I’ve been writing this column since the Advertiser first appeared on Walsall’s streets around 30 years ago. I must admit that my columns haven’t always been riveting and exciting and occasionally if I haven’t proofread what I’ve dictated, the odd spelling and grammatical errors have crept in. But I’ve enormously enjoyed and appreciated this regular opportunity for communicating directly with my constituents and others on any topics of my choice. I have striven hard not to use it as a political forum.

You may have heard that after 36 years as MP for Walsall South, I am stepping down at the General Election. I don’t want to repeat what I have said in this paper and other media as to the reasons, but in short, my wife and I feel it is about time that I make way for a much younger person. However, we shall still maintain our home here and keep paying our Council Tax to Walsall.

When I first announced my possible retirement during my victory speech in 2001, as we left the room both my wife and my agent told me I was a complete idiot. I soon agreed and regretted having said it. Wind on four years, same venue, same time, I said this would “definitely” be my last election. But then, months after Gordon Brown took over and it looked like there would be a snap election, I volunteered to stand again as there would be no time to find a replacement. Once it became clear that there wouldn’t be a snap election, I had to make a decision about my future and decided to have one more go.

The last couple of years have been difficult and unpleasant ones, not for me personally, but for MPs collectively. People will understandably take the view that MPs have brought this on themselves, and whilst this is largely true, unfortunately, too many MPs who have not been playing the system have been tarred by the same brush of public contempt. Had I indicated earlier that I was stepping down as was my original intention, many would have said, what has he got to hide? I had nothing to hide, but decided to wait until this was a matter of public record with all claims published on-line and the Legg audit into MPs’ expenses completed with the quaint phrase, “Mr George has no issues”. Whilst other factors led me to my decision to stand down, this played a crucial part in the timing of my announcement.

To leave voluntarily a vocation I have loved virtually every second of will be an enormous wrench, but I hope not to give up work. I am writing two books, which I regret will not push JK Rowling from the top of the bestseller list as they are aimed more at academics and practitioners. The first is on elections and integrity, the second is the history of non-state policing and security. These will keep me occupied as I adjust to my new existence. Whilst I shall be leaving Parliament, I remain very active physically and enthusiastic, so I will find other things to keep me busy. This will be in one of the areas in which I have built up a long experience over the years.

My wife and I have been enormously touched and gratified by the outpouring of affection and good wishes my announcement has generated. I truly cannot adequately express how much we have enjoyed our life in Walsall nor the depth of our gratitude that I was elected by you on nine occasions (though sometimes by the skin of my teeth!).

I’m not remotely suggesting that everybody either shares my views or even particularly likes me. Although Walsall people are known to express their views in a forthright manner, there are precious few occasions when anyone has been aggressive or threatening to me. There are, however, a few memorable exceptions. Within three months of being elected, I had my shared Westminster office blown up by the IRA. On another occasion when I was largely responsible for the cancellation of a fascist rally in Walsall, my wife Lisa took a phone message in which the caller said they would be lobbing a petrol bomb through our window that night. This led her and her late mother to make a very swift exit from the house. As they were leaving, my wife noticed a suspicious vehicle parked out front. She duly noted the registration number and passed it on to the police. Unfortunately, in her somewhat panicked state, she took the wrong number and Special Branch made a swoop on an innocent guy, a respectable engineer from Leicester!

For quite some time, I had an anonymous letter writer who exuded venom and hatred of me. The one time I have successfully managed to stick to a diet and lose a lot of weight, my correspondent saw me on tv and wrote, “I see you’ve lost weight. You look ill. Cancer, I hope.” I marvelled through this column at a new technology that enabled the police to detect an individual’s DNA through the back of a licked stamp. My correspondent ceased writing immediately, so he was obviously an avid reader of this column! I think that’s pretty good for 36 years. I really hope this doesn’t start a spate of people trying to remedy this record in the five or six weeks I have left as your Member of Parliament. I doubt it.

On a more serious note, ultimately, it is for you, not me, to judge my record. I have tried my very hardest at all times and I hope that even those who have not always agreed with my positions on various issues will at least recognise that I always fought for what I passionately believed in and for what I believed was in the best interests of the people of this wonderful town. Once again and possibly for the last time, may my wife and I say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.