Christopher

Unaware of past paternal family accomplishments by Balfours and Ogilvies, who set out from Fife to found enterprises in Chile and North America in the middle of the nineteenth century, by Smarts in the London world of music and by Figdors and Joachims (also musical and helped by Wittgenstein cousins), who left Pest after the Danube floods in1838, the author found himself tussling with the ideas of other relatives. lt was the difference between the wish to create, taking risks if needs be, exemplified by the Ryde Air Ferry in the 1930s, or the Portsmouth Aerocar and the Indian venture in the 1940s, and a more vigilant view of financial stability. There was conflict, whilst at Eton, during compulsory National Service in Libya, at University (except for months in then peaceful Afghanistan), in attempts at working for others and after adoption as a Parliamentary Candidate. Regretting the dissuasion from training as an apprentice himself he worked in the employment services becoming increasingly aware of the consequences of the differences between private and state education and the value of unbiased guidance. In 1979 the author was elected as an Independent Councillor and found it was possible to serve the community without becoming in thrall to others. He was involved in various small enterprises and helped to establish centres for those without work. He would like to see more recognition of the ideas, discussed during those years, for aiding some in this situation towards self-sufficiency and also of the case for a small basic or citizen’s income.  (www.citizensincome.org  http//ubie.org ) There are potential benefits to what has been reviled as ‘something for nothing’ by the main political parties. Initiated for the family, this, the author’s fifth book, may have interest for others because it includes different ways of looking at class divisions, education, election behaviour, engineering, inequality, Lloyd’s and Politics. He particularly regrets Ted Heath’s defeat at the February 1974 Election. Some extracts from controversial letters, speeches and talks are included. Throughout the book there is an awareness of loss through war and early death and the hope that humanity will become more circumspect about the consequences of conflict. There are also a lifetime’s observations of the decline of the British-owned car industry about which he has written three books.

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