Marxist. Trade Unionist. Socialist-feminist. Author. Poet. Speaker. Tutor. RMT ex-Exec. Workers' Liberty. Autie. Bi. PUFC fan.
All around the world
Beirut, 4 August 2020 First came the plume from hangar twelve Cellphone cameras swung around and pointed to preserve, for fear that even worse might happen here Next there came the second blast Flattened buildings, shattered glass raining pain … Read More
He was socially close, untamed, unmasked His magic medicine uncasked He didn’t care so he never asked He’ll brush it off, he’s so athletic The tough guy, leading man aesthetic No chance it makes him empathetic He’ll rise above like … Read More
When my team lost to a goal in the last five minutes of the match from a free kick that should never have been given and got relegated and my face went down with them, you didn’t tell me that … Read More
The white power cap on the top of the head of the cop with his knee on the neck of the man on the floor by the pass- enger door Who said please I can’t breathe and who called for … Read More
They held a peaceful protest People didn’t notice Nothing changed Then they rioted and burned The world watched and learned, views exchanged The respectable people said Their cause is just, but why must they riot? Why don’t they hold a … Read More
‘ScoMo Must Go!’ chants demand the end of Scott Morrison’s tenure as Australian Prime Minister. But Janine’s poem argues that it is not just ScoMo who must go, but “Every climate change denier, Neoliberal vote for hire …”.
“I believe in a fair go for those who have a go … If you’re having a go you’ll get a go.” Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, 2019 Everyone must surely know That Sco- Mo- must- go! Liberals reap … Read More
There is an increasing number of companies which explicitly employ autistic people, promising to value their work and provide suitable working conditions. This has been widely welcomed. But what are the experiences of autistic workers in these companies? On this … Read More
Three poetry performances in Australia, August 2019.
Janine Booth speaking at a seminar in Paris on 24 July 2019. This opening section of the talk introduces Janine, and explains the five key principles of the Labour Party Autism and Neurodiversity Manifesto.
Stonewall Was a Riot It wasn’t the Stonewall focus group or the Stonewall business case It wasn’t the Stonewall let’s-present- our-most-acceptable-face Long years of asking nicely had not got us anywhere Our rulers did not hear us when we whispered: … Read More
From the pamphlet, Radical Chains: sexuality and class politics, 1999: “The rallying point of the gay liberation movement … the bar riot that ushered in the gay rights movement” … “Stonewall is the emblematic event in lesbian and gay history … Read More
Also published on the Workers’ Liberty website here. The British left hailed the Russian revolution in 1917. On 18 January 1919 in London, a mass meeting launched the ‘Hands Off Russia’ campaign to oppose British military intervention in support of … Read More
Also published on the Workers’ Liberty website here. After Britain and its Allies had won the war, proclaiming themselves champions of freedom and democracy, the people of its imperial possessions stepped up their democratic demand for some of that … Read More
While workers were angry and willing to fight, too often their anger was aimed at fellow workers of a different colour rather than at the employers and authorities responsible for their exploitation and poverty. Sometimes this occurred in the absence … Read More
Soldier F said he only harmed protesters who held bombs or arms Soldier F had truths to hide The soldier lied Lord Saville said none of the dead had posed a threat but that did not stop Soldier F When … Read More
May has a sore throat See her Noes running the show And her Ayes dry up
Widening roads parking lorries carrying loads of no-deal worries Laying Tarmac digging ditches making car parks burning bridges Office holder riding high on a hard Brexit shoulder to pull over and cry on Sailing boats away laying mines widening motorways … Read More
Boris Johnson nominates the President of the United States He says the Nobel Prize for Peace should go to Donald Trump But that joker has been played before No satire in it any more Irony died, doesn’t he see? when … Read More