The Last Hurrah

I have had a letter published in the Halesowen News. I am currently in Halesowen Library so have no access to it but I will put it on here later. What I wanted to talk about here was a part in in where I refer to the Silver Jubilee of 1977.

I was 6 in 1977 and obviously had no idea of what really was going on in the world. I had no idea there was a band called the Sex Pistols or that they had released God Save the Queen. What I do remember very fondly from that time was the street party we had. I lived in a cluster of three streets and ours was the central one. The street was closed for the day and everybody, and I am sure I am hardly exaggerating when I say that, came out and joined in. My brothers and I went to the party as an RNLI crew and my older brother as The Man with no Name (Clint Eastwood).

In the morning and afternoon there were loads of kids games and we all sat down together and eat. And then all the adults got drunk and danced on the evening. And  I stayed up till 11 o'clock. It truly was a golden day. And I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that just thinking about it makes me a bit wobbly and brings tears to my eyes.

Its very easy to get sentimental about the past. The 70's were not a perfect decade by any means. But it does seem to me that it was the last days of what we, certainly the white working class, could call community. Its easy to blame Thatcher for this. She certainly went out of her way to destroy any sense of community that did exist by selling off council homes and destroying our industrial base. But I guess these things may have come to pass anyway. I'll never forgive her the callous way in which she did it and will be lighting a cigar the day the old bitch finally croaks it. Not an admirable thought or one that does me credit but its the way I feel.

What we have lost is that sense of community that we had that day. As I said in the letter communities are out there. Look at the Guide and Scouting movement, football clubs or any of the other community activities that are out there. But that sense of everybody dropping things and coming together to spontaneously to just celebrate has been lost.

Unless we win the World Cup of course..(hysterical laughter).