The Angst of Auntie Farr

Severnside Together Against Nuclear Development called a protest today outside Hitachi HQ in Gloucester to mark the second anniversary of the Fukushima disaster, and to hand in a letter opposing plans for a new nuclear development on the River Severn at Oldbury, which passed peacefully!

Some folks were a bit dismayed by the NIMBY attitude of a few, though. ‘Wrong Place’. Is there a right place for Nuclear Power then??

Despite how ruddy freezing it was, the turnout wasn’t bad, and there was much singing and playing in the ‘designated protest area’, which some of us watched and photographed from the main entrance doors shielding the ever-popular G4S security. Included in our numbers was an older lady with a bad back who needed to lean, a mother and child and those forever ‘hijacking’protests’ anarcho types!

Extra security were called and the police turned up in a CCTV van. Only one friendly copper (who recognised some of us from other local protests) seemed present though, and he was quite jovial when he came over with one of the STAND organisers who told us to move away from the doors or they wouldn’t be allowed to hand in their letter. We moved, in our own time, and after explaining to the ode bill about the lady’s back and pointing out the child and also that no-one had came or left since we’d been there – and we weren’t actually blocking the door, and he was fine.

As Forest residents, the planned power station at Oldbury is as much our concern as anyone else’s but sadly, yet again, the precious ‘if you’re not in our club and don’t do exactly what we say then you’re not welcome’ attitude was present from a few, though the Facebook event read –  ‘Whatever your reason for opposing new Nuclear Power at Oldbury – please come and join us in this non-violent action to let Hitachi Horizon feel the strength of our opposition!’

We all had to leave so that the letter would be accepted, and there was an attempt to herd us out of the way. We left happily and under our own steam. No-one was interested in cocking up what STAND had decided they wanted to do, but it would be nice if some of them were a little less judgmental regarding outside support.

So, Mr whoever you are who ain’t me Dad, we were there to support you and protest peacefully, and during your 50 years in activism you may have noticed that sometimes you need more than allowed designated pens, songsheets and a ‘don’t break my toys’ vibe to make an impact and be noticed – which, shock horror, doesn’t have to include molotovs!

Peace out!

***’UPDATE! Amazing and fortunate but…

A security mix-up has given us more time, due to the lack of an identity card(!)

But the family will be held until 10:30pm tonight while there is an attempt to book them on to another flight tonight or tomorrow. Please keep calling for the end to this deportation to the flight companies and politicians. We need to make sure that there is no deportation at all.’***

From my friend, Shrouk:

*If you need names it’s Ms Saleh and her 2 children*
My mother’s house was raided earlier today at 6am by UKBA officers and they dragged my family (including my 2 younger siblings) out of bed. For the past 5 years my family have been claiming asylum in the UK based on domestic violence. They were arrested to be deported at 3pm today and snatched them from me right in front of my eyes. They are currently handcuffed in Heathrow Airport even though their case is still going and we even have a court date next month. Please ring the airline on 08448221110 or 02070 134955 02087593635 or to ask them to stop the flight! The flight details are: 3:00pm Terminal 3 (though there was mention of Terminal 4) 0208 7593 635 Seems to be the number to ring now. Flight no. MS778

Today, like thousands of others, I sat staring at Twitter with my finger on the refresh button as news that the jury in the Ian Tomlinson manslaughter trial had finally reached a verdict. When the tweets rolled in stating, despite video evidence,  that PC Harwood had been found not guilty by a majority verdict, I hit an intense emotional rollercoaster. Primarily, I felt for his family, who I’d met when I supplied a stage at a fundraiser for them a couple of years ago. Three years of heartache and no justice at the end of it?

It’s not the end though – far from it. The family issued a statement today and will be taking the case to the civil courts. I am in awe of their undying strength and fight. If only everyone found that within them…

Then I fluctuated between being upset and being angry. No, FUCKING angry!! More info flooded in about how the jury were unaware of Harwood’s previous disciplinary stuff, and how his career in the police was checkered and questionable, to say the least!

Then I wondered what kind of jury, after the previous one at the inquest had found him guilty of unlawful killing, could find this clearly lacking in self-control fucker innocent?!  If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say it was down to most of them being afraid to have their’ cards marked’ or being judgemental about someone down on their luck. I really can’t fathom where any reasonable doubt comes in, can you?!

This cannot be the end of this on so many levels. State oppression and what they get away with is getting out of control and has to stop.

Even though they’ll get Legal Aid for the civil suit, Ian’s family are going to have to raise dosh to cover their expenses, so please get involved with fundraising. Set something up and contact them by clicking here.

