Saving Grace a new novel by Eddie Gubbins

Last year I was sitting in bed drinking my tea listening to the Today Programme when I heard of a couple who had been married for over fifty years but their children had placed them in nursing homes  25 miles apart. Hearing this brought to mind a theory of mine. When we grow old we become invisible. On many occasions it is asthough we are not there. Walking along the road, young people sweep us out of the way. Waiting to be served with a drink in a bar, we are often ignored while the young server takes the order of another youngster.
Then as in the case of the couple married for over fifty years, families might think they are doing the right thing but the end result is often very difficult for the older couple.
With this in mind, I started to write  a novel. It concerns the question of what will happen if the married couple of fifty years are separated.
Saving Grace follows Tony's plans to get together with Grace despite the opinion of his children.
I sent this to a publisher with a positive response but I have not heard from them for a while. I am not getting any younger so I have decided to self publish. It will be available in about a month.

Brexit

I have to confess that I am a passionate remainer when it comes to the UK and European Union. On a simple level unlike my father and his father I have not had to march away to war in Europe. Neither has my son or his friends. There have been much social legislation from the EU?
But we remainers have to understand the voters of this country voted to leave. Many MPs do not seem to understand this. They spout about democracy while denying there is anything wrong with their trying to stop the UK leaving the EU. They are being indemocratic.
How can the Labour Party act like they are stopping Brexit when a great many of their supporters voted to leave. I do not like Johnson but he is right on this matter.
Most people are fed up with the prevarication of our politicians and just want the matter dealt with.

The Pope and the environment

It is heartening to hear the Pope talk about the dangers of global warming and other environmental problems. There is as the saying goes an elephant ignored in the room. The environmental problems are real and growing but not many people actually are explicit about the main cause. There are too many people and the population is growing. Trees are cut down to make way for farms and industry because of the pressure of the population.
The Pope could help with this by starting to admit that the answer is contraception. If he lent his weight to a campaigne for restricting the size of families, a great many of the worlds population would take notice. If he then combined with the leaders of the other great religions there might be a chance of restricting the rise in population.
Some commentators made sarcastic comments about Prince Harry's remark about only having two children but he is giving the lead unlike his brother. The Chinese might have been too harsh but they at least saw the problem.
The population needs to be stabilised and then reduced. Just look at the size of refugee families to see the problem. Lets have a campaigne by religious leaders and politicians to promote contraception around the world.

What a choice if there is a UK election!

What choice if ther is a UK election soon. On the one hand Boris Johnson and on the other John McDonnell.
Boris is a maverick who concentrates on Brexit while promising the earth. He gives the impression that he knows what is going on but stumbles over some of the simplest things. He opens his mouth without thinking.
I deliberately did not say Jeremy Corbin but John McDonnell. He is the dangerous man behind the figurehead. He is the politician who wants to turn the UK into another Venezuela! How daft can one get. His policy regarding the rich is designed to give people the incentive to leave. How can we live with an unreconstructed Marxist as chanceller? A question that has to be asked is when has a Marxist government been successful? Wealth has to be created before there can be redistribution.
Of course, the wealthy are partly to blame for moves to set up a left wing government. Many rich people boast of having paid hardly any income tax. They set up tax avoidance schemes. The ordinary tax payer pays their tax and wonders how these people get away with it. In addition executives of companies give themselves msssive pay rises while keeping the wages low. No wonder they are angry.

No deal Brexit.

it is now becoming obvious what I suspected after Mrs May announced her agreement with the EU on leaving deal. One of the main dangers was there would be pressure for a United Ireland. Whether the Irish government and the EU set out to accomplish this is open to question. They both deny there was ever any objective along these lines but there must be a strong possibility. Scotland is similarly poised to look for independence. Even in Wales there are muttering about independence. Is this what the hard Brixeters wanted? We will have to see!

Disadvantaged children and school.

