My twopenn’orth - fifty years of Labour Party membership and still a Socialist! Recommending our future Prime Minister.

                                          Billy Bragg & Jeremy Corbyn sing 'The Red Flag'

I have stuck with the party I love for over 50 years. If it swung too far to the right in my opinion, I didn't criticise it publicly* but worked within it's democracy to express my views and hopefully change the views of comrades. This was especially the case in the Blair years. [*The only time I have publicly expressed any disatisfaction with the leader was in the anti-war marches when I considered my pacifism more important than my party membership]

However the reactions of my comrades to the election of Jeremy Corbyn to Party Leader has appalled me. Threats before he was even elected not to work with him, undermining him - I don't have to repeat the examples from earlier blogs. I have followed Corbyn for very many years, not always agreeing with everything he says but admiring the way he sticks to his principles and his honesty. When he takes on a cause he is faithful to it. I unexpectedly found this out a few years ago when he supported a five year campaign in which I was involved. Unobstrusively but always there. Now I am returning the compliment. I am lucky that my local CLP is pro-Corbyn - I cannot imagine how it must feel to be working for someone who may shaft him the moment the election is over.

In the words of the song [!]: Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer/
We'll keep the red flag flying here. Keep the faith brothers and sisters.

So I am confident in recommending Jeremy Corbyn as our future Prime Minister.

^{Elizannie​ x}

I am not so vain as to think you may have noticed a bit of a gap in my blogs lately. However lots has been going on in the Elizannie world: family stuff and mounds of building work in the new abode. But still a party activist with plenty to say!

Who would live in a house with a [new] bedroom window like this?  
                                                                  ^{Elizannie​ x}

Deck the Halls [1] - O! Christmas Tree!

I love a well decorated house. But a decorating house elf would be very welcome:

The Christmas Trees:
For many years Elizannie and Other Half bought 'real' Christmas Trees until persuaded that this was not a good idea ecologically and also by the amount of tidying up caused by pine needles resulting in anti-social behaviour and language on the part of Elizannie. Also a visitor finding pine needles under the furniture in October was slightly embarrassing. And the year when 90% of the pine needles had fallen by Christmas Day sent us out on the day after Boxing Day to buy a 'really good' artificial tree in the sales. Which we decorated and put in the place of the ailing real tree before Youngest Daughter came home from her boyfriend's the next day, much to her bewilderment.

But as usual this year, I forgot the routine for removing the Christmas trees [we also have a  fibre optic one for the porch. Love it] from their year round hidey holes. They live in the wardrobe at the far corner of the yellow bedroom. And the doors open in such a way that one cannot remove the trees lengthwise, but they must be levered out at a sort of angle [45 degrees is the optimum] as one door is opened, then reverse the angle of the tree boxes [roughly 63.5] to enable closure of that door and opening of the other. Then, as the wjole boxes emerge slide them CAREFULLY along toward the room door, perform a three point turn around the end of the bed, and slide boxes out into the landing. Once the trees have been removed from boxes a sort of reverse process takes place to put them back into the wardrobe, whole thing to be repeated on 12th night.

Luckily the fibre optic tree fits together quite easily and as long as the transformer has been put away in the right place that is soon up and running. The tree for the lounge is more problematic, a bit more like a 3D jigsaw, and an alphabet puzzle all at once. If the wrongly lettered branches are slotted into the wrong level the result resembles a giant lavatory brush so extreme caution must be taken. And if the basic error of putting the lights on first has been made, no matter how artistic the arrangement of the tree decorations they all have to come off and a re-start employed... And surely those lights worked last year. We wouldn't have put away dud ones, would you?

Oh the decorations! They live in the loft of course. And the boxes/suitcases in which they abide of course have grown during the year and the loft hatch is again inhospitable.... Other Half is not encouraged by Elizannie not being able to remember how many containers there are in the loft, and her insistance that there must be more 'up there' and his fruitless search, only to be told that 'O, I remember now, I threw those decorations away last year' bring forth an unseasonable response.

But opening the tree decorations is a mini festival! All those tacky, beautiful home made ones, even some Other Half made at junior school. Those which represent 'stages' of the children's interests: Disney films, nursery rhymes etc. The lovely nativity scenes bought at various cathedrals around the country. All so valuable whether bought in Harrods or homemade. Sugar canes to commemorate Canadian and American friends and relatives. Some decorations with their greetings in Welsh. Plenty bearing the word 'Peace' - surely the most important of Christmas wishes. The angel on the top to remind us of all those who have gone ahead of us. And if one can rope in a few children to help dress the tree, all the better. [I am not advocating tying the children to the tree but to hang the decorations onto the tree] And if you hear me humming 'O, Christmas Tree'  - actually it is really 'The Red Flag' - the tune is the same....


Photograph of a different style of 'Christmas tree' courtesy:
http://www.thecakestore.co.uk/christmas-tree-cupcake-tower/#.UqXHePRdXHw        
My only connection to this company is my greed.....

Put Out More Flags*

Here's the thing. I am not patriotic as such - I worry that patriotism can lead to the sort of nationalism that can lead to wars. But I do believe that one should try to make where one lives a better place and in fact one has a duty so to do.

Also I love a good celebration. So I am not adverse to joining in with the odd jubilee party, with a few reservations of course!

Firstly, I am not paying extra for stuff like iced cakes just because instead of the usual pink or yellow icing they are iced in red & blue & white. Come on! And wrapping a loaf of bread in a red, white and blue plastic bag will not make me buy it for the sandwiches over the Co-op's own - when they are placed on the table who sees the wrapping!

Secondly, all the 'tat' [aka 'memorabilia'] that is being sold in the name of the jubilee celebrations is really winding me up - especially as so much is as made not in the UK - if we want to get souvenirs, we could still make our own or ensure that any we do buy is made in the UK or commonwealth, couldn't we?

Thirdly - and to me most importantly - the Union flags and bunting. This can actually be quite divisive to many of our citizens. Very many of us are not completely 'British'. And even those who are, may feel - as I do - that it has never been fair to those of us with Welsh blood that the Union flag does not represent all the UK nations. [Don't start with the 'Wales is a principality argument'. It does not wash with us] So this set me off thinking. Rather than exclude all those in these islands who feel excluded by the Union flag, lets all fly flags that are important to us along side it.

So I have just got out some of the flags which are important to me and which I have marched under at various times, or flown from my front door! Of course I had to take a photo and in no particular order: the Red Flag, the Peace Flag, my Union Flag [Unite], the Union Flag [checking that it is the right way up], the Welsh Dragon and St David's Flags.

So lets all Put Out More Flags, celebrate what is important to us and our differences and have a good Bank Holiday!



This blog was inspired by Bethan Jenkins AM

*This is the title of a novel by Evelyn Waugh. The titles are the only things Waugh and I have in common.

The Red Flag

For various reasons I have recently been 're-visiting' the story and history of the working class 'anthem' The Red Flag

It all started over a literary discussion that I was leading on the internet when I was explaining the history of the song to the mostly American members of the group and as I realised that perhaps there were a few British group members that may not have known the history I thought perhaps I could make the song the subject of a blog on here. So here goes.

The song 'The Red Flag' was/ some say still is the anthem of the Labour Party. It was written in 1889 by Jim Connell, an Irishman. Connell originally intended it to be sung to the tune of a pro-Jacobite Robert Burns anthem, "The White Cockade". Clicking on the blog title will take one to a web page set up to celebrate Connell and the song with versions of it sung by Billy Bragg. However it is normally sung to the tune of the German carol "O Tannenbaum" [O Christmas Tree] and usually only the first and last verses and choruses are sung [full version below] Personally I think the penultimate verse is particularly pertinent today! For the 'traditional' version sang to 'Tannenbaum' go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cj5_9mZY7Q&NR=1

The story of the origins of the Red Flag as a revolutionary symbol are varied, and although I always treat information on Wikipedia with caution there is quite a good page here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_flag#The_song_.22The_Red_Flag.22

This page shows the story of its British origins, which is the one I was always told, that in S.Wales in Merthyr Tydfil [which at the time was the capital of Wales]

Two red flags flown by marchers during the Merthyr riots of 1831 in South Wales were soaked in calf's blood. The red flags of Merthyr became a potent relic following the execution of early trade unionist Dic Penderyn (Richard Lewis) in
August 1831 despite a public campaign to pardon him.

Dic Penderyn is a hero of mine so maybe the subject for another blog.....

The 'Red Flag' was one of the 'lullabyes' I used to sing to my children [and grandchildren] when babies. They had a very eclectic mix of songs as lullabyes! When my mother was buried her coffin left the church to the tune of the Red Flag which was a proud and fitting moment as a tribute to a true Christian Socialist. I have stood underneath the red flags of the UNITE union when demonstrating for equality for workers.

The people's flag is deepest red,
It shrouded oft our martyred dead,
And ere their limbs grew stiff and cold,
Their hearts' blood dyed its every fold.

Then raise the scarlet standard high. (chorus)
Within its shade we live and die,
Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer,
We'll keep the red flag flying here.

Look round, the Frenchman loves its blaze,
The sturdy German chants its praise,
In Moscow's vaults its hymns were sung
Chicago swells the surging throng.

It waved above our infant might,
When all ahead seemed dark as night;
It witnessed many a deed and vow,
We must not change its colour now.

It well recalls the triumphs past,
It gives the hope of peace at last;
The banner bright, the symbol plain,
Of human right and human gain.

It suits today the weak and base,
Whose minds are fixed on pelf and place
To cringe before the rich man's frown,
And haul the sacred emblem down.

With head uncovered swear we all
To bear it onward till we fall;
Come dungeons dark or gallows grim,
This song shall be our parting hymn.

Picture above courtesy of  http://blogs.fayobserver.com/blog.fayobserver.com/files/4f/4f491d57-ad53-4186-b576-233f9f8c67db.jpeg