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Post by Mitch on Nov 1, 2005 18:14:05 GMT
Did we have a thread on this already? Anywise, can't find it if we did?
Fred, I'm working on the postcard you mentioned the other evening in connection with this tonight - will bring copies to Burnley Anarchist meeting on Thursday if you can tear yourself away from the decorating ;D
I thought it would be useful to have a separate thread for this here anyway. I'm sure Mitzi's talk on the 12th Nov will send us off into all sorts of reading and research directions.
Organising a couple of talks or workshops on the Spanish Civil War in Burnley would be ever so welcome Fred - you could speak/do one yourself maybe.
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Post by michele cryer on Nov 2, 2005 3:52:08 GMT
You're right Mitch, we don't appear to have started a separate thread for this event..thanks for starting this one..I'm looking forward to doing plenty of research into it, and having the training sessions that we've spoken of recently...
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Post by fred on Nov 2, 2005 8:40:18 GMT
Dear Mitch and Michele,
I've already contacted two speakers for the above, and a third is awaiting that pleasure. Trouble is both of those contacted feel it is too near Christmas, will keep trying.
FRED.
Michele,
Hope you are feeling better?
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Post by Mitch on Nov 2, 2005 9:55:15 GMT
I think you'll like these postcards - they look rather good! ;D  We've plenty of time for those workshops, so if speakers prefer after xxxmas that'll be fine I'd say. I must bob upto the Clarion Hut this weekend - I have tried to volunteer up there, but contact hasn't gone back. I'm thinking maybe having a couple of workshops up there would be fabo?? |
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Post by michele cryer on Nov 2, 2005 22:49:11 GMT
Hiya Fred,
Thanks for contacting us again on this...yep, as Mitch says, after Xmas would be fine...no rush...and Mitch, having those classes up at the Clarion Hut would be fantastic...what a great idea!!
Well, me shoulder's sort of under control, a little more than it was, but still a small nagging pain around all the time, and still pretty difficult to cope with at night...will give these pain killers and gel a bit longer and let u know what I'm feeling like!
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Post by bryan on Nov 5, 2005 14:16:50 GMT
We need to find out about the army camp for displaced Spaniards which was set up after the II World War at Addingham near Chorley. Pedro, a 84-year-old Catalan, who we are in touch with and now lives in Bolton was imprisoned there.
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Post by bryan on Nov 5, 2005 14:29:45 GMT
A meeting of the Spanish Civil War memorial committee for 2006 was held in Manchester on 22nd, Oct. 2005. A secretary was elected: Paul Arnold, formerly of Manchester Social Forum. Several members of the committee are working on material at the Working Class Library in Salford.
The plan is for an exhibition which will tour various venues in Manchester throughout the year. It may also go to Burnley for a time if we can find a venue.
A booklet is under production and will reflect different aspects of the Spanish Civil War, but will include a libertarian dimension.
It is hope that films relevant to the conflict will be shown at the Cornerhouse through 2006.
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Post by michele cryer on Nov 5, 2005 21:58:55 GMT
Wonderful news Bryan! Looking forward to seeing that exhibition...My basque friend, Maite, professes to being quite well read on the matter of the Basque involvement with the Spanish Civil War, although she didn't seem to be aware of such organisations as the CNT and the CP..maybe she's read the history from a different perspective than us. She says she will be willing to speak about it too, if she's still around here in the New Year...so would invite her to our workshops...
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Post by bryan on Nov 18, 2005 16:31:53 GMT
The search for material for the exhibition is going on at the Working Class Library and elsewhere. One panel at the exhibiton will be on the poetry produced: I am pushing for W.H.Auden's poem 'SPAIN' AND Orwell's hymn to an Italian Militia man.
The Auden poem Orwell claimed to be one of the few decent things to have been written about the Spanish war:
Tomorrow for the young, the poets exploding like bombs,
The walks by the lake, the weeks of perfect communion;
Tomorrow the bicycle races
Through the suburbs on summer evenings. But today the struggle.
Today the deliberate increase in the chances of death,
The conscious acceptance of guilt in the necessary murder;
Today the expending of powers
On the flat ephemeral pamphlet and the boring meeting.
