A plaque to mark the site where the Chartist paper the Northern Star was first printed in Leeds, was unveiled on Saturday 30th November. The Northern Star which was published from 1837 to 1852 was one of the great working class papers, outselling the Times at peak circulation.
The plaque was funded by public subscription and backed by numbers of socialists and trade unionists. Vic Clarke one of a new generation of brilliant Chartist historians was amongst the moving spirits.
Its a reminder that when Oliver Dowden (currently to be found on the Tory backbenches) was Culture Secretary he opposed the taking down or re-siting of statues and memorials to those involved in the slave trade. He said his preference was to erect new statues. Of course nothing at all happened by the Northern Star plaque is a welcome reminder that a people’s history does not need to wait for official approval
See @vcjtorianist.bsky.social for lots more detail on this
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