Thursday, April 02, 2009

Birmingham antics..and collectivism

Birmingham? My stay there was good. Just what I needed. The union course was brilliant with a well informed trainer who'd been active in the Miner's strikes of the 80s and a then active member of the NUM and now Unison and UCU. I thought these types were a dying breed, they're still in existence but they're an aging population and need to be revered when I think about all of the political knowledge and experience they hold. The emphasis on collective action and proaction was inspiring and affirming for me..
So, apart from feeling more fired up and wanting to get more active, I also managed to see a band called Broken Records at The Glee Club, which is in the arty/Gay/China Quarter of Birmingham. This band were fantastic! I think they're going to be big given time - so musically diverse with so much instrumental talent in the band, keep a look out for them! I had a drink in a gay bar, which I have been in before and I love the atmosphere in there, The Old George I think it's called..but a lovely little traditional pub!

I also managed to take a look in at Birmingham Art Gallery, loved the Buddhist Gallery and the naked men on the walls - all that power in those paintings, amazing that such pictures can be created from paint and the human hand and mind..

Retro shop? I found a cool one and picked up a nice pair of boots and a lovely pink coat for the grand total of £30! Wonderful stuff.

On the way home, a colleague from my work place, who I've never met before, even though we're in the union at work and he's an activist, were talking about absence from work. He made me laugh when he told me that he uses latin terms for his illness if he's off work with sickness; Takes a Thesaurus, looks for the latin word of Diarrhoea and writes this down, laughed my head off at this! Yes people, there's spirit in some of the nation still for sure and that's where my heart and soul belongs.. and I guess, always has done and always will..Wish more of the nation would collectivise themselves, I really do.

Tonight I hope to attend a poetry event, should be interesting and no doubt I will report back to my cyber diary!

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