Category Archives: human rights

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

Posted on June 24, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch… Germinal(1993, a film based on the novel by French writer Emile Zola. It tells the story of a mining town in northern France in the 1860s, where children and women are still working down the pits. There are many … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Communism, drama, education, films, human rights, labour history, Manchester, music, novels, Salford, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, young people | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From the Manchester Martyrs to the Birmingham 6…..

Posted on June 20, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Plaque on Hyde Rd in Manchester which marks the spot where the Fenians were freed in 1867. Book Review:The Manchester Martyrs by Joseph O’Neill (Mercier Press, 2012) ISBN 978-1-85635-951-1 The Martyrs were three members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (also … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Catholicism, human rights, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, Manchester | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Stop, Look, Listen………excerpts from my Roman Holiday…….

Posted on June 17, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch…Christ stopped at Eboli (DVD) originally a book by Carlo Levi, an anti-fascist, who in 1935 was sent into internal exile by Mussolini. The title comes from a saying by southern Italians that the area has been neglected even by … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, biography, book review, Communism, drama, films, human rights, music, occupy, Salford, Socialism, young people | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Leila Khaled; Icon of Palestinian Liberation

Posted on June 7, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Sarah Irving, Leila Khaled Icon of Palestinian Liberation Pluto Press ISBN 987-0-7453-2951-2 Reading this book reminded me of another icon in my own community, Bernadette Devlin McAliskey. Like Leila, she grew up in an occupied country and has spent her … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, book review, human rights, Ireland, Middle East, Palestine, Socialism, women | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

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

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

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

Posted on April 8, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch… Le Havre a film by Aki Kaurismaki. Set in Le Havre in 2012, the film is about a man who shines shoes for a living and helps save a refugee African boy from the French police. It’s more than … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Communism, drama, films, human rights, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, music, North of Ireland, Socialism, women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

St.Patrick and reflections on a day………..

Posted on March 15, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Me, Auntie Margaret and Mum, 2010 Maureen, Mum and Margaret, 1940s, Manchester St.Patrick’s Day is on 17 March, a day to celebrate Irishness. Growing up in 70s Manchester, it meant shamrock and family celebrations with our relatives. It was the … Continue reading →

Posted in human rights, Ireland, Irish second generation, Manchester, North of Ireland | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Posted on March 11, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch… Passion Fish(1992). A film by John Sayles (US equivalent of Ken Loach). The story of the relationship between a soap star, who is paralysed and returns home to rural Louisiana, and her care assistant. Not just the story of … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, education, films, human rights, labour history, Manchester, music, Socialism, women | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on February 25, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch… Army of Crime (2009)  French film about the Resistance. Directed and co-scripted by Robert Guédiguian,  son of a German mother and an Armenian father,  who is best known for his leftwing movies about working-class life in the Marseilles area.  … Continue reading →

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