain they do from me.

This Guy spent an hour Talking at them

When he finished he invited questions – there were none and I wasn’t interested in massaging his already over-inflated ego so he made a rather fast exit.

When I asked my young friends for their comments, I found myself agreeing with what they were saying:

• He didn’t even ask what we were interested in – how did he expect to motivate us if he hadn’t a clue what we wanted to do?
• He was talking a load of crap about Positive Mental Attitudes and wanting us to talk with a smile in our voices – if we acted like that with our mates they’d think we were taking the piss!
• If I started talking to men making eye contact with a smile in my voice, I’d get arrested again for being back “on the game.”
• One youngster hit the nail on the head when he commented: I bet he says exactly the same thing everywhere he goes – he didn’t even look interested – he made me feel as if he was doing us a favour by just coming.

They agreed to define what they, as a Group thought motivation actually is – I haven’t messed around with their words because I don’t consider I have the right:

• Motivation is about caring enough for something we want to achieve.
• No matter how many times we fall on our ass, it’s about getting back up and then finding out why we fell in the first place.
• We’ll regularly become the subject of amusement to others who will think we’re mad and want us to fail so they can say: “I told you so.”
• Once we become strongly motivated we can, very quickly learn to choose our friends and those we associate with wisely because we’re fed up mixing with Losers who want to drag us down to their level.
• Motivation is about setting one goal at a time – the first thing we think about when we wake – the last thing on our mind before we finally sleep.
• It’s also about knowing when and who to ask for help or advice when we think we’re about to fall down and assessing whether that person is worth going back to for more help or advice.
• Motivation is about cautiously surrounding ourselves with a small number of like minded people each of whom are also striving to change their lives.
• Once we have these people around us, by just meeting together regularly we will learn so much by filtering and feeding from each others thoughts and ideas.
• We all have a choice: to at least try this motivation thing and repeat Cliff’s favourite saying as often as we can – “Actions speak louder than Words.”

This exercise took us almost an hour during which time I witnessed 23 of tomorrow’s adults unconsciously sub-dividing into Team Leaders, Thinkers and Doers yet forming a bond that would eventually enable some of them to walk away from the a life style that had brought only trouble.

Conclusion

Look, I’m the farthest thing you’ll ever meet from a goody two shoes – I’m from the streets and these youngsters know that no matter how successful I am, I’ll always think like a back street boy – fast, on my feet but with a lot more logic than I used to apply.

If only a couple of these kids can turn their lives around and eventually motivate themselves to get their shit together – they are more than capable of achieving – providing they set their initial goals in small steps.

Only they’ll know when it’s time to take longer strides!

Time, patience and dedication are 3 things that few young and older people have now-a-days which is why when so many of them fall, they discover they’ve never actually learned how to get back up again and wallow in self pity.

I don’t profess to be an expert on this subject and look forward to your positive and / or negative comments.

Any Civil Servant who is made redundant, if they’re earning in excess of 30,000 Pounds a year will now only receive a payment of 2 years salary instead of a 2-3 years salary redundancy payment..

A Civil Servant earning less than 30,000 Pounds a year (80% of all Civil Servants) will continue to receive up to 3 years salary.

This change will bring Civil Servants into line with the rest of the Public Sector and will still leave them better off than many in the Private Sector AND save the Tax Payer half a Billion Pounds over three years.

Who has called the Strike?

The Public and Commercial Services Union’s General Secretary, Mark Serwotka called on his members to strike although 80% of all Civil servants earn less than 30,000 Pounds a year.

Only 31.6% of his members bothered to vote.

What does worry me is this strike has been decided by only 10% of Civil Servants.

I’m also puzzled why the PCS website has made it appear that all Civil Servants and not just 20% of the highest paid are about to loose out:

“The dispute is over changes to the civil service compensation scheme which will see staff robbed of up to a third of their entitlements and see loyal civil and public servants lose tens of thousands of pounds if they are forced out of a job. The union fears that the government wants to make it easier for whoever wins the general election to cut low paid civil and public servants on the cheap.”

This is a downright misrepresentation of the facts that he continued to repeat during TV and press interviews.

Don’t you also find it strange that the 5 other Unions, although representing fewer numbers of Civil Servants have agreed to this deal to help save British Tax Payers 500 million Pounds?

Perhaps like you, I hadn’t heard of Mr Serwotka until now – could it be he’s using decent Civil servants to make a name for himself?

What a shame that thousands of 999 calls also affected may cost lives.

