London Clarion 1894 members...

http://www.independentsocialistnetwork.org/?p=692

Nice one Digger I think I will be there

Positive mention in The Clarion. We'd like a couple of badges at least. And we need to get some subs in - should that come to you, Bruce?

No, we don't have a bank account or treasurer or local subs as yet. As previously minuted (I hope ;)) we won't till we have something to spend it on.

I'll send it straight to Charles then. No problem.

How about having a club anthem?

I have been teaching myself the Internationale and trying to learn the chords on the uke. At the same time, I've sort of half-got a cyclist verse forming in my mind.

Ride on, cossacks of revolution,
for you have nothing to break but your chains
Let's put the brakes on the pollution,
of our streets, our air, our brains.

So cyclists should stand united
and resist the motor's curse
All roadies, BMX and tra-a-ckies
And even fakengers!

So come brothers and sisters,
For the road will make us free,
The Internationale
Unites humanity

Does this strike the right balance between humorous and earnest, or is it just crap?

A combination of parody and seriousness is very hard to get right.

I think one of the main obstacles is also that there are so many different lyrics for The Internationale, making parody all the more difficult owing to the relative absence of well-known lines/verses.

Also, and I immediately admit to considerable ignorance concerning the Clarion movement, is a lyric specifically addressing 'cycling issues', or perhaps (one could say charitably) wider transport injustice, appropriate as a variation of The Internationale when presumably the Clarion would aim to join in supporting the wider socialist movement, and simply adopt The Internationale as is?

Finally, as ever, do try to check the singability of a lyric after constructing it on paper. In this particular case, I'm not altogether convinced that it can be considered singable. :)

Thanks Oliver! I suspect you're right on all counts. I was aiming for something more cycling-themed than cycling-issue related, but it does come across as you've said.

The Internationale is a song which seems ironically ill-suited to surviving translation. The directly translated French original is only marginally related to the Russian lyrics, and the Chinese is likewise only tenuously linked to its Russian forebear.

The original English translation (which is also, ironically, rather different to the American version) is, as Billy Bragg surmised, virtually unsingable in terms of language, content and scansion. His version is much more realistic.

Perhaps the fragmentation of the Internationale rather reflects the main obstacle of the Left.

I agree, The Internationale must always have lacked impact for these reasons. Mind you, the other side had it much easier with their assortment of various jingoistic 'nationalist' anthems. :)

I like Billy Bragg's lyrics, which seem appropriate, contemporary yet timeless.

On Friday, I went on a bike tour of Birmingham (part of the walking festival). it was of some of the iconic bike factories of the city, including Speedwell, Hercules, Lucas, Federation/CWS, BSA and a surprise stop at the Labour Church near Aston (well, what remains of the church, which amounts to two large brick pedestals). This was the church attended by Tom Groom (O'Groomio) and the others who started the Clarion CC. I was chuffed to have been there, however unimpressive it currently seems.

Interesting background on the club (and the paper) on this site about Manchester's social history:

http://radicalmanchester.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/the-clarion-movement/

I agree, The Internationale must always have lacked impact for these reasons. Mind you, the other side had it much easier with their assortment of various jingoistic 'nationalist' anthems. :)

Lacked impact? Part of the difficulty in learning it is that I can't get through the first verse without welling up, and then my voice goes all funny...

Also, just spotted that 6th May is the date for the Tweed Run 2012. Do we wish to reconsider our timing on that basis?

On the planning front, There is a William Morris centre based in Hammersmith - the museum in Walthamstow is curently closed for renovation. There is also a cafe in Soho where Marx used to live (and some of his children died there, apparently). At the moment I'm scouring for landmarks (Land Marx) and then I'm going to try to worry those into something resembling a route.

And on the international brigade memorials front, there are plenty in London:
http://www.international-brigades.org.uk/map.htm

The Clerkenwell statue is in the Marx Memorial Library, and there's another statue within the Unite offices in Holborn. Notting Hill has a mosaic under the Westway and there is also a memorial in Fulham which might be on the way to the William Morris Society HQ.

There is an outdoor memorial and sculpture in the Jubilee Gardens on Southbank, near Waterloo.

Looks good Wen Jian. Hopefully will turn into a good social.

Any of you want to come to Ciemmona http://www.lfgss.com/thread82935.html with me?

Fantastic Sun, bikes, politics who could ask for more?

Here's a sketchy route plan - total distance 30 miles. I forgot to add the cafe in Soho where Marx lived.

balls, can't embed it. Here's the link:

http://g.co/maps/tvjrt

google maps won't support all the things I want to do - for instance between Jubilee Gardens and the mosaic on Portobello Road (under the Westway) we could go via Hyde Park.

Just had an interesting experience in Buxton. I spotted a gent in a National Clarion cap in the Buxton pavilion, so in the spirit of 'anyone on two wheels is a friend' I went over to say hello. Well, it turns out that he was the current national secretary (I think). When the fellow realised that I was from Clarion 1895 his response was rather frosty to say the least. I explained that I wasn't interested in club politics and had just meant to be friendly, but found it rather difficult to get him off the subject of Comrade Jepson and his (never clearly described) crimes against the club (the closest he got was to accuse him of 'authoritarian leadership'). I think that he may have realised that he was being rather off-putting and became friendlier as the conversation went on - he even invited me to the annual social which is being held in Buxton that evening. I explained that my membership of Clarion 1895 was because I wanted to join a cycling club which helped me to practice my Socialism and I think he understood that it wasn't a repudiation of his organisation as such - though he was at pains to claim the traditions and history of Clarion for his own organisation (though how one maintains that whilst excising Socialism I don't know). However there is clearly a lot of bad feeling about the whole affair even still (after 6 years!) which is a great shame. No doubt some of this is because I was speaking to the current national secretary who must have been deeply embroiling in the matter, but it is a bit disappointing and I would be cautious about networking with National Clarion as there seems to be a lot of potential for misunderstanding and recrimination.

One statement that he made stuck with me, when we were discussing why Clarion 1895 was thus named; "We have outlived the Clarion newspaper, and we have outlived Socialism". A pity he thinks so!

Anyone up for the Big Ride on Saturday 28th?

I'm planning on going.

I'll be there I think.

I might be helping guide people to the ride start. Nothing could persuade me to go on the actual ride. Can't cope with massed wobbly riding.

I am going with the London Bike Kitchen crew meeting at 10:30 at the kitchen

Were you thinking of organising a Clarion feeder ride?

Not really sure what a feeder ride is! With an explanation and if it would be useful, I could do though - Maybe a Hackney/Haringey ride in from Clissold Park?

All the London Boroughs have rides going from their local area http://lcc.org.uk/events/big-ride-feeder-rides hence the term feeder ride Hackney already has two going from the Town Hall and one from the London Bike Kitchen we could organise one as the London Clarion

Well Haringey doesn't seem to have one yet - is anyone else up for meeting at Finsbury Park?

Anyone from South(s)?