Rally round the Public Sector

Today's public sector march was followed by a rally at Manchester's Whitworth Park. At least 20,000 took part in the demonstration in Manchester, in solidarity with many more UK wide protests. There were also demos in the Manchester satellite towns of Wigan, Bolton, Bury and Oldham.

61% of the country supports this strike but the government is penalising the public sector, the poorer and disadvantaged rather than those who got the country into the economic mess and those that could afford to get it out again, i.e. the bankers and the super rich. 

A solution would be to insist that the very rich and big businesses pay fair taxes and stop avoiding taxes by using offshore banking and other evasive actions. 

This popular Facebook status sums it up too: "Remember when teachers, lecturers, police, ambulance staff, nurses, midwives, doctors and firemen crashed the stock market, wiped out banks, took out billions in bonuses and paid no tax? No? Me neither. Show your support for public sector staff."

Further reading

The Guardian reports that "The UK is experiencing the worst disruption to services in decades on Wednesday as more than 2 million public sector workers stage a nationwide strike, closing schools and bringing councils and hospitals to a virtual standstill. The strike by more than 30 unions is over cuts to public sector pensions...leading to the closure of most state schools; cancellation of refuse collections; rail service and tunnel closures; the postponement of thousands of non-emergency hospital operations; and "horrific" delays at airports and ferry terminals. The TUC [Trades Union Congress] said it was the biggest stoppage in more than 30 years and was comparable to the last mass strike by 1.5 million workers in 1979. Hundreds of marches and rallies are due to take place in cities and towns across the country."

Yesterday Chancellor George Osbourne punished the UK masses further by introducing a 1% pay cap until 2015 for public sector workers, and changing the pension age of 67 to take effect in 2026 instead of 2034.  Even the most right wing of British newspapers, The Daily Telegraph, opines today that Osbourne's autumn statement means "Middle class workers will be hit while the rich benefit after the Treasury announced changes to the capital gains tax regime."

Mark Steel in The Independent is also always a wonderfully light hearted yet accurate read on these oppressive matters:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mark-steel/mark-steel-unions-just-want-the-mums-to-pay-6269659.html
It's going to be a  long winter of discontent...

Added vim to Vimto

The Vimto monument on Granby Row (Kerry Morrison, 1992) has returned! It was taken down in May (see: http://mancunianwave.blogspot.com/2011/05/vimto-monument.html )
for some landscaping work around the green space where it sits. The wood was rotten in places, and this refurbished version has either had a plastic coating added to the bottle or may be an entirely new one. The fruit beneath has certainly been painted.

Vimto was invented in Manchester by John Noel Nichols (1883–1966) as a temperance drink alternative to beer. Vim Tonic was its original name. It was a squash and later a carbonated drink, made of raspberries, blackcurrant, liquorice, herbs and spices.

Sadly, like other carbonated drinks, the modern day version would win few prizes for a being a healthy drink.

Happy Mondays: On the Eighth Day...

On the Eighth Day opened in 1970 and has been in the same place opposite All Saints' Park on Oxford Road since 1972. Well, there was an exception when the original building was rebuilt and they decamped to a mobile shop round the corner on Sidney Street for a couple of years from 2001.

It's a vegetarian wholefood shop and cafe and is one of my favourite places in the whole world, let alone in Manchester. Great for a wide range of unusual and ethical Christmas presents too. The deli counter is shown in this photo. Their website is worth a visit as well, at http://www.eighth-day.co.uk/

I have borrowed this chunk from their early and fascinating history at: http://www.eighth-day.co.uk/history.htm
" Located above a boutique on the now demolished New Brown Street, it opened as a craft exchange and alternative centre. 'On the seventh day God rested, on the eighth day He (She or It) created something better' was the idea of the moment at 11 p.m., September 11 1970 when trade commenced. It was a great place to tune in and drop out, but as an attempt to escape the clutches of capitalism it was less successful and in order to survive soon had to become a shop in the more conventional sense."

They return the love around here, don't they?

Inside the Manchester visitor centre on Piccadilly Plaza.
The quotes on the bags are by famous Mancunians and read as follows:

"They return the love around here, don't they?" - Guy Garvey (singer and guitarist, Elbow).
Elbow's recent homecoming concert at Manchester Cathedral can been seen at http://www.elbow.co.uk/

"We do things differently here." - Anthony Wilson (Mancunian music maestro & tv presenter, R.I.P).

