News Feed - Bristol Radical History Group

Bliss Mill Strike Centenary

By Randell Brantley

Here are some pictures from an event to make 100 years since the Bliss Mill Strike in chipping Norton which took place on 18th Dec. 2013.

Bliss Tweed Mill: Prosecuted Strikers/Supporters, 1914 CN = Chipping Norton Name Address Age Started Work at Bliss Mill Occupation Sentence Re-engaged Walter Bowen 1 Finsbury Place, CN 25 Baker (his father, John, was a striker) Bound over 12 months John Bowen re-engaged 06/11/1916 Annie Cooper 16 Spring Street, CN 50 About 1888 Machine Feeder 14 days No Charles A Dixon 4 London Road, CN 21 About 1905 Yarn Store Hand Bound over 12 months No John (Jack) Gee 3 Kimberly Place, West Street, CN 29 […]

The Body Economic

Why Austerity Kills

By David Stuckler and Sanjay Basu

This book and one of its authors briefly hit BBC radio in the summer of 2013 and luckily one afternoon I caught one of the interviews. What stuck in my mind was the almost unbelievable statement made by David Stuckler that ‘ten million Russian men disappeared in the early 1990s’ as a result the transition from so-called ‘Communism’ to ‘Capitalism’. Ten million! Surely this must have made world news? How had I not heard about this biblical scale disaster? It must be left wing lies….mustn’t it? […]

The Red Dagger

By Alan Cox, Heathcote Williams (1941-2017)

A video about "Wat Tyler, John Ball, Johanna Ferrour, The Peasants' Revolt and The City of London's Weapons of Mass Destruction". This video is in 6 parts. Click the 'Playlist' button on the top left to select a video.

The Cock Road Gang

By Steve Mills

Cock Road was, in the 18th Century, a tiny hamlet on the outskirts of Bristol, within the lawless Kingswood Forest. Though a small area, the exploits of the inhabitants brought it to the attention of the authorities of Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset. It was claimed that a criminal gang, unmatched in notoriety, came from Cock Road. In reality, anyone committing a criminal act who lived in the forest was tarnished as a member of the gang. They were engaged in horse stealing, burglary, […]

Remembering the Real WWI: Public meeting #2

This is the second meeting in Bristol to discuss opposition to David Cameron's 'truly national commemoration' of WW1 stressing our 'national spirit'. Nationally there are plans to ensure that attention is given to the real causes and effects of the war, rather than an opportunity for our government to re-habilitate this war in particular or war in general. Bristol has long radical traditions and we know there are groups and individuals across the city who will want to ensure that there are […]

Bristol Local History Fair

Stalls Avon Local History & Archaeology Bishop Books Bristol Books Bristol Radical History Group Bristol Record Society Bygone Bristol Diesel, Dru Marland, Fiducia Frenchay Village Museum Long John Silver Trust Past & Present Press S Glos Mines Research Redcliffe Press Silverwood Tangent Books Talks 1.30pm William Fairney: Humphrey Davy 2.30pm Mark Steeds: Wulfstan and Clarkson 3.30pm Lucienne Boyce: The Bristol Suffragettes

Why was Charles I executed?

Justice, liberties and popular petitioning in 1648-49 The regicide of 1649 has often been presented by books, articles and TV dons as the result of religious beliefs related to the King's role as a 'Man of Blood', whose own blood must be shed to deliver England from the taint of killing and the fear of God's vengeance. However the evidence suggests a far more sophisticated political response rooted in the concepts of 'Justice and Liberties' displayed in both public and military petitions. […]

The Game of Drones + Unmanned

Game of Drones: The President and the White House Fly (Handsome Dog Productions, 2013). Investigative poem on topical issue of ‘Unmanned Aerial Vehicles’. Written by Heathcote Williams; Narration and Montage by Alan Cox; produced by Margaret Cox. Screening will be introduced by anti-Drone campaigner John from Bath Activist Network. About Heathcote Williams: "I'd say the overwhelming feature of these poems and perhaps of Williams' whole oeuvre is a sense of the development of an argument, either […]

Society for the Study of Labour History

"Founded in 1960, the Society for the Study of Labour History (SSLH) is the UK’s principal organisation dedicated to the study of labour history. Membership is open to everyone who would like to learn more about labour history and heritage whether on a professional or amateur basis. The SSLH publishes the journal the Labour History Review, organises regular conferences and actively promotes the preservation of historical resources connected to the labour movement."