Comments on: Art, Documentary & Resistance In The Thirties

By: John Cinningham

John Cinningham — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 01:05:53 +0000

How times have changed. The English working class actively opposed snake oil fascists like Moseley. Now they vote for them. Understanding what caused this is a question that may decide the future of the UK.

By: Christine Swan

Christine Swan — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 12:46:48 +0000

This looks to be a very interesting exhibition and definitely one that I will seek out. It’s a period that my parents talked about a great deal. Although most of their family members were self employed, my paternal grandfather was a nurse. He was laid off during the 1930s and worked casually as a builder’s labourer to put food on the table. The builder told all of his workers that he would have to reduce their wages to stay afloat. My grandfather, understandably objected. I think his war service and previous occupation caused his employer to take pity on him and his original salary was restored.
My maternal grandfather was a bar manager but later started his own mobile coffee stall. The money earned wasn’t enough to support his growing family and sadly, when his son was killed by a car, the family didn’t even have enough money to pay for his burial.
Hardship and division certainly helped create the conditions for what happened next.

By: Robin

Robin — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 01:11:12 +0000

This is so inspirational. Writing from across the pond, where we need all the encouragement and solidarity we can get in our current dark days. (And style, as CAOR says above!)

By: mjb

mjb — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 17:17:00 +0000

This post comes perfectly timed. I am in the midst of reading the first volume of “The Collected Correspondence, Essays, and Journalism of George Orwell.” Reading just last night, in 1937 Blair/Orwell mentions Caballero, the ILP (the Independent Labour Party), and his “spilling the beans” on what’s happening –and having been wounded– in Spain fighting briefly against fascism. So it’s interesting to see both the ILP and Caballero placards being carried be demonstrators. This literally puts faces to names. Thank you.

By: Jennifer Newbold

Jennifer Newbold — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:04:12 +0000

Looking at these photos made me think. In America in the thirties we also had massive unemployment and people who couldn’t get enough to eat. But in America, whenever someone sponsors legislation that will benefit the people as a whole, the opposition starts howling about socialism, as if that were the worst thing imaginable.

I think perhaps the difference is that in America we never had a monarch (although that may change, even though he won’t call himself one). We never had Peers. Our country was founded on the premise that all people are equal, that one’s ancestry didn’t make one person greater than another.

Bless our Founding Fathers, but they were a bit naive. Americans may claim that they believe that all people are equal (I rather think you have to in order to claim citizenship), but that doesn’t mean they want all people to have the same resources. Particularly when they perceive that more for other people means less for them. (What is *one man* going to do with $60 billion?) I fear that this manner of thinking is poisoning the world.

Sorry for the rant. The ‘hideous inauguration’, as one of my British friends termed it, tends to colour everything for me these days.

By: achim

achim — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:38:46 +0000

It’s sure to be a great exhibition!

Love & Peace
ACHIM

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 08:39:07 +0000

Superb.
We need direct action like this now, but the Tories, deviously, have fragmented the working classes.
So many think Reform are the future. Wait until Farridge and his none too bright cronies disappear the N. H. S. take further apart the benefits system and more or less destroy life as we know it. You have been warned!
Great pics, great story. A golden age of protest, although peaceful protest never seems to work.
See you outside the Ritz, Comrades.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 07:04:59 +0000

Beautiful pictures of solidarity which is lacking so much now .