More Tory Culture Wars vandalism as Redcar blast furnace is blown up
A blast furnace at Redcar on Teesside was blown up on 23rd November.
It dated only from 1979 but the giant structure was meant to represent the future of steel making on Teesside. In fact it ended up being mothballed in 2015 and taking back control has made no difference to matters.
Predictably behind the demolition was anti-history man, the Tory Mayor for Tees Valley Ben Houchen. His fixed view is that the best way to remember the industrial history of Teesside is to destroy it. The problem is that preserving history, even recent additions such as the blast furnace costs money but does not provide much opportunity for private profit.
Of course when it comes to preserving statues of slave traders the Tories take precisely the opposite view.
Wilko Johnson 1947-2022. A working class break from music from men with long hair & beards
I was sorry to read of the death of Wilko Johnson at 75. An r’n’b guitarist he came to public focus with Dr Feelgood in the mid-1970s.
I saw Dr Feelgood at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park on 15th February 1975. It was part of the Naughty Rhythms tour and Kokomo and Chilli Willi were also on the bill. I have no memory of their performances but I do have Dr Feelgood’s performance firmly in my memory 47 years on.
It was of course Wilko Johnson’s stage presence and guitar playing style. Dressed in dark clothing with shortish hair, Johnson wielded the guitar like a machine and moved across the stage like a robot. It was mesmerising.
Johnson had of course adapted the style from earlier musicians but I doubt many in the crowd at the Rainbow that night new that. It was rather that something new was being witnessed. Short sharp blues songs played by a band from Canvey Island not ponderous tootling from men with long hair and beards (and that was just me).
It represented a break and Finsbury Park was of course where a young J.Rotten was developing the Sex Pistols. Sharp, in your face, confrontational music and culture for our crisis ridden times
Wilko Johnson was a precursor of punk. His guitar playing was angry and angular, but his presence – twitchy, confrontational, out of control – was something we’d never beheld before in UK pop. Rotten, Strummer and Weller learned a lot from his edgy demeanour. He does it right RIP
Scottish Health Minister dropped from Beard of the Year longlist over Two-Tier NHS issue
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that Scottish Health Minister Humza Yousaf has been dropped from the Beard of the Year longlist.
Reports have indicated that Scottish NHS bosses have considered a two-tier health service where the better off pay for treatment- in effect means testing. Mr Yousaf has made it clear that he does not support the idea but as the politician responsible for the NHS in Scotland accountability does rest with him
The Beard of the Year Award was first given in 2000 when the late Frank Dobson won. Author and broadcaster Michael Rosen won the on-line poll in 2021.
The longlist will be shaved to a shortlist at the end of November and after semi-finals and a final the winner will be announced on 28th December
The campaigners say that the criteria for inclusion on the longlist remain the same as in previous years:
A nominee must have had a beard for most of the calendar year
The beard wearer must have provided a positive public image of the hirsute
Beard lengths and styles are not taken into account.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, the Beard of the Year Award is all about beard wearers making a positive public impact for the hirsute. Unfortunately Mr Yousaf doesn’t now meet that criteria albeit it can be accepted that this is due to matters not entirely under his control
Beard of the Year Shave Off Round One
Top 2 plus highest placed 3rd go forward to the shortlist
Beard of the Year first Shave Off vote. Top 2 go the shortlist(plus highest placed third place)
The Campaign for Real Santas, which promotes Santas with genuine organic beards, has launched its 2022 initiative to promote real Santas with genuine beards by warning people to be aware of absurd false bearded Santas as the busiest pre-Christmas shopping weekends get underway.
The Campaigners say that with unemployment and under-employment amongst mature men over 50, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to use an assistant Santa who does not have a real beard.
At the same time the Campaign is also keen to encourage more female Santas with organic knitted beards.
Campaigners are urging parents and children to demand that Santas vigorously tug their beards as a definitive test as to whether they are in the presence of a real Santa or not.
CFRS organiser Keith Flett said, we are launching the campaign early again this year but the reason is hopefully obvious to most. Christmas decorations and lights are up in main High Streets and Christmas tat is everywhere. Our task of exposing false bearded Santas is more important than ever.
THREE STEPS TO SPOT A GENUINE SANTA
1 Ask the Santa to tug their beard. If it comes away, then the Santa is FAKE
2 If the beard remains intact ask the Santa to tug their beard again. If the Santa swears then they are genuine. If they simply repeat a ‘ho ho ho’ mantra they are FAKE
3 The Campaign for Real Santas says that genuine Santas must have just the right mix of bonhomie and grumpiness and a real organic beard.
Notes
The Organic Santa of 2022 will be named on December 18th. In 2020 and 2021 Michael Rosen shaved Brian Blessed for the annual honour
The Campaign for Real Santas is organised by the Beard Liberation Front
CWU gate meetings on Post CEO Simon Thompson stand in long labour movement tradition.
On Tuesday morning 22nd November postal members of the CWU held gate meetings across the UK ahead of more strike action at the end of the week.
