I don’t write for money, not least because I remain fully employed elsewhere, and try to avoid wandering too far into areas where who do write for money post.
However I note a letter that appeared in the Morning Star last week suggesting that a piece I wrote on the 40th anniversary of the Specials Ghost Town was worth the price of the paper alone- i.e £1.20.
Of course I’m more normally known for writing letters or fletters (as my Eng. Lit. teacher at Alexandra Park Comp called them in the 1970s). I definitely dont write them for financial gain but the Star comment does pose the question of how much a Fletter might be worth
Monday was ‘freedom day’ in England (but not the other 3 UK nations) and that meant being able to order at the bar and not wearing a mask.
Hmmm. Pubs and pubs businesses have had a tough time with little Government support so the desire to run things as near to normal as possible, allowing some money to be made, which in turn secures jobs, is fully understandable.
However…. I was less than impressed with the unfortunately ‘gung ho’ approach of some pubs and pub chains which seems to an extent to be being promoted even by SIBA and CAMRA. Masks, social distancing etc were there for a reason. To protect both staff and customers. Pub staff need functioning pubs but if they end up with long Covid that won’t help the pub or themselves.
I note though that many responsible pubs are maintaining safety measures at least for now.
Of course I’m a regular pub goer (when they are open). I’m happy enough to order from a table (tho I’d could do without a proliferation of Apps in order to order). I quite like also ordering at the bar, if its not busy. That doesn’t mean standing at the bar.
For the moment I’ll be sticking to pubs I know operate safely (as far as they can). Pubs are social spaces and they should also be places where social solidarity is important.
That of course would be much improved if more pub chains recognised trade unions
Met Office Hot Weather Alert: Beard Wearers advised to significantly trim follicles
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers which campaigns against beardism, irrational prejudice against the hirsute, has issued a rare advisory authorisation to the hirsute to significantly trim but not shave off their beards following a Met Office Hot Weather warning.
The warning which runs to Friday covers south-west England and Wales but temperatures will be high across much of the UK.
In its 25 year plus history the BLF has issued fewer than six such authorisations.
The campaigners have advised the hirsute to take special care of their beards as temperatures continue to be at 30C or above.
BLF organiser Keith Flett said, shaving off the beard in the UK during hot temperatures is a serious error. Facial hair has a cooling effect on the skin and exposed to the sun’s rays after shaving sunburn is a likely outcome
Flett continued, however when in Algiers in 1882 Karl Marx had a full beard trim-not a shave-, as opposed to pruning, and exceptionally this is also permitted until further notice.
Guidelines for maintaining & trimming the Beard in hot weather
If the beard is above three inches in length significant warm weather trimming is in order, following the guidelines set by Marx in 1882
If the beard starts to over-heat immersing it in the freezer cabinet of the nearest supermarket will provide an instant remedy
Hand held fans may also be used to ventilate the beard
If the beard starts to dry out in the heat and follicles become brittle immersion in water will help. Alternatively a glass of craft beer will moisturise and nourish the beard.
Trimming should on no account be done in a barbers shops. Barbers are notorious pogonophobes who will enthusiastically ‘over-trim’ and shave the beard entirely
Trimming should be done using a pair of fine scissors and a mirror to a length and style to suit. DO NOT use any form of shaver. Trimming is a craft job
Once again on Englishness. Useful to understand, not a political programme
In the wake of the European football more has appeared on Englishness. One example is from John Harris in the Guardian, a piece that might be described in some circles as ‘mere impressionism’. That really means, could do with more research.
More pointedly Socialist Worker has criticised a turn to Englishness and progressive patriotism as a turn to the right, an accommodation with ruling class ideas. It argues that there is a similarity to the New Times project that Marxism Today ran in the 1980s. This argued that the working class had changed and the ideas of the left must change with it.
There is nothing wrong with measuring ideas for relevance against material circumstances. The specific issue with the New Times project was that it led to New Labour. Its reasonable to note however that in various ways some of the key architects of the project such as Stuart Hall and Eric Hobsbawm did come to recognise this in various ways. Hall for example argued that while the left needed a new approach the mistake was that if failed to develop one but simply tweaked Thatcherism.
Elsewhere History Workshop held several conferences on patriotism, which were more nuanced. They looked at the history of the working class and perhaps particularly the Tory and right-wing currents that did not feature in E P Thompson’s Making of the English Working Class. The point here was not celebrate them and suggest adopting their views. Rather it was to try to understand them and then ponder what the left could do about it.
Here however Thompson had done some of the work in his discussion of the Freeborn Englishman. He (and it was a he) was a contradictory character. Sometimes on the left, sometimes not.
For example Thompson notes that the Freeborn Englishman claimed a right to riot against oppression founded in the ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688.
