Category Archives: book review

My review of “A Very British Conspiracy The Shrewsbury 24 and the Campaign for Justice” by Eileen Turnbull

Posted on January 3, 2023 by lipstick socialist

In 2023 many trade unions are taking strike action due to a cost-of-living crisis amongst working people, while  the  Tory government’s response  is to  threaten  further  anti-strike  legislation. A Very British Conspiracy is a reminder of the lengths a Tory … Continue reading →

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Patti Mayor: Preston artist and suffragette

Posted on December 15, 2022 by lipstick socialist

In the little gem of an art gallery in Oldham I came across the work of artist and activist Patti Mayor. Born in Preston on 1 May 1872 as Martha Ann Mayor, she was known as Patti, one of five … Continue reading →

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Manchester Irish in Britain Representation Group and Grass Roots Books Radical Bookshop (and later Frontline Books)

Posted on November 20, 2022 by lipstick socialist

In 1981 a new wave of Irish activists became involved in not just the campaign for a united Ireland but also in campaigning for the  civil rights and equality for the Irish in Britain: the Irish in Britain Representation Group … Continue reading →

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After the end of the Miners’ Strike in 1985 Rose Hunter says: “Men lost their freedom; the women gained theirs.” Rose and her sisters in the  North Staffs Miners Wives Action Group  then embarked on forty years of  raising  issues about jobs and communities and making  links with other progressive strikes and organisations.

Posted on September 10, 2020 by lipstick socialist

Rose comes from a mining family. Her father, Denzil, was Indian who  went to Scotland and became a miner. Her mother, Mary, is from a Scots Irish background. The family moved to the Potteries for her father’s work in the … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Catholicism, education, feminism, novels, TV drama, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

My review of “Threads of Life. A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle” Clare Hunter

Posted on August 6, 2020 by lipstick socialist

I found this book in a charity shop and it opened my eyes to a different world; the world of sewing and the important place it has in all of our memories. As a socialist I have marched behind and … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Communism, education, feminism, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, North of Ireland, political women, Salford, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

My review of “Never Counted Out! The story of Len Johnson Manchester’s Black Boxing Hero and Communist” by Michael Herbert

Posted on June 19, 2020 by lipstick socialist

When my parents moved to Clayton, a working class suburb of Manchester in 1963, it was a large sprawling council estate surrounded by engineering and manufacturing factories and dominated by two busy main roads, Ashton New and Ashton Old Roads. … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Communism, education, human rights, Irish second generation, labour history, Manchester, Socialism, trade unions, Uncategorized, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

My review of “A Collective Bargain. Unions, Organizing, and the Fight for Democracy” Jane McAlevey

Posted on June 9, 2020 by lipstick socialist

  What do you want to do ? New mailCopy There are three reasons why I like this book. One; it’s written by an activist. There are too many books being published by people who want to preach about what … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, book review, Communism, education, feminism, human rights, labour history, political women, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , | 3 Comments

My review of “Just Like Tomorrow” (2004) by Faiza Guene

Posted on May 27, 2020 by lipstick socialist

  What do you want to do ? New mailCopy It is hard to imagine a working class female migrant from the deprived areas of Clayton (Manchester), Glodwick  (Oldham ) or Hyde (Tameside) being offered a book contract. Faiza is … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, drama, education, feminism, human rights, labour history, novels, political women, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

“Anti-Nazi Germans” “Enemies of the Nazi State from within the Working Class Movement.” by Marilyn Moos “German Volunteers in the French Resistance” by Steve Cushion. (2020)

Posted on May 6, 2020 by lipstick socialist

This review is written by Mike Luft, lifelong anti-fascist and communist.   ‘Not by beatings, nor by hanging can you Be brought to the point of saying Nowadays twice two makes five…. But you remain determinedly committed to the truth.’ … Continue reading →

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My review of “Joan Maynard Passionate Socialist” Kristine Mason O’Connor (2003)

Posted on April 29, 2020 by lipstick socialist

What do you want to do ? New mailCopy Joan Maynard (1921-1998) lived her life through her politics. In the course of  her  76 years she was a parish councillor, a rural district councillor, a county councillor, a Justice of … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, biography, book review, Communism, education, feminism, human rights, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, Manchester, North of Ireland, political women, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments