Brian Behan anarcho-syndicalist death?
Patrick | 10.02.2003 20:22
Obituary Brian- Behann anarcho-syndicalist.Brian had the good or bad luck to be born into one of the best known Irish families.He was some what over shadowed by Brendon and Domnic but made impart contributions to the arts and political struggle and was imprisoned in 1951,1958.He died last Nov 2002 aged 75.Those interested in history and good humour will miss him.He was well known in Brighton if not a land mark.
Anarcho-syndicalism Obituary Brian- Behan
Brian Behan was born in Dublin on November 1926 and died in England November 2002
I worked with Brian Behan on a few art projects and his death in Nov 2002was a shock to me he had three declared goals 1.To bring more humour to thestage2.To live for ever 3.To do for London what James Joyce did for Dublin.He failed
on the last two accounts but few would deny he was immensely wittyHe was somewhat overshadowed by his brother Brendan and Domnic.Yet he made contributions in
labour history,writing and stage..
He would sometimes talk of having met Josef Stalin and Mao Tse Tung.He was foremost a Labour activist and imprisoned for his activities.He was a centralcommittee member of the British Communist Party and left following the invasion of
Hungry.He went leftwards in to the folds of the Socialist Labour League and theclutches of Geary Healey.Whom he invariably fell foul of.A active trade union
organiser and speaker who wrote books and phamplets.He was repeatedly victimised and blacklisted.
He became a mature student going to university at Sussex when he was aged 48.Hethen went on to become a teacher at the London School of Printing.It was primarily in
latter life that he turned to writing plays.The media had a love hate relationship withhim and in many ways he lacked patronage and support.Yet in other ways he wasimmensely popular invited by the group prodigy to appear with them in avideo.Towards the end even appearing in television commercials.
He was a honest Marxist who rejected China and Russia but never found a politicalgrouping that he felt comfortable with working with.He often refereed to the church as
the white collared gestapo.He despised New Labour and Tony Blair who he regardedas very dangerous.He was suspicious of some aspects of feminism such as
scum.Towards the end he was working on a project for the abolition of marriage.He will be missed I hope in time his work will be better treated.His books include With Breast
Expanded,Mother of all the Behans and plays Shoes for the Footless,BarkingSheep,The Begrudgers.etc
Patrick
Brian Behan was born in Dublin on November 1926 and died in England November 2002
I worked with Brian Behan on a few art projects and his death in Nov 2002was a shock to me he had three declared goals 1.To bring more humour to thestage2.To live for ever 3.To do for London what James Joyce did for Dublin.He failed
on the last two accounts but few would deny he was immensely wittyHe was somewhat overshadowed by his brother Brendan and Domnic.Yet he made contributions in
labour history,writing and stage..
He would sometimes talk of having met Josef Stalin and Mao Tse Tung.He was foremost a Labour activist and imprisoned for his activities.He was a centralcommittee member of the British Communist Party and left following the invasion of
Hungry.He went leftwards in to the folds of the Socialist Labour League and theclutches of Geary Healey.Whom he invariably fell foul of.A active trade union
organiser and speaker who wrote books and phamplets.He was repeatedly victimised and blacklisted.
He became a mature student going to university at Sussex when he was aged 48.Hethen went on to become a teacher at the London School of Printing.It was primarily in
latter life that he turned to writing plays.The media had a love hate relationship withhim and in many ways he lacked patronage and support.Yet in other ways he wasimmensely popular invited by the group prodigy to appear with them in avideo.Towards the end even appearing in television commercials.
He was a honest Marxist who rejected China and Russia but never found a politicalgrouping that he felt comfortable with working with.He often refereed to the church as
the white collared gestapo.He despised New Labour and Tony Blair who he regardedas very dangerous.He was suspicious of some aspects of feminism such as
scum.Towards the end he was working on a project for the abolition of marriage.He will be missed I hope in time his work will be better treated.His books include With Breast
Expanded,Mother of all the Behans and plays Shoes for the Footless,BarkingSheep,The Begrudgers.etc
Patrick
Patrick
Comments
Hide the following 3 comments
Where's the anarcho-syndicalism?
11.02.2003 22:46
Toby
Anarcho-syndicalism Behan
12.02.2003 16:13
Patrick
BUILDING UP AND TEARING ENGLAND DOWN
12.02.2003 16:55
BUILDING UP AND TEARING ENGLAND DOWN
Oh, I won a hero's name with McAlpine and Costain
With Fitzpatrick, Murphy, Ash and the Wimpey's gang
I've been often on the road on me way to draw the dole
When there's nothing left to do for Johnny Laing
And I used to think that God made the mixer, pick and hod
So a Paddy might know hell above the ground
I've had ganger's big and tough
Tell me "tear that hole out rough!"
When you're building up and tearing England down
In a tunnel underground a young Limerick man was found
He was built into the new Victoria line
When the bonus gang had passed sticking from the concrete cast
Was the face of little Charlie Joe Divine
And the ganger man McGurk said "Big Paddy ates the work"
When the gas main blew and he flew off the ground
Oh they swore he'd send down slack
I'll not be there until I'm back
Keep on building up and tearing England down
I was on the shuttering jam on the day that Jack McCann
Got the better of his stammer in a week
He fell from the shuttering jam
And that poor old stuttering man
He was never ever more inclined to speak
And I saw old Balls McColl with a big flyover fall
Into a concrete mixer spinning round
Though it wasn't his intent he got a fine head of cement
When he was building up and tearing England down
I remember Carrier Jack with his hod upon his back
How he swore one day he'd set the world on fire
Well his face they've never seen
Since his shovel it cut clean
To the middle of the big high tension wires
Oh the more like Robin Hood he rode through Cricklewood
Or dance around the pubs in Camdon Town
Oh but let no man proclaim sure old Pat could die in vain
When he's building up and tearing England down
So come all you navvy's bold
Do not think that English gold
Is just waiting to be taken from each sod
Oh the likes of you and me will never get the OBE
Or a knighthood for good service to the hod
It's the concrete master race
That would keep you in your place
And a ganger man to kick you to the ground
If you ever try to take part of what the bosses make
When you're building up and tearing England down
Patrick