It's not exactly the time of year for it but the young bucks of the punk have been procreating with their better halves in a vein attempt to populate our grotty society with more snotty little punkers. What is he yarning on about, I hear you cry ? Well there's not only myself and Sam who have been cooking up a cottage loaf in the proverbial oven, but fellow zinester and HH columnist, Tony Suspect, has been up to no good with his dearest Sarah. What's more the veritable offspring are due within about a week of each other in April, next year.

So the first question is which columnist is next to befall the Happy House baby bug ??? Could it be Mr Stuart ? - I can hear him pissing his pants as I type, or Ms ShagStamp - Maybe ?, what about Monsieur 'Tard ? - "No chance, man!" I hear him cry, Ms Angel ? well hey, she's already there. So what about Mr Remains ? Hmmm, I think he sounds more likely - the man who's got more porn (allegedly) than Hugh Heffner and who holidays on a French nudist with his partner, Kirstie. I mean if that's not a recipe for triplets then hey, it certainly fuels the tanks for some practise! .

So it's really kinda funny to think that I'm going to be a Dad, Father or the Old Man. But it also feels kinda nice to think that I'm going to be able to pass on knowledge to another person, help them to mature and grow and that sort of thing. I think I'll even be proud when he or she becomes a teenager and tells me to "Fuck Off, Dad" or "God, You're so outta touch". .

I guess I've got the easy part too because Sam's had a bit of a rough ride with the nearly 24hr Morning (?!) Sickness and now the sleepless nights and tiredness and hey, there's a lot more to come including the labour and birth. It's at times like these that I realise how easy it is to be the of male variety. But I'm really looking forward to the birth, I figure it's going to be a really emotional and exciting experience. After all the creation of another life is a pretty big deal and something that makes you feel very different. I remember when we went for the 20 week scan at the hospital, looking at the monitor and seeing this little human body swimming about, kicking and punching like it was in the pit at a gigs and thinking to myself as I saw it's little face - I helped to create that and I felt this proud smile start to stretch like a light beam across my face. In fact I was speechless which, as most people will tell you, is a rare thing. .

The strange thing is that if you'd have asked either Sam or I, when we got married, if we'd have any wee sprogs. We would have shot you down in flames with a rather curt "No!". So this column is sort of harking back to the rant in issue 7 - about how we all change, mature alter our perceptions or what ever. Over the years our attitude towards having children has changed, in fact it's gone full circle, until we decided that we wanted our own family and that it was a natural progression in our lives. So as Laccie Angel said to us in her last letter we'll be joining her as "Obvious Parents at gigs with sick all down the front of our T-shirts and jackets and carrying a dummy in our pockets." .

So what's all this having a baby lark got to do with punk ? Absolutely bugger all but who cares ? Columns are personal writings which grab a person's thoughts and emotions for the duration of the piece. I hope that what HH columnists provide are frank, open and personal insights into the world of the writer. Some may make you mad, some feel empathy and some make you just realise a few things about yourself. But at the end of the day if they invoke something in you then they are doing their job. .

Punk is about people in the end and not solely about the music, the zine and the gigs. It's about you and your life, me and my life and it's about all the other people involved in some way, shape or form in this god damn rock and roll circus of life. If we can feel a sense of compassion and empathy for those who are suffering in some way then we can feel some sort of responsibility for each other and the world around us. In doing so we create a global community which is non exclusive. I'm not trying to advocate some glib utopia but people are becoming a lot more hardened towards the everyday reality bite; It becomes easy to escape reality when you're stoned or you simply close your eyes to the world around you. Granted, at times the world outside is dreary and grey and the best thing to do seems to be to drop out in to some drug induced haze. But as the world becomes smaller the human race becomes more blinkered by excuses, apathy and total dejection. .

We need to sit back, take stock and ask where's it all going to end for fuck's sake ? If the hunting bastards can get off their sick arses when their "sport" is at risk, why are we so fucking lame ? We need to put the 'P' back into punk… The Passion, The Power, The Politics and The People. Has the interest been lost ? Are we no longer concerned with the social and political nature of the world ? or have we just giving up the ghost and figure "fuck it, let's get drunk" ? .

I think that because we're living in a very apathetic era that does rub off to some extent.
Also on a grander scale the scene is becoming littered with the OAPs (Old Age Punks) who unlike many before have not died off and lost the plot (OK that's questionable but bear with me!). I find myself less idealistic than I was when I first got into all this - less fire in the belly, if you like and more importantly less time to do things! Maybe we are the root cause of the apathy because we've changed and there's not many shouting out and making idealistic statements, we're more interested in our own lives and the social implications of reality. Let's face it, it's so easy to sit back in your comfy armchair and stare into the hypnotic trance of TV land. But then I think where we are lacking on angst we make up for by being more caring and there's certainly a stronger bond between zine people and to some extent there's an extremely positive slant on the whole punk thing that used to be shrouded in nihilism and somewhat militant depression through political obsession.
Maybe we need to find a balance between the two instead of tipping the balance all the time. .

But politically we are seeing some changes and if this Hunting Bill actually goes through (god knows how long it will take) then that will be a big step. Many of us have campaigned for years to end this barbaric sport by means of lobbying, leaflets and by the direct action of Sabbing. To see it come to an end (at least legally) that is an achievement. But the golden rule with all this stuff is it takes so long and you seem to be battling against the odds all the time - but someone has to or nothing would ever change.

The other changes for veggies and vegans is the freak BSE outbreaks, no amount of leafleting and demos would have converted so many to an alternative diet. But when you could be faced with severe health implications by eating dead meat the public have sat up and thought "shit". Also bear in mind that if they're coming forward with all this information now, how long have they been sitting on that knowledge ? Anyway, what I'm saying is that things do change and the plebe on the street can make a difference but must be prepared to wait. The wheel turns very slowly and in Government even slower, but remember this: revenge is best eaten cold and when it comes it tastes so very sweet. .
On that note I'd like to wish you all a festive good time and a mighty enjoyable New Year, until 1998 take care and be happy kids….