(more mad creative writing!)
Transcript of a conversation, recorded by operatives of MIX, in Bar Code a fashionable cafe in Stockport (if that's not a contradiction in terms). The conversation is between two men. The eldest is Jonathan Swift (believed to be a non de plume) [see FX/22/25/mr/2409] and a younger man known as Max.[FX/25/209/tr/2122]
- The backlash when it started was slow at first. There was only limited and sporadic action by Peds [cyclist's slang for pedestrians] and Moots [motorists]. A few slashed tires or a few tacks scattered on a cycle path, or an occasional punch up or an attempt to run a cyclist off the road. A damned nuisance but nothing that serious. But then with the formation of PAC [Pedestrians Against Cyclists] and MAG [Motorists against Cyclists] groups and then they started working together. It got more serious and injuries to cyclists happened more and more, and bikes began to be trashed on a regular basis. And then there was the first death - Donald Drake - remember him?
- Yes.
- There was no holding them back. After that CAPAM [Cyclists Against Pedestrians and Motorists] was formed and the revenge squads went into action. But, you know, the worse lot were the Dark Cyclists-
- Do they really exists?
- Of course they do. Who do you think it was who torched Ellesmere Port?
- But that was an accident surely?
- No way. An accident was what the authorities wanted us to believe.
- Oh.
- And then there was the bomb-
- Bomb?
- Yes bomb. Come on surely you don't believe everything put out by the BMC [British Media Corporation]?
- No but... who can you believe?
- A good question.
- So do the Dark Cyclists still exist?
- Of course they do - they were one of the 19 [reference to the 19 groups that formed the so called virtual government]
- Oh, I don't remember seeing them listed.
- No of course not they were secretly part of CAPAM.
-Oh.
- Yes oh.
-Fancy another?
- No, I must be off.
END OF TRANSCRIPT.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Hunger in the cities
(More creative writing - OK this is getting a bit weird but....)
No one had thought of the Women’s Institute having a role in government but why not? They had a membership of over 200,000 and were well organised. They had a good distribution network a capacity for processing food and raw materials and were well networked in both traditional and modern ways. Indeed their computer resources were a key part of the successfully establishment of the virtual government.
So when the food riots kicked off in London and other major cities with the situation in Glasgow-Edinburgh being especially critical with even the middle class (if one can use such an old term) areas of the city close to starvation. Rickets of course had reappeared some 5 years previously. It seems inevitable now that Women’s Institute both offered their services and were welcomed.
It was an inspired move to re-open the Glasgow Clyde side docks and canals so that food could be shipped in by liners, retired navy ships, old barges, yachts and dinghies. Indeed it brought to mind old black and white footage of the evacuation of the British Army from Dunkirk in 1940 during the Second World War of the 20th Century. (Not to be confused with our recent Virtual Second World War).
Much of the food was shipped in from the People’s Allotments in Eire and the Hebrides. The Bank of England issued promissory notes to pay for the food but no-one really believed that these notes had any real value. What really changed things was the broadcasts on WeeTube (the Scottish version of Wetube) which reported world wide hits amounting to 400 million. Of course 400 million hits were more than the sponsors of the site were ready to pay for. However the bleak video footage from mobile and body embedded phones and videos worked wonders.
The exodus from the cities continued – London lost 10% of its population in just one year and Glasgow-Edinburgh was 20% lower since its formation from the merger of Glasgow and Edinburgh. In London, as elsewhere, much of the parks and main roads were dug up and planted for food.
No one had thought of the Women’s Institute having a role in government but why not? They had a membership of over 200,000 and were well organised. They had a good distribution network a capacity for processing food and raw materials and were well networked in both traditional and modern ways. Indeed their computer resources were a key part of the successfully establishment of the virtual government.
So when the food riots kicked off in London and other major cities with the situation in Glasgow-Edinburgh being especially critical with even the middle class (if one can use such an old term) areas of the city close to starvation. Rickets of course had reappeared some 5 years previously. It seems inevitable now that Women’s Institute both offered their services and were welcomed.
It was an inspired move to re-open the Glasgow Clyde side docks and canals so that food could be shipped in by liners, retired navy ships, old barges, yachts and dinghies. Indeed it brought to mind old black and white footage of the evacuation of the British Army from Dunkirk in 1940 during the Second World War of the 20th Century. (Not to be confused with our recent Virtual Second World War).
Much of the food was shipped in from the People’s Allotments in Eire and the Hebrides. The Bank of England issued promissory notes to pay for the food but no-one really believed that these notes had any real value. What really changed things was the broadcasts on WeeTube (the Scottish version of Wetube) which reported world wide hits amounting to 400 million. Of course 400 million hits were more than the sponsors of the site were ready to pay for. However the bleak video footage from mobile and body embedded phones and videos worked wonders.
The exodus from the cities continued – London lost 10% of its population in just one year and Glasgow-Edinburgh was 20% lower since its formation from the merger of Glasgow and Edinburgh. In London, as elsewhere, much of the parks and main roads were dug up and planted for food.
God's fire four
(More cretaiev writing. Final bit I think of God's fire)
In the end it was a case of real fire but was it from God or man?
A heated debate ensued both in the old ‘dead trees’ media - newspapers and television and radio but also in the new - emails, websites, youtube, wikipedia, blogs and very new of twitter, wetube, infacts and so on.
Many believed that the Naylerites had deliberately fired St Pauls but their blitz media appearances seemed convincing enough, especially those not by James himself and there was no shred of forensic evidence that the police and other agencies could find to convict the Naylerites although they were held for 4 weeks in protective custody at Friends House Open Prison in Euston Road.
The conspiracy theorists had a whale of a time. Some insisted that it was put up job by the Amalgamated Church of Britain to both act as a recruiting device and to also deflect criticism away from the forthcoming inauguration of a Lesbian Archbishop. Naturally the evangelical wing of the CofB insisted that this was a sign from God that the inauguration was wrong and that we should repent. This call from repentance got rather mixed up with the call from repentance from the Naylerites who like their fellow Quakers were pro gay, Lesbian, Trans and Cyber.
There was even a lunatic fringe who argued that this was a case of spontaneous combustion occurring to a building rather than to a person with a variety of the usual suspects named – ghosts, reptiles, leylines and the like.
However, forensic evidence from the site yielded nothing of significance and the planned public inquiry was rather a washout and there were many more pressing events occurring. Clearly we will probably never know the truth of how ‘God’s Fire’ came to burn down St Paul’s Cathedral but it certainly drew many new recruits to the Naylerites whose number were said to have peaked in the months following the fire at 50,000 according to Infacts.
In the end it was a case of real fire but was it from God or man?
A heated debate ensued both in the old ‘dead trees’ media - newspapers and television and radio but also in the new - emails, websites, youtube, wikipedia, blogs and very new of twitter, wetube, infacts and so on.
Many believed that the Naylerites had deliberately fired St Pauls but their blitz media appearances seemed convincing enough, especially those not by James himself and there was no shred of forensic evidence that the police and other agencies could find to convict the Naylerites although they were held for 4 weeks in protective custody at Friends House Open Prison in Euston Road.
The conspiracy theorists had a whale of a time. Some insisted that it was put up job by the Amalgamated Church of Britain to both act as a recruiting device and to also deflect criticism away from the forthcoming inauguration of a Lesbian Archbishop. Naturally the evangelical wing of the CofB insisted that this was a sign from God that the inauguration was wrong and that we should repent. This call from repentance got rather mixed up with the call from repentance from the Naylerites who like their fellow Quakers were pro gay, Lesbian, Trans and Cyber.
There was even a lunatic fringe who argued that this was a case of spontaneous combustion occurring to a building rather than to a person with a variety of the usual suspects named – ghosts, reptiles, leylines and the like.
However, forensic evidence from the site yielded nothing of significance and the planned public inquiry was rather a washout and there were many more pressing events occurring. Clearly we will probably never know the truth of how ‘God’s Fire’ came to burn down St Paul’s Cathedral but it certainly drew many new recruits to the Naylerites whose number were said to have peaked in the months following the fire at 50,000 according to Infacts.
The glass shatters
(Another creative writing piece!)
It was gala night at the Royal Festival Hall. Everyone, I mean just about anyone who was anyone was there - including royalty, peers of the realm, classic and pop stars, (could you tell the difference anymore?) the odd member of parliament (some of them were truly very odd!) and even the US and French ambassadors.
Halfway through the evening just before the break when there was a slight undercurrent of restlessness to be truthful we had all rather gorged ourselves on music the Gala Singers took to the stage. They were supposed to be an impromptu supergroup brought together especially for this one occasion only but there was already talk of a recording contract and their agents and the agents of the agents were in the thick of the various necessary negotiations.
