Britain fell silent today, to mark the eleventh day of the eleventh month to honour those who died in conflict and those still fighting for freedom, to mark the time when in 1918 gunfire ceased on the Western Front and the First World War ended,and the idea of ending all wars. A fact our leaders have not heeded. So I consider the following poem, most apt. Heddwch/peace.
This is my child;
that is yours. Let
peace be between them
when they grow up.
They are far off
now; let it not
be through war they are brought
near. Their languages
are different. Let them both
learn it is peace
in the hand is the translation
of peace in the mind.
It has been drawn to my attention ( someone kindly passed me on an internal memo) that tomorrow, 9th November , Ceredigion County Council Cabinet in Aberaeron to discuss proposals to discuss options for changes within the library services in Ceredigion. I am alarmed that no one seems to know what is going on, let us hope those with responsibility will allow wider consultation with the wider public. I guess the reasons for the consideration, is due to the severe cutbacks made by the Conservative Government to local Government funding and expenditure to public services occurring across Britain at the moment. Whatever happens the authorities have a duty to keep us informed with their proposals. There are 3 proposals to be discussed. :- 1. Closure of Llandysul library and reduction of the mobile library by two vehicles ( one large and small vehicle) 2.Closure of Llandysul and one further static library Reduce the number of static libraries by two through the closure of Llandysul and either Cardigan, Lampeter or Aberaeron. The Mobile library service would be re-designed to provide a service for the towns where static libraries have been closed but the frequency of visits across the county would be reduced. 3.Closure all static libraries, bar Aberystwyth. Reduce the number of static libraries to one, Aberystwyth only and re-design the mobile library service to provide a service across the County but the frequency of visits to all Towns would be reduced. All the above options will also include an element of staff reduction through automation and support processes. In my opinion all above, very alarming and worrying, in a county that is bilingual, keen to promote its identity and language access to free literature and services in their own language I would have thought would be paramount. Libraries are places of intellectual freedom, places of learning, I believe access to them is a basic human right, knowledge after all gives us power. People in the community on any income level can daily access information via books or computer, for those of us who cant afford to go elsewhere. Local library's also act as an essential hub in the community, where service users gather, to read newspapers, catch up with friends, to feel a sense of belonging, providing safe and friendly environments for young and old for social networking. With dedicated hardworking staff always on hand, who seem to have been kept in the dark about the plans, with minimum amount of consideration or consultation. Also provide the first gateways to a childs pathway to learning. A place to keep warm, a place that really change lives. Also provide the first gateways to a childs pathway to learning. A place to keep warm, a pl;ace that really saves lives. Furthermore currently the library in Cardigan ( I know this, because I use it everyday, I write as a loyal library user) is the only service that provides free source of internet access to poorer members of the community. It is used to apply for and access benefits, job hunts and fill in job applications, and source any level of government information. I am aware that a significant part of the community who cannot afford to buy a computer or pay for broadband to access the internet in their own homes. My own partner found her current home accessing the services of Cardigan library. The only opportunity that some of us to access the internet at the moment, is in the library. Without our library services a significant percentage of Ceredigion's community would be disenfranchised, from these essential services and resources, and I say nothing about the poets, the bloggers and creatives amongst our numbers. I sincerely hope that when the cabinet meets tomorrow to discuss their proposals, they have the tenacity to take on board some thoughts contained within this post. My mind really reels that they are actually thinking of these proposals, that they may actually come into being. Our libraries should remain and continue to play an important and pivotal role in our community. Books are essential to survival for society and the individual. Surely there must be other things the council could be looking at. POST UPDATE 10/11/15 They have decided to put it out to public consultation, put the onus on us, we must demand and shout loudly that we want the service that we have and need , a free public library for one and all.
As leaves lie fallen on the ground
and people remember, stand in silence,
in every city, town and village
carrying the weight of sorrow,
an insistent echo keeps ringing
choruses of amity everflowing,
beyond the wasted bloodshed
and the pity of war,
in dark days, brings light
gives purpose, for us to achieve,
upon every week, upon every month
upon every year, on all occasions,
breathing on our arms and different skins
peace's persistent kiss, could disarm us all,
softly, carries on calling
releasing message strong,
on dawn, break of day and sunrise
there is nothing that it fears.
During the First World War some 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers were shot for mutiny desertion and cowardice. Most of them were sentenced after a short trial at which no real opportunity for defence was allowed.