Listening to the news gives me pause for thought. It sounds as though all the schools need is more resources and they can solve the problem of disadvantaged children catching more affluent in educational attainment. From my experience that is not the whole picture. There has to be a change in attitude of many parents concerning learning. There is still a feeling among many working class parents in this country that education is a wast of time. I have heard it said many times the best thing is to get out of school and trying to earn some money. Then the children find their aspirations thwarted by a lack of qualifications and they have few options than crime.
It is still a boast by many working class men that they have never read a book. How depressing to live in a house with no books and no culture. Maybe some of the money should be used to educate parents.
In my novel about growing up and becoming upwardly mobile An Ordinary Life, Caroline says to Tom,  “ Tom Houseman, no matter what you and your brother might say, you were never working class. No don’t protest because I expect you know what I mean. Your parents made sure that the two of you were always striving to better yourselves. As far as I can recall, there was never any talk of either of you getting a working job. You were very well mannered and ate off china plates with linen table clothes. Your mother would have nothing to do with the man selling things on tick. No you were not working class. You might be left wing labour but you are not working class socialists.”

            Tom laughed. “ You might be right, I suppose. Working class and middle class are not about money but about attitudes to the way life should be lived. My Dad was left wing labour but his politics were grounded in the trades union movement far more than in political parties. He wanted workers rights and a fairer share of the financial cake. He actually thought the same way as Mike Pearce about workers earning the wealth and therefore having a right to a bigger share but he was not so dogmatic about nationalisation.”
So part of the trouble is low aspirations of the society around these children making it difficult to rise above their background.
Buy An Ordinary Life by Edmund Gubbins from Amazon or download to electronic devises like kindle.

Wealth creation and poverty

Listening to a leader of business telling us that ordinary people are not happy with business almost made me laugh. Watching  the debate by the Conservative candidates for leader of the Tory party and ultimately Prime Minister of the U K reinforced the impression that Tory politicians and business leaders do not know what life is like for ordinary people. Tax cuts for the rich by the politicians, large pay rises for the business leaders and others like Vice Chancellors of universities by those at the top. The majority of people would not be angry with those at the top if they thought there was a fair share out of the wealth. That is not the case. The working person has been screwed while those at the top use their position to enhance their wealth. Don't tell me there are renumeration committees to vet the pay rises. These committees are made up of a small circle of the same people. It is you scratch my back I will scratch yours.
What most people realise is that wealth has to be created before it can be shared out. Those at the top have to realise that they must make their contribution and not use every devious means to reduce their tax burden. If they are not careful they will let happen the very thing which they most fear a very left wing Labour govern,net.
This is illustrated in my novel An Odinary Life with this extract. This is from the 1980's but the same is being discussed today.
Mike stayed, " In a small country, we cannot afford to let the skills and expertise fade away. If we could only truly politicise the working class so that all became active, they  would take over the unions and make them do what the true working class want the unions to do. That is push for a socialist society. From a position of strength in the unions, ordinary people could then move into the ward and Constituency Labour Parties. I reckon the only way to save the Labour Party from the disaster of another election defeat is to start putting in place a Marxist agenda. There is a newspaper called Militant which argues this.”

         “ That is not the way,” Tom put in softly. “ We have to create wealth. My brand of socialism has always been about how we use the wealth to create equality rather than the state running everything. Like you Mike, I fail to see how anybody can justify earning one hundred times more than the ordinary worker but we have to create wealth before we can embark on a socialist agenda. The rich and more fortunate in society have to be convinced that taxes are a way of encouraging the poor and disadvantaged to better themselves.”

         “ In order to create wealth for the whole of society we have to encourage people to take risks and keep a great proportion of their wealth,” Edward shrugged eloquently. “ What is most important, as Tom said, is how we then use the wealth created. There has to be an element of redistribution within the system but more important is that everyone has access to a good health service no matter how rich they are. In addition, the education system should be funded so that every child has a chance to fulfil their potential.”