The backing orchestra from the BBC played a few bars and the Gala Singers began collectively sounding a true clear and very high note that just slightly wavered or quivered. Suddenly a chandelier shattered - it sounded like a gun going off and many members of the audience ducked spontaneously. There was a collective gasp from the audience but before anyone could do anything but duck another chandelier shattered and then another.
I studied the singers and they were clearly unsurprised. They were expecting this to happen!
Pandemonium broke out as people began to frantically flee the concert hall, blocking up the exits and losing their English cool. Meanwhile the singers were escorted off stage.
What on earth was going on and why?
We didn't have long to wait. Next day reports came in from all over London of glass being shattered by singing - Firstly the windows at the Bank of England, then at the House of Commons where there were no bottles left unshattered in Annie's Bar and no windows in any of the rooms. Next it was the turn of Buckingham Palace and then the Ministry of Defence and then what seems to have been a foiled attempt to shatter the glass in Number 10 Downing Street.
It was gala night at the Royal Festival Hall. Everyone, I mean just about anyone who was anyone was there - including royalty, peers of the realm, classic and pop stars, (could you tell the difference anymore?) the odd member of parliament (some of them were truly very odd!) and even the US and French ambassadors.
Halfway through the evening just before the break when there was a slight undercurrent of restlessness to be truthful we had all rather gorged ourselves on music the Gala Singers took to the stage. They were supposed to be an impromptu supergroup brought together especially for this one occasion only but there was already talk of a recording contract and their agents and the agents of the agents were in the thick of the various necessary negotiations.
The backing orchestra from the BBC played a few bars and the Gala Singers began collectively sounding a true clear and very high note that just slightly wavered or quivered. Suddenly a chandelier shattered - it sounded like a gun going off and many members of the audience ducked spontaneously. There was a collective gasp from the audience but before anyone could do anything but duck another chandelier shattered and then another.
I studied the singers and they were clearly unsurprised. They were expecting this to happen!
Pandemonium broke out as people began to frantically flee the concert hall, blocking up the exits and losing their English cool. Meanwhile the singers were escorted off stage.
What on earth was going on and why?
We didn't have long to wait. Next day reports came in from all over London of glass being shattered by singing - Firstly the windows at the Bank of England, then at the House of Commons where there were no bottles left unshattered in Annie's Bar and no windows in any of the rooms. Next it was the turn of Buckingham Palace and then the Ministry of Defence and then what seems to have been a foiled attempt to shatter the glass in Number 10 Downing Street.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
God's fire - part three
(Again some creative writing)
After that first Sunday in York James went from strength to strength. Even though the York Quaker Meeting was unable to back his 'Radical Direct action plan' many of the members of the York Meeting did. Many newcomers convinced 'Naylerlites', as the York Quakers initially, and Quakers nationally began to call them, began to attend. Soon Sunday Quaker Meetings in York grew firstly to over 500 and then over 1,000 people.
James, in typical Quaker fashion, took the phrase 'Naylerite' not as a put down but more as a badge of office to be worn with pride. "If by Naylerite you mean full of God's fire, then I am indeed a Naylerite". This became a slogan on a purple T shirt worn by many of his supporters.
Soon the Naylerites began to picket York Minster proclaiming the time of God's fire, their silence being broken from time to time by sung chants of Alleliah. But they soon moved on to heckling the priests delivering Sunday sermons in the Minister. Very soon the police were called and the first appearances in Court began.
James was careful after that first time and subsequent week in prison not to be arrested. Once the York God's Fire Protests as they were called were well underway he began a walking protest in procession with some of his followers from York to London calling at Cathedrals on the way - these included Selby, Lincoln, Norwich and ended at St Paul's. Always the same the silent protests and then the heckling and then the arrests.
With his knowledge of Quaker History James called his fellow walkers the Valiant Sixty. The Valiant Sixty, who were in fact more than sixty, were a group of early active Quakers preachers mostly from the North of England who spread the Quaker message around Britain and further afield. Many were regularly beaten up and imprisoned. James and his new Valiant Sixty were mostly not assaulted apart from a rather too physical arrest by police in Norwich Cathedral but they did manage to be imprisoned after Court appearances nearby to all the Cathedrals they picketed and heckled at.
Something special was clearly expected to happen at St Paul's. Was it going to be a bigger and more vocal group with more arrests than ever? Would James be once more arrested and tried this time for conspiracy? Would an indefinite prison sentence result under the new Anti Terrorist Laws which some religiously minded MPs were arguing could be applied to him?
In the end it was a case of real fire but was it from God or man?
