Join North Edinburgh community activists – and special guest Scotland’s national poet Liz Lochhead – for a night of poetry, protest, music and laughter at North Edinburgh Arts this Friday …
Tag: poetry
Liz Lochhead to be part of North Edinburgh’s Big Night Out
Scotland’s national poet Liz Lochhead will be among the participants at a major community event to be held in North Edinburgh later this month. ‘The Big Night Out’, an evening of songs, fun, poetry and protest, is being organised by the local Power to the People group.
The programme is yet to be finalised, but the event will also feature a photography and artwork exhibition.
CLD worker Lynn McCabe, who supports the group, explained: “There’s going to be a couple of exhibitions on the history of protest (one is a photographic exhibition, the other is being put together by arts students from Edinburgh (Telford) College. The main part of the night will be in the theatre and will include protest poems and protest poetry. We have just had word that Liz Lochhead will be doing a turn which is great, and it’s likely that some pupils from Craigroyston High School will also be participating in the event – I’m meeting with their teacher to discuss this further. There’s still a lot to organise and confirm but the Power to the People group are very excited about The Big Night Out.”
Power to the People’s Big Night Out will be held in
North Edinburgh Arts on Friday 29 November from 6.30 – 9.30pm.
Tickets £3. All welcome.
Poem: Poverty and Protest
Poverty and protest go hand and hand
Fighting for a better land
Working class people taking a stand
Against the injustices
Since time began
Porteous Riots at Edinburgh’s gates
This unjust man knew his fate
When he shot these people down
The riots started throughout the town
Look through history you will find
Protests were on people’s minds
The right to have their voices heard
Was what these people so deserved
Throughout the ages we can see
The right to speak was not to be
So the protest did begin to start
To demonstrate came from the heart
Of people who were tired and weary
Of poverty oppression and desperation
So they gathered to mount a demonstration
This was done in many ways through songs and plays
People gathered information through thinkers of their generations
Playwriters Poets Artists Trade Unionists Socialist all
Gathered together to hear the call
Of people who were so unhappy starving homeless
Made them fight which leaders called unrest
Polictians make promises for votes
Once elected they are all forgot
Activists present charters with good intentions
City fathers leading them on
Promises broken What has gone wrong ?
Trade Unions now have no say
Thatcher took all their rights away
She crushed communities even took our childrens milk
Riots on street this women caused
With her unjust brutal laws
Poll tax she tried to impose the Scottish nation angerley rose
To fight the cuts we brought her down
No longer for her to rule with an iron hand
She killed our nation throughout the land
Future governments once elected
Did not repeal the Acts she created
Broken promises once again
When will this torture end ?
Now there will be a referendum for independance
Political parties running scared incase Scotland vote YES
They tell us we are “BETTER TOGETHER ” people know what is best
Scottish people will decide no more Broken promises Unjust cuts
Welfare reforms Prices rising .
No jobs to see beyond the horizon
For our youths there is no future
People shivering in the winter
For many it is heat or eat
Poverty rising at an alarming rate
Homeless people have no hope
This present government is a joke
“BETTER TOGETHER ” ? Better for who ?
Polititians not me or you
Now they are trying to gather the masses
For what ? I believe to save their own asses
Scotland should show the way
Vote differently have your say
Remember all the broken promises
Remember all this on referendum day.
Anna Hutchison (by email)