The Green.

Glasgow People's Palace and Winter Gardens before Council's re-imagining.

People's Palace Winter Gardens after Council re-imagining plans emerged.

         There has been a treasure on Glasgow Green for 124 years, it's called "the Peoples Palace and Winter Gardens. At the time of opening, one, Lord Rosebery, dedicated it to the people of Glasgow, for ever and ever. 124 years on and the Glasgow City Council have other ideas. Having let it fall into a state of disrepair, they pillaged its contents and shredded the wonderful winter garden's plants, leaving it a shell deteriorating before our eyes. They floated ideas such as re-imagining its use, which usually means turning it into a venue from which corporate bodies can make lots of money, and we the public would have to pay to use it for the purpose it was never intended.
          However, the good people of Glasgow see this as pillage and plunder of their assets, and are carrying on a campaign to have it restored and returned to its former use, a place displaying the history of the people of Glasgow and the Winter Gardens a place of pleasure for all, free of charge, as it was intended and dedicated to all those 124 years ago. Let's get behind this campaign and bring the Glasgow Council to their senses, making them realise, they are there to protect and mange our public assets, not to dispose of them, and we the public pay their wages and expenses, and very generously at that.
       On Saturday, 22nd. January, the Friends of People's Palace, Winter Gardens and Glasgow Green, held a protest, one of many, outside the Winter Gardens. We need to swell the numbers taking part in this worthwhile campaign. It is a fight for that which is ours, it's our People's Palace and Winter Gardens, we want it back to what it was, no re-imagining.

Save the People's Palace Winter Gardens and Glasgow Green contacts:

https://www.friendsofppwggg.org.uk/

 https://www.friendsofppwggg.org.uk/about/

https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Peoples-Palace-Winter-Gardens-Glasgow-Green-100373718106010/

Some photos from Saturday's protest.

 

Visit ann arky's home at https://spiritofrevolt.info    

Glasgow Winter Gardens Protest.

   

           In today's world there is so much the ordinary people can get angry about from austerity cuts, diminishing social services, vanishing libraries and disappearing public spaces. That's not mentioning the sabre rattling by corporate governed politicians. Glasgow, like other cities has its own areas where angry mass protest is the only voice we have left.

      One area where the Glaswegians are up in arms is about the sabotage of the People's Palace Winter Gardens. A historical landmark, part of the Common Goods, on the Glasgow Green. For many, many years it has brought pleasure and education to countless Glasgow citizens and visitors alike. However in line with the business dictated agenda in the city chambers, some times referred to as The Kremlin in George Square, such places are seen as a burden. So through a policy of neglect the Winter Gardens have fallen into a state of disrepair, the business orientated council now sees the only way to keep the site is to turn into a money making entity. The council's answer to all its ills is to usher in the white knight of private capital. That is not what the people of Glasgow want, we want our Winter Gardens to stay as they were intended and have always been, free for all to enjoy for future generations.

      Thursday saw some of Glasgow's finest, the ordinary citizens, make a loud and colourful protest outside the City Chambers, demanding the council listen to those who pay their wages, and remember they are there to serve those citizens. Those citizens are demanding the Winter Gardens receives the repairs it needs and stays as it is for future generations.

     Some photos and a video from the protest:

    

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Sabotage By The Kremilin In George Square.

 

               Glasgow Green has been a place of importance to the people of Glasgow through the ages. It has been the meeting place for, gatherings of all kinds, political protests and, among other events, May Day celebrations. It has also been under attack from the city council, my late friend Joe used to call them, "the Kremlin in George Square" there were talks of selling of part and now by neglect, that precious gem on the Green, the People's Palace and Winter Gardens is under threat. like everything we have, the Green included, we have to fight to keep it the way we want it to be.

       This latest fight is to safe the People's Palace Winter Gardens. Let's all rally round and defend what is ours, it is not the property of the city council to do with it as it wishes, it is ours part of the Common Goods.

This is ours.

From Bob Hamilton bob@citystrolls.com

          It is not called the People's Palace for nothing:
         A place of working class history, artifacts and memorabilia relating to the People who made Glasgow. Not for the first time it’s been under attack from the councils secret service. (When do they tell you anything? A. When places are falling apart due to the councils own negligence.)
        The first thing that needs to be understood is the Winter Gardens are part of the Peoples Palace, not a separate entity as the council would want us to believe. And as such should have been considered under the same repair scheme as the recent renovations to the museum part of this historic institution. Not blanked off and perhaps to be manipulated by Glasgow Life into another marketing tool the same way as the Green has been to promote disruptive and destructive entertainment spectacles.
        While we congratulate (with some critique) the work to restore the wonderful Kibble Palace, the renovations to the Burrell, the fancy pavements in Suchiehall Street and all of the other major developments given the green light for funding. But we look once again to the East End and of course the short end of the funding stick.
          Not for the first time we have had to battle the council in culture wars, concerning the Peoples Palace, (City of Culture1990) and historically the park it sits in in, (The Battle For The Green 1931) These events all relate to the history of the Peoples Palace and that history has been a struggle to maintain, the same as the present situation will take to resolve.
          We are asking the people of Glasgow (and beyond) to become part of that on going history by defending the maintenance and repairs to the Winter Gardens as an important part of the Peoples Palace and worthy of the same care and attention given to other historic projects in the city carried out in the peoples name.
         Join “Friends of the People's Palace, Winter Gardens and Glasgow Green” on the 27th 12:00 at the city chambers Bring some music make a day of it.
        It is summer after all. (I think:)

For May Day link https://mayday.link/events-2018/

https://mayday.link/

radicalimagination.co.uk

citystrolls.com

inthecommongood.org

People live by bread, by economics, not politics.--

For a wee bit more on Glasgow's working class radical history visit;
Spirit of Revolt 's Strugglepedia.

 This is ours, defend it against the sabotage of the City Council 

Visit ann ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

 

There's Healthy Fun In Mud.

           The North Kelvin Meadow's struggle is still very much on, in spite of the last two rallies for support being hit by Scotland's unpredictable weather.  There was a call out for support on Saturday 16th. January, as luck would have it, that was the Saturday that we had the worst snowfall of the year. In spite of dreadful weather the rally was well supported, showing the strength of feeling in support for this struggle. The next rallying call went out for Tuesday January 26th., the day the cabal from the Kremlin in George Square were coming to cast their cash register eyes over the meadow, to see if it should become a tarmac property developers cash machine, or remain a wonderful community asset for the local community, and further afield. Again the Scottish weather hit them, that Tuesday it was torrential rain, but still the crowds came. The kids proved once and for all, that there is fun in mud, it was a tremendous turn out, proving that the Kelvin Meadow is not just a summer picnic place, but wonderful magical place where kids and adults alike can come together and enrich our communities. This must remain a slice of wonderful natural countryside in the midst of our city, a rich community asset, where our kids can learn and grow, in a healthy and fun atmosphere. Far from thinking of destroying this gem, our paid servants sitting in the Kremlin in George Square should be looking at ways to increase this sort of environment within our city.

 Thanks Bob for the video:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

An Important Date For Your Diary, January 26.

         Another call from North Kelvin Meadow for solidarity on Tuesday, 26th. January. This is a very important day for the Meadow, and the residents of the area, indeed for Glasgow. On that day, the men in suits are coming out of their corridors of power at the Kremlin in George Square, to view the meadow, to see how best they can carve it up, to hand to their corporate friends, the developers. Year by year community green spaces disappear from our city, to be replaced by business premises or houses that the locals can't afford. So bit by bit all public assets vanish into the clutches of the corporate world. The city without its green spaces is a tarmac privately owned market square, where you have access by their permission, permission that they can withdraw at any time. We must always defend what green spaces we have within the city, not just as public assets, but for the quality of life, for the health and well-being of our kids, and future generations.

North Kelvin Meadow

Hi
         Please come out to show support when the Council's Planning Committee come to make a site visit at *approx 9.45am on Tuesday 26th January 2016* . They will come and leave by bus, parking at the Kelbourne street entrance to the land.
        *Also please come to a demo straight after, outside the City Chambers on George Square as the Planning Committee meet inside at 11.30am* to discuss whether the land be sold off to New City Vision Ltd to build 90 houses. They will also decide on The Children Wood Group's planning
application which is wanting to keep the land as it is, a wild green space for community use.
        Ian Black will be making the presentation at the hearing on behalf of North Kelvin Meadow. Ian lives on Sanda Street and was actually the person who organised the original planting of trees and grass back in 1994. The wood and meadow we see today comes from that initial seed source. They were spurned on to do that by the Council taking away the goal posts in 1993 as they didn't want to maintain it as a sports pitch.
       Needless to say this is a crucial time for the land and its future. We feel over this last 8 years in particular (North Kelvin Meadow started in Oct 2008) we've made a very strong case for the land to remain as it is and not get destoyed. Council and Government policy backs that up but alas sometimes Councils don't follow their own policy!
       Thats why we need you out that morning, to show your support so we win this planning committee vote. There will be A3 posters given out on the day for you to hold up should you wish.

Douglas
Douglas Peacock

northkelvinmeadow@gmail.com
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Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Glorification Of War, Or Peace And Beauty?

          I feel very strongly about what I can only call the desecration of the beautiful public space, Pollok Estate, by the digging of WWI trenches.  So I'm asking friends and followers of this blog to sign the petition and spread it around as many of their friends and followers on Facebook, twitter and any other means possible. Public spaces such as Pollok Estate are places of beauty, owned by the people for the pleasure of the people, and an escape from the city within easy reach of the city. They are not there for the glorification of war, nor to swell the egos of academics and councillors with grandiose ideas.

Please sign the petition.

Visit ann arly's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk 

To Save Pollok Park, Time Is Of The Essence.

        Where is the wrath, where is the righteous anger, where are the angry crowds? At the end of July, I posted a short piece about the plans by Glasgow University and Glasgow City Council, backed by almost £100,000 of lottery funding, (money collected from you and I.) to dig up Pollok Park, and re-create WWI trenches. Not only is it a grotesque intention, but it is the most inappropriate place for such a monstrosity. The work is scheduled to start this August, is it too late to show our disgust, or can we get the message across, that Pollok Park is not  a area for war games. They claim that people will be able to see what it was like in the trenches during that totally unnecessary blood bath. Utter nonsense, it will be a sanitised misrepresentation, where will the rats be, where will the mud and the blood be, where will the stench be, where will the agony and the barbarity be? This is just another way of glorifying war, of tidying it up, it will not bring home the truth of the utter barbarity and agony of war.

No place for war games.

      For those who would like a nice refreshment, in pleasant surroundings, while voicing their anger at this destruction of a beautiful park that belongs to the people of Glasgow, they can take themselves down to the Scotia Bar, at the bottom of Stockwell Street, where they can sign a petition against this insanity.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Stop Them Digging Up Pollok Estate

       Once again our public spaces are under attack. Once again Pollok Estate is being targeted. There was the motorway, then "Go Ape" theme park, now it is to be dug up with replicas of WWI trenches. Why a beautiful public space such as Pollok Estate should even be suggested for this lottery funded love affair with war is incomprehensible. Are those involve blind, stupid or just bribed? Look around, if you want such a hideous theme as war trenches stick them in somebody's private land, not our beautiful country space in our city. This has to be stopped as we will see another public space place of beauty an tranquillity disappear to the glorification of war.

This is not the site for war trenches.

     Pollok Estate is not a commercial theme park, it is not a site for developing crazy war linked projects, it is a wonderful country space in the city owned by the people of Glasgow. This has to be stopped before the diggers move in and destroy another slice of our commons. We stopped GO Ape, surely we can stop this destructive, brainchild of the city council and academia.  

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Glasgow, The Commons, Sharing.

       A worth while opportunity for you and the kids to get your hands dirty and feel good

Farmhouse Work Day 
This Saturday 14th. 10 till 4pm.
Community Garden Elder Park Govan.

https://commgood.wordpress.com/

Last day of the first phase tidy up this Saturday. Come along and sample Joeys fine broth soup. Last few Saturdays weather was a bit on the wet side but we still managed to get plenty done, rain or no. We are clearing a space at the entrance to the farm yard. The bit most people see as they walk/drive past. We want it to be child user friendly and are planning activities there. Come along for the crack, the soup or to push the wheel barrow, or the full package. From 10 till 4 

Project update coming soon.

https://commgood.wordpress.com/
 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk