Kmflett's Blog

Beard Liberation Front

February 9^th

contact Keith Flett      07803 167266

Snow & Ice Guidelines for beard wearers. Act to prevent freezing follicles

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has issued updated guidelines to beard wearers after many areas of the UK have forecasts for snow and ice for the next few days.

The BLF says that while beards have been protecting against cold weather since 1854 it is also important to protect the beard itself against snow and ice penetration.

One way to do this may simply be to remain indoors and away from all possible contact with snow and ice. This may be easier to achieve for many in a period of lockdown restrictions.

However this is not possible for all including key workers and those who venture out for essential reasons.

When venturing out in the ice and snow, the following guidelines for beard wearers are advised-

Snow and Ice Guidelines for Beard Wearers

1] Protect the entire beard with a scarf or roll neck jumper. If snow is a heavy a snood is advised.

2] Sweep any drifting snow from the beard on a regular basis. Do not allow snow to accumulate in the beard under any circumstances.

3] Comb the beard through regularly to remove any residual snow

4] If the beard becomes chilled or frozen due to snowy or icy weather it is essential to thaw it out slowly.

5] When temperatures drop below zero freezing follicles can be a significant issue

6] If follicles do freeze or develop icicles these should be thawed slowly as quickly as possible

5] Brief immersion in a glass of imperial stout may help the thawing process but this is optional

6] Dry the beard slowly in a warm room and check for any damaged hairs and follicles

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said snow or ice in the beard can cause serious damage to hairs and follicles and the hirsute are urged to make sure they are protected before venturing out in snowy weather. If snow does accumulate in the beard or follicles become frozen it is essential to follow the BLF guidelines to prevent serious damage. In particular if the beard suffers from icing, gradual thawing following the guidelines is equally important to avoid damage.

It was good to see in today’s Guardian (9th Feb)that the Inner London Wildlife branch of the Labour Party is still going and on this occasion running into trouble with the Chair of a Zoom meeting for failing to wear Union Jack waistcoats.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2021/feb/09/steve-bells-if-how-to-host-a-patriotic-labour-video-conference

The branch has survived many ups and downs in the Labour Party and the left. Pictured is a Steve Bell cartoon from 1985 (copyright via @bellbelltoons)

The still hirsute cartoonist drew the original Beard Liberation Front logo and the BLF has made occasional appearances in his cartoons. Its supporters in the Inner London Wildlife branch of the Labour Party have of course been on difficult ground since the leadership of the Party changed from the person who has won the Parliamentary Beard of the Year Award most often to someone who appears to relish nothing more than a visit to the barber.

Free to air England Test cricket: Welcome but there may be trouble ahead

With the four India v England Tests Test cricket returns to free to air television on Channel 4.

https://www.channel4.com/press/news/live-test-cricket-returns-channel-4

This is good news in the sense that even broadcasts in the early morning (4am starts for some of the matches UK time) it will get a lot more viewers than it would if it was on Sky or BT Sport which are subscription channels.

The fact that cricket has not been free to air has meant that despite the fact that it is one of the UK’s national sports it is rarely part of the national conversation. Hopefully this will now change and it will probably stimulate a good deal more interest in the game than the projected Hundred competition.

Sky has its defenders and it can be understood why.

I have never had a Sky subscription because it was owned by Murdoch and I have strongly opposed his business activities and their impact over decades.

That said Sky did put money into cricket that it didn’t have easy ways of otherwise getting in some areas. As part of the current negotiations it was reported that Sky’s budget for cricket is £200m

The reality is that before Sky no terrestrial TV channel showed England overseas games. You listened to Test Match Special on the radio or you read a report.

While celebrating the return of free to air cricket that also suggests potential problems ahead.

Sky is no longer owned by Murdoch but by the US company Comcast. It is a rather more benign outfit. It took on a lot of debt in acquiring Sky and while its fair to say the Murdoch’s had some interest in cricket, Comcast almost certainly have never heard of it.

To broadcast all those games around the world is costly and I suspect the audiences are not always world beating.

The process of Channel 4 getting the India v England series may turn out to be the same one that sees some series no longer featuring on TV at all one suspects.

