Alan Ecclestone, Communist and Anglican priest; born Stoke-on-Trent, 3 June 1904; died London, 14 December 1992. To those Anglicans who objected to the way in which he repeatedly stood as a CP candidate in the 1960s, he “always insisted… that the church was guilty of crimes equally as great as those of the party, and believed that commitment to a person, place, calling, or principle should not be lightly revoked.” [ODNB]
Herbert Burrows, leading propagandist for Hyndman’s Social Democratic Federation, organiser (with Annie Besant) of the match girls strike of 1888, and later an active member of the Theosophical Society. Born Redgrave, Suffolk, 12 June 1845, died in London, 14 December 1922.
Over here, from the editor of Searchlight [and subscribe here if you don’t already].
Jill Craigie, socialist film-maker; born in Fulham, 7 March 1914; died in Camden, 13 December 1999.
Ella Josephine Baker, civil rights organiser, socialist, and veteran of the YNCL, WPA, NAACP, SCLC, SNCC, MFDP, SCEF and MPOC; born Norfolk, Virginia, 13 December 1903, died New York City, 13 December 1986.
They say they’ve genetically modified mice to make them unafraid of cats. I’m more concerned by the apparently-genetically-modified cat they’ve got in the vid-clip, who is even less effective at dealing with a mouse than Andromache.
(She can do the stalking, the patiently-lying-in-wait, and even the pouncing. After that, however, she isn’t at all sure what to do next, and when the mouse realises that the death blow isn’t really forthcoming, it’s able to scuttle away to safety. It’s very funny to watch. She’s better with wasps and spiders.)
Dan Hardie writes:
David Miliband is the Minister responsible for Government policy towards its Iraqi ex-employees, including those in fear of their lives. In a recent webchat on the Number 10website, Mr Miliband was asked the following question by Justin McKeating:
‘I would like to ask the Foreign Secretary why the assistance being offered to locally employed staff in Iraq, who are being threatened with reprisals - including torture and death - from local militias, is being rationed according to length of service. Isn’t it perfectly possible for an Iraqi employee who has only been employed for five months to face the same dangers as a colleague who has been employed for twelve months or longer?’…
[Read the Foreign Secretary’s reply, and more, over the fold.]
Allen Clarke, journalist (inc. editor of Labour Light in 1890, later of Northern Weekly), author (The Effects of the Factory System, 1899, which Tolstoy sought to have translated into Russian), and socialist (SDFer) with a “vision of moral and spiritual enlightenment to be attained through a lifestyle embracing rambling, cycling, temperance, and vegetarianism” (ODNB); he became best known for his literary work in Lancashire dialect presented through his alter ego Teddy Ashton, and enthusiast for Lancashire dialects; born Bolton, 26 February 1863, died Blackpool, 12 December 1935.
The Jericho Boatyard planning application went to Oxford City Council’s Area Committee today. I couldn’t stay for the whole meeting, but I’m glad to read that (unsurprisingly) the local councillors threw out the proposals in the final vote. So no doubt it’ll go to appeal - again, and we’ll have to take it from there. Channel Four News covered the story earlier tonight, while the meeting was in progress, and you can watch the clip over here [and click on “watch the report”].
(We’re over here at the BBC, too.)
From tehgraun:
Black has described the US government’s case against him as “rubbish”, “nonsense”, a “vendetta”, a “persecution” and as “essentially a substitute for a wealth-redistribution policy”. He has condemned prosecutors as “Nazis” and “pygmies”. All these comments were pinned on an office noticeboard by prosecutors, who filed arguments last week calling for a longer sentence because of Black’s contempt for the process.
This prompted a slight change of tack from the peer, who informed the Canadian press in an email that he considered the US justice system to be “one of the 10 best in the world”
UPDATE [5.30pm]: Six and a half to eight years, apparently. So assuming he starts the term in early 2008, he might be out just in time for his seventieth birthday on 25 August 2014. That’ll give him something to look forward to.
Charlotte Higgins on the return of Latin to the inner city.
(I still say we should make Latin the sole official language of the European Union, but I think I’m the only one who says that.)
[via comments here]
The Philip Pullman discussion below reminded me of this bit of propaganda that’s going round the neighbourhood, as local gyptian-consciousness is on the rise.
(The film’s playing at the Phoenix with an exhibition of photos of the boatyard in the bar upstairs, and Pullman recently turned up to a ceremony to rename one of the campaigners’ boat Lyra’s Defiance. All the fictional characters are on our side — Sergeant Lewis, too. How can we lose?!?)
Julian Harney, Chartist; also publisher of the first English edition of The Manifesto of the Communist Party in 1850 while editor of The Red Republican (presumably the one that kicks off with “A frightful hobgoblin stalks throughout Europe“, rather than the more familiar spectre haunting); born in Deptford, Kent, 17 February 1817, died in Richmond, Surrey, 9 December 1897.
Raphael Samuel (also here), people’s historian, born 26 September 1934, died 9 December 1996.
In order to pretend to myself that it isn’t really admissions season, I’ve been going to the cinema.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is quite good. It’s not very good, but it is quite good, and it manages not to be dull, even though hardly anything happens, it all moves along very slowly, and you know exactly what’s going to happen towards the end. Beautifully filmed, and the acting’s not bad at all. It doesn’t, however, make me want to go off and live in Missouri. In the dispute between Norm and Adele and Sarah Churchwell on gender in the film, I think Sarah Churchwell edges it on points, with her shrewd remarks on the (d)evolution of the Western since Clint Eastwood showed up. (Do note the fine correction at the end of Churchwell’s piece.)
The Darjeeling Limited is quite funny when it’s being a silly film, but about halfway through it tries to become Meaningful, whereupon it becomes moderately tiresome, except for a couple of jokes towards the end and a brief appearance by a tiger. Ros K has more over here.
The trailer to The Golden Compass makes it look cracking, esp. the polar bear. But is it clear whether I should have a look at a Pullman novel or two ahead of time, or just wander along to see the film?
Oh, and, call me puerile (”you’re puerile”), but I did enjoy this advert.
Louis Blanc, French socialist: born 29 October 1811 in Madrid; died 6 December 1882 in Cannes.
Daniel Singer, born 26 September 1926 in Warsaw; died 2 December 2000 in Paris.
Jenny Marx, b. 12 February 1814, d. 2 December 1881.
