Woman-basher King will get a 15th chance

MARLON KING will be signed by a football club in the next few weeks and it will spark an outcry.

Any man who raises his hand to a woman is not any kind of man at all.

But a serial-offending thug who leaves a young lady battered and bruised, like poor Emily Carr (right), should be tied down - to enable women who so desire to freely kick the proverbial crap out of him and trample over his body in stiletto heels.

Far more justice than spending nine months at one of Her Majesty’s holiday camps – which nowadays pass as prisons.

However, that aside, some of the hypocrisy doing the rounds in today’s media outlets beggars belief.

His agent Tony Finnigan – one of the most unsavoury football characters I have ever spoken to – was on radio this morning arguing that he “had a duty, rightly or wrongly, to find Marlon work”.

It is his duty? More like, he can smell a quick buck in setting up a deal for the brute. Of course, he has no legal obligation to represent Marlon King.

On talkSPORT radio, they were arguing that King should be banished – never to step foot into professional football again.

A caller rang in and started to make an excellent point: “Marlon King doesn’t deserve another chance – yet you guys work alongside Stan Collym …” He was cut off before he had a chance to finish.

Yes, talkSPORT’s Stan Collymore, who beat up Ulrika Jonsson and got caught dogging at Cannock Chase.

Of course, everyone deserves another chance after making a mistake in life – but how many chances does King get?

If he is not headbutting team-mates, he is stealing, speeding, drink driving, acting fraudulently or beating up women who refuse to have sex with him … just to name a few “mistakes”.

Yet, sadly, there will still be a place in football for this nasty piece of work – and it will be argued that he deserves a 15th chance (following his 14 convictions) and he has served his time.

But, in doing so, it sends out yet another wrong message to young children who look up to footballers as role models. You can be a violent serial offender – and still be welcomed back into football with open arms.

He SHOULD be banned from professional football for life – but in a game where money wins over principles he WON’T.

My ticket not to ride

CHECKING tickets and opening a train platform barrier for cyclists and disabled passengers must be a dull and unrewarding job.

So perhaps one gentleman at London Bridge decided he wanted to liven up his mundane working day when refusing to allow me to pass “his” barrier so I could board my train to Brighton on Saturday evening.

In a bid to save money – and live a healthier lifestyle – I often commute to work in London by train and bicycle.

But sometimes you find yourself in a hurry to catch a train, which happened to me at the weekend.

I had 10 minutes to get from Wapping to London Bridge, which by bicycle is a piece of cake if you are prepared to pedal fast.

When arriving at the station, I legged it across the concourse to the relevant platform, only to get held up while a huge group of people passed through the ticket barrier in the opposite direction.

Patiently I waited but was slightly agitated that the barrier guard was taking an age to open the gate to enable my bicycle and I to pass through to the platform.

The gentleman then gave me a telling off – the type we have all received from our parents or school-teachers in our childhood.

“You really should be patient, sir, and please don’t be in such a hurry,” he told me. “You should not run too.”

His tone was so much like my old school headmistress but I dared to answer back!

“Please don’t lecture me, I’m 33-years-old,” I told the pompous idiot.

“Sir, you will regret saying that to me,” he replied. “I’m not letting you pass MY barrier,” he added, looking proud of himself.

Understandably astonished, I argued: “You can’t stop me boarding the train, simply because I’ve dared to ask you not to lecture me.”

“It’s actually to my discretion who I let through,” he said, “and you’ve been abusive to me.”

So it’s now abusive to tell someone not to lecture you. And that warrants not allowing a passenger to board a train. I was not rude, I was not aggressive, I was not being unreasonable and I certainly was not being abusive.

It worries me that such a person is allowed to make such decisions on behalf of South Eastern Railways – and that, even when challenging a senior member of staff, was simply told: “You can’t be abusive to our staff!” So it was very much that his word was being taken over mine, with no evidence to suggest he was being truthful.