I can never be accused of not supporting Trade Unions that are prepared to fight tooth and nail on behalf of their Members, I do however question the timing of this piece of self marketing just before a General Election.

The fact that the other 5 Unions have been willing to help and one hasn’t, speaks volumes!

They’re vitally aware that 100,000’s of thousands of their members have lost their jobs and are now living on or in many cases below the bread line.

Perhaps they have the experience and foresight to realise that once our economy improves, they can once again negotiate better terms.

Mr Serwotka is also responsible for a delay in Benefit payments to hundreds of thousands of perfectly decent people who, if they don’t receive their pittance on time won’t be able to feed their families!

He has made idiots of the majority of the 270,000 (allegedly) civil servants, repeatedly misrepresented the facts and succeeded in creating chaos in essential services provided by our public sector.

Yes we need FIRE BRANDS: Providing they passionately believe in a Just Cause and we’re confident that they have no alternative motives of self interest lurking in the nearest dark corner.

I’ve a wager with one of my relatives whose recently had 178 diggs on one of his recent Post that I’ll get more by the end of this week.

Be a sport and help me win – it’s not the value of the £10 I’d like to win, it’s the look on his face when he’s handing it over that I’ll remember for the rest of the year!

Go on digg a post!

Nothing much ever surprises or shocks me until today when I was asked to logon to this website:

http://FORUMS.EC.EUROPA.EU/DEBATEEUROPE/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?F=9&T=19352

All of the above URL should obviously be in lower case – I’ve deliberately entered it in upper case to avoid any young children clicking and seeing something that will upset them for the rest of their lives!!

What I saw and listened to so appalled me that I had to share it with you.

We’ve been assured by all 3 of our major Political Parties that the EU represents equality for each individual living in its Member States.

I can now truthfully tell you that just isn’t true!

What Human Rights Act?

The Human Rights Act became law in 1998 and has been described by this Government as follows:

“An Act to give further effect to rights and freedoms guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights.”

How things change when it’s Politically Expedient!

It’s now 12 years later and every Politician is concentrating on one thing only – THEMSELVES.

They’ve shot themselves in the proverbial foot again by flagrantly demonstrating to all of us what a two faced load of deceitful cowards they really are. The majority of British Citizens have been betrayed.

Way back in 2008 millions of Brits fell about laughing when it was reported that Dr Rowan (Pinhead) Williams – Archbishop of Canterbury – said that because some of our citizens do not relate to the British Legal System we should adapt parts of Islamic Sharia law to help maintain social cohesion.

He was forcefully reminded of a 2003 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg that said it was ‘difficult to declare one’s respect for democracy and human rights while at the same time supporting a regime based on Sharia, which clearly diverges from Convention values.’

Sharia Courts

You already know from a previous Post that there are already 6 Sharia Courts officially operating in the UK through the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal, a body whose rulings are enforced through the State Courts under the 1996 Arbitration Act.

They’re in Bradford, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and London BUT there are, in addition around a 100 more independent Sharia Courts that operate behind closed doors with only a small number known to the authorities (allegedly).

The punishments handed out from some of these are much more radical.

Sharia law regards women as inferior to men, and non-Muslims as inferior to Muslims and demands the execution of homosexuals. Sharia courts in Britain are already planning to take over some simple criminal cases with the blessing of the Lord Chief Justice.

In addition, Sharia law also:

1. Gives advice on how to beat your Wife.
2. Can forbid women to drive.
3. Has hanged 16+ year old girls for “acts incompatible with chastity.”
4. Allows honour killings where women are kicked and stoned to death by a mob of animals.

Is this what you want to happen in the UK?

The UK has one law only – British Law

EU Judges now want British Courts to allow Sharia courts to deal with Muslim divorce cases.

But as you well know that will only be the beginning – this will continue to escalate until Britain and Europe are completely Islamised.

THIS MUST NEVER BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN!

But, at the end of the day, it’s your choice – if you don’t care, what are YOU sentencing your children to or have you just given up caring?

I’m not a racist nor am I biased towards decent Muslims – we already have British Laws in this country and that’s the way it’s going to remain – The same law applies to everyone.

I am a British Citizen who loves his country and am not prepared to stand by and watch it reorganised in the name of religion!

If any British Citizen doesn’t or can’t relate to British law – they can always leave – the time has come when we must tell our Politicians that enough is enough.

This rule must also be enforced where Jewish Courts (Beth Din) are concerned. Just like Muslims, every Jewish person in the UK must also conform to British Law.

Let me repeat THERE MUST BE ONE LAW ONLY IN THE UK BASED ON BRITISH LAW.

