Organised by Bridgwater Trades Union Council, the event attracted 30 people and even the weather brightened up for the evening.

Find out more on the Bridgwater & District Trades Union Council blog.

Part 1

Part 2

In addition to this the Bristol Fist Of May Group are putting on many eight events. You can find details of these on their website.

America 1953 – A country made paranoid by McCarthy’s anti-communist witch-hunts is beginning to march to the sound of civil rights, the birth of rock and roll and the new ‘teenage’ rebel.

Two Liverpool merchant seamen, Eddie and Vinnie – both ‘Cunard Yanks’, meet up in a New York dockside bar to drink away the afternoon before their ship sails for home. But all is not as it seems as past tensions threaten to overwhelm their future plans.

In a studio in New York Legendary director Elia Kazan works on the screenplay for ‘On The Waterfront’, still haunted by his decision to ‘name names’ at Senator McCarthys witch-hunting hearings, with ex-brother in arms, playwright Arthur Miller, perched on his shoulder as the conscience of America.

And looming large over all is the smouldering presence of Marlon Brando, fresh from the critical acclaim of the Wild One and awaiting his entrance as longshoreman Terry Malloy in On The Water Front, in the film that will truly launch him on to the world stage.

Loyalties and friendships are tested in this fast tale of brotherhood and betrayal, secrets and showdowns. And all the time, Brando waits for his moment….

Waiting for Brando is directed by Carl Cockram, a well-known and experienced director, who also stars as Arthur Miller. The other members of an all-star Liverpool cast are Paul Duckworth, Joe Shipman and Michael Ryan. The play is supported by Arts Council England, The Unity Theatre’s Making Art scheme, and features as part of the 2012 Writing on the Wall Festival.

Manchester Radical History Group – Saturday 31st March at the Town Hall Tavern, 2:30pm. “Practical Experiences & Endeavours of the Bristol Radical History Group”

Liverpool/John Moores University – Wednesday May 2, 6:30-8:30pm at 126 Mount Pleasant.
Leeds: Thursday 29^th March
London: Housemans Bookshop: Wednesday 25^th April

“The Short Hot Summer”.

The August ‘riots’ were portrayed by the media and politi-cians as the actions of ‘greedy feral youth’ or ‘gangs’ within a ‘criminal underclass’. Most of these politically loaded ex-planations were presented before what had happened was even known. Using hard research and the voices of partici-pants, this event will provide an analysis of the ‘riots’ of August, considering what (actually) happened, who was in-volved and how they did it. This approach is complimented by a critique of the content and use of government statis-tics and the representation of the disturbances in the media and mainstream politics.

The seminar discussion will be complimented by a show-ing of the short film ‘Rebellion in Tottenham 2011’.

From the Great Plague to the Plague of Women: Purity, Misogyny and Female Enclosure

Steve Higginson will interpret the re-birth of misogyny by looking at the period of the Great Plague, 1345 onwards, and the great moralising discourse that swept across Europe post plaque. Located within this discourse of purity, women were viewed as both cause and effect of the plague, and were to be “enclosed” accordingly within the domestic sphere. The purity campaign against women was attributable to a re-reading of the Old Testament plus a resurgance of interest in Aristotlian ethics.

Steve hails from Liverpool and was a rank and file organiser in the Communication Workers Union. Now a post-graduate, Steve lectures at John Moores University. His recent projects include an examination of time, memory and movement in port cities (principally Liverpool) as co-author of Edgy Cities (2006). He has been a regular contributor to Bristol Radical History Group events.