The Gunpowder Plot - The Case for the Defence

November 5 is a date when Britons commemorate events that nearly changed the course of the nation's history when a plot by a gang of Roman Catholic activists  ended in failure.
.Catholics in the 1600's had to practice their religion in secret. There were even fines for people who didn't attend the Protestant church on Sunday or on holy days. James lst passed more laws against the Catholics when he became king.
Guido Fawkes was born Guy Fawkes on the 13th April 1570 in York. It is recorded that Fawkes lost his father at the age of eight; his mother then remarried a Catholic man, with Fawkes later converting to Catholicism in a country increasingly abhorrent of his new faith. For about 10 years, Fawkes fought abroad for the Catholic cause in Europe in the Eighty Years’War and it is here that Fawkes adopted the Italian name Guido for the remainder of his life
Fawkes returned to England with fellow English Catholic Thomas Wintour, who introduced him to Robert Catesby. There were 13 conspirators all together, with Robert Catesby being the true ringleader. Along with  other disaffected Catholics  they came up with a plot to overthrow the Protestant King and Parliament while they sat in November. Fawkes,  became the most well known since he was the one who was found with 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellar underneath of House of Lords, caught after a tip off from an anonymous letter.
Upon his capture the government declared that ‘bonfires be lit’ to celebrate the King’s escape from death and for this to be repeated every year. It is from here onward perhaps, that the legacy of Guy Fawkes truly stems from. Defiant when captured, Fawkes remained resolute and unrepentant for his actions. He endured three days of torture, from the 6th to the 9th, until he fully revealed the names of his co-conspirators and their plan – by this time around half of his colleagues managed to evade capture. Fawkes, along with the other conspirators, were sentenced to be hung on the 31st January 1606 and quartered thereafter for high treason. Fawkes though was able to escape his full sentence. On the day of execution, he jumped from the gallows, breaking his own neck in the fall. Nonetheless, his corpse was quartered and sent to “the four corners of the kingdom.” The other men received the full measure of their sentences as a warning to other potential rebels.
 Fawkes at the time said his only regret was that the plot was foiled. When he was asked why he was found with so much gunpowder he said “to blow you Scotch beggars back to your native mountains.”
 Despite attempting to kill the new king of England, James I apparently praised Fawkes for being dedicated to his cause and for having a ' Roman resolution.'
 His capture has since been illustrated in countless schoolbooks, novels, popular works of history, and movies: a tall, bearded figure in boots, dark cloak, and dark, wide-brimmed hat. It is his figure that is still burned in effigy on bonfires around England every year on November 5.  A  much  maligned individual , but due to a deep undertow of popular discontentment has become a symbol of resistance. Possibly down to Alan Moore and his brilliant comic creation in V for Vendettas, the main character ‘V’ wears the ‘Guy Fawkes mask’ to hide his identity and instead promotes the idea of anarchy and freedom. The film concludes with him –successfully- blowing up Parliament. Across the world protestors started  wearing the stylised masks of Fawkes, some wore his mask as a symbol of their contempt for authority and government, reclaiming Guido as a symbol of hope and resistance.serving both a symbolic purpose as the spirit of rebellion, and a practical one in helping to hide the faces and identities of protesters from police. In this context, Guy Fawkes is a hero who fought, and won, against overwhelming odds..
Still though his effigy will be burned across  many place in Britain today, because of  his failure along with other Catholic conspirators to blow up the English parliament in 1605. They were viewed as  traitorous, treasonous terrorists, and treated accordingly.Largely secular now, the annual celebrations became a focus of anti-Catholic feeling.
They might have failed but their  memory still has a heavy resonance, and people are now finding other effigies to use instead.
Their is a well known phrase ‘One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’ The  act can be perceived as mindless violence or just necessity, depending on the attitude of those perceiving it. The changing perceptions of Guy Fawkes proves this. I am in no way condoning the way that some people choose to resort to extreme violence in order to make their point, but I do think we should be aware of the complex and subjective nature of the term ‘terrorist’, and should use it accordingly.
In the end Fawkes and his friends paid the ultimate price, and  although unhappy with the state of Catholicism in Europe, Fawkes would have happily seen a return of an autocratic Catholic monarch to Britain. Hero or Villain; it really depends on your interpretation of their legacy and your level of dissatisfaction with the world we live in today, to many a freedom fighter who in his time  stood up for the people of England, and against the oppression of the government, who still resonates deeply with the world we live in today. In the meantime carry on resisting, and if you must play with fire, please be careful out there, and don't get caught.

