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Wowee! Thanks for reading, Ritchie and Rylie. I'll be reading this story to children in schools and libraries over the next year so I'm massively relieved that you enjoyed it. Keep writing and have fun your imagination! Say a big hello to your Mum. All the best Richard

Democracy's a lovely word but it counts for nothing apart from votes that come from a society that has all but given up on hoping for anything different, ie. just, decent and honest. If voting for one idiot rather than another, neither for whom one has a shred of faith, is democracy, then good luck to those voters. They will get what they deserve. What seems apparent to me, and has since I was a teenager, is that democracy doesn't work. It has been bashed over the head for so many years that it now resembles a tired old dog with limp, careless eyes. I'm proud to say that I've never voted. How could my vote ever have counted when all available parties serve the rich, most recently to the extent that the Labour Party bought the banks that caused the trouble in the first place (debt, overspending, recklessness and greed are not only traits of democratic government and banking; they have been passed down to Mr Average in order to hem him in). Even the law system in democratic countries is now all but defunkt. It continues to serve the system, in so far as money is generated to the rich, but laws have stopped serving the poor as was intended and are generally abused by perpetrators of crime who hide behind human rights with the aid of their lawyers. Take horseracing as an example of how democracy works, because it is not dissimilar to how the country is run. Everyone is entitled to make a bet on a horse to win a race. Now, thanks to democracy, we can also make a bet for a horse to lose, which a lot safer, although one stands to lose more if that horse wins. This encourages consortiums to make a horse lose when it has the capacity to win. the jockeys are just pawns who make it happen. It is a lot easier to make a horse lose than it is to make it win, so the recent change in law to be able to 'lay' a horse again laughs at democracy in the face. We all know that horseracing is bent to the core and that the BHA (British Horseracing Authority) cannot be trusted to put things right, but that is accepted by all because no one actually trusts any authority in a democratic world where money is lost and made, be it local government, the Foreign Office, the War Cabinet or Trading Standards. If the people behind the money, who are in charge, want something to do well, it will undoubtedly do well and thrive. If they have no intention of a project succeeding, they will force it into compliance and let it die quietly. Either way, they make money and are seen to be doing their job. So, if a trainer knows that a horse is doing well in training and is more than likely to win a race, he will let a certain few people know. they, in turn, will make sure that other horse-trainers, whose horses are running in that race, are aware of this horse that is expected to win. These other horses will be ridden in such a way that they do not win, while we see the horse that is expected to win thrashed over the final two hurdles to the winning post. Those people who were aware of this little democratic game make money, while the average Joe in the bookies is on a hiding to nothing, just like the winning horse. As in all democratic scenario, it is only the few who gain. That's why knowledge is all today, and also why people are fearful to trust. As for a solution to the problem, the only insight I have been given that makes sense at all, came from a book written about a hundred years ago by Robert Tressell (nee.Noonan) called The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. In this book, the values of true socialist policy, which had just been born, are trounced by government with lynch mobs and scaremongers who are too busy fighting for work to feed their own children. It is heart-warming and conscience-chilling because we see what has gone wrong with democracy, how it has been shaped and re-shaped in order to comply only with the wishes of the powerful and at any cost so long as the status quo remains intact. True socialism is the only solution, because it serves the poor AND the rich, but does not allow the rich to get richer. It provides all workers with an equal share ofthe benefits of their work. I can imagine what most people may think when they read this book..there is no manual labour left in the country so how can we share the benefits of our work, the rich own us hook, line and sinker, we're all mortgaged to the nines and in debt to corporations, there's no money left to regenerate manual labour, the landowners won't let us work their land. But that's just brainwash-talking. Our land is our own and we can fight against tyranny, but we need to be one, not just a rabble of folk desperately trying to make ends meet and fighting one another as drunks. We do this because they want us to, not because we want to, and this has to be reconciled if true socialism is to come about. Otherwise, life is just another horserace, and you're almost certain to lose. Read the book, or not, at your peril. All the best, Richard

That's the romance of life. When we get older, our love of snow and activity is replaced by our love for warmth and comfort. Try just looking at the snow from the right side of the window, where it's warm and comfortable. Look at the cats' paws embedded in the whiteness. It makes for beautiful thoughts.

Get in there, Rob! No, not in the bath. Pesky likes a good scrub round the ears in January. I can't wait to hear his whip crack back at us after these two heathen English posts.

Brilliant. Celticman gets the coveted story of the week. Fully deserving for a real soldier of love! Haven't read it yet but still hoping you'll get this story on real pages between a nice cover when it's finished. Just wanted to say well done.

I just got back from Italy, staying with friends and their three cats. One's called Tigrotto. I think it means tiger in Italian and he's got that tiger hair colour thing going on. He's the strangest cat out. He likes to be patted really hard at the tail end of his back while he's standing up. In a state of pure ecstacy, his head nestles into the sofa as he's being pounded and then he falls to the side and jumps up again. He also lies down like a baby, legs splayed open on his back. The weirdest cat but a good suggestion for Highhat's kitty tiger. Julie, hi. I hope you can make it next Tuesday? It was lovely to meet and Ray last time. I know it's quite a way but the chances of BR cancelling trains again is minimal (I can't believe I just said that). There'll be another one soon but this may be the last at this venue and it should be fun. Take care, lovely. Dynamaso. I think creatures of instinct is spot on. The evil thing is a bit of a joke, I reckon, and as for sexist comments, qui moi? I would never stoop so low as to question the unswerving integrity and moral superiority of the fairer sex. I only wish that Carol Voorderman was still doing Countdown.

Hi Rachel, i enjoyed this first time round but forgot to leave a comment (overly sensitive to the absence of my daughters). it's just as good second time round, very warm and comforting. hope you're well Richard

Go to the ends of the earth to get what was round the corner and then laugh at yourself

A lot of the stories entered seem to be centred around family, which is paradoxically the one thing that can't be erased and started again. We have to live through the trauma and hopefully we come out the other side. The selfish, deluded act of the mother insisting on seeing the child for herself in what was probably the only setting where he could feel normal

That 'deal' sounds very similar to the life insurance scam that the banks lied to us about and are now having to fork out billions for after years and millions of legal protestation to their innocence... I wonder if the govt will start to buy out legal firms next. Then they win either way and as usual it's the good old tax-payer that stumps the real cost. What a lovely scenario.

with comments breeding like rabbits on this unpretentious ditty, you're one popular lad, Pesky lad, and a bit of a writer at that. Your missus sounds like a good sort too. Say hi to young Pesky for me.

I joined a dating site recently and it only took a few days to recall the useless time-wasting I endured the last time I fell into the dating website game about three years ago. I wrote about the whole charade and it was put in the Big Issue as a double-page spread (even got fan mail for that one). It's a game and full of sharks. The one I joined this time is completely free, thankfully, (plentyoffish.com) and all the others seem to be subscription only, mostly busy covering over hidden, very slyly marketed charges. I wouldn't want to see abc go down that road. There are so many people who think just because they can buy a cuddly toy online that they can somehow find love, but it's generally a lost cause leading to further depletion of spiritual resources, thus those one contacts have probably left the site ages ago and don't even bother looking. I have to be honest, Tony. When you mentioned it at the last reading evening, it didn't sit comfortably at all and seemed a million miles away from Abctales' primary purpose; story-telling (although I've seen a few stories on pof!) The usual thing is that women always seem to look for 'honesty' in a man but hardly any of them put their real age! I agree with the fine sages above who recommend a small membership fee for Abctales, although this may be go against the grain with patrons/ cash-strapped users/ general ethos. Abc's all on its own as a writer's website and you can trust me on that. There is absolutely nothing that compares ANYWHERE else. The gem is already found, and I honestly believe it will become even more popular in good time. Unbound's a really good addition. The dating website game is horrible and I wouldn't want to see you diving into it without looking at the potential costs to Abctales, mostly the time you put to it away from Abctales. To keep Abctales free was probably the original idea for its conception, and while that's still a valid and extraordinarily compassionate ethos, entering into unknown waters to keep Abctales afloat may deflate its reputation. If Abctales needs a financial boost to keep it going, why not set up a part on the homepage where readers can sell books, CDs, DVDs, art, etc. and take a small commission for each item sold thru Paypal. There could also be a section where people have the option of donating all proceeds from the sale of their books, etc. to keep Abctales afloat. I'd be happy to do that, especially if it meant steering clear of the smeggy waters of dating. Maybe you could also get deals with publishers for new books sold at greatly reduced prices thru you in exchange for marketing their books. I've got my children's book coming out soon and would love to give Abctales a commission for selling copies through Paypal rather than giving Waterstones 50% for the privilege. The art exchange idea may work with readers because everyone likes books, DVDs and music. It could become a platform for people to sell their own work too, be it music, art, fiction. It might not be a charity but it's certainly more charitable to aspiring writers than anything else out there. Keeping the site free is a great thing, but to find a way to make a little money from art rather than dating would be my preference. All the best Richard