Otherwise just about every single culture living here will be demanding their own Court!

It’s common knowledge that the politics in just about every country in the world has been dictated by powerful Corporations for the last 3 decades.

The EU is absolutely no different where its 27 member Nations (to date) are concerned with an end goal of total European dominance.

I’ll bet you can’t even name your MEP – few people can – yet these people already rule our lives by creating new laws and amending old ones.

New laws at breakneck speed

Are you aware just how many new laws were passed during Tony Blair’s Presidential reign in Downing Street?

Would you believe 3,000 – a new one every day!

75% of these laws were passed at the behest of the EU.

Your freedom has been gradually and very silently eroded without your knowledge.

Did you know that since 2005, if you activate your burglar alarm when you go on holiday or go out for the day (which we all do) and don’t nominate a key-holder who lives nearby, it’s an offence under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act?

Since 2006 you’re not allowed to sell Grey Squirrels – WOW!!

Is this really what we pay our Politicians to do?

The EU, within 20 years, will be advising you how many legal breaths you should take each day.

The EU has grown too quickly

The EU has grown too quickly since 1952 when it was the European Economic Community.

• 6 Countries in July 1952 – Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Italy.
• 9 Countries in January 1973 – UK, Denmark and Ireland.
• 10 Countries in 1981 – Greece.
• 12 Countries in 1986 – Spain and Portugal.

The European Union was born in 1993 – Maastricht Treaty- when the Cold War ended.

• 15 Countries in January 1995 – Austria, Finland and Sweden.
• 25 Countries in May 2004 – Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus.

When these last 10 Countries joined the EU, each boasted a very low GDP and with the exception of Malta and Cyprus, extremely large populations many of whom wanted to immediately migrate to various of the other 15 Countries.

The influx of immigrants initially caused problems for a number of Countries including the UK where the Prime Minister, Tony Blair seemed to be more interested in making a name for himself on the “world stage” than concentrating on Home Affairs.

• 27 Countries in January 2007 – Romania and Bulgaria were allowed to join, prematurely in my opinion as their Judiciary system was in chaos and the crime rates in both Countries unacceptable.

I’m not a Euro Sceptic – I just don’t want to be part of the EU.

We were promised a Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty by both the Labour and Tory Party and both have failed to honour that promise – in fact Mr Brown sneaked across and secretly signed – he’s only Prime Minister by default!

The only UK referendum ever held about membership of the EU was in 1975 when 67% voted to join.

Our Government was petrified that the majority would this time say NO!

Iceland

I’m also seriously concerned about the EU glibly assuring Iceland that their EU membership will be approved when the Government of Iceland owes the UK 2.2 Billion Pounds and the Netherlands more than a Billion Pounds!

Over 90% of Iceland’s population voted to steal our money in yesterday’s referendum.

Few of you will remember the 3 Cod Wars that Iceland waged against our fishermen in 1958, 1972 – 1975 and 1976 when their fully armed Coastguard boats opened fire on our unarmed fishermen, cut their fishing nets and damaged their boats.

The British Government’s weak decision in 1976 to yield to Iceland’s demands adversely affected British trawler owners and caused a serious decline of our fishing industry.

Additional EU laws in favour of other EU members fishing rights have been detrimental to the UK’s fishing industry and largely responsible for the ridiculously high cost of fish in the UK.

Turkey

The EU are still considering Turkey’s application for membership, an Islamic country where womens’ equal rights are denied. Do they seriously think that Turkey will adhere to womens’ equal rights if they’re allowed to join?

Turkey has an army of occupation totalling 35,000 in Northern Cyprus, an EU member since 2004.

Don’t we have a right to vote for or against each time to decide whether or not we want to welcome a new EU member?

Conclusion

This political Corporation we call the EU had on 1st January 2010 a total population in excess of half a billion.

It’s distinctly ant-American and regards the UK’s close ties with America as being counter productive to the EU’s ambition of dominating every member nation.

We used to be as is America – free – free to speak our minds in public – free to write about what is and is not, in our opinion, right and wrong as strongly as we wish – not any more.

How much does this membership privilege cost?

40 MILLION POUNDS EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Your British passport will soon be replaced by a European passport with your private details on a hard disc in Brussels.

Immediately you officially become a European citizen, your medical records since birth and of course your financial details will also become European.

The EU doesn’t represent freedom my friend – it was originally set up to achieve political domination and has almost succeeded!

You still want to be a European?

I watched the first hour of the Chilcott Enquiry and decided I’d heard enough of this media fuelled circus that was costing us 6.5 million Pounds.

