Young Guns

The changing tide of the criminal world is now so different from a couple of decades ago.  The bulk of credit card fraud is committed by East Europeans, most prostitution is controlled by Albanians, heroin big boys are the Turks, so the British are not in control like they used to be.  Now the streets are being taken over by young, armed street gangs, who have no fear for the law or other criminals.  If there is any bother, they simply just shoot the problem.  The "Old School" criminals are out in the cold and have to rely on memories of the past, and how "great it was back then."  It seems that these shores are moving closer to a British "Wild West."


    These young guns are now taking over in cities and towns, even in supposedly quiet ones, although in the new book "Young Guns" it mentions two areas in Bradford, Manningham and Holmewood.  There has been far more gun incidents in the area surrounding where I live, than in Holmewood.  None of these bucks are going take older criminals seriously, whatsoever.  They are done and spent, in their view, relying on old reputations to keep them up.

Liverpool Again

Talking to my brother-in-law, and the casual mention of a former car salesman brought some very interesting stories.  It started when I recalled being in a BMW with **** ****** and feeling like Steve Martin in the film with John Candy.  Martin told some tales about Mr ******.  He is doing a stretch in jail over money scams involving cars.  Apparently he owed a lot of money to a well known and notorious family from Liverpool.  A lad walked into his office, asked for their money, and when told he did not have it, the lad stabbed him, with the warning the next would be fatal.  His youngest brother is also in jail, and the other brother has supposedly done a runner, after having his front door blown apart with a shotgun.  The central character, years back, crossed up a notorious mob from Manchester and received a tap on the head with a shovel, for his troubles.  This tale was related to me by a man I worked for, for a good number of years, and had dealings with this Manchester crowd.

Delusional fool

Well, what can we say about that "hero" of the Underworld, Dave "The dodgy one" Courtney?  He is facing having "Camelot" his end terrace "Castle" repossessed, and is pleading on his facebook page for donations.  He has had an offer from writer Bernard O`Mahoney, which could halt his financial problems, but this presents a huge problem.  He has to stop spouting bullshit, which of course, his troglodyte fan club laps up, and tell THE TRUTH!  Oh dear.  What is this delusional retard going to do?  The offer of £25,000 is so Courtney can give all the details of his alleged court appearance for murder, in which our hero was acquitted.  Naturally, this very generous offer has been rebuffed with all manner of excuses, because the simple truth is, this king of the bullshitters, cannot substantiate his claims.  He relies on the "If I say it happened, then it is true" line of crap, that he specialises in.  Of course, the Police are behind this wicked conspiracy to destroy him because they have never been able to convict him.  Yes, the binman is the real Teflon Don!"  Despite all the crap he spouts, there are many who believe every word that dribbles from his mouth.  Who could forget his heroic deeds of spraying water over pensioners at bus stops?  One day, the mentally retarded just might wake up and see him and people like him, for what they really are.

Liverpool

I remember newspaper reports from the late seventies about Underworld violence from Liverpool.  One was about an axe gang rampage around the city, late one night and a number of people were attacked in their homes.  It was alleged that many of this gang were doormen at the She Club, a notorious nightclub.  I have heard some tales about this club, and the extremely violent methods used to control the door.  The gang in question were acquitted, after the main prosecution witness refused to give evidence and so was jailed for contempt.


    Shortly after this, a big murder trial started.  Joe Keatley was facing murder charges arising out of the death of Eddie Palmer, a very notorious thug and gang leader.  Palmer was the leader of the "Stanley Boys" a notorious mob well-known for carving up their victims with stanley knives.  The gang comprised of two families, the Campbells & the Fitzgibbons`.  Joe Keatley was convicted of manslaughter and received three years.  My mate Steve, a scouser from the Dingle area of Liverpool, said that his dad stated that Palmer was marked down for murder fifteen years before his death, due to his propensity for mindless violence.  Palmer was declared to have been the most feared man in the city.  Former villain Charlie Siega also told of how he nearly killed Palmer, due to his bullying of a young girl.  These stories are just the tip of the iceberg, as most do not make the national papers.  You would need to do an extensive scan of the archives of the Liverpool Echo.


    The regional TV programme, Granada Reports, did a special on the Underworld in Liverpool.  An interview with Chief Constable Ken Oxford, in which he declared that nearly fifty pubs and clubs were used as a front by twelve crime families operating throughout the city.  It spoke with one of the victims of the axe gang, an interview with a tough club doorman and the run-ins with Palmer and his gang, protection rackets, and the violence that went with it.  Also spoken to was club owner Peter Stockley, who described how he just managed to avoid an assassination attempt.  Shortly after, his club was burned down.

