Campaigning for Socialism: Memoirs of Max and Margaret Morris

Equality of educational provision became one of the objectives of the Labour Party exactly a century ago. Vigorous campaigning by the teachers’ trade unions and the Socialist Educational Association led to a period of progress in the 1960s to the early-1980s, but this was later undermined. Today the economic conditions and educational plight of British working class children are a disgrace and class divisions are greater than ever. For many years Max was a key figure in these battles and his memoirs provide a clear picture of events and the political forces involved. Readers must judge whether they provide an explanation for the lack of progress or could serve as a guide for the future.

Both Max and Margaret were active in wider socialist campaigning. Max was a party loyalist whereas Margaret only stayed within a party while in agreement with its key policies. She was a Labour Party activist and Council candidate in the 1950s but left over the failure to support CND. Re-joining later, she left over the war in Iraq. She had come to realise that First Past the Post undermines democracy.

The main targets of Margaret’s campaigning were housing problems and widening access to Higher Education. Max and Margaret shared objectives and actively assisted each other in their campaigns but did not always agree about the route forward. So their memoirs provide two perspectives on past events.

Broken Roads Lead Me Here

Broken Roads Lead Me Here tells the true-life story of a boy born into unimaginable abuse in Glasgow in the sixties. By the age of eight, Colin had been abandoned by his mother and continued to be sexually, physically, emotionally, and spiritually traumatised by the man she left him with. Blunted by severe trauma, Colin went through one unimaginable nightmare after another, each more traumatising and soul shattering than the last, with no one to tell and no way to understand why. He wondered as he drifted through life, what was to really become of him? Or his half-sisters? All the while, deep down, sensing that one day it could be his last.

At fifteen, he was thrown out of school, and at sixteen he was sent to prison. Colin survived rejection, abandonment, homelessness, gang wars, addiction, mental illness, overdoses, suicide attempts, and abusive adult relationships. But it always seemed as if he was living on borrowed time…

Even as he started writing his memoir, Colin had suffered a stroke, and near his recovery’s conclusion was then diagnosed with what was initially suspected as pancreatic cancer. While Colin’s diagnosis was eventually re-assessed as not immediately life threatening, it did leave him with a series of conditions which would continue to limit the quality of his day-to-day life. His illnesses and his experience of this instead of instilling a sense of profound hopelessness surprisingly led him to a profound sense of inner peace, clarity, and re-awakened purpose through his renewed faith in the real presence, love, forgiveness, and grace of God. His is a miraculous story of faith and redemption.

Colin Mackell is a husband, father, and grandfather. In his professional life as Psychotherapist, he has helped people who struggle to overcome drug and alcohol addiction, and helps them find new meaning, and explore new life paths. He is also the founder of Chrysalis Supported Association & Group CEO of Chrysalis Group Services, providing homes and support to some of life’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged people.

Brett Polar

Brett Polar is an intoxicating rollercoaster ride that will leave you as much elated as devastated. It is engaging, empowering, educational and ultimately gives hope to people living with bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses.

Brett’s story involves a mental health sojourn that spans twenty years from 2000 to 2020. Prepare to ride alongside him as he goes through the bipolar motions of extreme highs, devastating lows and all the semi-stable moments in between.

His story is proof that if a diagnosis is accepted and the right support embraced, then an individual living with mental illness can not only survive but thrive!

Jump on in to find out more.

Breast Cancer Smiles

On a cold day in February, 2018, Shazia goes from a tennis court in the morning to a hospital in the afternoon where she is diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. As her journey unfolds, humour becomes her crutch, writing becomes her tool and a powerful connection to her South Asian roots becomes her purpose.

This isn’t a tale of cancer and the devastation it undoubtedly brings. It’s the story of a life-altering journey enriched by time. Shazia tells a tale of re-birth swathed in love, humour and pain. She unveils the shame of breast cancer in her birth culture that is killing women before their time. In her birthplace, Pakistan, cancer is casually known as ‘the kiss of death’.

For Shazia, it is quite the opposite. This is life through a different lens and a questioning of the status quo. Her musings provoke debate and challenge existing beliefs, holding up a different mirror to society. These chronicles are written during 18 months of chemotherapy, sepsis, surgery and radiotherapy. They are written with hope and an intermittent smile.

Boxer, Bouncer and Now a Doctor

It all started in a small industrial town in the north of England. Walking into a boxing gym was the start of an amazing metamorphosis for the 14-year-old. At age 20, he had developed into a 16-stone boxer, powerlifter and ferocious street fighter, with a knock-out punch in both hands. This is the story of a young man who, lacking education, immigrated to Australia at just 18 years of age only to experience the twilight world of sleaze and violence in Perth’s underbelly, confronting and often overcoming the many challenges he encountered. Returning to England at 21, he mastered his craft as a bouncer and street fighter, attended two universities, obtained three degrees and was awarded a doctorate at the age of 39.

Botanist, Naturalist and Adventurer

This autobiography presents the compelling and unusual story of one man’s personal journey, from high school dropout to finishing an advanced degree in Natural Science and having a successful career as an Environmental Scientist. At the height of his career, he became vice president at a major environmental firm, published four botanical reference books, taught advanced courses in botany, and was a graduate student advisor. He also took part in plant and musk oxen research in the Canadian Arctic and plant research in the Amazon jungles of Colombia. His life has been rich with hunting and fishing scuba diving adventures in remote wilderness of Alaska, Idaho and Colorado, and throughout the Northeastern US, and foraging for wild plants and mushrooms.