The Freeborn Englishman did not however claim many rights but what he did not like was authority telling him what to do, or restricting his activities. Hence things like freedom from arbitrary arrest, jury trial and equality before the law were very important matters.
The British Government of the early nineteenth century, referred to by William Cobbett as The Thing, liked, as Thompson notes, to flatter the Freeborn Englishman by claiming that it held to these principles, whereas OTHER COUNTRIES did not.
Certainly the Freeborn Englishman was not an internationalist or an enthusiast for what happened in other countries.
Here the left by 1848 had moved on. International solidarity became a key feature of working class politics not least because in the face of British imperialism as Thompson again noted there was ‘so bloody much to oppose’
Beard wearers should wear masks as social solidarity & ignore clean-shaven fools like Boris
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has renewed a call that it first made a year ago on 23rd July 2020 for the hirsute to wear masks as a matter of social solidarity.
A specially commissioned poll found that 91% of respondents backed its guidance to the hirsute to continue wearing masks in appropriate contexts and settings after July 19th, as the legal requirement is lifted in England.
The campaigners say that mask wearing has seen a rise in follicle health over the past year, as beards have been protected from the elements and accidental exposure to noxious substances.
They also say that mask wearing protects others, hirsute and clean shaven, from anything that the beard wearer themselves may transmit, via the occasional splutter, groan or cheer.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, it’s clear that beard wearers put the duty to protect themselves and others against clean-shaven fools like Boris Johnson first and will continue mask wearing where appropriate after July 19th.
DO NOT Wear shorts of this length. DO wear a beard. NEVER talk to Farage
Beard Liberation Front
17th June
Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266
2022 Beard, Shorts & Sandals Season, Hot Weather Warning
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has issued a hot weather warning as the first peak of the 2022 Beard, Shorts and Sandals Season is reached.
The campaigners say that many areas of the UK will see daytime temperatures well in excess of 21C for the next few days.
The UV factor will be high meaning there is a significant chance of two things happening:
1] Beard follicles becoming dry and brittle. The combat this irrigate the beard regularly with the liquid of your choice.
2 Exposed legs becoming sunburnt. Please follow official advice to wear ¾ length shorts.
1] Shorts should ideally be three-quarter length-‘culottes’. The length of shorts is particularly important as climate change may mean that unprotected legs get sunburnt.
2] Footwear should be casual. There is a considerable range of sandal type footwear now available. Some leaves parts of the feet and toes open to public view, while some does not. The BLF is not prescriptive about the matter.
3] Socks should generally not be worn. However if the beard, shorts and sandals are to be displayed in relatively busier urban areas it is likely to be prudent to wear closed rather than open casual footwear and ankle socks, not visible to others may be worn.
4] There is no prescription or definition on what type of beard may be worn, or how this may match with the shorts and sandals. This is left up to the individual.
5] Social distance should be kept where appropriate and required. On no account should there be any large groups of beard, shorts and sandals wearers. Discussion of styles should be confined to small groups or social media.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, we don’t issue hot weather warnings lightly and would urge the hirsute to adhere to our sensible guidelines to avoid follicle and skin damage in the summer heat.
Historians welcome long overdue plaque to black Chartist leader William Cuffay
The London Socialist Historians Group, which organises the socialist history seminar at the Institute of Historica Research, University of London has welcomed the long overdue plaque to black Chartist leader William Cuffay, at Chatham Dockyard.
Cuffay (1788-1870) was the son of an ex-slave who came to the Medway Towns as a sailor on a British Navy ship and married a local woman. He moved to London and worked as a tailor. He became a trade unionist and in the 1840s a leading Chartist. He was the organiser of the Chartist rally for the vote at Kennington Common on Monday 10th April 1848.
Long standing efforts to erect a plaque for Cuffay in London have been frustrated.
The historians say that the Chatham plaque, whose erection was delayed from 2020, is due to the campaigning work of Medway African and Caribbean Association, Medway Trades Council and Medway Labour Party.
London Socialist Historians Group convenor Dr Keith Flett said, the long overdue plaque to William Cuffay is welcome. He is an important figure in the long struggle for democracy. It’s a pity that Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has so far ignored calls for a London plaque despite consistently saying he supports more memorials.
New characters in Ambridge: Kyle, ‘Yam Yam’ York & ‘Leyla’
New characters appearing in Ambridge are not that usual not least because of strict BBC budget limits on how many can appear in each week.
While three new characters did appear this week two were actually, so far, virtual
‘Yam Yam’* York is in fact Ed Grundy’s former PE teacher. Clearly the two did not get on well. Yam Yam was getting married to the schools Head of Chemistry and required the services of Eddie Grundy’s ‘free’ chauffeur service for his stag night. However he fell asleep in the car which obviously Eddie hadn’t checked properly. Hence he had to borrow an ill fitting suit from Ed and rush to his wedding service in the morning. Readers will get the picture. It was a bit laboured..
