Category Archives: labour history

Belle Vue; more than just a theme park….

East Manchester used to be one of the most vibrant areas of the city. People flocked there to work in engineering, manufacturing and its own colliery in Bradford. My parents moved there after they got married in the early 50s, … Continue reading

Posted in labour history, Manchester, music, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Watch.…. Dirty Wars..another fascinating film put on by Manchester Film Cooperative. It is the story of the secret war by the US to eliminate people that they see as their enemies and this includes US citizens. Reporter Jeremy Scahill exposes … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, book review, drama, education, feminism, films, human rights, International Women's Day, labour history, Manchester, Middle East, music, NHS, political women, trade unions, women | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Spirit of International Women’s Day 2014

International Women’s Day was created to offer hope to working class women that they could collectively get together with other women (and men) to improve their lives. That was in 1911 and, although women’s lives have improved dramatically since then, … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, feminism, International Women's Day, labour history, political women, Socialist Feminism, Tameside, women, young people | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

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

Nowadays everybody celebrates International Women’s Day including the banks!!! Help, this is not what socialist feminists Clara Zetkin and Louise Zeitz would want. They created the day to highlight the importance of women’s struggles for equality at home, at work … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, biography, book review, Communism, drama, education, feminism, films, human rights, International Women's Day, labour history, Manchester, Middle East, Palestine, political women, Salford, Socialist Feminism, Uncategorized, women, young people | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Watch…Callan (DVD)…filmed in black and white and made in the the late 60s, to me this series confirms my views of the secret services in this country; unaccountable, undemocratic and dangerous. Edward Woodward is mesmerising as Callan, the government agent … Continue reading

Posted in drama, labour history, Manchester, TV drama, Uncategorized, women | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Building a Socialist Library (4) The Life and Writings of Ada Nield Chew

The Life and Writings of Ada Nield Chew Remembered and Collected by Doris Nield Chew. (Virago 1982) Ada Nield Chew was a working class woman who played a major role in the socialist and suffrage campaigns. This book was written … Continue reading

Posted in book review, feminism, human rights, interesting blog, labour history, political women, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, women | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Building a Socialist Library (3) Ellen Wilkinson From Red Suffragist to Government Minister by Paula Bartley

In 1924 Ellen Wilkinson returned to her home city of Manchester as a newly elected Labour Member of Parliament and spoke to several thousand people in a cinema in Moston. She attacked the capitalist system and its effects on declining … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, biography, book review, Communism, education, feminism, labour history, Manchester, NHS, political women, Salford, Socialist Feminism, women | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Watch…Gasland Part 2. Find out about what fracking is about and how it is now taking place in over 32 countries across the world. Fracking is a dangerous process and one that can seriously destroy local communities, never mind destroy … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, book review, Communism, drama, education, feminism, films, human rights, labour history, Manchester, music, NHS, novels, Salford, trade unions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Watch.… Ethel MacDonald – An Anarchist’s Story. A fascinating film about a working class woman who became an anarchist and writer. Ethel was born in 1910 in a mining community in Lanarkshire in Scotland. Life offered few opportunities for working … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, Communism, drama, feminism, films, human rights, labour history, political women, TV drama, Uncategorized, women | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

Watch….Shirley Valentine (1989), written by Liverpool playwright Willy Russell and starring Pauline Collins. Living in Liverpool in the 80s as I did was to be part a cultural renaissance for working class writers. TV drama led the country with programmes … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, drama, feminism, films, human rights, Ireland, labour history, Manchester, music, NHS, North of Ireland, Socialism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment