on the edge of time
where angels and butterflies dance
abstract notions kiss horizons
carried on waves of thought
gathering up the bitterest moments
remember our dead who have flown away
though tired and restless
somehow find our way home
build new worlds out of dreams
visualise change as we dry our tears
tenderly find senses of wonder
the thirsty taste of beauty
among the rain spears and the icy winds
reach for for the currents of another tide
a thousand warm waves on a golden shore
the smouldering flame of life distinguished
deep inside the thicket of memories
with our clutches, try and make sense of it all
the night sings as waves crash and fall
beneath the crusted halo of the moon
and the open sky, the furious shoreline
a poets breathe lives within.us all
while there is war and so much cruelty
we collectively will not remain silent .
The legendary British ska group Madness have returned with their first new music since 2016. As was always the case back in their heyday talking about cultural and
social issues at the time, they were not afraid to get political, and now have placed Boris Johnson and his Eton cohorts firmly in the firing line with their new song Bullingdon Boys which is marked by a decidedly anti-Tory Rhetoric.
The snap release is a “barbed swipe at the charlatans, rotters and chancers
at the top of the tree who have done their best to take the shine off
2019,” according to a press release. Inspired and puzzled over the fact of how was it possible that in Great Britain
with 24,000 Schools 19 of the 54 Prime Ministers all came from Eton...
How Remarkable!
Apparently a famous statistician from Bern in Switzerland crunched the
numbers.. He concluded that the chances of 19 Prime Ministers coming
from one and the same class were very close to.... ZERO!
"More f*cking chance of being hit by lightning in a nuclear bunker" he
said.
And yet here we are with 19 (of 54) Prime Ministers coming from Eton.
Not even to mention other cabinet ministers. David Cameron for example
had 13 classmates in his front bench team!
The Bern professor said he had difficulty collating this phenomena
within the definition of 'fair play'19 of the 54 UK Prime Ministers have come from Eton.
The cover of the single also mocks the Bullingdon Club and Prime Minister Johnson, featuring the infamous image of the group posing languidly on college steps in Oxford, that summed up privilege and disconnect between society's haves and have nots. Dressed in tailcoated finery, members of Oxford University's
exclusive male-only dining club, posed for a picture
that became so notorious the copyright owner withdrew permission for it
to be republished. Madness however have made changes to the photo adding devil horns and putting the image of a pig's face over that of Johnson, they've also included the tagline: “Don’t get bullied by the Bully Boys.”
The exclusive invitation only club that is the Bullingdon Club was founded in 1780 as a hunting and
cricket club,and has been running amok for over two hundred
years holding a reputation and a history of excess, sexism, bullying and
elitism, known for the appalling, drunken, destructive and self indulgent tendencies of its members, with rumors
they would trash restaurants then casually drop checks covering the
damage.David Cameron, George Osborne, Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson all of whom were members. In an attempt to stymie the reputational damage, the Oxford University Conservative Association listed the Bullingdon Club as a proscribed organization at the end of
last year.. The
hangover remains, however, with the Conservative party as a whole still being seen by many as being riven with privilege
and ostentatious wealth.
The music video from Madness which accompanies the new song, that you can see below, features scenes from Clockwork Orange, the Batman TV series and The Riot Club. It's a great timely song, share it and its message, it's Madness , well voting for the Conservatives in the upcoming General Election is.
Madness unlike the Conservatives are still a star attraction and return to London's Roundhouse in December, performing three shows of past, present and future material. They also headline the inaugural York Festival next summer.
