New Labour, Songs of Praise and Will Varley

Will Varley is today’s new artist I’ve found, following a tweet from Frank Turner that Will is going to be supporting him on his forthcoming tour. Having had a listen to some of the stuff on his website I am impressed with his work.

Listening to his stripped down acoustic “We Don’t BelieveYou” I was struck by how deep the words were and how they might be used to explain a couple of recent controversies.

The first is the decision by BBC programme Songs ofPraise to include a segment filmed in the church at the migrant camp at Calais. This I know has been controversial and there have been those who have questioned it. I think that the reason it has made some uncomfortable is that it has shown that we have been previously shown a very one sided and distorted view of the migrants by the British media which has sought to vilify the desperate.

In showing these very moving interviews with both migrants and those from the UK who are supporting and helping them we could see that there is a large body of people, including Christians who were ready to say “we don’t believe you” to Cameron and co. The programme showed that the situation is complex and involves human beings whose humanity needs to be respected.

There are those who would argue this was political and goes against what is laid down by the BBC charter. I would argue back that everything we do or say is in one way political but this was not explicitly political. What Songs of Praise was doing was broadcasting about the religious belief of people in this country and beyond and reflecting the views and experiences of people of faith. There was something almost prophetic in that piece of broadcasting which did not seek to claim the situation was any less complicated than it is or seek to give answers. Rather it sought to simply show what is and let the questions that then arise be asked.  I want to thank the producers of Songs of Praise and Sally Magnuson together with those who filmed her and did the research.

The other thing which came to mind as I listened to “We don’t believe you” was the Labour Party leadership contest.

I will be honest here I have recently joined the party as a member, (like in the last week or so) but it is not because I automatically want to vote for Corbyn at the moment I am torn between him and Yvette Cooper. Rather why I finally joined was because the debates are taking us beyond the era of Blair, Mandelson and Liddle and showing why the Labour Party may be a credible alternative again.

The debate which Corbyn has opened up has shown that in a world where the Conservative Party is implementing the philosophy of Charles Murray and others in a way which is both scary and predictable there is a body of people who want an alternative. The neo-liberal consensus is not automatic and those of us who felt the Greens provided our only hope because we were “disillusioned Labour” or had come to know we could not believe in the hope given at points by the Lib Dems may have a place.

To explain why I have joined Labour now it is important to go back to why I lost faith in them initially. This goes back to reading TheBlair Revolution by Mandelson and Liddle. It was a justification of what Blair was to do, before he did it. Now don’t get me wrong I also recognise that the Labour government did some good things: breakfast clubs, civil partnerships and so on. However, this book clearly spelt out where New Labour disagreed with “Old Labour” politics and values. Reading it I saw the vision I had as a Christian Socialist was lost.

So what has changed?

Well, Jeremy Corbyn has spoken of hope and made me think about what I believe in and how that might be expressed. He has expressed many of the values which I believe in. He has caused a ground swell of people to stand up to New Labour and say “We Don’t Believe You”.

So why am I not automatically going to vote for him? Well, recently I read Blueprint for Revolution by Srdja Popovic and Matthew Miller and there was part of it which really struck me. It was in chapter 10 Finish What You Started that Popovic, a Serbian political activist, makes the point you need to be focused on what you want to achieve. Too many people are focusing on Corbyn becoming leader as their “goose egg” and the success they want to see. They have little vision of what comes next and what Corbyn might actually do next, particularly with the restricting forces of the Labour Party NEC and parliamentary party in place. Others are looking at the 2020 election as their “goose egg” and see victory there as the point of success.

For me my “goose egg” is something different. What I want to see is a leader who once they gain leadership will:

(i)            unite the party around a vision for the future which is based upon producing a new socialist approach to modern problems which does not throw the baby out with the bath water but does change the water

(ii)          works with those within and beyond parliament to better the lives of those in society. This will be through a mixture of opposing, rather than abstaining on some issues and putting forward alternative ideas on others

(iii)         not sacrifice their principles for election at any cost, yet will take seriously the concerns of those who chose at this election not to vote for them and will act to engage them in an alternative conversation understanding that gaining a majority is the best way to halt the rightwards move in this country

(iv)         will finance initiatives such as Sure Start properly and ensure the current cull of further education is halted as well as doing something to cap rents and deal with the housing crisis that currently exists where the renting sector has been allowed to get out of control

The issues are I would like to see movement on like the abolition of student fees and a commitment to not renew Trident are things which I view as important but know I am unlikely to see. Yes Corbyn is committed to these things but I think that unfortunately we will see the latter go through under this government and I think the latter is too embedded to be changed back.

These are the things I am looking for and express why I am currently torn between Corbyn and Cooper for leader. That said I am not naïve I have no doubt that I will end up feeling let down by whoever becomes leader and that Cooper in particular will trade off far more than I would hope her too. So we may still be left singing “We Don’t Believe You” along with Varley but we know we will not be singing alone. What ever happens now there is a chorus of hope in this country which will not be silenced.

The Young 'Uns....Another Man's Ground Review

If you are a folkie you are probably aware of The Young ‘Uns who were the winners of this years best group award at the Radio Two FolkAwards and this April released Another Man’s Ground their third album. I had a broad awareness of them but receiving the CD out of the blue as a surprise random gift from a friend bought them fully into my consciousness. It was a well chosen prezzie and as you read the review which follows bear in mind it was written by a totally unrepentant folkie.  

It is an album which mixes original material, with traditional tunes and more contemporary covers.

The first track is Jimmy Go Down to Your Uncles and it is a beautifully harmonised piece which has something of the Dubliners about it.

One of the two stand out songs is the second song You Won’t Find Me on Benefits Street. This combines left wing traditional folk with a contemporary theme. It is apparently inspired by a group of Stockton residents who chased off the makers of the reality TV show; a programme which has given rise to many complaints about the stigmatisation of the poor. As with the best folk songs it combines humour, politics and storytelling.

The Streets of Lahore is another lyrical tale but one with no humour just a stark message to those who believe that honour killing is ok. It tells the story of Farzeena Parvene who was killed on the streets of Pakistan in 2014 in an honour killing which took place on the streets of Lahore.

The tone is lifted by a wonderful version of Billy Bragg’s Between the Wars. This is clearly sing-a-long time and much of the album indeed sounds like it would work best with a bunch of friends listening together late in the evening with a few glasses of cider, wine or ale on the table.

The Drift From the Land tells the story of those who move from the rural countryside to the industrial town through rural necessity. It is in some ways a generic folk modern folk song theme and is probably the weakest song on this strong album. That said, it’s certainly not a chore to listen to with it’s clear vocals and harmonising. I’m sure it probably works really, really well live and loses something on a recording.

Private Hughes begins brings in piano and has a different sound to much of the material here. It is a gentle and lilting tune with a sweet but melancholy theme.

The slight drift into mediocrity which the previous two tracks give is well and truly broken with Tom Paine’s Bones which is an amazing tune. It is a great song with beautiful lyrics and more of a danceable beat. The lyrics of this song by Graham Moore are catchy and more Braggesque in style.

The Brisk Lad is a traditional tune which sounds really contemporary. It has a warm feel to it.

Waiting for the Ferry finds the piano back in the mix and again you find yourself feeling like you should be snuggled up in front of a fire or chilling outside of a tent as you listen. It’s the sort of track which gives you a hug as you listen.

Then it is on to School Days Over which is a Ewan McColl cover. It is another sing along tune which pays homage to the more modern tradition which they have come out of and really shows off their harmonising and strengths of their unaccompanied voices.

There is almost break as they go into Tenting Tonight, a strong peace song. This tune has that feel of folk which is almost like gospel and it almost sounds like a hymn being sung. This is not surprising as it has its roots in the American Civil War.

The peace theme and quasi religious feel is continued in Brewster and Wagner, although this is a darker song in tone. The album ends on a note which underlines what is so good about this group their ability to sing unsentimental lyrics in a way which is beautiful and touching.

Really glad I encountered this album which comes into the get it if you are a folkie and try it if you’re not category. Now just need to catch them live some time. I’m not going to make it to Folk East in Suffolk to see them….but if you can get along I highly recommend both the festival and the band to you.