Kyle is a neighbour of Helen who has been posting (at best) rude things about here on the residents WhatsApp group. Joy has purged him but another Admin has added him again. Lee is not happy but who is Kyle and what has he got against Helen? We think he may be the former Borsetshire organiser of UKIP.
Finally ‘Leyla’ is Roy’s new special friend who he has never met and very probably never will as its not likely she or he exists outside of the interwebs… We suspect Knacker Burns
Surely Brian Aldridge knows something about Scary Cows..
Ben & the NHS
In an entirely separate storyline Ben has been discussing with Roooth his aim to become an NHS nurse. We can only applaud it.
Tolpuddle Festival 2021
The annual Tolpuddle Festival takes place this weekend, mainly but not entirely digital. Following its now long history of ignoring workers issues the Archers had nothing to say on it. We understand that Eddie Grundy is a regular attender of the cider tent
*The Ambridge Socialist Editorial Board advises that Yam Yam is a term for someone from the Black Country and perhaps specifically Wolverhampton
Anyone who has attended an international cricket match in recent times will be familiar with the singing of the Neil Diamond song Sweet Caroline by many in the crowd. This year it was also taken up by England football fans at the European Cup. It is certainly better than some of the alternative songs. Some like David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd complained but the song isnt the property of any particular group of fans.
According to a report in the always reliable Daily Telegraph, the new and much criticised cricket contest, The Hundred, which starts next week has cancelled the song. The Hundred is as much about DJs and live music as it is about cricket, and the DJs wont be playing Sweet Caroline.
Apparently the cricket authorities think the song is associated with raucous and indeed not sober fans and this is not the family image The Hundred wants.
So the song is cancelled. Cue an intervention by Culture and Sport Secretary Oliver Dowden and heated ‘discussions’ on GB News.
There is of course nothing that can really be done if fans just sing it anyway
Tolpuddle 2021: digital organising becomes a way of life
The annual Tolpuddle Martyrs festival is this weekend and usually I would be there with my partner Megan and friends. However as in 2020 it is largely (but not quite fully) a digital affair
Yet many of the lessons to be drawn from the men of Tolpuddle apply just as much to the virtual world of politics and organising as they do to the physical one.
I agree with the historian Tom Scriven that the Martyrs had a significant back story. They appeared after several years of campaigning and protests amongst Dorsetshire labourers, in which one of the Martyrs George Loveless had been involved. Victories over wages had been won and then clawed back by employers.
A lesson was drawn that a more permanent form of organisation and structure was needed. The model came perhaps from several already existing local trade union branches but also from organisers in Robert Owen’s Grand National Consolidated Trade Union who provided a template for the Tolpuddle activists on how to set up a union.
Of course this was all done person to person but in 2021 it can as easily be done virtually via a Zoom or Teams meeting on-line.
The Martyrs met in secret and took an oath to try and protect the integrity of what they were doing from hostile employers and authorities. It didn’t ultimately work, they were betrayed by a spy.
The relevance to 2021 remains strong though. Certainly the idea of conspiratorial meetings is not one in the traditions of the modern labour movement. However an understanding of the need to keep attempts to organise a union away from attempts by employers to disrupt it by sacking and blacklisting activists is.
Again this can be either physically or virtually. In either case who attends a meeting can be checked. That won’t stop spies, whether from an employer or from the authorities but it gives some element of control while organisation is built.
The Martyrs were the victims of highly prejudicial and doubtfully legally based Court proceedings in Dorchester. When workers organising threatens the efforts of employers to exploit them for profit the law can be bent in the latter’s favour whether in Dorset in the 1830s or Shrewsbury in the 1970s
That’s when solidarity and publicity come to play a key role. Here again both the virtual and physical worlds of have strengths and weaknesses.
The cause of the Martyrs saw huge working-class demonstrations in London and a continuing campaign in their support which saw them returned to Britain from Australia just a few years after they were transported there.
The physical demonstration has a lot to be said for it of course. Its here that a key difference between the physical and virtual worlds appears and was a key difference with Tolpuddle 2020.
Certainly the meetings and discussions and the music can take place on-line. But the informal chats, the bumping into comrades, the building of friendships and links is much more difficult.
On the other hand many will know that virtual meetings can attract a massive audience at short notice way beyond what in most cases would appear in person after a lot of hard slog of leafleting and campaigning. They can also include speakers and activists from around the world that would rarely be seen in person in Britain.
Tolpuddle 2021 reminds us of a world we have, hopefully to a large extent only temporarily lost. It also however drew our attention to a significant new world that we have gained.
The aim as ever however remains to educate, agitate and organise however and wherever we can
