A lot of things happened in 1969: The Beatles made their last live appearance — on a rooftop; They also released their 11th studio album — Abbey Road; Brian Jones quit the Rolling Stones and less than a month later was found dead in his swimming pool; Michael Caine starred in the British film TheContinue reading “1969 – a year of great happenings”
Category Archives: politics
The Song of the Classes
by Ernest Jones Chartist leader and poet, 1819-1869; sentenced in 1848 to two years’ imprisonment. We plow and sow — we’re so very, very low That we delve in the dirty clay, ‘Till we bless the plain — with the golden grain, And the vale with the fragrant hay. Our place we know — we’reContinue reading “The Song of the Classes”
September 1, 1939
by WH Auden I sit in one of the dives On Fifty-second Street Uncertain and afraid As the clever hopes expire Of a low dishonest decade: Waves of anger and fear Circulate over the bright And the darkened lands of the earth, Obsessing our private lives; The unmentionable odour of death Offends the September night.Continue reading “September 1, 1939”
Back at work and the pressure’s on
Working alone at the Holywell office of the Flintshire Leader had its good points and its bad points. In many ways I have always had an independent streak. I prefer to control my own life. Take transport, for instance. I hate going anywhere by train or bus because it makes me reliant on other people:Continue reading “Back at work and the pressure’s on”
Newspaper bosses kept it in the family
After my first trip to the print works Peter began to take me there on a regular basis and I got to know not just the printers and journalists but also the directors. What had begun in the 19th century, as a publishing company, Woodall, Minshall and Thomas, at Caxton Press in Oswestry, and laterContinue reading “Newspaper bosses kept it in the family”
Stereotype – it’s such a cliché
Printing presses were not foremost in my mind when I decided on my future as a reporter. I knew about the principles of printing having once had a John Bull printing outfit. Not, of course, that this childish toy was ever designed to introduce people to the real joys of printing. To learn more thanContinue reading “Stereotype – it’s such a cliché”
Getting to grips with politicians
The weeks continued with the one-day training at Mold and the rest on my own at the Holywell office. It appeared David Nicholas had become my mentor. On the second Wednesday I shadowed him as he did regular diary jobs and worked on off-diary stories. The following week he took me to a meeting ofContinue reading “Getting to grips with politicians”
Setting standards
How and when do we make a decision to follow a particular political ideology? Is it actually a political decision or is it something we grow into? Some might think I was born in a privileged position. My father, as a pharmacist, was considered to be professional rather than trade and although he managed shopsContinue reading “Setting standards”
Robin's Nest 