Today, it is recognised that several of them were underage when they volunteered and that many were actually suffering from shell-shock or post traumatic disorder. Andy Decomyn's statue ' Shot at Dawn' is modelled on Private Herbert Burden of the 1st Batallion Northumberland fusiliers, who was shot at Ypres in 1915. aged only 17. His name and the names of who suffered the fate of being shot at dawn are listed on the stakes arranged in the form of a Greek theatre around the statue, symbolising the tragedy that those events signify. The location of the memorial in the most easterly point of the Arboteum means that this is the first place to be touched by the dawn light.
He was one of 306 young British soldiers who met this cruel fate, including 15 of my own fellow Welsh countrymen, induced by the horrors of the Great War, that at least Jeremy Corbyn has had the tenacity to acknowledge. I remember too how the late Keir Hardie duel M.P for Mertyr Tydfil and Aberdare raised his opposition to this cruel war. What is also forgotten is around 200,000 miners in the South Wales valleys went on strike at the height of the First World War. Not everyone signed up to the jingoistic version of patriotism that continues to be spread.
There were between 700-900 conscientious objectors in Wales during this period, it was no soft option. It meant tribunals, imprisonment and hard labor. Conchies as they were known faced with humiliation, called cowards and shirkers. By 1916 Home Office intelligence reports revealed the extent of anti-war, revolutionary opposition in South Wales, it was large.
After the 75 year secrecy Act was lifted, members of the Shot at Dawn Organisation started campaigning for pardon. This week as rememberance Sunday approaches I remember them all not as cowards or traitors, but as victims of injustice that were not given the chance to survive.
I support all those that strive to ensure that a radical anti-war message remains fully embedded in our hearts, without disrespecting others that fell. So on Sunday I will proudly wear a white poppy. Remember these other heroes that time has forgotten.
Finally in the words of Harry Patch the last WW1 veteran in Europe (1989 -2006) 'War is organised murder and nothing else. Politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves instead of organising nothing netter than legalised murder.'
( I try to avoid rhyme in my poems, but with this little one, made the effort. I do not understand either, why some poets resort to using rhyming dictionary's online or in book form, I believe a poem should come from the mind and heart of the of the poet, so I choose not to use them.)
There are days of gladness swimming alongside grains of sadness, living attentively, passing time with no regret following things beautiful, among earth's scent, allows me moments to release poems bright tales, sometimes whispering with disquiet, as the world contains me, I try to protect delicate skin the pulse and echo weaving among humanity's din, following endless rivers of transformation carried under the moon and sun, the unquenchable thirst of longing this voice, so far never conforming, falling apart sometimes, but somehow clinging on in this world of constant transition, messages escape to spread freedoms mission allow me to surrender wild imagination, until that fateful day, when wings rip and I will fall upon a landing strip, as death calls and takes me far away in departure to sail on horizons distant fray.
Today marks the 96th anniversary of the cursed Balfour promise or Balfour Declaration, by means of which those who had no ownership (Britain) permitted those who had no right to establish a national homeland on an established country Palestine. Lord Balfour bought about a promise that marked the confiscation of the Palestinians homeland with displacement of its people. Balfour I believe will continue to turn in his grave because of the historical injustice which Britain committed against the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian conflict does not begin in 1948 but in 1917, with this declaration. It is necessary that we go back to this crucial watershed in the history of the Middle East and the roots of the continuing betrayal of the Palestinian people.As a result Palestinians were evicted from their ancestral homeland to be expelled to refugee camps, to live in exile across the globe, to this present day.The continuing seperation of the people of the West Bank andthe open prison that is Gaza.
Because of the broken promise, Britain can be given the blame for setting the stage for the conflict that exists today.We are approaching soon the 100th anniversary of this grave injustice. And in this moment in time the current gravity of the situation in Palestine cannot be overstated.
Britain must accept its full responsibility in moretheless creating this current situation, which has left a legacy of deceit, injustice and oppression..
I also acknowledge that Balfour was not unique in history in giving what he did not own to those that were not entitled to it. It is time for Britain to apologise for the Balfour declaration.
On 1st November 1910, coal miners working for the Cambrian Combine began a ten month strike, because of having to exist on starvation wages, which which would lead to the Tonypandy riots. Also at issue was the price to be paid for a new seam of coal. During this period in the early 1910's which is often called " the Great Unrest.' the South Wales valleys were experiencing its fair share of industrial tension and unrest. 30,000 miners in the Rhondda, Aberdare and Maesteg went on strike or were locked out. The strike would mark one of the few occasions in British troops were deployed against striking workers, ( I remember how Margaret Thatcher would later deploy the British police as her own unofficial private army against the miners in the 1984/85 strike.) On 7 November 1910, thousands of striking miners marched across the Rhondda valley, they had walked out over mining magnate D.A Thomas's decision to sack the whole workforce at the Ely Pit in Penycraig, Rhondda. They demanded better pay and working conditions. After one striker had been killed, a miner called Samuel Rhys and mass pickets had failed to stop police from scab herding,( they had bussed in scab workers from Cardiff to keep the colliery running,) tensions already high erupted, and an uprising ensured, which is now known as the Tonypandy riots. (Incidentally my own grandads sister ended up living there) strikers attacked shops in the town who had put families on a credit blacklists not allowing them to buy enough food, thus aiding the bosses. Blackleg trains were stoned and halted. Winston Churchill. then Home Secretary sent in the troops. The striking miners ( many accompanied by their women ) fought back although the troops were wielding rifles with fixed bayonets. People were bludgened, kicked and maltreated , with many suffering serious injuries, such was the brutality inflicted. 13 miners were arrested and prosecuted for their part in the unrest. After almost one year on strike these brave miners who had had to endure so much hardship returned to work. Though their demands were not met, the strike helped change the face of British Trade Unionism, still inspiring workers fighting for better conditions today, giving rise in South Wales to increased militancy, the growth of revolutionary syndicalism in the workers struggle against their bosses. Winston Churchill would be despised by many in South Wales, for the rest of his life, for the actions that he took .
Today after waking early, I noticed the trees of life, natures guardians with deep roots, watchers of time and presence, as I carry feelings of love, raptured forms of ecstasy, that are not illegal to possess. I cross a bridge in Aberteifi, no longer does its river, entice me to plunge into its depths, today a day of celebration, as the veil between the worlds of life and death lift. I will travel soon. to see my beloved, gentle soul, beautiful companion, currently stuck in hospital in West Wales, as I remember the dead, still look after the living, as precious petals cast away doubt, on this spinning whirling day of divination. As Hecate Queen of the witches, walks with Persephone, deep in the underworld, above ground, I drift in this world, of light and air. I walk with beauty, she draws me close, from afar, two heartbeats , of companionship, journeying together, side by side in unity. And today I rejoice for another reason, Shaker Aamer the last British resident, of Guantanamo Bay prison camp, has been set free, home again where he belongs, so today is also a good day for justice and freedom, a time of jubilation as innocent hearts smile, hope exists on this earth, so blessed be, blessed be,
( possibly without access to computer tomorrow, so an old post of celebration) Happy Samhein/ Calan Gaeaf
As Octobers, splendour surrenders,
coalesces and dissolves,
and the veil lifts again on the earth,
poets try to communicate,
the sliced magic of things once witnessed,
to breathe a little life out of thougths which grow within.
Near the rivers edge, time moves in slow motion,
bubbling invocations leave their notation,
as words slip and slide, on thresholds rotation,
planting seeds from beneath skin,
this night of divination, allows us to keep searching,
with seas of ink and love, to replenish the earth with feeling.
Minds flying full of cobbled webs and threads,
follow the hubble bubble of exchange,
scribbled echoes and dreamscapes cast free,
to tunnel our breaths with light and shade,
verses shaking loose undercurrents of imagination,
tides sweeping letters adrift on seas of navigation.
Our arrows shoot far into the sky,
pierce the night and its shadows,
from bright gatherings, nourishment,
gets released into air,
resonating with human care,
keeps this grinning manic world,
spinning with the afterglow of reason.
Following yesterday's post, some more music...... normal service might resume soon. Though tell me what is normal? Boycott consensual reality.
Let freedom ring.
Some musical respite - One hour of music from the Wobblies, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). The Union for all workers, who used music more pervasively than any other labor group. Their songs and messages still resonating deeply with us today. Solidarity forever, remember an injury to one is an injury to all.
We shall return - Return is a human right Artist :- Alberto Smith Seravia
The right of return is a universal right, that is binding under international law, enjoyed by every people regardless of where they come from.
The idea of universal rights is an ancient one, but one of its first international expressions is found in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which was proclaimed by the United Nations in 1949 "as a common achievement for all people and all nations."
One of the core rights set out in the UDHR is the right of return, Article 13 (b) of the UDHR states :- "Everyone has the right to leave any country including his own, and to return to his country , Palestinian refugees are entitled to this binding universal right in the same way that all other refugees are. There is a broad consensus that the right of return, along with the right of self-determination, is the foundation of the 66 year old struggle of the Palestinian people.
We must remember how the majority of the Palestinian people up to 750,000 were forcibly displaced and uprooted from their homes and lands in 1948 never to be allowed to return to their homes or communities that they were displaced from.
