Glasgow's May Day March Photos.

 

       For those who didn't manage to Glasgow May Day march on Sunday May 1st. a wee bunch of photos to make you feel you were there. Thanks Anne.

 

 

 

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

Events In Edinburgh.

SOME UPCOMING EVENTS IN ACE AND IN EDINBURGH

Plus NEWS FROM ACE

SUMMARY OF EVENTS

More info below the summary…

Friday 14 March

Panda parade at Scottish Tory Conference 11.30am International Conference

Centre, Morrison St

One endangered species greets another!

Saturday 15 March

MARCH AND RALLY:

Assemble 11.00am at THE MOUND PRECINCT

Set off at 11.30am

March past the Scottish Tory Party Conference

Rally in FESTIVAL SQUARE

Sunday 16 March

THE ALTERNATIVE CONFERENCE

Workshops, Debate, Forums

12noon – 5.30pm

TEVIOT ROW HOUSE, BRISTO SQUARE

ACE CINEMA EVENTS

The screenings are on sundays at 18.30, free entry

In ACE, 17 West Montgomery Place EH7 5HA

16/3 ''There will be blood'' (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)

23/3 ''Daisies'' (Vera Chytilova, 1966)

6/4 ''Cinema Paradiso'' (Giuseppe Tornatore, 1988)

13/4 ''Oldboy'' (Park Chan-wook, 2003)

Social Factory Cinema at ACE

Sunday 30th March, A.C.E. from 6.00pm

one day event byob and food

During this event we will show two original films inspired by Autonomia in

Italy

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

A MAD MARCH HARE!!

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

      Like most boys in the area where I lived, I left school at 15. My first job was as the boay in the time office in Fairfield's Shipyard in Govan, Glasgow. On turning 16 I would start my apprenticeship, It wasn't a case of selecting your chosen profession, it was a matter of being told that yi wur ti go ti' the fittin' shoap. It could just as easily have been the brass foundry or the joinery shop, or any other of the many trades in shipbuilding, and my “career” would have gone on a different direction. However the powers that be set my sails as a marine engineer, a “fitter” was the usual title.

    That's when my education started, I found myself among a myriad of political pundits of all shades. The discussions were many, varied and at times “ferocious” and I loved it. Probably most of the workers were Labour with a very strong communist contingent. There was one Tory among the fitters, he was one of the journeymen that I was attached to, and he was insane, but a great tradesman. When asked why he was a Tory, his answer was, at least when you vote for them you know that they are going to screw you, not like the other bastards who pretend that they won't. It seemed a fair answer. In all the debates and discussions I was always being “courted” by the communists and being told that I should join the YCL (Young Communist League). Somehow or other they never fitted in with the way I felt.

      From entering the yards, I was always eager to get involved in the political and it was in 1952, as a third year apprentice that I got my first real feel of “political” activity. That was the year of the first Clydeside apprentice's strike since the second world war. I loved all the activity and was keen to do my stint of leafleting and what ever else to further “the cause”.

       It was during this strike at one of the several marches through the city that we had a rather interesting event. We were supposed to march from Blythswood Square to Glasgow Green and on passing the City Chambers at George Square, the police had set our route to proceed from there round the corner into Cochrane St. and through some more back streets to the Green. Our little group at the front had some other ideas, and as the police were lined up expecting us to turn left into Cochrane St. we marched merrily on deciding that we wanted a more public route down Glassford St. Argyle St. and Trongate to the Green. More publicity for our “cause”. There was chaos as the rest of the marchers not really thinking just followed on and the police trying to form up to turn us round. It failed miserably. By now it was no longer a march but lots of grinning apprentices running in groups, down Glassford St. with the police trying to re-direct or grab, what was now a wild mob of youth. By the time various groupings reach Argyle St. some were running in the direction of the Green, perhaps hopeful of still holding a rally, while others, myself among them, were running along Argyle St. in the opposite direction.

     At that time Argyle St. was still a two way traffic system and the pavements were mobbed. As I ran furiously along I could see ahead the ludicous site of some of the apprentices still carrying their placards, and these could be seen weaving their way though the crowds. By now there were mounted police and foot slogging coppers in hot pursuit. As I, and many others, ran past what is now Debenham's (then it was Lewis's) and turned into the lane at the side of the building, I knew the the mounted police were gaining fast, and as a simple city lad, I had this stupid idea that if I ran up the stairs of the lane up to what was St Enoch's Station, the horses wouldn't be able to follow. Of course as I got near the top I could hear the unmistakable clippity-clop of horses hoofs behind me. Entering the station I stopped running and tried to merge with the station crowd, others ran straight through and out the front and as I walked casually towards the front entrance I saw about 8 or so of my hapless marcher colleagues run straight into a ring of police, who duely flung them into waiting vans. One of those caught by that ring of police went on to make a name for himself on the Clyde during the Upper Clyde Work-in, he was Jimmy Reid. 

Read the story of the strike HERE:

ann arky's home.

GLASGOW ANTI-RACISM MARCH.

       Today Saturday 27 November saw Glasgow's annual anti-racism march and rally. In spite of the snow and very cold weather, there was a good turnout and it was the usual colourful affair with an array of different banners. The banners varied from union banners to anti-cuts banners and Scotland Against Criminalising Communities, SACC.  The march started at St Andrew's in the Square and snaked its way through the city ending up at the GFT cinema where there were speeches from some well know names and faces.

      I'm sure that those on the march will be well aware that anti-racism cannot be separated  from the quality of life within our society and hopefully they will continue to demonstrate and protest at the onslaught being perpetrated on the living standards of the ordinary people of this country. It cannot be two separate campaigns, racism is woven into the fabric of this government's ideology, as it carries out a slash and burn policy with all our public assets.
      This coalition of millionaires has a very open campaign against immigrants, they will continue to throw up the usual scapegoats and the media will always swing the usual red herring, all to keep the focus from being on the real criminals in this society, the free market millionaire fundamentalists, the corporate cabal of the corrupt. Unity between all the groups, solidarity across all sections of the ordinary people of this society is the only way we can defeat this plunder of our assets and the privatisation of our welfare state.

ann arky's home.