Club News
Sunday 12 May 2013 Along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal path from Adlington to Cherry Tree = 12 miles
20 people, each walking 12 miles = the current length of the Apartheid Wall in the West Bank
Walk leaves from Adlington Bridge 10am
(Trains from Cherry Tree Bridge back to Adlington 4.21pm and 6.21pm)
What you can do:
* Just do part of the walk if 12 miles is too far for you
£370 sponsors a student for a year.
Bolton Socialist Club is twinned with the Afaq Jadeeda Community Centre in Gaza
If you are able to make a donation, or even better, to take out a standing order, however small. The club has opened a special account for the purpose: contact Chris Chilton for details.
EVENT DIARY (8pm)
Fri 5 April MUSIC NIGHT with Steve and friends.
Fri 12 April RED FRIDAY 'Hospital Closures: Are socialists too attached to buildings?' MartinRathfelder works at the Manchester Law Centre and is a member of the Socialist Health Association which has done tremendous work campaigning to defend and improve the NHS. Given the current campaign to save Bolton’s A&E, it could make for an interesting, if possibly controversial, evening.
Fri 19 April (7.45pm) RED CINEMA The Great Dictator. 1940. Starring, written, produced and directed by Charlie Chaplin A stirring condemnation of Hitler, Mussolini and anti-semitism, when the United States was still formally at peace with Nazi Germany.
Fri 26 April RED FRIDAY ‘Unpicking the safety net: an overview of the state of housing law andpolicy in England in 2013’. Michelle Waite, a housing rights solicitor, talks about recent developments in the law and government policy and the impact they've had or might have on the position of people who rent their homes or are looking for a home. With the campaign against the bedroom tax in full swing, this is a vital issue affecting tens of thousands of families.
Fri 3 May MUSIC NIGHT with Steve and friends.
Fri 10 May LOVE MUSIC HATE RACISM. Steve and Julia lead an interactive evening of music snips, video, and quiz. Who says politics can’t be fun?
CLARION CHOIR
Moira invites anyone interested in singing good
socialist songs to come along and join in.
1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. 2-4pm.
GAZA WOMEN’S EDUCATION FUND
As part of the club’s twinning with the Afaq Jadeeda Community Centre in Gaza, we have agreed, in conjunction with the Sheffield Palestine Women’s Scholarship Fund, to fund scholarships to allow women nominated by the centre to study at university.
As Mona ElFarra explained, women in Gaza ‘are dealing with conflict, hardship and internal conflict. What you give is not charity, it is solidarity.
The fund gives young women a chance to develop, to have a future. It is part of all the work against injustice. There are strict selection criteria for the scholarships. These include attaining 65% or above in high school grades, socio-economic background, commitment to the community, and personal and family circumstances such as a recent home demolition, or war injuries.
Each scholarship amounts to $600 (about £370) per year and it’s important that we’re certain the full amount can be sustained before making an offer to a student.
Once scholarships are granted we will be told the names and circumstances of the students and be given periodic updates on their progress. It’s a chance to fulfil the hopes and dreams of just a few young women in one of the most troubled and war-torn areas in the world.
If you are able to make a donation—or even better, to take out a standing order, however small. The club has opened a special account for the purpose, contact Chris Chilton to progress.
EVENT DIARY
Fri 11 Jan FIRST AID COURSE A one-off 2 hour Red Cross ’Save a Life’ course offering a quick introduction to
basic adult, child and infant life-saving skills including an opportunity to practice resuscitation skills on a manikin. £15 per person—pay on the night.
Fri 18 Jan PLAY GROUP / PEOPLE’S HISTORY An outline of Bill Dagnall’s book ‘A wage-cut too far’ published last year, about the Bolton engineering strike of 1887 which led to the formation of the Socialist Club. Including a reading of the play ‘Defence or Defiance’ based on the book.
Fri 25 Jan RED FRIDAY 'Hospital Closures: Are socialists too attached to buildings?' Martin Rathfelder
works at the Manchester Law Centre and is a member of the Socialist Health Association which has done tremendous work campaigning to defend and improve the NHS.
Given the current campaign to save Bolton’s A&E, it could make for an interesting, if possibly controversial, evening.
Fri 1 Feb MUSIC NIGHT with Steve, Dave and friends.
Fri 8 Feb RED CINEMA The Artist (2011) Nominated for 12 Bafta Awards. First silent movie to win Best Film
since1927. Clever, funny, and joyous.
Fri 15 Feb CURRY EVENING to highlight and raise funds for the Gaza Women’s Education Fund (see above). Delicious curries provided by Sufrana and Razia from Home Start. Good food for a vital cause. Miss it at your peril!
CLARION CHOIR
Moira invites anyone interested in singing good socialist songs to come along and join in.
1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. 2-4pm
EVENT DIARY
Fri 7 Sept PEOPLE’S HISTORY. The life and work of Bolton socialist and author Allen Clarke—a presentation by his grand-daughter Shirley Matthews.
Fri 14 Sept QUIZ NIGHT led by quiz-master Phil McNally
Fri 21 Sept RED FRIDAY. Sophie Scholl: The real story of the woman who defied Hitler— illustrated talk by author, Frank McDonough
Fri 28 Sept RED CINEMA. The echo of pain of the many (2012). A journey in search of the
voice of the 45,000 citizens who ‘disappeared’ in Guatemala's long and brutal war against its
own people. The film’s director, Anna Lucia Cuevas, and its producer, Fred Coker, will be attending.
Fri 5 Oct MUSIC NIGHT with Steve and friends.
Fri 12 Oct RED FRIDAY The Olympics and Paralympics as seen through the eyes of volunteers
Stuart Murray and Sylvan Davies.
Fri 19 Oct RED CINEMA Russian Ark (2002) Russian epic film with 2000 actors and 3 orchestras,
shot entirely in the Winter Palace, now the State Hermitage Museum, depicting 300 years
of Russian art and history
Fri 26 Oct RED FRIDAY On the eve of the US Presidential elections, Chris Chilton assesses
Barack Obama’s record in office.
Fri 2 Nov MUSIC NIGHT with Steve and friends
Fri 9 Nov THE WASHING LINE OF HISTORY To celebrate our 125th anniversary, bring
along your memories of the club, thoughts, anecdotes, suggestions for the future, etc, speak
on them for 5 minutes and peg them on the washing line.
Fri 16 Nov RED CINEMA The Angel’s Share (2012) Ken Loach’s Scottish comedy drama.
Jury-prize winner at Cannes. Featuring real life Glasgow bin man, Gary Maitland.
Fri 23 Nov To be announced.
Fri 30 Nov RED FRIDAY Liverpool Friends of Palestine have been twinned with Bil’in, a West
Bank village in Palestine for the last four years. They are currently engaged in a photographic
project involving children from two schools in Liverpool and two in Bil’in taking and sharing images of their lives. Hear more about it and see some of the photos.
Fri 7 Dec MUSIC NIGHT with Steve and friends
Fri 14 Dec Club closed
Sat 15 Dec CLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY. All members and their guests welcome.
Fri 22 & Fri 29 Dec Club closed
Clarion Choir
Moira invites anyone interested in singing good socialist songs to come along from 2-4pm on the following
Saturdays:
1 Sept
8 Sept. Diggers Festival in Wigan from 11am
15 Sept. Meet in club for an hour then busk in Town Centre
6 Oct
20 Oct. Meet in club then busk
3 Nov
18 Nov. Meet in Club then busk
1 Dec
15 Dec. Meet in club to rehearse for singing at Club Party in the evening
Club members will know all too well how much it costs to keep an old building like ours well maintained and in reasonable condition. And it’s largely due to the generosity of members that we’ve managed to do this over the last thirty years.
The latest project is the pointing and rebuilding of the top section of the back wall of the extension which is currently in a poor condition and bowing inwards. The total cost will be in the region of £4,500.
The Amiel and Melburn Trust was brought to our attention by the late Kath Fry, and we decided to apply to them for a grant to cover part of the cost. We applied for £3000 and were delighted to be informed they had awarded us £1500, with an apology that it would have been more but the demand on their funds is currently outstripping their resources.
The Trust was founded in 1980 by Norman Melburn and named for his friend and fellow Marxist, the lawyer Barry Amiel. Both men are now commemorated in the name of the Trust, following Norman Melburn's death in 1991.
The general objectives of the Trust are to advance public education, learning and knowledge in all aspects of the philosophy of Marxism, the history of socialism, and the working-class movement.
We are extremely grateful to them for the award which will help significantly and, at the time of writing, work on the wall will begin very soon.
We also owe a debt of thanks to Stuart Murray, who spent many hours putting together the application, and to Ian McHugh who assisted him.
As many of you will know, the Club is twinned with the Afaq Jadeeda (New Horizons) Community Centre in Gaza, with which Mona is very much involved. On her recent visit to this
country she met with a group of about 15 club members to give us an update on the centre’s work and on the situation in Palestine generally.
The discussion was very much practically based, in terms of how we can give solidarity and support. Several ideas were put forward, including visits by our members to Gaza, and vice
versa. Another suggestion was our sponsoring Palestinian students at university. We will be pursuing these ideas throughout the autumn, please get in touch if you feel you can help in any way, or would simply like to know more.
MAINTAINING THE BUILDING
The Forth Bridge may be sorted for the next 20 years but sadly the same can’t be said of 16 Wood Street. A dangerous chimney has to be demolished. Rebuilding and re-pointing of the rear wall is needed, together with new window frames to replace rotting ones. Total cost around £9000
Our survival thus far is due almost entirely to the generosity of members. So a big thank you to all who have helped. Support is still needed, however. If you are able to make a donation or, better still, to
take out a standing order, however small, it will be of enormous help in the struggle to maintain our unique
and historic club.
WALKING FOR GAZA
Join or sponsor Helen Dickson on a walk from Liverpool to Adlington along the Leeds Liverpool Canal, the route taken by Irish immigrants at the time of the famine. To raise money for the Afaq Jadeeda Community
centre in Gaza with whom the club is twinned. Join Helen for all or part of the walk.
Sat 14th and Sun 15th April, Sat 21st April - Details on notice board or by email the week before
EVENT DIARY
Fri 6 Apr RED FRIDAY FOOD - Gordon Benson explores the history of food, why the British diet is so bad, and why our food has such a poor reputation. With samples!
Fri 13 Apr PLAY GROUP BOLTON RISING - On the 200th anniversary of the burning of Westhoughton Mill, a reading of Neil Duffield’s play Bolton Rising. All welcome. Read or just listen...
Fri 20 Apr RED CINEMA The Whistleblower (2010). Director Larysa Kondracki. Nominated for many awards, a powerful film on sex-trafficking in Bosnia.
Fri 27 Apr FARIDA & DIPIKA MUST STAY Fundraiser with songs and poems from Naima and Bernie Murphy + dances by Sasha, desi girl & chiaya chiaya. Admission £5 & £3 including Asian snacks
Fri 4 May MUSIC NIGHT with Steve, Dave and friends.
Fri 11 May RED CINEMA We need to talk about Kevin. Director Lynne Ramsay. From the 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver. A mother struggles to love her strange child.
Fri 18 May QUIZ NIGHT with quiz-master Dave.
Fri 25 May RED FRIDAY. From Spirit Level to Chavs: five books that define the times. Chris Chilton surveys five contemporary texts essential to an understanding of the economic crisis and class war capitalism.
Fri 1 Jun WASHING LINE OF HISTORY To celebrate the Club’s 125th anniversary, come and speak for 5 minutes about your memories, anecdotes, or suggestions for the future and peg them on the washing line.
Fri 8 Jun RED FRIDAY. The Hannah Mitchell Foundation. Stuart Murray examines the growing north/south divide and the possibilities of regional autonomy.
Fri 15 Jun RED CINEMA Marx Brothers / Laurel & Hardy series of short films. ‘I never forget a face, but in your case I’ll be glad to make an exception.’ Groucho
Fri 22 Jun MUSIC NIGHT with Steve and friends.
CLARION CHOIR
Moira invites anyone interested in singing good socialist songs to come along and join in.
1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. 2-4pm.
EVENT DIARY
Fri 13 Jan (8pm) RED FRIDAY Kathe Kollwitz Rachel Mann talks about the life and work of German artist, campaigner and propagandist, Kathe Kollwitz (1867- 1945)
Fri 20 Jan (7.45pm) RED CINEMA ‘Z' .(1969) Oscar winning film of the Greek colonels taking power in 1967 . Director . Costa-Gavras ( "All cinema is political " )
Fri 27 Jan (8pm) FREE SPEECH Read a poem, play a tune, sing a song, tell a story, talk about a current issue — whatever you like so long as it lasts five minutes max. New venture.
Fri 3 Feb (8pm) MUSIC NIGHT with Steve, Dave and friends.
Fri 10 Feb (8pm) RED FRIDAY ‘Gasland’ an anti-fracking film followed by discussion led by Steve Hall.
