Mayday! Mayday!

Fiona Uncategorized

Friday 1st May . . . all sorts of things to think about, starting with

(Image Credit: Melbourne Protests)

If you see a history of May Day in the newspapers this year, it is most likely to recount the mystical, medieval origins of a pagan fertility festival. And though you may never have seen a maypole in your life, you will be assured that a ribboned piece of birchwood is the sign and sanction of May Day.

Yet this has little to do with the reason that 1 May is celebrated in Britain, or why it is an international holiday . . . . May Day is international workers day. As such, it is – in the words of Eric Hobsbawm – “the only unquestionable dent made by a secular movement in the Christian or any other official calendar”. And its past is more rowdy than is suggested by the imagery of Morris dancers serenely waving hankies and bells around.

The origin of our present holiday lies in the fight for an eight-hour working day, in which cause the leaders of the socialist Second International called for an international day of protest to be held at the beginning of May 1890. They did so just as the American Federation of Labour was planning its own demonstration on the same date. The UK protest actually took place on a Sunday, and in London alone attracted 300,000 protesters to Hyde Park.

Initially, May Day was intended to be a one-off protest, and in some ways quite a solemn affair. But it persisted amid a flourishing of trade unionism. The symbolism of the workers’ Easter, of rebirth and renewal, dramatised this experience of revival. And it developed a carnivalesque aspect. May Day did not merely enact internationalism and working class solidarity; it celebrated these things with the familiar paraphernalia of badges, flags, art, sporting events and heavy drinking.

This is the beginning of a fine article: I commend it to Pubsters.

So, let’s recreate some of that carnival atmosphere – but with moderate consumption of alcohol, of course.

We will also have our Friday raffle, lots of good music, and even though the article’s author quite rightly says May Day is much more than maypoles, let’s get those paws a-twitching and the ribbons a-winding!

(Image Credit: Life With Cats)

537 thoughts on “Mayday! Mayday!”

  1. Gigilene,

    Apologies for the late reply – yes, all that sharpening made moi very tired.

  2. gigilene

    Extremely important to those for whom the baby is a new son/daughter , grandchild, niece/nephew etc . Otherwise a total Meh.

  6. gigilene

    I didn’t think you were serious. I see you as someone who would celebrate a baby’s birth but not as a royalist. I’m just a Grrrrrrr anti-royalist and any other position given by accident of birth.

  8. Speaking of “royalty”. After the death of Ben E. King this news just popped up . Looks like we shall soon lose another King .

    Blues legend B.B. King in hospice at his home in Las Vegas

  10. You don’t require stupidity to kill yourself but it helps

    The five people who perished during Queensland’s wild weather were in cars attempting to cross flooded roads, police say, while a six-year-old boy has been airlifted to hospital in a critical condition after being swept into rough seas.

    Two four-wheel-drives entered water across Beerburrum Road at Caboolture, north of Brisbane, about 5.30pm on Friday.

    A 49-year-old man in one car drowned while his 21-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son managed to escape.

    All three occupants of the other vehicle – a 74-year-old man, 39-year-old woman, and five-year-old boy – were swept to their deaths.

    http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/02/queenslands-five-flood-victims-were-in-cars-attempting-to-cross-roads-police-say

    It is inevitable, or not, that The National Embarrassment will fund an education campaign.

  13. I am suspending all other events until a privileged pom gives birth to another privileged pom.

    Ned and Syd await with baited breath

  16. At least the Duchess managed to go into Labor well before election day.

  19. @Leone

    Thanks, was enjoying a nice drink until reading that and spat it on the screen in laughter.

  20. Breaking News!!…; Canberra to be renamed : “Cambridge”, in honour of…

  21. leone,

    “At least the Duchess managed to go into Labor well before election day.”

    She joined the Labor Party?

  26. Fiona,

    Do you, as one who shares Alf’s politics, think that film worth watching?

  27. TLBD

    They deserve Darwin Award nominations. How many fecking decades of seeing people trying to cross flooded creeks and being drowned do these idiots need before they catch on ? The Qld. police sent out an huge alert, reported everywhere , warning people NOT to try walking, driving or otherwise trying to cross flooded areas. But still people did a Barnaby Joyce.

    Five dead but I wonder how many more had a close call.

  28. That UK election should be very interesting.

    I hope for a Labour + SNP government, with Nicola rather than Ed in charge.

  29. Ducky,

    I’ve never seen it, but I regard Till Death Do Us Part as a fascinating series (and NOT “comical”), and Mitchell a brilliant actor. I also have vivid memories of his portrayal of Shylock in the Beeb’s production of The Merchant of Venice sometime during the late 60s / early 70s.

    And a radio interview of him in the 1990s when he told that wonderful story explaining why a particular Jewish sect (Hassidic?) did not permit men and women to dance together. I was on my way to university, and had to pull over to the side of the road because I was laughing so much.

  30. leonetwo

    Even more “at least the duchess” was that she did not do it on Labour Day !!

  31. Fiona
    Maybe
    I had a interesting conversation with a racist homophone today. This bloke is in in his mid 60’s and is now retired happy go lucky good fella.
    Conversation somehow got around to the drug runners killing . Answer was a pretty emphatic gooks and darkies drug freaks and pity they only got shot once Back to other conversations we went.
    Then this bloke said all of a sudden “I know I am a racist I hate blacks . and I hate poofs and any other one that isn’t like us. but that was how I was raised and I cannot change. He was born and raised in inner city Melbourne in the 50’s /60’s.
    He knows he is out of fashion/ .correct but he looked me straight in the eye and said I cannot change that was how I raised.
    He is a good fella ,loves his wife/kids /grandkids , never a bogan but and a hard worker I will always call him a friend, but systemic racism may take a while.

  32. I have seen the non-Alf Warren Mitchell in other things, as well. He is very good.

    He has one hell of films behind him

    “Manuela (1957)
    The Crawling Eye (1958)
    Three Crooked Men (1958)
    Girls at Sea (1958)
    Two-Way Stretch (1960)
    Hell Is a City (1960)
    The Boy Who Stole a Million (1960)
    Surprise Package (1960)
    The Pure Hell of St Trinian’s (1960)
    The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
    Operation Snatch (1962)
    The Silent Invasion (1962)
    Postman’s Knock (1962)
    Incident at Midnight (1963)
    Carry On Cleo (1964)
    The Intelligence Men (1965)
    Help! (1965)
    San Ferry Ann (1965)
    Promise Her Anything (1965)
    The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
    Night Caller from Outer Space (1965)
    The Sandwich Man (1966)
    Drop Dead Darling (1966)
    Diamonds for Breakfast (1968)
    The Assassination Bureau (1969)
    Moon Zero Two (1969)
    Till Death Us Do Part (1969)
    The Best House in London (1969)
    All the Way Up (1970)
    The Alf Garnett Saga (1972)
    Innocent Bystanders (1972)
    What Changed Charley Farthing? (1974)
    Jabberwocky (1977)
    Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers (1977)
    Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979)
    The Plague Dogs (1982)
    Norman Loves Rose (1982)
    The Chain (1984)
    Man of Letters (1984)
    The Last Bastion (1984)
    Waterfront (1984)
    Knights and Emeralds (1985)
    The Dunera Boys (1985)
    Foreign Body (1986)
    Kokoda Crescent (1988)
    Crackers (1998)”

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Mitchell#Filmography

  33. Finally found it – this is the version Warren Mitchell told:

    A couple preparing for a religious conversion meets with the orthodox rabbi for their final session.

    The rabbi asks if they have any final questions.

    The woman asks, “Is it true that men and women don’t dance together?”

    “Yes,” says the rabbi, “For modesty reasons, men and women dance separately.”

    “So I can’t dance with my own husband?”

    “No.”

    “Well, okay,” says the woman,”but what about sex?”

    “Fine,” says the rabbi. “A mitzvah within the marriage!”

    “What about different positions?” the woman asks.

