Kmflett's Blog

From the Chartists to Extinction Rebellion: expecting protest in central London

plashing vole

Hurrah for old England and liberty sweet,

The land that we live in and plenty to eat;

We shall ever remember this wonderful day,

The Chartists are coming, get out of the way.

The Chartists are Coming, Ballad, 1848

The anticipation of some dreadful event taking place, whether natural or human made is an important feature of London life and has been since Victorian times. Often it is the weather, heavy rain, storms, or very high temperatures.

However in the revolutionary year of 1848 it was protest, and particularly the Chartists that exercised the middle class mind. They did indeed come, on April 10th 1848, but actually they were rumoured to be coming far more often than they actually arrived. The same is true of bad weather in London. Reports, often word of mouth or on social media, will note that bad weather is around and will appear soon. People will look anxiously and make travel plans accordingly.

In the autumn of it is 2019 Extinction Rebellion, rightly holding a two-week protest about the climate emergency in central London, who create the same concern. People look anxiously to see if protesters are approaching. Security at office buildings is stepped up.

Of course many sympathised with or supported the Chartists and Extinction Rebellion is the same. Authority was not in the camp in 1848 and nor is it in 2019.

The threat of bad weather and protest remain two of the great imponderables of London life. Playing on the uncertainties of the bourgeois mind while often looking rather more a like a carnival of the oppressed to many others.

Protest, the Weather & why protest is the way to bigger demonstrations

According to Bllly Bragg (Saturday Boy):

And it’s surprising how quick

A little rain can clear the streets

I don’t want or plan to generalise and I’m well aware that the 1917 Russian Revolution took place late in that year when the weather was not at its kindest.

Even so the weather does have an impact on protest in the UK.

Since protest and the numbers it attracts can be unpredictable so the impact of the weather is to.

The ‘common sense’ on weather on demonstrations is that if it is wet (people stay at home) or warm and sunny (people have other things to do on such day) turnout is hit. Hence a dry but overcast day is best.

It would take some considerable research effort to bottom that point out.

We do of course know of occasions when the rain hit protest quite significantly.

When the Chartists rallied at Kennington Common for the vote on Monday April 10^th 1848, they were prevented from crossing the river to demonstrate outside Parliament. On the afternoon of that day there was fighting between Chartists and the police on the south side of Blackfriars Bridge. Or there was until heavy rain caused the Chartists to disperse.

In early November 1839 the Chartists gathered in the South Wales Valleys with the aim of marching to Newport in what history calls the ‘Newport Rising’, in actuality a just about failed attempt at armed revolt. One reason for the failure is thought to have been that several days of heavy rain had rather dampened the spirits and organising ability of those involved.

Of course in 2019 clothing that can protect against wet weather is much improved. It was impressive that an estimated 30,000 marched through central London on Saturday in an Extinction Rebellion Climate Emergency protest. That said the numbers would surely have been larger without the rain. And the reality is unfortunately that wet weather protests make less impact as they look as much like a lot of people who have become wet and bedraggled rather than the militant protest they actually are.

If we can grapple with climate change extreme weather events will decline so protesting to secure the future of protest makes particular sense

The Ambridge Socialist

Reporting on the class struggle in Borsetshire

13^th October

Farewell, Joe Grundy, Proletarian Hero

The actor who played Joe Grundy in the Archers, lifelong trade unionist Edward Kelsey , died in April. On Thursday night Joe Grundy himself took his final departure from Ambridge. After watching the start of the pressing of apples for the 2019 Grundy cider vintage he retired to bed early and slipped peacefully away in his sleep.

Joe Grundy was a true proletarian hero of Ambridge and wisely the BBC have decided he is irreplaceable. That said the number of traditional characters in Ambridge now looks to be down to Bert Fry and when Bert goes a whole way of rural life will have gone

The cider press: missing part

Grundy’s 2019 cider was only possible thanks to Elizabeth relenting and letting Eddie and Will have crucial piece from a Lower Loxley exhibition that replaced a broken part of the Grundy’s cider press. She mentioned that she would do this reluctantly on one condition. What was the condition. Unfortunately it does not appear to have been that Eddie Grundy should ride naked strapped backwards on a donkey through the village but that cider making should be filmed

Extinction Rebellion in Ambridge

Extinction Rebellion protesters have been in central London this week and Ambridge Socialist reporters have been on the spot to see if we could find Ambridge ER. We couldn’t but we are sure they are there somewhere..

