Bickerstock

Although I come originally from a place in between two big cities, I have to confess to picking up a few metropolitan prejudices along the way.

When I heard that there was a festival in the Lancashire village of Bickerstaffe this weekend, a passing thought of locals with pies and pitchforks who dont like strangers in these parts did come to mind.

Well shame on me. As the name suggests 'Bickerstock' is an open minded and welcoming event, which must be encouraging for creative personalities in the village. http://www.bickerstock.org/index.html

Anyone who can play an instrument there seems to take part, adding to the community participation feel, while some really decent bands make up the line up.

Highlights on saturday for me was Jim Holmes, and Sunday 'Northern Daze', though that just perhaps highlights my own tastes, with a Levellers cover reminding me of hearing the original in another field 15 years ago now.

And speaking of Levellers, it seems that the village itself was a centre of dissent back in the day, with the Quakers having large local support in the 17th century. Who would have guessed that?

For Peace & Ecology

So, on to the latest counter-cultural celebrations, saturdays Peace & Ecology festival organised by Merseyside CND. http://www.laycock.uklinux.net/mcnd/

This was the second annual event of its kind, more of a gathering of progressive activists and their stalls with live background music, and sun too which was a result. Lots of peace groups and environmentalists, naturally, and international solidarity campaigns were well represented too.

And from my perspective particuarly pleasing to see the Keep Our NHS Public campaign established as a local presence.

Curiuosly no trotskyist left or trade union stalls - I'm not complaining about the absence of the former, though the non-trotskyist socialist groups are fairly idiosyncratic too. Maybe we should do something about the latter next year as local FBU and TGWU regions did fund and sponsor the event, as did Liverpool Trades Council

There were also more christian peace groups than I expected. This is perhaps explained by the very moving location this year. St Luke's in the city centre is the ruins of a church hit by a bomb in WW2, and is both grand and peaceful in itself; a real place of reflection which is usually left to people down on their luck drowning their sorrows away.

What the average city centre shoppers who stumbled across us makes of this I don't really know. But there was enough of an atmosphere not to care too much, and to relax and think only about the important things in life for a change.

Cut My Pay - No Way! NHS Day of Protest - 18 July 2008

Unite members across the country took part in a day of protest against the NHS pay offer on the 18th July 2008. Workers campaigned around the slogan – ‘Cut my pay - No way!’.

We had a protest outside Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool, perhaps we weren't photogenic enough to make the photo gallery!

http://www.amicustheunion.org/Default.aspx?page=8633

It's quite simply wrong for public sector workers to take the brunt of the latest recession, when we haven't caused it. Its enough to make people question the point of having a Labour Government, as they have done in Scotland and now most recently in Glasgow East.

The problem we have in England though is that in he absence of a left wing pole of attraction, oppossition to the Labour Government is principally aiding right wing parties. Surely something for those of us on the left to think seriously about

Salud!

I have some reservations about the possibilities of creating socialism in one country, even if when that country is exotic Cuba. It's at best, a bit contradictory; one the one hand a hereditary dictatorship, on the other the most environmentally sustainable country in the world.

It's also a third/majority world country with a health care system that puts its neighbouring American superpower to shame, as Michael Moores film 'Sicko' highlights. It's for this reason I went to see Salud! on wednesday, a film about Cuban doctors and their international efforts http://www.saludthefilm.net/ns/synopsis.html

Organised by 'Rock Against the Blockade', it wasnt the sort of event to express your doubts. Acknowledging problems with the country's agricultural productivity led to the organisers themselves being heckled with the question 'which side are you on'...

Well I'm sure I'd be on the wrong side of the firing squad myself.

Nonetheless there were some interesting points in the discussion and the film itself is a worthy effort that highlights the humanity of the Cuban's. It also illustrates that political values are a more powerful force than professional ethics. Oppossition to the Cuban doctors missions by the self-interested and wealthy medics in other counties is subtly contrasted to their own altruism.

I wonder how medical students in this country would view it, and picked up a copy to see if we can test this later in the year.

Festivals just keep coming, and you know we are now the capital of culture when you have a choice of two on a Sunday.

I managed to bodyswerve the 'Crosby Lions Carnival' however and instead had a nice time at the Arabic Arts Family Day near the city centre at Sefton Park http://www.arabicartsfestival.co.uk/

Its a pity we don't see more of that sort of multi-culturalism in the borough of Sefton itself. On a warm summers day, some decent food, a diverse crowd, a relaxed atmosphere and lively music might break down a few barriers.

I worry that we only really have inner city multi-culturalism in England. In the outer city and suburbs and small towns its still mono-culturalism that prevails, both in the sense of supermarkets and St George's flags, and its overwhelmingly white.

Well it feels that way sometimes, its just not the sort of place for identity politics really. Maybe I worry too much about the BNP, who are around but haven't made any real breakthroughs, not this side of the recession to come anyway.

Oranges are not the only fruit

Today the Orange Order was out on the streets for their annual parade. Most people here now ask why and wish they would go away.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2008/07/09/is-it-time-to-for-lodge-marchers-to-call-it-a-day-100252-21307992/

http://forums.chesterchronicle.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=9131

Orangeism used to be very strong on Merseyside. The classic divide and rule approach appealed to local politicians and with a largely immigrant irish population competing for unskilled work on the docks you can see why.

But working class solidarity was stronger in the end, and now its the Irish connections and culture that are celebrated.

Celebrate & Defend the NHS

TUC/KONP march to celebrate and defend the NHS on it's 60th birthday.

About 200 people attended, marching through a thunderstorm from the Royal Liverpool Hospital to St. Georges Hall. We believe this was the biggest event of this kind in the country on the day

http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0807/livnhs2.html

Liverpool left

Mersey Paradise? Article on Liverpool left by a Scottish Socialist http://www.redflag.org.uk/frontline/Mar08/mersey.html