Its not a pretty sight
The lads are out tonight
They long to give there all
With backs against the wall
The games one upmanship
Be sure they’ll let it rip
We’ll have to have a go
In our comedy horror show
Its not a pantomime
In life one needs to climb
Things can only get much better
Bitter Better Butter Mutter
We are the bully boys
Move late at night don’t make much noise
Up the stairs from the den
Followed by our Batmen
We's are the chosen few
And we’s are coming thru
And we know’s just what to do
It's Robbin’ to the rescue
The Eton Boys are undefiled
The Bullingdon Boys, running wild
And England slides into the mist
No hope they’ll cease nor desist
We are the chancers brigade
and we’ll have you flogged and flayed
Sadly no room left at the top
Move along back to your sweatshops
Well we's are the chosen few
And we’s are coming thru
And we know’s just what to do
It's Robbin’ to the rescue
Well
We worked our fingers to the bone
It's not as if we was alone
There’s people needing to be paid
And there’s booty boys to be made
...... All hands on deck
The Eton Boys are undefiled
The Bullingdon Boys, running wild
And England slides into the mist
No hope they’ll cease nor desist
They're making England Great Again
But make way for the bagmen
When everything’s been sold and bought
We'll soon be off the life support.
Every silent god, hears and sees nothing
A drifting emptiness that cannot connect,
Darkly malingering in idleness and deep abyss
Many though still hear their voices calling,
In times of despair, keep on seeking
Open their hearts, give prayers of thanks,
But humanity's prison delivers no light
Hate keeps spreading, walls built to divide,
Blood keeps spilling on streets of torment
Yearning cries screaming to cease,
Invoking daily horror, in places of captivity
The agony of existence embedded deep,
Across the globe innocent people hurt
Living in fear, deprived of freedom,
Heartbreak keeps delivering tears,
Like spears from the thunder-clouds,
People frightened by the news
With resilience muster up some strength,
While the clap of doom keeps on releasing
Our silent gods carry on sleeping,
On the brink of death and vulnerability
In painful days undawned, give thanks,
As dead leaves blow in in the wind
With our breaths, we whisper amen.
Where are we?
In my mind I still see stars,
New worlds, rippling beyond current stone
Towards another possibility,
Here lies, some food for thought
Released from the fabric of conscience,
While Government breath drags us down
Leaving many with scornful mindsets.
Emerging out of emptiness.
Restless purpose beyond control
Drifting in winter chill,
No longer fearless, unlocked.
Tomorrow's twilight nourishing minds.
Endless drumbeats, echoing masses enraged,
As Grenfell 's tears continue to fall
A hungry quest embraces unity.
Tom with Spina Bifida, incontinent, homeless
Condition precluding a sheltered abode,
Where's the hope left in this bloody land
Time to get off our knees and make a stand.
Let our voices knot together, find some loose change
Untamed, uncorrected, undivided, undiluted.
Beyond the lies of politicians, bankrupt ideas.
Heads held high, people defiant and rising.
With playfulness and imagination
We can rearrange their schemes,
One day soon, fallacies will fall
The present system that fails to satisfy.
Ebbing and flowing, tides of united breath
Inhaling the delicious opium of dreams,
Unafraid to release our truth
Haunting those hiding above.
,
The mighty spirit of resistance
Rejecting those that seek to control us,
Nurturing the changes
Sustaining our empowerment.
I know a lots of my friends and comrades don't like voting, and have valid reasons not to, but this election I believe is different, and we
have to get those bloody thieving bastard Tories out now. 66-year-old counter culture legend Alan Moore who is considered to be one of the most prominent anarchists in Britain, has decided to cast his ballot on 12 December for the first time in nearly 40 years for the Labour Party, The
comic book writer, novelist, screenwriter, actor, broadcaster, publisher, songwriter, magician, singer and activist,who is known for his meditations on totalitarianism in the graphic novels
Watchmen and Batman. V for Vendetta depicted a Britain in the grip of a fascist dictatorship that treated
ordinary people as a commodity to be exploited and subjected people
from ethnic and social minorities, the sick and disabled to medical
experimentation that most commonly resulted in their deaths.Some may see terrifying similarities with the current Conservative government in such a situation. Moore has previously come out in support of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn,
but has consistently declined to vote in elections because he believes
in "direct political action." However, the upcoming General Election has
forced him to change his position.He explained why in ,a Twitter statement posted by his daughter Leah Moore.
“Here’s something you don’t see every day, an internet-averse anarchist
announcing on social media that he’ll be voting Labour in the December
elections. But these are unprecedented times. I’ve voted only once in my
life, more than 40 years ago, being convinced that leaders are mostly
of benefit to no one save themselves. That said, some leaders are so
unbelievably malevolent and catastrophic that they must be strenuously
opposed by any means available."
He acknowledged that his vote “...is principally against the Tories
rather than for Labour”, but described Corbyn’s manifesto as “the most
encouraging set of proposals that I’ve ever seen from any major British
party. Though these are immensely complicated times and we are all
uncertain as to which course we should take, I’d say the one that steers
us furthest from the glaringly apparent iceberg is the safest bet…"
Moore concluded by imploring his fans to vote, as well. "If my work has
meant anything to you over the years, if the way that modern life is
going makes you fear for all the things you value, then please get out
there on polling day and make your voice heard with a vote against this
heartless trampling of everybody's safety, dignity and dreams. A world
we love is counting on us. If we’d prefer a future that we can call home, then we must stop
supporting – even passively – this ravenous, insatiable Conservative
agenda before it devours us with our kids as a dessert.”
Yes, it’s a radical political decision not to vote. but times are
literally crazy. The situation is dire. In the U.K. we're on the
precipice of something truly disasterous and if you have to compromise principles to try to avoid falling of the cliff, then you
should do it. If an old anarchist like Alan Moore can see the danger in not voting to
keep Boris Johnson and his clique of hard-right ghouls out of power,
what excuse has anyone else got? We have so much to lose if the Tories get in again, so
put away your aversion please, be like Alan Moore, for the many not the few we can make a
difference. The deadline for registering to vote in the general election is
tomorrow, Tuesday 26 November at 5pm. If you haven’t yet registered
please please make sure you do. It takes just five minutes.
Throughout human history
Woman and man has sought,
Places to harbour sadness
To offer comfort and protection,
Solid alters of ingrained sanctuary
Magic power rich in potency,
Rooted energies to help heal world
In the cycle of transcending seasons,
Casting mystery, delivering focus
On sacred paths of consciousness,
Our temples releasing surrender
Forever in our reach,
Under every setting sun
Forces of good,
Resonating, vibrating
With necessary power,
Windows of time
Releasing yearnings of our being,
Confidence and sustenance
To all that set their minds free,
Before hatred was planted
And man delivered shame,
Divisions became bathed
Between light and darkness.
Woke up this morning to find the second release from Jon Langford's the Men of Gwent had arrived through my letter box, and very good it is too. Four years on from their warmly received debut, “The Legend of LL”the new one is called the President of Wales and it's a looking like a serious contender for my annual end of year musical highlights.
Born in Wales, now resident in Chicago, Langford has had a long and
illustrious musical journey with the likes of The Mekons, https://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-mekons-deserted_22.html Three Johns
and the Waco Brothers. A true living legend with such a prolific output summarizing Jon Langford’s contributions to punk rock and all of its
permutations, as well as his career-long obsession with American roots
music, is liable to overwhelm anyone. Langford has grit in his voice and melody in his soul. A punk-rock
pioneer, a troubadour for our times,, a
singer-songwriter who writes with the authority of having lived a life rather than imagined it, who was once dubbed by one critic as “the spiritual brother-in-arms of Dylan Thomas and Johnny Cash”
The new album continues with themes around the bands home city of Newport and across Wales, in what could be described as psycho-geography, tapping into the veins of our unknown rich history. Album opener "Grave Alexandra" documents the 1909 Docks Disaster that killed 46 workers.
Men of Gwent - Grave Alexander
"Bulmore Lido" covers the closure of an open air swimming pool in Caerleon where Jon Langford "nearly drowned" and "Home of the Vote" outlines the recent new developments in the city centre while referring back to the legacy of the Chartists. The song "London to Llanelli Line" records a chance meeting with the late Deke Leonard of the band Man, The sadly departed local crooner has a song where he is mentioned alongside the legendary Alan Vega (singer of the American Band Suicide). The album includes a wonderful cover of Joe Strummer’s ‘X-Ray Style’
which more than honours the memory of one of Newport’s most prestigious
former residents.Elsewhere Joe is found digging graves in "Bassaleg Road Earthquake" while the title track "President of Wales" gives Jon the opportunity to let the world know"he can never go home"...
