Destruction of Chartist Mural

The destruction of the popular Chartist mural, in Newport yesterday has robbed many Newport residents of part of their rich personal and cultural history. Commemorating the Chartist uprising of 4th November 1839, the mural was located in an underground walkway leading to  to John Frost Square (named after eminent local Chartist leader, who was packed of to Tasmania, only to return later to heroes welcome.) in 1979, and was made by artist Kenneth Budd a renowned figure in post war mosaics.

The Chartist mural was one of several works by Budd commissioned by Newport City Council after 1974 to promote public art, by applying them to highway and other major council developments in and around the city. At this time Newport had a reputation as perhaps the leading public authority in Wales for promoting public art, not only to enhance the city but also to enlighten its inhabitants about its history of struggle for social improvement.  Its significance thus lies not only in its artistic quality and craftsmanship, but also in its historical importance as a record of nineteenth century working-class protest.

A familiar presence in the city of Newport , the mural had become firmly established as arguably the best known tribute to the political rising of 1839 and wasl was deliberately placed next to John Frost Square to commemorate the events of 4 November 1839 and serve as a memorial to the twenty Chartists killed by the army outside the nearby Westgate Hotel, as depicted in the mural.  John Frost, later Mayor of Newport, was one of several thousand  Chartists who marched that day from the Monmouthshire valleys in support of their demands for parliamentary reform. Their demands were for secret ballots, a vote for everyone 21 and over, annual elections to Parliament, all constituencies to have equal numbers of voters, abolition of the property qualification for MPs, and payment of MPs.

The Newport Rising, a few months after Parliament had rejected the six-point Charter calling for voting reform, was the last major armed rebellion in mainland Britain.

The Chartist leaders, including Frost, were convicted of high treason and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. But after protests from all over the country, the sentence was reduced to transportation for life. Other uprisings were also planned in Sheffield, the East End of London and Bradford.The Chartist movement represented the culmination of an extraordinary political, cultural and intellectual ferment that affected broad sections of the British working class in the decades that followed the French Revolution.

The vast 35m long mural was beautifully executed and extraordinarily detailed, depicting the 1839 Chartist uprising with life-size figures made from 200,000 pieces of ceramic tile and glass mosaic.

The mosaic was so intricately designed that you could  see subtle variations in skin tone and expression in the faces of the protesters, and the surface has projecting elements like spears and weapons which provide an added layer of three-dimensional detail.

In telling the story of the Chartist rising, artist Kenneth Budd  depicted key aspects of the day’s events, including the text of the People’s Charter, the march and the final bloody shootout on the steps of the Westgate Hotel. But more than being an historical interpretation, the mural also became an archive of 1970s Newport, for every face included in the mural was based on that of a prominent member of the community in Newport at that time. This was a People’s Charter, manifest in a people’s mural.

A local campaign had collected over 4,000 signatures in support of keeping the mural. Many locals had gathered to show their opposition, and to try and defy the wreckers, however sadly now reduced to rubble in an act of despicable cultural vandalism. All for the sake of building yet another shopping centre, a disgrace in any context, but absolutely disgusting under the direction of a Labour Council, who did not seem to care about their roots, or the proud heritage of the local people.

The council sought to justify its destruction of the mural on the grounds that the Welsh heritage organisation, Cadw, had not awarded the artwork listed status and that its relocation would cost £600,000. A spokesperson for Cadw commented, “The Chartist Mural in Newport has not been awarded listing status principally because it fell short of the criteria to be listed at the national level on grounds of its special architectural interest. The quality of building to which the mosaic is attached is poor and the underpass itself has no intrinsic design merits. It was also felt that there was no specific association between the location of the mural and the Chartist uprising.” .

