Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Things happening this month [Feb.2015], and a bit after


Things happening this month, and a bit after

Reminders, updates, new notices relating to radical history…


From LSHG:
A final reminder about the London Socialist Historians "Attlee" event on Saturday 28th February.

Registration is from 11.30am in the Wolfson Room (basement of the Institute of Historical Research and a dedicated conference space).

Speakers should be underway from a little after midday, followed by discussion until no later than 4pm.

At that point we'll adjourn for a coffee in the basement of Dillons books just up the road, which has ample space and comfortable seats

Speakers are:

Keith Flett – ‘A History of 1945: Beyond Ken Loach’
Ian Birchall – ‘Exits from Empire: British and French choices in 1945′
Francis Beckett, Biographer – ‘Clement Attlee’
John Newsinger – ‘Labour, the Welfare State and Korea’
Mike Sheridan – ‘The Labour Independent Group’
======================
The Working Class Movement Library, Salford      http://www.wcml.org.uk/events

14th Feb 2015      LGBT History Month talk - 'Unity is Strength – Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners and their lasting links of comradeship with mining communities’ . Speakers: Mike Jackson, co-founder with Mark Ashton of Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM), and David (Dai) Donovan, South Wales NUM.

7th Mar 2015       (Eve of International Women's Day) Tansy Hoskins talks about her book Stitched Up - The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion.

11th Mar 2015     From Bilbao to Manchester: the Basque child refugees of 1937 - Charles Jepson

19th Mar 2015     Exhibition ‘probing behind the myths of war and its "glories"’: The Great War: myths and realities explores topics such as Salford's response to the outbreak of war, the strength of the anti-war movement locally and nationally, what happened to the campaign which had gathered momentum by 1914 to get the vote for women - and the realities of trench warfare. Open Wednesdays to Fridays 1-5p.m.

25th Mar 2015     ''Red Nelson": the English working class and the making of C.L.R. James - Christian Hogsbjerg

8th Apr 2015        The People: the Rise and Fall of the Working Class, 1910-2010 - Selina Todd

22nd Apr 2015     Notoriously militant: the story of a union branch at Ford Dagenham - Sheila Cohen
 
=========
What’s Happening in Black British History? II 
Thursday, 19th February,
Leggate Hall, University of Liverpool.

The workshop agenda is available to download here, as is an extended version including abstracts for each talk here.
<< Like the WHBBH1 event hosted in London in October 2014, presentations at WHBBH2 will cover a wide range of topics - from Sport to Culture, WW1 soldiers to West End sound systems - so there’s sure to be something for everyone.>>
You can book online here - EarlyBird tickets are priced from £5 - 

Network for Peace

There will be a meeting on 19 February in London at 1.30. Friends House in Euston.

We will have a short NfP business meeting followed by a discussion on where we are with WW1 Campaigning.

We also hope to have a guest speaker, an academic who will report on her research (just waiting for a confirmation).

No need to confirm your place, or send your apologies. But if you cannot come and have something interesting to report please send something to me in good time for me to distribute before the meeting if at all possible. 

Here’s a link to the event on the NfP website: 


London Socialist Historians Seminars Spring Term 2015
Monday February 2nd      Matthew  Burnett-Stewart,  Arming both sides. The Armaments industry in World War One.
Monday February 16th    Deborah Lavin, Charles Bradlaugh and the First International
Saturday February 28th  70 years since the 1945 Attlee Government: Francis Beckett, Ian Birchall, John Newsinger and others From 11.30am - [LSHG Conference]. 
Monday March 16th Launch of A History of Riots (CSP) Keith Flett and others

All LSHG seminars take place in Room 102 at the Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, Malet St, WC1 and start at 5.30 p.m. with the exception of February 28th.

On Saturday 28th February at 1pm, the Wakefield Socialist History Group will be holding an event HOUSING AND THE CLASS STRUGGLE at the Red Shed, Vicarage Street, Wakefield WF1.
With speakers:
*Cllr Hilary Mitchell
*Karen Fletcher (Secretary, Barnsley Against the Bedroom Tax)
*Alan Stewart (Convenor, Wakefield Socialist History Group)
*Kevin Feintuck (rank and file housing worker in Sheffield)
The chair is Kitty Rees.
Admission is free and there will be a free light buffet.