Thankfully, they were not the brightest tools in the box – and I knew of another way to access the platform in question by going through another barrier on the other side of the station.

I was able to board my train with seconds spare … my complaint is in the post.

Rooney's a vuvu-failure

"NICE to see your home fans boo you. That's what loyal support is."

Thanks Wayne ... nice words of wisdom from a £100,000-per-week football star who played like a drain against Algeria.

How about: "Nice to travel thousands of miles, pay several thousand pounds, take unpaid holiday and see your team play like a bunch of c**ts. That's what loyal support is."

Rooney was frustrated, angry and peeved that Algeria made him look like a slow fat beer-belly who would struggle to get into my local pub side, never mind reach a World Cup final.

But this man lives in a different world to the loyal fans who travel around the world and no doubt line his - and other England "superstar's" - pockets.

The England striker could not pass, could not control the ball, was constantly giving away possession, was off the pace and arguably the worst player on the pitch.

Yet in the stands, despite the vuvuzelas making the stadium sound like a mosquito nest, England fans were able to make their voices heard as they belted out God Save The Queen.

In fact, the Three Lions supporters yet again played a blinder. They showed pride and passion in their country - something which did not appear to be the case from our overindulged fat-cat footballers.

Our so-called stars were a bunch of vuvu-failures.

But Rooney is a street footballer, we keep getting reminded. A throwback to a bygone age ... a typical gutsy northern working-class centre forward.

That is one of the biggest myths in English football.

Rooney is worth £30million and lives in a massive commercial bubble. He is a worldwide brand - a million miles away from the likes of Stan Mortensen, the Blackpool and England centre-forward of the late 1940s-early 1950s that his marketing people model him on.

Everything he utters sells.

Whether he is trying to convince hard-pressed parents to buy some footwear for their kids at £280 a pop or telling youngsters that swigging some trendy fizzy drink will turn them into a future Manchester United star.

But what came out of his mouth on Friday night stunk the place out. Just like the obscene message - FCUK U - he scrawled on his golf shoes, which he exposed to photographers the other day.

His advisers have since made him apologise for his rant at fans on live TV. And so they should. Although it is probably more to do with protecting the image of Brand Rooney - rather than anything heartfelt.

It is about time Rooney started showing his anger out on the pitch, terrorise defences like we know he can and help England win this World Cup.

That is how he will show himself as a true great of the game - but sadly at this moment in time Rooney is not showing himself to be a "street footballer", a throwback to Stanley Matthews or Stan Mortensen, but yet another overrated, overpaid, overanalysed and overexposed spoilt brat who has an overinflated opinion of himself: the modern-day England footballer.

Feeling horny for sexy football

HAND me the TV remote – it’s time to hit mute.

The worldwide audience watching the greatest football show on Earth are in danger of being hit by a month-long headache.

Nurofen sales are sure to go through the roof thanks to those annoying vuvuzelas that are in danger of ruining this year’s World Cup.

It felt as though I was either being attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes or sitting in the biggest-ever traffic jam as the World Cup got underway today.

South Africa has got horny as sexy football hits her shores.

But – even in these liberal times – there surely must be limits.

The indecent exposure of these mini trumpets in the opening two games could ruin our beautiful game’s showpiece event if they are allowed to continue getting their wicked way.

It’s time to take protection – to prevent giving birth to a new monster that could become commonplace in football forever.

Give me “Who’s the w****r in the black”, “There’s only one Wayne Rooney” and “Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land” any day of the week.

Thankfully the England fans are in town as we bid to spank the Yanks and they will sing their hearts out for the lads.

And one thing is for sure – they won’t need to get the horn to show their love for our Three Lions.

Russian girls make Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer look like chavs

YOSHKAR-OLA is one big bizarre catwalk show.

I’ve never seen so many beautiful women, with legs that go on for miles, clad in elegant dresses with matching bags, stunning high-heel shoes and wearing immaculate make-up, trotting about the rugged and wild landscape of this rough but strangely charming Russian city.

