George Square 3: 'Occupy Glasgow' October/November 2011

Welcome to my wee photoblog on Glasgow, where we feature the  joys and unjoys of walking and cycling through a fascinating, beautiful and often badly run city. For the blog's origin and a a list of all posts see the  'Introduction' post  -


http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/02/introduction.html

Today is Tuesday, 1 November, and we are going to have  a look at the 'Occupy Glasgow'  tented encampment  in George Square.

For the Occupy Glasgow site see

http://www.occupyglasgow.org

Approaching George Square now. 

The camp was set up on 15 October. On 26 October, a woman was raped in one of the tents; see

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15462443

following which Glasgow Council issued a "notice of explusion" under the council's park management rules, and the council raised eviction proceedings. See

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/276464-protesters-ordered-to-leave-glasgow-george-square-day-after-woman-raped-in-tent/

The worldwide campaign is against injustices in the global economic system, with particular revulsion in the UK for the bank bailouts.

We know what's meant but that is a kind of irritating way of putting it.

This is also a bit irritating. What's meant - I suppose - is that Remembrance Day is  a cloak for militarism but it is a day with a lot of significance for Glaswegians, most of whom don't  care for  patronising slogans about what things 'really' mean. UPDATE - see correction from  'Anon' below

I suppose the Mail has been less than complimentary about the Occupy movement, but you cannae really complain about that. It's what the Mail's for, for goodness sake.

Lot of Scots take the Scottish edition of the Daily Mail very seriously, however. The Scottish edition of the Daily Mail sells over 109,500 copies a day  See the Scottish newspaper circulation figures (they make interesting reading; the Guardian sells just over 14,000 copies a day) -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_Scotland

We could be in a Donovan song (come to think of it, Donovan was a Maryhill boy of course)

'Destroying Scotland' not 'Destroying Britain'   Times have changed indeed since the demise of the CPGB and the suicide of the SSP. Dotted about the encampment are  Saltires and lion rampants rather than red flags - strange times.

Sun breaking on the Cenotaph

We've been in Marks & Spencers and are getting the bus back to the west end (bike has a puncture), so we'll take a few parting pics from the top of the 66 bus

On 5 November the camp shifted to Kelvingrove Park. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-15599615  I wish them well and hope their security is well organised. The Occupy movement  came to a bad end in Paisley on 25 October -

'A LONE campaigner has been forced to abandon his “Occupy” protest in Paisley town centre...after being robbed by a knifeman who invaded his tent.

Last week, the Paisley Daily Express exclusively told how Jimmy Kerr had brought the worldwide Occupy movement to his home town by pitching a tent on a grassy area in front of Renfrewshire Council’s Cotton Street HQ.' See


http://www.paisleydailyexpress.co.uk/renfrewshire-news/local-news-in-renfrewshire/paisley-news/2011/10/25/jimmy-strikes-camp-after-robbery-87085-29653529

The Kelvingrove camp will be a target for neds and 'amiable' drunks but I would assume that the council (who offered them Kelvingrove Park and therefore should take responsibility for security) and the police will ensure that they are protected.

Quantum of Solace. This photo shows preparation for Remembrance Day 2008. For this and other pics of George Square see

http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2010/03/george-square.html
and for photos of the Orange Order's Cenotaph wreath-laying  in George Square in July this year see http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.com/2011/07/george-square-2-july-2011-orange-order.html

Feel free to drop me an email with suggestions, offers of £20 notes etc. The address is damnyouebay@gmail.com

Reviews of Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know


RADIO AND TELEVISON

'I love it - I'm giving this copy to a friend and buying another for myself' - Darren Adam, Presenter, Radio Forth, 17 November 2008

‘It’s a great wee book’ – Stephen Jardine, introducing Edwin Moore on Scottish Television’s Five-Thirty Show

'A fantastic book' - Scott Wilson , talk 107 Breakfast Show host (see In Memoriam talk 107)

'A great read' - Dougie Jackson, Drivetime host, Smooth Radio 105.2

THE PRESS

'Despite its apparently humorous format, this is a serious and extensive dictionary on all things Scottish; from Jean Redpath to Lorne sausage, from Flodden to the Corries. Is particularly good on history and minutiae. There's a useful chapter on famous Scottish legal cases and another on literature. Excellent' - Royal Scottish Legion, Feb 2009

