With the death of Pope Francis, the world loses not only a church leader but also a moral compass
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Could Peterloo happen again?
After the massacre of peaceful protesters two centuries ago, the state has been wary of provoking a reaction by using deadly force on dissident assemblies – but this is not a guarantee, explains KEITH FLETT
A contemporary cartoon depiction of the Peterloo Massacre
LYNNE WALSH previews the Bristol Radical History Conference this weekend
Keir Starmer’s £120 million to Sudan cannot cover the government’s complicity in the RSF genocide or atone for the long shadow of British colonialism and imperialism, writes CLAUDIA WEBBE
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ON Monday August 16 1819 in central Manchester, around 60,000 people gathered to protest for the right to vote, which few, if any of them, had. Most of the men or their descendants wouldn’t get the vote until 1918 and many of the women until 1928.
The yeomanry, local businessmen on horseback, rode into the protesters, on the order of Tory magistrate William Hulton, and cut them down with sabres. Tens were killed and thousands injured.
The reason for the attack remains unclear. It may be that the government had ordered it. It might be that the magistrates acted on their own — they were certainly supported by the government afterwards.
More from this author
KEITH FLETT revisits the 1978 origins of Britain’s May Day bank holiday — from Michael Foot’s triumph to Thatcher’s reluctant acceptance — as Starmer’s government dodges calls to expand our working-class celebrations
From bemoaning London’s ‘cockneys’ invading seaside towns to negotiating holiday rents, the founders of scientific socialism maintained a wry detachment from Victorian Easter customs while using the break for health and politics, writes KEITH FLETT
Facing economic turmoil, Jim Callaghan’s government rejected Tony Benn’s alternative economic strategy in favour of cuts that paved the way for Thatcherism — and the cuts-loving Labour of the present era, writes KEITH FLETT
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