The paths and roads are in desperate need of some fresh tarmac before someone falls down into the earth’s core. And they could do with a proper drainage system – so, that when it chucks down like it did a few mornings ago, the roads will not resemble muddy rivers.

But, despite being as practical as using an electric toaster to heat up a bath tub, the girls here dare to negotiate the huge potholes, rain lakes and other wet muddy terrain in shoes best suited for a swanky dinner party in Mayfair.

The ladies here make Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer look like a pair of chavs knocking about a rundown council estate on a Friday night.

Although many of them struggle to make ends meet on salaries of around £120-a-month and have to work long hours, they somehow manage to shine through the gloomy backdrop of working-class Russian life.

Many men still stagger embarrassingly about the streets, sometimes in the middle of the morning, after necking a bottle or two of vodka.

But the women have more respect for themselves. Coco Chanel would be proud of them.

Russia: The good, the bad, the ugly

THE good, the bad, the ugly … a perfect way to sum up Russia.

Since landing in Moscow on Sunday afternoon, it has been yet another rollercoaster visit.

It is probably impossible for anyone to fully understand this huge country.

The people, when you get into their homes and share a couple of vodkas, are warm, welcoming and friendly. Family values are very high, something that has eroded back home during the past 20 years.

But then Russia is stuck in a time warp. The great traditions of a bygone age are still going strong – yet the remnants of 70-plus years of communism is all too apparent.

The painstaking bureaucracy over here would drive any sane person wild.

As a foreigner, alien, Westerner, whatever they call me here, I have to register with every local police authority of the areas I visit.

I was required to fill a form at a post office the other day where I had to supply my name, home address, passport number and the address where I am staying.

This information had already been supplied to the Russian Embassy in London and the immigration authorities upon arrival in Moscow.

But, hey, let’s give the information a third time … and also wait at a post office counter for 70 minutes while some stern-looking headmistress type studied my details. Quite why it took more than two minutes is beyond me.

However, what amazed me more than anything, was there were about six or seven people behind me in the queue who also had to wait. The poor lady who just popped out to buy a stamp must have been spitting feathers.

Yet she was not. In fact, everyone in the queue just accept this as part of life … even if buying a stamp over here can sometimes take longer than getting a loaf of bread in Germany in the early 1930s.

Russia is however evolving. There is no doubt about that. A new generation will take the country forward and, hopefully, seize power from backward-looking politicians more interested in lining their own pockets than to helping improve the lives of millions of hard-working Russians.

But, hopefully, the strong family values that make up the foundations of this amazing country must not be sacrificed.

That is what I love about Russia … and perhaps one day our own country will rediscover this too.

All change, please

THE Hess Express has reached its destination … all change, please … all change.

All good things come to an end and sadly the great ride for my local club Dover Athletic with Andy Hessenthaler is going no further.

Quite simply, Hess – in just three years – has established himself as a legend. He has dragged the club back from the Ryman League outposts to the verge of being back among non-league’s elite.

Sure, it would have been perfect had he finished the job he set out to do, which was to return the Mighty Whites back into the Blue Square Premier … but the lure of League football was just too much to resist.

Andy will be back at Gillingham. If not tomorrow, he will be unveiled over the next few days. I know he is meeting the odious Penfold-lookalike Paul Scally tonight to thrash out terms.

But although Dover have reached their destination with Hess – the club’s journey is by no means over.

In fact, not only is chairman Jim Parmenter eyeing Blue Square Premier football within the next two years, the ultimate ambition of becoming Kent’s second Football League club is the carrot that is driving everyone on.

Make no mistake, Jim will be appointing a top-rate replacement.

The new man at the helm will be full-time, earn a very good salary, be handed a decent budget for players and will have the chance to build his own empire.

Everything at Dover is in place. The facilities are Football League standard and there is a strong and passionate fan-base.

In short, it’s a great little club.

Although today is disappointing, tomorrow is sure to be exciting.

C’mon you Whites.

