Striking news from Notts

Well, it has been a long and hectic couple of days. Yesterday I was one of nearly a million local government workers on strike to defend our pensions. I was up at about 5 a.m. to get ready for the picket line. Got up quietly to make sure I didn't disturb Sonia. After a healthy breakfast of porridge and a banana, left the house at about 6 and drove through a quiet Nottingham to set up the picket line at Trent Bridge House.

Got the bright yellow banner set up at about 6.30 (with the help of the Head of County Personnel!) and settled down to a freezing morning on a windy corner in West Bridgford. The dawn came up at about 7 along with another 2 pickets, Jenny and Denise from School meals service. The rising sun didn't make it any warmer.

Only a few members of staff tried to sneak in before core time started at 7.30 and had to walk past me and cross a formal picket line. Overall very few actually went in to TBH, I estimated about 35 to 40 in a building where 450 work. Some had exemption letters from the branch because they were in the last year of service and a day's strike action would affect their pension. One promised his day's pay to the strike hardship fund - thanks Norman.

Recruited one new member on the line. He said he didn't want to cross the picket line but he wasn't a member. Gave him an application form which he filled in there and then. He then went home. This was about the same time as we were visited by UNISON's Regional Secretary, Helen Black and local NEC member Chris Tansley. Helen and I compared notes on how we had done on the radio. I was put forward as a media contact, and was interviewed by Radio Nottingham on Monday afternoon. They used a quote from me on the 8 o'clock news and a lengthier piece at about 8.15. Managed to get my name wrong on the news bulletin but Sonia was up by then and rang them to tell them my name wasn't Barry!

We turned away the post delivery, so a big thank you to the CWU member for his support.

By 10.15 we all agreed that no-one else would be coming in as core time started at 10, so I headed off to the Branch Office to drop off the banner and then went to the Forest (Goose Fair site) to join the march. Was met by BBC TV cameraman who was to interview me. He hooked me up with a radio mic and then followed me round as I photographed people, chatting about how well the action had gone, and him asking the occasional question about why I was on strike etc. I was worried that, after four and half hours in the cold my nose woudn't stop running, but it didn't show on East Midlands Today that evening.

Ran into several old friends and acquaintances as I went round taking photos. Was glad to see a good turn out from the Angel Row gang. Here's the photographic evidence...


The march set off and I was followed around by the BBC man. I ran into some more of the Angel Row gang on the march, so here's their photos...

The march ended at the Albert Hall, where we held a rally with speeches from the unions involved. After that most people wandered off, with some discussing which pub was closest and others returning to their picket lines. I headed back to the Branch Office where I ate my sandwiches in the car before joining Jackie, Jill and Pete on the County Hall picket line until about 4.30. Once we had met the postal van, we packed up for the evening.

I headed home for a hot drink and a hot bath, remembering to set the video to record my 5 minutes of fame. More of my photos are posted on the branch blog.

I hear I have an audience...

Heard this evening that I have at least one reader: Hiya Mark down near Bristol!

Glad to know that someone reads the blog. Hope it doesn't bore you too much, and that Mel enjoys the news you pass on. Here's a link to your longwhitecloud.org website for anyone else to see what you got up to on your world travels.

I'm sure that you are only checking in occasionally during your lunch breaks or at the local library...

I'm in the middle of trying to work out how to put the headers for blog posts as updated hyperlinks into a webpage. I can get the basics of an Atom XML feed from the blog but it ends up with all the text below as well. I'm trawling the web for hints (or even the relevant HTML that works in Front Page) so that I can have a feed from the branch blog on the home page of the branch web site www.nottsunison.org.uk

UPDATE as at lunchtime on 14th March: DONE IT!

Fixed the problem by using the nice people at www.rss-to-javascript.com

Just had to copy and paste the Atom feed URL for the blog and they generated the Javascript for it. The results can be seen on the home page of the branch web site

Swarb's Lazarus, Lowdham Village Hall

Legendary English fiddler Dave Swarbrick has a new trio called Lazarus with Kevin Dempsey and Maartin Allcock.

Better known as Swarb, he received a new pair of lungs in October 2004 after years of debilitating emphysema. Famously, the Daily Telegraph printed his obituary in April 1999 which Swarb regularly signs when fans produce a copy.

Now he is able to play live again, his first gig was Friday night in Lowdham Village Hall, and we were there. Sonia spotted the gig in the Nottingham Evening Post and I managed to contact the organisers Farnsfield Acoustic who said they would save us a couple tickets on the door.

When we got there, the Hall was full of people who had brought their own drinks (no licensed bar in the hall). It was a no smoking venue, especially appropriate given Swarb's lung transplant.

By the time the lights went down, the Hall was packed. Lazarus came on to affectionate appaluse and cheers for Swarb's first live gig since the transplant. They settled down to play two sets, intermixed with Swarb chatting about the songs, who wrote them and where he learnt them. There were also a couple of bad jokes (see below) and banter between the band members.

It was clear that this was their first gig, as Swarb said; "it's alright practicing but now we're up here we're committed, and maybe I should be". As they started a group of four tunes, Swarb would wish the others good luck and hoped to meet them at the end...which they did. At one point he extended his chat before a group of songs and after a couple of minutes jokingly admitted that he was only doing this because he was trying to remember how the third tune went. His fiddle playing was vigorous and the tunes soared around the hall.

The interval came too soon, but Swarb could be found at the back of the Hall signing CDs. We bought a couple and he signed them to each of us. Lazarus CDs should be available later in the year as they are recording their gigs.

The band finished to a standing ovation, having decided that they wouldn't leave the stage to come back on for an encore; "we're too old for that" was the comment from the stage. But not too old to play great music in front of an appreciative audience who welcomed the return of a fiddling legend.

And the bad jokes?

A 3 legged dog walks into a western saloon. It's wearing a cowboy hat and guns in it's holsters. The piano player stops and everyone looks round as the dog speaks..."Ah'm a-lookin' fer the man that shot mah paw"

Two ships collided in the English Channel, one full of red paint and one full of blue paint. The crew were marooned...

Don't blame me, the last one was Swarb's.

More Sunny Sunday photos

As well as the previous posting, I took some photos of the Victoria Centre clock tower (and flats) while the Trinity Square Car Park was no longer in the way. I regret not taking pictures of the Guildhall while the Forman building was down, so I wasn't going to miss this chance of clear weather and minimal traffic.

The first photo is the view from the middle of the road by the Students Union building of NTU.

The next two were taken standing on a wall by the Guildhall Offices to look over the building site hoarding around the demolished car park.

While using up the film, I also took some closer shots of bits of buildings in the area. First up is a column head at the Synagogue. The sunflower sits oddly in pseudo classical setting.

The shadows on the roof of this NTU building caught my eye, as did the detailing to the ridge and eaves.

I also liked the look of the Oriel window and dressed stonework on the side of the Registrars' Office, sitting behind ornate railings. The detailing of the window heads, and the City of Nottingham coat of arms indicate a very different style of building Council offices than we use today...

Sunny Sunday morning in Nottingham

Spent an hour or so this Sunday morning finishing off a film that had been in my camera since Xmas. As it was clear (but cold) day I wandered into town. Parked down by Nottingham Trent University. So here's some photos of a cold but clear Nottingham Sunday morning...

First up is the Corner House rotunda, as seen from the Royal Centre

The light that morning was so good that the Corner House and the Guildhall both reflected well in the glass of the Royal Centre

Across the road from the Royal Centre is Nottingham Trent University. The following two shots are of their buildings in the area.

And the "opposition" are in the neighbourhood too. This is the Adult Education Unit of Nottingham University, opposite the Central Police and Fire Stations