Part of the Union
Since then I've received several requests from regular visitors - asking if they could read the diary - which I'm happy to share on the basis that it's not for wider publication - at this stage anyway.
'Part of the Union' started out as a simple record of events - of who said what to whom.
But as time went by the diary assumed greater significance - by allowing me to see the wood through the trees - and helped me decide what to do with my future.
Having never kept a diary before in my life - it came as pleasant shock how much I enjoyed writing more expansively - and not just about work related things.
The rest - as they say - is history and if you'd like to read about it, just drop me a note.
Friday, 1 October 2010
Part of the Union
I've just finished reading Tony Blair's memoirs - 'A Journey' - the tale of his rise to power as leader of the New Labour Party - and his life an times as Prime Minister.
The book is a fascinating read - and provides some real insight into the mindset of Labour's most successful leader ever - of which more to follow at a later date.
I wrote about my own personal journey back in 1999 - a journey which began when I resigned from the Labour Party - a decision that effectively brought an end to my long and distinguished trade union career - latterly as Unison's Head of Local Government in Scotland.
Here's how the final page of my diary (Part of the Union) reads:
I smiled a wry smile at how things had turned out.
I marvelled at my absolute, crazy determination not to give in, despite the personal cost.
I marvelled at the brass neck of friends who disappeared like snow off a dyke. I marvelled at the courage of others who took their place - as if I had known them a lifetime. I marvelled at the words, sayings and songs, which had inspired me, made me laugh, or comforted me in times of crisis.
I wrote down my top ten:
1. If you wait by the side of a river long enough, the bodies of your enemies eventually float past. Old Chinese proverb
2. The time is always right to do the right thing. Martin Luther King Jnr
3. When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn off the heat. Nelson Mandela
4. Stupid is as stupid does. Forest Gump
5. There’s no greater power than the power of goodbye. Madonna
6. I must be crazy to be in here with you nuts. J P McMurphy
7. You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity. Buzz Lightyear
8. Matt has all the team working qualities of a medieval Pope. Joe Di Paola
9. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Tony Blair
10. If you stop running, they can’t chase you. Mick McGahey