Orwell writes: 'The second stanza is intended as a sort of thumbnail sketch of a day in the life of a "good party man". In the morning a couple of political murders, a ten-minutes interlude to stifle the "bourgeois" remorse, and then a hurried luncheon and a busy afternoon and evening chalking walls and distributing leaflets. All very edifying. But notice the phrase 'necessary murder'. It could only be written by a person to whom murder is at most a word Personally I would not speak so lightly of murder.
'...I have seen the bodies of numbers of murdered men - I dont mean killed in battle I mean murdered. Therefore I have some conception of what murder means - the terror, the hatred, the howling relatives, the post-mortems, the blood, the smells. To me, murder is something to be avoided. So it is to any ordinary person. The Hitlers and Stalins find murder necessary, but they don't advetise their callousness, and they don't speak of it as murder; it is "liquidation", "elimination", or some soothing phrase.
Mr Auden's brand of amoralism is only possible if you are the kind of person who is always somewhere else when the trigger is pulled. So much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know fire is hot..'
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Post by Barrywoodling on Dec 12, 2005 12:24:16 GMT
Jose Peirats in his book "Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution" includes a chapter entitled "The New Iberian Inquisition". He describes the work of the Military Investigation Service (SIM) which was essentially a branch of the Soviet GPU. The SIM tortured both fascists and anti-fascists (POUM and CNT) alike.
Barry Woodling
Nanista
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Post by barrywoodling on Dec 16, 2005 11:32:06 GMT
According to the report of the FAI Peninsular Committee to the October 1938 National Plenum of Regionals of the Libertarian Movement, the Communist Party had gained control of 80% of the Republican army commands by 1938. The Central General Staff had as its head General Vicente Rojo and as heads of Personnel and Information, the most important sections, Diaz Tendero and Manuel Estrada. All three were members of the Communist Party. The majority of the lesser officers also belonged to the party. This was a far cry from the days of the anarchist militias (The Durruti Column, the Black and Red, The Iron Column, etc) in 1936.
In March 1938 the CNT National Committee approached the Minister of Defence to protest a meeting of communist officers in which discussions dealt , not how best to defeat Francos army but rather how to liquidate the soldiers of the Libertarian Movement. Peirats quotes chapter and verse from the minutes of the meeting held at Torralba de Aragon in March 1938.
Documents in the CNT and FAI archives give details of the Stalinist attacks on anarchist militants within the army. The head of the 70th Brigade the well known anarchist was sentenced to death by a "troika". Many other cases were also cited.
The Report of the FAI Peninsular Committee to the Plenary of the Libertarian Movement stated. "Our comrades have the feeling that no one is looking out for them, that they are at the mercy of the unhealthy policies of the Communist Party. It is not a question of a few identifiable cases, but rather of thousands and thousands of comrades who confess that they are more afraid of assassination by the enemy at their side than death in battle at the hands of the enemy in front of them".
Barry Woodling
Nanista
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Post by tonguetwista on Dec 17, 2005 0:34:17 GMT
Bang up to the minute news here on the Burnley Voice.  Nanista? Something to do with your grandma's sister or strange sexual practice involving goats and/or tasty Indian bread? |
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Post by michele cryer on Dec 17, 2005 8:47:23 GMT
Very Funny Preston Person...Very Funny...you should be on the stage....LOL
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
NB: Beware foolish guests from University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancs!!! Teehee ;D
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Post by michele cryer on Dec 17, 2005 8:48:15 GMT
Oh, btw, A Happy Christmas to you too!!!
'Peace and goodwill to all' and all that...LOL
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Post by Mitch on Dec 17, 2005 13:05:09 GMT
Very Funny Preston Person...Very Funny...you should be on the stage....LOL ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D NB: Beware foolish guests from University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancs!!! Teehee ;D ;D NEWS ALERT NEWS ALERT NEWS ALERT THE BURNLEY VOICE IS A 'STAG FREE ZONE'!!!!!!! Ha ha, tell you wot - I'm through with other people's political baggage - they can sort it out between themselves. It was never our history on here, and we'll plod on working with any libertarian mindeds who will help us. Anyone coming on here to disrupt our work and to de-motivate please note - THIS IS A 'STAG FREE ZONE!!!!!!!!' |
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Post by michele cryer on Dec 19, 2005 1:09:18 GMT
Hear, Hear! Mitch!!! ;D
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Post by fred on Dec 19, 2005 11:33:30 GMT
STAG FREE ZONE?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
WHAT DOES IT REFER TO???
FRED!
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Post by Mitch on Dec 19, 2005 15:43:11 GMT
STAG FREE ZONE? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? WHAT DOES IT REFER TO??? FRED! Lucy's comment about 'Stags' on Libcom/North West Section/ in the Derilict Politics thread ;D www.libcom.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6936&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60You scarpered pretty quick the other night Didn't you fancy singing with the Clarion Choir ;D They were up the Clarion Hut on Sunday doing carols - Jeez, Kenyon practically popped out of his tight trousers when he did a solo in the number entitled 'The Boar's Head' ;D Very appropriate number for him I thought. ;D Cotty came too and was wearing a very rude and inappropriate badge - the content of which I cannot repeat 'ere! Headless thought Cotty's badge was funny (which was even more disturbing! ) The Clarion Hut is now run by a bunch of authoritarian clucking hens (some of whom remind me of Hilary Wainwright I might add!). Best Mitch |
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Post by fred on Dec 19, 2005 19:55:45 GMT
I did scarper quick, I admit it. Three reasons.
1,
I'd forgotten to give Joe a key and had told him to be home at 10pm.
2.
I couldn't stand anymore of the warblings of the wooden tops out in the other room. { Even the Councillor's tight trousers would have left me cold.
3.
I had an idea that Headless might appear and I would have to by him a drink. He's bought me many a one I admit, but I'm ahead.
I enjoyed the night and we should do it again. Brian and the other chap said they did also.
Merry Christmas.
FRED
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Post by Mitch on Dec 21, 2005 10:21:44 GMT
Yes, lets do it again soon, Damn good job Michele did again organising us all! ;D
Headless was telling me about anarchist dos up at the Clarion.......... he mentioned some fences ;D
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Post by fred on Dec 21, 2005 18:47:12 GMT
It's a lie and he knows better! anyhow it wasn't our fault it was the drunks from the rest of the area. We didn't mean it and promised never to do it again.
Anyhow it wasn't an 'ANARCHIST' Do, it was CND's fault. We just happened to be there, which headless wasn't. See brother francis's account in Fred's Mis-spent youth section.
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Post by Mitch on Dec 22, 2005 11:15:11 GMT
It's a lie and he knows better! anyhow it wasn't our fault it was the drunks from the rest of the area. We didn't mean it and promised never to do it again. Anyhow it wasn't an 'ANARCHIST' Do, it was CND's fault. We just happened to be there, which headless wasn't. See brother francis's account in Fred's Mis-spent youth section. Yes, I knew that - poor Headless nearly had a heart attack up there when one of the authoritarian madam's nearly dropped a young child as she belted out an xmas carol! ;D My intention on venturing upto the Clarion Hut (into authoritarian territory) were that Anarchists would again come up there too, as they did in the past. You often misunderstand my intentions - I get no pleasure venturing into this territory - I do it to confront, bring in an alternative, and to generally make mischief! Mind you, I'm not sure I can stomach the clucking hens at the Clarion. Festive greetings, lurv Mitch xx  |
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Post by fred on Dec 22, 2005 12:27:48 GMT
Trouble with going to the clarion on Sat or Sun is that it brings back to many memories, not all of them pleasant and the transport situation is terrible. Besides, I resent seeing a working class facility being taken over by New or Old Labour wallies.There is no complaint Companera about your presence, which I'm sure adds characture and colour to a very dowdy scene. It's the sort of place one would expect to come across Little Billy Smith, the Labour voter, carrying on with his/her premature midlife crisis.
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Post by bryan on Feb 3, 2006 18:09:13 GMT
Stuart Christie who was involved in the last attempt to kill General Franco in 1964 (a recent doctumentary claims there were 12 attempts in all) has contacted the NAN about the forthcoming commemoration of the Spanish Civil War. He has had our latest AGENDA! He is particularly interested in paying homage to ALL the VICTIMS OF FRANCO. In the months ahead it is on the cards that we will be able to work together.
VIVA LAS NANISTAS! VIVA LA CNT!
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Post by michele cryer on Feb 3, 2006 19:08:23 GMT
Hey! Great news Bryan...looking forward to the get together!
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Post by michele cryer on Feb 8, 2006 15:16:01 GMT
email received for The Burnley Voice today: 1936-2006 The 70th anniversary of the Spanish Revolution and Civil War The year of homage to the victims of Francoism Hi: our internet tv site is now up and running with four films made by the CNT between July 1936 and 1938: 1) Report on the movement of 19th July 1936 (documentary) 2) Victory in Teruel (Teruel ha caido!) (documentary) 3) Solidarity with Madrid (documentary) 4) Nosotros Somos Asi! (That's the way we are) (musical comedy) A further six CNT-FAI films will be uploaded over the coming weeks, plus other more recent anarchist-related feature and documentary films. Also on the site is Red Years, Black Years, a 10-minute prologue to a proposed 6 part documentary on the background to the Spanish Revolution and Civil War and the role of the anarchists and anarcho-syndicalists from the late 19th century through to the death of Franco in 1975. We would also ask you to check out the Arts and Posters menu on the www.tvhastingschristiebooks.com site (posters of the CNT-FAI and the powerful black and white illustrations of Helios Gomez between 1925 and 1939. To navigate the www.tvhastings.org site: when the Hastings Free TV screen appears press the 'off' switch to 'on'. Then click the 'menu' button on the left hand side of the tv set. A Betty Boop cartoon will appear by way of welcome. Click on the tv 'menu' button again and a welcome will appear on the screen; again click on the tv set 'menu' button and another menu will appear on the screen with the various options. The films which are up arre accessible through the 'films' caption and the christiebooks channel is on the contributors' channel (click 'Red Years, Black Years)... Or go straight to www.tvhastingschristiebooks.comYou will need Quicktime 6 or above and a soundcard to view and hear our films and soundtrack. Quicktime can be downloaded free direct from the site (above the on/off switch on the right hand side of the screen) We welcome feedback and suggestions on how to improve the site. There will be a number of glitches which we will try to correct as and when they are drawn to our attention. Best wishes - SC www.tvhastingschristiebooks.comwww.tvhastings.orgemail: christie@btclick.com PO Box 35, Hastings East Sussex, TN34 2UX, UK * We hope to add at least one new film per week to the site. If you wish to be kept informed about these new titles please register your interest by responding to this email with the word 'tvhastings' in the subject bar. ** A note on the advertising bar: our goal is to keep tvhastings.org a free site for everybody to use! The only way to keep our pages free for everyone is by the use of advertising. Check the ads occasionally, see what their sites have to offer. Maybe there's something there you like. And remember, they're paying for your pages ‹ every click counts! |
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Post by Mitch on Feb 8, 2006 18:36:18 GMT
Wow, this is a superb resource - I've just watched some of the footage, and the prologue to the six part documentary - fascinating. Can't wait for some of the Mujeries Libres footage to go on, which I presume it will at some point. The music, artwork all superb and fascinating. The Durruti slide show as well. Thanks for it. Best Mitch  |
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Post by bryan on May 11, 2006 18:43:58 GMT
The Exhibition Rememberance Group opened their exhibition at the Working Class History Library last Sunday. There is not much reference in it to the SPANISH CIVIL WAR much less the Spanish revolution of 1936. Not too much in the way of graphics either. It is more of a pamphlet at an exhibition lacking in panache.
There were several speakers at the event including Ruth Frow a former member of the Communist Party Britain and the person who founded the Library together with her husband Eddie. Further reports shortly on the Spanish Civil War 70th anniversary commemoration proper. The exhibition at the Working Class History Library is the product of a unconstitutional breakaway group.
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Post by michele cryer on May 12, 2006 8:41:32 GMT
Nice to see you back on the site, Bryan. Sorry to hear about the above Exhibition, but great to see that you are still involved in organising the proper one... |
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Post by Mitch on May 12, 2006 9:19:53 GMT
The Exhibition Rememberance Group opened their exhibition at the Working Class History Library last Sunday. There is not much reference in it to the SPANISH CIVIL WAR much less the Spanish revolution of 1936. Not too much in the way of graphics either. It is more of a pamphlet at an exhibition lacking in panache. There were several speakers at the event including Ruth Frow a former member of the Communist Party Britain and the person who founded the Library together with her husband Eddie. Further reports shortly on the Spanish Civil War 70th anniversary commemoration proper. The exhibition at the Working Class History Library is the product of a unconstitutional breakaway group. I guess you could say .............we have been here before ;D Their tactics remain the same. Work around. |
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