{"id":1170,"date":"2022-07-11T10:35:24","date_gmt":"2022-07-11T10:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/?p=1170"},"modified":"2022-07-12T10:23:48","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T10:23:48","slug":"northern-weekly-salvo-305","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lancashireloominary.co.uk\/index.html\/northern-weekly-salvo-305","title":{"rendered":"Northern Weekly Salvo 305"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Northern Weekly Salvo
\n<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Incorporating \u00a0Slaithwaite Review of Books, Weekly Notices, Sectional Appendices, Tunnel Gazers\u2019 Gazette etc. <\/em>Descendant of Teddy Ashton\u2019s Northern Weekly <\/em>and Th\u2019Bowtun Loominary un Tum Fowt Telegraph<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Published at 109 Harpers Lane Bolton BL1 6HU email: paul.salveson@myphone.coop<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Publications website: www.lancashireloominary.co.uk<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. 305 July 11th<\/sup> \u00a02022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Salveson\u2019s half-nakedly political digest of railways, tripe and secessionist nonsense from Up North. Sometimes weekly, usually not; definitely Northern.<\/p>\n

General gossips <\/strong><\/h5>\n

Twenty-one days is a long time in politics (when the last Salvo<\/em> was issued).Way back then, the position of Boris Johnson seemed relatively secure. Things change so quickly, don’t they? The next few weeks should offer plenty of summer entertainment, taking our minds off things like Ukraine, rail strikes and rocketing energy prices. When people ask me whom I\u2019d like as leader, it’s difficult. I want them to lose in a General Election, so my top choice would be for Johnson to stay on.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Victor Grayson for PM! But he had his flaws too<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That\u2019s not going to happen now, sadly, so maybe some complete fruitcake like Nadine Dorries would do the job? Grant Shapps could be a possibility too. Maybe this is a selfish view and not really the best for the country. On the other hand, putting myself in the hard-to-imagine position of being a Conservative supporter who actually wants them to win, Sunak is the obvious choice.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Labour will lumber on with a less-than-inspiring leader who\u00a0 struggles to find policies which differentiate them from the Tories, and in some cases are even more reactionary (e.g. saying he would actively campaign against Irish unification, which is a clear breach of the Good Friday agreement). \u2018He said he\u2019d make Brexit work\u2019 could be the words etched onto his political tombstone after the 2024 General Election, perhaps with a slimmer Tory majority and Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister. Still, these things can change very quickly, as we have seen.<\/p>\n

\"\"
No return to Age of Austerity<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Durham Constabulary has done its bit to ensure that Labour will remain an uninspiring bunch. Speaking of the police, have you been watching \u2018Sherwood\u2019? It was very well done, though I found the short-sighted single-manned train driver (who got his facts wrong about the Settle-Carlisle line) a bit weird.<\/p>\n

Goodbye to \u2018Ye Olde Booking Office\u2019? corner-shop economics applied to rail<\/strong><\/h5>\n

My last Salvo<\/em> about the rail strikes got a muted response from readers, with most who responded saying they generally agreed with me. In summary, nobody begrudges rail workers a decent wage, but bringing the rail network to a standstill at a time when the recovery is fragile to say the least, might not be a good idea. We could end up with a smaller railway employing much fewer railway staff.<\/p>\n

One of the worrying messages coming from rail industry leaders is that the days of the staffed \u2018booking office\u2019 are numbered. OK, on one level it needs to change. Even the archaic name \u2018booking office\u2019 reeks of Victorian ways of running a railway. Let\u2019s look at the issues.<\/p>\n

Firstly, there is no doubt that more and more rail passengers are buying tickets on line. This is in the face of persistent advice from me (mainly to my daughters) who think, usually wrongly, that they get a better deal \u2018going on line\u2019. That trend will continue. What we offer \u2018customers\u2019 at staffed stations is often a less-than-ideal experience, having to communicate with someone stuck behind a window who can present, without intention, the image of unfriendly officialdom. It\u2019s a system that even banks have done away with. I think for many journeys<\/p>\n

\"\"
All categories of station need a station cat. Dinky (he\/she\/it) Todmorden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

involving different options with the kind of ticket purchased, being able to talk to a real live person sat alongside or in front of you is important. For larger stations, we need to keep a decent number of highly trained and well-motivated staff, with good language and inter-personal skills.<\/p>\n

But what of the small station which might have a footfall of around 200,000 passengers a year and may offer nothing more than a single person doing say a 6-2 shift? Many stations around the North fall into that category, and the staff may only be dealing with passengers using a couple of trains an hour, or less. \u2018Close them,\u2019 the unimaginative rail manager will say. But there are other ways. Think about it, how barmy is it that someone is sat there in a \u2018booking office\u2019 selling only one product (i.e. rail tickets). Can you imagine a petrol station selling nothing other than petrol?<\/p>\n

Merseyrail piloted an interesting scheme some years ago called \u2018M to Go\u2019, with their partner Merseytravel. This involved some \u2018booking offices\u2019 being transformed into convenience stores. Rail staff would sell train tickets but also a range of other products. As far as I\u2019ve heard, the scheme has worked though it is very location specific (like any other retail business).<\/p>\n

\"\"
Stationmaster, Lostock Junction, 1966: Mr Atcha would have been an ideal community station manager. The station closed, but re-opened years later.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It seems a very sensible alternative to closing a booking office, leaving smaller stations unstaffed and more threatening places to use the train.<\/p>\n

In some areas, bodies such as Transport for Greater Manchester or West Midlands Rail Executive could take over the running of smaller stations and develop them along the \u2018M to Go\u2019 lines. I suspect the train company, who currently is responsible for the staffing and operation of these smaller stations, would be glad to see them go. Having a large body like TfGM or WMRE taking over responsibility for smaller stations would ensure economies of scale in procuring materials (the usual convenience store items) as well as ensuring high customer care standards and staff training. Potentially, again depending on location, there may be scope for extended opening hours and more staff, including use of part-timers.<\/p>\n

There is a \u2018community rail\u2019 angle to this as well. One or two stations (e.g. Gobowen) have staffed booking offices run by a social enterprise. That could work in several locations, including stations outside the larger combinations without the benefit of a regional transport body like TfGM but possibly with an active community rail partnership. There are quite a few stations that could develop this way, with the support of an active CRP or \u2018station partnership\u2019. It would be wrong to set hares racing by mentioning particular stations but many readers would know the sort of place I mean. In some cases there may be scope for bringing a currently unstaffed station back to life. In other cases, as an alternative to de-staffing a station and losing an important community asset, hand it over to the community.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Not what we want…Tyldesley, 1970<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If there are enthusiastic station staff at a small ‘at risk’ station, offer it to them with first refusal, with a clear contract on what would be expected and a favourable rent, but outside of mainstream regulation. So essentially we’re talking about several categories of station, viz.,:<\/p>\n

Category 1: Large station, staffed by train company, with specialist advisers, including offering one to one travel advice (multi-modal), with other retail available within station.<\/p>\n

Category 2: Medium-sized station, possibly with combined retail and ticket sales, staffed either by the train company or a transport body such as TfGM, WMRE, Merseytravel etc. Could also do bike hire etc.<\/p>\n

Category 3: Small station, staffed by employed agents providing a mix of rail tickets and ‘convenience store’ goods. In tourist areas scope for doing a range of tourism-related products and sales.<\/p>\n

Category 4: ‘Community Station’ run independently by a social enterprise, small business or similar, offering perhaps a limited range of rail tickets and advice, plus ‘local shop’ functions and other goods depending on location. Local post office?<\/p>\n

Category 4 is about applying \u2018corner-shop economics\u2019 to a small station. If anyone has a better idea for how they might survive without being a drain on the railway, let me know.<\/p>\n

Another World Should Be Possible<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Geoff Mulgan is one of the most interesting political writers around today, writing fom a left-of-centre position. His work is relevant to anyone with a political brain who isn\u2019t stuck in old certainties of right and left. His latest book, Another World is Possible \u2013 How to Reignite Social and Political Imagination<\/em> – couldn\u2019t be more timely, for reasons I hardly need to stress. The argument is really quite simple. For whatever reason\/s we have lost the ability to look to the future and imagine a different (obviously, better) world. As Mulgan asks: \u201chow could we become better at imagining the society in which we might like to live a generation or two from now?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Conservative Right\u2019s idea of \u2018the future\u2019 has always tended to be backward-looking. Leaving Europe has been the latest \u2018big idea\u2019, but the idea of a future Britain is very much about going back to how it was, in a world before the EU and \u2013 for many \u2013 before immigrants. Is the Left any better? \"\"Our \u2018golden age\u2019 was the time of post-war Austerity and the Labour Government of Clem Attlee. It was a highly statist politics, which was probably what was needed to recover from the horrors and destruction of the Second World War. Yet there are quite a few who still think that political and economic model is what the country needs today. You can summarise it as ‘Corbynism’. A pity he didn’t listen more to his pal John McDonnell who did have some good, radical, ideas on the economy.<\/p>\n

A key part of Mulgan\u2019s argument is that ideas don\u2019t often just \u2018pop up\u2019 from nowhere, the brainchild of some great man or woman: \u201cIndividuals and teams flourish best in a vibrant milieu that brings together comment and criticism, competition with peers, and the feedback of an informed audience.\u201d (p.132).<\/p>\n

Mulgan was a key figure in the \u2018New Labour\u2019 experiment under Tony Blair; he headed up the Number 10 Policy Unit so knows a bit about how Government works and how policies are shaped. Incidentally, it\u2019s a reflection on the paucity of political thinking on today\u2019s Left that mentioning Mulgan\u2019s role under the Blair Government would instantly damn him for all eternity.<\/p>\n

He is highly critical of contemporary social democracy, with an agenda lacking in the imagination he promotes, limited to modest (and getting more and more modest by the day) policies. \u201cTepid oppositionism blames everything possible on capitalism or neoliberalism, a comfortable space which requires no serious self-criticism. Timid incrementalism advocates keeping everything as it is but with a few modest tweaks; this is a comfortable space in another sense, in that it requires so little change. Historic defensiveness protects the interests of particular groups \u2013 those with influence in the parties \u2013 against any changes that could weaken them, for example a group of workers resisting any use of new technology that could educe their numbers.\u201d (p.182)<\/p>\n

Keir Starmer, and the Labour Party as a whole, need to read and reflect on what he is saying. The sort of imagination he advocates is light years away from that timid politics based on what London politicians imagine northern working class voters are thinking at any particular moment in time.<\/p>\n

There is one small problem I have with the book, the age old challenge (posed by Mao-Tse-Tung I seem to remember) about \u2018where correct ideas come from?\u2019, or what are the networks and institutions that can encourage the sort of progressive imaginative thinking he advocates? It\u2019s a particular issue for the North of England, where we have become used to policies being dumped on us by politicians based in Westminster and civil servants in Whitehall. Whilst Scotland and Wales have developed alternative intellectual bases, the North of England (bigger than Scotland and Wales combined, though it isn\u2019t about size) has very little. IPPR North does a good job but its’ influence is limited. The Hannah Mitchell Foundation, which had much potential, is running out of puff. The universities are an obvious source of imaginative thinking but too often a university can be an island of ideas, not connecting with the world around it. Imagine the potential for a progressive local authority linking up with its university and local business and voluntary sector to work out how their town or city could look in twenty years? Or even a group of universities collaborating with regional partners on a shared vision for their region? Mulgan, rightly, isn\u2019t prescriptive on what his \u2018competing political imaginaries\u2019 might be, but does toss a few ideas out. But it\u2019s more the process of thinking through a desirable future that he stresses.<\/p>\n

