Skip Navigation | HOME | UK Indymedia | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

manchester Indymedia

Class struggles at The Common Place

commoner | 15.01.2006 10:54 | Free Spaces | Social Struggles

You think we're all just a bunch of middle class do-gooders escaping from actual social struggles. You're right. But today at The Common Place, we are dedicating our cinema and talks to class struggle in Britain over the centuries. Alas, the L'pool Dockers can't make it but we'll wack on another film.

THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
A day of films and talks celebrating class struggle in Britain
Sun Jan 15th 2006 @ The Common Place Leeds

The world has been turned upside down many times by ordinary people in this country. From land squatters to industrial strikers, we have learnt that we can stand up and fight successfully for a better world. For an afternoon and evening the Common Place Cinema Collective celebrate these rich traditions of class struggles through the ages.

2 – 3.30pm FILM: Winstanley
1649. Poverty and unrest is sweeping England after the civil wars. A group of impoverished men and women known as the Diggers take land at St Georges Hill in Surrey to try and live together in peace and dignity. Gerrard Winstanley, an ex soldier from the civil war, is their inspiration. (1975. Dir Kevin Brownlow. 1 hr 30 mins)

4 - 5pm FILM: The Luddites
1812. Britain teeters on the verge of widespread revolt, and Yorkshire stands at the heart of it. Wool croppers, weavers and lace makers are thrown out of work with the coming of steam powered factories. Rather than laying down and watching their livelihoods destroyed they fight back - burning mills, kidnapping industrialists and rioting in cities. This film, made as a historical drama, tells the story of their struggle, and ultimate failure. But their spirit lives on (1984. Dir Taylor Downing. 1 hr)

5 - 6pm FILM: The Battle of Trafalgar. The UK Poll Tax Riot
1990. The Thatcher government exposes its true nature through the introduction of the massively unpopular Community tax – a thinly veiled Poll Tax or head tax. The people of Britain are not fooled, and widespread community organising comes to a head in a huge demonstration in London. This is the documentary of that battle (1991. 52 mins).

6 - 6.30pm TALK: the Poll Tax riots in perspective. Followed by food in the Café.

7 - 8pm TALK: from the Liverpool dockers
Sacked Liverpool dockers went on to set up The Casa social centre in Liverpool. Members of the Casa will be talking about the Dockers strike and what they have achieved after the dispute.

8 – 10.15pm FILM: Dockers
1995. This film follows the nearly 3 year struggle for re-instatement by dock-workers and their families, who suffered hardship as they fought against dismissal by the Mersey Docks & Harbour Company (MDHC). Despite ultimate defeat, the strike attracted international solidarity from across the world. The sacked dockers turned their hand to writing which was structured by TV scriptwriter Jimmy McGovern. Here was a unique opportunity for a group of workers to write and show the nation their own story. (1999. Starring Ricky Tomlinson. Dir Jimmy McGovern. 2 hr 15 mins)

The café will be open. Entry by donation. The Common Place is a members club (membership £1). www.thecommonlace.org.uk
23-25 Wharf St, Leeds (nr the Corn Exchange) 0113 2468640

commoner

Download this article in pdf format >>

Email this article to someone >>

Submit an addition or make a quick comment on this article >>

Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Manchester Topics

Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Manchester Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Manchester Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Manchester Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Manchester Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Manchester Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Manchester Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Manchester Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Manchester Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

Languages

english

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech