Category Archives: Salford

“Even the pigeons have black feet”; coal and community in Salford

Salford in Greater Manchester is one of those places that still boasts a lively community  hell bent on reminding all the rest of us of what it means to be working class. The Irwell Valley Mining Project, run by local … Continue reading

Posted in art exhibition, biography, education, labour history, Salford, trade unions, 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…..Libertarias (1996), a film showing organised by the Manchester Film Co-operative. It’s a historical drama that explores the role that women played in the Spanish Civil War. In 1936 Spain was a deeply conservative Catholic country and the SCW offered … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, art exhibition, Catholicism, Communism, feminism, films, human rights, labour history, Manchester, music, Salford, Tameside, trade unions, 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… The Most Valuable Englishman Ever..(on Youtube so its free) iconoclast Kenneth Griffiths’ documentary on Thomas Paine. Griffiths is as ever totally over the top but, like me, he venerates Tom because he was an intellectual and activist who spoke … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, art exhibition, book review, drama, education, feminism, films, human rights, Ireland, labour history, Salford, 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…..Louie (only on DVD) written by American real life stand-up comedian Louis C.K. He is the star of the show, playing a middle aged man going through a crisis about his life. We see him performing on-stage, off-stage with his … Continue reading

Posted in book review, drama, education, feminism, human rights, International Women's Day, Ireland, North of Ireland, novels, political women, Salford, Socialist Feminism, 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…CRICFEST..at Moston Small Cinema a festival of cricket inspired films. Including Out Of The Ashes a film about the Afghan cricket team ( I didn’t realise they had one) and their hopes of qualifying for the 2011 World Cup. The … Continue reading

Posted in book review, Communism, drama, films, human rights, labour history, Manchester, political women, Salford, Socialism, 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…..We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks one of the most fascinating stories in recent years has to be that of Wikilleaks a website set up to expose the deepest and dirtiest secrets of the USA. Julian Assange is now … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, book review, drama, films, human rights, Ireland, Manchester, political women, Salford, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, 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 Sicko (2009) American director Michael Moore’s expose of the American healthcare system. One of the richest countries in the world has one of the fewest numbers of its population with healthcare. In 2009 49.9 million citizens, 16.3% of the … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, book review, drama, films, human rights, Ireland, Ken Loach, labour history, Manchester, North of Ireland, 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.. Lust / El Shooq…showing as part of a very small Arab Film Festival at the Cornerhouse in Manchester. Made in 2011 and exploring the lives of people living in al-Labban a poor neighbourhood in Alexandria, Egypt. Central to the … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, art exhibition, drama, education, films, human rights, Middle East, NHS, Salford, trade unions, 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… Miners Film Weekender at Moston Small Cinema on Sunday June 23. A fascinating mix of films including Young Hearts Run Free which is set in1974 during the miner’s strike in a village in Northumberland. After the film there is … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, book review, drama, feminism, films, human rights, labour history, Manchester, NHS, political women, Salford, trade unions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Last Pit in the Valley – the Irwell Valley Mining Project

For the last twenty years former miner Paul Kelly has been placing flowers at the entrance to what was Agecroft Colliery in Salford. I did it as a memorial to those people who worked and died in the pit. In … Continue reading

Posted in anti-cuts, art exhibition, book review, labour history, Salford, trade unions, young people | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment