Manchester and Peterloo

Just back from Manchester from a very successful Green Left Summer Camp and participation in the march and commemoration of the 190th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre yesterday. We had a speech from various activists in the campaign to erect a suitable monument and from local Labour MP, Tony Lloyd, who pointedly only mentioned dissidents being suppressed in China but no mention of more recent events in our own island and probable police violence at the forthcoming Climate Camp in London. There was a lot of discussion about the sculpture to commemorate the massacre and that it should not be too abstract but encapsulate the nature of what happened.

Shelley wrote the poem 'The Masque of Anarchy' to commemorate the event but only one stanza was read out at the event yesterday rather than the twenty something stanzas which he wrote. I used to write a lot of poetry and take part in poetry readings in the 80s. The events at Peterloo and their commemoration over the weekend spurred me to take up my poetic pen again. So here are my efforts.

Peterloo

At Peterloo they fell and died

Those for whom Liberty's price was paid

Now Tomlinson and SOCPA are the theme

Where Freedom's corpse lies in the grave

Lord Liverpool and Captain Burleigh

Who called the Yeomanry to arms

Your heirs - Brown and Ainsworth

call for youthful blood in Afghanistan

And Orator Hunt would blanch with shame

Where blood stained the stones of Peter's Fields

There lie the bones of Socialism's hopes

Trod beneath the hooves of New Labour's cavalry

Read out the names of Peterloo and New Labour's dead -

Freedom, Liberty, Suffrage and the Price of Oil!