It’s just a feeding frenzy for the media and ammunition for opposition parties who should be explaining how they intend to fix our broken economy – my opinion? – they haven’t a clue!

UK Citizens are aware that we have a critical economic crisis on our hands – AND can’t afford to be at war with 2 different countries.

Although we’re constantly listening to reasons why both wars should continue, I’d like to cite just one reason why they must stop:

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO CONTINUE!

Buy a copy of The Three Trillion Dollar War by Linda J. Bilmes and Joseph E. Stiglitz. I guarantee you’ll form the same opinion!

War in Afghanistan

• This war has cost the British Tax Payer in real terms more than 13 Billion Pounds since 2001 and is now costing the US Tax Payer almost 11 Billion Pounds a month.
• 270 British Service Personnel and 1,005 Americans have died since 2001.
• So have 35,000 Afghan civilians – estimated.
• Original Ministry Of Defence estimates of 1 Billion Pounds that Gordon Brown set aside for Iraq and Afghanistan had already increased by almost 700% in 2007.

Although we, the “naive public” are told by the MOD that this war has cost only 6 Billion Pounds, they’re referring to direct costs only and avoiding all mention of consequential spending;

For example:

1. Medical costs, after-care and compensation for wounded service personnel.
2. Compensation to bereaved dependents.
3. War Widows pensions.
4. Compensation for Afghan civilian war deaths
5. Additional cost of new military equipment.
6. 1 Billion Pounds by the Department for International Development.
7. 250 Million Pounds by the Foreign Office to combat the huge Afghan narcotics trade that still supplies almost 70% of all the heroin sold in Britain.

War in Iraq

Although we’re told that this war has to date cost the Tax Payer approximately 5 Billion Pounds, I can’t for a moment accept this figure as once again no consequential spending has been taken into consideration.

Our MOD expenditure in real terms is almost impossible to calculate so without sounding melodramatic I intend to add only 2 Billion Pounds to the total to include all social and welfare costs, bringing the true cost to around 7 Billion Pounds.

This war is costing the US Tax Payer 8.3 Billion Pounds a month!

Although 179 British personnel have been killed to date, I was almost paralysed with shock to learn that 4,367 Americans have also died in Iraq!

This must stop!

The Total Cost of Both Wars to the Tax Payer?

The cost to the British Tax Payer by the end of 2010 will reach the horrendous amount of 20 Billion Pounds.

We also need to know how much the UK is expected / has agreed to pay towards rebuilding Iraq.

An estimate of 1.6 Trillion Dollars (800 Billion Pounds) has been suggested for total rebuilding costs over the next 10 years but like any other estimate, human greed will double, even triple this amount.

We must remember that we’re dealing with two corrupt Governments who can’t be trusted with an amount almost equal to our national debt!

How much will Iraq be expected to contribute from its estimated annual 100 Billion Dollar oil revenue? We may have been the invaders but I do believe they should contribute a substantial percentage because you and I know that we won’t be welcome there 5 years from now.

Charity begins at home

I doubt if Tony Blair gave these dire consequences a second thought when he agreed to go to war against the wishes of the majority of his electorate, 64% of whom are now in favour of pulling out.

The fact is: We have no choice but to concentrate on getting our country back to work, re-establish the cash flow we lost due to the criminal irresponsibility of our Financial Mafia.

AND America is in exactly the same position!

We can no longer afford the 5 billion pounds each year to sustain 2 ongoing wars.

Present Governments in both Iraq and Afghanistan will continue to line their own pockets while they use us as their personal money machine.

The Dutch Government have already listened to their electorate and are pulling their troops out at the end of 2010.

These are George Bush and Tony Blair’s wars

They’ve both long gone and no longer give a damn and must be aware that they’ve succeeded in creating another Vietnam where Afghanistan is concerned.

The decent people of America want their troops home, 64% of Brits want the same – the politicians work for us – so let’s tell them – and I mean all Parties!

Finally, please consider this one thing: Politicians who are against pulling out immaterial of the cost will be history 10 years from now and wealthy.

Do they really give a damn if they leave us drowning in debt – they’ll simply blame someone else as they do now!

Mr Foot is one of my very few political heroes because he never once betrayed his beliefs to appease his Party, the popular Press or attract votes.

He first came face to face with poverty and unemployment when at 21 he became a shipping clerk in Liverpool, a City so different from his native and prosperous Plymouth.

He first became an MP in 1945 winning his seat for Labour for the first time ever.

