The Young 'Uns

It’s been a thought-provoking and inspirational day.

Most of it was spent at a Hate Crime conference at John Moores University at which I co-facilitated two workshops.

The conference had been planned to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the murder of Black Merseyside student Anthony Walker and also fell 3 days before the 7th anniversary of the murder of Michael Causer, a gay man, also from Merseyside. Both men were 18 years old when they were killed by people motivated purely by hate.

The conference also fell 2 days before Liverpool Pride which will again see thousands of people of all sexualities and backgrounds taking to the streets of Liverpool to celebrate our diversity. My thoughts are with the 6 people stabbed today at Jerusalem Pride - another  appalling hate crime.

One of the important topics discussed at the conference was the recently announced plan by people from outside Liverpool to hold a ‘White Man March’ in the city in August. This follows a similar march which took place in Newcastle earlier this year and which was organised by the far right group National Action. Understandably, there are huge concerns locally that the city is being targeted in this way by people who don’t speak on behalf of local residents and who have invited neo-Nazis from across Europe to bring their racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim message to our streets. The Police and Crime Commissioner, senior Police officers and city council representatives were put on the spot about all of this but said they were powerless to ban the march because the same laws that protect peaceful assembly and freedom of speech in relation to the Pride march – which they support wholeheartedly – also apply to the ‘White Man March’ – which they categorically do not support. However, assurances were given that the march organisers are being closely monitored and that there will be a heavy Police presence if the march goes ahead as threatened. Anybody committing a criminal offence will be arrested immediately.

I can only hope that the march is called off but, if not, I know that the city will be united in its condemnation of it and that a huge counter-demonstration will take place.

This all puts me in mind of a song by Teeside folk sensations The Young ‘Uns who Spokes and I saw perform a barnstorming gig at Parkgate Folk Club tonight.

The song, 'The Battle of Stockton', was written by the band’s Sean Cooney and describes the day in 1933 when Oswald Mosely’s Blackshirts marched over the Tees to the band’s hometown of Stockton, thinking they could recruit the poverty-stricken and desperate locals to the Fascist cause, only to be sent packing by 2,000 outraged Stockton residents.

It’s a fine example of what I love about this band (L - R, Sean Cooney, David Eagle and Michael Hughes - 'Group of the Year' winners at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards a couple of months back - seeing off stiff competition from the likes of Bellowhead), their commitment to social justice, their astonishing harmony singing  (which has the hairs on the back of my neck standing up!), their love of the traditions of English folk music and their ability to make those traditions relevant to our immediate, 21st Century, circumstances. As well as their own songs  and some traditional numbers, they perform covers of songs by writers such as Billy Bragg and Ewan McColl and I think Sean Cooney is a worthy addition to the pantheon of radical songwriters. Politically astute they may be but they’re also thoroughly entertaining, not to say downright hilarious, performers. Their on-stage bickering, story-telling, quick-witted banter with the audience and gentle ribbing of their folk club hosts had me in stitches! But they also moved me to tears with some of their songs, particularly ‘Private Hughes’.

Do check them out if you can! They fly to Canada tomorrow for a few dates in Ontario and will then be playing some shows in France later in August before returning for a further run of UK dates.

Thanks to all three of them for taking the time to chat and pose for some pictures!