It’s funny how the chap in the cartoon looks a bit like Wilt: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/cartoon/2010/jul/21/social-care
You know, tall, dark, handsome, and intelligent! No dress sense, 1970’s beard and drives a Citroën 2CV with that odd gear configuration via a gear lever sticking out of the dashboard.
Personally, Wilt preferred the old Renault 4 – it was the ‘posh’ 1970’s/80’s social workers car and a bit more ‘racy’ both in appearance and performance. It was a “big (social worker) boy’s car” whereas the 2CV was for Nancy boys and girls. The only trouble, both were French built – many things French, except wine and food, stink.
Wilt moved into Italian such as Alfa Romeo (otherwise rust buckets) in the 1980’s, Lancia (equal rust buckets) and the Fiat super sport models Abarth – they went like a bat out of hell. Wilt is amazed he is still alive. He had a brief return to the Renault 5 Gordini Turbo – a little less sedate than the old Renault 4; in fact very scary.
In those days, as cars went, it was all Italian, French and German, oh and to be balanced GM Vauxhall who put up a good show in terms of the boy racer Astra. Ford of course had its Escort XRi.
None of these were however quintessential British – unlike Bristol, Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce or the kit car makers etc. However, then, none of these were even remotely within the reach of Wilt – he did however manage a day long test drive in a very red, very fast and very ‘girl pulling’ Ferrari.
Trying to shag in the back of a Ferrari should, seriously, come with a health warning.
So Wilt got a conscience (not about shagging – he just got a bad back) and becoming a married family man (not the lass in the Ferrari) decided he should end his boy racer career and became New Mondeo Man (via the Sierra) and, in fact, New Labour Man, eventually.
Latterly, over the past 20 years, Wilt has moved from Old Labour to encompassing New Labour and then to outright Blue Tory – gradual but persistent, I think, and inevitable progress. He has been worker, trade union rep, manager, senior manager and independent social worker and businessman - now that is a fair old journey from owning a quirky Renault 4 to running several high end UK cars based in a rather high end privately owned house, with a very profitable business.
The moral of the story – never judge a book by its cover. Some sandal wearing, hippy looking bearded social workers might just not seem to be what the image portrays. Whereas Wilt loves the (image of) the old Renault 4 he much prefers the comfort of the jolly old Range Rover and other UK Marques in the garage and on the drive.
Life is good, even without the Renault 4 – we do miss it however.
Wilt
Wilt - no wonder you are a Telegraph reader what with all those high end marques that you have had. I bet you just love Honestjohn's saturday motoring secrion. I agree whole heartedly about the Renault 4 and I indeed owned several of them. I loved the push pull dash mounted gear lever and the front bench seat. I even grew to appreciate the directness of the front air intake with its little lever that opened the flap in front. It was suitably equipped with a wire mesh that ensured that only small to medium sized insects peppered your face as you drove along. Then there was the windscreen washer button that relied on the driver to press it repeatedly to create enough pressure to get the water to the screen. The whole thing was quickly afflicted by tin worm to the extent that on occasions I was able to drive and look at the ground passing beneath as I did so. It was also most excellent at providing opportunities for unconventional culinary methods using its very accessible engine exhaust manifold as a source of heat for cooking. A moderate length journey enabled me to prepare a fine dish of steak and baked potatoes among other meals, all encased in layers of tin foil and strapped to the manifold with twisted strips of the same foil. The smells while driving were divine and served well to remove from my memory the less than fine odours present in many of the homes of the families with whom I had worked with during the week.
ReplyDeleteWilt - you worry me with your simultaneous straddling of social and political strata. You have become seduced by the comforts and luxuries afforded by making enough money to be comfortable but yet you have a conscience and retain strong beliefs in what should be important in life like respect, tolerance, fairness and humanity. These do not sit together readily. As we get older and our material status becomes greater it is perhaps natural to lean to the conservative side. The leather clad cocoon of the cockpit, sorry front seat, becomes curiously beloved and assumes a quite unnecessary importance in one's life. Look closer and you realise that it is just a meaningless trinket in one's life, a very nice and pleasurable meaningless trinket nonetheless. You know this but you cannot help yourself from allowing it to woo you into its meaningless cocoon. Too far inside and you are lost to what really counts in life. Beware my friend of where this may lead......I remain watchful...
ReplyDeleteDear Watchful
ReplyDeleteAs they say in Belfast, 'catch yourself on'. Who believes that 'respect, tolerance, fairness and humanity' are the important things in life. Within my community the only important thing in life is if you can erect your pegion loft without Belfast City Council coming along and telling you to take the thing down.
'Respect, tolerance, fairness and humanity' my arse.
Andersonstown Andy.
Watchful
ReplyDeleteIt is confusing, I admit. Fortunately I avoided the DeLorean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeLorean_DMC-12) which will be a car familiar to you and your friends in Northern Ireland.
