Interview with the author

Q: Why do you write this stuff? Come on! You don't make any money out of it so you must have another reason.

A: Well, I suppose it's a sort of egoism really. I'm saying what I think, putting across my point of view, my philosophy even.

Q: But these are just little stories, they're not great statements of philosophy. There's no political programme here.

A: Oh there is! There's something of each in all of them. In a way. For example, "Rough Justice" is based on what my mother experienced when she was in a care home. A normal business is run to maximise profit and has to follow commercial imperatives. That is simply not appropriate to the running of a care home. I hope "Rough Justice" draws attention to this.

Q: Did your mother shoot anyone?

A: No. In fact that fairly dramatic ending only came to me when I was nearing the end of the story.

Q: What about that little story of the dunghill ants and the elephant? Where is the hidden meaning in that?

A: Oh, I'm rather pleased with that one. It's a metaphor for the decline of Christianity in Europe.

Q: Is it really? Well, well, well! But the story of Dobbin the dozy race horse - what was it called?

A: "A Bit of Gamble Really".

Q: Yes, well what is supposed to be the hidden meaning in that one?

A: I wrote that about twelve months ago in the height of the financial crisis. I suppose that basically it's about credit default swaps. Read it again and see if you can spot the link.

Q: I'm not too sure that I know what a credit default swap is.

A: Who does? Who does? Certainly not the people who were running the banks that were too big to fail.

Q: And that wacky story about little Sweetie and her pubic hair?

A: "An American Folk Tale".

Q: I suppose that's linked in some way to big, bad business?

A: It certainly is. I could be portentous and say that is it a paradigm of corporate governance in the post-capitalist phase of economic history.

Q: I'd rather you didn't. What does it mean anyway?

A: It means that the managers of large businesses take centre stage, get their fingers in the till up to their armpits, and screw the rest of us - including their customers, their workers, their shareholders and even governments. And what's more we applaud them for it.

Q: Well that is capitalism, isn't' it? Why do you call it post-capitalism?

A: Traditionally capitalism has meant the control of production by the owners of capital - entrepreneurs and shareholders principally. In this post-capitalist phase the hired managers take over the show. That's what "An American Folk Tale" is about.

Q: I'm impressed.

A: Well remember that you read it here first!

Q: Have you any other stories to come?

A: Oh yes, lots of them.

Q: And will they all have hidden meanings and secret agendas?

A: I expect so . After all, most stories do, don't they?

Q: Do you think that many people will understand what those are?

A: No, probably not very many.

Q: incidentally, is there an easy way to find these stories?

A: Certainly. Just click on my name at the top of this piece or put any of the titles into the search panel in the top right-hand corner.

Q: Thanks. I'll try them and see if there's anything in what you say.