All in all fine quality stuff, awash with fine musicianship, I strongly recommend, Jon Langford delivers the goods once again, sadly his Men of Gwent are yet to receive the recognition they truly deserve, hope this changes soon, get their new record here :- Country Mile Records
In days splintered playgrounds
Whether poor or filthy rich
Find happy spaces
Draw the curtains
Turn off the lights
In this numbing age
Whether meandering alone
The jiggles of life's libation
Keep on chanting
Beyond the darkness
Let the dawn soak you
Allow you to hurl a punch or two
Chasing shadows in the dark
Let the light in, learn to be free
Spinning wildly,treading cautiously
Super souls live in our hearts
Allow your enemy to be afraid
No bargaining,weaken them with spirit
Fists are useful, but bullies are blind
Despite their poison, try and be kind.
Johnson has been defending the Duke of York, showing that he's really got his finger on the public mood, knowing what to say to appeal to ordinary people.
Besides this, it has long been clear that Johnson is unfit for any kind of public office, let alone the nation's highest.
As Heathcote Williams put it, “there’s a German word for people like Johnson: Backpfeifengesicht.
It means ‘a face that needs to be punched’."
Written by Boff Whalley and performed by Commoners Choir.
A radical choir that combines political activism with singing – and hope, and my goodness we need a barrel loads in days like these.
Click image to enlarge
There is currently a campaign in Pembrokeshire to oust the sitting Tory MP Stephen Crabb, which is part of a wider campaign which theme is, Operation:West Wales Tory Free Zone, where the aim is to oust two local Conservative MP's in the upcoming General Election.
Over the past 6 years the campaign has been building a hugely effective activist network comprising of a powerful collaboration between activists of all parties and campaigns. Working closely with Momentum where progressives have joined forces, across Party Lines and have been effective in reducing both Stephen Crabb's and Simon Hart's vote shares in the 2017 General Election.
Operation, West Wales Tory Free Zone aims to finish the job and unseat Crabb and Hart for good. Crabb's current majority is just 314 meagre votes so we know we can take him down on December 12th and take Hart with him. Pembrokeshire's Peoples Assembly hve been working tirelessly for years towards achieving this objective and are appealing to all Pembrokeshire citizens to support in this final push. Years of Tory Austerity have decimated or society causing huge rises in homelessness and child poverty. Two million (often working) families forced to use foodbanks. With many public services already privatised, underfunded or destroyed, the Tories now want to shred our human rights, workers rights and sell our NHS to Trump under a hard right and racist'Tory Brexit. Whether people voted leave or remain a Tory style Brexit of this type would be a devastation for Britain. It's make or break time for a Corbyn Government is unthinkable.Unseating Crabb and Hart puts us tow seats closer to a Corbyn led Government. Please join us for the mass rally on Sat 16th and help us put an end to years of vicious Tory rule.
Crabb by the way has doggedly supported policies that are designed to make poorer people poorer, against support systems for Britain's most vulnerable people, he has consistently backed welfare cuts, tax breaks for the rich, and a trade union crackdown, who despite carping on about his Christian values, and being the son of a single parent, who was bought up on a council estate, is no friend of the working class or disadvantaged communities, whilst finding time to sex text a married woman half his age on Whatsapp..
At the end of the day a typical Tory, a hypocrite of the first order, who simply does not care a toss about the lives of ordinary people, it is more than time that the good people of West Wales, wipe the inane smile of his face, unseat him for good and show him the door.
I will add that if the Tories do manage to get in again, aided by their tight wing media, they will continue their relentless attacks on those that least deserve it. We owe it to our children, our grandchildren and ourselves to confine the rotten Tories to the dustbins of history. They are a party of the elite only serving a few, whilst making the rest of us suffer. We can not afford another five years for them to savage us with their cruel policies.It is time for a fundamental change in society. Tories out for Christmas, for the many not the few.
