Category Archives: Manchester

My review of”Why Women have better sex under Socialism” Kristen R. Ghodsee

Posted on November 20, 2018 by lipstick socialist

  In 1925 Mary Quaile, Manchester Irish trade unionist and one of the first women to be elected onto the  Trades Union Congress, led a women-only delegation to the Soviet Union to investigate the lives of women and children in … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, book review, Communism, education, feminism, human rights, labour history, Manchester, political women, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

IBRG Archive at the WCML. Out of Ireland. Six Irish Film Festivals 1988-93

Posted on November 13, 2018 by lipstick socialist

Out of Ireland was the name given to six Irish Film Festivals that were initiated by the Manchester branch of the Irish in Britain Representation Group  and organised  from 1988 to 1993 with the Irish in Manchester History Group and … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, drama, education, feminism, films, human rights, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, Manchester, North of Ireland, political women, trade unions, TV drama, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

My review of “Staging Life The Story of the Manchester Playwrights” by John Harding

Posted on September 15, 2018 by lipstick socialist

  Manchester used to  have its own municipal theatre, the Library Theatre based in Central Library and its southern sister at the Forum in Wythenshawe. In those days going to the theatre was more democratic. For many Mancunian school children … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, drama, education, feminism, Manchester, Socialism, Uncategorized, women, working class history | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

My review of “Guilty Until Proven Innocent” by Jon Robins

Posted on July 24, 2018 by lipstick socialist

  In the introduction to this critical and crucial analysis of the criminal justice (or rather injustice) system Michael Mansfield QC (who represented people in  many of the cases mentioned)  reminds  the reader that after the 1980s landmark miscarriage of … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, human rights, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, Manchester, North of Ireland, political women, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Women in Poland; Putting them back into the story of the Solidarity Movement.

Posted on June 30, 2018 by lipstick socialist

    In 1981 riots broke out in Moss Side where I lived. It reflected the oppression experienced by the Afro-Caribbean  people in that area; that they were discriminated against in housing, education and employment. After the riots, people like … Continue reading →

Posted in Communism, education, feminism, films, human rights, labour history, Manchester, political women, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

The IBRG archive at the WCML. Part Four; How Irish women played an active role in IBRG.

Posted on June 8, 2018 by lipstick socialist

In the 1970s the Irish community in Britain was represented by the Federation of Irish Societies; an organisation made up of mainly men who were Irish born. IBRG was set up in 1981 because of the F.I.S.’s reluctance to speak … Continue reading →

Posted in feminism, human rights, International Women's Day, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, Manchester, North of Ireland, political women, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The IBRG archive at the WCML; Part Three;Publicising IBRG to the Irish diaspora.

Posted on May 7, 2018 by lipstick socialist

  In 1987 IBRG was six years old and growing as new branches were being started across the country. Communicating with the Irish communty  was not as easy then as it is today. In the 1980s  some  Irish people were … Continue reading →

Posted in education, human rights, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, Manchester, North of Ireland, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The IBRG archive at the WCML; the rebirth of a Branch. Part Two

Posted on April 13, 2018 by lipstick socialist

    Today most of us involved in our trade union or community organisation use the internet,  including FB and twitter to communicate with our members. In the period of this archive there was no internet and contact with members … Continue reading →

Posted in education, feminism, human rights, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, Manchester, North of Ireland, political women, Socialism, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Rising Up; How the MSWTUC worked with the Bakers’ Union to organise women confectioners.

Posted on March 29, 2018 by lipstick socialist

In 2018 the numbers of trade union members is on the decline: many young people do not see the point of joining. Some unions, such as the Baking Food and Allied Workers Union, are bucking that trend and young  people … Continue reading →

Posted in education, feminism, human rights, labour history, Manchester, political women, Salford, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Irish Collection at the WCML: a new chapter- the role of the Irish in Britain Representation Group. Part One.

Posted on March 23, 2018 by lipstick socialist

  Over the centuries the Irish  have played a key role in the labour and trade union movement in this country. The Working Class Movement Library has some of the most important archives which  document this activity and show the … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Communism, education, feminism, human rights, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, Manchester, North of Ireland, political women, Salford, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments