Memories

Things that go Bump in the Night

A CR signer remembers late night NUS conference activity:

Nearly twenty years ago when on the UJS team I had the privilege of sharing a room (one bed only) with The Commander (Adrian Cohen). As he had sneaked of to write some dodgy pamphlet with the other half of the "zionist conspiracy" Pottinger and Ashworth , I decided to lock him out and get a good night's sleep. When he came back he knocked on the door for about half and hour (same rhythm as�a finger waving trot). I thought it was very funny at the time. I did eventualy let him in. Anyway I am very sorry and have been living with my guilt for all these years (in your dreams !)

Can't say I remember writing this pamphlet (let alone it being a dodgy one) however.

I'm Sorry

During the dispute at Sunderland Poly over the J Soc. ban in the mid 80s this book appeared. Republished on-line at Engage it seems as relevent today as it ever did. Have a read.

Bus Stop

Rappers Delight

Someone else is having a trip down musical memory lane. How many of them do you remember?

I find myself remembering a good number of the artists but not the song titles. As for the labels - that's just showing off.

Flashback

This week started with this being released. He was around back then of course and is arguably better now.

Next up a number one album who's predecessors we also remember.

One still LIVE and the other better than he was in the 80's, hope for us all.

Name the Guilty

If Comrade Rubbish is right that the Tories are Dying Out (and here is his proof) who would have thought it. For those of us politically raised in the 80s it is almost beyond belief.

And was this down to them or him or them or these two?

I don't think so.

Feminism Yes Islamism No

Didn't we all read the Guardian back then? Do we still? If you do you might have read this, this morning.

Having previously got burnt fingers for commenting on "feminist dress sense" I will desist here. I am however pretty sure that these did not feature in the adds in Cosmo and/or Spare Rib as an "alternative feminist identity".

Let me know if I am wrong.

The view from opposite: Hak Mao

As an 'outsider', it is fascinating to read the history of the bewildering number of Trot sects and groupuscles, and their alliances, splits and metamorphoses. When I started at Otago University (in my home town of Dunedin) in 1980, there were no Trotskyists of any description on campus, or as far as I know, anywhere else in the city. The were only two options for students interested in progressive politics - the New Zealand Labour Party or the Maoists. Uninterested in the reformism of the Labour Party, and unwilling to put myself through the ethical contortions required to be a Maoist, I promptly declared myself a follower of Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin and repudiated the lot of them as authoritarian scum.

The most important political campaigns of that era were based around the anti-Apartheid movement, and the 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand - the campaign against which saw rioting and running street battles with police wielding steel batons. Things got particularly nasty after protesters prevented the game at Hamilton by scattering broken glass on the pitch. I ended up getting quite close to the Springboks, without realising it. I was at an afternoon film, when a group of burly blokes entered late and left just before the end. I walked out of the cinema into a full-on demo, with organisers demanding to know where the Springboks had gone. Out the back door of course. I thought they were just Engineering students.

These days I call myself a Marxist, although my comrade Will likes to castigate me for my anarchist tendencies. I still wear black.

NB: Not quite opposite - Dunedin is opposite a point in the Atlantic off the North-West tip of Spain - but close enough.

With the benefit of foresight

If 20 years ago if you had suggested that, in late Sept. 2005, the IRA would (seemingly) have disarmed you'd have been laughed at.

If you'd gone on to prophesy that Ian Paisley would lead the largest Unionist party you might also have encountered disbelief. Anticipating his belligerent, curmudgeonly response to this event would however have been a complete banker.

A game of skill for two players or more

Does this remind anyone of anything?

Are there any former SU Officers out there interested in playing top CR pub game "well in my day we would have"?

(Thanks to Tom A, Harry's Place comments, for the above link)

Normal Service will be Resumed

Had intended something new - at least one post - every weekday. Unfortunately, yesterday, harsh reality intervened. You can help by sending something in and by keeping an eye on the site.

Interestingly everyone's now gone coy about Mr Draper - remember folks he's on honeymoon so now's probably your best chance to get some retribution in!

DD (and its not a Ramone)

Sadly, but perhaps predictably, the first comments below focus on the now C-list celebrity Derek Draper. (Less predictably the same name has turned up as a signatory to this sites mailing list. I say name -- is it the real one or a spoof?)

So I intend to take radical action and cauterise this "wound" immediately. This will be the one and only opportunity on this site to discuss DD.

John Erskine makes the following honest confession in the comments box below:

"Mixed feelings on this one, as I wish Derek well on his personal journey. People should be able to put rather embarrassing episodes firmly in the past. We all make mistakes, except most of them aren't in public.

In any case, I'm partly to blame, as I first met young Draper at an NUS training weekend for FE Student Union Officers in Scarborough, and thought that he looked like a likely recruit for the forces of truth and light. Needless to say, I sought to explain the evil nature of various political projects to him. At that stage he was an earnest, clean-cut working class lad from Runshaw College.

The rest is history."

(He makes some further points, similar to those in the front-page article, about finding common cause with Auntie Millie's nieces and nephews).

But as Jane Ashworth points out on the same thread:

"As I remember, we used to be on top of this. Didn't we stop talking about DD because every time we did so, he won?"

So on this blog this is you last chance, knock yourselves out with your DD stories because after this thread all future ones will be deleted.

Derek - if it really is you on the mailing list, thanks for signing up, see you at the do in December. And I never thought I'd find myself saying that!

I Remember When

In this part of the site we are encouraging people to post short pieces about their abiding memories from their political "youth":

- A mini bus chase with fascists through Central Manchester
- Your favourite college occupation
- Your least favourite YS summer camp
- Election defeats in the 80s

Just about anything memorable will do.

Mail them to us and we will put them up. We are unapologetically nostalgic for our own generation of active service but don't let that put you off.

Most importantly sign up for party information on the home page.

Get in touch!