The meetings proposed a vote of no confidence in the current Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson. Aside from being man who needs a beard like no other, Thompson of the competitive advantage that the universal service requirement gives RM preferring instead to keep shareholders happy by bashing the terms and conditions of CWU members.
Pictures of many of the meetings can be found on the CWU’s twitter account @CWUNews. They make an impressive display of working class solidarity and democracy in action.
It is a long tradition.
Before working people got the vote in the 1840s the Chartists would rally at Election hustings and vote their candidate as an MP. A poll would then be called where only men of property could vote with obvious results.
The tradition of workplace meetings continued, often to vote by hand for walk out. The tradition was strong enough and democratic enough to make the Government by the 1970s act to demand postal ballots for union action.
The tradition is global. In the early days of Solidarity in Poland workers would gather outside discussions between employers and the union in shipyards pressing for a positive outcome.
Simon Thompson is a man who clearly pays attention to organised capital. He may find the democratic power of organised labour is greater still
The Sunday Times Business News has published a report on the cost of living crisis after Hunt’s Autumn statement. There is the rich & the then there is the rest of us,
Moet Hennessy which sells wine at £40 a bottle plus. They are running out of stock of more expensive bottles as the rich spend money post Covid. Its described as the roaring 20s an echo of a post World War One boom for the rich
While the rich spend the Tressell Trust that runs food banks describes the cost of living crisis leading to a ‘tsunami of need’ amongst households facing the worst ever cut in living standards
In essence as food price inflation outstrips much else the poor spend more of their income on basic necessities than the rich do
How deep the recession is will depend to some extent on how far people spend money saved during Covid or hold on to it. Many of course did not have money to save.
Hunt increased the National Living Wage by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour. 70% of Hunt’s tax changes will hit the rich while lowest income households will be £350 better off. Not enough unfortunately to buy a crate of Moet wine.
Stir Up Sunday is the last Sunday before Advent in the Anglican & Catholic churches. Like many traditions it is one little mentioned by traditionalists
The key modern feature of the day has been to mix the Christmas pudding ready to mature for 25th December a month off.
One place where Stir Up Sunday is sometimes marked is Ambridge & Jill Archer was certainly stirring it up at the Bull (where she is in exile). That is both the pudding & her bigoted views.
It’s just as well they’ve never heard of Lidl in Ambridge
Keir Starmer has told the Times that he is non tribal in politics & has lots of friends amongst Tory MPs. This will surprise no one on the left tho it’s worth keeping in mind that a person’s politics & how likeable they are is not always a good fit.
Starmer has also told the Times that he is non tribal in personal relations & has kissed a Tory. That of course is a matter for him but the remark is aimed at embellishing his public image so its reasonable to ponder who the Tory might be.
I ran a quick twitter poll which saw Iacob Rees Mogg as the favourite for a Starmer kiss with Nadine Dorries second. Perhaps best not hto dwell on it
The Hunt Ball eventually went ahead this week a mixture of class struggle & collaboration. Brad was swayed by Oliver pointing out that Ball profits went to Borchester Foodbank but Mia persauded him to go ahead with a plan to create the Ambridge triangle of road signs to stop attendees.
Eddie Grundy realised and later chatted to Oliver about what fine people Brad and Mia are Oliver agreed while condemning those who had disrupted the ball
Ruth stands up for a Women’s Right to Choose
Ruth has condemned Jill’s bigotry as she argued Ben should have stopped Chelsea having an abortion. David has been more circumspect. Later in the week Jill claimed the Archer Dynasty was under threat over plans to sell 4 acres of land to buy out Vince Casey. There will be trouble ahead
Paul & Ruiari: the new first couple of Ambridge ?
It probably won’t end happily ever after
In Other News
Eddie Grundy has sourced a new wing mirror from Birmingham scrap dealers
In a late U-Turn FIFA announced that ABInBev’s Budweiser will be banned from Qatar World Cup stadiums. One might suggest that the drinkers are being saved from themselves (the parallel Budweiser Budvar brewed by a Czech Government owned brewery is excellent). In its latest move Budweiser has threatened to give all unsold beer to the World Cup winner
Budweiser banned from Qatar stadiums (except for £20K hospitality boxes). Meanwhile 6.500+ dead
However the wealthy will as ever get a free pass. Those in £20,000 hospitality boxes can continue to drink Budweiser at £11.60 a pint a price that is not likely to bother them.
The implication is clear that the rich can be trusted to drink sensibly while everyone else cant be. There is it must be said little evidence to support this view.
Qatar which the Guardian describes as a ‘conservative Muslim’ country (though one doubts one size fits all) has reactionary Government. To U-Turn on an agreement around alcohol with 48 hours to the start of the World Cup, when there have been 12 years to sort it, suggests agendas at work on a wider scale.
That said given that around 6.500 construction workers died building the World Cup stadiums perhaps its best to have a beer (or not) away from the football altogether