Remember, Remember the 5th of November,

Gunpowder , Treason and Plot

I know no reason why the gunpowder plot should ever be

forgot,

Under the Influence

Smelt the sea
Tasted whisky
Under moon fall
The realms of ecstasy
Feeling magic, lots of love
The dawn of enlightenment
Releasing treasure
Leaving  me grateful
In blissful servitude
Every woman and man a star
With loves devotion life is victory
All of us equal, we can be free
In floating dreams awakening
The gift of prophesy
Where wild mushrooms grow
Let's forever dance in unity

Deadly Depths - Cheryl Ann Jones

The solemn night, still and sunless
Grey myriads pervade  my doleful domain,
My springlike step, slow and downtrodden
Rendering my rainbow empty and futile,
Drifting directionless in the stony sky
Void of colour, grace and vitality.
Clouds of darkness, disperse their despondency
Swept along by surging currents,
Tight in the grip of an aphotic octopus
Sucking my soul down the serpentine route,
As droplets of joy drain from my being
Depressions dark enema delivers its shot.

Samhein: Bright Blessings

It's that time of the year, the clocks have gone back, the evenings are getting darker, and menacing ghoulish Tories still stalk the land causing division and chaos and so much discontentment.
Today marks  Halloween,  however  I prefer its true name Samhein the literal translation being‘summer’s end. It is the Gateway to winter, a time when the veils between the realms of the living and the afterlife were said to be especially thin, marking a time for reflection to honor the worlds of the seen and unseen. There are several explanations for its origin, one being the Roman festival of the dead 'Parentalia', but another origin, not necessarily exclusive from the Roman one, is from the ancient Celtic old day of Samhein (sa-wain) and most of the traditions that we celebrate on Halloween have its origins in Celtic/Gaelic Culture.
Samhein, which means November in Irish, and Calan gaef in Welsh was the end of summer and the harvest season in the Celtic calender. It was the last great feast held outdoors before the cold months to come. The last night of October also marked the ancient Celts New Years Eve. Marking the end of the summer and the beginning of Winter.
The Celts  believed that on Samhein, the veil between the living and the dead was dropped for one day, and the spirits of the living could intermingle with the spirits of the dead.The ancient Celts divided their year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on 1st May and Samhain on November 1. Many believe that Samhain was the more important festival, marking the beginning of a new cycle / new year,and the most magical time of this festival was November Eve, the night of 31st October, better known today as Halloween..
In the country year, Samhain marked the first day of winter, when the herders led the cattle and sheep down from their summer pastures to the shelter of the stables, .in order to determine how many animals could be adequately fed through the winter. Those not able to be cared for were butchered, which would help to feed the family during the dark days ahead.  It is partially due to this practice that Samhain is sometimes referred to as the ‘blood harvest.’
With the rise of Christianity, Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints’ Day, to celebrate the saints in heaven, and so the night before became popularly known as Halloween. The 2nd November became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of the departed. Throughout the centuries, pagan and Christian beliefs and celebrations have intertwined
 Over the years we have ended up with the modern commercialised, corporate version that is now known as halloween  far from its original roots  when children dress up in Ghoulish costumes and go out trick and treating in what was developed in America in the late 19th and early 20th century replacing what in reality is such a sacred day The old ways are still with us despite the grip of large corporations, the real reason and respect for this occasion has never been lost. Samhein and its energy has never fully died out and still burns bright. Samhain fires have continued to light up the countryside down the ages., In some areas, ashes from these bonfires were sprinkled on surrounding fields. The day is also  about remembrance and  contemplation. Our ancestors, the blessed dead, are more accessible, more approachable during the time of the dying of the land. A day to commune with the dead and a celebration of the eternal cycle of reincarnation to honor our ancestors  and remember our deceased loved ones.
Whether you believe in spirits or not isn't important. What we are remembering is our own mortality. By honoring the dead we are paying attention to the fact that we are alive and life is rare and precious.
The Election campaign of our lifetime is just beginning. No witchcraft or magic, no tricks, just people working together for a better future for all in our lovely beautiful country.This General Election is about down- to-earth, bread and butter issues facing a country blighted by a decade of Tory austerity and misrule.
Lets take this once in a lifetime opportunity to rebuild our society, like our parents and grandparents did after WW2. Labour  can rebuild our society to mend our divisions and try and take on the vested interests holding people back.
In the meantime I offer you some bright blessings .