Another World is Possible<\/em> is published by Hurst (2022)<\/p>\n

Skirl o\u2019the pipes heard in Leigh<\/strong><\/h5>\n

I had planned to join the annual walk to Waugh\u2019s Well, with the Edwin Waugh Dialect Society. It\u2019s allus a gradely do and they had fine sunny weather. Unfortunately, my left foot was far from jannock and I had to send reluctant apologies. I\u2019d been planning to have a trip to Leigh to look at their Local Studies Centre so that seemed a good alternative, not\u00a0 involving much walking. I made a good connection from the 526 \"\"onto the 582 Leigh bus at Bolton Interchange and headed through Atherton and past the superb miners\u2019 cottages at Howe Bridge, built as showpieces by the Fletcher Burrows company. If only all miners\u2019 housing had been built like that. All was going well until we reached the edge of the town centre, with \u2018diversion\u2019 signs directing us onto a convoluted route round the back of town. Yes, I know, I should have got off when the diversion started but stayed on, for another 20 minutes as it turned out. The diversion was on account of various festivities taking place around the 2022 European Women\u2019s Football Championship, some matches being played in Leigh (I think England v Portugal). A \u2018fan party\u2019 was taking places in the Market Square, hence the diversions (actually, I\u2019m not really sure why they had to close the road, but anyway…).Leigh Archives are located in the town hall which was in the \u2018secure area\u2019 where the fan party was taking place, so I dutifully showed the security staff the contents of my bag (flask, cheese sandwich, wagon wheel and note book) and was allowed in. The archives weren\u2019t open because of all the other goings-on but I had a good look round the local history museum, which is excellent. Two of my favourite \u2018Leythers\u2019, Tom Burke and Mary Thomason, were prominently featured. You could press a button and hear Tom singing one of his arias, and another to listen to Mary reciting a dialect poem. The effect of pushing both at once, as some children insisted in doing, was slightly odd (it was a day of odd, but enjoyable, things) but nice all the same to hear Tom Burke singing, in Leigh. Part of my quest in going to the Leigh Archives was to look at copies of The Leigh Co-operative Record<\/em>, which Mary wrote for in the 1920s.<\/p>\n

The highly-regarded Turnpike Gallery is in the library building, just \"\"across the square, so I thought I\u2019d pop across and see what was going on, before heading back to Bolton. There was a bit of a commotion going on in the library foyer but I was told I\u2019d be OK to squeeze through the assembled throng. The said throng comprised a large number of young Asian lads dressed in regimental Highland costume, wielding an assortment of pipes and drums. It was the Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band, all the way from Bolton. They made an impressive sight as they emerged from the Library foyer to perform around the Market Place, and an even more impressive sound. The band uniform includes a black bonnet with white and red feather, black doublet, blue tartan kilt, sporran, and a blue tartan plaid. Some of the members were young lads, clearly enjoying themselves, as were the spectators. The whole scene was made even more surreal (difficult, I know) by the two giant fairies who were swirling around to the music. After the performance was over I had a look at the open-air exhibition on women\u2019s football. It\u2019s not a sport I\u2019ve had much interest in but the exhibition highlighted interesting aspects of local women\u2019s football, including their fundraising efforts during the 1921 Miners\u2019 Lockout. So the there you are, learn summat new every day, eh?<\/p>\n

My retreat from Leigh proved even more difficult than my arrival. Without so much as a by your leave, the buses had decided to take a completely different route out of Leigh. After waiting at a bus stop for 25 minutes I decided to head up Bolton Road and see if anything turned up. So much for my good intentions of not doing any walking; it was only after I\u2019d passed a sign saying \u2018Welcome to Atherton\u2019 that a bus came into view. It was a\u00a0 516 so (I realise this is perhaps unnecessary detail for some readers) I opted to take that to Atherton and chance my luck from there. Yeas, I had so many choices including staying on the 516 to Westhoughton, or even Horwich. But I was glad I alighted, or alit, in Atherton and had a look at the street market, which was nice. I resisted the temptation to catch the V2 (not a Green Arrow but a Purple Bus) to Tyldesley or Swinton and hold out for a 582. My patience was rewarded , with two coming along in convoy. You can imagine the comments from my fellow passengers who had been waiting at the bus stop for some 25 minutes. Bring back the Bolton and Leigh Railway, that\u2019s what I say. Sadly, it closed to passengers in 1954. But, phew, an eventful and interesting day, featuring Tom Burke, Mary Thomason and the splendid SMS Pipe Band of Bolton.<\/p>\n

