The World Turned Upside Down [3]

Picture taken from the UKUncut website: http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/ Click on the blog title above to go straight to their website


When I couldn't sleep last night I got to thinking:

I thought about a world where big UK firms are being for chased for the tax they owe and are legally avoiding as reported on Newsnight - yet the press the next day seem more interested in reporting Paxo's slip of the tongue during the item.

I thought about the suggested cuts in the BBC World Service - which has been the 'voice of freedom' to so many including Aung San Suu Kyi during her house arrest in Burma for all those years. Not to mention all those ex-pat Brits and early risers here in the UK.

I thought about the proposed cuts to the NHS by the part of the Coalition whose leader - David Cameron - when in Opposition declared:

We [the Tories] are the party of the NHS

I thought about the way the NHS saved my life twice when an op in a private hospital went wrong due to the discovery of my rare genetic blood disorder and hope the NHS will still be around to help my children out in the same circumstances.

I thought about the news of so many libraries closing. Here in East Anglia places have already been announced and I thought of the hours spent in local libraries, studying for my degree, taking my children to reading clubs rung by the excellent staff, running blookclubs and reading to groups of children myself. Does this government want a literate population. Perhaps just a rich one?

I thought about the announcement of cuts to the coastguard services all around the shores of this Island nation. We already have a charity running our Lifeboat service. And a proposed privatisation of our Search and Rescuse service. If this was a plot for an Ealing Comedy no-one would go to see it or laugh.

I thought about the current threat in cuts to the budgets in policing, fire services, social services, welfare services,all the Benefits and more.....

I thought about the spiteful decision to make cuts and changes to the Disability Living Allowance.

I thought about John McDonnell MP sitting for six hours in the House of Commons yesterday hoping to speak against the Tories' privatisation of NHS but not called to speak. I thought about him putting down Early Day Motion in Parliament calling on the Home Secretary to launch a public inquiry into the police use of CS gas on UKuncut protestors in Oxford Street on Sunday.

I thought about the fear that our ancient woodlands and forests were going to 'privatised' and we would no longer be able to ramble and enjoy their peace.

I thought about all the pensioners who have suffered because the firms/insurance companies with whom they have been relying/saving for their old age have gone into administration or 'lost' their investments. 

I thought about the pensioners and those on benefits waiting at night in the supermarkets, waiting for the out of date food to be reduced.

I thought about the future students who will be too worried about the debts they will incur to apply for university places. I thought about the 'right to education' and realise that right will only be available to those with the financial ability not necessarily those with the educational ability.

I thought about Marx' 19th century slogan

From each according to his ability, to each according to his need[s]

which to this 21st century Coalition government seems to have been rephrased to

From each according to his least financial ability, to each according to his least need

I remembered my hippy days in the '60s when we thought that Peace and Love could win the day and Justice and Equality would naturally prevail. And it still could.

And then I thought about all those young people, middle-aged people, older people who are banding together to fight these cuts. And I especially thought about the young people in UKUncut [click on the blog title to go straight to their web site] like Ellie-Mae and Tony who were so eloquent in the film and in the discussion on Newsnight and I really thought maybe we do have hope.

We all have to work together to protest about all these cuts and unfairness.




Apologies to the following songs and songwriters praised at:
The World Turned Upside Down [1]http://rephidimstreet.blogspot.com/2010/06/world-turned-upside-down-1.html
The World Turned Upside Down [2]http://rephidimstreet.blogspot.com/2010/06/world-turned-upside-down-2.html

Ranting

In the pub last night talking to friends, one remarked about the number of campaigns I promote on facebook and twitter [and of course blog about!] This led to jokes [these were the friends from uni days and we all know each others' political views, religious views and favourite authors] and the word 'ranter' came up in the same sentence as my name....

I feel quite proud to be allied to the Ranters, who were individuals in the times of the English Civil War who roamed about the countryside and preached their individual beliefs. They became known collectively as 'Ranters' and my favourite is Abiezer Coppe. More about the Ranters and further reading and links can be found at this website: http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/glossary/ranters.htm A link on that website takes one to a site about Abiezer Coppe where his story is fully told. One comment about him says:

Coppe and his followers alarmed the clergyman Richard Baxter and other Puritans with "filthy lascivious practices" such as "roaring, drinking, whoring, open full-mouthed swearing". Coppe was also denounced for preaching in the nude and for committing adultery.