This book is filled with descriptions and photos of remote wilderness that few people will ever see and describes a life of successes and adventures most people only dream about. The sections on living off the land and harvesting plants and animals present methods and lore for gathering and preserving food; something that is capturing the interest of increasing numbers of people. In all, the book is presented in the context of a highly socially relevant theme: concern for the environment. This is the story of an ordinary person who ended up doing extraordinary things, and learned life lessons and spiritual insights from the journey, now collected in one place for everyone.

Book It!

Entrepreneur, politician and philanthropist Dinesh Dhamija emerged from the recession-hit streets of 1970s West London to create, build and sell ebookers – one of the world’s premier travel agencies and a pioneer in the millennial dot.com boom, earning himself a £100 million fortune.

How did this son of an Indian civil servant, with no connections to the travel industry or technical background, end up with one of the most successful internet companies in Europe? How did ebookers withstand the serial catastrophes of the dot.com crash of 2000, the global travel freeze after 9/11 and the disruption of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, outlasting and out-performing its rivals?

In his candid, buccaneering autobiography, Dhamija looks back to his globe-trotting childhood, his Cambridge University education and the hair-raising, energising, eyepopping rollercoaster ride of his business career. Not content to retire gracefully into anonymity, Dhamija then focused his energies and talents on politics, where his insider tales from Brussels and the Liberal Democrat party expose the looming Brexit disaster.

His insights into philanthropy, investment and entrepreneurship offer a rich diet of advice, observation and storytelling, spiced with anecdote and perceptive details.

Among the outstanding businessmen of his generation, Dinesh Dhamija’s life story is one of adventure, risk-taking, ambition and unique achievement across multiple fields.

Prepare to be entertained!

Bipolar Adventures

John has wrestled between sanity and insanity during a very busy professional career working for the British and American governments as an international travelling market researcher, despite his handicap of suffering a pronounced mental illness of bipolar affective disorder.

This has resulted in cycles from ecstasy to manic depression which is reflected in his candid and honest description in a humorous non-judgmental tone, and even at times of absolute despair, he has looked back over his life with a wry smile of amusement.

John hopes that you will get many laughs out of his laconic writing style, when handling the tricky subject of a mental illness. The first of a series of five short books from this new author over the near future, thus proving that truth can be more stranger and interesting than fiction.

Beyond the Flames

As a teenager at a South London comprehensive school, young David Pike is advised by his careers master to seek employment at a local engineering factory. Determined not to do so, 'Pikey' first considers the Metropolitan Police; disappointed at their rejection, he sees an advertisement for the London Fire Brigade, who at sixteen offer him a place as a Junior Fireman.
From those early days in the 60s as a Junior Fireman, Pikey's career spans four decades and numerous jobs as he climbs the career ladder in the London Fire Brigade. On the way he undertakes a wide variety of roles, as well as organising several high profile charity events and official Fire Brigade commemorations.
David Pike's enthralling book is his own account - sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, but never dull - of his career in, and dedication to, fire fighting in the capital city. The reader will gain a fascinating insight into the workings of the London Fire Brigade and the firefighters who keep us safe.

Being Me

A true story of a woman with Asperger’s syndrome struggling to make sense of the world. A powerful and moving memoir of upheaval, renewal, and self-acceptance. Sad and inspirational, it will give hope to many. A good read that will be hard to put down. You will be wanting more. It is emotive and evokes a strong sense of empathy in the reader. The author has given honest description of incidences that have happened throughout her life and how they have impacted her due to Asperger’s syndrome. She reached the darkest depths but managed to overcome problems and move forward with life. She sees life in a positive way, even though she is still healing. Some people will relate to it and realise they are not on their own. There are others experiencing the same. Diversity should be celebrated and not denied. A must-read for those that are interested in learning the truth.

Behind the Crime

Whatever the crime, there is a human story behind it, and though many crimes are frightening and even horrifying, most of them are a story of human failure. In this book, Colin tells about his journey into crime from the safe environs of the Bank of England into the chaos of disordered lives. The book is full of people with whom he worked from the late 1960s to his move-on promotion to Reading in 1979. It was South London reeling from the power of the Krays and Richardson gangs and the coming of young children to join parents who had come to England from the Caribbean ten years before. For over two years it was the desperation of Holloway prison. They are only pen pictures and are not meant to go into great depth neither do they excuse the crimes that brought them to court. They are simply a look-behind the crime to meet the people. The events may be historical, but they are still being relived today.

Ark and Fliss

Felicity and Armand met in France in their teenage years. They bonded in friendship and fell in love after their first few years as students. Ark, as he was known, came from a complicated family background but had the courage to make his own decisions to change his university studies. They began their married life in London but soon moved to Surrey where Ark could follow his career in Art. Fliss enjoyed teaching French. They had to face some real sadness but they worked at making a life together and travelled to both Germany and Romania making lifelong relationships, before settling in Surrey to work through their spiritual life and their loving contacts with their extended family.