Category Archives: political women

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

My review of “Striking Women Struggles and Strategies of South Asian Women Workers from Grunwick to Gate Gourmet” by Sundari Anitha & Ruth Pearson

Posted on April 7, 2018 by lipstick socialist

There is something strange going on when plays about trade union defeats (including   We are the Lions, Mr Manager about  Grunwick and   We’re Not Going Back  and  Shafted  about the Miners’ Strike) have never been so popular,  whilst actual trade … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, book review, feminism, human rights, labour history, political women, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history | Tagged , , , , | 2 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

Working Class Life: written by working class activists. Read “A Bolton Childhood” by Alice Foley

Posted on March 15, 2018 by lipstick socialist

In this occasional series I want to rediscover the autobiographies of working class people that have been forgotten or marginalised. They are important in understanding how and why people become activists. They are important in asking questions as to why … Continue reading →

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

Following in Sylvia’s footsteps; from 1918 to 2018. Meet Charlotte, Josephine, Eden and Lauren.

Posted on March 1, 2018 by lipstick socialist

Sylvia Pankhurst’s  response to the 1918 Representation of the People Act reflected her politics. She had opposed the First World War from the start and  spent the war years defending the rights of poor women and children in the East … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, Communism, education, feminism, human rights, International Women's Day, labour history, political women, Socialist Feminism, Tameside, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Beyond #MeToo? Broadening a campaign to a movement by Jane Latour

Posted on February 15, 2018 by lipstick socialist

Jane Latour is a freelance writer and author of Sisters in the Brotherhoods Working Women Organizing for Equality in New York City. She lives in New York.  Humpty Dumpty Sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty Had a great fall. All … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, feminism, human rights, labour history, political women, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

My review of “The Caseroom” by Kate Hunter

Posted on February 4, 2018 by lipstick socialist

  This is a unique novel; how many are written by female  trade union activists about the history of women’s roles in trade unions and the struggle for equality at work? The Caseroom is set during a dynamic period of … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, book review, feminism, labour history, novels, political women, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

My Review of “The Night Brother” by Rosie Garland

Posted on January 31, 2018 by lipstick socialist

  As the debate around gender recognition in the C21st rages on Rosie Garland’s new novel The Night Brother is a fantastical story of identity and belonging: of sexuality and gender.  Set in late  C19th and  early C20th Manchester  this … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, feminism, human rights, labour history, Manchester, political women, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

My review of “Freedom Song” by Mary King (1987)

Posted on January 6, 2018 by lipstick socialist

In 1962 white, preacher’s daughter, Mary King, graduated from college, and decided to give up her cosy middle class lifestyle and head south to work for the Student Nonviolent Co-ordinating Committee (SNCC). This memoir is the story of her four … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, book review, education, feminism, human rights, political women, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , | 2 Comments