Quite a character!

Coppe was eventually arrested and at his trial:

On 1 October 1650, he was brought for questioning before a parliamentary committee. During his examination, Coppe apparently feigned madness: he mumbled and talked to himself when questioned and is said to have flung nutshells and fruit about the room. The committee sent him back to Newgate and he was never brought to trial.

Many Ranters became Quakers although I don't think Coppe would have qualified for membership of the Society of Friends, when he was eventually released from prison he returned to his original Baptist beliefs and became a physician. Please follow the links and read more about him and the other Ranters because they are so interesting!

The musician Leon Rosselson wrote a great song about Abiezer and folk singer Roy Bailey* performs a wonderful version of it, clicking on the blog title above will take you to the youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLLzbEx7gDg which shows Roy performing it. It also shows Tony Benn and is taken from one of their 'The Writing on the Wall' performances which give a 'history of dissent' in the form of narratives by Tony interspersed with songs by Roy. It is well worth buying the CD of these 'gigs' to hear the song properly and listen to the rest of the great songs and Tony's narration**. The photo above is of the CD [courtesy of amazon.co.uk]

Perhaps I should express my thanks to the present Coalition Government for giving me so many opportunities for causes of which to rant and support. At the moment there are several which I would love you all to support with me:

Petition to save our Coastguard services:
http://www.petitiononline.com/ukcghq/petition.html

Petition to save the BBC World Services:
http://www.savews.com/

Petition to save the forests from privatisation:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/save-our-forests#petition

Maybe I should include a 'rant of the day link' in these blogs. What do you think?

Notes:

**Recorded live at Cambridge Folk Festival in 2000 this CD is a good substitute for those who haven't yet managed to catch their show and a fine reminder for those who have. Benn's contribution is a skip through the history of resistance to oppression and exploitation in England from the Peasants' Revolt of the 14th century up to the present day.... All this is interspersed with and illustrated by, songs from folk-singer Roy Bailey At the end of the first half Bailey had the audience singing the chorus of one of the west's most famous revolutionaries.
Socialist Review March 2005
If you listen carefully Elizannie and Other Half are singing along in the crowd!

*see http://www.roybailey.net/

Please don't look for Elizannie on twitter and facebook - I 'assume' a different name on those sites!

The World Turned Upside Down [2]

In 1649
To St. George’s Hill,
A ragged band they called the Diggers
Came to show the people’s will
They defied the landlords
They defied the laws
They were the dispossessed reclaiming what was theirs

We come in peace they said
To dig and sow
We come to work the lands in common
And to make the waste ground grow
This earth divided
We will make whole
So it will be
A common treasury for all

The sin of property
We do disdain
No man has any right to buy and sell
The earth for private gain
By theft and murder
They took the land
Now everywhere the walls
Spring up at their command

They make the laws
To chain us well
The clergy dazzle us with heaven
Or they damn us into hell
We will not worship
The God they serve
The God of greed who feed the rich
While poor folk starve

We work we eat together
We need no swords
We will not bow to the masters
Or pay rent to the lords
Still we are free
Though we are poor
You Diggers all stand up for glory
Stand up now

From the men of property
The orders came
They sent the hired men and troopers
To wipe out the Diggers’ claim
Tear down their cottages
Destroy their corn
They were dispersed
But still the vision lingers on

You poor take courage
You rich take care
This earth was made a common treasury
For everyone to share
All things in common
All people one
We come in peace
The orders came to cut them down

One of my favourite folk songs, written by Leon Rosselson as sung by Roy Bailey and Billy Bragg. It celebrates the Diggers, 20 poor men who gathered together in April 1649 at St. George's Hill, Surrey to farm the common land. They declared that because the Civil Wars had been held against both the king and landowners land should be given to the poor for their use, as food prices had risen out of all proportion during the 1640s. The Diggers membership increased during 1649 but their presence and beliefs worried both the government and obviously local landowners - who were also claiming common lands. Eventually the Diggers were dispersed by a combination of legal action and violence, and by April 1650 they had been disbanded.

A blurry version sung by Billy Bragg at a Tolpuddle Rally http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK2ldle1kAk