Category:Mac Carty

Mac Carty is the pseudonym for an old politically incorrect git, who happened to be born in the seaside town of Margate in Kent. When my friend Mike died some eighteen months ago, I realised that I had no longer had anyone to share the fund of stories about growing up in Margate and playing for the cricket club, stories that we used to religiously revisit every month, normally over a pint. I had also always wanted to pay homage to one of the inspirational teachers we had at school, a man who was an exceptional hockey coach and now a good friend. The Vagaries of Swing is the result and is my first literary work, an attempt to record cricketing and occasional hockey tales from the sixties. Life then was largely about being irresponsible and revolved around sport, alcohol and girls if you were lucky.

Margate was actually a great place to grow up. The beaches are splendid, the climate healthy and the views of the ever-changing seas and skies have attracted the likes of J W Turner. It was lively, raucous but sadly in decline. Once an elegant and favoured resort, it very quickly moved to the realms of a culture best described as kiss me quick. In its time though it has attracted many famous visitors, some of whom appear in the book. It is also probably the only historical work about Margate which contains references to John Wayne, General Custer, Lincoln, P T Barnum, Putin, Pope Benedict, Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Michael Caine, The Who, Biggles, Popeye, the Wizard of Oz and a cast of many others. Not all of them came to visit.

The year of 1965 was my last year before university but was memorable not just for the great music but also because the cricket club almost split and a girl was murdered in the local park. It was just not possible to cover the murder of a young girl without touching on the huge and topical subject of violence against women by men. The humour is thus deliberately targeted at men. I wanted men to read this book, laugh and then maybe consider what drives the violence. I also found it difficult to write about violence to women without mentioning my own family background. For too long we have backed away from challenging the issues that drive this problem. Too often the culture of secrecy and control reflect the legacy of our patriarchal society, often driven by religious beliefs and the boundaries others have set over the centuries.

The more I researched, the more animated I became. Articles in the newspapers or on television would inspire fresh bursts of activity and writing. However I am aware from my years as a volunteer that although anger may trigger reform, humour is a much more potent weapon to change attitudes permanently. In any case these were fun times to be alive and the book is intended to make people smile. I wrote this book for myself but I wanted anyone who read these stories to enjoy them, particularly as think I would like to produce a sequel. The women who have read the proofs of this book have largely enjoyed it too. One even thought it scholarly. She is still receiving treatment.