The good folks of Norwich, who we worked with last time on this, are already making plans for a benefit gig, which we’ll be involved with again. But for now, my wee contribution is the song I wrote after that last gig – No April Fools’. You can download either the acoustic or electro version (with Rev Dread) below for 79p or more, and all proceeds after Bandcamp and Paypal fees will go into the pot.

Please do something! Unity is everything, and this is too big to be tomorrow’s chip paper. x

I don’t know an awful lot about directorships and the like. I’m a simple sole trader kind of girl. But I know when I smell rats. The last minute cancellation of this festival, and how the organisers have tried to lay blame at the feet of the establishment (which I’d love to be true – you know me), when it very much looks like they fucked up deliberately, is odd to say the least.

It always felt odd, but I got involved because one of those helping out is a mate, and he’s sound, if slightly naive about what he gets involved in, plus the desire to stay out of trouble on Jubilee weekend was, sadly, rather strong. We’ve all also got to try and scrape a living.

Anyway, I’ve been snooping and it all seems a bit wrong in a rich boy vaguely legal scam sort of way. So let’s start with Jamonit Events – the organisers of The Last Jubilee – and their director details.

The registered address is:-

C/O ASHWORTH & CO OLD FAIRFIELD,
BROMPTON REGIS
DULVERTON TA22 9NL

though on their website it says it’s:-

Jamonit Events
Mendip Business Park
Mendip Road
Rooksbridge
Somerset
BS26 2UG

The director is one Michael John Wilkins, who is also director of Last Jubilee Ltd and Somerset Chilli Ltd, all of which are registered at the above c/o address, and all of which were registered on 12th March 2012.

That same address also has eight registered directors (ignore the Dr and Mr. Willis, they’re of different addresses, but with the same postcode) though, if you look at the list, it actually looks like 4 people at most, all of which have the surname Ashworth.

One of them (or possibly three of them), Michael Grahame Ashworth, has no less than 39 directorships/company secretary roles, 1 of which is currently in liquidation, and 15 dissolved. Lots of them are tiny, some appear never to have traded, though some have had big turnovers that haven’t lasted. Some of them are registered at the above c/o address, others in Essex. Interesting stuff anyway.

Jeremy Sellick, frontman among the Last Jubilee organisers, also has a dissolved business from the same c/o address from 2006 called West Country Larders Ltd . The secretary was the very same Michael Grahame Ashworth. There are also a couple of other Jeremy Sellicks with the same month and year of birth who had companies in the late 90s in Berkshire and London that are now dissolved.

RATS!

We were taking The Something Else Tea Tent as the acoustic third stage with several acts booked. We weren’t informed that the event was cancelled and had to read about it on the racecourse website and the local rag. Pissed off much?!
We were told that the event was sponsored by a food and drinks company, yet they couldn’t furnish requests on average food prices with an answer? This and more is covered on Black Flag’s article about the whole fucking mess. We were also told that we couldn’t sell our own tea, but they would provide it free of charge. We weren’t going to say no to freebees, but we sell over 20 types of tea. Then we were told that we couldn’t sell coffee at all. We requested that they supply us coffee if they liked, but not selling it is quite ridiculous and not negotiable. I’m guessing now that they’d have attempted to price fix us, too.

The urge to pull was great, but we’d got acts booked, a lot of which had also agreed to play the cancelled Chilli Festival. We’d agreed to be there, so figured we’d try and find a way around it with them.

I offered my paperwork weeks ago and asked for a trader’s form as we sell drinks and cake, but apparently it wasn’t required. I did point out that, much as it’s nice to do everything DIY and outside of the system, that in the real world if all paperwork for everything wasn’t in place that the council would come down hard on them, but what do I know. I’ve only been working the circuit with a venue for 5 years and never went to public school.

We were also supposed to be on the Chilli Festival, too, which Jamonit were organising for the weekend before, then it was cancelled. Then it reappeared for the same weekend as this one at the same venue?! I did relax as it got to this week, though, and while rumours flew about how bad ticket sales were – 300, then 900, I was assured it was double the latter. Even though that figure wasn’t   brilliant, and I know some acts who were offered less money over the last couple of weeks because of it, ( Sicknote were binned off the line up for daring to negotiate! ) we figured we’d have a laugh in our anarcho hole and with several newer political punk/folk acts performing.

I’ve read several reports of folks going to the racecourse today and there not being the slightest sign of a festival there. No stages, marquees, lighting, fencing, signs..not even a bog. They clearly knew before this morning that it wasn’t going on.

If I had a theory, it would be that Jamonit Events deliberately held back on polishing their turd so as to blame the establishment for their own incompetence. Now I’m over unorganising 50 odd artists and crew, stock orders etc etc, and over losing money, I’m glad that we’re not part of this scam.