Call for a Public Subscription to Erect a Statue of Joe Grundy outside The Bull

Forget the Archers. The real family of Ambridge are the Grundys. With Joe Grundy now passed away at 98 it is time to raise funds to erect a statue of him outside The Bull as a reminder to future generations of what the real centre of rural life is.

barba crescit caput nescit, The Romans, philosophers, beards and Karl Marx

Beard Liberation Front

Campaign for Real Conkers 2019

Media Release

13th October

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

Conkers – “I’ve got the gaming app version.”

Conker World Championships: don’t watch conkers, give it a go yourself

The Campaign for Real Conkers which backs ‘no rules’ conker playing has said that it is boycotting the World Conker Championships on 13th October due to its obsession with rules and regulations.

There are serious concerns that conkers lie uncollected in many areas of the country as the traditional autumn game declines in favour of screen-based activities

The campaigners say that in particular rules are killing conkers as a game. The World Championships dictates who can play who and what conker is to be used. The CRFC says that if conkers is to survive it must be a free for all and free to play.

In recent times the World Conker Championships have recognised that playing conkers is very much up to individual preferences and local traditions but the Championships themselves remain rule bound.

The campaign will hold a ‘no rules’ conker championship at or near the Cock Tavern Mare St London E8 on the late afternoon of Sunday 13^th October (depending on weather) and encourages conker players to hold their own ‘no rules’ events on the day

Campaign for Real Conkers Organiser Keith Flett said, conker playing is part of the traditional British autumn, but if action is not taken to promote it and encourage people to play in a few years it will be a folk memory. Conkers is not a rule bound spectator sport, it’s something to play yourself and sod rules.

Campaign for Real Conkers

1] There is no restriction on where and when a conker match may be played, or between whom

2] There is no restriction on how the conker is presented. It may be organic, baked, soaked in vinegar etc

3] There are no winners or losers as such but if a player is unable to carry on due to an unusable conker it may be taken that their opponent has prevailed on that occasion

4] Conker matches can only take place when two players who have conkers are present.

5] if for any reason someone at 4 is unable to proceed for any reason then the other player prevails by default.

World Conker Championships

https://www.worldconkerchampionships.com/play.php

Beard Liberation Front press release

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

12th October

Noam Chomsky joins vote for Beard of Autumn 2019

The Beard Liberation Front, the informal network of beard wearers, has said that with voting for the Beard of Autumn 2019 ending on 17^th October academic and activist Noam Chomsky has joined the shortllist

Chomsky’s beard has become a consistent feature of his public appearances in recent times

The poll is open now and will close on 17th October with the winner announced on 18th October

It is the last of four quarterly seasonal contests which lead to the Beard of the Year in December.

BLF Organiser Keith Flett said, competition is bristling for the coveted Award of Beard of Autumn

Beard of Autumn 2019

Ben Bellamy, Beard of Labour Party Conference 2019

Mick Whelan, General Secretary ASLEF

Ben Cowles Web Editor, Morning Star

Nuno, Wolves manager

Kadeem Simmonds Morning Star International Editor

Steve Sweeney, Morning Star Sports Editor

Ben Stokes, England cricketer

Michael Rosen, author, broadcaster, Arsenal supporter

George Clooney, actor

James Anthony (UNISON) Beard of the TUC 2019

Alexei Sayle, commentator on life

Noam Chomsky, Academic & Activist

Current Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees Mogg likes to portray himself as an historian and has published in 2019 a volume of historical studies, The Victorians.

An interesting question is how history will remember Rees Mogg. It is of course far too early to say.

However Dave Cameron in his contractual obligation memoirs has an early take on the matter.

The context was Parliamentary discussion of the 2012 House of Lords Bill which aimed to reform the Upper Chamber. It was passed but abandoned due to Tory opposition.