Today there are more than 7 million Palestinian refugees scattered across the world. Their right of return must be recognised in order for the ongoing conflict to be restored. The end of the occupation would certainly help achieve this, .Anything less would be a denial of justice.
However the government of Israel opposes these moves therefore making it impossible for peace to exist, Until Israel recognises this right and corrects the ongoing injustice that has and is still being perpetrated against the Palestinian people, hope lies in pieces.
As the day drifts, leaves scatter, people too, spreading little thoughts, across the land. The sky turns grey, as wild geese fly home, I remember that life is a journey, with opportunities of return. My heart can be heavy, but dreams can awaken, as I wear autumns clothes, with jumpers to warm, offer some protection, as nights grow colder.
Walking alone, I have felt a lot of damage, left me in the past, a little undone, but there is magic in the air, as I play with words, am now travelling forwards, on the road to somewhere else, searching for seasons new adventure.
Britain has been accused of doing the bidding of the Chinese regime after UK police raided the family of a Tiananmen Square survivor for standing in the road holding up protest banner in Central London. Chinese democracy activist Shao Jiang, 47 was arrested in the street outside Londons Mansion House where a reception was being held for visiting Chinese premier Xi Jinpig. Shaos computers and mobile phone were seized as well. Shao helped organise the 1980 student protest in Tiananmen , managed to escape China, after being jailed for months, and moved to the UK where he now writes about China for Amnesty International. A totally over the top response by London's police doing the same now as oppressive forces in China. Two pro Tibetan activists were also arrested at the same protest. Britain's fawning warm reception has been criticised by human rights experts for ignoring Chinas history of violating individuals citizens rights. My thoughts are currently with struggling British steel workers about to be tossed on the scrap heap due to the impact of cheap Chinese imports, and how Britain is ignoring Chinas human rights abuses , as human rights activists currently left languising in Chinese prisons while my Government pursues lucrative deals at the expense of humanity. China's continuing infringements of civil liberties will damage the interests of the whole world including the UK. Business as usual then as Britain carries on sucking up to totalitarian regimes. Steve Bell's cartoon in the Guardian newspaper earlier this week.
( after sadly catching the news the other night, so an amalgamation of reportage.)
Aya is 8 years old, her home is in detention, behind barbed wire and fences, in a no- man's land, a landscape mired in abandonment. Aya is shivering with cold, her jacket was once white, now it is drenched with rain, and covered in mud, her brother cries, he wants the touch of his mother, her father is desperate as well, wants them both delivered to safety, this is not a place where dreams will flourish, there are no tents for shelter, just seas of misery, disturbed intersections, between what passes as a frontier of freedom.
Aya exists in this world of chaos, with her companions, the walking wounded, crumbling through the night and day, as a news cameraman pans in and out, relays images back to safe European homes, to be easily digested, in the comfort of sanctuary. Aya one fragment of many shattered journeys, the nagging pain of humanity's pulse, the drifting sadness of frightened children, terrified people, with broken hearts and broken homes, four thousand refugees stranded and abandoned, within yards of the European Union. Aya I am truly ashamed, of the despair that follows your journey, wish I could point you in the direction of paradise, support your tiny soul, strengthen your arms, stop the nagging persecution, detention, trauma, release you from the tears of seperation, anxiety and grief, clasp your wishes, send you protection, allow you to continue your journey, to a land of security and hope, anywhere from this grim wasteland, no place for an innocent child. https://iamnotasilentpoet.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/cild-of-the-refuge-by-dave-rendle/
49 years ago a on Friday October 21, 1966 , approx 9.16 a.m shortly after school assembly many tons of collier rubbish (slag heaps) swept down the sides of a Merthyr Mountain above the town of Aberfan after several days of heavy rain, Liquified and pouring down this black tidal wave would engulf everything in its path in this catastrophic tragedy.
Following Monday's post about Tryweryn, another tragic memory from Wales's turbulent living history.
Aberfan was to many a result of a conflict of financial interests, which would see the death of 144 people, including a 116 innocent children, many of whom were between the age of seven and ten along with, five of their teachers, in what is now known today as one of one of Wales worst mining disasters in it's history, not forgetting Senghennydd which I've written about previously when in 1913 over 400 were killed.
By the time the landslide stopped, it had demolished Pantglaas Junior School and 20 houses, severely damaging the Secondary School.
The sores and wounds of this disaster are now forever stored in the memories and feelings of the people of Wales because of the whole collective loss of a generation that was wiped out. So today again we try not to forget the children and adults who died, this human tragedy, that many say could easily have been prevented. The National Coal Board (NCB) were repeatedly warned to move the slag heaps to a safer location, because they were also close to natural underwater springs. Did the NCB have the decency to acknowledge their blame, to bow their head in shame, like hell no, but we were to learn sadly far too late that the NCB was ostensibly a capitalist organisation more concerned with profit than lives. A report by the government at the time said " Blame for the disaster rests upon the National Coal Board. The legal liabilities of the National Coal Board to pay compensation for the personal injury ( fatal or otherwise) and damage to property is incontestable and uncontested." The Government of the day was also extremely insensitive to the victims families, and people whould have to wait for years, for compensation.
So today we remember the people of Aberfan, a community that still profoundly affected by this disaster, one in three survivors still suffering from Post traumatic stress, nearly 50 years after this tragic event took place. People felt guilty that they were left alive, they did not feel like survivors, cases of children not being allowed to play in the street, in case it upset other parents.
Let us hope that lessons learnt from this incident can be learnt for tomorrow, and remember that this bitter legacy still continues, what with continuing social and economic problems in the South Wales valleys still being wrought because of successive governments who have made lives a continuing source of discomfort. Combined with the failure of responsibility by the relevant authorities and the appalling behaviour of some parties in the aftermath of the disaster.
Today, however there is very little to remind visitors of this tragic path, just an abstract memorial garden in the village and the childrens section in the graveyard.
Repost of this song PJ Harvey released this powerful song in 2013, to highlight the ongoing detention of last British resident held inside the US prison at Guantanamo Bay. Harvey recorded the track to help maintain pressure to help Shaker, whose family live in South London, to be released back to to Britain. Saturday 24 October will be Shakers 5,000th day in Guantanamo. First sent to the notorious camp in 2002, but subsequently cleared for release in 2007, proving that the US authorities had no intention of bringing him to trial for the last 7 years or so. This Friday will mark the end of the 30 day notice period to the US Congress that he is to be released and returned to his home , here in the UK. On the following day Sunday 25th October, Shaker should be free and on his way home. The US must keep their promise to Shaker and the world, a man who has endured all these years with much dignity and fortitude, 13 years imprisoned without any charge or trial, 13 years without ever getting to see his son. At present he is on hunger strike in protest at his continual detention and the appalling conditions in which he and his fellow detainees are held. In retaliation, he has been beaten, confined to a tiny cell and forced to spend long periods in solitary confinement. Many of his supporters are now also fasting for 24 hours in solidarity with him. Shaker must be freed and get the justice he deserves and the much needed treatment for his failing health,riddled with arthritis, combined with other medical problems, that no man should ever have to put up with. There should be no further delay to this injustice, time to bring Shaker home immediately. His eventual release will be a source of comfort and joy to the many people who have campaigned so hard for this moment to take place. There will be a protest outside Downing Street this coming Saturday 2-4 to highlight Shaker's case one more time. Shaker Aamer No water for three days I cannot sleep, or stay awake. Four months hunger strike. Am I dead, or am I alive? With metal tubes we are force fed. I honestly wish I was dead. Strapped in the restraining chair. Shaker Aamer, your friend. In Camp 5, eleven years Never charged. Six years cleared. They took away my one note pad, and then refused to give it back. I can't think straight, I write, then stop. Your friend Shaker Aamer. Lost. The guards just do what they're told, the doctors just do what they're told. Like an old car I'm rusting away. Your friend, Shaker. Guantanamo Bay Don't forget - PJ Harvey 2013
Michael McClure, the fantastic poet playwright turns 83 today, so hats of. Best known for his participation in San Francisco famous Six Gallery Poetry reading where Allen Ginsberg first publicly read Howl and his friendship with the band The Doors, he was to become a prominent figure in the Beat movement, writing poetry and plays. His 1965 production The Beard faced obscenity charges, but were subsequently dismissed.
His writing reflect his Bhuddist practice and his appreciation of the natural world using elements of typographical expression, with an exquisite sensibility. I like his work a lot, so thanks Michael, and happy birthday.
ACTION PHILOSOPHY
THAT GOVERNMENT IS BEST WHICH GOVERNS LEAST. Let me be free of ligaments and tendencies to change myself into a shape that's less thanspirit. LET ME BE A WOLF, a caterpillar, a salmon, or an OTTER sailing in the silver water beneath the rosy sky. Were I a moth or condor you'd see me fly! I love this meat of which I'm made! I dive in it to find the simplest vital shape!
21st October marks the anniversary of the opening of the controversial resevoir in the Tryweryn valley to supply drinking water to the residents of the city of Liverpool, it will be marking a day of grave injustice.
The battle began in 1955 when the City of Liverpool were seeking a new water supply. In the summer of that year Liverpool'sWater Committe announced its intention to drown the valley of Dolaneg, where the shrine of Ann Griffiths, the Welsh saint and hymn writer, stands. This of course, provoked uproar.
Magnaminously Liverpool bowed to Welsh demands and said they would flood the Tryweryn valley instead. This proved to be a carefully planned scheme to hoodwink the Welsh into thinking they were dictating where a resevoir could be built.
In 1956, a private members bill was put before parliament seeking to create this folly. The bill was bought forth by Liverpool City Council, which allowed them to by-pass the usual criteria for planning permission to the relevant landowners in the area. It would involve disrupting railway lines and road links, and at the heart of it, the flooding of the village of Capel Celyn. This one of the last bastions of Welsh speaking settlements, which had its own school, the site of Wales first Sunday school post office, a chapel, cemetery and a number of farms and homesteads, it was a community in every sense of the word.
Feelings were naturally instantly aroused to fever pitch as the notion of the English drowning out the Welsh, made the symbolism of the creation of the resevoir even more potent. But to members of Liverpool council, the farms that they were drowning were no more than convenient stretches of land along a remote valley floor that could be put to a more convenient and productive use to supply its own citizens with water, but to many was just an arrogant misuse of power, a flooding used primarily as a way of boosting profits.
Capel Celyn
It would be fiercely opposed, such was the passion aroused, on November 21, 1956, the people who had supposedly given Liverpool permission - in fact the entire community of Capel Celyn including their children, marched with banners through the streets of Liverpool protesting against the plan. It would also see a number of individuals being compelled to take direct action against the plan, between 1962 and 1963 there were attempts to sabotage the building of the resevoir, in acts of desperation, since previous passive demonstrations had failed. On Saturday September 22nd 1962, two men were arrested attempting to destroy the site, and then on February 10th 1963 an explosion took place at the site. It remains to this day, the greatest symbol of the struggle of the Welsh language, a way of life destroyed on the whims of Conservative Government without consultation by Welsh authorities, its people, or the support from Welsh M.Ps, who were to wage an 8 year battle against it. Opposition to the scheme received the backing of the vast majority of the Welsh people, with the backing of trade unionists, and cultural and religious groups.
Control over its own water became and has remained an inflammatory issue here in Wales. The political parties were to be united in their opposition to the scheme because it was considered such an affront to the people of Wales, because such valuable resources were being stolen away from the country. The agricultural value of the land was rich compared to some land that could have been considered. A feeling of great sadness because a community was being shattered and families who had lived in the area for generations were being forced to lose their homes.
Shortly after the flooding a piece of graffiti appeared on a piece of wall, just outside the village of Llanrhysted, on the way to Aberystwyth. The graffiti read "Cofiwch Drwyweryn " "Remember Tryweryn" it is still to be seen, many years later.
When on Thursday, October 21st, 1965, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool came to open Tryweryn dam ( built at a cost of £20 million) where every house and tree had dissapeared, he was to be met by a vast crowd of protesters, in 19 October 2005 Liverpool City Council finally issued an apology, but many thought it was just a worthless political gesture that had arrived far too late.
I hope that we have by now learnt the tragic lessons of Tryweryn and the reverberations that are still felt to this day. The place names like bells still ring out- Hafod Fadog, Y Ganedd Lyd, Cae Fado, Y Gelli, Pen Y Bryn Mawr, Gwerndelw, Tyncerrig, Maesydail. These bells now ring underwater and are heard by no one. An evocative image, forever stitched in time, which remembers the bells of Cantre'r Gwaelod and the loss associated with inundation. It would also feed the flames of a resurgent nationalism, re-igniting the imagination, peoples identity and defence of the language? Y iath, and would pave the way for devolution, and the strengthening and protection of the Welsh Language alongside the growth of Cymdeithas Y Iaith /The Welsh Language Society. Some would argue though that the Welsh nation is still being fobbed off, since the assembly that has been granted to them, has no real political power.
There is now a memorial on the side of the lake and a memorial garden and the grave stones from Capel Cemetry have been moved here.
At the end of the day it was not just a stretch of land that was flooded against the people of Wales's will, but a whole community of people, a culture and a language because of colonial arrogance and misuse of power. Tryweryn remains as a byword for shame and a grave injustice. Years later it would inspire the Manic Street Preachers to ask " Where are we going"?" in their song " Ready for Drowning, "
and the following much anthologised poem by R.S Thomas.
A tragic story that we must continue to share. Reminding us of our history and our land, and how it has been exploited to serve the interests of others.