Throughout his lifetime he was his own man, often paying the price that no present day Politician would ever consider – loosing an election in 1955 because his middle class Plymouth Devonport Constituents thought he had drifted too far left for their liberal tastes.

He was a staunch supporter of Aneurin Bevan, the Welsh MP and Labour Government Minister responsible for the creation of the NHS in 1948.

Michael Foot the Journalist

Aneurin Bevan recommended him to Lord Beaverbrook who hired him to write for the London Evening Standard where he quickly became Editor at the tender age of 28 (1942).

When in 1945 he was elected to Parliament, he joined the Daily Herald, an official Labour Party paper as a hard hitting columnist.

He championed freedom of the press and warned of the dangers of Corporate press control then personified in the form of Rupert Murdoch.

5 years in the Political wilderness?

After loosing his seat in 1955 he was expected to disappear.

Not on your life!

During this time, as well as editing the Daily Herald, he spent a great deal of his own time travelling round the country to familiarise himself with the real Britain that wealthy MP’s represented (allegedly) in Parliament but had never seen. I’m sad to say, times haven’t changed.

He was often visibly moved by what he saw and people he met.

Poverty and unemployment were everywhere, the rich were getting richer (sound familiar?) while the Trades Unions were becoming increasingly militant.

Michael Foot’s “fire brand” editorials were brilliant and attracted national attention to this man who was now trusted by the Unions and people alike but feared by the non militant MP’s from his party who wanted an easy life.

Finally on 1960, aged 47, he was elected by the Constituents of Ebbw Vale in Monmouthshire to replace the great Aneurin Bevan who had tragically died of cancer.

Serious errors of Judgment 1960 – 1992

1. The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 should have persuaded this ultra intelligent man that extremist dictators will never be dissuaded to curb their aggression with diplomacy.
2. He criticised Britain’s action over the Suez Canal without being in possession of the full facts.
3. When he opposed the Labour Government’s intention to restrict immigration during the 60’s he did so from a humanitarian view point without first considering the potential chaos that unrestricted immigration would cause.
4. In 1975 he allowed his late friend, Aneurin Bevan’s widow, Jenny Lee to persuade him to support Indira Gandhi’s declaration of a state of emergency in India.
5. He introduced the Health and Safety at Work Act that although it has make the workplace safer has spiraled out of all proportion.
6. When he was Secretary of State for Employment during the Wilson Administration, he became too close to the Union Leaders who ultimately walked all over him.
7. Labour’s failure to win the 1983 Bermondsey by-election was guaranteed when he failed to defend the Labour candidate, Peter Tatchell against the homophobic rants of the Tory candidate.
8. The Labour manifesto of 1983 was more suited to the Communist Party because it was much too radical. It was later described as “the longest suicide note in history”

What he got right 1960 – 1992

1. Michael Foot, from the very beginning advocated State ownership of major British Industries which, had the Trades Unions had some fore-sight, would still be alive today, to provide the employment and revenue that’s now notably absent.
2. He advised everyone to vote NO in the 1975 Referendum on membership of the European Economic Community but unfortunately 67% said YES with a 65% turn out. (What a shame those who voted YES didn’t realise what their politicians were getting them into and how much it was going to eventually cost!)
3. Immaterial of how the former Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) has turned out, Mr Smith, the former Prime Minister had every intention of enslaving the non white population for many more years when he declared independence in 1965.
4. He rightly backed the Tories when they decided to kick Argentina out of The Falklands in 1982 much to the disgust of Tony Benn and his motley crew in the Labour Party.
5. He wore his Donkey Jacket to the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day in November 1981. It was a dark colour and demonstrated no disrespected.
6. When the Tories defeated Labour in 1983, Michael Foot retired but didn’t run away. He joined the Back Benchers and proudly continued to be actively involved in Parliament as any MP should.
7. His support for Croatian leader Franjo Tudman was openly criticised but then that was his own personal opinion – right or wrong.
8. His defence of Salman Rushdie, the novelist who was subject to a fatwa by Ayatollah Khomeini, although criticised was based on the democratic belief that anyone living in a free country can voice their opinion for or against any Government or religion and no one, particularly a man of religion has the right to sentence anyone to die!
9. The many books he wrote or co-wrote over an almost 50 year span are now highly collectable and well respected in literary circles.
10. Finally, although his leadership of the Labour Party was voted by Labour members as the worse ever, there would be no Labour Party today if Michael Foot hadn’t provided the cohesion to hold it together.

Michael Foot may have had his imperfections and his eccentric manner bring a smile to your face, but he was possibly the most loyal servant the Labour Party has had in recent years demanding nothing in return.