Bright Blessings 

Though darkness treads this day of ours
today is one of celebrating light,
time to remember the paths of ancestors
forever casting their eternal beams,
goddesses returning, resurrecting feeling
whispering enchantment, releasing power,
as the veil of  life gets thinner and dimmer
time to welcome old spirits that walk among us,
that enable us to dance and sing again
beyond this realm allows us to be blessed,
as leaves turn golden, and fall to nourish the land
under trees branches we can all nobly stand,
mother earth reaching out offering protection
absorbing our longings, accepting our wrongs,
in the vortex of time, keeps on shining bright
guiding us as we follow ancient paths of wisdom,
slipping through time, surrounded by love
allowing truth and justice to be the natural law.

( when the barrier between the worlds is whisper-thin and when magic, old magic, sings its heady and sweet song to anyone who cares to hear it.
~Carolyn MacCullough, Once a Witch)

General Election Called:Tories Out For Christmas

It's finally happened, after weeks of acrimony in the House of Commons, Britain's members of parliament have backed a general election which will take place on Thursday, December 12.in a rare parliamentary success for Mr Johnson after a string of defeats, his short bill calling for a 12 December election was approved 438 to 20 in the House of Commons. An attempt by the LibDems to bring the election forward to 9 December was defeated 315-295.
The bill still needs approval in the Lords, but this is expected to be without problem.
Britain will hold its first December election  for almost 100 years since 1923, when Stanley Baldwin's Conservative Party lost 86 seats and their Parliamentary majority. Prime Minister Boris Johnson won approval from parliament for an early ballot aimed at breaking the Brexit deadlock. The result on the election means Johnson finally has within his grasp the election he has been pushing for since September after three previous attempts - the most recent on Monday - failed.
The decision means  that Parliament will be dissolved next week and all political parties will then enter into the customary six-week General Election  campaign culminating in the public vote  on December 12th.
With this parliament in a position of complete stalemate, the only way forward is for the public to elect a new one. Of course, having an election and running campaigns just before Christmas is far from ideal but the alternative  would be the continuation of a zombie parliament,another election I believe is in line with the needs of the people, who are not being served by democracy at all at this present moment in time,
The upcoming election will bound to be dominated  by debate over the UK's delayed departure from the EU but in a country blighted by almost a decade of Tory government and in which over four million children are hungry and in poverty, we have to concentrate on what  the Tories and Lib Dems have done since 2010 - the NHS carve up, the bedroom tax, the appalling Windrush scandal, destruction of our public services. as well as their bungled Brexit vote, and  their even worse Brexit handling, the Universal Credit fiasco, endless and brutal austerity; they have torn the country to pieces, thousands homeless on our streets, many have died, 120,000 austerity deaths, 14 million in poverty, food banks growing. Hopelessness, it has spread like a cancerous epidemic into every postcode in the UK. Even in the shires. The Tories have brought our communities to their knees. Britain isn't eating.It simply cannot go on like this!
159,388 during this election will rely on food hand outs to eat. 65,662 of our hungry this election are children who wont even get a vote. Alone the hungry have no power to change their future. Only you can. https://www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/end-year-stats/#1460968204929-05f75d1d-0ae6 131,00 Children will wake up on Christmas Day homeless. They get no say in their future' They are entirely at the mercy of what you decide for their future. You are the master of their destiny.As the Tories actions continue to be marked by incompetence and farce, which Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has previously pointed out "threatens our economy, businesses, jobs and communities." and  the Tories continue to cause so much irreplaceable harm to our country, we have to remind ourselves that Britain doesn't have to be like this. We can be a confident, compassionate, forward looking and open society, with a properly funded and protected NHS, a high standard of schools for all and not just the wealthy few, a fair tax system that ensures giant corporations pay their dues, a welfare system built on dignity and not wanton cruelty. It's time for the Tories to go for the greater good of all. What greater Christmas could we have than this.
But if the Tories do manage to retain their grip on power, then God help us, I think we will truly be fucked, so in the meantime we must do all we can to prevent this from happening. The fight of our lives is on ,for our futures and our children's futures we must do all we can to stop Johnson and the Tories cementing their right-wing grip on the country any further.We have reached a tipping point in this country, a time when the line between right and wrong, justice ad injustice has never been so starkly drawn. We must now all pick a side, choose right over wrong.Tories out for Christmas.

