Stars and family gather in Glasgow to celebrate life of Tony Benn

Excitement is building ahead of the range of events arranged to celebrate the life of Tony Benn next weekend. Two major concerts and a couple of discussion groups are planned for Sunday 30 November in Glasgow’s Mitchell Theatre. The events will run from the afternoon into the evening, culminating in a grand concert, with the music curated by singer-songwriter Rab Noakes, and starring Squeeze’s Chris Difford, and Love and Money’s James Grant amongst a galaxy of other talent. Another appearance will be by Benn’s granddaughter, Emily, herself a political activist and Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate.

Rab Noakes said “It’s appropriate that a celebration of the life and work of Tony Benn should be based around music and song. He himself took part in many performances where his own writings were combined and interwoven with songs.”

And Tony Benn’s co-star in many of these performances – including Glastonbury  - legendary folk singer Roy Bailey will also sing. Other performers will be, the doyen of political singers, Arthur Johnstone, Alastair McDonald, Sheena Wellington, and harmonicist extraordinaire, Fraser Speirs. Broadening the musical diversity is Edinburgh-based rapper, NRNXPO’s Qyeen and comedy compere Susan Morrison will try and keep it all in order!

The evening concert will be preceded by a poetry, performance and presentation concert at 4.30pm.

This features poet Tom Leonard, performance artists Attila the Stockbroker and Elvis McGonagall, compered by Bruce Morton.

In addition to singing, Roy Bailey will take part in a discussion about Tony Benn, Music and Politics to kick off the day, and that will be followed by a discussion on peace and nuclear weapons led by CND activists, Stephen Griffiths and Arthur West.

Jim Lister, of organisers FairPley said “We have had to rearrange this day from the Concert Hall to the Mitchell, so we can use the fact that all the venues are in close proximity as we have sharp timetables to meet. That means it may well sell out sooner, so we advise everyone to get their tickets quickly.”

The day’s events have been made possible by TU sponsors; Aslef, GMB, UNISON, Unite the union and PCS. The original idea came from Neil Findlay MSP.

Tickets for these events are available from the GCH box office on 0141 353 8000 or http://www.glasgowconcerthalls.com/events/tony-benn-a-celebration-concert/

Bread, and Roses too.

The increasing use of cultural and artistic forms by labour movement groups in Scotland continues apace! In addition to November 30th's Tony Benn celebration (see previous blog), news comes of a new initiative in the area of cinema.

Bread and Roses

A local Glasgow GMB branch is tentatively starting to show a series of films in a small cinema space in the city's Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA).   The first film is due next Sunday (23 November, doors at 6.15 pm) and it will be a screening of Bread and Roses. This is the entirely appropriate story of the unionisation and fight for fair treatment and pay waged by mainly immigrant cleaners and janitors in a Los Angeles office block. Ken Loach’s film follows the feisty Maya and Rosa as they meet union organiser Sam and stand up for their rights – often at great risk to themselves. The film will be followed by a discussion with local trade unionists.

The showing, which is intended to test out the water for a regular series of screenings, is timed to be part of Glasgow's regular anti-racist celebrations around St Andrew's Day (details of the Rally here). Tickets for the film are available from the CCA, here.

If this specific initiative by the GMB Apex Branch (which includes the staff of the STUC among its members) is successful, other screenings are planned next year, including Land and Freedom, another Ken Loach Film, this time on the Spanish Civil War timed to coincide with the anniversary of the first action by the British battalion of the International Brigade, and The Navigators a film where five Yorkshiremen try to survive after British Rail is bought out by a private company. This will be scheduled to mark International Workers' Memorial Day.  

As well as the two events above, greater Glasgow Hope not Hate has teamed up with a number of other groups to provide a whole cornucopia of films, discussion and talks around the St Andrew's Day celebrations. Spreading wider than Glasgow, it includes a talk by Denis Goldberg, one of the Rivonia trialists, alongside Nelson Mandela. This is in Irvine. Back in Glasgow's STUC, well known author, Daniel Gray (Homage to Caledonia) delivers one of the regular Morning Star Our Class, Our Culture talks (Weds 3 Dec, 7.00pm), and Jess Smith, a Scottish Traveller talks about her experience of discrimination in an event at the City's Hillhead library (Sat 6 Dec, 1.00pm).  A programme of events is at http://issuu.com/greaterglasgowhopenothate/docs/hnhstandrewseventslist2014

It is great news that the TU and labour movement is enthusiastically adopting staging cultural and artistic events.  Music and song have been with us for some time, of course, but other formats are also in the great tradition of the movement, which in the 1930/40's had regular programmes of book readings, film showings and even theatre performances. Will we eventually see a resurgence of the likes of the Unity Theatre?