My retirement from Politics

I have arrived at a very sad but easy decision.

Baby #3 from 12 week scan

As of September I will cease to be an active member of the Liberal Democrat party and the unofficial Go-To Medway LibDem guy.

Before people start braying about the collapse of the party or a lack of my commitment I have two words.... Pulmonary Atresia. 

A few weeks ago Sam (my wife) and I went for the twelve week scan of our third (and final) child expecting they would be as healthy as Sophie and Ollie. 

Sadly we were wrong. There was a complication and we were referred to Kings hospital.

They have a condition called Pulmonary Atresia. The right side of the heart that pumps to the lungs is either missing (aorta) or detrimentally too small (ventricle), also the vital Pulmonary artery is blocked and too small to carry blood to the lungs.

The outlook was not good. There is extensive surgery to re-plumb the heart and lungs which can have renal and digestive side effects, physical disability and curtailed life expectancy. 

After two weeks of trying to decide whether to give the child a go or to be cruel to be kind and end it now we went back for another scan.

Nothing had changed but we were told the surgery was actually fairly routine and a curtailed life expectancy actually meant Early adulthood.

Neither of us, despite being pro-choice could bring ourselves to terminate and we felt that it was better to let fate decide and give the baby a shot at life and see what happens.

The baby is due in October and must be born in London where it will be rushed to intensive care and if strong enough be operated on a few days later with a follow up four months later.

The next year will be hard on my wife, my other two kids (especially on Sophie) and the baby. I will do what I've always done and knuckle under and put them first. Baby's health is never going to be great and depending on blood vessel development in the lungs and the success of the operations mean that I will need to dedicate a lot of time to them.

My time is going to be exceptionally valuable and I'm making sacrifices and sadly being an active member of the party is one of them. I feel guilty as next year is going to be vital for the Medway branch but family must and always will come first.

I'll still be blogging on my history blog from time to time (I'm not dead after all!) but this blog will be indefinitely suspended from September onwards I'm afraid.
 

I'm sad to let it go and may post on a very rare basis. This has been a big part of my life since 2010 and want to thank you all for reading.

Gills Ladies - great game, great day out

I have been a fan of Gillingham Football club for as long as I remember. It wasn't until I was a student that I paid any real attention to their results and squad though and I took more of an interest in football in general.

I even started attending games when I could get up from Winchester to see them and visit my Granddad who lived nearby. I even travelled to Plymouth to watch Argyle beat us 2-1 in a stand full of Plymouth fans.

I've seen us win and lose, even going to Wembley for the Second Division playoff final (Which was the last game I went to see) and taking Sam to see her first game and my friend Caroline to see her home team Lincoln City vs. Gillingham (she wore her Lincoln shirt under a blue fleece but was still paranoid that the stewards and other Gills knew she wasn't "One of us"!!!)

I haven't been in quite some time though. I may live near enough on top of the ground but a combination of working two weekends in three, the fact that if I am off I have both of my children who... well I didn't think they would enjoy a game... and more importantly, it is bloody expensive for a day out when the park or swimming are so much more affordable.

This has never slowed my support though and I continue to watch them from afar. I also have kept an eye on the Ladies team.

There has always been a stigma attached to Women's teams and football. Lad culture always portrays it as half a sport or painfully amateur. Of course for those who have seen Women's games will know this is bollocks.

I first got into women's football watching the German Women's National team play on-line. I'd been meaning to go and see the Gills ladies play for some time but, like I said, taking my kids was always going to be a challenge, I can't get them to sit down long enough to eat their food or watch a movie let alone 90 minutes of game.

Last week I wandered into the Gills store on the off chance with the idea of buying my kids football shirts, whilst in the queue I was telling Sophie that Ollie was going to grow up playing professional football and would one day lift the World Cup so Daddy could retire. A very indignant Sophie announced that she would play football for Gillingham and win the World cup. Any way as a proud parent I duly posted this little story on Twitter and a picture of Sophie in her Pink Gills Shirt. Later that day we were invited to bring Sophie to watch one of the Lady's teams home games and for her to be a mascot!

Thankfully due to a paperwork error I found myself off this Sunday and the whole family went up to the Chatham town ground on Maidstone road to watch the Gills play Cardiff City in the league (they are placed first and third respectively!).

Despite the weather, which was attrocious, the game was fantastic and fast paced with Gillingham going up 2-0 by half time. Within five minutes of the Second half it was 3-1 and finished at 4-2 despite the torrential rain.

Sophie in the stands cheering on the Blues

I've watched a lot of football over the years of varying quality and I must say that this game ranks amongst the top games I've seen and hand over fist many times better than I've ever seen the Gillingham Men's team play. There was a lot of personal skill, team work, tactics and a will to win. Don't let the score line fool you, Cardiff were a determined opponent and didn't take stop trying to equalise and played some fantastic football as well.

The club were wonderful as well. Sophie was treated to a signed programme, a trip into the locker room to meet the team and manager, got a personal photo with her favourite player (Bonnie Long) and she even went to high-five the team as they ran onto the pitch for luck. We were also allowed into the club house to keep warm before and after the game as well which was most welcome! She had a great time and has announced that she does want to play for the team one day (fingers crossed!).

Getting to the ground is fairly easy, there is a car park, a 101 bus stop just outside and the train station is all of twenty minutes walk. Ticket prices are £3s (yes, £3!!!!) or £1.50 if you have a Medway City card and under 16s are free. Programs are £1 too. The cafe is small but inexpensive with Hot chocolate being £1, Chips £1.60, Burger or Hotdog about £2.50 but they do other beverages and food at similar prices right next to the pitch so that when you're queueing up you don't miss the game!

If you have never seen the Gills ladies play - you really have to! It is a great day out and both my kids had a fantastic time, Sophie was up in the stands cheering on the blues and shouting encouragement with her little lungs and the boy clapped and cheered everytime we did and Sam and I enjoyed a really cracking game!

They have two upcoming games that desperately need your support. The final of the Ryman Cup is being played at Chatham FC on 8th may at 7.45pm against Haverhill Rangers and the final League game is being played on the 18th May at home at 2pm against Coventry city which could be the title decider!

If you want to see a dynamic Gillingham team win a league with flare and skill then get up to Chatham on the 18th and watch the Ladies team, I certainly will be doing all I can to get there with the family to watch.
You can check out there website at: http://glfc2013.wordpress.com/

Letters to the editor on local child care.

My letter to the Medway Messenger that unfortunately didn't get published.

I would like to congratulate Councillor Mike O’Brien on hisappointment to portfolio holder for Children’s services but also to draw hisattention to this;

Due to funding cuts our local nursery is unable to take children under two years old. This is a bitter blow for my family as my wife has two months of maternity leave left and was preparing to go back to work with my son’s name down for the local nursery. We have two months to find a nearby nursery that will take him or my wife will have to give up work for at least a year cutting our already stretched household income virtually in half.

Many of my wife’s friends who, like us, were hoping their second child could go to the same local place as their first born are now faced with either giving up work or taking both children elsewhere, something that is not really an option for us.

The point is that both my wife and I have both worked our whole adult lives and paid all our taxes and now we find ourselves being persecuted for wanting to work. Had the Council really thought through this move before implementation and will they reverse it?

If not, it seems that they don’t care about hard working residents and will leave us contemplating which vital utility bill we have to live without.

Chris Sams,  Gillingham.

Child care must be affordable and for the kids

This morning it is hitting the news that Nick Clegg is opposing or Not convinced by the Government's

proposals to adjust the ratios of Children to staff in nurseries across the country.

The ratio will be increased to 1:4 (from 1:3) for babies and up to 1:6 for two year olds.

There are some concerns that your child will not necessarily get the attention they may need. Two year olds are exceptionally boisterous and into everything - which I am finding out for myself - and I have trouble keeping up with one let alone six! The level of quality can be much depleted.

Through in a child like mine, who has a certain amount of special needs and you are losing even more time. Due to Sophie's condition she does require phsyio and attention for her leg splints and boots. Her walking and running can be very dicey and if there is a fire alarm she needs to be carried out - this can take up a lot of time for a member of staff and we're more than fortunate that her nursery has some really good staff. However in a room where the girl has another five other children in need of attention things will become stretched.

I'm aware that the Ministers announced that the increased ratio is similar to Germany and less than France but let us not be hasty and rush into this - let us listen to parents and staff alike and progress at a reasonable rate and get this right. You cannot make rushed mistakes with Children's futures or education.

Children respond best with stimulation and as much contact as possible, by raising the ratio you are taking some of that time away from them.

Nick was quoted in the Guardian as saying;

It is not a great ideological thing, it is about getting it right for parents up and down the country. When the last government changed the so-called ratios for three- and four-year-olds, it had almost no effect in reducing the costs for parents whatsoever, so you do need to be led by the evidence and that is what I will continue to be in the debate

I would challenge you to spend a morning look after six two-year-olds

As I said recently, the Cuts are now going to impact my family in Gillingham with the rising of nursery costs on the one hand for parents and the slim lining of Surestart centres and nurseries who are asking staff to reapply for their jobs and taking voluntary redundancy.

The ratio of staff and thus the care and attention that a child needs are being cut and we - the already stretched taxpaying parents are being asked to pay more for less.

There is also the somewhat nonsensical approach that is seeing parents priced out of putting their young ones into day care so that they can go to work as the second income is barley covering the costs - it becomes more cost efficient for one parent to give up work completely and stay with the kids at home!

There are some serious (LibDem) boons that are helping working families like mine, the cut in Income tax means that my wife's income is now completely tax free, the free nursery placements for three year olds will help during term time too but until then we're quite stuck and so are many other families.
Many of the mothers that my wife knows through Sophie's friends have all expressed concern about the rising prices and are not in a position to pay it. My Sister's sister in law found that she had to give up work to look after her young children and my sister is looking at the same scenario.

David Cameron ran under the banner of making things fairer for families and working people and yet these reforms are getting kicked in the wallets and our children are being made to suffer in these reforms. Having a family, even the average of 2.4 kids, is now a hinderance and it feels like we're being persecuted for having kids. Child care has to be affordable for all so that children can go into daycare and both parents can work to pay for all the other rising prices in utilities, food and transport costs.

Let's take a moment. Look at the situation, talk to parents and staff then reevaluate the situation

Medway Council cuts negatively impact children and families

Ollie & Sophie

I've been becoming more and more disillusioned with the cuts and removal of services over recent years.

What started as efficiency savings and the trimming of dead and dying wood was necessary. However as time has gone by the cuts have gone to deep and with misdirection of the banner of attacking the "benefit scroungers" they are starting to attack those who genuinely need it.

Local Labour leader Vince Maple talked about governing bodies having different priorities in his recent article for the Medway Messenger and how they choose to act. He especially criticised the ruling Conservatives locally and nationally for their choices of where the axe should fall.

For example, and this is a personal example, Medway's conservatives have changed the way money goes into Sure Start centres which equates to a severe cut to their budgets.

Many of my regular readers will know that I have two children; Sophie (2 and 11 months) and Oliver (9 months) and my wife was getting ready to go back to work around the end of July. We'd put Ollie's name down and were waiting for the green light.

Last Saturday we received a letter saying that the centre would no longer be accepting children under two years old!

There has been talk of staff numbers being cut and the current staff, all of whom are excellent, having to reapply for their posts. A meeting has been called to discuss the changes and how it will effect services.

However, the big problem is, IF we can't get Ollie into a nursery then Sam cannot go back to work and our household income is cut by a third. It would be an impossibility for the four of us to exist on my wages alone what with utilities, council tax, rail fare and even food prices all rising.