Hi Pia, Denmark is one of the world's cleanest thinking nations on the planet, a stark contrast to bodging Britain, but if ever the arts lived and breathed it would here in Blighty. The extremes by which we live perhaps make these gems of culture possible and that these are broadly relevant worldwide means something. The people of Britain are an amazingly tolerant, kind and complex sort but the govt are well aware of this and so the story goes on and notjing is mended. It's the people that essentially tell the govt what to do and when to do it that need redress. Our politicians are just ambitious puppets to these tiny leagues but they should see that the truth will be out soon and start acting as true leaders. Love is all we need, and look at the famine in southern Somalia. These are things we should be helping right now, but the international community seems to think nothing of it.

written with the dogged determination of a searcher. Don't worry about what (you may think, in low times) other people think. That's just buying into their shit and bogs us down even more, and for longer. It's not what we earn but what we learn.Besides, almost all of the opulence on show is on the never never.

Cor, that was a gut-wrencher. Made me think how much you do for friends. Admirable. About the wee beauty ('bohemian monarch' was very visual!) sticking to her word, try not to worry. The less you worry, the quicker the time will go, and the less tense you'll be while she's still with you. I sense that Marnie's antennae is still very sensitive to people's real thoughts, and maybe you'd do well to tell her how difficult it is for you at the moment, especially with the adverse affects of the booze and pills, just to put it into perspective for her. She seems very lost and hopeless but the island sounds like the perfect tonic. Bon courage.

Inner arresting...i loved the tone of this but I wouldn't like to have this person in my head. One night, when I was totally down and out, I called a 'friend' and he let me stay over, but he's alcoholic and kept on talkng to me as I was trying to go to sleep. Things like 'No wonder you can't see your kids. Look at you, curled up on MY sofa. Don't you think you need to get a life. I mean, look at the state of you, you sad loser. You can't even look after yourself.' At about five am, I shot up and he reeled backwards like a bowling ball. I left and spend the rest of the early hours waiting for Nero to open in the Volvo. I bet you hate self-help books, but there's one that really does work (if you work it). It's called 'What to Say When You Talk to Your Self', by Shad Helmstetter (1986). Buy it and it will gladly replace this voice for one of love immediately. Funnily enough, this book is included in a personal piece I'm writing to post soon. These voices are so yesterday and by the way, as if you didn't know, your writing IS your hobby. That's why you love it so much. And you're very very bloody good at it, too.

Hola Insert, thanks for reading and enjoying. Scratch, I really like the way you've settled into this site. Your feedback and encouragement is always wholesome and hearty. It's a pleasure to read your work so I'm off to it now.

I'm in an angry mood so +'m going to vent my spleen. Lewd Lorcan/Lord Lucan/spambot/whoever you are. What is the point? Are you so unhappy with yourself that you have to invent pathetic little alaises? This is a debate between people, not childish wimps who hide behind facades of titters and giggles. Why abc lets you do this I don't get. I was led to believe that it was one username for one person. End of. But here you are, gabbling on about yourself like you're someone when you can't tell who to be from one day to the next. It's plain pathetic and ypu are a mess. Pull yourself together, post as one username and stop wasting genuine members' time. It would be a great shame if someone to do with abc found your puerile behaviour acceptable and I can't help thinking that allowing aliases to flaunt rules which are correct and adult is ridiculously shortsighted.

Glad to hear you've got a plan, Insert. What I like most about this story is the honesty in the the voice of the author. That the story is an account of your life only cements its authenticity, but it's the laissez-faire, devil may care personality of the author that keeps a smile on my face as I read. It's so well layered, seemingly without effort, which draws me in voluntarily. Time passes quickly with an enjoyable read. Keep em coming.

