Author Archives: lipstick socialist

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About lipstick socialist

I am an activist and writer. My interests include women, class, culture and history. From an Irish in Britain background I am a republican and socialist. All my life I have been involved in community and trade union politics and I believe it is only through grass roots politics that we will get a better society. This is reflected in my writing, in my book Northern ReSisters Conversations with Radical Women and my involvement in the Mary Quaile Club. .If you want to contact me please use my gmail which is lipsticksocialist636

Stop,Look,Listen! My weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house

Posted on May 27, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch…Shoestring starring Trevor Eve as private “ear” Eddie Shoestring. He works on a Bristol based radio show and responds to the problems of his listeners. It was made in 1979 and has a very English style. Trevor Eve was fancied … Continue reading →

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Falling through the craic……..

Posted on May 23, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Manchester IBRG and Lord Mayor Eileen Kelly at the Hearts and Minds Conference November 1987 Review of Irish Blood: English Heart, Irish second generation musicians by Sean Campbell, published by Cork University Press. In this interesting, but flawed, book Sean … Continue reading →

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Stop! Look! Listen! my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house…

Posted on May 20, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch.. Satin Rouge (2002) starring fabulous actor, Hiam Abbass. Set in Tunisia, it’s a sensual story of a widow who finds a way out of loneliness by becoming a belly dancer in a nightclub. For once, in a film, we … Continue reading →

Posted in films, Ireland, labour history, Manchester, Middle East, novels, women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bill Brand; It is the People who Create………

Posted on May 17, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Bill Brand (played by Jack Shepherd) speaking at a workers occupation Bill Brand, a TV series broadcast on ITV in the summer of 1976, was written by one of Britain’s (and Manchester’s) greatest playwrights, Trevor Griffiths. The drama is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Ireland, Manchester, North of Ireland, Socialism, trade unions, TV drama, women | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stop! Look! Listen! my weekly selection of favourite films, books and events to get you out of the house…

Posted on May 13, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch…The King of Comedy (1983) One Of Martin Scorsese’s finest films, although it was not one of his most successful when it came out in 1983. A mixture of fantasy and real life it features Robert DeNiro as Rupert Pupkin, … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, book review, drama, films, human rights, Ireland, Irish second generation, Middle East, music, North of Ireland, novels, trade unions, women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

My interview with playwright Lee Hall

Posted on May 10, 2012 by lipstick socialist

George Orwell in The Road to Wigan Pier wrote this about miners: “In a way it is even humiliating to watch coal miners working. It raises in you a momentary doubt about your own status as an ‘intellectual’ and a … Continue reading →

Posted in drama, Socialism, trade unions | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Stop! Look! Listen! a weekly selection of some of my favourite films/books/people…

Posted on May 6, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch…The Good Companions (DVD) The TV series was made in 1980. It is Alan Plater’s adaptation of the J.B.Priestley’s book of the same name. I loved the book, which is the story of a struggling concert party, set in 1929, … Continue reading →

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A Manchester Spring ?

Posted on May 2, 2012 by lipstick socialist

The First of May is the day when workers across the world march together to celebrate their existence and, often, to highlight a particular issue. This week across Europe workers have challenged growing unemployment levels and shown their opposition to … Continue reading →

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Stop! Look! Listen! a weekly selection of some of my favourite films/books/people…

Posted on April 29, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch….Down with the Dictator, written by Cameroonian playwright and community activist, Lydia Besong. Lydia is currently fighting a high profile campaign to remain in the UK with her husband Bernard Batey. The play is produced by Afrocats and is supported … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, drama, human rights, labour history, Manchester, May Day, novels, Salford, trade unions, women | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sheila Rowbotham; a dreamer of a new day

Posted on April 25, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watching the DVD of Trevor Griffith’s 1976 TV drama Bill Brand reminded me how exciting and important the 1970s were for the Left. Brand (played by Jack Shepherd) is a newly elected Labour MP from a northern constituency. Apart from … Continue reading →

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