R.S Thomas - Resevoirs
There are places in Wales I don't go:
Resevoirs that are the subconscious
Of a people, troubled far dwon
with gravestones, chapels, villages even:
The serenity of their expression
Revolts me, it is a pose
for strangers, a watercolour's appeal
To the mass, instead of the poem's
Harsher conditions. There are the hills
Too; gardens under the scum
Of the forests, and the smashed faces
Of the farms with the stone trickle
Of their tears down the hills' side.
Where can I go, then, from the smell
Of decay, from the putrefying of a dead
Nation? I have walked the shore
For an hour and seen the English
Scavenging among the remains
Of our culture, covering the sand
Like the tide and, with the roughness
Of the tide, elbowing our language
Into the grave that we have dug for it.
( following poem in response to actual event yesterday)
Autumn morning, playing in garden taking time out ,mooching about, cutting down brambles, trimming the lawn. In the undergrowth, resting in fallen fruit, a lone wasp waited, in flight carried poison, in pursuit, heading in my direction, released a direct hit above my eye, stuck its stinger beneath my skin. Now I sit, swollen and throbbing, mother nature, I've already thanked for leaving me, with this nasty surprise, at least I have a few remedies stored some love and affection, some healing balms the wasp simply flew off, somewhere else to face the imminent threat of death.
This incredible 2-minute animation by http://www.rightsinfo.org will tell you everything you need to know about your human rights and why they matter. I have the right I have the right to my own opinions to state what I believe to be the truth, I believe in freedom of thought I believe in freedom of speech, I have the right to be free from bondage to be free from chains and mental slavery, to choose what I want to be, where I need to go because this is my right to be free. I have the right to speak out this is my choice, this is my conscience, this is my right to freedom of expression this right allows me to speak out against oppression, this right allows me to stand against trangression, aggression, exploitation this right acknowledges that all born equal and free, everyone a unique individualistic form that all have a right to life and liberty, with dignity and pride, with the security of protection that allows us to cry, to love and laugh, remember that when justice is forgotten alternative paths trample down opposition, decency and justice, respect, and all that has been given so keep on fighting for human rights with no inhibition remember actions speak louder than words and what unites us is greater than what seperates
If this individual was carrying a knife,why did they need 10 men to shoot her? If Jerusalem was united, why does it's mayor call only on Jews to carry guns to protect themselves? What should Palestinians carry? Potatoes? If Israel feels unsafe among Palestinians, why build colonial settlements on stolen Palestinian land? 11,000 Palestinians have been forced out of East Jerusalem by deliberate Israeli policy., Are new checkpoints and concrete blocks at the entrance of neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, not acts of provocation? How many innocent lives have been effected by tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition? Should we not be alarmed about Israel's policy of extrajudicial killing aimed solely at Palestinians? Why is the collective punishment reserved exclusively for family members of Palestinian, but never against those in settlements? 800,000 illegal israeli settlers use more water than the entire Palestinian population of 3 million. Israel has demolished 15,000 Palestinian homes. 70.7% of the entire forest area in the West Bank has been destroyed to build settlements. 100% of illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are illegal under international law. Why are families not allowed to rebuild destroyed homes? As Israeli aggression against Palestinians continues the need for solidarity intensifies too. Does my empathy for victims, not simply make me human? Can their ever be peace when their is occupation?
We are building a new world in our hearts red and black flags united against the system, with courage to demand nothing for us alone but everything for everyone else, following a map towards tomorrow developing our own journeys, both individually and collectively as we travel, exiting dark pathways.
We don't want to rule others and we will not be ruled, we have no masters, our thoughts are free we have removed the chains that bind us, demanding the impossible disintegrating capitalism, creating the world we want
with messages of power.
They try to reject us degrade us, belittle us, shame us and ignore us because together we are strong, but in unity we are fearless as we eradicate their consensus,
with revival of revolutionary spirit we grow wiser, move beyond obedience.
At the moment, our insides ache filled with emotions of love and rage, the daily delusionary shackles of greed living only now to feed our need, among widening circles that reach out across the world, believing in hope, not the detritus
fill our pockets with resistance, keep on building new worlds in our hearts.