Queer Season at Sutton House

Starting in LGBT History Month, Sutton House is hosting its first Queer Season, a series of exhibitions and events celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer communities.

126 
5th February to 29th March,
Weds to Sun 12pm to 5pm

Building on February 2014's exhibition 'Master-Mistress', the first LGBT History Month event to be held in a National Trust property we think, '126' is a crowd-sourced audiovisual experience featuring all 126 of Shakespeare's Fair Youth sonnets as read by members of the LGBTQ community. Each sonnet is self-recorded and is accompanied by video portraits of the contributors.

Admission: Adult £3.50, Child £1, Family £6.90, National Trust Members FREE. 

The Amy Grimehouse and National Trust’s Sutton House present:

The Craft Valentine's Massacre 
14 February 7pm to late

 Join The Amy Grimehouse for their special presentation of that 90s classic, The Craft. Explore Sutton House and participate in some anti-Valentine's spells, Hex-Your-Ex, the Nancy Booth, The Craft Craft Room with binding and poison pen Valentine's cards and more. All before the pre-screening show with the Bitches of Eastwick. The screening will make way for the 'Invoking the Spirit of Manon Ball' with Connie Francis on the jukebox and more til late. "Now is the time. This is the hour. Ours is the magic. Ours is the power."  

Nick Fox and National Trust’s Sutton House Present:

Bad Seed 
5th February to 29th March,
Weds to Sun 12pm to 5pm

 This will include the first comprehensive survey of work by South African-born artist Nick Fox. Arranged over seven rooms, the exhibition brings together artworks created over the last ten years, principally painting but also films, installations, cyanotype prints and intricately laboured object d’art from his celebrated Nightsong and Phantasieblume series. Fox has also chosen Sutton House to launch a new artistic project called Seedbank, which invites members of the public to select seeds linked to a veiled dictionary of floral meanings to give as long term and living tokens of love and loves loss. Bad Seed will be shown simultaneously with Fox’s International touring exhibition Nightsong, at Angus-Hughes Gallery (7th February – 7 March 2015), which is also located in Hackney.

Admission: Adult £3.50, Child £1, Family £6.90, National Trust Members FREE.

++++++++++++++

SACK BOB LAMBERT!
Former Police Spy, Serial Liar & Exploiter of Women


After a couple of successful pickets outside London Metropolitan University, help us to increase the pressure! Join us to demand the removal of Bob Lambert from his position as a lecturer on policing and criminology from London Met university.

When: Friday February 27th – 12.00 – 2.00pm
Where: Outside LMU Tower, 166-220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB

Bring placards, banners, sound systems, anything to make noise…

Former police spy, Special Branch manipulator, abuser of women, agent provocateur, Bob Lambert is now lecturing at London Met on policing and criminology.

This is a man who has:

• Built a police career on lying, spying on political groups and community campaigns;
• Stolen the name of a dead child to build a false identity;
• acted as an agent provocateur, actively encouraging people to commit crimes so they could be arrested;
• has been named in parliament as having planted a firebomb in a store in 1987;
• started several sexual relationships & fathered a child just to make his cover more convincing, (a child he abandoned with no contact for 24 years); while all the time having a ‘real’ family back home;
• encouraged other police spies working under his supervision to follow his dubious example – including sleeping with some of their targets;
• sent undercover police to spy on the families of racist murder victims and people who have died in custody;
• helped to arrange meetings between police spies and senior officers looking for ways to smear the family of Stephen Lawrence;
• passed on undercover reports on trade unionists campaigning for better working conditions on building sites, which was used to blacklist workers;

 …and much more…

For a brief account of Bob Lambert’s dubious record, check our website:
https://islingtonagainstpolicespies.wordpress.com/about-bob-lambert/

If we have any kind of standards at all that we expect of teachers, lecturers, people in a position on responsibility and influence, Bob Lambert fails to meet up to them.

