News Feed - Bristol Radical History Group

Radical History ‘From Below’

Brecht Forum, 451 West Street (between Bank & Bethune Streets), New York, NY 10014 The 'History Workshop' movement was founded in 1966 in Ruskin College, Oxford, U.K. by the Marxist academic Raphael Samuel, a champion of 'history from below.' He famously defined this movement as being "the belief that history is or ought to be a collaborative enterprise, one in which the researcher, the archivist, the curator and the teacher, the 'do-it-yourself' enthusiast and the local historian, the […]

Radical History Walk

Part of the Trapese Popular Education Collective's 'Start Producing the Future'. The walk will take in the scenes of some radical activism, both ancient and modern, and compare this with the actions of the 'mob'. Why did a man on a donkey in Corn Street and a Cambridge geek befriending the landlord of the Seven Stars had such an impact on the World. Why did a mob burn down Queen's Square in 1831? Who ate all the pies in 1832? What caused the Bristol Bridge Riot. Which brave man (or could it […]

Suffragette

Garrett Vrs. Churchill 12pm Bristol Temple Meads On 15th 1909 November in Temple Meads Station Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary, stepped from a railway carriage and was attacked by Theresa Garnett (a member of the Women's Social and Political Union) who was wielding a riding crop. Or, as Votes For Women put it: Moved by the spirit of pure chivalry, Miss Garnett took what she thought to be the best available means of avenging the insult done to womanhood by the Government to which Mr. […]

No Retreat

Bristol Indymedia & Bristol Radical History are pleased to welcome Steve Tilzey, one of the authors of No Retreat - a powerful account of their fight-back against far-right Nazis and racists on the streets of the UK from the 70s though to the 90s. With the BNP gaining two seats in the European elections, the authors deliver constant and powerful message that fascism thrives when the working-class is ignored and betrayed - and we ignore it’s rise at our peril. Colin Thomas will also be […]

Bridport

Talks At The Town Hall Introduced by Roger, Steve Mills and Kev Davis talk about social crime and punishment, and smuggling in Poole. Listen to these talks: Roger Ball Steve Mills Kev davis Listen to Roger's introduction(8 MB 22 mins mp3 file) Listen to Steve Mill's Talk (9 MB 19 mins mp3 file) Listen to Kevin Davis' Talk (8.5 MB 36 mins mp3 file) Fun In Bucky Doo Square The recreation of a satirical pirate trial as related in Villains of all Nations and Johnson’s History of Piracy, plus some […]

Bristol Anarchist Bookfair

As well as having our book stall at the 2009 Bristol Anarchist Book Fair some members of the BRHG mob gave a series of talks in conjunction with Bristol Indymedia. From Peterloo to Captain Swing: Victims or Insurgents? - Roger A BRHG talk on the hidden history of struggle in the 19th century. It focuses on how and why major struggles have been ignored or distorted by the left as well as the right. See the slides from this talk (1.25 MB pdf file) A Brief History of Corporations - Dan Bennett A […]

Working Class Bookfair

Talks by BRHG stalwarts contributed to The Working Class Bookfair Where Now For The Left? - Ian Bone Ian Bone, Class Warrior, Ciaran Walsh IWW (involved in Traveller education), plus one other speaker (tbc). It has become common place to patronise working class people, whether those who tell us that we don't exist or the condescending description of us as 'chavs' etc. and 'dole scum'. We are working class and we are proud of it. The British working class is the oldest in the world created in the […]

The Enemy Without: Coal, Class & Climate

As a follow up to the history of the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike we consider the legacy of this momentous event and the environmental and social contradictions it has thrown up since. A panel of experts will talk about little known past struggles which transcended the current narrative of 'jobs versus environment' and debate contemporary struggles over energy and labour. As the eco-systemic crisis increases what is the future of coal? If there needs to be a move to a low carbon economy how do we work […]

Who The Hell Is Thomas Paine?

On the 200th anniversary of Paine’s death, Peter Clark explains the contemporary importance of his writings that were so influential in the revolutionary ferment of the late 18th Century. Paine redefined the nature of political discourse with his ground-breaking views on human rights, democracy, the open society, racial equality, women's rights and the welfare state. Clark questions why this great British thinker is fêted in France and the United States yet remains a prophet without fortune in […]

Welcome To A World Of Paine

Come and celebrate the life of one of Britain’s greatest yet least known radical thinkers, Thomas Paine. Under the light of the full moon, join us in toasting the memory of this hero of the French and American revolutions with stories round the bonfire, cider, pikes and guillotines. Dress: Fancy and French, Attitude: Seditious. Download an A4 poster for this event (1.2 MB jpeg file).