Such a Scallywag

PAUL SCALLY is one of the biggest duckers and divers in lower-league football.

And the Gillingham chairman’s antics this week prove it.

Hilariously, he made a statement on his club’s official website denying he had spoken to anyone regarding the managerial vacancy at Priestfield.

"I don't know where that story came from," he commented, regarding The Sun's article reporting that Andy Hessenthaler had officially been lined up for a return to the Medway club.

Scally must have suffered a bout of memory loss as only 12 hours before his statement, he had been in contact with Dover Athletic chairman Jim Parmenter asking for his permission to speak to Hessenthaler.

Not only that, but he seems to think he can poach a contracted manager for nowt.

I pity anyone who supports Gillingham with this man at the helm.

First Capital Dis-Connect

WHAT a Namby Pamby world we live in.

Last night I boarded a First Capital Connect train to Brighton at London Bridge, which was already running 30 minutes late.

No surprise there - it would have been a shock had it been on time.

But what followed was pure farce.

The train was not moving anywhere ... and the clock was ticking. After 10 minutes, passengers started to get agitated.

When one of them asked the driver what was going on, he explained "an 18-year-old girl on board was drunk".

God forbid, a young lady in high spirits on Friday night.

In any case, they could not guarantee her safety if they decided to operate the service while she was on the train.

So station staff had contacted the police - who would need to escort her off the train before it could pull out of London Bridge.

Strangely enough, the rozzers were in no rush to get there. London, Friday night? What could be more important than a silly, little girl being drunk and making a bit of noise on the train?

There were three options available: the guard could just escort her off the train, or wait until the police finally arrive to move her ... or just operate the service and get on with it?

As 10 minutes turned into 45, it was clear that option three would have been fine.

However, they could "not guarantee her safety" ... so option one perhaps? No, because if a guard, or station security staff, dare lay a single finger on the girl to remove her from the train, the drunken teenager could sue them for "common assault".

No, option two it must be - so about 300 people must sit there to wait for the police!

For crying out aloud, what is the world coming to?

Safety issues? As far as I could see, there would be no chance of the young impressionable girl jumping off the train as the doors are automatically locked!

Common assault? Oh, please!

But, having seen the girl myself, she was very boring. What was coming out of her mouth was barely audible. She was no threat to anyone - apart from perhaps being slightly annoying.

We were finally informed by the driver that the safety risk had been assessed by a team of specially-trained staff - and they had established she was drunk and we would be better off travelling on another train!

In the end, the police never showed but we boarded another train, which they routed to Brighton 90 minutes behind schedule.

Madness!

Yikes ... my baby brother is 27 today!

YIKES – my baby brother is 27 today. What does that make me?

Time really does fly. I remember the little git kicking my mum from inside while she was pregnant with him.

You just knew that trouble was coming!

There has never been a dull moment with him around – one of the funniest was when he was aged about three, while we were briefly living in Mill Hill, North London.

My mum was ready for a night out and my grandmother was up from Folkestone to babysit.

She was all dolled up and looking forward to an evening away from the kids.

But our mum only managed to get as far as the end of our front garden path, when she turned round to look up at the front bedroom. To her horror, it had been coloured a pitch-black!

She raced back into the house and up the stairs to discover Wayne had helped himself to a thick black marker pen, which he somehow managed to cover the entire window with.

Plus he decided to “redecorate” the entire bedroom!

Still larger than life – and someone who always makes people smile – Wayne is a wonderful lad.

But if he is starting to push up to 30 … that scares me … because I’m even older!

Zo Long, Gianfranco

THE way Gianfranco Zola was treated by West Ham this week was a disgrace.

Let’s get one thing straight: he was a crap manager.

With a team that boasted FOUR England internationals, he only managed to finish ahead of two of the worst teams to have ever graced the Premier League in Burnley and Hull – and crisis club Portsmouth.

But, that aside, the popular and always smiling Italian deserved better from Hammers owner David Sullivan.