He has a long history of lying, exploiting women and manipulating others for his own ends. Is this really someone London Met thinks is appropriate to be teaching at a supposedly ‘progressive’ university?

The exposures of the activities of undercover police spying on campaigning groups, grieving families and political activists over recent years has led to many enquiries and investigations; women exploited by these officers are also suing the Metropolitan Police as the institution ultimately responsible. But the individual police spies themselves need to also be held to account. Lambert has pathetically ‘apologised’ for some bits of his past; because he was (belatedly) caught out. He needs to properly face the consequences of his a_ctions.

This campaign is being organised by Islington Against Police Spies, a group of local residents and activists. We are committed to putting pressure on the University and raising awareness of Lambert’s past, until he is forced to leave London Met. We know this CAN be done – but it’s not necessarily going to be easy. Hopefully this campaign will get stronger until it’s irresistible. BUT WE NEED HELP – we call on anyone who thinks Bob Lambert should not be working in a supposedly progressive university to support our campaign.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Come down and join the picket on January 30th. The bigger and noisier
our protest, the more notice London Met will have to take of us.

Protest to the following in the London Met hierarchy, and demand that
they sack Bob Lambert:

 * John Raftery
, Vice-Chancellor; email: j.raftery@londonmet.ac.uk


Tel: 020 7133 2001




 * Peter McCaffery
, Deputy Vice-Chancellor; email:
P.McCaffery@londonmet.ac.uk. Tel: 020 7133 2401
 * Jonathan Woodhead, Executive Officer; email:
j.woodhead@londonmet.ac.uk
. Tel: 020 7133 2042



 * Paul Bowler
, Deputy Chief Executive; email: P.Bowler@londonmet.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7133 2031
 * Peter Garrod
, University Secretary and Clerk to the Board; email:
p.garrod@londonmet.ac.uk
. Tel: 020 7133 2004


You can also email Bob Lambert directly and let him know what you think
of his activities: r.lambert@londonmet.ac.uk
 Tel: 020 7133 4692/2911


Spread the Word - tell others about this campaign, raise the issue in
your networks, communities, union, etc - the more people know about Bob,
the more pressure we all put on the university, the more likely it is
that he will have to go.

You can download, print and spread our leaflet from the link below:
https://islingtonagainstpolicespies.wordpress.com/resources/


For more info on undercover police spies see:
http://campaignopposingpolicesurveillance.com

http://policespiesoutoflives.org.uk/



About People’s Histreh, Nottingham: Event this Saturday, and Publications

Pamphlet launch with talks, discussions, tea and biscuits

Sat 7th February, 2015, 2-4 p.m., University of Nottingham
“103 Foresters: Mutinies and death sentences in the local regiment – 1914-18”

--------------------
You can also read about this on our events page or as a pdf.
http://peopleshistreh.wordpress.com/events/
https://peopleshistreh.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/103foresters_pamphletlaunch.pdf
--------------------
Since the start of 2014, we have been working on an extensive research project, looking into the cases of the 103 Sherwood Foresters who were sentenced to death or sentenced on mutiny charges during World War One.-
http://peopleshistreh.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/103-foresters-mutinies-and-death-sentences-in-the-local-regiment-1914-18

We will launch the first two issues in a series of pamphlets, the first introducing and contextualising the project, the second looking into the case of a soldier sentenced to death on the Western Front on February
5th, 1915.


Room A18/19, Department of History
Lenton Grove (
building number 5 on the University Park Campus
map/West/Beeston entrance)
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sharedresources/documents/mapuniversitypark.pdf
University of Nottingham
University Park Campus
Beeston Lane
Nottingham
NG7 2RD

Free parking on the campus on weekends.
Free event (donations welcome), venue wheelchair accessible.
“Many thanks to the UoN’s Department of History for hosting the event!”

http://peopleshistreh.wordpress.com

People's Histreh - Nottingham & Notts Radical History Group

Who we are…

We are a group of people with different political backgrounds, interested in what has been called ‘history from below‘, ‘grassroots history’ or ‘social history‘. As Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have such a long and turbulent history of socioeconomic transformation, disturbance and conflict, there is a lot to be unearthed. In fact, the most amazing, inspiring, shocking and outrageous stories leap out wherever the surface is scratched. [Sounds familiar...?]

…and what we do…

We have been working on a number of different projects since we first got together in late 2009. Among many other subjects, such as Chartism or the local history of slavery, we have e.g. been remembering the
successful fight against the Poll Tax (for instance by celebrating the 20th anniversary of the custard-pieing of local councillors).

Probably our main project so far has been working on the history of riotous Nottingham during the Industrial Revolution. There is for instance our popular guided walk To the Castle!, retracing the 1831 Reform Riots. The publication of the same title, along with our pamphlet “Damn his charity...“ (on the remarkable events known as Nottingham’s ‘Great Cheese Riot’), has just been reprinted in our new paperback book Nottingham Rising… .

Last summer we (that is ‘Loaf On A Stick Press’) were proud to publish Chris Richardson’s exciting book A City of Light… on the struggles of courageous women and men in 1840s Nottingham who challenged the
inhumanities of the Poor Law, contested charges of sedition, blasphemy and riot, confronted the forces of established religion, and championed new forms of democratic control.

At present we are very busy working on our new long term research project regarding those soldiers who served in the local regiment (then known as the ‘Sherwood Foresters’) and were either sentenced to death or sentenced on mutiny charges by courts martial during World War One.

For information, images, maps, audio files, documents, etc. regarding all our activities please visit our (very irregularly updated) online presence:
http://peopleshistreh.wordpress.com

See also our publications:

Nottingham Rising: The Great Cheese Riot of 1766 & the 1831 Reform Riots
By Valentine Yarnspinner (Loaf On A Stick Press; 2014); ISBN
9780956913968
Paperback £6 (free digital version -
http://peopleshistreh.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/nottingham_rising_peoples_histreh_digital_edition1.pdf )

A City of Light: Socialism, Chartism and Co-operation – Nottingham 1844
By Christopher Richardson (Loaf On A Stick Press; 2013); ISBN 9780956913944
Paperback £7.99 (see also
http://acityoflight.wordpress.com)

Available from Five Leaves Bookshop (
http://fiveleavesbookshop.co.uk), Waterstones Nottingham etc.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Wed. 28 January: Local film showing: McLibel in N17

UPDATE - Link to film and leaflet

The victorious McLibel Campaign, 1985-2005 
The film described below was shown on BBC2 soon after being made; before that it was shown in some cinemas. It has also been shown on TV in many countries…

You can now see the full film online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBpbaVJo9gE

and also find the 2005 LEAFLET here 
      

- The Tottenham postman & gardener who took on the McDonald’s corporation. And won. 
Bruce Castle Museum, Lordship Lane, London N17 8NU
Entry free. Doors open at 7pm. Show starts 7.30pm.
Special guests: The 'McLibel Two'

February 2015 marks 10 years since this infamous and historic marathon of a legal battle concluded at the European Court of Human Rights. The McLibel case had been a David and Goliath story of two people, Tottenham residents Helen Steel and Dave Morris. The defendants refused to be silenced by libel threats, and had to represent themselves throughout what became the longest trial in English legal history. At the same time a grass-roots global defiance campaign turned the spotlight on junk food, exploitation of workers, unethical targeting of children, environmentally-unfriendly business practices, the cruelty of factory farming - and attempts at censorship. The leaflets that the corporation tried to suppress became probably the widest circulated in history.

This documentary film made during the case tells the incredible story.. the filmed testimony of witnesses and experts, exposure of controversial practices, revealing footage of secret meetings with McDonald's US Board members, McSpies unmasked, the growing protests, McProfits down...

Helen and Dave - the McLibel Two - introduce the film and look back on the case and the victorious campaign....

The award-winning full-length documentary was shown on BBC and has been seen by over 20 million people around the world
More info on the film: www.spannerfilms.net More info on the case/campaign: www.mcspotlight.org

See also: RaHN Pamphlet: 
 'McWorld On Trial' - by Helen Steel and Dave Morris (the 'McLibel' defendants)
The inside story of the inspirational global campaign against McDonald's 1985-2005, including the titanic legal battle during the longest trial in English history.