Update

The viewing figures for the first day of the India v England Test on Friday peaked at 1.1 million. This compares with a peak of 502,000 for the Sky coverage of the Sri Lanka v England series just before it which also started in the early hours.

Only seven per cent of viewers were aged under 35 and 63 per cent were over 55 indicating work in progress in terms re-socialising cricket with younger generations.

Meanwhile BT Sport have announced they have the TV rights for all domestic New Zealand and West Indies tours including England womens and mens games in those countries.

It seems to suggest that Sky may be moving towards a much heavier focus on showing England domestic cricket (perhaps even some County games??)with only selective overseas series

Beard Liberation Front

9^th February

Contact: Keith Flett 07803 167266

Joe Root named as ‘Beard of First India v England Test’

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has named England captain Joe Root as the Beard of the first India v England Test.

The campaigners have long experience in assessing facial hair in sport and in particular its positive impact.

A shortlist of Indian and England players whose beards have made an impact in the game was drawn up over the first 4 days.

However Joe Root’s record breaking double century in his 100^th Test shaved the opponents

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, Joe Root had inconsistent facial hair for some years but the circumstances of the last year have led him to a more sustained hirsuteness. He’s obviously never going to be a W G Grace in the facial hair department but the beard has added gravitas and impact to his on field performances

Beard of 1^st India v England Test 2021

Joe Root

Virat Kohli

Jos Buttler

Jack Leach

Cheteshawr Pujara

Ishant Sharma

Ben Stokes

Rishabh Pant

Beard Liberation Front

5th February

Contact: Keith Flett 07803 167266

My Hairy Valentine 2021 Is George Clooney’s beard hotter than Sir Tom Jones?

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has launched its annual search for My Hairy Valentine ahead of Valentine’s Day on 14^th February.

This year it has been refocused to include two categories:

1 Beards that are sexy, allowing for the reality that this is in the eye of the beholder

2 Beards that are loved because they add a reassuring presence to public life and should be celebrated.

The campaigners say that they don’t attempt to define a sexy Valentine’s beard as beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They are concerned however to move away from traditional images of chisel jawed clean shaven men, and dispel pogonophobic myths that beards are dirty or unkempt

Michael Rosen and Kris Kristofferson won the Beards That Are Loved round and will go through to the Beard Lovers final

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, we think beards are lovely and to be loved- in most cases. What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than vote for the most sexy beards?

Vote here:

Beards that are  loved

Kris Kristofferson

Richard Osman

Michael Rosen

Colin Firth

Beards that are ‘sexy’

George Clooney

Idris Elba

Michael Sheen

Tom Jones

Heart Unions Week 21 8-14 February: organising in workplaces digitally

The TUC met on-line only for the first time ever in 2020.

With the annual Heart Unions Week with us, more important than ever in terms of recruitment and organisation at work against the backdrop of the pandemic, a reflection on how organising in a digital world compares with more traditional ways of doing things

The annual Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival in 2020 was also of necessity held virtually like much but not all labour movement and radical activity since March 2020.

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 the ill intentioned, 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. It’s here that a key difference between the physical and virtual worlds appears and was a key difference with Tolpuddle 2020.

Certainly meetings and discussions and indeed 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 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 2020 reminded 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

https://www.tuc.org.uk/joinunion

Beard Liberation Front

February 8th

Contact Keith Flett      07803 167266

Storm Darcy: Snow & Ice Guidelines for beard wearers

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has issued updated guidelines to beard wearers after many areas of the UK have forecasts for snow and ice again with the continued impact of Storm Darcy.

The BLF says that while beards have been protecting against cold weather since 1854 it is also important to protect the beard itself against snow and ice penetration.

One way to do this may simply be to remain indoors and away from all possible contact with snow. This may be easier to achieve for many in a period of lockdown restrictions.

However this is not possible for all including key workers and those who venture out for essential reasons.

When venturing out in the ice and snow, the following guidelines for beard wearers are advised-

Snow and Ice Guidelines for Beard Wearers

1] Protect the entire beard with a scarf or roll neck jumper. If the snow is a heavy a snood is advised.