Rees Mogg spoke in the debate and Cameron notes his intervention thus:

backbencher Jacob Rees Mogg stood up with a spurious point of order. Though he was from the new intake and still in his early forties, Jacob was a caricature of an old-fashioned Tory: double-breasted suit, cut-glass accent and socially conservative views. He was also a profilic Parliamentary rebel.

Its as well to remember here that Cameron himself went to Eton and was a member of the Bullingdon Club at Oxford both of which are quite old fashioned…

Campaign for Real Conkers

11th October

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

Will you be playing conkers this weekend?

The World Conker Championships take place this Sunday

https://www.worldconkerchampionships.com

They are primarily a spectator sport.

However the Campaign for Real Conkers believes that conkers is a participation sport. It is free and anyone can do it. Will you be playing conkers this weekend?

Guide on how to play real conkers

1] Select your conker. Do this yourself. DO NOT use a conker provided by someone else who may give you a poor specimen.

2] There is no specific kind of conker that makes a good game winner. Large conkers may more easily splinter for example. Some prefer conkers with flat and sharp edges

3] You may use the conker ‘as is’ known as ‘organic’. Alternatively you may seek to harden it by baking it, soaking it in vinegar etc. There is no guarantee that an artificially enhanced conker will perform any better than an organic one.

4] Drill a small hole through the conker. A nail will often achieve this

5] Thread the conker through the hole you have drilled. A strong chord, perhaps a shoelace is best

6] You are now ready to play.

7] The stance taken is up to each individual player. Some may prefer a long swing, others a short swing.

8] Players take alternate turns to try and hit and destroy their opponent’s conker

9] Those with poor aim may hit the knuckles of their opponent more often than the conker so you may wish to wear gloves

10] The winner is the player who determines their opponents conker unusable in further rounds, usually by causing it to splinter into two or more pieces

Campaign for Real Conkers 2019

Media Release

11th October

Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266

Conker campaigners say ‘absurd’ rules of World Championship are killing the game

E8CWGN Playing conkers in England, UK – close up

The Campaign for Real Conkers which backs ‘no rules’ conker playing has said that it is boycotting the World Conker Championships on 13th October due to its obsession with rules and regulations.

There are serious concerns that conkers lie uncollected in many areas of the country as the traditional autumn game declines in favour of screen-based activities

The campaigners say that in particular rules are killing conkers as a game. The World Championships dictates who can play who and what conker is to be used. The CRFC says that if conkers is to survive it must be a free for all and free to play.

In recent times the World Conker Championships have recognised that playing conkers is very much up to individual preferences and local traditions but the Championships themselves remain rule bound.

The campaign will hold a ‘no rules’ conker championship at or near the Cock Tavern Mare St London E8 on the late afternoon of Sunday 13^th October and encourages conker players to hold their own no rules events on the day

Campaign for Real Conkers Organiser Keith Flett said, conker playing is part of the traditional British autumn, but if action is not taken to promote it and encourage people to play in a few years it will be a folk memory. Conkers is not a rule bound spectator sport, it’s something to play yourself and sod rules.

Campaign for Real Conkers

1] There is no restriction on where and when a conker match may be played, or between whom

2] There is no restriction on how the conker is presented. It may be organic, baked, soaked in vinegar etc

3] There are no winners or losers as such but if a player is unable to carry on due to an unusable conker it may be taken that their opponent has prevailed on that occasion

4] Conker matches can only take place when two players who have conkers are present.

5] if for any reason someone at 4 is unable to proceed for any reason then the other player prevails by default.

World Conker Championships

https://www.worldconkerchampionships.com/play.php

The 11th October is the very last chance to see Red Saunders photographic tableaux of Peterloo in his Hidden from History series at Manchester Central Library.

Entry is free and the tableaux are on the first floor.

There are nine powerful images related to Peterloo together with explanatory words.

They were displayed on walls on the evening of the anniversary of Peterloo on 16th August 2019.

Details are here:

The Hidden Tableaux’s Peterloo Massacre 1819

They are a bold and striking way of bringing the events of the Peterloo Massacre to life and pay particular attention to the role of women reformers in the fight for the vote.

It is one of a series of tableaux that Red Sanders has produced over the years. I featured in earlier of the black London Chartist leader William Cuffay, the only occasion when I have worn a false beard