'This is the ultimate Scottish reference book' - Waterstones Christmas catalogue, 2008

'This is a fascinating look at the history of Scotland: its languages, politics and great achievements, from its origins in the ancient landmass of Laurentia 400 million years ago, to devolution and Billy Connolly. Edwin Moore has collected a thousand important facts about this beautiful country, covering Scottish history and culture, correcting misconceptions, and examining the mysteries of haggis and bagpipes with insight, warmth and impressive attention to detail' - The Good Book Guide, November 2008


'This is a recipe for revealing how horribly ill informed you are about your country. Although, if you are skillful, you can nod sagely as you read some new fact and mutter 'Ah, yes!' as if recalling the information from your excellent schooling. Where else will you find a real recipe for making haggis from scratch side by side with a potted biography of David Hume; a section of the Declaration of Arbroath and the curiously touching fact that Lulu was only 15 when she had a hit with 'Shout'? The whole thing is of course, silly - but oh so addictive.' - Matthew Perren, i-on Glasgow, December 2008


'. . . well crafted and witty' - Bill Howatson, Aberdeen Press and Journal, 18 October 2008


‘While most of Edwin’s entries are entertaining and scholarly – he writes like a Scottish Bill Bryson – it is when he takes an interest in the backwaters of history, the details lost down the back of the sofa, that he is at his best’ – Jack McKeown, The Courier, 27 October 2008


'History, it is said, is written by the victors. Trivia, meanwhile, is written by the guys with the smeared spectacles and the breathable rainwear. The first discipline is linear and causal; to quote from Alan Bennett’s play The History Boys, history is “just one f****** thing after another”. Things look different, though, when viewed through the prism of trivia. The past is reduced to one big coleslaw of fascinating facts that in their randomness tell a more mixed-up tale entirely.
The first approach leads to big, frowning books by the likes of Tom Devine and Michael Fry. The latter results in small, cheerful books such as Scotland: 1,000 Things You Need to Know, Edwin Moore’s valiant attempt to navigate the more trivial contours of enlightenment and clearances, crown and parliament, dirt and deity.
Moore proceeds from a sincere and controversial first principle: Scotland is really a rather pleasant and interesting place. . .As a work of popular scholarship, though, it’s in a different league to the Scottish novelty titles that get stocked next to the bookstore tills as potential impulse purchases, those little handbooks of parliamo Caledonia and regional braggadocio, such as Weegies vs Edinbuggers.' - Allan Brown The Sunday Times, 21 September 2008

'In his book, Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know, Edwin celebrates all that sets us Scots as a race apart - our language, law, flora, food, and of course, our people. From our poets, architects and inventors, to our artists, entertainers and fighters. But he doesn't shy away from the more unpleasant aspects of our history. . .' - Robert Wight, Sunday Post, 14 September 2008

‘We think we know all about William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and the Union of the Crowms. However, according to Edwin Moore, author of , Scotland: 1000 Things You Need to Know, we’re still in the dark about many aspects of our history and culture. . . The Big Issue looks at 20 of the most astonishing examples of secret Scotland.’ – The Big Issue, 18-24 September 2008

'What's the connection between Homer Simpson and Larbert, and why are generations of lawyers grateful to a Paisley snail? Need to know more? Author Edwin Moore has gathered 1000 facts like these about Scotland in a quirky new book. Brian Swanson selects a few favourites. . .' - Scottish Daily Express, 13 September 2008

'The palm for Christmas-stocking books seems to have passed recently to popular science, with best selling titles every year such as Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze? This year there has been a gallant attempt at a historical fight back. Scotland: 1,000 Things You Need to Know(Atlantic Books, £12.99) asks (and answers) such post-turkey questions as ‘How many kings of Scotland died in their beds?’, ‘Who on earth decided that the Declaration of Arbroath was the cornerstone of modern democracy?’ or ‘Why is iron brew spelled Irn-Bru?’ Mark Mazower,History Today; The Best of History in 2008, December 2008


'A real treat for the serendipitous Scotophile' - Reginald Hill


FROM THE INTERWEB


www.Booksfromscotland.com (on the new paperback edition)
Book of the Month, May 2010
'Whether it's Scottish lochs or Enlightenment philosophers, the facts of the devolution referendums or the mysteries of Irn-Bru, myths will be debunked and truths revealed in this light-hearted but rigorous overview of Scottish history and culture.'