"Here, there is an insane love of football, of celebration, of music." - Eric Cantona (French footballer) on Manchester.

"It all comes from here." - Noel Gallagher (Oasis) on Manchester. 

"A city that thinks a table is for dancing on." - Mark Radcliffe (BBC DJ).

The T shirt on the far right of the photo features four Mancunian musicians or, more accurately, singers: Ian Brown (Stone Roses), Morrisey (The Smiths), Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays) and Liam Gallagher (Oasis).

http://www.visitmanchester.com/

Purple Haze, 26 November 1967

Earlier this year there was an excellent photography exhibition featuring ground-breaking guitarist and 1960's legend Jimi Hendrix, at the Richard Goodall gallery. This photo of Hendrix is still on display there: http://www.richardgoodallgallery.com/

Throughout 1967 Hendrix was in Manchester for six gigs plus a performance of "Purple Haze" on the Simon Dee BBC tv show in March. He played Manchester Odeon twice in April, Belle Vue in May, the University in August and the Palace Theatre on 26th November, 44 years ago today.

Weekend Reflections: Canada expats

More weekend reflections at: http://weekendreflection.blogspot.com/

Canada Geese, or Branta Canadensis, were introduced to the UK from North America and are now British residents all year round. The RSPB estimates there are 82,500 breeding pairs in the UK. The largest of the Branta goose family, the males and females look alike although the male is larger and more bulky.

The BBC Guide to Life the universe and everything (which is sadly being phased out due to the Conservative/Tory government cuts) states:

"The UK bird is essentially different from the American bird. It has changed its behaviour, character, and build. Since its introduction it has largely become non-migratory, unlike the Anser genus in general. It is often to be found flitting between one local park and another. To give an example, the St James's Park, London, residents roost at Regent's Park lake each evening, and then spend the daylight hours back at St James's Park.

British Canada geese are generally heavier than the nominative race, and appear less prone to flight. This may be due to wing-clipping causing a reduction in the desire to fly. This does need some scientific study though, and is purely an educated guess on the part of birders in general. Certainly it is rare to find a Canada goose migrating to, or even more importantly from, Canada!

They are also far less aggressive as they have become more domesticated and familiar with humankind, so the aggressive streak found in native birds is reduced, but not gone, in native UK birds".

Happy Thanksgiving across the pond

A Happy Thanksgiving to our American cousins across the pond. This photo is of a American's apartment (or maybe a Brit with US leanings) in Manchester's Northern Quarter.

Loneliness of the long distance cleaner

A solitary cleaner hard at work keeping the corridors and entrances to university buildings clean, so that text book-laden students, lecture-bound academics, distracted researchers and organised office staff can work in a clean and safe environment.

The Renold Building was opened on this day, 23rd November, in 1962. It was part of the Manchester College of Science and Technology (later UMIST) campus expansion that decade. It was named after Charles Renold, who conveniently wore two hats: Vice President of the college and chairman of the planning and development committee.

Wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where the buildings were named after cleaners, porters, technicians or admin staff instead of the usual dignatories?

My title came from Alan Sillitoe's 1958 book and 1962 film The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. It belongs to a genre of literature and films prevalent in that era on the disillusionment of post World War II Britain, and the lack of opportunities for the working classes.

Monet on the Mersey, Valette in the Vale

On the Trent and Mersey Canal north of Saltersford Tunnel, in the Borough of Vale Royal.

Were Monet on the Trent and Mersey canal one autumn he might have painted this- it reminds me of his Japanese bridge and water lilies.  Although maybe Manchester's very own French Impressionist Adolphe Valette would have been more likely to create this than Monet?

The largest ever Valette exhibition is now on at the art gallery named after his star pupil- LS Lowry- The Lowry Gallery in Salford until January 2012. See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/oct/14/exhibition-for-artist-who-inspired-lowry

and my earlier post on Adolphe Valette at:
http://mancunianwave.blogspot.com/2011/09/homage-to-adolphe-valette.html

Shades of brown

The autumn colours complement the large building, which is a student accommodation block on Buxton and Berry Streets. The design is not my cup of tea really, reminding me of a modern take on a Stalinist edifice, although maybe that's why it looks quite dramatic.