    “No problem,” says the rabbi.

    “Woman on top?” the woman asks.

    “Why not?” replies the rabbi.

    “Well, what about standing up?”

    “NO!” says the rabbi….

    “Why Not???” asks the woman.

    “Could lead to dancing!”

  34. joe6pack,

    That is a good-and-bad story: many of us are not in control of what we have become.

    As for “a racist homophone” … 😀

    I know you meant “homophobe”.

    That’s what you get for associating with us nit-pickers.

  35. Joe6pack,

    I wasn’t clear enough. I was actually referring to Alf Garnett’s habit of standing and saluting any time he heard God Save the Queen – even when he was having his weekly bath – that’s why I chose that particular image. Wasn’t suggesting racism on your part at all.

    We all have close friends, and even closer people, whose world views don’t entirely match our own – but we can still be friends / family etc.

    My politics are almost diametrically opposed to OH’s, but we live in the same house.

    My closest female friend and I are like-minded in many ways – but she supports Collingwood (I couldn’t really give a damn), and she won’t hear a word against Israel.

    My daughter works in an industry that in my view is doing irreparable harm to the planet.

    However, I respect, enjoy, and love them all, even if I can never share their opinions on certain matters.

  37. j6

    “that was how I was raised and I cannot change”

    Sounds like a cop out “Not my fault” reasoning. I think people are very much able to change. There would of course be exceptions.
    .
    “systemic racism may take a while” —– a +100 on that point.

  41. Fiona,

    Sybil.

    OK! Vertical dancing in private OK? Horizontal dancing in public OK?

    And, yes, I’m a real fan of Hassidic Judaism …

  42. Ducky,

    Horizontal dancing in public OK?

    Doubtful. The rabbi expressly stated:

    “A mitzvah within the marriage!”

    No onlookers.

    Nor should there be.

  43. joe6pack

    Understand though. Coming from NZ to W.A. I was shocked at the racism of people here. But they would give the shirt off their backs if you were in trouble. It was hard to reconcile.

  44. kk

    I awoke in Perth very early that morning jetlagged

    I went to sleep that Saturday on a bed dragged from the ‘sick room’ to next to my desk and a telex machine also dragged to be near by and a list of people to ring if there was a problem.

    A Super Entendard ruined my Sunday.

  45. I could neither “Tell him to man Up” Nor say “it is a cop out”

    If that was what you are told and witnessed for a greater part of your upbringing I won,t condemn.
    He acknowledgers that he is out of touch but cannot change.
    A good friend and he will remain so

  47. Excellent!

    Place and time: somewhere in the Soviet Union in 1930s.

    The phone rings at KGB headquarters.

    “Hello?”

    “Hello, is this KGB?”

    “Yes. What do you want?”

    “I’m calling to report my neighbor Yankel Rabinovitz as an enemy of the State. He is hiding undeclared diamonds in his firewood.”

    “This will be noted.”

    Next day, the KGB goons come over to Rabinovitz’s house. They search the shed where the firewood is kept, break every piece of wood, find no diamonds, swear at Yankel Rabinovitz and leave. The phone rings at Rabinovitz’s house.

    “Hello, Yankel!

    Did the KGB come?”

    “Yes.”

    “Did they chop your firewood?”

    “Yes, they did.”

    “Okay, now its your turn to call. I need my vegetable patch plowed.”

    http://www.haruth.com/jhumor/Jhumor14.html

    (Even if, back in the 1930s, it would have been the OGPU or the NKVD:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_Soviet_secret_police_agencies)

  50. On the UK Election, I’m fairly confident that it’ll be a Labour victory, but it’s hard to say how stable it would be.

    It’s clear that Labour will need other parties to provide confidence and supply, but coming up with a stable combination might be difficult. I think that if a Labour-SNP-Greens-Plaid Cymru-SDLP combination won’t provide a majority, it’ll be very uncertain from then on.

    And there’s also the matter that the LDP and UKIP won’t really be compatible for creating a coalition, so that’s another factor going against Cameron.

Comments are closed.