Jewish Museum Celebrates May Day

On Sunday, I spoke at a marvellous May Day celebration at the Jewish Museum in Camden, London, organised by David Rosenberg of the Jewish Socialist Group.

Click here to see some photos of the event on Facebook.

Oliver Postgate RIP

This morning I heard the sad news that yesterday, Oliver Postgate died aged 83. Oliver was the creator of much-loved kids' TV from the era when I first watched it - ie. when I was a kid - including Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine, The Clangers, Bagpuss, and my personal favourite Pogles' Wood (pictured). His son Daniel is a children's author, and wrote my youngest son Harrison's current favourite book, Smelly Bill.

Amongst the many tributes that will be blogged this morning, may I be the first 1920s labour history nerd to point out that Oliver was the son of Raymond Postgate and Daisy Lansbury, both lifelong, active socialists, and therefore the grandson of George Lansbury. Which, of course, makes him the cousin of Angela Lansbury; he was born in the same year as her too. And the nephew of my personal hero Minnie Lansbury, although she died before Oliver was born. And, like all GL's descendants, quite possibly also the descendant of a Tolpuddle Martyr. George's wife, Bessie Brine, was probably - although it has never been proved for sure - the granddaughter of Tolpuddle's James Brine.

So I think we can assume that Ivor the Engine had a sup at the South Wales NUR club after finishing a good day's chuffing.

Important Women In Socialist And Feminist History

The London Socialist Feminist Discussion Group - launched last year followed a dayschool on socialist feminism hosted by Workers' Liberty - has announced its programme of meetings for Autumn-Winter 2008-9. Here it is (and you may be interested to know that one Janine Booth will be introducing the discussions on Constance Markiewicz and on Minnie Lansbury) ...

The London Socialist Feminist Dicussion Group is open to everyone interested in discussing socialist and feminist ideas in an informal and welcoming forum.

Our group meets monthly. Our programme of meetings for autumn-winter 2008-9 starts on Friday 12 September when we will be starting a series of discussions focusing on important women in socialist and feminist history.

This series will start with a look at the life and politics of Rosa Luxemburg. Luxemburg was a Polish-born revolutionary mostly active in the German socialist movement in the early 20th century. She was co-founder of the Spartacist Lague, a precursor to the German Communist Party. Luxemburg was captured and killed by right wing forces after the failed Spartacist uprising of early 1919. She remains an important figure in socialist history both for her actions during her life and her ideas.

• Friday 12 September: Rosa Luxemburg
  7.30-9.30pm Lucas Arms, 245a Gray’s Inn Road, London, WC1X
  
• Friday 10 October: Constance Markiewicz
  7.30-9.30pm School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG
  
• Friday 7 November: Clara Zetkin
  Time and venue as for October
  
• Friday 5 December: Minnie Lansbury
  
• Friday 9 January: Marie Stopes
  
• Friday 6 February: Sylvia Pankhurst

Time as above. Venues to be arranged
More details socialist.feminist@gmail.com

Minnie Lansbury RIP

Today is the 86th anniversary of the death of one of my all-time heroes: Minnie Lansbury.

Yet another woman whom history has ignored in favour of her male comrades and family members - Minnie was George Lansbury's daughter-in-law - she deserves to be much better-known amongst socialists, feminists and those with any interest in labour movement history.

Born in 1889 to Jewish parents in Stepney, Minnie Glassman became a school teacher before marrying Edgar Lansbury in 1914. She was a committee member of Sylvia Pankhurst's East London Federation of Suffragettes, which mobilised and involved working-class women (and men) whom 'Votes For Ladies' campaigns elsewhere held in contempt. In 1916, she became Assistant Secretary, and when ELFS became the Workers’ Socialist Federation in 1918, Minnie was elected Assistant Secretary.

Minnie served on Poplar's War Pensions Committee from 1914-18. She joined the Communist Party as soon as it was formed in 1920.

When Labour swept to power on Poplar Borough Council in 1919, it appointed Minnie Lansbury as one of its Aldermen. In this role, she played an important part in the Rates Dispute of 1921 (about which I am writing a book, due to be published later this year). Minnie and 29 of her fellow Councillors were imprisoned after they refused to collect precepts for cross-London bodies, preferring to raise money only to support the population of the desperately poor, recession-ravaged, dockside borough of Poplar. The Poplar Councillors' militancy, stubbornness and mass working-class support brought them victory, forcing the government to adjust the local government funding system massively in favour of the pooorer boroughs.

But it cost Minnie Lansbury her life. On January 1st 1922, she died of pneumonia, almost certainly made worse by the effects of six weeks imprisonment in the previous September and October.

I have some fantastic photos (not yet ready for reproduction) of Minnie going off to Holloway prison, cheered on by thousands of local men and women, the crowds stretching back as far as you can see. As she went, she gave a quote to the Daily Herald: ‘I wish the Government joy in its effort to get this money from the people of Poplar. Poplar will pay its share of London’s rates when Westminster, Kensington, and the City do the same!’