The UK has become the first country in the world to be placed under investigation by the United Nations for violating the human rights of people with disabilities amid fears that thousands may have died as a consequence of controversial welfare reforms and austerity driven cuts to benefits and care budgets. They are expected to arrive in the country within days to begin gathering their evidence. Figures released by the DWP ( the Department for work and persecution) in August 2015 revealed that 2,380 people died between 2011 and 2014 shortly after having their benefits stopped. A further 7,200 people also died after having their benefits reduced and being dumped in groups to apparently help them prepare for a return to work. Leaving many without the means for daily living and the means to survive. This at a time when austerity has no moral legitimacy or indeed any other kind of basis for validity.The Tory's using the most vulnerable people in society for political and ideological gain, leading to suicides, hardship and much suffering.The work and capability assessments have been notorious for providing unreliable assessments of peoples fitness to work and failing to treat disabled people with respect. Disability rights campaigners have long argued that disabled peoples quality of life has declined immensely under welfare reform and government cuts to services. We currently have a right wing authoritarian government running amok, and destroying peoples lives, they must be challenged and be reminded of our basic human principles. We are all equally precious, each life has equal worth. But the Tory's want to tear these notions apart, surely a society that is not founded on these basic principles of decency, dignity and mutual respect is not worth tuppence. As I remember the Governments victims I hope this investigation will lead to the government being held for account and that Ian Duncan Smith finally apologises for what has taken place under his administration. Time for the persecution to stop.
Disabled protestors and activists on the streets of Manchester at the time of the Tory party conference
In the evening I try to resist, the strain of life I have become world weary, tired of the daily news and the hard truths, that leave me overwrought. So skip pass the headlines throw newspapers in the bin, turn of the T.V, uncork a bottle of wine open back door, to let moonshine in, allow my thoughts to step outside to stop them from being consumed from deep within. I roll myself a cigarette peppered with magic herbs, go outside where the air is clear find myself alone again, but with hope, peace and love my spirit sparkles in the night. I notice, the changes in the sky, clouds sweetly rolling on by, inhaling deep aromatic smoke into lung, on the stereo indoors, the release of singing tongues, my arms and legs, a little drunk, sway and dance this is my truth, my night vision stance. I am an outsider, looking far out an observer in the shadows of time, my mind is scattered and in fragments dispersing in thousands of pieces, until the morning turns, comes round again and news arrives of people standing up screaming, the modern world turning once more in abyss I give up my journey and rejoin the fight.
14 Palestinians killed in 2 days and above is how the BBC report it. Currently the British government is carrying out the biggest attack on our movement yet. But I will continue to stand by the BDS campaign as I always have. I will not condone the disproportionate reporting of the BBC either or the brutal murder of Palestinian citizens by Israels IDF. Everyday Israel forces shoot Palestinians often with video evidence of them breaking international laws, and the BBC news covers the situation always with the amount of Israeli deaths. Anyone who does not look behind the reports would draw the opinion that the Palestinians were at fault entirely. Palestinian deaths are mentioned as a passing comment. It seems that the life of a Palestinian simply has no value. The illegal occupation of Palestine by Israel merely presented as a 'conflict' or even a 'war.' In the coverage of the situation the BBC often fails to convey the reality of the situation. The result is we are often presented with a completely false picture, that there are two sides fighting each other, but one presented as victims and the other side to be disproportianately to be blamed. Today alone Israel has injured 66 Palestinians with live ammunition during confrontations with Israeli army in Ramallah, Nablus and Tulkrum, are they trying to provoke another intifada, it seems so,http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=29536. Also accrding to Keneth Roth of Human rights watch ' indiscriminate or deliberate firing on observers and demonstrators who pose no imminent threat violates the international standards that bind Israeli security forces :-https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/10/11/israel/palestine-human-rights-watch-investigator-shot We should be angry and speak out when the BBC and David Cameron remain silent, to the never ending brutal murder of children and the people of Palestine. So I will continue to support the representatives of Palestinians civil society, call for broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era, until a form of justice is served, that forces to comply with international law, respect fundamental human rights and thus end its occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people. There will sadly be no peace until the occupation ends. You can make a complaint to the BBC here if you wish :- http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/
Shakur was a civil rights activist and member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, an underground nationalist-Marxist organisation of the 1970's, and also an accomplished poet - she was convicted of killing a New Jersey State Trooper. Many believe she was innocent. Described by Angela Davis as ' a compassionate human being with an unwavering commitment to justice.' She escaped from prison in 1979,and fled to Cuba, where since 1984 she has been granted political asylum. She has remained a political refugee ever since. "Love is a contraband in hell"
Love is a contraband in Hell, cause love is acid that eats away away bars. But you, me, and tomorrow hold hands and make vows that struggle will multiply. The hacksaw has two blades. We are pregnant with freedom. We are a conspiracy. It is our duty to fight for freedom It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.
Britain fell silent today, to mark the eleventh day of the eleventh month to honour those who died in conflict and those still fighting for freedom, to mark the time when in 1918 gunfire ceased on the Western Front and the First World War ended,and the idea of ending all wars. A fact our leaders have not heeded.