To sack him for a “breach of contract” after Zola spoke out about the owners was shoddy.

Motormouth Sullivan undermined Zola and his players ever since getting his hands on East London’s finest club in January. The porn king should learn to keep his trap shut.

Sullivan must accept that there is a correct way to behave and making up some trumped-up story as a reason for sacking Zola to avoid paying up his contract makes me ashamed to be a Hammers fan. It's dishonourable and smacks in the face of everything I feel West Ham stands for.

Zola had to go … but it was down to results, nothing else. Everything he said in the media about the owners was correct!

Pass me the bucket ... I'm going to puke!

PASS me the bucket ... I'm going to puke!

Today's comings and goings at Downing Street have left me with more than just a tummy ache.

"This is a new kind of politics," insisted new Tory boy Nick Clegg.

This was the same former actor Clegg, who told us with such conviction during the election campaign that "Gordon Brown should never be allowed to cling to power" if he finished THIRD in the popular vote and has fewer seats than the outright winner.

Therefore, can anyone explain to me one very important point, which seems to have been lost on people who believe all this claptrap?

Why is Nick Clegg our deputy prime minister (ie, the second most important man in the government), having finished THIRD in both number of seats and the popular vote?

It is clear as the dirty muck that our politicians are serving up that Clegg is a hypocrite ... a man who saw his chance of a bit of power and took it.

This is not a new kind of politics.

The Tories won most seats and had a bigger share of the popular vote and have more claim than anyone to form a government.

But the Liberal Democrats were rejected at the ballot box - yet are now running our country!

It's called democracy apparently!

I don't agree with Nick

I DON’T agree with Nick … nor do I subscribe to Cleggmania.

His antics during the past couple of days have confirmed what I thought of him during the election campaign: he is an opportunist.

This man – who failed to win more seats for his party despite a so-called surge in popularity – is currently the most powerful figure in politics.

He has already told Gordon Brown that he must resign as leader of the Labour Party.

I never realised it was up to the Lib Dem leader to decide who should be at the helm of the Labour Party.

Clearly he dislikes Brown.

But, by allowing to let personal differences enter the equation, he is willing to do a deal with David Cameron’s Conservatives, who I doubt will offer him the PR reform that the Lib Dems have craved for more than a generation.

That offer is on the table from Labour – natural allies to the Lib Dems.

OK, it is clear that Labour no longer has a mandate to govern but the Tories fell short of a majority.

It is clear that the only way forward is for the Tories to form a minority government and allow them to hang themselves as they try to push through their controversial and potential economy-damaging bills.

Within a year or two, another General Election will be called – and the Lib Dems will be able to link up with a stronger Labour Party and push through the PR reforms that both parties want.

They currently have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get what they have always wanted. It may never come up again.

A deal with the Conservatives will be a fudge.

Yes, the Lib Dems will get a few minor seats in government – but it will only enable the Tories to build themselves into a majority position by the next election and then blow out the Lib Dems and their proposals for reform.

They cannot be trusted – nor can Nick Clegg.

Election night

I JUST love election night - especially this one.

Just woken up after a two-hour power nap before the long night ahead.

The exit polls are so odd. They are suggesting the Lib Dems are going to lose three seats. I just cannot believe that would happen.

Clearly it is going to be a close result tonight. I don't fear a hung parliament if that is how things turn up.

A Liberal-Labour coalition could be one of the most exciting things to happen.

It is clear that for every person who votes Tory, two don't want them anywhere near running the government.

Whatever happens tonight, I am sure everyone agrees this is what our great country is all about - democracy.

So many of our brave forefathers fought hard in terrible wars to make sure we can exercise our democratic rights, like voting in an election.

I've enjoyed my two days on the election trail in Hove. I fear defeat ... simply because the swing should strike Hove off the Labour list. That is a great shame because Celia Barlow has been a good MP - a far better operator than the Tory boy who was against her this year.

They clearly didn't have the resources that the Tories had - and that still sticks in the back of my throat.

I don't understand how ethical it is that the Tories can take money from a billionaire who doesn't pay Tax. All those posters and glossy leaflets .... I'd rather that money was used to fund some new schools or hospitals (maybe they might have had more money to do that with people like Lord Ashcroft actually paying their way!).

Anyway, a long night ahead ... and whatever the result it is going to be an exciting night.

Now I am a chauffeur

CELIA BARLOW was greeted by a lot of well-wishers today.


There were plenty of young mums - and dads - who want her to be re-elected as Hove MP.

But some were concerned that the odds were stacked against her - defending a slim 400-odd majority with polls predicting enough of a national swing to the Tories to wipe her out.

David Cameron's "Bully Boys" are still stunned that Celia managed to beat one of their young rising stars, Nicholas Boles, five years ago.

It was seen as a minor miracle ... and many pundits believe she needs another one to be re-elected tomorrow. In fact,the Tories - who are fielding a very unimpressive candidate in Mark Weatherby this time around - are a lock with the bookies at 10-1 on! Celia is a massive 12-1 to hold on to her seat.

But she does have a chance.

Beyond all the wealthy houses and apartments in central and West Hove - and along Portslade seafront - there are a huge amount of working to middle-class families who are loyal to Labour. The key is that she does not ship votes to the Liberal Democrats - who have no chance of winning here. A vote for the Lib Dems will return the Conservatives.

I spent a couple of hours today with Celia - acting as her chauffeur and companion - ferrying our MP to and from HQ to a door-knocking session and then some canvassing at a couple of local schools.

Things went well. But it is still clear that, even today, there are plenty of undecided voters.

People are still confused. I think David Cameron's Big Society jargon and his well-worn Change soundbites and personal attacks on Gordon Brown are becoming tiresome. His massive, expensive ad campaign, funded by a billionaire tax exile, seems to have actually had a negative effect on the public.

Nick Clegg - under scrutiny - is proving no longer to be the big hit he was only up to a week ago.

But coming up on the rails is Gordon Brown, who really has saved his best for last. The passion is there for all to see. People are beginning to wake up to the fact that substance wins over style and hopefully tomorrow they wake up and vote Labour.

And, of course, that Celia holds on to Hove so she can continue working hard for the people of this city.

On the campaign trail with Cherie Blair and Hove MP Celia Barlow

WE hit the campaign trail today in Hove with Cherie Blair ... and our Labour MP Celia Barlow.

And one clear message from young mums, elderly people and young working couples in the streets of the country's 10th key marginal seat was this: "We don't really want a Tory government!"

Yes, sure, there are people who have been charmed by Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats - but a vote for his party in Hove on Thursday WILL return a Conservative to Parliament. No question.

And as one mother told me: "That doesn't bear thinking about."

Cherie arrived at Labour's Hove HQ just after lunchtime - munching Pringles. "Sour cheese and onion, my favourite," she said, while offering them around the small gathering of campaign volunteers. "Too many calories for me," I told her, politely declining them.

I've been on a fitness drive since Christmas and lost 10kilos - and after a chaotic day, treading the streets and canvassing support for Celia, I reckon I can keep off the Wii-Fit for at least a week.

In fact, my wife Yulia and I treated ourselves to a Chinese Takeaway tonight - after all the miles we covered on foot.

Cherie and Celia strolled into the town centre and spoke to many passers-by. Some wanted to have their photo taken with Cherie, others wanted to shake her hand and congratulate her charity work, while a few people wanted to discuss politics.

She knows a thing or two on that subject as the wife of a former Prime Minister. One thing which impressed me was her warmness, which just transmits to everyone she meets. Everyone was smiling after meeting her.

My day started racing around town, dropping off reminder leaflets to Labour supporters - to make sure they are not complacent and ensure that Hove does not turn blue. It is going to be a close call - and one Labour activist told me they were expecting at least one recount this year.

We hooked up with Celia - doorknocking around Portslade at tea-time.

Celia, like myself, is also a journalist - cutting her teeth as a reporter on the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, before becoming home news editor of the BBC.

Doorknocking and chatting to local people is clearly her forte. So many people were delighted to see their local MP at their front door, debating the election issues.

The most startling story of the day came from Mrs Dykes, who lives in Vale Road, Portslade.

"David Cameron visited my grandson's school in Hove recently," she told me. "And when he asked a question, as well as mention he prefers Gordon Brown, the teachers quietly removed him from the assembly."

Apparently, the school is very political with many Conservative members or activists, either on the PTA or board of governors.

"The last thing they want is a "Labour" kid in their ranks," she added.

One elderly lady told me she would be voting for Labour because "they have always been the party that looks after the majority, even now .. the winter fuel allowance I receive every year is so helpful."

Another young mum explained: "Celia will be getting my vote! The child tax credits are something Labour brought him and have promised to keep. I don't want to risk losing it, I can't afford it."

The Labour activists in the town are telling me that they are hitting a 40 per cent approval rating on doors they are knocking. If that was to be repeated on election day, Celia will win by a landslide.

However, even the loyal Labour volunteers, admit they cannot be sure how accurate their findings are.

One told me today: "It's going to be very, very, very close. There are still a lot of undecided voters out there - and the key point is that Hove doesn't want a Conservative MP. But if they vote Lib Dem, or even Green, they are going to get that."

Labour has not been perfect - but when you have been in power for 13 years you cannot expect for them to get every single thing right.

However, there have been so many achievements, Gordon Brown listed some of them today, which I've included in the previous blog!

We finally got home about 9pm tonight to complete darkness - as Hove had just been hit by a powercut. Thankfully, the lights came back on pretty quickly and we were able to enjoy a nice sweet and sour chicken.

On Friday morning, I hope sweet doesn't turn into sour with a Tory government ... and that the lights continue to shine for our country!

Vote Labour .. on May 6 - and keep out the Tories.

What Labour has done for Britain

SORRY, if Gordon Brown sounded like Bruce Forsyth or Larry Grayson on the classic TV gameshow The Generation Game today, but Labour's 13 years in power have achieved the following:

- the shortest NHS waiting times in history

- three million more operations a year

- over 44,000 more doctors

- 90,000 more nurses

- GPs open into the evenings and at weekends

- free cancer prescriptions

- a two-week maximum wait to see a cancer specialist

- over 100 new hospitals

- the Winter Fuel Allowance

- free TV licences and free bus passes for pensioners

- the Pension Credit

- the New Deal for the Unemployed

- full-time rights for part-time workers

- the Social Chapter

- record maternity pay

- for the first time in history the right to paternity leave

- the biggest programme of council house building for 20 years

- the Disability Discrimination Act

- the Racial and Religious Hatred act

- the Equalities Act

- the first black cabinet minister

- the first Muslim minister

- the first black woman minister to speak at the Commons despatch box

- civil partnerships, gay adoption, the repeal of Section 28 and yes the right to book into a bed and breakfast

- devolution: a Scottish Parliament, a Welsh Assembly and, yes, even a Mayor for London

- the transformation of our great cities with bright new dawns for Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Newcastle, Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Manchester

- the Human Rights Act

- crime down by a third

- the hand gun ban

- domestic violence cut by two thirds and rape convictions up by half

- more police than ever on our streets

- the world’s first ever Climate Change Act

- beating the Kyoto emissions targets

- the tripling of overseas aid

- the cancelling of debt of the poorest countries

- the ban on cluster bombs

- peace in Northern Ireland

- a Britain in Europe’s mainstream not in Europe’s slipstream

- free swimming for kids

- free museum entry

- the right to roam

- banning fox hunting

- the Olympics for London

- half a million children out of poverty

- extended schools

- 42,000 more teachers

- the best ever exam results in schools

- Education Maintenance Allowances

- record numbers of students – and for the first time the majority of students are women

- a doubling of apprenticeships

- a Child Trust Fund for every newborn child

- Sure Start children’s centres

- free nursery places

- and Child Tax Credits that this Labour government brought in and which a Tory government would cut because they just do not get it, never have, never will

Don't risk losing any of this - and allow Labour to continue their work in making everyone's future better.