2] Sweep any drifting snow from the beard on a regular basis. Do not allow snow to accumulate in the beard under any circumstances.

3] Comb the beard through regularly to remove any residual snow

4] If the beard becomes chilled or frozen due to snowy or icy weather it is essential to thaw it out slowly.

5] Brief immersion in a glass of imperial stout may help the thawing process but this is optional

6] Dry the beard slowly in a warm room and check for any damaged hairs and follicles

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said snow or ice in the beard can cause serious damage to hairs and follicles and the hirsute are urged to make sure they are protected before venturing out in snowy weather. If snow does accumulate in the beard it is essential to follow the BLF guidelines to prevent serious damage. If the beard suffers from icing, gradual thawing following the guidelines is equally important to avoid damage.

Beard Liberation Front

press release 7^th February

Contact Keith Flett    07803 167266

BEARDS OF THE SIX NATIONS BRISTLE AGAIN

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that with what seems set to be the most hirsute Six Nations Rugby Championship ever underway, the Beard of the Six Nations poll is to be reset in 2021.

Beards were until quite recently a rarity in the Six Nations. In 2021 it is more of a rarity for players to be clean shaven.

The campaigners say that the Beard of the Six Nations is not just about beards in the abstract but also crucially about the impact they make on play.

This impact of beards on the field has meant that even noted pogonophobes such as Clive Woodward who argued in 2013 on the BBC that he wouldn’t select players with beards, are now marginal voices.

The Beard Liberation Front’s long campaign against the Woodward’s of the rugby world has achieved considerable success so much so that in 2021 there are too many hirsute players to run a weekly poll.

Rather the a one-off Best Beard of the Six Nations will take place on the final Saturday of the Championship 20^th March. This will focus on the beards that have made the most impact across the five rounds

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, our panel of beard experts will be reviewing the play in each match but ultimately it’s not only the best beards, but the best beards that have the most impact on play that we’re looking for

Government Plan to re-open pubs. No lingering, no mingling. Temperance hotels?

1 No substantial meals (Boris Johnson)- encourages lingering

2 No alcohol (Senior Minister)- encourages mingling

3 Coffee shops? (Consultant)

4 Too many coffee shops already (Another Consultant)

5 Temperance Hotels… encourages nobody

Ambridge Socialist

7^th February

Ambridge: the Village that turned a blind eye to slavery with one exception

Leaving aside whether Rebecca from the Borchester Echo (see below) was engaging in ethical or even legal behaviour in attempting to question Ambridge residents about their role in and views on something that is the subject of a police investigation(taking into account that Philip Moss is innocent until proven guilty, even if the Ambridge Socialist People’s Court would definitely convict him) she had a point. Given the amount of work Moss had done in Ambridge- the church, the pub, the playground, Brookfield, Berrow Farm- it does look like a village that was and probably is somewhere that’s good at turning a blind eye to modern slavery.

Even now despite collective hand wringing and angst nothing positive has appeared about what might be done.

It’s worth keeping in mind though (since BBC reports don’t) that there was one Ambridge resident who knew Moss quoted too low for work and was suspicious of what he was up to: Eddie Grundy.

Tom snitches on Natasha

Natasha’s efforts to help Kirsty track down what happened to Moss’s slave workforce have ended as Tom snitched to Sergeant Harrison ‘Knacker’ Burns about it. Ed Grundy agonised over reporting Tim Oatey to the police last year because as he recognised no one likes a snitch. On the other hand Tom being an Archer it might be suggested that he was just engaging in entirely normal ruling class behaviour.

Grey Gables set to become Ambridge Wetherspoons

Oliver has made it clear to Tracey that with few, if any, guests, Grey Gables is set to run out of money by the summer. It is hardly a unique situation on the hospitality industry at the moment unfortunately. Still help may be at hand. Tim Martin may be about to buy out OIiver and make Grey Gables the Ambridge Wetherspoon.

Neil needs to contact his Union Rep

Neil encouraged by Susan has it seems told all to Borchester Echo reporter Rebecca about what he knows as a Berrow Farm manager and Chair of the Parish Council, on modern slavery in Ambridge. If Neil has a union rep he needs to make urgent contact with them and see if he can get some legal advice