News Feed - Bristol Radical History Group

Rebellion in Patagonia

Rebellion in Patagonia (Spanish: La Patagonia rebelde) is a 1974 Argentine film directed by Héctor Olivera and written by Olivera with Osvaldo Bayer and Fernando Ayala, based on Osvaldo Bayer\\\'s renowned novel Los Vengadores de la Patagonia Trágica ("The Avengers of Tragic Patagonia"), based upon the military suppression of anarchist union movements in Santa Cruz Province in the early 1920s. It was entered into the 24th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear In the […]

Lessons from the Tredegar Medical Aid Society

The Tredegar Medical Aid Society was founded in Tredegar in South Wales in 1890. In return for a contribution from its members it supplied free health care. This society contributed the model which established the British National Health Service The provenance of John’s talk is a series of events which began last year. After recounting these events, he will discuss the lessons which he has learnt from his research into, and his reflections about the Tredegar Medical Aid Society. He will conclude […]

Sheila Coleman

The recent debate in the House of Commons which culminated in a decision to release all Hillsborough documents was generally perceived as a victory for those fighting for justice. The debate arose because of an e-petition to release documents. The e-petition was initiated after the Hillsborough Justice Campaign issued a statement condemning the government for appealing the Information Commissioner's ruling that it was in the public interest to release (under Freedom of Information), the minutes […]

Liverpool 1911 – A City On The Edge

Steve Higginson "Rhythms That Carry" "You need not attach great importance to the rioting in Liverpool last night. It took place in an area where disorder is a chronic feature". - Winston Churchill When Churchill made this statement to Parliament, Liverpool was under martial law: a gunboat was moored on the Mersey, dockers, seafarers, and transport workers were on general strike. Rhythms that Carry, will explore and illuminate new histories concerning the events of 1911. In 1886, a magazine […]

Hydra Bookshop Opening

A talk by Ian Bone - '1919 – year of revolution' - Maria Spiridonova, Jaroslav Hasek, Gabriel D’Annunzio, Percy Fisher, Simon Radowitzgy, Gustav Landauer, Max Holz. Listen to this talk: Download this talk (29 Mb mp3 file) Watch this talk:

The August ‘Riots’

missing thumb

Includes a showing of the film Rebellion in Tottenham 2011 The August 'riots' were portrayed by the media and politicians as the actions of 'greedy feral youth' within a 'criminal underclass'. Most of these politically loaded explanations were presented before what had happened was even known. Using hard research and the voices of participants, this event will provide an analysis of the 'riots' of August, considering what (actually) happened, who was involved and how they did it. It will also […]

The Bible: The most dangerous book in the world?

missing thumb

At Hooper House Cafe Part of Bristol Festival of Literature. Canon Tim Higgins, Bristol Radical History Group, Marvin Rees For more than 400 years, the Bible has been available to anyone who can read English. This legacy is all around us. The guests go head to head in this debate to see if it qualifies as a truly ‘radical’ text. Listen to this talk: Download this talk (47 Mb mp3 files)

Beddoes Plaque Unveiling

A short "affixing ceremony" to fit a plaque to mark the grave of Thomas Beddoes. Present will be Mike Jay, author of The Atmosphere Of Heaven: The Unnatural Experiments of Dr Beddoes and His Sons of Genius and members of the Beddoes family. There will be gathering at the Rodney Hotel (4 Rodney Place, Clifton, off Clifton Down Road) at about 1.00pm. There will be a small display to put up in the bar and some of Mike Jay's books for sale. At 3.00pm there will be a stroll around Clifton with a few […]

Wapping 1986-87

Film: Despite The Sun The Wapping print dispute was one of the last large set-piece battles between the labour movement and the Thatcher regime and had ramifications that are still being felt today - in the working conditions of millions and in the way in which the mass media operates. On January 24, 1986, Rupert Murdoch's News International group with the support of the Thatcher government moved production of its four national newspapers to Wapping in London's Docklands. Over 5,000 production […]

Sober Living For The Revolution: Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge And Radical Politics

'Straight edge' has persisted as a drug-free, hardcore punk subculture for 25 years. Its political legacy remains ambiguous and it is often associated with self-righteous macho posturing and conservative Puritanism. While certain elements of straight edge culture feed into such perception, the cultureʼs political history is far more complex. Since straight edgeʼs origins in Washington, D.C. in the early 1980s, it has been linked to radical thought and action by countless individuals, bands, and […]