I’ve written before about the role of Trades Union Councils in promoting (or should that be
fomenting) working class and left political culture. Another example is taking place this weekend in…Read more…
From Alexei to Jeremy, and much in between – Edinburgh Reviews 3 & 4
Both of my final compilation roundups of Edinburgh festival shows have now been published in the Morning Star. The third one – Sayle, Spoiler Alerts and Symphonies – can be found here. And the…Read more…
Radical Angles with a Cutting Edge – Edinburgh reviews 2
–> …And the second of the group reviews of both International and Fringe shows was published in the Morning Star on Saturday. It is available here. It covers reviews that I posted in my…Read more…
Asylum. Immigration and Women – Edinburgh reviews 1
Yesterday, the Morning Star published my reviews of four shows I’ve seen at this year’s festivals. It is available here and covers Henry Naylor’s new play – Borders (*****), and a new play by a…Read more…
Edinburgh’s International Festival – for the elite, or for the masses?
A little-known fact of the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), is that it has always included on its board a representative from the city’s trade unionists. Appointed by Edinburgh’s TUC, the…Read more…
Rich pickings for the Culture Vulture – Edinburgh Festivals Preview
It seems like some time since I posted anything vaguely cultural here, but that is about to change!
Last Saturday our friends in the Morning Star printed my preview of the Fringe at this year’s…Read more…
Returning to the roots of MayDay’s Cabarets
–> Glasgow Friends of MayDay (GFoMD) have announced another stellar line-up for the sixth annual Great May Day cabaret celebrating International Workers’ Day (May Day). This annual event at…Read more…
Culture and the labour movement – a key role for Trades Councils
Last Tuesday, Jamie Caldwell – Unite Community Co-ordinator for Scotland – penned a piece in the ‘Voices from Scotland’ section of the Morning Star arguing the importance of arts, music and…Read more…
Celtic Connections 3 – crossing borders
The first of my two articles reviewing this year’s Celtic Connections was in the Morning Star yesterday here. It dealt with two themes, the continuing connections between British and Irish music and…Read more…
Celtic Connections 2 – and Beyond
A selection of shorts re a number of shows that are not going to get onto my reviews in the Star (the first one of which is due in tomorrow’s paper (Thursday 2).
One thing that is already in…Read more…
An embarrassment of riches – Celtic Connections ’17 Preview
This is a preview piece for this year’s Celtic Connections, that was printed in the Morning Star on Thursday (19 Jan). The link to the article on line doesn’t seem to be working, so here (with a…Read more…
Travelling to come together.
This is my review of the highlights of 2016 . Compiled for the Morning Star (who published it here) this is the original. The Star is excellent at shaping my sometimes unweildy prose into shorter…Read more…
Havana Glasgow Film Festival – final four days have many jewels. HGFF preview 2
The Havana Glasgow Film Festival enters its final four days with the arrival of Cuban film and videoArturo Santanadirector, Arturo Santana. Flying in from Havana yesterday – thanks to sponsorship…Read more…
Guests and Supporters as Cuban Film Festival begins – HGFF preview 1
This week sees the start of this year’s Havana Glasgow Film Festival (HGFF), on 11 Nov, and guests have already started to arrive from Cuba and other parts of the globe. On Tuesday the Cuban…Read more…
Second Cuban Film Festival launches in Glasgow
The Second Havana Glasgow Film Festival has launched its new programme online this weekend. The festival has built on last years’ initial success extending its run from seven to ten days in November…Read more…
People on the Move – Edinburgh Festivals 3
My third compilation of reviews from the Edinburgh Festivals has been published in yesterday’s Morning Star. Covering a range of shows with a general theme of migration, it is a masterpiece of…Read more…
Songwriting Talents Old and New(ish). Edinburgh Festivals 2
My first compilation piece from Edinburgh is in the Morning Star today. It includes the Angel review in last Thursday’s blog, and also a review of Road – Jim Cartwright’s slice of Lancashire life…Read more…
An angelic sniper brings war home to us. – Edinburgh Festivals 1
Angel, by Henry Naylor, Gilded Balloon Teviot – until 29 August (*****)
Filipa Bragança is the AngelOf all the definitions of ‘angel’, the least common would be ‘sniper’ – but that’s just what…Read more…
Cuban Heroes visit Scotland
With all the sound and fury surrounding the PLP ‘rebellion’ against Jeremy Corbyn, it might be a salutory reflection to think what people elsewhere suffer for their beliefs. Rene Gonzalez and Gerardo…Read more…
Rebel Herstory of the Easter Rising
Cat HepburnThis weekend’s Morning Star carries a Connolly Association supplement,marking the centenary of the Easter Rising. It is worthy of purchase for that alone, of course, but to ensure the Arts…Read more…