Remembering Pete Seeger (3/5/19 - 27/1/14) - Troubadour activist “

Pete Seeger, the iconclastic American singer, songwriter and social activist, who devoted his whole life  to fight against social injustice, armed with a banjo, a guitar and the transformative power of song, has died , aged 94.
He lent his voice to  the labor, peace and civil rights movements, being  a musician and a revolutionary, his powerful songs helped soundtrack the 1960's protests, advocating for change, offering his services too in opposition to war and racism.
A Harvard College dropout, he became the indefatigable champion of the voiceless, at the same time almost single-handedly sparking the folk-musical revival,over the course of his long journey, despite blacklisting, even death threats, he never softened his core political beliefs. His dedication never wavered, his indomitable spirit, one to be celebrated.
Born at his grandparent's estate in Patterson, New Jersey on May 3, 1919, he was the son of a musicologist called Charles Seeger, and his mother was a violin teacher called Constance de Clyver Edson Seeger.
From meeting Woody Guthrie in the 1940's he was to be on the frontline of every key progressive crusade- from labor unions and migrant workers in the 1930's and 1940's,anti-fascist, the banning of nuclear weapons and opposition to the Cold War in the 1950's , civil rights and the anti-Vietnam War movement, environmental responsibility, opposition to South African apartheid, the oppression of the Palestinians in the present day, the occupy movements and a supporter of human rights throughout the world. Blacklisted by the media for more than a decade after tangling with the House of UnAmerican Activities Committe in 1955, at the height of McCarthyism, and paranoid withchunts. He never stopped fighting, never stopped believing.
His legacy consists of over 80 albums, his influence  on other musicians immeasureable, from Bob Dylan, to Rage Against the Machine bringing political and folk traditions to the masses, his contribution  to the world cannot be overstated, inimitable and courageous, singing with defiance, inspiring countless generations.
It only takes one person to care, one person to make a difference, Pete Seeger, musician and activist did all these things with abundance.We shall overcome, someday soon, Pete Seeger R.I.P. Heddwch/peace.

A selection of my favourite Pete Seeger songs, there are so many wonderful ones to choose from.

Pete Seeger and the Almanac Singers- Solidarity Forever

 

Pete Seeger - Little Boxes

Pete Seeger - Where have all the flowers gone.

Pete Seeger - If I had a hammer

Pete Seeger - Bells of Rhymney

Pete Seeger - To my old Brown Earth

 

PeteSeeger -Turn, Turn, Turn

"IF THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG SPEAK UP"

"THIS BANJO SURROUNDS HATE AND FORCES IT TO SURRENDER"

"A GOOD SONG REMINDS US WHAT WE'RE FIGHTING FOR"

-Pete Seeger

This Machine Surrounds Hate and Forces it to Surrender”. The anti-fascist banjo of Pete Seeger

Oxfam and Channel 4 - Say No to Occupation, No to Sodastream..

 

One of the main reasons that people don't like Oxfam and Channel 4's ( who are currently promoting Sodastream via their programme ' The Jump' ) association with this company is the fact that Palestine Solidarity activists across the globe are  currently boycotting  it, because it is produced in an illegal Israeli settlement, on stolen Palestinian land. This is why Oxfam, a charity I volunteer for,must disassociate itself from their current ambassador Scarlet Johannson, who has recently also been seen promoting this soft drinks firm, who despite valid  criticism has continued her support in a display of casual disregard to the core issues at stake. I respect Oxfams recent statement in response to the bad publicity to  one of their ambassadors seemingly endorsing a product that for many is complicit in profits made from occupation and apartheid.
Oxfam and Channel 4  I believe should drop their association, they cannot be allowed to  cosy up to this unethical  company.
SodaStream is made in the Mishor Edomim industrial zone, that is part of the illegal Israeli settlement Ma'aleh Adumim, which cuts deeply into Palestine's West Bank, severing Palestinian towns and devastating their economy and daily lives, Sodastream's factorty is built on stolen land, on seperated Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho.

The fact remains that daily, Palestinian workers in  factories  like this  are underpaid, denied basic rights such as holiday or sick pay, denied the riht to organise into unions, and are left to fend for themselves if injured at work, and lets remember that the  Israeli government encourages companies like this to locate within its illegal settlements by allowing less environmental and labor standards than those required in Israel., allowing a complete disregard for human rights and international law to continue.
I believe it is impossible to be an 'ambassador'  or pretend to be a respectable Public broadcasting Company whilst at the same time through association  promote what in my eyes is a  human rights abuser. Businesses that operate from illegal settlements further the ongoing poverty of the Palestinian Communities,  we should keep up the pressure on Oxfam and Channel 4, any one of value really, to  dissasociate from a company that  profits from the exploitation of Palestinain land, labour and resources. Sodastream tries to garner repectability,  but under international law, operates illegally , exploiting the poor of this region, whilst promoting a dubious ecological agenda, and while it remains constitutes as a barrier to peace in this region.
There is nothing clean about SodaStreams product, parroting  its message does not build bridges, it is time to let it's bubbles free.

Further information here:-

http://www.palestinecampaign.org/scarlettjohansson/

http://www.palestinecampaign.org/complain-to-your-local-shop-about-sodastream/


https://www.change.org/petitions/tell-stores-don-t-buy-or-sell-sodastream-3

Love Actually - A poem for Dydd Santes Dwynwen/ St Dwynwen's Day (Welsh Patron Saint of Lovers)

Under Ceredigion sky,
the wind catches my breath,
her presence all around,
plants her smile on our lips,
takes us to places where we don't mind,
sighing, bursting, laughing, singing,
her voice lingers long in our hearts,
turns grey spaces, into colourful bloom,
wraps us up in warm swoon,
like a marvellous scent,
that runs inside and out,
takes away the darkness,
overcomes barriers and borders,
in every language, releases poet's tonque,
there is consolation in love's certainty,
deep, deep, deep, it's roots are strong,
I try my utmost, that she is not hurt,
share it's sap, for this fragile world to consume.

Illumination :- (For an old dear friend, who never returned)

Image:- Emma Ferreira, 2009 

I remember when, reason got lost,
wild rivers, ran their ragged course,
on old mountains, the sky spat its blood,
veins  of burnt silver burst,vapours released,
thick white smoke, waved it's dragons tail,
and the pretence of tomorrow, released a form of
                                                     satisfaction.

A line was drawn,
bunkerered down, in a dream of rest,
measured vision one by one,
navigated, transcended, forgot,
released abandonment,
from the weight of perception.

The night softly dissolved into flames,
and comforts ambience, lifted its finger,
wrapped up in a warm place, of numbed release,
consciously blinking, in stretched defiance,
he fell asleep, to quietly wait,
for mornings hungry breath, to wake,
and the return of summer,
bringing some new shards of hope.

The Benefits System: EXPOSED

People aren't 'playing the system' to even a fraction of the degree the media and politicians make out.
Scapegoating just paves the way for further cuts in support to people who need and deserve help - including pensioners, low waged workers and people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
The government is currently using  the right wing tabloids and media to lead an assault on the welfare system, in a deliberate  attempt at misleading the public with this constant onslaught of propoganda.
In the above video from the T.U.C  it tries to tackle some of the media and political myths about the benefit system, with the aid of a talking dog.
Oh and  lets remember the words of H.L Mencken who once said ' The whole aim of  practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed ( and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

UKIP Shipping Forecast

The claim by (now suspended)  UKIP coucillor David Silvetor that the recent flooding in Britain was caused  by Gay marriage, has been met with confustion and more than a touch of anger. But most people hacve just subjected this party to severe mockery and all the disdain that they deserve.
Here is  Nicholas Peggs spoof BBC Radio 4 UKIP shipping forecast. A wonderful comedic response.

https://soundcloud.com/#nicholas-pegg/ukip-shipping-forecast

Lets target the real scroungers.

At the moment, we have a government made up of public school educated millionaires, presiding over the dismantling of the welfare state. These are the real scroungers in our midsts. A healthy media would tell us about them, but  they stay silent, carrying on this governments vile agends.
People are daily suffering, the consequences of an economic crisis, caused by the governments friends, and they expect us to accept  it, as they try to lay the blame on the marginalised and the powerless, at the same time demanding a wage rise.
It seems there is  rule for them, and stuff the rest of us. Yes, the biggest scroungers in this country comprises of  an unelected Tory Government, and their allies, claiming every last penny from the taxpayers.
Cruel headlines from the right wing media,  daily create false narratives, luckily we have our own media now, and we can answer back.
This is a war that Cameron and his cronies should not be allowed to win, for all our sakes and all of our tomorrows.