After that first Sunday in York James went from strength to strength. Even though the York Quaker Meeting was unable to back his 'Radical Direct action plan' many of the members of the York Meeting did. Many newcomers convinced 'Naylerlites', as the York Quakers initially, and Quakers nationally began to call them, began to attend. Soon Sunday Quaker Meetings in York grew firstly to over 500 and then over 1,000 people.
James, in typical Quaker fashion, took the phrase 'Naylerite' not as a put down but more as a badge of office to be worn with pride. "If by Naylerite you mean full of God's fire, then I am indeed a Naylerite". This became a slogan on a purple T shirt worn by many of his supporters.
Soon the Naylerites began to picket York Minster proclaiming the time of God's fire, their silence being broken from time to time by sung chants of Alleliah. But they soon moved on to heckling the priests delivering Sunday sermons in the Minister. Very soon the police were called and the first appearances in Court began.
James was careful after that first time and subsequent week in prison not to be arrested. Once the York God's Fire Protests as they were called were well underway he began a walking protest in procession with some of his followers from York to London calling at Cathedrals on the way - these included Selby, Lincoln, Norwich and ended at St Paul's. Always the same the silent protests and then the heckling and then the arrests.
With his knowledge of Quaker History James called his fellow walkers the Valiant Sixty. The Valiant Sixty, who were in fact more than sixty, were a group of early active Quakers preachers mostly from the North of England who spread the Quaker message around Britain and further afield. Many were regularly beaten up and imprisoned. James and his new Valiant Sixty were mostly not assaulted apart from a rather too physical arrest by police in Norwich Cathedral but they did manage to be imprisoned after Court appearances nearby to all the Cathedrals they picketed and heckled at.
Something special was clearly expected to happen at St Paul's. Was it going to be a bigger and more vocal group with more arrests than ever? Would James be once more arrested and tried this time for conspiracy? Would an indefinite prison sentence result under the new Anti Terrorist Laws which some religiously minded MPs were arguing could be applied to him?
In the end it was a case of real fire but was it from God or man?
God's fire part two
(This is a follow on from my recent God' Fire posting and represents a creative writing thread on this blog.)
Why and how had this happened? Well I blame James Nayler - not not the historic James Nayler (1618-1660) who was leading Quaker in the early days in aftermath of the English Civil War. This original Nayler came to grief in Bristol in 1656. Well he did imitate Christ's entry into Jerusalem by riding into Bristol on horseback on Palm Sunday with his followers singing 'Holy, holy, holy'. He was tried before Cromwell's parliament for blasphemy and was flogged, branded on the forehead with the letter B, had his tongue pierced with a hot iron (not anaesethics in those days) and sentence to two years' hard labour in prison.
No, it was the so-called modern James Nayler I blame. His real name was probably Ken Southwold (no one is quite sure) but he does seem to have had the original Nayler's way with words.'God's fire' was his catch phrase. And many Quakers, would you believe, were on fire with his words. Not all of them - for a sizable minority warned against him and his policy of 'radical direct action'. They didn't mind the relatively silent vigils outside cathedrals, prisons, town halls and parliament but the frequent nakedness was more problematic as was the reviving of the old Quaker tradition of heckling sermons in churches.
Many of the Naylerites, as they were known, were brought to Court for this heckling - still seen as disgraceful behaviour in (post) modern Britain - and their subsequent refusal, on being found guilty, to pay their fines, resulted in short term prison sentences. Will over 500 Quakers in prison for such heckling at any one time they were starting to clog up the criminal justice system not to mention their various impacts on the prisons.
No-one seems to remember how this modern day James Nayler got started but we do have an I-witness account given by a Provisional Government, spy of his early speaking at a Quaker Meeting one Sunday in York. At that time there were only a 100 people in the room that Sunday.
"It was quiet as usual for the first 15 minutes or so and the children had been led out as per usual. Then James stood up. He was not an especially striking figure to look at but his clothes were rather strange. They looked old fashioned rather like those worn by Victorian farm workers.
'Friends of the Truth,' he began - this was a typical use by him of an early Quaker phrase. 'Friends of the Truth we are called to witness God's light not just in the quiet of our hearts but alive in the world outside. We are called to repent and to burn away the dross in our souls. Let God's fire cleanse our souls, cleanse our society, cleanse our world so all men, women and children will know and obey God's Truth.'
