Campaigners back MP criticised for ‘improper’ dress in virtual Commons debate
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that it has sympathy with the Conservative MP for Stoke on Trent Jonathan Gullis who was refused permission by Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing to speak in a virtual Commons debate because he was improperly dressed.
Mr Gullis was wearing a jumper whereas current Commons rules require men to require a jacket.
The campaigners say that while they accept the MPs should be presentably, if not smartly, dressed when speaking in the Commons, either virtually or personally, the association of a jacket or suit with smartness is misplaced and outdated in 2021.
They also say that Mr Gullis’s beard may have excited a degree of sub-conscious over reaction by the Deputy Speaker reflecting age old prejudices that the hirsute are untidy dressers.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, the Prime Minister invariably wears a suit for his Commons appearances but has got the art of appearing unkempt and dishevelled down to a fine art. Being appropriately dressed in 2021 is not about whether you wear a jacket or not.
Poll of image experts says Keir Starmer must grow a beard to address poll woes
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that a poll of hirsute image experts has concluded that Labour leader Keir Starmer should address Labour’s persistent problem of failing to take a poll lead over the Tories by changing his image and growing a beard.
The recommendation comes after a group of 50 hirsute image experts were polled on the matter.
40% said that the Labour leader would do better with a full organic beard. 25% backed a styled hipsterish beard. Less than 20% thought that Starmer’s current clean shaven suit style would see a poll improvement
Previously the beard experts have said that repeated tweaks to Labour’s policy positions are not getting across to voters. They note that Boris Johnson has no set and discernible policies aside from promoting himself and staying in office for the time being.
The beard experts report underlined that Johnson does have a clear image with voters. While this is unpopular with many, the deliberately tousled hair and generally unkempt appearance appears to cut through with voters.
Starmer by contrast comes across as a rather generic clean shaven man in a suit with a sharp haircut and as such presents a rather anonymous image.
The beard experts have agreed that the way forward for Starmer is to grow a gravitas adding beard. They note that the Labour leader may be reluctant to do this given it might associate him with the well-known appearance of the immediate past leader of the Party.
However they say there are a vast range of beard styles available and Starmer could easily adopt one that emphasised both a sharp appearance and wisdom. The new poll backs a full beard as the clear preference of image experts.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, we hope Sir Keir heeds the image experts view. An organic beard would clearly differentiate the Labour leader from Boris Johnson and could lead to a much needed poll bounce.
Airbrushing history & the 206th anniversary of the Cato St Conspiracy
The 23rd February marks the 206th anniversary of the Cato St Conspiracy.
As anniversaries go the 206th is neither here or there. It will be noticed by various radical history sites but the big discussion on it took place in 2020.
On 23rd February 1820 a group of conspirators met at a rented space in Cato St (off the Edgware Rd in the West End of London).
Their plan was to go to a Cabinet dinner taking place that night in Grosvenor Square, decapitate the Ministers present and declare a Republic.
The aim of overthrowing the Government that had presided over the Peterloo Massacre was one that can certainly be understood and supported 201 years on. The decapitation reflected (perhaps) different times but in any case was a disastrous plan because it was based not on mass mobilisation like Peterloo (there is some evidence that the act was designed to spark a rising) but a conspiracy.
The conspiracy was uncovered because it had been infiltrated by a Government Spy. Indeed the spy was responsible for placing bogus notices of the Cabinet dinner (which never took place) in the press and in effect inciting the specific events of 23rd February, although the revolutionary mood was real enough.
Its a not insignificant part of British history but one that is often absent from tales of our island story.
NHS Contracts, the Tory Government & William Cobbett’s Old Corruption
The words below were posted in February 2021 looking back to the provision of Protective Equipment in the first period of COVID in 2020.
At length the COVID Inquiry has found that Boris Johnson’s Government wasted billions of pounds of public money on PPE that was mostly unusable often in contracts to providers associated with the Tory Party.
A Court has ruled that the Government and in particular Health Secretary Hancock have failed in a legal duty to be sufficiently transparent to whom they have awarded contracts related to the pandemic to.
The Government legislated to remove the usual safeguards around tendering for contracts given the COVID emergency but this did remove a requirement for accountability on what had been done
The BBC reported as a lead item on its news website that:
Labour claimed the government’s awarding of contracts was “plagued by a lack of transparency, cronyism and waste”.
It’s something that has an echo in British history perhaps particularly in the views of William Cobbett
EP Thompson encapsulated the Cobbettian worldview in the Making of the English Working Class. Describing Cobbett’s intervention in the 1806 election for the Westminster seat in the unreformed Parliament, he noted how Cobbett summed up the opponents of the radical candidate:
relations of placemen and pensioners’, ‘tax-gatherers, magistrates, policemen and dependent clergy’, ‘play-actors, scene-shifters, candle-snuffers, and persons following.. immoral callings’.