The cold nature of the mural’s destruction upset many. Video footage revealed that they  happily destroyed a beautiful and visible expression of working-class people and struggle.with total  disregard for the mural during demolition, with no attempts made to preserve any sections of the display. Official statements suggested the building was unsafe for the general public, yet the sight of a mechanical digger slamming into the supposedly fragile wall, raised eyebrows all round. Further statements indicating that the mural was fused to an adjoining wall, a major factor in the £600,000 costing for ‘safe’ removal’, were also called into question as great segments of the mural appeared to ‘peel’ from the walls. The demolition crew succeeded in showing that, parts at least, of the mural could have be saved, for very little money and for the loss of very little time. By this stage in proceedings however, little could be done, the mural was gone.
We should never forget the  insurrectionary spirit of the Chartists,  and the proud part Newport played in fighting for workers rights,  nor the people of Newport who determingly campaigned to save this mural from this willful desecration and destruction.


Democracy dead and buried in Newport

Chartist Mural destroyed

 

These Words

(some words for National Poetry Day)

I make spontaneous verse
I am not very good at rhyme,
I am often non-conformist
my visions speak against injustice,
words released like a slow burning fuse
to fill the air with crackling alarm,
I have felt emptiness, exhaustion
witnessed forces of distortion, 
the politics of empty gestures
shaped by the hands of jesters,
I hurry on, follow tides of innocence
try to swim beyond rivers of ambivalence,
these words are my swords & ploughshares
clouds of abstraction, in intervals of time,
whilst  breathless, I try to run free
empty pockets of contemplation,
share my conscience into  night sky
with each season's passing cry.

Why we hate the Daily Mail

The Daily Mail is rightly getting hammered at the moment....which has been cheering me up greatly. Here's last nights stand off on Newsnight. 10 minutes in Paul Dacre gets it! We're still living in dangerous times, however, and the right wing media and their poison need to be fought tooth and nail.
 Long has the Daily Mail's brand been tainted. It's unique combination of bullshit, scaremongering and hatred making it one of the worst newspapers in the world, for some time it has exhibited a right-wing stance on both society and politics. It still holds an inherently racist outlook, whilst supporting whatever right-wing  crazies that cross their path, ie, the Conservative Party, U.K.I.P, or the English Defence League. Combined with a lack of trustworthy news, hypocricy and bullshit. A bully that is constantly attacking the poor, the vulnerable, the unemployed and disabled benefit claimants. It's headlines long fuelling xenophobia, bigotry, public anxiety and islamphobia, for too long now it has just been a poisonous piece of toilet paper, that needs to be shut down in the name of human decency, and is strictly beyond the pale.
Lest us not forget that during the 1930's and 1940's this newspaper (if we can call it one) openly supported the Nazis and the Blackshirts.

Daily Mail Poem

I pour scorn on its petty margins,
its distortion of realities silhouette,
the daily shame, should be its new name,
cross out all its lies, we'd be left with empty pages.

Drinking toasts to underbellies of nastiness,
it sharpens its pen on bile,
its agenda of spreading hatred,
is enough to scramble your brain.

Acts like a bully, but is simply scared
                                               of everything,
its dark heart is a destroyer of dreams,
as its wedges of venom drives people apart,
in truth, it reminds me of nothing at all.

In these times, when I think people,
should be drawing closer together,
its pinning sense of intolerance,
fuels only fear, with its jackboots
                               gnashing daily.

its message is not one I want to hear,
we are so diametrically opposed,
dont ever think I will ever be able
                             to call it a friend.


(An earlier headline from this odious paper.)

Hurrah for the Blackshirts

In Memory of Mohammed Al-Durrrah

On September 30th 2000 Mohammed Al  Durrah and his father were filmed crouching behind a concrete block along one of Gaza streets as Israeli army soldiers showered them with heavy gunfire. Moments later, the terrorized boy collapsed dead on his father’s lap whose attempts to shield his son from live ammunition proved to be futile.

This incident became one of the most evocative events of the occupation and haunting images of the intifada. Jamal al-Durrah and his 12-year-old son, Mohammad, were filmed by Talal Abu Rahma, a Palestinian cameraman freelancing for France 2, they are seen with their, backs pressed against the wall, Jamal’s arm shielding his young son whose mouth is oval with what must have been a paralyzing fear. And then the shots. After an emotional public funeral, the 12 year old became a symbol of the struggle of the Palestinian people against a ruthless occupier.