Vote Labour on Thursday.

And if you are still unsure - here is what Gordon Brown promises for the next FIVE years:


- cancer tests within not two weeks but one week

- free health check ups for the over 40s

- a restored link between pensions and earnings

- one million new skilled jobs

- broadband access for all

- a national care service

- a Post Office people’s bank

- more free nursery places

- a father’s month of leave for new dads

- a new toddler tax credit

- 10 thousand new council homes a year

- protection of local pubs and post offices

- an independent and thriving BBC

- low carbon energy and thousands of new green jobs

- a referendum on electing the Lords and changing the voting system

- and yes I can say today for more than a minimum wage – a rising minimum wage – every year a rising minimum wage

That is the offer of a Labour government – that’s the change we choose!

Why am I bothered about this year's General Election?

I'VE never been political – but the current General Election campaign has awoken a monster from inside.

What has riled me is watching, listening and reading the blatant – but very slick – Conservative spin machine conning the British people into possibly putting them into office on Friday.

One thing you can be certain of is that the Tory values are not fair for all. By tradition, the Conservative Party has always been about the individual, not the community

David Cameron’s slogans that he constantly repeats are “The Big Society”, “The Big Idea” and “Change”.

A change to what?

The Big Society is an Old Idea, not a Big Idea – one that was masterminded by Margaret Thatcher herself.

It comes straight out of her dog-eat-dog society, one where everyone is left to fend for themselves.

Cameron keeps saying: “Run your own post office”, “Run your own school”, “Run your own hospital”, and “Run your own fox-hunting event!” …. OK, he didn’t say the last one, I made that one up!

But all this is old hat – it is just a continuation of the mass privatisation that took place during the 1980s and 1990s under the last Conservative governments. They were always hell-bent on breaking up everything. There is nothing new in this. It’s simply a tired, old Tory policy re-packaged.

My grandmother died of cancer in 1989 during a time when you could not get quick access to a NHS specialist. She did not get diagnosed until two days before her death.

The Labour government now are guaranteeing you will be able to see a cancer specialist within TWO WEEKS. It’s something that the Conservative Party has failed to promise. And I have very strong emotions on this subject – having seen two of my relatives suffer and die from this terrible disease, which kills so many people every year.

I also resent a party that allows a tax evader to fund their multi-million pound election advertising campaign.

Also I dread to see a party succeed in cutting inheritance tax for rich and well-off families – while cutting child tax credits for hard-working families. It is just not fair.

Then there is the global financial crisis. This was not caused by the Labour government or Gordon Brown. Everyone knows that …

But, since the collapse of the banks across the world, the Prime Minister acted swiftly to make sure our own banking system did not crash. No-one lost any of their deposits in British banks!

His actions were universally welcomed and won praise from leading independent international financial institutions.

Then he came out and made a guarantee that any person who runs into financial difficulty and cannot meet their mortgage payments will receive government help for two years.

In short, you need not have your home repossessed – a regular occurrence during the last Tory government.

Yes, Labour have not got everything right. Yes, there have been flaws. No-one is saying otherwise.

But what will people be changing to if they vote Conservative?

They will be voting for a party that always will put the interests of the richer minority ahead of the poorer majority. A party that puts an individual’s interests ahead of those of the community.

You will be left to fend for yourself ... govern yourself … look after yourself …

That is what Cameron is actually advocating with his “Big Society” claptrap. For him and his cronies, High Society is what he stands for.

Listen to him, listen to him very good … don’t be fooled by the slick PR skills, read his lips and think … think of this great country’s future … and think of your job, your house, your family and everything you care about. Think what you stand for.

Don’t sleepwalk into a Tory regime …