In his Rural Rides, Cobbett criticised ‘pensions, sinecures, tithes and the other ‘glorious institutions’ of this ‘mighty empire’. He referred to this collectively as The Thing.
That world eventually began to change as Parliamentary Democracy started itself to be renewed with the 1832 Reform Act. It might be noted however that the passage of the Act was a fine call between reform and a plebeian revolution.
21st February 1848: Publication of the Communist Manifesto in London
The Communist Manifesto was first published, in London, but in German only, 177 years ago, on 21st February 1848. Boris Johnson is presumably marking the event today as a key moment not only in British history but in the history of Britain’s impact on the world.
The preamble of the Manifesto went as follows:
A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of communism. All the powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Pope and Tsar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies.
Where is the party in opposition that has not been decried as communistic by its opponents in power? Where is the opposition that has not hurled back the branding reproach of communism, against the more advanced opposition parties, as well as against its reactionary adversaries?
Two things result from this fact:
Communism is already acknowledged by all European powers to be itself a power.
It is high time that Communists should openly, in the face of the whole world, publish their views, their aims, their tendencies, and meet this nursery tale of the Spectre of Communism with a manifesto of the party itself.
To this end, Communists of various nationalities have assembled in London and sketched the following manifesto, to be published in the English, French, German, Italian, Flemish and Danish languages.
The Manifesto was published just 4 days before revolutionary events toppled the King in France and started the revolutionary year of 1848. However it had no impact on those events, as it was not available either in France or in French.
An English translation by the female Chartist Helen Macfarlane, appeared in the Red Republican in 1850, after the revolutionary wave had subsided. Famously it replaced the word ‘spectre’ with that of ‘hobgoblin’.
The point is not that Marx and Engels had a better crystal ball than anyone else but they had correctly analysed the old order in Europe by 1848 was creaking and ready in places to change. They could do little more at the time to influence the course of events than analyse them, though Engels in particular was involved in revolutionary events in what is now Germany in 1848/9. Marx was deported and found his way to London by 1849.
The Manifesto itself however provided the beginnings of a theoretical basis, overtime, for the development of a serious left based on the revolutions of 1848 and indeed their defeat.
On the centenary of the publication in 1948 the Labour Party published a version with commentary by Harold Laski. I’m not sure Keir Starmer will be commenting today or even if he has read it- he may have done in his younger years.
Health Minister, Actor, Musician & MS face off in Beard of Wales 2021 Round Two
The annual vote which aims to determine the St David’s Day Beard of Wales, the Welsh beard that offers the most positive national image, is once again underway.
The first round saw journalist Martin Shipton and rugby player Jake Ball shave Sir Tom Jones and Carwyn Jones to reach the final vote from February 25th. Voting on Round Two is now open.
The Beard Liberation Front says that images of St David suggest that the Welsh Saint himself may have had an organic beard
Welsh rugby prop Adam Jones won the Award in 2013, voted for by BLF supporters, just shaving former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Another rugby player Leigh Halfpenny won in 2014. In 2015 the Award went to Thee Faction musician Chris Fox in 2016 footballer Joe Ledley and in 2017 to Charcutier Illtud Llyr Dunsford, with Chris Fox winning again in 2018. In 2019 journalist Grant Tucker shaved the opposition to claim the accolade. Michael Sheen won in 2020 and went on to share the Beard of the Year Award with Michael Rosen in December 2020.
It is the ninth time the Award has been given following the traditional UK Beard of the Year at the end December each year and the BLF says it is a mark of Wales as a modern nation on St David’s Day that beards are now playing an increasingly significant role in national life.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, with Round Two now underway competition for the final two places in the Best Beard of Wales 2021 vote is bristling.
There are two preliminary rounds leading to the final Best Beard of Wales 2021 vote between 25-28 February
Vote here:
Beard of Wales 2021 Round Two. Top 2 go through to the Best Beard of Wales poll starting 25th February
Mia Grundy redefines the Grundy tradition. We back Mia
Mia Grundy has charted a new direction for the glorious Ambridge tradition of proletarian revolt and resistance the Grundys have stood for over many decades.
She has demanded that the patriarchy be smashed and underlined to Eddie that capitalist agriculture is destroying the environment. Eddie was sympathetic but pointed out that he had to make a living.
