Monday 28 March 2011

March for the Alternative: a World is my country special

Sous Les Pave la plage

I have been "favouriting" the interesting blog posts  I've seen about the March, many of them forwarded by @jackseale. Thought it would be useful to have them in one place. Not saying I agree with every word written I think it's good to have wider stage for alternative voices especially of people who were actually there.
My day in the cells by Adam Ramsey

Show us some respect by @StuartGWhite (Why the media chooses to feature violence)

a nearly successful demonstration by (an actor and marcher's experience of the day)

History repeating itself  by  LostinLondon How some anarchists have always muddied the waters for the change they want to see

Speech by Sam West on Arts funding

A history of defaced statues

Photos by flickr mate Darellkmorris who was at work in centre town so could cat the argey bargey and not the main march/rally nice shots


Oh and I've set up a flickr group drawing together all the shots from demos of " Down with this sort of thing" and "Careful now!"  banners.

Sunday 27 March 2011

March for the Alternative

turning the corner?

Late last night and sat resting our plates watching the BBC news channel. The scenes on a loop playing out before us didn’t look like the march we went on: leery lads egging on the Met , black clad anarchists filming the police, the TV cameras and themselves, in the background there were smouldering rubbish bins. The March I and 500,000 other people where on was a gentle stroll down the Victoria Embankment waving a host of banners, dancing to samba bands, lots of whistles, cheers and the odd chant of “Lansley is a Tosser”.


It took 4 plus hours to walk to the Ritz via Whitehall chatting with friends and new friends, eating cake and very very little rioting. The violence e was understandably if annoyingly the main news item but had very little to do with the main march. “King mob” has been a part of British politics for centuries in fact it’s none appearance is more surprisingly than whenever it raises its angry masked faces. Are me and the other marchers tarred with the same brush as the rioters? In my opinion no but in many the mines people’s yes sadly. Many of the people who’d dismiss the March would have dismissed it anyway regardless of whether it had kicked off or not. I hope the rest will see through the shock horror of rolling news and newspaper headlines and decide for their selves whether what we were Marching is of value.

So why did you march?
Well basically because the Tories and their placid help mates the Lib-Dems are determined to destroy fundamental parts of our civilisation. Their main goal is to reinstall their century’s long policy of “communism for the rich and capitalism for the poor”. Cameron for all his soft soap wants to get rid of most of local and national services apart from a bare minimum to cover his modesty and get back to doing what the Tory part was founded for maintaining and preserving the wealth and power of the super rich. Be in no doubt that the Tories a grim cabal of old moneys and slimy new in the form of Tories main backers the hedge fund managers and their clients have your best interests at heart.

Cameron and Osborne et al don’t give a stuff for the NHS, for state schools, libraries, local council staff etc for all their weasel words they don’t have much interest in most British industry either. The cuts that Tories have imposed will start to hurt very soon, real people will put on the dole, and real services will be lost FOREVER. All this while the Tories impose wasteful, pointless and politically driven reforms of the NHS and Education. These reforms are designed to destroy FOREVER local democracy and accountability and entrench Tory rule while enriching multinational and Tory funding healthcare and public service providers.

I marched because the progressive socialist trade union non conformist movements in the UK have been the only movement that have cared and stood for my community. Who stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves, who have striven for most of the rights and freedoms we enjoy. If these cuts and cultural vandalism is allowed to stand Britain will be horribly more divided, diminished and darker place.

Friday 25 March 2011

The supermarkets continuing war on satire

and in particular "Half Man Half biscuit".
This week "Netto Chainsaw"

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Edgelands

It's odd started writing about this myself the other day and then saw this will have to find the book and see if there's anything to add. I seem to be attracted to these sort of places see last post. That or just live in the crummy end of town!! Will have to just keep taking snaps

Tyre Wire

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Things you only see in the country.....pylons


bluetower
Originally uploaded by bltphoto
I know it's odd but one refreshing thing I've found since moving up North is seeing pylons. Not entirely sure why except they are striking things. I got up close to one for the first time in years yesterday. In the bright blue spring sunshine they are oddly threatening as if all those volts are eagerly waiting the pounce and then there's the threat of someone pulling on the wires and them toppling over like the tripods at the end of war of the worlds.

I know we supposed to dislike their march across the landscape but I'm tapping away on pc fuelled by their electrical current and the field I was in was filled with GM wheat most likely next to an old canal, between two muck stacks, in sight of  a sulfurous coking plant so why not have this giant Angels of the South Riding gentle humming over head on this bright spring afteron. Here's some more pics

Sunday 20 March 2011

It's frothy mommy....

Mr Frothy!
Stop me and buy one:

Went to Leeds beer festival in Pudsey on Friday, it was really good, nice and friendly, not too crowded (lots of seats hallelujah!) decent scran and of course excellent beer. Not sure if it’s a regular feature but they had an emphasis on Milds which was interesting and refreshing.

Like I say a really good festival cheers to all who organised it.

Parked outside however was this marvellous vehicle, Mr Frothy’s beer van. A converted 1970’s Fiat Ice cream. It’s from the people who run North Bar and is available to hire I think.

Not sure how much it cost but would ace in the summer comes with pumps etc. Shame they don’t tour the streets of Yorkshire on hot summer evenings, dispensing cool draughts of Belgian loveliness.
Here’s a set of pics .

Friday 11 March 2011

Opportunities...?


Opportunities...?
Originally uploaded by bltphoto
was faintly depressed by how many closed shops there were in Wakefield the other day. Seemed like every other window was empty.


Thursday 3 March 2011

'Nanna Noo-Noo's Nougat Nicie',

What happend to good old fashioned buns?
the Daily Mash nail it again

update :
and then real life as ever beats satire "cake rage in cardif"

Cup cake madness indeed.

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Travel in style...



It would be nice to go travel to Paris, London or Rome ... found this lovely Flickr set full of amazing luggage labels. Love these sort of designs especially in a world of grim corporate boarding passes and print your own A4 concert tickets.