The cult of celebrity

This is a phenomenon that has taken off in the last ten years, as people will do anything to achieve their fifteen minutes of fame.  What about the son of a legendary footballer having a reality show to see if he can go fifty days without having sex!  What a concept!!  He only becomes a "celebrity" due to his father.  What about a load of garbage about the brother of a soap star.  He had problems with dealing with being the brother of Eastenders star Leslie Grantham, alias "Dirty Den".  Oh the poor bastard was having a hard time because bruv was a TV star.  When author Derek Lister told me he was thinking of doing a second book of "Bradford`s Own", the hero of Bradford asked me, "Am I going to be in it?"  Yeah, right.  A true star and celebrity.


    Then we come to the warped and twisted minds of countless thousands who "mourned" the self-inflicted death of double murderer Raoul Moat.  The sick spectacle of people going on pilgrimages to the spot where he topped himself, even to the extent of taking their children with them, and preaching to them what a real "hero" he was.  Of course the fact that he brutally murdered his former girlfriend and the new man in her life, and almost slain a policeman who simply was in the wrong place at the wrong time, was of no consequence.  This gave rise to a wave of female misogyny  unseen or unheard of.  Warped women telling their offspring that this woman deserved to die, due to "what she did to their hero".  It is surprising to just what depths the human element can sink.  It seems that to fill their empty lives, they have to resort to acts that display what we can expect from their children.  Sick, isn`t it?

Who was Mick "The entire Manchester Underworld" Tainey?

Yes!  Just who was this alleged "Big time Gangster" that nobody seems to have heard of?  A man constantly boasted that he was "well known throughout Manchester," yet the ONLY person he mentioned was Mick Tainey.  The ONLY one.  So it is not a fantastic leap of the imagination to come up with a title as I have.  This is a man that crime authors have seemingly overlooked, even documentary makers.  Writers have wasted their time going on about Bobby McDermott, the "King of the barrowboys" and a top class fence who attained huge stature in the city.  Even the Richardsons admired him, allegedly.  Then there was Bobby Critchley, the man who had a bulletproof car.  What about Jock McGrath, the former heavyweight boxer?  A very tough man.  Also, there was Owen Ratcliffe, the club owner who threatened Billy Hill if he tried to get a hold in Manchester.  What about the time the "heroes" to the mentally deranged, the Krays, tried to get a toe in.  He went looking for them, on his own.  No minders/bodyguards.  Apparently, he feared no man.  Of course, we cannot forget the Quality Street Gang.  All this is long before the "Gunchester" tag.  But for some reason, the name of Tainey just does not appear.


    When the documentary about the Manchester Underworld was shown on TV, it featured the QSG, The Crazy Face Gang(Armed blaggers), The Doddies & the Goochies & the Cheetham Hillbillies.  No mention of this man "With his own criminal organisation".  What a missed opportunity!  The only information I have come up with so far, is an area of Manchester that there are some Taineys, but nothing at all about this big villain.  Later on, there came the Noonans and Chris Little.  Always some other names.
    

What constitutes a hardman?

This is a question that has raged on for generations about so-called tough guys.  This is so much more these, as the glut of "hardman" books have died the death with publishers.  Some people like Bernard O`Mahoney, a man intensely disliked by the London crowd, due to his so-called "grassing", is trying to put some truthful product on the market.   He is a man who tells it as it is and does not spout the usual bullshit about loyalty and honour.


      The typical tough guy must have the following attributes: He never loses a fight, or if he does lose, it is to some very tough nuts, so as to keep up the illusion.  He hates all bullies, despite the fact that most professional criminals are ruthless bullies themselves!  They never harm any women and children.  Hmmm.  Remember the Pen Club Murder in 1960?  A man called Selwyn Cooney was shot dead.  Jimmy Nash was facing capital murder and the hangman.  The girlfriend of a witness was attacked twice and carved up with razors.  Yet, in their memoirs, have any crims condemned these attacks?  No!  Why should they?  They also never maltreat women.  Yeah, sure they don`t.  They are also the most truthful.  A lie never dribbles from their lips.  Yet, all coppers are compulsive and pathological liars!  They spout the "Honour amongst thieves" bollocks, as they would never contemplate robbing some other tea leaf just to put a little money in their pockets.  Absolute salt of the Earth.  They also operate by some sort of "code".


    Another attribute to these heroes is that they are top men, even if people have not heard of them, and do not even consider saying that they are talking out of their arses and just who are they. Narcissism is not an affliction they suffer from, and they are just honest decent villains.  Jackanory, Jackanory!