I have never subscribed to that popular image of the social worker being a long haired, dope smoking, sandal wearing, CV2 driving Marxist. Albeit, with the exception of the Citroën, I admit to the remainder at various points.
Whereas Wilt has extremely humble roots he did acquire that Oxbridge education and was, although not overly, ambitious. And he did succeed in his career – attitudes that do not sit comfortably with some in our profession.
I actively chose, as a political gesture, to go on to qualify in social work. I suppose I could have gone off to do law and achieve the same aims, but be even better off. I preferred however the more hands on approach, and I still do after a long former career in management.
Wilt did do the decent thing – he did not become a politician.
As I say, you cannot judge a book by its cover............
Ambition, achievement, a comfortable lifestyle are a part of Wilt, but only a part – his roots remain his ‘grounded’ reality and an insight into how things could have been if he were not ‘driven’ or had run out of luck. People need ambition and in reality some people are more competent and/or lucky. Hence our complex social class which, actually, has little to do with money or possessions – it is to do with values.
Working class “grass roots” people do not have exclusive claim over compassion or the right to be seen as the “salt of the earth.” There are actually compassionate Tories across the whole of society, regardless of class. In fact they currently make up the majority of the voting UK public (well sort of).
As for the Telegraph, well even Wilt is permitted his Victor Meldrew (http://www.richardwilsonarchive.com/books.htm) moments and that broad sheet is a very useful vehicle. In reality of course Richard Wilson, the actor, is a card carrying labour activist. You see, people are complex and confusing, which is why I love my job.
Wilt
Dear Wilt
ReplyDeleteYou can judge a book by its cover. Take our First Lady, Mrs Robinson. She is a professed christian lady out to serve the needs of her fellow man and there to see that the less fortunate in society are looked after.
Thats the cover on her book.
She has demonstrated that love and compassion by taking that poor wee fella of 19, into her loving and out stretched arms. She even ensured he had enough money to open a wee tea shop on the Lagan.
The cover of Mrs Robinsons book is an example to us all.
Andersonstown Andy
Indeed Andy you are right about Mrs Robinson's cover. She brought a whole new meaning to the religious concept of "fellowship" - she didn't bother with the ship and just helped herself to the fellow. Mind you she might have ended up persuading her friends to give him money for the ship in time too. That would have come in handy for them to find a nice private spot on the Lagan river to discuss business.
ReplyDeleteWilt I do understand where you have come from and would be at pains not to subject you to some oppressive practice (social care student special subject) on my part. We all have different reasons for ending up where we do. Some of us drift along in a world where ambition can seem to be a personal vice while others are driven with this to achieve something. I drifted into social care and found that I liked the work if not my employer. I have often liked my clients rather more than some of my colleagues, quite a number of whom I have found to be duplicitous and self serving. When the time comes to finally leave the job I won't really give a damn if I never see some of them again. That will make leaving easier. I won't miss the ever expanding bureaucracy and the endless back covering to prevent yourself being shafted. I will miss some of the children and families that I have worked with over the years but I will probably meet them out and about from time to time and pass the time of day which I eventually expect to be doing a lot of.
ReplyDeleteDear Watchful
ReplyDeleteIn one of your earlier postings you state that ‘enlightenment’ is not a characteristic of ‘the wee six’. Now, Mrs Robinson, who obviously hails from my beloved homeland, has proved you wrong.
Mrs Robinson is a Christian. Historically, Christianity bestowed jars of wine, loaves and fishes or manna from heaven on an unsuspecting public. But, the enlightened Mrs Robinson took an entirely different approach to her bestowing of gifts on the unsuspecting public.
The wee boy who makes the tea down on the Lagan knows all about that.
That is enlightenment Ulster style.
Andersonstown Andy
Andy what I said was that NI was not strong on enlightenment but stronger on damnation. She may well have had her period of enlightenment, may well have reached her personal nirvana but boy if she ever returns to NI you know that the previously unsuspecting public is likely to treat her to a lifetime of damnation. Precisely my point.
ReplyDeleteDear Watchful
ReplyDeleteFair point. But I think you are taking the 'damnation' point a bit to far.Ulster is a god fearing land. The good book does tell us that there is more rejoicing in heaven at the return of one sinner than there is on anything else. When Mrs Robinson returns the outstretched arms of Ulster folk will embrace her in just the same way as she embraced the wee boy that makes the tea on the Lagan.
Andersonstown Andy
Dear Andy
ReplyDeleteI note the gentle irony of your comments about our first lady. She is deserving of your kind consideration. Now to use an analogy, if she was a social care worker in NI I wonder how she would fare. Embracing a constituent as extremely closely as she did requires close scrutiny. Surely she was in a position of trust towards him as he was a constituent, was so much younger and his father had died. Were a very mature social care worker to similarly embrace one of their young adult and bereaved clients I think that the NISCC might just proceed down the damnation road with them.