There was what can only be described as a shocked silence soon followed by an exultant shout of 'Halleluia, halleliua' from a clearly mentally distressed young woman. The Quaker Elders present exchanged worried looks. However, the silence, if somewhat fraught, was maintained until the end of the Meeting. At that point John Rampton, Clerk of the Elders led James away to a side room and that was that for now."
Why and how had this happened? Well I blame James Nayler - not not the historic James Nayler (1618-1660) who was leading Quaker in the early days in aftermath of the English Civil War. This original Nayler came to grief in Bristol in 1656. Well he did imitate Christ's entry into Jerusalem by riding into Bristol on horseback on Palm Sunday with his followers singing 'Holy, holy, holy'. He was tried before Cromwell's parliament for blasphemy and was flogged, branded on the forehead with the letter B, had his tongue pierced with a hot iron (not anaesethics in those days) and sentence to two years' hard labour in prison.
No, it was the so-called modern James Nayler I blame. His real name was probably Ken Southwold (no one is quite sure) but he does seem to have had the original Nayler's way with words.'God's fire' was his catch phrase. And many Quakers, would you believe, were on fire with his words. Not all of them - for a sizable minority warned against him and his policy of 'radical direct action'. They didn't mind the relatively silent vigils outside cathedrals, prisons, town halls and parliament but the frequent nakedness was more problematic as was the reviving of the old Quaker tradition of heckling sermons in churches.
Many of the Naylerites, as they were known, were brought to Court for this heckling - still seen as disgraceful behaviour in (post) modern Britain - and their subsequent refusal, on being found guilty, to pay their fines, resulted in short term prison sentences. Will over 500 Quakers in prison for such heckling at any one time they were starting to clog up the criminal justice system not to mention their various impacts on the prisons.
No-one seems to remember how this modern day James Nayler got started but we do have an I-witness account given by a Provisional Government, spy of his early speaking at a Quaker Meeting one Sunday in York. At that time there were only a 100 people in the room that Sunday.
"It was quiet as usual for the first 15 minutes or so and the children had been led out as per usual. Then James stood up. He was not an especially striking figure to look at but his clothes were rather strange. They looked old fashioned rather like those worn by Victorian farm workers.
'Friends of the Truth,' he began - this was a typical use by him of an early Quaker phrase. 'Friends of the Truth we are called to witness God's light not just in the quiet of our hearts but alive in the world outside. We are called to repent and to burn away the dross in our souls. Let God's fire cleanse our souls, cleanse our society, cleanse our world so all men, women and children will know and obey God's Truth.'
There was what can only be described as a shocked silence soon followed by an exultant shout of 'Halleluia, halleliua' from a clearly mentally distressed young woman. The Quaker Elders present exchanged worried looks. However, the silence, if somewhat fraught, was maintained until the end of the Meeting. At that point John Rampton, Clerk of the Elders led James away to a side room and that was that for now."
Minor Miracles
It's Saturday morning (well it was) and I've just finished my piano practice working on a new piece and my two hands are just beginning to work really well together on it.
It is a minor miracle to watch my hands produce this music. I have only been learning to play the piano for just over a year. All the years I have loved music but hardly ever had a voice (outside of the bathroom) and never part from badly self taught teenage guitar been able to play.
I will never be a brilliant musician, probably(!) never play in a band but my playing enriches my soul and I hope to occasionally in time enrich others.
No one was ever interested in this possibility of em and music. I had a good enough upbringing otherwise but no one thrust an instrument into my hands and said, 'try this'.
Music has been very important to me all my life. I even wrote a poem about it when I was 17 or 18 expressing my passion about music and my sadness that I could never play it.
To all would-be musicians out there, to all would be writers, poets, artists, creators of any kind, give it a go, find the right teacher and work at it!
Best to all,
Bill on bike cycling in the wind and sunshine
It is a minor miracle to watch my hands produce this music. I have only been learning to play the piano for just over a year. All the years I have loved music but hardly ever had a voice (outside of the bathroom) and never part from badly self taught teenage guitar been able to play.
I will never be a brilliant musician, probably(!) never play in a band but my playing enriches my soul and I hope to occasionally in time enrich others.
No one was ever interested in this possibility of em and music. I had a good enough upbringing otherwise but no one thrust an instrument into my hands and said, 'try this'.
Music has been very important to me all my life. I even wrote a poem about it when I was 17 or 18 expressing my passion about music and my sadness that I could never play it.
To all would-be musicians out there, to all would be writers, poets, artists, creators of any kind, give it a go, find the right teacher and work at it!
Best to all,
Bill on bike cycling in the wind and sunshine
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