Housmans Blog

Last year, PC Simon Harwood was caught on video assaulting Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests. Sadly, although Ian later died, the Crown Prosecution Service ruled that PC Harwood would not face criminal charges. This case echoes a pattern of injustice: no policeman has been found responsible for the death of a civilian in Britain in over 50 years.

A memorial and protest will be held outside the offices of Keir Starmer, the Director of Public Prosecutions, to condemn his decision and call for justice for victims of police brutality. Speaking at the event will be guests from The United Campaign against Police Violence, Sam and Maci Rigg from the Sean Rigg Justice Campaign, Ian Cameron of the George Davis Defence Campaign and Pete Gold, Wapping print strike leader. The rally will take place on Friday 30^th July at 12 noon outside the London DPP office,  Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, SE1 9HS. Please come along and show your support.

“You get back to your million pound house. This decision doesn’t matter to you. But we have to go home now and we don’t have a dad. And because of what you’ve decided we’re never going to know who should be held responsible for his death.” – Paul King, son of Ian Tomlinson, to the DPP.

Unfortunately, Marc Glendening of the Sohemian Society will be unable to make this event, as originally planned. Thankfully, Paul Willetts, author of London gems ‘Fear and Loathing in Fitzrovia’ and ‘North Soho 999’, will be stepping in to join Cathi Unsworth. The pair will be in-store on Saturday 7th August at 5pm to discuss Soho’s colourful and dynamic history and the distinct culture that it has come to represent.

This rather wonderful animation set to an edited version of a recent David Harvey lecture is great way to spend 10 minutes. Harvey quickly and concisely goes through the basics of capitalism and its crises.

Harvey’s site is well worth having a look at, particularly this 13 part video lecture to understanding Marx’s ‘Capital’. http://davidharvey.org/reading-capital/.

David Harvey’s books are always popular with Housmans customers – click here for the titles we currently have available.

Housmans would like to send our congratulations and best wishes to everyone involved in the Smash EDO campaign for their recent court victory. The ‘decomissioners’ were charged with criminal damage for having broken into the Brighton arms factory EDO MBM building and damaging equipment worth around £200,000. The activists were cleared by the jury, who accepted their defence that they were acting with lawful excuse by preventing alleged Israeli war crimes during the 2009 Gaza War.

“It’s a real victory for the anti-war movement, The jury were presented with the facts and they supported our motivations. If people in Britain knew the truth away from media manipulations they would all support our actions” – Ornella Sabeine, EDO Decommissioner.

This follows the recent case of the so-called Raytheon 9, which also ended in an acquittal by a jury. The nine members of the Derry Anti-War Coalition broke into a Raytheon arms factory in Derry, Northern Ireland, and destroyed computers causing damage valued at £350,000.

The implications of these results are just sinking in. What next? Watch this space.

For more information on the Smash EDO campaign please visit www.smashedo.org.uk

Democracy Village  remains in Parliament Square – for the moment. However, they are feeling overwhelmed lately with substance abusers who are using the camp as a relatively safe place to stay and really need more supporters to come along. They are anxious to be supportive to drug addicts and alcohol abusers as and when appropriate but are at risk of becoming a minority in the camp. So if you’re around town and can help please do, and spread the word. Info from Raga Woods 07886346223

We’d like to recommend to you this site put together by fellow traveller James Bridle. Mattins is an ever expanding archive of book readings from a great selection of the best poetry, fiction and non-fiction. It’s a great way to get a taste of a book, and James picks some really interesting titles. All to be found at mattins.shorttermmemoryloss.com

We are proud to bring you this special offer on tickets to ‘The Great Game: Afghanistan’ festival at The Tricycle Theatre, Kilburn. The festival aims to explore Afghan culture and history. Through these plays, exhibitions and films, it is hoped the Tricycle can play its part in continuing to stimulate the public’s discussion and debate on what is currently the most important focus of UK and American foreign policy. Read more: http://www.tricycle.co.uk/festivals/the-great-game-afghanistan/

Also click on the video above for a trailer for the season.

Our offer allows you to get tickets for £12 (usually £15). Valid on 8pm performances Wednesday – Friday from 23 July until 6 August. Just call the box office on 020 7328 1000 and quote ‘Housmans Bookshop Offer’.

For the third year running, this summer Housmans  will be hosting a free programme of talks and walks, celebrating radical aspects of the capital’s social history. The ‘London’s Burning’ series will be bringing to life the stories of rebellion, counter-culture and free-thinking that have made London the vibrant city it is today.

This year’s series goes deeper than ever into the lesser know, and often ‘lost’ aspects of our capital city. In previous years we have tried to highlight some of the better known people, places and events on the radical London map – this time we hope to shed light on some elements of radical London that you may not have considered before.

The season will run from 3rd July to 12th September 2010 – have a look at www.housmans.com/events.php for a run down of what we have lined up.

Anarchist writer Colin Ward died earlier this year (see our post about him here). A date has been set for the Colin Ward Memorial – here are the details:

Colin Ward, Anarchist, 1924 – 2010
‘Think of others…’
Memorial and Celebration of Colin’s life and work
Saturday, 10 July 2010, 2.00pm-5.00pm
Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1
All welcome

Ken Worpole: Colin Ward and the anarchism of everyday life

“Colin Ward in conversation with Roger Deakin”, introduced by Mike Dibb

Harriet Ward: On meeting Colin Ward

Stuart White: Colin Ward: making anarchism respectable, but not too respectable

Peter Marshall: Colin Ward in the history of Anarchism

Tony Fyson: Colin Ward at work

Dennis Hardy: On the margins

Stewart Home is an artist, filmmaker, pamphleteer, art historian, activist and possibly England’s best experimental author – and he has a new book out! – very welcome it is too, considering the conservative nature of British fiction. Released as part of the Semina series, which showcases  the best innovative writing, ‘Blood Rites of the Bourgeoisie’ is a shot in the arm for prose fiction; and a kick up the backside for the male dominated London art world. Written in the second person and in part generated from spam emails,it’s more shocking than 5000 volts of unadulterated electricity! Or, as Malcolm McLaren put it after reading the manuscript on his death bed: “FEMINISM WITH BALLS.”

Stewart has very kindly set us up so that if you buy ‘Blood Rites of the Bourgeoisie’ you get a copy of ’Down and Out in Shoreditch and Hoxton’ for free – so £8 for the pair! This offer is only available in-store so get them while you can and while stocks last.

For a short introduction as to what’s on offer, this short article works well: ‘The return of British avant garde fiction‘