Serious choices would need to be made and we might have to pull Sophie out of nursery all together, which could be bad for her development. Further to that choices will need to be made regarding power, water even food and heating in the winter. Our already cold house may have to become devoid of all heat in the winter save for low heat on the bedroom heaters which will impact all of our health, just so that we can get by.

In this times it would be reasonable to turn to the state for help but with the new welfare reforms can we expect much assistance?

What I am struggling to understand is that the Coalition are trying to get people back into work and supporting those who aspire and work hard. However thanks to, frankly, fiscal mismanagement, the local Conservative council have put a few people out of work and effectively blocking others from returning to their jobs and possibly forcing people to look at benefits?

It is nonsensical.

My family have always worked, we've never taken anything we haven't been entitled to and we live with in our means. The very epitome of what this Government is trying to encourage and yet we're being kicked in the nuts - and not just us but also the other families who have applied and the staff at the centre which will have a knock on effect on the development of the other children.

Thanks a bunch.

Government money to pay for childcare

Hopefully good news from today's budget.

My two monkeys - Sophie & Ollie

The Government are set to announce that working families, such as mine, will be able to claim money towards child care costs up to £1200 a year.

This will be somewhat invaluable to those on low incomes.

Taking my family as an example, in July we'll have both of our children in day care for three days a week allowing Sam to go back to work and add to our income and then split our days off so that one of us will look after the kids on four days a week. The problem is that it will cost around £300s a month each.

With train fares, rising food costs and utilities that will leave us pretty much cleaned out at the end of the month. Child tax credits do help endlessly but if we could have extra money we could spend money on other things including much needed house repair (stop our bathroom ending up in our kitchen or double glazing or central heating that sort of thing). Without this we may have seen Sam have to give up work as it becomes more uneconomical to work.

This will be true for many across the country who are in a similar boat.

Though as Sam pointed out - it is ok to say people can go back to work but does that mean there are jobs to go back into...

Any way, here's what Nick had to say:

The Liberal Democrats set out in Government to help the millions of ordinary families that face crushingly high childcare costs each year.

Today I have announced that these families will soon be able to get up to £1200 off the cost of childcare for every child.

I'm sure you will agree that's much needed relief for many in these difficult times.
It will help parents make their own choices about how and when they return to work. Figures show that more than half of stay at home parents would rather work if good quality and affordable childcare was available. Many more would be able to increase the hours they work too.

That's the kind of fairer society we are fighting for.

The scheme is simple. The Government will pay 20% of your childcare costs – up to an upper limit of £6000 of total costs, i.e. £1200 per child per year. Parents simply need to open an online voucher account - For every 80p they pay in, the Government will add in an extra 20p to within the limits set. 20% is the same as the basic rate of tax – so we are effectively offering tax free childcare.

To ensure we help everyone – people on low as well as higher incomes – we've also announced that many working families receiving universal credit will have 85% of their childcare costs covered in future (up from 70% in the benefits system today.)  Those who earn enough to pay tax will be eligible for this extra support so we can make sure work pays. A great boost to help parents on low incomes back into work.

Don't forget, we couldn't have done this without you.

Together we are making the Liberal Democrat voice in Government stronger and more effective than our critics ever believed possible.

Whether it's on childcare, Ed Davey's work to cut energy bills, Steve Webb's work on a flat rate pension of about £140 a week or Danny Alexander cutting income tax bills by £600, we are making a real difference across Government.

Nina and the Neurons

Katrina Bryan as Nina (with her Neurons)

Why am I writing about Kid's TV you may ask and well... I've got no real answers other than it takes my mind of a few things (including the current rifts in the Coalition) and being on paternity leave has meant that I've sat around enduring a lot of it with my daughter Sophie and after my failed experiment to get her into Doctor Who (Rememberance of the Daleks gave her nightmares!) and my wife judging me every time I sneak Star Wars on, there is no other choice.

I must admit that Nina and the Neurons is my favourite programme on the Cbeebies channel and has attracted sarcastic comments from my wife ( like Oh, so you're watching your girlfriend again? or Your Girlfriend is on). It is however really good for kids.

The basic format is around three children who have a question about a piece of tech or body part/organ or just general science that they put to Nina.

They then come down to the studio (becoming "Experimenters") and through a string of experiments and a brief road trip to see practical applications they get an answer to their question. All the way through Nina is assisted by her Neurons (Felix for touch, Belle for hearing, Luke for seeing, Ollie for smell and Bud for taste) with one or more being the main Neuron depending on the question and whether it fits into their area of expertise.

Its very informative and I must admit that even with A'levels in Biology and Chemistry, I've actually learnt a few things.

Its also had an impact on Sophie, who was singing along to the end song "In the lab" last week, told me on a couple of occasions when walking to/from nursery that we were actually going to go and see Nina, she tried to contact the Neurons randomly one day and started stroking the sides of her head inadvertently smearing yogurt in her hair!

Then of course my favourite:

Whilst watching Star Wars Sophie pointed at Princess Leia and said;

Daddy! It's Nina!

As she gets older I'm sure it will get more relevant for her and hopefully encourage her to think about how things work and ask questions. Until then, we'll continue to watch for entertainment, science and, with the risk of a blush, to indulge a TV based crush.

Any- who... I promise to get back to boring old politics tomorrow.

Ginger liberal; who I am

Before you start reading please open this in another tab/window and hit play, it adds a certain ambiance to my meandering!!!

The more I tweets I read from my contemporaries locally and nationally the more I wonder about my Twitter feed- not just what I reply too but the stuff I tweet as well - Often irrelevant gumpf or about my family.

It suddenly occurred to me I'd not really introduced myself or my family to give some context, after all I'm more than just the Ginger Liberal,  it also it gives me a more human dimension. So many people on line seem to be sleek political and spin machines and lack any kind of realness about them, I think this people get vexed when they follow the likes of me and wonder;

What do I care that he's watching Empire Strikes back?

But there is more to life than politics, and here's mine.

D.O.B:  25-11-1980, Canada House Gillingham.

Siblings: 1 Sister, Gemma (8-1-83) who is more successful than me!

I grew up in the village of Marden, was educated in the local primary school, Cornwallis school and finally King Alfred's College to study History and Post graduate Social History.
I've studied Japanese History, British Politics 1900-90, Medieval and Pre-industrial society, Aethfred the Great and Nazi Germany writing my FYP on "The Rise and fall of the Luftwaffe 1935-45"

Favourite music: 90's mostly indie; Sleeper, Ecobelly, Garbage, Pulp.
                          Random one hit wonders; Joshua Kadison, Babylon Zoo, Crash test Dummies
                          Other music: Evanescence, Florence and the machine,

Favourite Song; Ohne Dich (Rammstein) Run Away train (Soul Asylum) Secretly (Skunk Annansie) Broken (Seether feat Amy Lee)
           
Favourite Movies: Star Wars... Any of them, especially Empire Strikes Back, Enemy at the Gates, We were Soldiers, The Battle of Britain, Nottinghill, Four Weddings, 50 first dates and disaster movies like Independence Day, Day after tomorrow, 2012, Volcano...

Favourite TV: Big Bang theory, PMQS, How I met your mother, Inbetweeners, Firefly.

Favourite Books; The sorrows of Young Werther, All's quiet on the Western Front, Star Wars Darksabre, the Darth Bane books, Heir to the Empire, Thrawn Duology, Guards Guards Guards! Going Postal, Brothers in arms (by Chris Goss) Game of Thrones,

Favourite Characters; Admiral Natasi Daala, Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Starkiller & Juno, Werther,

My Wife and I got together in 2004 and we were married in April 2009, her name is Sam - Yes we're both aware her name is now Sam Sams and she's cool with that. My wife isn't a Liberal Democrat, she's liberal but not Liberal but is very understanding of my rants and mumblings... not so much of me wanting to name a future son Nick though.

We have a daughter together, Sophie born 12th May 2010. She's the most important thing in my life. Sophie is clever - I mean really clever for just under two - she's not to hot on the walking (why bother dadda? i can crawl faster...) but she's got a really good vocabulary with words like Dragon - she can identify animals, people by name, ask for things and thank you as well. She's going to go really far - You watch.

I have Six best friends in the real world; Dave, Caroline Bell, Caroline Wright, Toni, Jonny and Haaaaaaaavvvvvveeee you met Matt? I also have a really good friend and Twitterwife - Rachael
All of whom I adore and will do anything for.

I've got varied interests in good fiction, marine biology, model making, X-box Games, foot ball - by the way I support Gillingham FC the town in which I was born and have family from - my great great Grandfather has his name on the Royal Engineers memorial in Brompton barracks for fallen R.E's in the Boer War and my nan went to Barnsole Road School, and also the German National Team- I do not support nor can never support England, it has always been Germany and always will - through bad times (England 5 Germany 1) and good times (Germany 4 England 1). I'm also interested in Marine Biology (a field I should have taken up rather than History), The German Air force (I'm doing a talk on the Luftwaffe in Afrika for the work History group in June if anyone wants to come??? No - didn't think so) and Model making/painting usually Warhammer and Airfix 1/72 scale soldiers and aircraft but since baby Sophie burst onto the scene my expensive and fragile models have fallen by the wayside. I'm also in the process of writing a Sci-fi novel - ask me about it some time and I'll tell all! Or you can check out my other blog for snippets.

My Hero's and people I look up to include my Grandparents - my Granddad Sams "Pop" was my surrogate father and my best friend, he was my Obi-wan and I miss him everyday, Colonel Werner Molders, of course I'm inspired by Nick Clegg too - sounds contrite but I really believe he is doing a good job in the toughest circumstances.
I work at a Museum in London that has a lot to do with War but not in a section you'd find interesting but I do get to work on a few things, mainly staring dewy eyed at our Focke Wulf 190 or arming the Pak 38 gun and wishing I could fire her...

I have a tendency to chat rubbish at times, often crazy sounding stuff and moan about work and the trains. Politics is a part of my life, something I'm interested in and I have convictions about how I think we should conduct ourselves and what representatives should and shouldn't do for their voters.

BUT as you can see it isn't my whole life. Nor will it ever be - Yes I am a Lib Dem, yes I am the Medway group's secretary and I will be helping the group and even Councillor's Juby, Smith and Kearney but my life is not geared to the complete destruction of the Tory, Labour or Independent Groups as part of a vicious coup that will see Medway turn Gold, I don't see the other parties as enemies or a force to be opposed with every fibre of my being, agree to disagree - compromise - when you're right, fight and fight well for your cause (i.e. Nelson Court or Boundary reform or Against City Status) especially if you don't think the electorate is being served well but lets face it - we're not at war.

So if you see me following you on Twitter - I am a real person and I have other hobbies so I won't always be chatting politics - likewise my opinions have been shaped by my experiences so No I'm not buying into anyone's "Spin" or doctrines - It's all me. Also, and I can't stress this enough, I'm not a Moron, niave yes but stupid no. If I don't understand something I will ask you and please do ask, sarcasm is wasted on Twitter so my questions will be real.

Also, I do have a life outside of Politics and it isn't the be all and end all of my existence, (that's my family) and nor should it be yours.

A wise person once said to me;

"hey we all go thru that. all you need to worry about is providing for wife & beautiful kid. The rest is extra-curricula." - How very true.

Fears for the future

Sophie and I

 A few of you will know about my daughter Sophie who was born on 12th May 2010 at the same time as the Coalition. With the birth of both there was a feeling of hope and an exciting new future.

Now... Now a feeling of dread has set in as a wary parent I eye the future.