No doubt some bands will bitch about contractually expected dosh and how they could have been somewhere else and all that jizz, but surely the biggest concern at the moment is that the punters get their hard earned dosh back, booking fee et al.

Get rich quick scam? Tax dodge? Whatever it is, if they decide to dissolve these  companies, then no-one gets their dosh back. So if you bought tickets, for fuck’s sake act quickly.

And to the organisers – your websites are shit, your organisation skills are shit, and it’s very possible that your chosen target this time is going to get you some of the shit you deserve. Fuckers!

It is done!! But now I need your help to get it viral!

I know I’m not the only one who utterly despises being a pawn in these despicable rich Tory boy games.

My anger peaked somewhat when the NHS Reform Bill was passed, despite massive opposition from just about everyone (including from the House of Lords whose decisions and recommendations on the bill were dismissed) , closely followed the very next day by a budget that further crippled the poor while benefiting the rich.

Over those two days I wrote and recorded this song in some vague attempt to calm down a bit!

It proved to be very popular, even among those that dislike the ‘C’ word (not Cameron, the other one), and I received a ton of pressure about whacking it out to try and chart.

I’m very much a DIY girl who has massive issues with corporations and the mainstream in general, so I dismissed the idea initially.

Then I got to thinking that it could have the potential to raise some much needed funds for the anti-cuts/anti-capitalist/anti-fascist collectives I’m involved with, so I thought ‘fuck it, why not?!’

Does this make me a sell-out? Only if you’re a bit blinkered, methinks. And let’s keep it real. At best, it’ll probably spend half an hour in the top 40 of some obscure download chart somewhere and piss off a few Tory wankers.

All good with me!!!

Then came the idea of a video for it.

I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s full of juicy wrongness and we all had ridiculous fun making it!

There were suggestions made to release it for the Olympic Opening Ceremony, but then came the news that those clueless, phallically-challenged Tory toffs were also aiming to ban Bank Holidays!

So here it is in time for May Day, the most significant Bank Holiday of them all!

You can buy the track for 79p via the following links (cringes and spits) and help raise some funds to keep fighting the devastation these utterly out-of-touch, gaffawing shitheads are set on subjecting us to (cringes, spits and feels a bit violent).

iTunes

Bandcamp

Spotify

And, of course, you can just download it for free on

Soundcloud

For a radio edit, contact somethingelse08@btinternet.com

And here’s the video !!

Enjoy (hopefully as much as we did making it) and we’d be very grateful if you’d share it all about. Thanks!

Proper huge thanks to..

Cosmo for recording/mastering/producing the song, his support and being such a creative inspiration!

Lucie Jade for being such an amazing director on the video as well as filming  and then editing it in just 2 days!

And, of course, to everyone who turned up to the shoot and made it possible..you are ALL stars!!!

And to you! xxx

Cameron, I Would Call You A C**t Fackbook Page

Muddy Summers and the Dirty Field Whores Fashbook Page

As an anarchist, equality is a massive deal to me, so when I see campaigns that appear to make one section of society more important than others it, quite frankly, makes my shit itch.

Currently, that’ll be the buzz around the domestic violence issue, and the way that violence from men against women is somehow ‘special’ in the eyes of some folks. It’s not. Domestic Violence is shit, regardless of which door you pee behind, and methinks that those desperate to add some kind of severity grading chart to this issue should maybe focus on levels, frequency and, most importantly of all, causes. And definitely NOT gender.

To close doors or make anyone who needs help and support  feel that their needs are somehow inferior isn’t progressive.

Domestic violence isn’t exclusive to heterosexual relationships any more than it is to gender. Among many lesbian, gay and trans couples, whether gender roles are taken on or not, violence can occur from either side.

Surely, to move forward, this has to be seen as a human issue (as I know it is by many), and not just a women’s one, and more support put into place for those dishing it out.

Anyway, it’s International Women’s Day, so last night, after a few ales, we recorded a slightly altered version of Billy Bragg’s Valentine’s Day is Over.

Yes, it’s supposed to be a little tongue-in-cheek given the day, but violence from women isn’t something to be played down or dismissed. Violence is violence.

A year ago, after giving the Tories some grief during their conference in Cardiff, we wandered into the Welsh LibDem Conference after party at the Angel Hotel with the intention of locating their chocolate fountain. Sadly, their tiny budget didn’t allow for such luxuries, so they got a dose of anarcho folk and dancing instead, as well as nearly four hours of us engaging with them about the coalition, drinking their booze and getting them to admit that Nick Clegg was a cunt.