And previously on this blog: 

McDonald's and McLibel - the successful humiliation of a multinational [1985-2005] - by the McLibel Support Campaign.

McLibel police spies revelations: defendant speaks out


Thursday, January 22, 2015

Undercover Policing campaign: Further update

BBC London News TV item on the campaign to force former police spy/spymaster out of London Metropolitan University can be viewed at:


A campaigner comments: 
"It is not everything we might have wanted but it does ramp up the pressure on London Met some; they were at least forced to put someone up from the John Grieve Centre for the Study of Policing to defend themselves (although they focussed on issues of their international links, a small thing I mentioned which they seized on to the detriment of more important issues.) 
Anyway together with other coverage it does help create a buzz for IAPS picket of London Met next Friday, January 30th, 12-2pm... " * [see below]

"This week we have also launched our campaign on twitter; you can follow us:
@islingtonvspies

created a blog: 

and a very basic facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/sackboblambert

"Please spread the word/like us/re-tweet and do all those things that people do in the age of social media.. But it's vital that people DO complain to London Met, and also get on down to the pickets to make us too annoying to ignore.

"This issue is much bigger than just Bob Lambert, but we are trying to hold him to account for his actions, in the course of which we are also raising the whole history of police infiltration of radical movements as a wider pattern. 
So please also visit 
and 

 - two sites which put Lambert's actions in context.

Keep up the pressure".

* << SACK BOB LAMBERT!
Former Police Spy, Serial Liar & Exploiter of Women

Join us to demand the removal of Bob Lambert from London Metropolitan
University.

Picket London Met

Friday January 30th
12.00 – 2.00pm


LMU Tower, 166-220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB

Bring placards, banners, anything to make noise…

In November Islington Against Police Spies (IAPS) held a lively picket of London Metropolitan University in Holloway, launching our campaign to demand the sacking or resignation of Bob Lambert. Former police spy,
Special Branch manipulator, abuser of women, agent provocateur, Lambert is now lecturing at London Met on policing and criminology.


As local residents we feel it is totally inappropriate for London Metropolitan to be employing a man with Lambert'’s record in such a position; where he has influence and power over the lives of students, who may be young or vulnerable. Most particularly Lambert has shown he cannot be trusted not to abuse and lie to women.

Islington Against Police Spies have committed ourselves to holding events every month at least, to keep putting pressure on the University and raising awareness of Lambert'’s past, until he is forced to leave London Met. We know this CAN be done – but it'’s not necessarily going to be easy.

Hopefully this campaign will get stronger until it'’s irresistible. BUT WE NEED HELP – we call on anyone who thinks Bob Lambert should not be working in a supposedly progressive university to support our campaign.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Come down and join the picket on January 30th. The bigger and noisier our protest, the more notice London Met will have to take of us. [More ideas available from the campaign]. >>

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

News International Dispute exhibition

Exhibition 9 January - 13 February 2015
St Bride Foundation, Bride Lane, Fleet Street, London EC4Y 8EQ
0207 353 3331
Friday-Monday 10am-5.30pm; Tuesday-Thursday by appointment

Further information: 07831 676587; info@wapping-dispute.org.uk; www.wapping-dispute.org.uk

<< The exhibition is on display again this time at St Bride Institute, Bride Lane, just off Fleet Street. It is an historic location for all of us from the Fleet Street era of national newspapers and the print and media industry.  And not just for proximity to Fleet Street: countless chapel (workplace union branch) meetings were held there – starting disputes and ending them, setting up campaigns and declaring solidarity with other workers in struggle.
In addition to the exhibition, the print workshop  and the library which are entirely devoted to the history of printing and allied crafts are also well worth seeing.
The leaflet is at this link gives details of opening times.  Please note that the exhibition is open at weekends. Individual and group visits during mid- week (Tuesday-Thursday) but please check for availability. >>


Contact us on info@wapping-dispute.org or 07831676587.

Previously on this blog:

Memories of the Wapping print dispute - some Haringey support experiences [1986-87]