Education and Social Mobility

One of the Coalition (especially Lib Dem) aim is to try and level the playing field so that Children can progress to any level of society no matter what their background.
This is as it should be, we're not in the Nineteenth Century and everyone us equal and should be judged by ability not on background or ability to pay.
The Pupil Premium will help many children from poorer backgrounds into preschools and in the early stages, building a brighter chance for later on.
The early years are so important and you need to get the foundations just right. The stereotype of the Chatham Girl goes back to at least the 90's where a now defunct website catalogued the Gold Argos clown wearing "Proto-chavs". This stereotype continues and when ever I am in the High Street or walking home and see these groups of teenage girls smoking, littering, drinking etc I shudder fearing that in time that could be my little girl. This is one of the reasons that my wife and I are not doing what so many parents end up doing - leaving vasts amount of basic parenting up to the Schools.

It is not the up to Schools to teach Sophie not to litter, to be courteous, how to talk and behave. In fact we will also be teaching her to read and at least write her own name before she goes to Primary school. At eighteen months she can almost count to ten... She doesn't know what it means but if you say "One" she'll do the rest with you.

A lack of money though and the state of Medway as an area means that Sophie will be going to an "Adequate" school where really we would like an "exceptional" school to best help develop her mind and educate her. As we don't have money though, we'll also be helping her at home. Between Sam and I we have a good base of general knowledge and a huge library of books to help her and we will help her with her homework and learning.

Money and the deficit.

One of the big things, and everyone is watching it is the deficit. I'm a low grade civil servant/public sector worker who sits under the £21,000 pay freeze but in a job that will see a 1% pay rise over the next few years whilst my bills etc will raise by at least 5% which in real terms is a 4%  loss for me and my family.
Also there is the pension problem which will see me paying more into a pension (if the PCS figures are to be believed) and getting less back, on top of working until I am older.

Also, as I work in a section of the Department of Culture and Sport at a Museum, I am so far down the list of necessary staff it is unbelievable. The old adage of rather save money on hospitals than museums is absolutely true. Managers and office functionaries always seem to save their jobs but I'm in a bracket that always suffers the pitfalls of redundancies, out sourcing or running on bare bones so I'm hardly secure in my post at the moment. There is a constant worry that management may decide one day that I am superfluous or come up with a better way of running things that doesn't involve many of us any more. To be fair they themselves have to look at cuts from Government and the declining numbers of people coming through the doors, spending money in the shop or making donations.

My big fear is interest rates. Due to my beloved Grandfather passing away I inherited half of his house and so I have a small mortgage (having paid my sister off) and between Sam and I we manage to live comfortably and put a small amount away for Sophie's future and for household repairs and replacements - such as the lack of central heating and double glazing. If Interest rates were to rise by more than 3% though we will be in trouble as we won't be able to keep up the payments. At the moment all is well but only time will tell.

They say Money isn't everything... They obviously have it as it isn't important until you don't have any.

Jobs and family

The job market is looking bleak, not just because of the economic situation but in general. There was a time when university degrees were far and few between - now they are prolific and every job has graduates applying for it. I work with a guy who has a good degree from Oxford and he works security.
The degrees that are truly worth something are the Vocational degrees like Teaching, medicine, Law etc... You can then go into a job in your field. If you have a general degree like History (as I have) you are able to go into any position in any company. That's if we can afford to send Sophie to University in the first place.

I'm finding that work is eating up so much of my time that I am running out of it and not seeing my family at all, not just my wife but also my Mum and Granddad. I know that I should make more time but when I'm out of the house for 13 hours a day and do 7 day shift patterns it is difficult. I worry that in the future when Sophie is in her 20's or 30's I will see her as much as I see my Mum and that will be far and few between just because to make enough money to stay afloat she will have to work more, as will I.

May be I'm being pessimistic, may be everything is going to be different. Maybe little Sophie and any future siblings will have amazing lives and all life will be all the opportunities that they deserve. All I can do is hope and do the best I can, as any parent does.
I want her to have an amazing life and opportunities and to succeed where I have failed in life, but so much is beyond my control that I am concerned. It is one of the reasons I dabble in local and watch national politics as so much that is decided at Gun Wharf and Westminster that then affects our lives and we may not even get a say.