No doubt the discussion will continue but the Ambridge Socialist backs Mia Grundy
Emma takes action on modern slavery (at last)
Emma recognising the impact that the reality that the Ambridge playground was built by slave labour. She plans to re-launch it and in doing so raise money for an anti-slavery charity. A lot more useful than Alan the vicar washing villagers feet as Lynda suggested…
Tony practices détente with Peggy
An ‘unfortunate’ new split in the Ambridge ruling class has been avoided as Tony relented and allowed Peggy to come to his 70th birthday party having previously banned her. It took the intervention of Lilian to review some family history with Tony to sort the matter out
Journalist Martin Shipton & rugby player Jake Ball through to Beard of Wales 2021 final
The annual vote which aims to determine the St David’s Day Beard of Wales, the Welsh beard that offers the most positive national image, is once again underway.
The first round saw journalist Martin Shipton and rugby player Jake Ball shave Sir Tom Jones and Carwyn Jones to reach the final vote from February 25th. Voting on Round Two is now open.
The Beard Liberation Front says that images of St David suggest that the Welsh Saint himself may have had an organic beard
Welsh rugby prop Adam Jones won the Award in 2013, voted for by BLF supporters, just shaving former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. Another rugby player Leigh Halfpenny won in 2014. In 2015 the Award went to Thee Faction musician Chris Fox in 2016 footballer Joe Ledley and in 2017 to Charcutier Illtud Llyr Dunsford, with Chris Fox winning again in 2018. In 2019 journalist Grant Tucker shaved the opposition to claim the accolade. Michael Sheen won in 2020 and went on to share the Beard of the Year Award with Michael Rosen in December 2020.
It is the ninth time the Award has been given following the traditional UK Beard of the Year at the end December each year and the BLF says it is a mark of Wales as a modern nation on St David’s Day that beards are now playing an increasingly significant role in national life.
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, with Round Two now underway competition for the final two places in the Best Beard of Wales 2021 vote is bristling.
There are two preliminary rounds leading to the final Best Beard of Wales 2021 vote between 25-28 February
Round Two vote here:
Beard of Wales 2021 Round Two. Top 2 go through to the Best Beard of Wales poll starting 25th February
Love Your Pet Day: new picture shows dialectical relation between Eric Hobsbawm and ‘his’ cat
February 20th is Love Your Pet Day (its not just the Beard Liberation Front that makes this sort of stuff up after all).
A new picture has emerged of Eric Hobsbawm and ‘his’ cat Ticlia. The photograph shows Hobsbawm looking at a text while the cat pointedly looks the other way. One suspects a significant, empirically based, but important ideological difference is involved.
Marlene Hobsbawm writes of the cat:
She just waltzed into our lives one day and none of us wanted to part with her. We put a notice on a lamp post outside, but nobody claimed her. We decided on the name of Ticlio, after the highest pass in Peru, though when I had taken her to the vet it turned out that she was a female and her permanent name became Ticlia. She was a most handsome tabby cat with four snow-white patches on her nose, chin, neck and paws. She had a good character and was not difficult- although she hated laughter, which was a hoot, and was easily annoyed by recorder playing. She knew Eric was the important one because he made the least fuss over her. Ticlia was loved by us all- she never got lost and was with us for fifteen years.
The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has recommended that Labour leader Keir Starmer address Labour’s persistent problem of failing to take a poll lead over the Tories by changing his image and growing a beard.
The recommendation comes after a meeting of BLF image experts to review the Starmer question.
The beard experts have said that repeated tweaks to Labour’s policy positions are not getting across to voters. They note that Boris Johnson has no set and discernible policies aside from promoting himself and staying in office for the time being.
However the beard experts report underlines that Johnson does have a clear image with voters. While this is unpopular with many, the deliberately tousled hair and generally unkempt appearance appears to cut through with voters.
Starmer by contrast comes across as a rather generic clean shaven man in a suit with a sharp haircut and as such presents a rather anonymous image.
The beard experts have unanimously agreed that the way forward for Starmer is to grow a gravitas adding beard. They note that the Labour leader may be reluctant to do this given it might associate him with the well-known appearance of the immediate past leader of the Party.
However they say there are a vast range of beard styles available and Starmer could easily adopt one that emphasised both a sharp appearance and wisdom.
BLF Focus groups have been shown a range of hirsute images of Keir Starmer. So far the outcome is:
A fully organic beard is preferred by younger participants
A more restrained, styled beard is backed by other participants
Both groups prefer a hirsute image of any sort over the clean shaven suit appearance which they suggested is ‘untrustworthy’
The BLF has now decided to consult more widely on what image is the way forward for Keir Starmer’s poll ratings:
Beard Liberation Front consultation on what poll enhancing image Keir Starmer should adopt
BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, whether it is liked or not modern politics is a lot about image and Keir Starmer needs to radically change his to connect with voters. We hope he will take the recommendation of our panel of image experts and the BLF convened focus groups seriously and try growing a beard.