Fri 17 Feb (7.45pm) RED CINEMA ’Of Gods and Men’. French Drama. 'Best Film' Cannes Film Festival 2010 ."Under threat by terrorists, a group of Trappist monks must decide whether to leave or stay.”
Sat 25 Feb (12-4pm) DESIGN A PEACE POSTER Following on from her talk on Picasso, Helen McHugh invites you to a hands-on creative session.
Monday 27 Feb - Club AGM - Currently paid up members only will be admitted. Club open for membership renewal on Friday nights and Saturday lunch. Deadline for acceptance of resolutions and nominations for Officers/Committee: 2pm Saturday 25 Feb. Nominations open Monday 13 Feb. Nominations form on the club notice board.
Sun 4 Mar (1-4pm) INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY - Come and enjoy a convivial and stimulating afternoon. Bring a cake to share. ALL WELCOME
Fri 9 Mar (8pm) RED FRIDAY FOOD - Gordon Benson explores the history of food, why the British diet is so bad, and why our food has such a poor reputation.
Fri 16 Mar (7.45pm) RED CINEMA 'Tales from the Golden Age' ( 2009). Black comedy on life under Ceausescu's Romania . "Humour is what kept Romanians alive ".
Fri 23 Mar (8pm) MUSIC NIGHT with Steve, Dave and friends.
Fri 30 Mar (8pm) QUIZ NIGHT with ever popular quiz master Dave.
CLARION CHOIR
Moira invites anyone interested in singing good socialist songs to come along and join in.
The 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month 2-4pm.
Terry Rae
It is with sadness that we heard of the death of Terry Rae. Terry worked on many of the early improvements
to the building. He will be missed by those of us who knew him and we extend our sympathies to his friends and family.
As requested, the club made a donation to the Christie Hospital.
EVENT DIARY
Fri 2 Sept Club closed
Fri 9 Sept The Riots. Mindless criminality or symptom of social division? Chris Chilton leads an open discussion.
Fri 16 Sept Walking for Palestine. Helen Dickson on her recent coast-to-coast walk. Also Roy Ratcliffe examines the proposal for the UN to recognise the Palestinian state.
Sat 17 Sept FREE SINGING WORKSHOP 10.30-4.00. Food available
People from all cultures and backgrounds are invited to come along and sing songs from around the world.
Fri 23 Sept Red Cinema 'Oranges and Sunshine' Director Jim Loach (Ken’s son). True story of a British social worker who uncovered the forced deportation of thousands of children from Britain to Australia
Fri 30 Sept Music Night with Steve, Dave and friends
Fri 7 Oct Poetry Please. Bring along a poem or two, read them out, and say why you like them. Very informal.
Fri 14 Oct The Big Society. Who’s kidding who? Ian McHugh looks at the realities.
Fri 21 Oct Club closed
Sat 22 Oct Club Open Day. 12-3pm Buffet
Sat 22 Oct CND / Stop the War fund raiser. 7.30pm
Fri 28 Oct Red Cinema 'Route Irish' Set in Liverpool and Baghdad. About state sanctioned crime and exploitation.
Fri 4 Nov Music Night with Steve, Dave and friends.
Fri 11 Nov A Woman’s Right to Choose. Moira Hill and Elaine Glover on the increasing threat to the abortion laws
Sat 12 Nov Bertie Lewis Memorial Evening 7.30pm
Fri 18 Nov Transition Bolton. Vicky Urmston on the campaign to set Bolton on course for environmental sustainability.
Fri 25 Nov Quiz Night with quizmaster Dave.
Fri 2 Dec The Politics of Picasso. Helen McHugh explores the artist’s radical links and anti-fascist activism.
Fri 9 Dec Red Cinema 'Joyeux Noel' 2006 French film nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, set in the
Christmas truce of 1914 , inspired by a true story of dignity and human kindness in the savagery of War .
Sat 17 Dec Club Xmas Party. All members and their guests invited
PEOPLE’S HISTORY - Saturdays 2-4pm
Sat 24 Sept ‘Bolton’s First Railway - What’s left?’ Rachel and Dave Mann
Sat 29 Oct ‘The Story of the Working class Movement Library’ Michael Herbert
Sat 3 Dec ‘Spare Time - People’s Sport in Bolton’ Peter Swain
CLARION CHOIR
Moira invites anyone interested in singing good socialist songs to come along and join in.
Saturdays 2-4pm. Wednesdays 7-9pm on the following dates: Wed 7 Sept, Sat 17 Sept, Wed Oct 5 Oct, Sat 15 Oct, Wed 2 Nov, Sat 12 Nov, Sat 19 Nov, Wed 7 Dec, Sat 17 Dec.
Raise your Banners Festival 26/27 Nov
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Keeping the club open depends on people willing to volunteer some of their time. We are always short of help with the bar and Saturday lunches and the burden falls increasingly on an overworked few. If you can help out in any way, please let us know and help to keep alive our unique and invaluable organisation.
Whose Conspiracy?
After the 1972 first and only National Building Strike 24 men were convicted of criminal actions. Between them they were accused of unlawful assembly affray and conspiracy.
Immediately before the strike the Government had lost two extremely embarrassing battles to the miners (Saltley Gate) and to the London
- Dockers (The Pentonvllle Five).
The arrests of the building workers was a hostile act by a belittled Government to criminalize picketing and therefore impose fear to resist. The Pickets were escorted by the police to each site and praised for their conduct during the dispute. No man was arrested or cautioned during the dispute and the police advised against any charges.
However, the police advice and the pickets' conduct was ignored by the Tory Government.
Six men went to prison three for conspiracy, the harshest sentence being 3 years for Des Warren, whose treatment in prison is considered added toward his untimely death.
Three men were given suspended sentences and the remainder were fined. The building workers did not conspire in any criminal act to improve their working conditions- they were not the disgraceful images described by our free press - but they did work for owners of huge influential construction companies one of whom was directly active within the Conservative party.
There was no conspiracy by workers - S0 'WHOSE CONSPIRACY'?
Over the years the club has supported the campaign to overturn the unjust prosecution of 24 building workers and once again we are proud to host a fund-raising event for them on Friday 29 July 2011 at 7-30 pm Entrance and refreshments free. On sale Books-T.Shirts and CD's Voluntary donations gratefully accepted.
Justice for Shrewsbury 24
Kath Fry RIP
Very sadly, Kath Fry died earlier this month. She found out only a few months ago that she had lung cancer, and the end came very quickly. Kath was a club member and a member of the Clarion Choir.
A socialist and feminist, she was a founder member of the Bolton Women’s Liberation Group in the 1970’s. For many years she was a Councillor on Manchester City Council and served as Chair of Education.
Only last autumn she was planning to give a talk at the club on the relationship between socialists and the Labour Party. She was also writing a book on the history of the Labour Party in Manchester which happily she managed to finish before she died and which will be published in the near future.
The Clarion Choir are due to sing at her funeral and our sympathy and our condolences go to her family and close friends.
APOLOGIES
The last few months have been extremely busy in terms of finding a new tenant and getting them installed in the building. As a result, other things have slipped somewhat—included the publication of a newsletter and planning our usual programme of events. Until things settle down a little, we’re organising events on the hoof and trying to keep people informed by email and the club's noticeboard.
THANKS TO ALL MEMBERS
As most of you already know, after losing our previous tenants and owing several thousands in loans for the repair of the roof last year, the club was facing something of a financial crisis.
I’m pleased to report that due to the incredible support and generosity of members, the crisis has now been averted. Many of you made donations or took out standing orders and it’s very heartening to realise how important the club is to very many of you. So a big thank you to one and all.
And there is even more good news. The club has a new tenant. Homestart is a charity which works with families with young children. Their work very much fits in with the ethos of the club and we are happy to welcome them into the building. They will be moving in at the beginning of June, and will rent the top two floors on the same basis and for the same annual rent as did Near Us.
If you’ve been in the club recently you will have noticed a lot of work taking place— refurbishment and decoration. Much of this is being paid for by Homestart. New carpets on the top floor, improvements to the upstairs toilets, a stair lift to the first floor. These are just some of the very welcome improvements to the building.
I feel we’ve not only turn round a difficult situation but have come out stronger as a result. So thank you to all who have helped make this happen.
In solidarity
Neil Duffield, Chairperson
CLARION CHOIR Saturdays 2- 4 pm
Moira invites any club member or friend who is interested in singing good Socialist songs to come along and join in.
On the following dates: 4 June, 18 June, 2 July, 16 July
Friday 29 April from 11am onwards 'Ignore the Royal Wedding Day'.
Bring along some food and enjoy like-minded company. Mention of royalty not permitted