We were invited to return the following year by Sian Cliff, then prospective AM for Penarth (well, as much as the LibDems can be in Wales), so it seemed rude not to make an appearance. Apart from anything else, we’d googled Sian after meeting her last year, and wanted to ask her about the time she pretended to be a nurse on some LibDem campaign literature, and how she thought that had affected her chances of getting into the Welsh Assembly.

This year, the venue had moved to the Mercure Hotel. We thought it’d be nice to go along with a few friends and fellow South Wales Anarchists this time, so in we all wandered wearing our posh as fuck homemade rosettes and armed with the words to Cosmo’s version of Love Me, I’m A Liberal. I’m sure it would be unfair to gauge the importance of the Welsh LibDems by the non-existence of any security whatsoever but, for the second year running, no-one stopped us making a beeline for the bar.

The first recognisable face I clocked was the ‘Tory Twat’ who’d made some watery attempt at kicking off at us last year. The conversation between him and his colleagues as we waited to be served overpriced drinks turned to punk rock. One of them was overheard saying that the LibDems were the closest party to Anarchism. Oh, how we laughed.

While we were sat down drinking and sussing where best to perform, in walk a pair of fuck-me-shoes. ‘Sian!’ I thought. Sadly, it wasn’t. It turns out that she wasn’t even there this weekend. How terribly rude to invite folks and not bother to turn up!

We wandered over to where the hub of the party was (I use this term loosely. It was more like the usual backslapping bullshit with added alcohol). Out came the guitar, songword sheets were dished out to our largely confused audience, and the craic commenced.

We did manage to get most of the words out, despite uncontrollable giggles at the reaction. One woman ripped the songwords up, there was much initial agogness and then some trying to talk very loudly over us. Unfortunately for them, their deep, my balls have dropped further than yours because I went to public school tones were no match for us. We were already turned up to 11.

Cosmo – Love Me I’m A Liberal UK 2012

A couple of blokes did attempt a funny half way through the first song by chucking some loose change into the guitar case, and then skipped off with smug expressions. Bless them. It reminded me of my Dad’s sense of humour. He’d have been 91 this year. At least they didn’t dance.

The hotel manager turned up just after the second song – Strike! Occupy! Resist! – had started. At this point, I was having my hair touched by the girl in the fuck-me-shoes who felt the need to make it clear that she wasn’t a LibDem. Then she confessed to being a sponsor ‘which I know is worse’. The manager had asked us to leave, and instructed the bar staff to phone the police. When asked why he’d done that, and had it pointed out that we’d spent money in is bar, he said it closed to the public at 11pm. You’ve already broken your own rules there then, big man. It was 2am.

Cosmo – Strike! Occupy! Resist!

One of the blokes who’d chucked pennies in the guitar case, after proclaiming that ‘we hate the Tories more than you do’ (it’s not a competition, love) decided to make a speech, which started with ‘I know we won’t ever agree politically, but..’ and ended with ‘Let’s give them a round of applause.’ Nice attempt at patronisation, sunshine, but your gritted teeth spoke much clearer than you did.

I also liked his comment about our gorgeously crafted rosettes. ‘Not very original, are they? You can buy them on the Labour Party website.’

‘Oi! I used my best felt tip pens on these!’

Just before we left, I spotted the nice chap who got us pissed while engaging with him last year. He only vaguely remembered it as he was ‘very drunk’. At least he knows where all the money in his wallet went now, and can rest easy that no call girl or drug scandal will dent his clearly thriving career.

We waved goodbye and said we’d see them next year.

The ‘Tory Twat’ from last year followed us to the bar doors as we made our escape. I’m beginning to think that the perfect smug expression is part of the LibDem initiation training process. He obviously doesn’t come across the working class fuck you council estate hardstare too often, mind. He didn’t hang around to wave us off.

The manager and some dogsbody of his tried to escort us orf the premises, even though we were leaving anyway, much to the disgust of one of the more distinguished ladies in our group. ‘Fuck off, mate, I’ll see myself out. I don’t need a fucking escort!’ Or something like that. She refused to move, so he backed down and came down ahead, muttering about how he’s used to dealing with children.

‘Thankfully, so are we, love. Enjoy your power wank!’

With a glass raised in their direction, we were out of there….til next year.

‘

My report on a demo at Tesco in Cardiff on Radical Wales.

Boycott Workfare at Tesco.

Click links below pics for PDFs.

BWFlyer PDF

BWWElsh PDF

Demo flyers in PDF – English and Welsh

Click on links BELOW pics to download.

Boycott Workfare – Boycott Tesco flyer PDF

Boicotiwch Workfare – Boicotiwch Tesco (Welsh) PDF