John Locke is the most famous philosopher born and raised in the vicinity of Bristol. He born in Wrington, Somerset about 12 miles from Bristol on August 29, 1632 and he was brought up in the market town of Pensford, about seven miles south of Bristol. Locke is also not only the main intellectual founder of liberalism, but also of neoliberalism, the “ruling idea” of the ruling class of today. George Caffentzis is associate professor in the Department of Philosophy, University of Southern Maine, […]
When Bristol Radical History Group staged a series of events called Down With The Fences! The Struggle For The Global Commons in May 2008, a group of leading academics found themselves together in an Eastville living room. They talked about what they would like to say to the leaders of the G8 countries who were soon to meet in Hokkaido, Japan. The result of their discussions, published under the name of the ‘Emergency Exit Collective’, is The Bristol Manifesto.
Where did corporations come from and how did they get the same legal rights as individuals? This pamphlet attempts to answer these questions in a manner that will not cause the reader too much distress. But if you want more jokes, the pamphlet also includes a three-page comic by Andy Singer which addresses the same questions. "An entertaining and educational read"—Noam Chomsky (As relayed to Dan by Ward Morehouse, honest)
A look at the history of smuggling in Dorset and the government responses to it. This pamphlet examines to whether smugglers should be considered folk heroes and to what extent smuggling was a community enterprise.
Cry Freedom, Cry World Heritage Site In 1787 abolitionist Thomas Clarkson researched the slave trade with help from Landlord Thompson while staying at The Seven Stars public house in Bristol. This pamphlet looks at how the histories of the pub and the abolition movement are intertwined, and why it should be the first pub to have UNESCO World Heritage status. The Seven Stars public house is one of the most important buildings in the entire history of Bristol, if not the country. It stands as a […]
Ben Tillett Audio
Below is the audio from Jim McNeil's talk about Ben Tillett at Hydra Books. The talk an opportunity for Jim to launch his new pamphlet about Ben Tileltt. To find out more about this pamphlet, and all our pamphlets, take a look at the Publications Page. Part 1 Part 2
Mo’ May day Events
Bristol Radical History Group are putting on two events for May Day: The Haymarket, Chicago and Mayday and The Friends of Durruti and the Maydays in Barcelona (1937) . Detials of these can be found on the events page. 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.
Waiting for Brando
Waiting for Brando is a new play written by Mike Morris & Steve Higginson. Its debut is at The Unity Theatre, Liverpool, from Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th May. 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 […]
Riot Talks
Roger will be giving the following talks: 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 29th March
London: Housemans Bookshop: Wednesday 25th April "The Short Hot Summer". The August 'riots' were portrayed by the media and politi-cians as the actions of 'greedy feral youth' or […]
Steve Higginson Audio
Audio from Steve's talk at Hydra Book on March 8th 2012 (International Women's Day): From the Great Plague to the Plague of Women: Purity, Misogyny and Female Enclosure
