Saturday 21 November 2020

Bullying in Tory Britain

One of the worst aspects of the Priti Patel debacle is the effect it must be having on all the staff who have been at the receiving end of her alleged bullying. To have been given a glimmer of hope that she would be forced to resign and to then see those hopes dashed, by a Prime Minister who initially ignores and then dismisses the report which says she broke the ministerial code, must be shocking and upsetting.

Bullying is something that affects many people in all walks of life. Twitter is alive with people sharing difficult memories from their school days and sadly those who bully other children do not always grow out of that behaviour. My own experiences of bullying in the workplace include being asked why there had been so many complaints about my work, this being within a couple of days of returning from a 3-month period of sick leave following a mental breakdown. That was in the public sector – I left that job shortly after that interrogation - but I have experienced equally aggressive behaviour from a manager in a private sector company.

Hardly a week seems to go by without a story in the news about people being physically, sexually or emotionally bullied whether it is in politics, sport, the entertainment world or wherever. And sadly, much of this sort of behaviour has worsened during the pandemic lockdowns with instances of domestic abuse being on the rise.

So to have a Prime Minister effectively condoning bullying is deeply depressing and extremely worrying for us as a society and for the individuals who have had, and continue to have, their lives wrecked by bullies. And to now see all these Tory MPs lining up to sing Ms Patel's praises makes one wonder how many are speaking freely and how many have been bullied into posting these messages.

Welcome to Brexit Britain 2020. 


Friday 20 November 2020

Off The Beaten Tracks 20 November 2020

This week's show mostly features tracks from the 60s and 70s. Listen on Mixcloud

The Rolling Stones - Under My Thumb
Leonard Cohen - Suzanne
Joni Mitchell - I Don't Know Where I Stand
The Mamas and The Papas - I Saw Her Again Last Night 
Tim Buckley - No Man Can Find The War
Nick Drake - Things Behind The Sun
Tom Waits - Downtown Train
James Taylor - You Can Close Your Eyes
Richie Haven - Freedom
Janis Joplin - Half Moon
Fairport Convention - A Sailor's Life
Simon & Garfunkel - America
ZZ Top - Brown Sugar

Off The Beaten Tracks
On Ginger Feather FM 
Every day at 9am, 4pm and 8pm

Friday 13 November 2020

Off The Beaten Tracks 13 November 2020

A North American line-up on next week's Ginger Feather FM radio show. Tune in from Monday 16th at 9am, 4pm or 8pm or listen now on Mixcloud

Bob Dylan - You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Indigo Girls - Strange Fire (live)
The Mammals - Radio Signal
Slaid Cleaves - Texas Love Song (feat. Terri Hendrix)
Carolina Chocolate Drops - Your Baby Ain't Sweet Like Mine
Suzy Thompson - In The Pines (live)
Danny Schmidt - Cries of Shadows
The Be Good Tanyas - When Doves Cry
Heather Bristow - Raggedy Man
I'm With Her - Crescent City
Shinyribs - If You Don't Know Me By Now
Tokyo Rosenthal - Thank You, You're Beautiful
Tim O'Brien - Tombstone Blues
The Sweet Lowdown - Reuben's Train
The Mammals - You Can Come To My House

Off The Beaten Tracks
On Ginger Feather FM 
Every day at 9am, 4pm and 8pm

Friday 6 November 2020

Lockdown mix November 2020

Some songs for the current lockdown in England with 3 tracks from the CSN demos album. Listen now on Mixcloud.

The Beatles - Fixing A Hole
Madam Tsunami - Hold Me Close
Beans on Toast - Here At Homerton Hospital
Bella Hardy - Time Wanders On
David Crosby - Almost Cut My Hair
Stephen Stills - The Doctor Will See You Now
Graham Nash - Be Yourself
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Round and Round (It Won't Be Long)
King Creosote - So Forlorn
Captain of the Lost Waves - Happy in Bed
William The Conqueror - In My Dreams
Kris Drever - Hunker Down \ That Old Blitz Spirit
Shawn Colvin & Loudon Wainwright III - A Heart Needs A Home
Pippa Reid-Foster - Deirdrie in Dreams

On Ginger Feather FM from Monday 9 Nov at 4pm and 8pm