After initially taking responsibility for killing Mohammad, a bogus Israeli army investigation concluded that the killing of Mohammad was a hoax, that Palestinians were to blame, that the France 2 journalist who shot the video was part of a conspiracy to ‘delegitimise Israel’.The Prime Minister’s office released a document  officially denying Israel’s responsibility for the death and stating that the 

footage was staged.But the boy did die in conflict and his own father could not save him.

Abu  Rahmeh told the Al-Monitor news website that his French employer had posted on YouTube the entire raw video to put an end to attempts to discredit him through claims that the footage was staged.

The footage of al-Durrah was popular because it captured human emotion, he said: “It moved the world and whoever saw it because it reflected a real human emotion of a father unable to protect his young son.”

Here is a report by the Guardian newspaper on the case, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/may/23/israeli-report-denies-death-al-dura. Thousands of other Palestinian civilians died too and he symbolized their plight.The footage, became the most potent symbol of the Palestinian resistance against the decades-long Israeli occupation.Drawings and pictures of the scene were painted on walls across many parts of the world in support of the Palestinian cause.

The fact remains that Israeli soldiers still do kill little Palestinian boys on a regular basis,with impunity sometimes just for throwing rocks.Human rights groups’ reports are never short on distressing details: 954 Palestinian children were killed between the Second Intifada in 2000 and Israel’s war on Gaza, the so-called Operation Cast Lead in 2008. In the latter war alone, 345 children were reportedly killed. Years years later, we should remember this terrified boy, remember his name and all the other innocents since trapped in the fogs of war and occupation.

Benefit Concert for Medical Aid for Palestinians :- Cardigan 6th October 2013

 

Quick plug for this event.
Sunday 6th October 2013 Benefit Concert for Medical Aid For Palestinians, a cause very close to my heart,http://www.whatevertheweatherwales.co.uk/en/events/fundraiser-for-palestine  As part of Drones Action Week this concert is organised by Bro Emlyn For Peace and Justice http://www.bepj.org.uk/ Featuring West Wales based rock band Scene Red https://scenered.bandcamp.com/, Pembrokeshire based singer sonwriter Bob Fish, Swansea based stand-up comedian Ben Jenkins and Carmarthen based performance poet Bill Vester. The venue is The Small World Theatre http://www.smallworld.org.uk/ in Cardigan. Doors open at 7.30 the event starts at 8.00pm and tickets are availabe at the door priced at £8.00p (£7.00p for usual concessions). All profits from this event are being donated to Medical Aid For Palestinians http://www.map-uk.org/ . The organisers are also hoping that China Fish of Circus To Palestine will be able to give a short talk on her recent experinces in Gaza.

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) works for the health and dignity of Palestinians living under occupation and as refugees.

MAP delivers health and medical care to those affected by conflict, occupation and displacement.

Working in partnership with local health providers and hospitals, MAP addresses a wide range of health issues and challenges faced by the Palestinian people.

With offices located in Beirut, Ramallah and Gaza City, MAP responds rapidly in times of crisis, and works directly with communities on longer term health developoment.

Please feel free to share the above flyers with as many people as possible.

Petition and Protest, 10,000 Cuts and Counting: A Ceremony of Rememberance and Solidarity

Please sign this petition to the British government to end the "War on Welfare," which currently has over 55,000 signatures but needs 100,000 to be eligible for a Parliamentary debate, https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154
Since the Tory Government came to power their vicious assaults on the poor, the ill, the unemployed and the disabled has been relentless, in it's pure callousness, backed by their partners in crime the Liberal Democrats and the majority of the mainstream media. Currently the Labour Party have been making gestures, but these gestures and fighting talk should have started a long time ago.
Many people  are  now sick and tired of it all and are, refusing to accept this govennment's relentless attacks, sadly many people   have had their lives devastated by the austerity programme, including more than 10,000 people who died shortly after undergoing the Atos Work Capability Assessment, a degrading test used by the government to assess the needs of people receiving benefits related to disability and ill health. I welcome the Labour Party's decision to scrap Atos, a truly harrowing process, that is simply not fit for purpose, but lets  not forget who introduced in the first place, yes, the Labour Party. They also persisted with WCA's (Work Capability Assessments) until the 2010 General Elections, so a whiff of hypocricy surrounds them.
This Saturday coming there will be a ceremony of rememberance and solidarity for all those who have their lives destroyed by austerity at Parliament Square 28/10/13 from noon http://www.10kcuts.org/