Thank you again, Pia. That's incredibly high praise for this little ditty, and much appreciated. I forgot about one thing that has hindered me for so long and with such venom, that whenever I compare myself to other people, I always feel crap afterwards. I'll have to add it to this I think. All the best Richard

Naughty little dark horse, you!

This is raw and angry but ends in a positive way. Great insight too. all the best Richard

sorry, just got wiped but at least it posted the first bit this time. cont'd.. was heartbreaking and so true to form of an alcoholically psychotic. If this is a personal piece, it really shows what the human spirit can overcome. All the best, richard

Thanks Pia. She's a very tough cookie, the judge. I'm just going to carry on life as normally as possible and hopefully a good outcome will come in time. All the best Richard

Thanks Scratch

It seems to me that any decent debate is quickly brought down to a level of ignoble behaviour and crazed justification by one (it seems only to require one) irate, emotionally-retarded sycophant whose blithe confidence can only be truly measured by the detachment of web-debate. That the debate stays at that level is a sure sign that people don't really have much to say, aside from kissing arse and taking sides. There are wars that can be justified and those that cannot, and justification is easily defined by the reaction given to a soldier's return. In all the world wars (the justifiable wars), women treated returning soldiers like rock stars and children looked up to them like they were Gods. Governments were justifiably grateful to the soldiers and peace slowly became a reality again. In all these Americanised wars (the unjustifiable wars), women treated returning soldiers like lepers and children were warned away from them, fearing they were mad, harmful drug addicts. Governments dismissed the soldiers' needs to reintegrate in all but their word and peace became more and more distant. All the forum topics do at the moment is droop into the ridiculous 'I agree entirely, John' (when misunderstanding was the point in question!) and facilitate paltry self-promotions of past expolits, yawn. Is it so hard to stick to the forum topic or is this just a platform for spite and self-loathing? Cornacru, we're not hippies. Don't worry about that. It's just that we're idealists, and people that have lost their own ideals don't like that one bit. All you'll do on these forum topics is get angry with the cyber-bully aspect. It's a waste of time, unless you're up for the long haul, ie. remain strong and don't let it get to you. Cyber bullies are here because they haven't got the balls to confront people face to face. They're the biggest cowards out, just like all bullies. KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!!! All the best Richard

I know exactly what you mean about people coming to us at just the right time when we need help. It's true, but it seems, like you say, that these people were almost plonked in our path for that reason. The closest I got to God before AA was good old coincidence. I lived on/thrived off coincidence, travelling to faraway places and bumping old friends, sure to say the well used adage, 'it's a small world' over a drink and a sigh. 'Garh' sounds curiously like a term an agnostic clawing at the prospect of God in his life might use to suggest deeper questioning and I'm sure you'd have bitten on your tongue if you'd gone all the way and added d. Maybe you were searching for the word 'guard'. The mind is an amazing trickster! I love the way you give God a little g at the end, too.. I do that for parliament and abbreviate govt whenever I can, such is my antipathetic disapproval of the scoundrels. Now that they've banned single-yellow lines for free parking on Sundays, I'm not sure there's anything left for the feckers to clamp down on.

Thanks, Lavadis. Definitely see you next week

Very cartoony and surreally unserious, I like the way you tell 'em, Julie. How could Maisie take Jack to heart when his heart was in the poob? Not such a bad fella, too. All the best Richard

yep, this is good stuff and certainly deserves pick of the day. The windows of inspiration can close on our fingers like a mousetrap so keep life steady, don't get above yourself, be kind to others and you'll be able to use this beautiful time to the best of your ability. Really inspired writing, literally stinking of dosh! Send it off to the Bridport NOW!!! Richard

Hi Julie, Cheeks and forehead are her favourites. So effortless yet so powerful. I could never take offence from you. You're a star

Just putting it on in a min. You'll probably think it's twaddle. I'm so used to writing about pain that I'm very wary about what responsse it'll get. Let me know what you think. Blighters

Groovy Oldpesky. SOTW on an IP! I bet there's an anagram in there somewhere. How about SWOP IT because I'd swap this beauty for almost any of mine. Here's to you. Richard

a great grandpa and a great piece.