         “ You would say that, Edward Houseman,” Mike almost shouted. “ You have wealth and a high standard of living. You never have to think about where the next penny is coming from. Your wife never has to make choices between whether to feed all the family small portions or whether to go without herself so that her husband and children will get enough.  There is a lot of poverty out there which the world does not see. All poor people are not slovenly. Some struggle to put on the best outward appearance they can to the world. It is these people we have to help and letting the stinking rich keep more of their earnings is not going to help these people.”

         “ Will it help the poor people of this country if we tax all the rich people to such an extent that they take their wealth and talent abroad and do not pay any taxes at all?” Edward put to Mike bluntly. “ People with wealth spend their money here which helps with employment. We have to stay true to our Labour Party principles while finding a way which allows people to make money while helping those at the bottom of the heap.”

         “ Rubbish!” Mike shot back equally bluntly. “ The wealth of this country is made by those who work with their skilled hands. Could your average managing director make something from a block of metal? Could they stand the heat of the shop floor? Militant newspapers says that we should do away with the management classes as they stand and run our factories by workers councils."
We are once more back to the morality of the rich.
An Ordinary Life by Edmund Gubbins available from Amazon as paperback or Kindle to download as an ebook.

Avoiding taxes

Reading the newspaper the other day and my eyes were drawn to an article tucked away on an inside page. A millionaire was found to have earned what to most people was a fortune but had only paid thirty two pounds in tax. To most people this is monstrous. He and his advisors assured the public that it was perfectly legal and he had done nothing wrong. I thought at the time tell that to all the hard working people who pay their taxes before they get their salary or wage.
It might be legal though in some cases that is stretching the definition of legal to its limits. There is however a moral question. He takes advantage of all that taxes pays for without making any contribution. How does he think there are police trying to protect him or the army trying to protect his country. Because people pay their taxes.
As for the NHS I suspect he does not have to use this except in an emergency. Hang on a minute. How are the emergency services paid for but through taxes? How does he live with the fact that he does not make any contribution? Next time he needs an ambulance will he pay the driver?
Finally there is the moral aspect of helping others less fortunate than oneself. I doubt he ever thinks of this. It is a measure of how civilised a society is to share the burden around in the form of support. It is a continued puzzle to me that those who have more than enough try to make sure they keep their wealth to themselves.

President Trump's state visit

I lay in bed with my morning mug of tea listening to the vitriolic comments from many people concerning President Trimp's visit. Now I do not like President Trump both in the way he conducts himself or his policies. That is not the point. He is here as the Head of Sate of the USA and should be given all the pageantry that entails.
We gave a state visit with pomp and ceremony to the Chinese leader. He does not have to put himself in front of the people. He is so unsure of his position he will not allow anybody to critisise him or his rageme. There is no free press or free judiciary. His cronies kill people. On this anniversary of Tinnemin Square we should remember all this.
For all his faults, Trump will have to put himself forward to face the people. He holds press conferences and faces questioning. There is a free press who question his policies and his judgement. He can be held to account.
If we can give a state visit to the Chinese Leader why all the fuss about President Trump? As I say, he is here as the head of state. How can the speaker of the House of Commons refuse him an address to both Houses of Parliament when that privilege was given to the Chineses leader?

Global warming

I was lying in bed with my morning mug of tea listening to the radio when an item on global warming had a speaker who mentioned the growing population. It struck a cord with me. I have been saying for a long time that one of the biggest problems facing the world is the number of babies being born and adding to the population. As the population increases so does the use of fuels which add to global warming. There is a strong case for spending some of the development money on education about birth control.
There should be a concerted effort to get the leaders of the worlds religions to make population growth halting one of their priorities. I know this will be hard for them but it has to be accomplished. Whenever there are news reports from refugee camps one of the things which stands out is the number of children. Less people less pollution.
Come on you politicians try to address this question.

