The first hint I had about the growing post-industrial wastelands of my youth came from music. The first was in 1984 with My Hometown from Springsteen’s Born in the USA album. The second was from Life In A Northern Town by Dream Academy. Springsteen’s narrative about a rug mill that closed in Freehold Borough, New Jersey, […]
G.I. Generation Speech Electrifies Labour Party Conference: Harry Leslie Smith
Harry Leslie Smith is a 91-year-old Yorkshireman, Royal Air Force veteran and ex-carpet salesman. In November 2013, he wrote ‘This year, I will wear a poppy for the last time’ for The Guardian. It was shared almost 60,000 times on Facebook and basically started a huge debate about the state of society. This past summer […]