I’m 95 years old. I was born in Grantchester, Cambridgeshire, just after the end of the first world war, which rather loomed over my childhood. It was the period of the world slump, a time of strikes and unemployment. I had pacifist leanings, but spent five years in the army and, after finishing my degree in history and my diploma, I became a teacher, which I did for over 20 years, teaching English, history and French. I was also the principal of a special educational college for blind children, and the warden of an adults’ education centre.
My wife Rosemary and I live in Ludlow in Shropshire. We have four children and, as well as grandchildren, we also have four great-grandchildren.
I voted Labour after the war. In 1953 I decided that growing inequality was the problem. This is now even more important, as the rich continue to get richer and we do nothing about collecting unearned income. I was attracted to the Liberals because of Lloyd George’s people’s budget, and I joined the Liberal party and started reading the Guardian. I wrote letters to the paper (and continue to do so), especially about land, and some were published. Taxation of land values is a cause we have to pursue. The sale of council houses made people think they owned the rise in land value, but they don’t. I always felt that the only way of doing things was through politics. I stood for parliament in 1979 and blame myself for Mrs Thatcher’s victory (I came second in my constituency).
I was a councillor and involved with founding Home Start – a family support charity – in Ludlow. I also worked as a marriage guidance counsellor, was involved in the community centre, and helped set up the youth centre. The latter is desperately important in light of how badly we are treating so many younger people; look at child poverty and the housing crisis.
I followed the Panama papers revelations about the hidden trillions salted into the rich end of society. Why we are not more outraged about this I don’t know. Now in light of the ghastly Brexit decision we’re in even more trouble. But I’m still hopeful, which many of my contemporaries don’t seem to be. We are kinder than we were. There’s hope. The Guardian’s way of dealing with politics, with the rational view that law, education and good government are the way forward has to be stood up for. Rupert Murdoch’s press has done a grave disservice to this country. I’ve been reading the paper for over 50 years so have seen lots of writers come and go. Vernon Bartlett was an excellent foreign correspondent. These days, some of the younger journalists I find very good indeed. I occasionally look online, but prefer the printed article.
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