What is happening in the Labour Party

This is a small extract from my novel An Ordinary Life by Edmund Gubbins. It is about the early nineteen eighties and what was happening at local Labour party meetings. Is this what is happening today? People are not allies even though they might differ in their views but enemies. In other words if a member is not overtly supportive of their point of view, they are more the enemy than the Tories.The Labour Party has to divest itself of Jeremy Corbin and John McDonnel before they will be a force to win an election.

The next time there was a Labour Party meeting in his area, Tom went along. A few people who he knew greeted him like a lost brother but others were much more hostile. He did not recognise many of the people in the room though he did know Mike Pearce among those on the platform.

         The business dragged on and Tom was aware that he had been warned about this by his brother. People started to drift away, some to go home, others to the bar. Stubbornly Tom stayed.

         “ Next item on the agenda.” The chairman Dave Dowling stated. “ The nomination of two delegates to the Labour Party conference.”

         “ I propose Dave Dowling and Mike Pearce,” a thin face woman said from the floor.

         “ Thank you,” Dave Dowling said. “ I will have to step aside while a vote is taken if there are any other nominations. Well?”

         He glowered round the room.

         “ I nominate Tom Houseman,” a quiet voice spoke from the middle of the room.

         Mr. Reynolds, thought Tom, looking round. Stan Reynolds sat with his wife Betty defiantly looking at the committee. He was dressed in a suit and tie, grey hair slicked back. His lined face showed his concern and determination. His wife was dressed in a cardigan and skirt. They must have been well passed retirement age. They had been coming to these meetings for a long time so Tom had gathered when he had talked to them after joining from the other constituency. They were the sort of old fashioned Labour people who believed in equality of opportunity, redistribution of wealth and society. For them the health service was the best thing that had ever been devised. Their children had gone, like Tom to grammar school and then into professions, one a teacher, the other doctor. They were proud of their children and grandchildren but they never lost sight of their roots and the need to give people a chance in life. They supported the monarchy and the countries institutions. As Tom’s mother would have described them, the salt of the earth. Ordinary people leading ordinary lives.

         Dave Dowling scowled. “ Seconder?”

         May Reynolds raised her hand. “ I second Tom Houseman. He will make a very good delegate to the Conference,”

         “ Is that constitutional? You are his wife.” Dave Dowling grunted.

         “ But we are individual members of the Party. Therefore we have the right to nominate and second who we like.”

         “ Do you agree to this nomination, Tom?” Mike Pearce asked bluntly.

         “ Yes,” Tom smiled sweetly. “ It looks like you will not get the shoe in you expected.”

         “ Those nominated will have to leave the room,” Dave Dowling stated glowering at Tom. “ Brian will take the chair for the vote.”

         All three trooped out. A waste of time, thought Tom looking round the room. There are only a couple of people like Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds left. All the rest are the supporters of Dave Dowling. Tom was proved right. Dave Dowling and Mike Pearce were easily elected.

         After the vote Mr. Reynolds moved a point of order. “ Are we quorate? There don’t seem to be many people here.”

         “ Of course we are quorate,” Dave Dowling now back in the chair snapped. “ I would not have taken a vote if we were not quorate.”

         “ Another thing,” Stan persisted. “ Why was such an important item placed towards the end of the agenda? A lot of brothers and sisters left before we got to that business.”

         “ They knew what was on the agenda so it is their fault they were not here for the vote.”

         “ Who draws up the agenda?” Stan asked not giving up.

         “ The committee, you ass hole!” Dave Dowling snapped.

         “ There is no need to call me that. I was asking perfectly valid questions,” Stan stood his ground.

         “ No it wasn’t a valid question. The committee draws up the agenda from all the business that needs to be discussed. That is the trouble with the party. We have to keep faith with members like you and your wife. You are from the past. You want to be civil with all sides. You believe in decency and equal opportunities. Redistribution of wealth but not getting rid of those who exploit the working class. Christ, you should not be in the party. We need to turn back to a Marxist agenda. Nationalise all the means of production, finance and business. The best thing you two could do is to leave the party to the likes of me and Mike.”

         “ That is not right. My wife and I have been working for the party for years and years. We have supported it through the good times and the bad.”

