I am a long time fan of Woody Guthrie. He is one of the world's great songwriters in the English language and many of his words are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them.
He was also an American activist who agitated and educated and sang for social equality, immigration reform, peace and fairness. He stood against fascism, racism, war, corruption and for a clean environment. He sang about love, for workers rights, and a better life for all.
He also wrote a lot. I read his "Bound For Glory" book years ago as well as his novel "House of Earth." And now I am delighted to have a Christmas box of a magnificent publication of Woody’s "Songs and Art * Words and Wisdom" curated by his daughter Nora Guthrie and historian Robert Santelli.
This is a large handsome reproduction of some of Woody's drawings, doodles, scribbled thoughts, songs, poems and political observations on the back of envelopes, scraps of paper, jotters and dairies. He obviously knew the importance of these notes because he dates them, and in many cases notes where he is at the time. Woody travelled a lot. These tiny little details add greatly to the readers' enjoyment and knowledge. So do the many fine photos.
He also has lots of wisdom. Here he is on fascism. "…..all human beings (need) to come always closer and closer together – to know and understand all races, creeds, and colours better; and fascism says for us to split ourselves up into the thousand cliques and klans and beat our own chains of slavery onto our ankles by wasting our strength fighting our friend and neighbour – and allowing the fascists to nip us off one by one, little by little, group by group……"
He was equally opposed to racism. He had deep friendships with blues musicians Lead Belly and Sonny Terry and Brownie Magee, who he toured with in the 1950s. He challenged racism head on. They were often attacked by the Ku Klux Klan. They stood up to their attackers. And they played their music.
And Woody's song’s are still sung today. He wrote thousands of songs. We are very lucky that recordings by him of some of these are still available. Many of his better known songs have been covered by Irish singers. They include Deportees, Pretty Boy Floyd, The Ludlow Massacre, Jesus Christ and many more. Bob Dylan also recorded Woody songs. So did Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Bruce Springsteen, The Byrds, Grateful Dead, Billy Bragg, Fergus O'Hare, Willie Nelson and Ry Cooder.
"This Land Is Your Land" is an anthem and rallying call to working people. It is perhaps his best known work. Woody was also a poet, a painter, illustrator, novelist, journal keeper, and prolific letter writer.
Incidentally, Woody Guthrie’s "Songs and Art Words and Wisdom" includes notes by Woody on how to write songs. It also contains contributions by other singers, artists and writers. What more could you want? "Woody Guthrie ‘Songs and Art * Words and Wisdom" is published by Chronicle Books. www.chroniclebooks.com
GAZA
This column has published this wee poem before. I wrote it in Gaza City fourteen years ago. Before it was as terrible as it is now. It’s time to reprint this short verse aris.
Gaza
Rubble on rubble
Twisted metal
And Ghosts
Everywhere
Ghosts of little children
Playing in the ruins
Little ghosts
Páistí bochta
Laughing
Shouting
Crying
And dying in Gaza.
2024
Best wishes and blessings to you all in 2024. 2024 is shaping up to be a decisive year that will determine the political direction of travel for this island for the next ten years, and possibly even longer.
The many challenges facing all of us are enormous but so too are the substantial opportunities for change and progress.
First up will be whether the DUP is prepared to end its damaging refusal to participate in the power sharing institutions. The excuse that its negotiations with the British government on the Windsor Framework and the Brexit mess are still ongoing is now patently absurd.
The decision for Jeffrey Donaldson will be brought to a conclusion in the next wee while. The outworking of that decision - whatever it is - will close down another option for unreconstructed unionism. Meantime the rest of us will continue the process of change. That includes constitutional change. The social and economic interests of the people of the North have never been best served by London.
Rishi Sunak.
The speculation is rife that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will go for a May general election. A crystal ball is not needed to know that the Tories face a significant loss of seats in the local government elections in England and Wales on May 2.
A general election with its higher turnout might salvage some of these but whether the British general election is in May or October the Conservatives are headed for defeat. The next government in London will be a Labour government. Let’s not hold our breath waiting for that. With a few notable exceptions, British Labour has not served Ireland well. It never will until it implements the Good Friday Agreement provision for a referendum on the Union.
In the South, there will be local government elections in June and elections to the European Parliament on the same day. These will be a crucial test for all of the parties as they prepare for the general election in that jurisdiction which could be held before the end of the year.
In recent days, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been setting out his vision for the next five years: more of the same. A Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Green Party government with the leaders carving up the ministerial posts as Varadkar and Micheál Martin play tweedle dee and tweedle dum over the role of taoiseach.
For the first time there is the real possibility of a government without either of them. Successive elections over the last decade have witnessed the consistent growth in the Sinn Féin vote.
Mary Lou McDonald.
In 2020 it emerged with the greater share of first preference votes. The party is now the largest in the Oireachtas. As Mary Lou wisely put it, her aim is to deliver real change with a fresh government that will have neither of these parties in it. It’s a doable project. But, of course, it will depend on the voters.
Clearly there is huge disenchantment with the policies of the current government. Many people want change. But they want more than just the language of change.
So the challenge for Sinn Féin is to present and deliver a new vision of the new Ireland that a Sinn Féin government will seek to construct. That means clear policies on the economy, on housing, on health and mental health, on the environment, on investment in and the transformation of education and childcare and supports for carers. A programme for change that has fairness and equality at its core. Much of this work is well underway.
But it especially means for the oldest Republican party on this island that there is an onus on us to map out the kind of United Ireland we are for: inclusive, with equality at the heart of policy making and delivery, anti-sectarian, pro-working family, standing up to the fascists and right wing who seek to whip up violence and division, and defending the rights and entitlements of all citizens.
Much progress has been made. But we need to do more.
An Irish government has the political and diplomatic resources to advance all of these propositions if it has the political will. Irish governments have paid lip service to a united Ireland. That has to change. 2024 can see that change.
