Harry Leslie Smith

I don't think I look at the past with a rosy glow, rather I think my generation has been one of the luckiest yet. Whatever we think of the NHS now, healthcare, education and living standards have improved. Although it was sometimes uncomfortable working in London when IRA bombs were going off, I didn't have a a German fighter having a pot-shot at me on the back of my Mum's bike!

I do have nostalgia for the closer, wider family and community in our country village but maybe that is the rosy-eyed view of a youngster at the time, rather than the true reality.

daphnedil what an inspiring article, and thank you for sharing it on here. What this generation went through is beyond belief in many cases, my grandparents had to send my Father and his brothers away to relatives in the late 1930s as they just couldn't afford to feed them for a while ( miners strike I believe). One evening at a school governor's meeting, a fellow governor was telling us how her daughter, studying environmental science, had declared that the world was such a mess she wouldn't bring children into it. The headteacher, a wonderful man, quietly said that it is lucky his generation hadn't thought the same as they waited for nuclear oblivion in the 1960s. I shall share this article and wish we heard more from people like this gentleman, and less from those with a lot of noise and no content.

It's not so much his politics which impresses me about Harry, but the lack of rosy-specced nostalgia. He's aware of the situation now, not constantly bleating on about how things used to be.

Your mother sounds wonderful ww - you sound like a chip off the old block .

My grandfather had exactly the same views and they had a huge influence on my life as well as the rest of the family.

My father, although a Labour supporter was not particularly interested in politics. My mother however at almost 99 is terribly interested in politics, along with tennis!

Cunco . I agree.

He was born the same year as my father, who has now died, but my father was the same, although his views were very different.

What impresses me about Harry (and why I follow him) is that he has a vast amount of life experience, still has a sense of humour, is very incisive with his comments and never looks back on 'ye olde days' with nostalgia.

Admittedly he's a huge supporter of the NHS and the post-war Labour movement and dislikes the current government with a passion, so some people won't agree with his views. I admire his positivity that the situation will, nevertheless, improve.

He's written a couple of books and does interviews. He still has all his marbles. I wasn't thinking of what GN could do for him, but what he could do for GN.

At 94, I suspect Twitter and writing articles for the Guardian is enough for Harry.

Gransnet is perhaps a source of entertainment, education and therapy that he could happily miss.

I did notice afterwards that this thread is in the news and politics topic, so to daphnedill that probably is her point. So I will swerve this thread.

Why 'ignore the politics bit'?
Surely that's an intrinsic part? By all means disagree with what he says but the head in the sand attitude achieves little and hardly enhances the acquisition of wisdom.

Well, ignoring the politics bit, it was a lovely piece.

I purposefully spend a lot of time with older people.

I sometimes say to young people, will you expect to be wiser and know more next year? They always say yes. And the year after that? Yes.
Then they start to understand!

Thanks for this article, Daphne. We don't always agree and I don't agree with everything Harry says but it is great that, at 94, he is not old and embittered but still bright and writing very well.

I hope that I am as bright at his age. I know, some would say I am not so bright at my age but eveyone is entitled to their opinion. It's good to read Harry's.