My father William Franklin was a trade union man who looked after the civil servants working for the Ministry of Defence at the Woolwich Arsenal...masons and not communists were his main problem...this was his day job...he did it well...so well in fact that he was blacklisted and never promoted...this did not endear him to my mother...whose day (and night) job was to make ends meet and bring up her four boys to be good middle-class citizens striving for success.

However on race nights (Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays) my father moonlighted behind the betting desk with William Hill at Catford Greyhound Stadium...I wish now that he had shown me the ropes...he also studied form when my mother wasn't looking...and broke even on his betting...or so my father assured his wife.

But my mother was not convinced and confiscated the bulk of his earnings the moment he brought them home each month...her father had not approved of the marriage...there were rumours of some dubious goings-on at the Royal Mint where my father and two of his brothers once worked...only after his death did my mother discover that my grandfather's misgivings were not without foundation...it turned out that my father had been declaring only half of his earnings at William Hill to my mother for much of their married life.

In 2006 I decided to resurrect the family tradition...but betting on economies instead of dogs and gee-gees. I am not interested in breaking even...and have no intention of bankrupting myself. I am in this for the money...if I am so smart why aren't I rich? Just so...I will be.

But betting 21sr Century style means spread betting. Winnings from spread betting are tax-free...just like wins on the horses with 20th Century betting. IG Index will be my work-horse.