Miniature Railway trashed by thieves is rising again!<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Thanks to everyone who responded to the story in Salvo 304 about the attack on Moss Bank Park Miniature Railway recently. OK, compared to some of the things going on in the world it\u2019s small beer, but it is at least something we can do summat abeawt. To recap: Moss Bank Park, Bolton, is one of the many municipal parks around the country which benefits from a miniature railway. It was set up in 1986 but closed some years ago, well before the Pandemic, as the previous operator pulled out. It slowly came back to life a couple of years ago with a small group of enthusiasts taking over. They fettled the track and remaining locomotives and started operating a few months back. Then disaster struck. On the night of June 2nd<\/sup> a team of metal thieves attacked the railway, causing a huge amount of damage. Most of the track was stolen. The group is determined to re-build and has been busy going round the area appealing for support. We held a very well-attended garden party here at 109 Harpers Lane, with the Halliwell Garden Railway operating, and a plentiful supply of cakes and teas. Over \u00a3500 was raised, but there\u2019s a long way to go yet. Ribble Valley Steamers held an event at their base in Clitheroe (Edisford Bridge) to help with the fundraising and it was nice to see main-line steam man Mick Kelly with his (troublesome) A Class 5\u201d gauge model. What a beauty (the engine, obv.).<\/p>\n

If you would like to contribute, bank details for the Railway Society are here:<\/p>\n

Mossbank Park Model Engineers Society\u00a0 Sort code 30-98-97 account number 64512562<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clogs R Us<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The last few days have had a strong \u2018clog\u2019 theme. My next feature for The Bolton News features this fine but sadly disappearing piece of Lancashrie footwear. During my visit to Clitheroe (see above) I had a look round Clitheroe Market and made two purchases from the antique stall. One was a \u2018Brown Betty\u2019 tea pot and the other was a pair of clogs. I tried to haggle on a combined price for the two but the stern lady on the stall was having none of it. So I came away the proud owner of a pair of size 3 clogs (complete with irons) and my \u2018Brown Betty\u2019 teapot, \"\"which I\u2019ve yet to use, but will do, soon.\u00a0 That was Clog Experience Pt. 1. The next was a visit to Mytholmroyd, mainly to see Sue and Geoff Mitchell with new CRP Officer Karen. We inspected the work going on to bring the historic station building back to life, and then \u2013 special treat \u2013 a visit to Walkley\u2019s Clogs. What a delightful treat. Very friendly people, Sue and Alan are clearly clog cranks par excellence and delighted showing me round the shop.<\/p>\n

The last bit of the \u2018clog saga\u2019 is a piece for The Bolton News<\/em>, part of which will be used in my forthcoming book Lancastrians<\/em>. I put a post on facebook asking for stories and anecdotes about clogs and at the last count I had 130 comments. I\u2019ve used a small number for the article, here’s a few, with thanks:<\/p>\n

