Patriotism
a guest poem by Vicky Thomas St George is cross. The soldier saint says He’s at a loss To understand these days. You who take his flag And use his name As some kind of brag – He is ashamed. … Read more
Issues and campaigns: Anti-Fascism
Fighting the fash
If You Should Win
If you get your wayIf the foreigners are kept at bayIf we wind the drawbridge and mine the beachesReach a state of monocultureCreate an all-white social structure Would your wages rise? Or would you find to your surprise your payslip doesn’t grow … Read more
Travesti
Opposing imaginary ribaldry Detestable protests at a library Serious, stern of jaw and dour Objecting to Drag Queen Story Hour Reckoning kids are groomed and primed – But why don’t they protest at pantomimes? Alarmed at the harmless, dressed-up take-up … Read more
Crazed Loner
R.I.P. Jo Cox MP Crazed loner Stay-at-homer Helpline phoner Hummer and groaner Window licker Timebomb ticker Deranged and estranged He’s a stabber, a shooter Overly obsessed with his computer He’s nothing to do with us, you see No link to … Read more
Hallelujah President Trump
Once more with apologies to Leonard Cohen … It never was a secret plan The rise to power of Macho Man He never used a subtle schmooze to woo you Behold the hero of the hour The billionaire who fought the … Read more
We Are Not Heroes
We are not heroes, not the valiant sort We let them take us, fell in to survive The heroes are the ones who stood and fought Our bodies packed together frail support The nudging of her foot kept me alive … Read more
Brussels: Left Wing Mobilises Against Right-Wing Backlash
SpeakEasy: Spoken Word Brussels is an ‘open mic’ evening of spoken word (and a bit of music) in a basement in the Ixelles area of the city. Modelled on similar events in Paris and London, it has been taking place every two weeks since … Read more
Is “cultural difference” an excuse for sexism? (in English and in French)
Originally published on Workers’ Liberty’s website. There was a discussion at Workers’ Liberty’s ‘Ideas for Freedom’ discussion weekend in 2006 about ‘The Left and Cultural Relativism’. The two speakers were Janine Booth and Peter Tatchell. These are the notes from … Read more
Socialism and Liberation
This is the speech that I gave in the opening plenary of Workers’ Liberty’s ‘Ideas for Freedom’ event in 2013 – originally published here. On 23rd June 2012, Steven Simpson, a gay autistic student, was verbally abused, stripped, and his … Read more
Duchess Departed
An alliterative ode on the occasion of the passing of an aristocrat: Deborah the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire has died Did ever a life-end alliterate with such alarming aloofness? The chatelaine of Chatsworth, champion of chutney, Charles’ chum The Prince’s … Read more
Nazis and Nailbombers: Fighting the Fascists
from the pamphlet Radical Chains: Sexuality and Class Politics, published in 1999. On 30 April 1999, a nail-bomb killed three people and injured dozens more. It exploded in the Admiral Duncan pub in Old Compton Street, the heart of gay … Read more