Category Archives: trade unions

Dirty Old Town Fights Back!

Posted on March 22, 2012 by lipstick socialist

 Salford people marching from Bexley Square on 30 November 2011 The last time the Tories were in power they had a clear plan, based on what we now call a neo-liberal agenda. This involved the destruction of much of manufacturing, … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, Salford, trade unions | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on March 18, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch… Ken Loach at the BBC. During the 60’s and 70’s at the BBC he directed some of his most innovative work with Tony Garnett and Jim Allen which is now collected on this excellent DVD. It includes Cathy Come … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, book review, drama, films, labour history, music, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, TV drama, women | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reclaim the Day!

Posted on March 7, 2012 by lipstick socialist

What does IWD mean to women today? International Women’s Day was started in 1909 in America by the Socialist Party and was first celebrated internationally two years later. It was originally called International Working Women’s Day, its aim was to … Continue reading →

Posted in International Women's Day, labour history, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, women | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Book review: This Slavery by Ethel Carnie Holdsworth

Posted on February 14, 2012 by lipstick socialist

This Slavery by  Ethel Carnie Holdsworth (Trent Editions, 2011)  ISBN 9781842331415 The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist is  often lauded by trade union leaders as the book of choice for their members, though I am not sure how many of them have … Continue reading →

Posted in biography, book review, labour history, novels, poetry, Socialism, trade unions, women | 4 Comments

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

Posted on February 9, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Watch… The film  Frida (2002). A fictionalised account of the life of Mexican artist and political activist  Frida Kahlo (1907-54).  Her pictures tell the story of her life.  Crippled in an accident as a young woman  she portrayed this experience … Continue reading →

Posted in films, Irish second generation, labour history, music, novels, radio drama, Socialism, trade unions, women | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ice and fire

Posted on February 8, 2012 by lipstick socialist

What do you do on a Saturday? Last week as I trudged through the snow in central Manchester  I watched other people sat in bars and cafes with their friends laughing, bumped into people with bags of shopping and wondered … Continue reading →

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Women making a difference!

Posted on February 1, 2012 by lipstick socialist

. The film “Made In Dagenham” is one of the few images out in the public arena of what it means to be a woman trade unionist and to be involved in an industrial dispute. It is still rare to … Continue reading →

Posted in trade unions, women | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Why we need trade unions

Posted on January 29, 2012 by lipstick socialist

Trade unions are part of my dna. My father went on strike during the National Building Workers dispute in 1972. Mum did not work outside the home, they had four children and still sent money home to Ireland to our … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, trade unions, women | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Redder than my lipstick!!

Posted on January 23, 2012 by lipstick socialist

I am feminist, socialist, northern, Irish, working class.  I count myself as a privileged person to be able to be part of this tradition that has enriched the history and lives of people in this country and in the world. … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, human rights, Irish second generation, Manchester, Socialism, trade unions, women | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments