London Socialist Historians seminar Mon 24th Oct. The British Left & the Defence Economy
Mon 24th October 5.30pm. Keith McLoughlin. The British Left and the Defence Economy: competing visions of social democracy.
Kevin will present some of the research involved in his new book (MUP 2022)
The seminar is free on Zoom. Please register below
https://www.history.ac.uk/events/british-left-and-defence-economy-competing-visions-social-democracy
Beard Liberation Front
15th October
Contact BLF Organiser Keith Flett 07803 167266
Moeen Ali & Michael Rosen voted Beards of Autumn 2022
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that the vote for the final Beard Off round for the Beard of Autumn has concluded. England cricketer Moeen Ali topped the poll with author Michael Rosen a close second.
There were two preliminary rounds leading to the Beard Off final where the top two beards from each of the earlier rounds try to beard the others.
In the first round Mick Whelan and Stephen Fry shaved opponents to be the first two to go through to the final Beard Off. In the second round Moeen Ali and Michael Rosen prevailed
The Beard of Autumn is the final quarterly award of the year with the vote for the coveted Beard of the Year 2022 getting underway at the beginning of December
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, Moeen Ali and Michael Rosen have very different kinds of beards. The thing they share is the positive impact their beards have in the public eye. Congratulations to both
Beard of Autumn shortlist
Mick Whelan, General Secretary ASLEF
Moeen Ali, England cricketer
Michael Rosen, author & Arsenal fan
Tim Dunn, railway historian
Alan Shearer, football pundit
Stephen Fry, cricket lover
Lionel Messi, footballer
Paul Hollywood, Great British Bake Off
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has paid tribute to the actor Robbie Coltrane who has died aged 72.
In a long acting career Coltrane was mostly clean shaven but played the iconic and magnificently bearded Hagrid in Harry Potter films.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, even though Robbie Coltrane was acting Hagrid’s beard became a symbol of the impact an organic beard can have
Liz Truss has performed further U-Turns. This is a worldview that she formed when at Oxford and has clearly stuck to.
Marc Stears(now at UCL) wrote about the time he was Liz Truss’s tutor during her time as an undergraduate at Oxford in the Murdoch Sunday Times (31st July)
According to Marc Stears Truss’s time at Oxford was marked by an ability to come up with unusual angles on issues and stick to them even when informed that facts showed she was wrong. Secondly an ability to fiercely argue a position only to drop it and equally fiercely promote something different.
Some (too rare) good news on two North London pubs
It is tough times indeed for pubs. Post the Covid lockdowns we now have a cost of living crisis and soaring energy bills.
This week however brought good news for two North London pubs.
The Compton Arms, just off Islington Upper St, is an historic mews pub and one of the models for Orwell’s Moon Under Water. Some local residents had complained about noise and unruly behaviour. It was thought they might have been Nimbys, moving in to a property near a pub and then complaining. However they appeared to be longer term residents, who, one presumes, had got used to silence during the long lockdown closures.
Islington licensing committee on 12th October imposed some minor restrictions on the pub but nothing that will stop it from flourishing. A victory for the large numbers who campaigned to keep it open
https://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/compton-arms-decision-9327122
Also this week the Winchester, Archway Rd, Highgate reopened. It had been shut since 2014 and I for one never expected to see it as a pub again. It is named in Shaun of the Dead although the pub in the film is the Boogaloo further up Archway Rd near Highgate tube.
Both events reflect a continuing London trend of closed or under threat pubs to be saved. How long this trend will continue in times like these is another matter.
Kwarteng has gone but for the moment Truss remains. The issue is how to get rid of her.
My preference would be for a General Strike,and the TUC meets in Brighton next week. I would not be that hopeful that action will follow…
Perhaps it is time for the current Official Solicitor to appear and find an obscure legal route to call a General Election.
The Official Solicitor has appeared only once before and in almost equally exceptional circumstances. In July 1972 five dockers were sent to Pentonville prison for being in contempt of court. They had continued a picket which then existing Tory industrial relations law deemed illegal.
The TUC did call a General Strike, but before it could take place Norman Turner the Official Solicitor appeared, applied to a Court and got the dockers released.
His successor may be required in the very near future
May Day Bank Holiday marks international workers day NOT Royal events
King Charles has announced that his Coronation will be on Saturday May 6th (vote not required)
This provoked calls for a Bank Holiday to mark the occasion, followed by demands that the May Day Bank Holiday be moved to address this point (Times Editorial 13th Oct).
Perhaps needless to say Keir ‘not the history man’ Starmer also backed the move. This seems odd because just a few months ago the Labour leader was demanding an additional bank holiday to mark the Lionesses football victory.
May Day is a Bank Holiday introduced by a previous Labour Government to mark international workers day. It is held on the nearest Monday to May Day itself and the aim was to undercut the tradition of workers taking strike action on the day itself, which had existed since the 1890s.
May Day and Royal Coronations do not I’m afraid compute
Not the History Man: Keir Starmer’s missing tribute to Angela Lansbury
The actress Angela Lansbury died this week at 96. She had a long list of impressive film appearances to her credit but she was also a lifelong socialist.
She was related to George Lansbury (1859-1940) who led the Labour Party from 1932-35. Lansbury was an anti-war left-wing MP and someone with a long history of socialist activity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lansbury
Angela Lansbury is likely to be the last person to have met George Lansbury in person. While one doesn’t expect the current Labour leader Keir Starmer to pay tribute to every actress or actor that dies, the link with Labour Party history here is clear.
Perhaps like Tony Blair, Starmer is no history man
Old Corruption News: The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd
Despite calls for Johnson to return as PM he is focused on making himself money.
On 10th October the Office of Boris Johnson Ltd was registered at Companies House. Ex-Prime Ministers are allowed £115,000 a year to run an office to, in effect, deal with their legacy, which in Johnson’s case is substantial.
The Times (12th October) reports that the new Company will not be used for commercial purposes although its worth keeping in mind that Johnson is an inveterate liar.
Meanwhile De Pfeffel is on holiday in Dominica and flew specially to Colorado where, he found time to address an audience of insurance brokers for 30 minutes. For this he was paid £135,000
Former Prime Ministers are supposed to get authorisation before undertaking paid work in the period after they leave office. Johnson did not of course, so we may well hear more on this.
Public Spending Cuts: Truss ‘U-Turn’ reflects her Oxford University DNA. No Direction Home?
Whether Liz Truss remains PM long enough for her statement at Prime Ministers Questions today that there would be no public spending cuts we shall see. However while it was labelled a U-Turn in reality Truss flip-flopping from one position to another refers back to her days at Oxford University (when she was a LibDem)
Marc Stears(now at UCL) wrote about the time he was Liz Truss’s tutor during her period as an undergraduate at Oxford in the Murdoch Sunday Times (31st July 2022)
According to Stears Truss’s time at Oxford was marked by an ability to come up with unusual angles on issues and stick to them even when informed that facts showed she was wrong. Secondly an ability to fiercely argue a position only to drop it and equally fiercely promote something different
Truss may be styled as and style herself as Thatcher Mk 11 and she is clearly informed by the hard right dogmas of the Institute of Economic Affairs. However her ideological commitment or otherwise to specific measures may be a distinct break from Thatcherism.
No Direction Home as Dylan sang
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