The gathering will demand an immediate end to the Work Capability Assessment, as voted for by the British Medical Association, and a New Deal for sick and disabled people based on their needs, abilities and ambitions.
Disabled people are leading the fight back against the injustices of auterity: we cannot stand idly by while our communities and institutions are devastated by this government.
Across the U.K over a thousand people have died only months after being told to find work, we must not forget them, and must ask ourselves the question  what kind of civilised society are we living, that allows this to happen to our citizens. How many more people will kill themselves because of government cuts to their benefits?Personally I think powers should be given back to G.Ps who are the only people that can be truly  trusted to decide who is sick or not, whose valuable opinions are currently ignored. Please sign the wow petition above.

Below is a link to a powerful poem from a poet friend, that  sums up the harsh realities  and remembers  the victims of the Tory's cruel policies.

The Cull of 2013

http://jackie-news.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-cull-of-2013_22.html

DON'T FORGET

REMEMBER THE VICTIMS!

The futility of emnity.

                       
                        Westgate Mall,
                        Nairobi, Kenya, Picture :-Andre Vitchek

There are some,
who use the alleged word of god,
to kill and hate,following messages
with hearts and eyes closed,
who shut out the music of humanity's hymn
engaged wth poisoned vision,
storm across sanctuaries
with masks of division,
their cloaks of faith
just a cruel disguise.
Tears overflow from negations cup
as the machine gun rattle fades,
the world  keeps company with grief.
Tomorrow,I pray,we toss lights,
to disintegrate, the poison.

.

Right wing Blogger Ian Dale assaults elderly man protesting for the safety of the planet

I was waiting for a plumber to arrive this morning, and had news on, and was amazed to see controversial  right wing Conservative blogger Ian Dale completely losing the plot, as he assaulted an eldely man  and his dog, outside the Labour Party Conference on the Brighton seafront.
The elderly man a pensioner named Stuart Holmes from Manchester,  was simply an anti-nuclear protestor, undertaking his right to protest, while Daybreak TV's Damien McBride was about to undertake an interview .Next their was an unseemly tangle as he was tussled and shoved to the floor.
Good luck to Mr holmes if he undertakes any legal action, televised to the nation, with many witnesses.

Stop the privatisation of war

Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCa's) are profiting from war and insecurity.
Unnacountable and unregulated these companies are complicit in human rights abuses across the world, putting profit before people and fanning the flames of war. The British government believes PMSCa's are best left to police themselves through national standards and an International Code of Conduct.

This voluntary International Code of Conduct was launched on 19 September 2013.

For more information visit
http://www.waronwant.org/campaigns/corporations-and-conflict/private-armies/watch/17980-new-video-stop-the-privatisation-of-war

Filmaker: Adib Nessim

Composer: Eric Samothrakis

Woody Allen (b.1/12/35) - A Brief, Yet Helpful, Guide to Civil Disobedience

Some much needed irony and humour.