I read this in the morning and found it hard to get around, but now I realise it's my distance from companionship (boo bloody hoo) that makes close reading of such a tender poem so difficult. I'm good at spelling though so; separating, not seperating. Should it be breath, not breaths? Not sure about that one. Great stuff

Poetry's like algebra to me but this smells like it's on the money. I thought it was about charity shops fumblings when it started with a dead man's books (just got The Character of Rain for 50p in a Cancer shop) but then it drew a picture much closer to home, although you must get up really late of a day. My post arrives late afternoon without fail. First class cost, second class service, third class delivery. Broken Britain to a tee. About the poem, though, I think I'm slowly defrosting from my cold perception of poetry, so thanks.

Nirvana is the perfect antidote to latent, undiagnosed affluenza. I hope you gave the unopened/quality stuff to charity; shame to go to waste. I'm reading Kureishi's Midnight All Day at the mo. You'd like it; reminded me of some of your Al stories on the island. He's my fave. Fags; if I gave up the roll-ups, I'd be back on the sauce and in no time. I have my fingers crossed for your house-sale but I hold reservations on Tucson, as you know (but who am I to say? I know).. I liked what Highhat said about all. Depression is the illness of the strong, who are fragile. Life's too short and drugs are for the young. I enjoyed the arse off them then, but anyone who takes them after 40's either got Peter Pan syndrome (searching for the hit they had as a youngster) or they just can't handle life and grow up. They're so blooming dull. I love your writing and the way you have retained your youthful joie de vivre.

You crack me up, Kevin. Someone should do a book on your Abc comments. Much better than Colemanballs. Andrea, speakers corner may still be there (you'll find it if you look for the Muller Corner advertising hoarding) but I think all speakers now have to agree to tape their mouthes up with gaffer because of a sneaky new regulation funded by the media consortium's super injunction dept as part of a push to bring The Freedom of Speech Act into the 21st century. Health and Safety regulators backed up the revised regulation after finding that saliva passed from a man shouting profane words of tedious incitement may well cling onto the clothes of innocent bystanders (some of which may be children), causing the medical profession to fear new outbreaks of sinnersitus, the likes of which we haven't seen since the conveniently-timed bird flu epidemic, byebyebirdyitus. Speakers who refuse to gaffer their mouthes are given a night in the cells, but this has led to an increase in the number of homeless people pretending to be speakers, so they just boot the guttersnipes around the park for ten minutes now.

Clive, Resentment's a mind-killer. Try not to judge a story by its author. I love Fitzgerald but I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed his company. Just read some stories and comment when you feel the urge to. Try it for an hour or so and see how it goes.

It's an infectious site, isn't it, and the more I stay with it (it feels like) the more I grow. That's a big compliment coming from you, Fatboy. I really appreciate the encouragement. I'd put prosetry down as punchy prose in the visual form of poetry, or something like that.

Because of the stark ambiguity, this works well and can be attributed to so many life-situations, but I can't help thinking that the feelings of alienation and disappointment that this touches on are very much still here. Writing more openly about and elaborating on these feelings can have a powerful effect on the writer and this empowerment is passed on to readers. Releasing the pain does exactly that, but it's opening the wound that hurts, but it's really only for an instant. There are no quick fixes to deep emotional scarring but the one that I find the most effective, and quickest by a laughably (afterwards) long chalk is acceptance and then later, when more settled, forgiveness. If and when you write more openly on these feelings, I for one will be reading and feeling almost the exact same feelings, because chances are I'll know where you're coming from as will many many others. We think we're alone if we suffer in silence. It's when we open up that we realise that we were never alone. Secrets keep us sick. All the best Richard

That was a great read. Loved the humour, which had the same simplicity of idea as Sombrero Fallout by Richard Brautigan, which is a huge favourite of mine. Thanks for putting the site together, Tony, and for giving me a wee platform to show my stuff. Happy days, Richard.

Cooey, Lulu. Is that what Sy Paul said? No wonder he's so popular with the bankers, but how the heck did he make it to sainthood? Sounds like a proper shyster to me. Ta for reading

Yep, this is good. I don't know whether it was intentional but you've managed to say a lot about who we are, how we perceive ourselves and the potential horror of self-knowledge. Once removed from the tempting allure of deception, pitted against ourselves under the guise of and in the form of a chosen drug, we do see things more clearly, but maybe that was the reason we ran for so long, in fear of what we might be when we actually had nothing to fear but fear itself. That's what this lovely little poem made me think of. Thanks Richard