Visit People's Museum and Newham Gallery during London 2012

Peeping out of the upstairs windows are former local MPs Keir Hardie and Susan Lawerence. Welcome to the People's Museum and Newham Gallery, 306 High Street, Stratford, E15 1AJ. I stopped by on my way home from work on Thursday to visit.

The Museum is only about 5-10 minutes walk from Stratford station and the Olympic Park. It opened last month and during Games is usually open 11-5pm Monday to Saturday. It closes 22 October 2012.

Inside are various displays and multi-media exhibitions. There are a number of special events taking place including a talk on the 8th August 6.30pm by documentary photography Mike Steel; on 13th August 2pm long term East End Resident Ted Lewis on local history and 20th August 4pm Geoff Bell about the history of protest in Newham. There is lots of other things going on as well.

I'll post on Facebook some pictures I took inside later. The museum is actually the home of West Ham Labour Party.

Directly opposite the museum on the other side of the road is a modern day Newham protest. A Tamil Hunger Striker, Gobi Sivanthan and his supporters, who want an international investigation into the Sri Lankan War.

People’s Museum & Gallery of Newham

Coming to Newham for the London Olympics? What to see something a little different for half an hour or so? How about popping into the "Peoples Museum and Gallery of Newham".

Click on link to check out the list of exhibitions, films, "Reminiscence sessions"and guest speaker's on local history and art. Since space is limited they ask you to RSVP if you intend coming.

The opening night is on Wednesday and it is open to the public from 26th July to 22 October 2012.

It has been organised by Eastside Community Heritage and is being held in West Ham Labour Party rooms in Stratford, E15, which is about 10 minutes walk away from Stratford Station. 

Keir Hardie: First Labour MP 120th Anniversary Event

Last Wednesday 4th July was the 120th anniversary of the election of Keir Hardie as the first Labour MP.

He was elected as MP for West Ham South in the 1892 General Election.

The modern day West Ham Consistency Labour Party and Newham TULO organised a commemorative tour to mark the occasion. 25 people from Newham and East London turned up.

We started with a tour of the Old Town Hall in Stratford where the election count took place in 1892 and where Keir was announced the winner. We went onto the balcony overlooking the High Street where Keir made his acceptance speech in front of 15-20,000 people. Keir then led a march back through the borough to Canning Town.

We also went into the Bell Tower of the Town Hall and the basement Police cells. There use to be a Magistrate court next door. (Off message - but tradition states that these were the very cells that Mick Jagger and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones rock group were held in the 1960's for minor public order offences).

We underestimated how long it would take to complete the tour of the Town Hall so we didn't manage to visit the other sites which included historic locations of the radical and suffragette clubs from Hardie's time. 

We stopped off at the Martyrs Memorial in the Church yard of St John.  Which is not about Hardie but is a symbol remembering religious persecution and bigotry down the ages. We finished up outside the famous Theatre Royal built in 1882. Then in the bar for a quick drink followed by a curry in West Ham Lane.

Following the success of this event we are aiming to carry out further Labour movement tours in the future. Details to follow.

Picture outside the Old Town Hall by Dan McCurry. I'll post more pictures of Facebook. Finally, many, many thanks to the Old Town Hall staff for the tour and their enthusiasm: Update see tour photo's here

4th July? Keir Hardie Day!

"Today, Wednesday 4th July, it is not just the anniversary of the only successful British Revolution (American Declaration of Independence), it is also the 120th anniversary of the election of Keir Hardie, the first ever Independent Labour MP, for West Ham South on this day in 1892.

To mark the anniversary, members of the modern day West Ham Labour Party and Newham TULO are organising a walking commemoration tour around Stratford town centre (Newham - Home of London Olympics 2012).

We will meet 7pm outside the Old Town Hall in the Broadway, Stratford, E15, which was where the 1892 election count took place. It was from its open balcony, overlooking the High Street, that the result was read out to cheering crowds and Hardie made his first speech as a Labour Member of Parliament.

It is hoped that everyone in Newham, regardless of their political affiliations, will join us in celebrating the achievement of an ordinary, decent working man - born into abject poverty - who was still able to be elected as the first genuine independent working class MP. He is an example to us all".

Press release from West Ham CLP. (I was reminded last night at my School Governors meeting that this is also the 120th anniversary of the first ever Black UK MP Dadabhai Naoroji)

Stop the Rail and Bus Fare Rip Off

This morning I was outside Plaistow Underground station handing leaflets out to commuters about the massive increases in London bus and rail fares by Tory Mayor, Boris Johnson.   This is the 4th year of inflation busting rises. If you are on minimum wage you could spend a quarter of your income on

fares. If Ken Livingston is elected in May he has promised to save the average commuter £1000 over 4 years.

In Newham we had activists handing out leaflets outside nearly all our stations. While in London today there were thousands of Labour Party volunteers handing out information across hundreds of bus and rail stations across the capital.

The weather was pretty miserable, not that cold, but rainy and windy. One woman complained bitterly to me about the £5 extra a month she now had to pay while a man wanted to take leaflet to show his boss and ask for pay rise.

I'm starting to get a grip of the psychology of handing out leaflets outside stations.  When a group of people come towards you from say a bus, if the first person takes a leaflet then most of the rest will also take one. But if the first few don't, then no-one in that group will tend to either. 

Picture of top West Ham CLP activist Tahmina in action (yet again - she was also out tonight with Newham Young Labour outside Stratford station).