'In perpetrating a revolution, there are two requirements:
someone or something to revolt against and someone to actually show up and do the revolting. Dress is usually casual and both parties may be flexible about time and place but if either faction fails to attend, the whole enterprise is likely to come off badly. In the Chinese Revolution of 1650 neither party showed up and the deposit on the hall was forfeited.
  The people or parties revolted against are called the "oppressors" and are easily recognised as they seem to be the ones having all the fun. The "oppressors" generally get to wear suits, own land, and play their radios late at night without being yelled at. Their job is to maintain the "status quo," a condition where everything remains the same although they may be willing to paint every two years.
 When the "oppressors" become too strict, we have what is known as a police state, wherein all dissent is forbidden, as is chuckling, showing up in a bow tie, or referring to the mayor as "Fats." Civil liberties are greatly curtailed in a police state, and freedom of speech is unheard of, although one is allowed to mime to a record. Opinions critical of the government are not tolerated, particularly about their dancing. Freedom of the press is also curtailed and the ruling party "manages" the news, permitting the citizens to bear only acceptable political ideas and ball scores that will not cause unrest.
  The groups who revolt are called the "oppressed" and can generally be seen milling about and grumbling or claiming to have headaches. (It should be noted that the oppressors never revolt and attempt to become the oppressed as that would entail a change of underwear.)
  Some famous examples of revolutions are:

The French Revolution,

in which the peasants seized power by force and quickly changed all locks on the palace doors so the nobles could not get back in. They had a large party and gorged themselves. When the nobles finally recaptured the palace they were forced to clean up and found many stains and cigarette burns.

The Russian Revolution,

which simmered for years, and suddenly erupted when the serfs finally realised that the Czar and the Tsar were the same person.
  It should be noted that after the revolution is over, the "oppressed" frequently take over and begin acting like the "oppressors." Of course by then it is very hard to get them on the phone and money lent for cigarettes and gum during the fighting may as well be forgotten about.

Methods of Civil Disobedience:

Hunger Strike.

Here the oppressed goes without food until his demands are met. Insiduous politicians will often leave biscuits within easy reach or perhaps some cheddar cheese, but they must be resisted. If the party in power can get the striker to eat, they usually have little trouble putting down the insurrection. If they can get him to eat and also lift the check, they have won for sure. In Pakistan, a hunger strike was broken when the government produced an exceptionally fine veal cordon bleu which the masses found was too appealing to turn down, but such gourmet dishes are rare.
The problem with the hunger strike is that after several days one can get quite hungry, particularly since sound trucks are paid to go through the street saying, "Um . . . what nice chicken - umm . . . some peas . . . umm. . . "
A modified form of the Hunger Strike for those whose political convictions are not quite so radical is giving up on chives. This small gesture, when used properly, can greatly influence a government, and it is well known that Mahatma Gandhi's insistence on eating his salads untossed shamed the British government into many concessions.
Other things  besides food one can give up are: whist, smiling, and standing on one foot and imitating a crane.

Sit-Down Strike.

Proceed to a designated spot and then sit down, but sit all the way down. Otherwise you are squatting, a position that makes no political point unless the government is also squatting. (This is rare, although a government will occasiobally crouch in cold weather.) The trick is to remain seated until concessions are made, but as in the Hunger Strike, the government will try subtle means of making the striker rise. They may say, "Okay, everybody up, we're closing." Or, "Can you get up for a minute, we'd just like to see how tall you are?"

Demonstrations and Marches.

The key point about a demonstration is that it must be seen. Hence the term "demonstration." If a person demonstrates privately in his own home, this is not technically a demonstration but merely "acting silly" or "behaving like an ass."
A fine example of a demonstration was the Boston Tea Party, where outraged Americans disguised as Indians dumped British tea into the harbour. Later, Indians disguised as outraged Americans dumped actual British into the harbor. Following that, the British disguised as tea, dumped each other into the harbor. Finally, German mercenaries clad only in costumes from The Trojan Woman leapt into the harbor for no apparent reason.
When demonstrating, it is good to carry a placard stating one's position. Some suggested positions are:
(1) Lower taxes
(2) Raise taxes
(3) Stop grinning at Persians.

Miscellaneous methods of Civil Disobedience:

Standing in front of City Hall and chanting the word "pudding" until one's demands are met.
Tying up traffic by leading a flock of sheep into the shopping area.
Phoning members of "the establishment" and singing "Bless, You Is My Woman Now" into the phone.
Dressing as a policeman and then skipping.
Pretending to be an artichoke but punching people as they pass.

Reprinted From:
Without Feathers - Woody Allen
Sphere Books, 1975

But in all seriousness,
resistance is not futile.