Marjorie Hill<\/a> recalled: \u201cMy brothers wore clogs with steel on the soles which they could make spark by kicking the ground. As the youngest, and only girl I only had one pair with rubber on the bottom. My local cobbler would allow me to watch him make clogs. I still remember the smell of the rubber, glue and polish as I sang to him while he worked. \"\"My mother and her friends always wore headscarves when they went out and in the mill wore them as \u2018turbans\u2019 to protect their hair from the grease and dangerous machinery. Indoors they always wore wrap-around pinnies, (aprons) with pockets, to keep their clothes clean. This was in the days before washing machines when clothes were scrubbed on a washboard, rinsed in the sink and put through the mangle before being pegged on the line or hung on the hoisted dryer which hung near the fireplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Linda Carroll-Bentley<\/a> was born in 1953 and lived in Bolton. \u201cI remember having red clogs made for me up to about the age of 4 yrs. Stopped wearing them once I went to school. I remember being taught, by an older child, how to get sparks off the pavement with them! Many of my relatives and friends wore them at that time. I remember a lot of the mill workers wearing them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carole Rimmer Settle<\/a>: \u201cMy brother sent me these Lancashire clogs. We live in Michigan USA. Just love them and hopefully one day to open an antique shop. Named \u2018The Lancashire Clog\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Geoff Proctor<\/a> is a clog dancer, who is a member of the Britannia Coconut Dancers. He comes from a family of cloggers: \u201cThe red clogs were made for my mum about 80yrs ago by her father Jim Butterworth of Smallbridge, Rochdale. He was the president of the association and \"\"his tools are in York museum. They were given to me on my first birthday and I still cherish them. I wore clogs up to first year in high school but they got banned after sliding a cross the parquet floor in the hall (irons)! My current ones are \u2018Sunday Best\u2019 made by Walkleys, which I use for dancing in regularly these days. They’re shod with homemade stainless irons for longevity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denise Hamer<\/a> recalls: \u201cMy Mum wore clogs in the mill and I had a pair when I was young, my husband had a pair to strengthen his ankle when he was young. They had clogs for work and a different style of clog for best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liz Coburn<\/a>: \u201cThis post gives a little more history apropos of the last posting of the video of the cotton mills in Lancashire. These small (5.5 inches) clogs belonged to someone in my grandfather Patrick Hillan’s family. All of his sisters worked in the cotton mills in Bolton, Lancashire, England. The Hillan family was Irish. Many of the Irish settled in the industrial towns of England to find work. These particular clogs are stamped “Lee 1904”. Edwin Lee was a shoe maker whose shop was on 17 Church Bank, Bolton, Lancashire, England. \"\"Clogs were worn by the workers in the cotton mills to keep their feet warm and dry. Here comes the interesting part! To alleviate boredom and to warm up, the workers started “Clog Dancing” which involved heavy steps which kept time (clog is Gaelic for ‘time’), and along with striking one shoe with the other, created rhythms and sounds to imitate those made by the milling machinery! Clog Dancing originated as a way of relieving the monotonous labour and physical repetition without being overpowered by the industrial machine.”<\/p>\n

Elaine Brooks<\/a> said \u201cI wore clogs when I first went to school in 1946, mine were black. They had a strap over my instep to fasten them. In winter when walking to school in the snow it built up in between the irons and made you much taller.\u201d<\/p>\n

Richard Hoyle<\/a>: Jack Crawshaw on Miller Barn Lane Waterfoot. Made clogs for the Britannia Coconutters, I think. He used to repair shoes as well and the aroma in his shop of fresh leather was wonderful. “They’ll be ready Tuesday.” was the usual mantra.<\/p>\n

Susan Wardle<\/a>: I am seventy, grew up.in Great Lever. My great uncle worked in Swan Lane Mill until the mid sixties and he wore clogs at work every day<\/p>\n

Karen Martindale<\/a>: I wore clogs to school (born 1959) no one else did. My mum was a good Lancashire girl and took us to get them at a little stall in a market\u2026.I think it may have been Bury. Mine were black with bright yellow eyelets they laced up, littler children had red leather ones. They make you walk with a rocking motion because of the rigid sole. The men on the fish market always wore them right up until I left Bolton for Uni. Still got some somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talks, walks and wanderings<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Following the \u2018official\u2019 end of the Pandemic, I\u2019ve been getting a number of invitations to give talks on various topics. Recent talks have included \u2018Allen Clarke\u2019s Bolton\u2019 for Friends of Smithills Hall, \u2018Railways and Railwaymen of Turton\u2019 for Turton LHS, \u2018Moorlands, Memories and Reflections\u2019 for What\u2019s Your Story, Chorley?\u00a0 and \u2018Railways and Communities: Blackrod and Horwich\u2019, for Blackrod LHS. \u00a0Other topics are:<\/p>\n