Your chance to view primary source material related to regicide and republicanism in the Bristol Room of the Central Reference Library. Hosted by the knowledgeable and helpful archivists Dawn Dyer and Jane Bradley.
The aim of this talk is to take a fresh look at the image of Britain’s first Public Enemy Number One: Thomas Paine. From the 1790s onwards, Paine’s political and religious writings symbolized everything that the British establishment feared about radical ideas and the rise of the ‘common’ reader. Paine ensured his terrorist credentials with the publication of the Rights of Man (1791-2), but this talk will focus on his other massively subversive book, Age of Reason (1795), a study in ‘infidel’ […]
Avengers & Madmen - Propagandists Of The Deed & The Dawn Of Modern Terrorism - Matt Carr The author of the controversial (and banned) history of terrorism, The Infernal Machine, looks at the anarchist assassins of the late 19th century. Carr considers how such attacks were perceived by their protagonists and spectators, and how the heroic template that they developed has been reproduced in various other contexts. Author of The Infernal Machine – A History of Terrorism*, the first edition […]
The Tyrannicide Brief - Geoffrey Robertson Renowned human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC examines the first trial of a head of state - Charles I, and how this groundbreaking moment in history opened the way for the trials of Augusto Pinochet, Slobodan Milosevic, and Saddam Hussein. Robertson became a barrister in 1973 and a QC in 1988. His became well known acting for the defence in the celebrated English criminal trials of Oz, Gay News, the 'ABC Trial', The Romans in Britain (the […]
An English folk legend, Roy Bailey is one of this country’s best-regarded political songwriters and has been described by his friend and collaborator Tony Benn as ‘the greatest socialist folk singer of his generation’. Roy was recently awarded an MBE, which he promptly returned in protest at the British government’s foreign policy. In other words, he’s right up our street. Supported by local singer-songwriter Eirlys Rhiannon.
As a tasty hors d'oeuvre to Bristol Radical History Week 2008 we are extremely pleased to present Lucio Urtubia, anarchist, bank robber, forger, fugitive and above all bricklayer. Lucio’s life is the stuff of legend. As an activist in 1950s Paris he counted André Breton and Albert Camus amongst his friends, worked with anarchist guerrilla Francisco Sabate in attempting to bring down Franco’s fascist regime and carried out numerous bank robberies to fund the struggle to free Spain. In 1977, after […]
Speaker - Juan The Movement for Justice in El Barrio (MJB) was founded in New York by immigrants and low-income people of color fighting back against the effects of neo-liberalism and discrimination in all of its forms. The organisation operates on a commitment to the ideals of self-determination, autonomy and participatory democracy emphasizing their connection to the Zapatista’s ‘Other Campaign’. Driven by multi-national corporations and profit-seeking landlords and facilitated by city […]
Open Source Software: Interactive Workshop Bristol Wireless will be hosting an evening of Creative Commons Fun including talks, demonstration, films and a bar! 5.00-7.00pm Interactive workshop on Open Source Software 7.30pm Film: ‘Revolution OS’ a 2001 documentary film made in the United States, directed by J. T. S. Moore, which traces the twenty-year history of GNU, Linux, open source, and the free software movement. – followed by talk and discussion on Open Source software. Bristol Wireless […]
The Crown And The Commons: Holding Monarchy To Account In 18th Century England - Steve Poole Eighteenth century English men and women understood their allegiance to the Crown in contractual terms. Their allegiance to the King, in other words, was conditional upon the King looking after the interests of the Commons and defending Constitutional liberty. In theory then, their allegiance was dissolved if the King failed to perform. And in these circumstances, radical constitutionalists might make it […]
Economic globalisation, an increasingly intrusive State and the power of consumerism are conspiring to scour the colour, character, independence and eccentricity from all corners of the English landscape and replace them with shopping malls, second homes, clone towns and executive apartments. Join author Paul Kingsnorth for a tour around a nation, which is beginning to fight back against this erasure of its history and character. Listen to this talk: Download Paul Kindsnorth's talk (1hr 20mins, […]
