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Printable versionPeterloo remembered in verse
In 1819, on 16 August, 20 workers were killed and 500 injured at St Peter's field in Manchester. 80,000 Lancastrians had assembled to peacefully protest at the lack of voting rights and the worsening economic situation.
The injuries and deaths were caused by cavalry charges, unleashed by local majistrates.
The poet Shelley commemorated the event with a sympathetic poem.
Men of England, heirs of Glory,
Heroes of unwritten story,
Nurslings of one mighty Mother,
Hopes of her, and one another;
Rise like Lions after slumber,
In unvanquishable number,
Shake your chains to earth like dew,
Which in sleep had fallen on you -
Ye are many - they are few.
The second verse rings as true today as it did then.
Terry Adams
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Finance appeal
The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
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01/05/21
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