I’VE been very much enjoying the letters page politics over the last couple of weeks, puncturing holes in the balloons of those who believe a socialist society is the only way forward.

‘A more capitalist society causes inequality of wealth?’ No sh** Sherlock. Maybe that’s because some people work harder to earn more.

Not everyone was put on the planet to be a Peter Jones but we all have the right to build up a business if we are so inclined.

The taxes the big businessmen pay – like Charlie Mullins - benefit all, though the way we are going presently, our entrepreneurs will up sticks and leave and that’s helpful isn’t it.

Ideals don’t work – I learned that in one of my very early history lessons – so don’t pretend they do.

And if that’s where we are presently heading, then I fear for the worst like R Ward who wrote a stonking letter last week.

There has to be a reason why socialism hasn’t worked in any country it’s ever been tried in and has been ultimately rejected.

A noble concept maybe, a ‘fair’ concept that can only ever work on paper because human nature and socialism are oil and water as some will always feel ‘more fair’ than others.

A government worth its salt should look after all its people – including those who make a bomb because they’ve put their backs into building up their businesses, worked brutal hours to flourish with the result that they’ve accumulated a few bob in the bank – and why shouldn’t they have it?

The resentment and jealousy for people like Charlie Mullins, Alan Sugar etc is toxic when all they did was what anyone had the chance to do in a society that supports growth and industry rather than sit there with entitlement and wait for the spoils to be dished out.

Room for both – doesn’t it make sense to tread the middle ground instead of those extreme ends of the spectrum.

The Barnsley Book Festival begins this week – the second one and I am so glad it looks as if it is going to be an annual event.

The number of people who came to my event last year who had never been to Barnsley before and so arrived early to have a spot of lunch and then ended up being gobsmacked that ‘Barnsley is nothing like we thought it would be’ was heartening.

So please have a look at visitbarnsley.co.uk for what’s going to happen over the next couple of weeks.

My event is sold out but I’ve got a new book out on the 27th and I’ll be doing signings in the town centre – more later. Please support your local creative capitalists.

I have been busy organising giveaways for my book launch and against my better judgement I employed a firm I’ve used for years to print the bookmarks.

I say that because they’ve let me down on the last three orders: on product quality, promised delivery dates, using every excuse on the planet to explain themselves away.

But they begged me for a fourth chance, promised me a stellar service, so I fell soft… and guess what. I just took LATE delivery of a consignment of bookmarks as flimsy as paper. I don’t want refunds or special treatment, I just want it put right and have no sympathy for their ‘I’m going to lose money on this job’. They conceded that they can no longer do my jobs going forward (as if!) because they think ‘our association is cursed’ which is the best excuse for incompetence I’ve come across yet. There’s more chance of me being three times a lady than five times a mug.