Proper British humour is full of these type of wonderful and talented people – usually working-class – who perform “live” gigs all their lives just to eat and pay rent. Very seldom do they break into the celebrity-sphere – where big money awaits. Up until the 1980s, the UK used to have leftwing Union Social Cubs up and down the country. This was where the working-class congregated in the evenings and at weekends – after work. And just like Socialist China – each of these local entities possessed a “Chairman” (usually elected) who possessed administrative power in the collective-sense (like an elected police constable that we all choose to obey). When I was young, I worked in a number of factories and wore over-alls. We were all fully Unionised workers. The Social Clubs used to collect fees from its members (small weekly or monthly amounts) which were used to fund the two-week “Works’ Holiday” in August – usually paying fully for a break in a Holiday Camp (all-inclusive). Later, during the 1970s, the Unions (via Social Clubs) would fund flights to Spain (all-inclusive). If any government dared to take away the Welfare State, the NHS, or Social Services – the Unions would threaten to paralyse society through “all-out” General Strikes! Workers would even turn-off the electric to prove their point. All this was destroyed by Thatcher and all of the UK Social Clubs are now gone – with workers wallowing in self-pity and personal greed (open to manipulation by the far-right). How sad it all is. Still, Charlie Chuck has a “Zen-Like” quality about his prose – although many of my international readers may not understand his Northern-drawl.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 