         “ Look old man. Go home and leave the proper politics to those who know what they are doing. You are not wanted. You are part of the problem.”

         Tom could see they were almost in tears and reacted angrily. “ There is no need to insult these good people, Dave Dowling. You might think that your education and ideas are superior to theirs but they are only ideas. Leave them alone.”

         Dave Dowling smiled cruelly. “ What do you know of working people, Tom Houseman? You are the product of an elitist system. You went to grammar school and then to university. You work in a university now. What do you know of struggle?”

         “ Coming from you that is rich,” Tom laughed. “ My father is at least a working man. Yours was a school teacher just as you are a school teacher. My convictions come from a deep rooted source. I believe in equality of opportunity and redistribution of wealth. But there has to be the creation of wealth in the first place. People have to earn money before they can pay taxes.”

         “ But as is shown in Russia, there can be wealth without exploitation.”

         “ Rubbish! Which is the richest country on earth?” Tom asked. “ The United States.”

         “ But they exploit the poor unlike in Russia.”

         “ Rubbish again. In Russia they put people in Gulags who disagree with the government. In the United States you are free to criticise the government. You can vote out those in office.”

         “ To help the working class we have to have a left wing agenda.”

         “ To carry out your agenda you have to get elected.”

         “ With a left wing agenda and ideas, there are more working class than the rest, so we will get elected. The trouble with this government is that it is not radical enough.”

         “ Now you are either being silly or you have your head in the clouds. With a programme like Mike is always advocating there is not a cat in hells chance of this party getting elected. Hopefully the Tories have shot themselves in the foot by electing a woman as leader. If Jim Callaghan goes to the polls this autumn, we have a chance but not with a manifesto like you are going to advocate at the party conference. Now you leave these good people alone in future. They have a perfect right to be here and a perfect right to ask questions. If you are so unsure of your position that you have to insult life long Labour members, there is something wrong with your arguments. Come on Mr. And Mrs. Reynolds. I will give you a lift home.”

         “ Don’t you dare call me a coward, Tom Houseman!” Mike exploded.

         “ Mike grow up and start acting like an adult. You are going to put this party in a right mess if you are not careful.” Tom grinned. “ The next thing you will do is start to advocate  locking up anybody who disagrees with you. All you have to do is look at dictatorships down the ages to se where hat leads. Even better, go and buy a copy of animal farm and read that if you can read and understand what it is saying. It will save you a great deal l of heart ache in the future.”

         Tom ushered them out of the building and into his car.

         “ Thank you for standing up for us,” Mr. Reynolds said as they arrived at his house. “ I don’t know what the Party is coming to when people treat other people like that.”

         “ We have to make a stand against the bullies of the left,” Tom smiled in reassurance. “ lets make sure we are there next time.”

An Ordinary Life by Edmund Gubbins available from Amazon as a paper back and Kindle to download as an ebook.

Money laundering is illegal. Even Tom Houseman knows that. He, as an academic, makes a distinction between helping somebody to set up legitimate business and the source of the money.

The novel follows the life of Tom Houseman. From his early childhood on the edge of a hard council estate to eminent Professor with a worldwide reputation and great wealth. The story explores the manner in which most people regard themselves as honest and law abiding although there are times and circumstances when they ignore the rules of behaviour or of some moral code. These people justify their actions by ignoring their conscience or making excuses for their behaviour. In extreme cases they give the impression that morality is not an issue in their case.

Tom Houseman has a boyhood friend called Derek from the council estate and, though their paths diverge after junior school, he stays loyal to his friend. Derek becomes the right hand man of the criminal Mr. Big and introduces Edward. During his life, Edward accepts opportunities presented by his friends and his brother. These enhance both his standing in society and his wealth. All the time, he ignores and denies the moral and legal implications of taking advantage of these offers. As time passes, he has to accept the implications of his choices.

Will he finally have to face these hard decisions or will he sail serenely on living, to him, this ordinary life?