No war but the class war: remembering and reflecting ten years after - Practical History
Submitted by Spassmaschine on Aug 14 2009 06:52
Account of a participant involved in the No War But The Class War group at the time of the first Gulf War.
In September 1990, US, British and other forces were mobilising in the Gulf following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and full scale war was imminent. At Conway Hall in London's Red Lion Square a meeting was held on Sunday 2 September 'to organise a plan of action... to counteract the blatant warmongering and racism that is going on'.
South London stress - Practical History
Submitted by Spassmaschine on Jul 30 2009 13:57
Leaflet distributed at a Reclaim The Streets party in South London in June 1998, to place the event in context, and explain the radical history of the South London area.
Reclaim the Streets,
Today Reclaim the Streets are planning to turn part of South London into a free festival zone for the day. Most non-residential streets in South London are dominated by bumper to bumper traffic with nothing much to do except shop. RTS parties are about creating our own space where we can dance, play, eat and drink - all without any money changing hands.
Reclaim the streets for children - Practical History
Submitted by Spassmaschine on Jul 29 2009 02:08
Leaflet distributed before and during the Reclaim the Streets party in Brixton, South London in June 1998, looking at how streets and car culture effect the lives of children.
The streets used to be a place where children could run around, play and hang out with their friends. Today children are taught that the streets are dangerous and that they should keep off them.
War damages health...and the Health Service: health workers and the 1991 Gulf war - Practical History
Submitted by Spassmaschine on Jul 29 2009 01:54
Detailed account of the impact of the 1991 Gulf War on the health service in Britain, including anti-war leaflets produced by health workers and a brief account of the impact of the war on health in Iraq.
Clearly the main effects of the Gulf War were felt by people living in the Middle East war zone. Nevertheless our rulers can only successfully wage war abroad by attacking at home the people who are expected to pay for it (and have most to lose from it): the working class.
Churchill, the Cenotaph and May Day 2000 - Practical History
Submitted by Spassmaschine on Jul 27 2009 04:19
This response to the graffitiing of official monuments in London on May Day 2000 looks at the origins of war memorials in the social conflicts at the end of World War One and at the myth of the Second World War as an anti-fascist crusade. See also A good day out in London? for further reflections on May Day 2000.
"The destruction of representational images is the destruction of a hierarchy that is no longer recognised... The solidity of the images was the expression of their permanence. They seem to have existed for ever, upright and immovable; never before had it been possible to approach them with hostile intent.
A good day out in London? Some reflections on May Day 2000 - Practical History
Submitted by Spassmaschine on Jul 27 2009 04:07
Reflections on the May Day 2000 actions in London and the development of the anti-capitalist movement.
This was written as a contribution to a collection of articles called 'Reflections on May Day'. Unfortunately it didn't make it into the magazine as I missed the publication deadline. This was not just due to me slacking - I was hesitant about the content because the conclusion of 'well it wasn't so bad' didn't seem to be saying very much.
Flowers for Homestead at Dulwich Picture Gallery - Practical History
Submitted by Spassmaschine on Jul 27 2009 00:47
Leaflets distributed at a talk on Henry Frick's art collection, reflecting on the 1892 Homestead strike, and the origins of the wealth of the industrialists whose collections founded many of Britain's major art galleries.
As a small gesture in the field of historical memory and forgetting, flowers and a poster with the following text were placed on 21 July 2000 at the entrance to Dulwich Picture Gallery in South London, where a talk on the art collection of Henry Clay Frick had been scheduled.
William Blake takes on GlaxoSmithKline - Practical History
Submitted by Spassmaschine on Jul 27 2009 00:24
Report of a 2001 action at the Tate Britain Gallery in London, against a William Blake exhibition sponsored by the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.
On the final day (11 February 2001) of the William Blake exhibition at the Tate Britain Gallery in London, 30 people gathered on the steps outside to reclaim Blake from 'the dead hand of capital, empire and state' and to denounce the corporate sponsors of the Blake exhibition, GlaxoSmithKline.
Straight Outta Luton
Submitted by History is Made... on Jul 22 2009 22:24
A short radical history of Luton in Bedfordshire and surrounding areas produced for the Free the Spirit festival organised by the Exodus Collective in September 2000. An exhibition based on it was displayed as part of the South London stage at the festival, which was held on land next to the M1 Motorway in Bedfordshire. It was distributed as a leaflet and published on the Practical History website.
Some people think that the only things to come out of Luton apart from Exodus are planes from the airport and a Second Division football team. Here we present some of the hidden history of henge builders, heretics, rebels, rioters, strikers, war resisters, animal liberationists, punks and party people. Most of the examples are from Luton and Dunstable, with a few from elsewhere in Bedfordshire.
Reply to 'Letter on animal liberation' - Antagonism and Practical History
The authors of Beasts of Burden respond to Gilles Dauvé's Letter on Animal Liberation.
Beasts of Burden was written as a polemical text with the aim of provoking debate, so we were pleased to read you considered response. However, we have found it difficult to answer your response to our pamphlet. Some of your criticisms we fully accept.
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