Author Archives: lipstick socialist

About lipstick socialist

I am an activist and writer. My interests include women, class, culture and history. From an Irish in Britain background I am a republican and socialist. All my life I have been involved in community and trade union politics and I believe it is only through grass roots politics that we will get a better society. This is reflected in my writing, in my book Northern ReSisters Conversations with Radical Women and my involvement in the Mary Quaile Club. .If you want to contact me please use my gmail which is lipsticksocialist636

Kath Grant; Journalist and Trade Unionist

Posted on May 9, 2023 by lipstick socialist

Kath is from a Lancashire radical working-class tradition. Born in Rochdale in 1950,  she spent her first five  years living with her parents and grandfather in “The Mount”,  the Irish area in the centre of the town. Her grandparents were … Continue reading →

Posted in human rights, labour history, Manchester, Middle East, North of Ireland, Northern ReSisters Conversations with Radical Women, political women, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

My review of “Where are the Elephants” by Leon Rosselson

Posted on May 4, 2023 by lipstick socialist

Leon Rosselson has been writing and performing songs  for over sixty years. In this memoir we find out about the man, his motivation for his songs and his views on society and politics today. Born into a London Jewish family, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mrs. Mavis Sheerin: an Englishwoman in Derry in 1972

Posted on April 13, 2023 by lipstick socialist

Mole Express was a Manchester  alternative magazine, first published in 1970, which  ran for 7 years and published 57 issues.  It gave a voice to the anarchist subculture, publishing articles that exposed corruption and injustice, and  offered people a network … Continue reading →

Posted in art exhibition, Ireland, Manchester, Salford, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

My review of “But You Did Not Come Back” by Marceline Loridan-Ivens

Posted on March 30, 2023 by lipstick socialist

Marceline Loridan-Ivens  (19th March 1928 – 18th September 2018) was a French Jew, an activist in the French Resistance and the Algerian resistance, an actor, a filmmaker, and a writer. In 1944 at the age of 15 she was arrested … Continue reading →

Posted in art exhibition, Ireland, Manchester, Salford, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

My review of “On Dangerous Ground A Memoir of the Irish Revolution” by Maire Comerford. Edited by Hilary Dully

Posted on March 7, 2023 by lipstick socialist

Maire  Comerford  (1893-1982) was an Irish revolutionary:   this book  is her story of her life until the age of 27 years,  recording  her role in the turbulent politics of Ireland from 1916 to 1927. Her editor Hilary Dully, a family … Continue reading →

Posted in art exhibition, Ireland, Manchester, Salford, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Following in My Mother’s Footsteps; the lives of Lily Wild and Hilary Jones.

Posted on February 6, 2023 by lipstick socialist

    In these two articles I want to highlight the lives of Lily Wild and Hilary Jones: a mother and daughter. How did they cope with being  mothers, wives and being politically active in political parties, their trade union, … Continue reading →

Posted in anti-cuts, book review, Communism, education, feminism, human rights, interesting blog, Ireland, Irish second generation, labour history, Socialism, Socialist Feminism, trade unions, Uncategorized, women, working class history, young people | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

My review of “A Very British Conspiracy The Shrewsbury 24 and the Campaign for Justice” by Eileen Turnbull

Posted on January 3, 2023 by lipstick socialist

In 2023 many trade unions are taking strike action due to a cost-of-living crisis amongst working people, while  the  Tory government’s response  is to  threaten  further  anti-strike  legislation. A Very British Conspiracy is a reminder of the lengths a Tory … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Communism, human rights, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Patti Mayor: Preston artist and suffragette

Posted on December 15, 2022 by lipstick socialist

In the little gem of an art gallery in Oldham I came across the work of artist and activist Patti Mayor. Born in Preston on 1 May 1872 as Martha Ann Mayor, she was known as Patti, one of five … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Communism, human rights, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Manchester Irish in Britain Representation Group and Grass Roots Books Radical Bookshop (and later Frontline Books)

Posted on November 20, 2022 by lipstick socialist

In 1981 a new wave of Irish activists became involved in not just the campaign for a united Ireland but also in campaigning for the  civil rights and equality for the Irish in Britain: the Irish in Britain Representation Group … Continue reading →

Posted in book review, Communism, human rights, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

My review of “Ireland’s Hidden Diaspora: the “abortion trail” and the making of a London-Irish underground,1980-2000 by Ann Rossiter

Posted on November 9, 2022 by lipstick socialist

Growing up in Manchester in the 1970s I had been subject to my Catholic (largely Irish) secondary school promoting an anti-abortion agenda and encouraging students to get on buses to attend Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child demos. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment