Guest article from Manchester’s Now Then Magazine: “A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of communism”. So begins The Communist Manifesto. The spirit of its authors, the political philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, can still be found in Manchester, the radical city that inspired them. Nearly 170 years after the book’s publication and exactly […]
How do you explain it to a kid?
“How do you spell condolences?” It’s the morning of the 23 May 2017. Last night a bomb went off in Manchester Arena. When I’d fallen asleep, there were conflicting rumours about what had happened. It still seemed possible that the ‘bang’ was a burst balloon or a faulty speaker. This morning I’m on the other […]
Al Nakba 1948 : Manchester remembers the ethnic cleansing of Palestine
In 1948 a massive humanitarian disaster began when around 750,000 Palestinian Arabs were expelled from British Mandate Palestine by the actions of Israeli forces during the creation of the state of Israel. On the 13-14 May Manchester Palestine Action (MPA) commemorated those events, calling for solidarity and support from individuals and organisations to bring an […]
Guide to Supplementary Voting and candidates in the GM mayoral election
The big day for Greater Manchester is upon us tomorrow, the 4 May, when we vote for our first democratically elected mayor of the region. Supplementary Voting will be used in this election rather than the First Past the Post (FPTP) system used in parliamentary and local elections. You may not be familiar with the […]
What do a care worker, spy and suffragette have in common?
This year has got to be one of the worst times to be a woman, particularly a working class woman. So it is great to see a play that examines what it means to be a woman over the last 100 years. This is not the usual narrow issue-based narrative, it takes on some of […]
Ancestral sounds, vanguard vibes and shamanic surprises: Freedom Matters returns to the Wonder Inn this Friday
The Gaskell Garden Project are hosting the second in a trilogy of South American themed nights at Manchester’s The Wonder Inn this Friday. A night that aims to transport its revellers into the very heart of the Andes. ‘Freedom Matters: Party At The Peak’ promises to be a night full of surprises with organisers predicting […]
“You won’t hear these words from the house of the Queen” – Manchester’s future leaders give annual ‘Teens’ Speech’
Those who sat down to watch The Queen’s Speech after their Christmas dinner yesterday heard Her Majesty speak of the value of doing “small things with great love”. The speech, which aired at 3pm on BBC One, ITV, Sky 1 and Sky News, used the airtime to acknowledge Britain’s “unsung heroes, whose quiet dedication makes […]
Precious peace in the midst of chaos: Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘The Christmas Truce’
Nestled in the cosy confines of one of Manchester’s ancient armpits is 53two, a theatre in a railway arch offering an hour of festive transcendence to knackered shoppers and knackered everyone. These are grim times, and there’s a feeling in the air that this might be the last Christmas in which the West can stay […]
Bigger Badder Language: award winning spoken word night
Bad Language, headed by Joe Daly and Fat Roland, is dedicated to the development and promotion of new writing. Their monthly literature night held in Manchester’s Northern Quarter has won the Saboteur Award for best regular spoken word night in the UK for two years running. The Meteor went to their ‘Bigger Badder Language’ night, […]
Review: Stand Up For The People’s Assembly at Manchester Academy
‘Stand up, that we might’ sang protest singer Grace Petrie. ‘Save tomorrow’ came the refrain from a game crowd at the second annual Stand Up For The People’s Assembly event. The night, organised by Manchester People’s Assembly, saw a host of established performers donate their time to raise money and awareness in the fight against […]