Sean Taylor - Palestine

Sean Taylor is an acclaimed London based singer songwriter, who is not afraid to use his voice to address contemporary issues of our age and is one of thousands of artists who refuses to use their art to art-wash Israel's regime of apartheid and occupation. His work deserves a place in  popular culture. It’s relevant, resonant and makes you feel both empathy and sympathy for real-life events as they are unfolding around us.
This is his haunting  new single which is  dedicated to the brothers and sisters of Palestine Currently Israel is intensifying its decades-old regime of oppression against Palestinians, especially its theft of Palestinian land and resources to build more illegal settlements and apartheid walls. UN investigators have concluded that Israeli occupation forces’ intentional targeting of journalists, medics, children and disabled people with sniper fire in Gaza “may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity”. Moreover, Israel’s 12-year-old siege of Gaza has reduced it into an “unliveable” territory, according to the UN. Israel’s military occupation counts per-capita calories allowed into Gaza to keep the two million Palestinians there on the verge of starvation. 
From the rivers to the sea Palestine will be free

The single is available @ https://open.spotify.com/artist/5pFt8rEenDE1WplnmYzpqe
Produced by Mark Hallman and film by Reel News

https://www.seantaylorsongs.com/

The Confessions of Karl Marx.

Karl Marx  who was born on   the 5 May in Trier, Germany was a jourtnalist, revolutionary socialist, philoosopher  and econmist who explained how the  capitalist system goes hand in hand with aggressive competition and innovation, and why this leads to  poverty, crisis and eventually revolution . These insights apply as much to the 21st century as the 19th.
The  current crisis of global capitalism is unprecedented, given its magnitude, its global reach, the extent of ecological degradation and social deterioration, and the scale of the means of  its violence.  We truly face a crisis of humanity. The stakes have never been higher; our very survival is at risk.
Consequently  a renewed interest in Kark Marx is evident. An increasing concentration of wealth and growing poverty is making his analysis relevant once again – especially to a generation raised on austerity and facing worse life prospects than their parents had.''' 
No longer a spectre, Marx .was also a voracious reader who loved the works of Shakespeare and could quote entire plays by the Bard—just as his children could—and generally took an interest in everything. “Art,” he said, “is always and everywhere the secret confession, and at the same time the immortal movement of its time.” No idea or philosophy or culture was foreign to him, and there was nothing that didn’t keen his interest.
Karl also enjoyed playing parlor games like Confessions, which is now probably better known as the set of questions devised by Marcel Proust. In April 1865, Marx was staying with relatives when he as asked by his daughters to answer a set of confessions. Marx’s responses  were written in English and several of them are clearly in the gay spirit of the occasion. For example: Your favorite dish? Fish (because it rhymes with dish); your favorite flower? Daphne (a kind of laurel-sor Laura). Others, however, are just as clearly serious.They were discovered  by Friedrich Engels while going through his papers and reflect the true character of the man and give  an interesting insight into the mind of this great political and economic philosopher, journalist and writer.

Your favourite virtue: Simplicity 
Your favourite virtue in man: Strength 
Your favourite virtue in woman: Weakness 
Your chief characteristic: Singleness of purpose 
Your idea of happiness: To fight 
Your idea of misery: To submit 
The vice you excuse most: Gullibility 
The vice you detest most: Servility 
Your aversion: Martin Tupper [popular Victorian author] 
Your favourite occupation: Glancing at Netchen [“Netchen, or Nannette, was Antoinette Philips, aged 28 at the time, Marx’s cousin and a member of the Dutch section of the International”] 
Your favourite poet: Aeschylus, Shakespeare 
Your favourite prose-writer: Diderot 
Your hero: Spartacus, Kepler 
Your heroine: Gretchen 
Your favourite flower: Daphne 
Your favourite dish: Fish 
Your favourite colour: Red 
Your maxim: Nihil humani a me alienum puto [Nothing human is alien to me] 
Your favourite motto: De omnibus dubitandum [Doubt everything] 

 Marx/Engels Archive.

Marxs intellectual infuence still so strong , his ideas and thinking have become fundamentals of modern economics and  sociology. His legacy is pervaisive complex and often polarizing. Long after his death in 1883, his grave remains a pilgrimage site for followers from around the world, attracting thousands of people each year, and his ideas still play an important role in shaping political and cultura discourses in the UK and abroad and  remains .ne of the most influential figures in world history.