1879 - Guns against spears

The Brits really were a rum bunch back then
In the nineteenth-century and earlier
Take Southern Africa, someone take them
Well Britain took everything, and that's where
It was trying to grab land, even where
Other colonists had arrived there first
Such as the Dutch emigrant and farmer
(Or 'Boer' in Dutch), not forgetting the cursed
Africans themselves, Hottentots, or worse
Those warlike Zulus, spear-carrying men
Of great height and width, seeming without fear
Yet Cetshwayo, their king, did his utmost
To placate Bartle Frere's war-provoking
Policies, pitting guns against the spear

1878 - The Balkans - support act for World War One

1878 saw the Russians
Successful in their anti-Turk campaign
The French were still weak after the Prussian
Defeat, and concern expressed by Britain
Over Russia's success and Ottoman
Decline led to a Bismarck-led conference
In Berlin, which lessened the Russian gain
Reducing the size of the Bulgarians'
Land, still nominally Turk-held. Offence
Was created by that, and Austrians
Being given Bosnia. Serbia blamed
Them for restricting its independence
To a small patch, while Macedonians
And Muslim Albanians had unmet claims

1877 - Recorded history

New Jersey, 1877
A relatively young man called Thomas
Edison invents the phonograph and
Ushers in recorded sound and records
Although Emile Berliner's idea was
To make it flat and round and playable
On both sides, A side, B side, twenty years
Later, and that product was the staple
Medium for most music fans up until
The 1980s. I remember when
I was a toddler, getting grubby paws
On my parents' discs - Ken Dodd, the Beatles
I became a paper boy, bought my own
Round slices of heaven, glamorous noise

1876 - Feathers flying

The North American Indian Wars
And the main characters of the Wild West
Created legends, kids' games and quick draws
Cowboys and Indians, films and all the rest
The Last of the Mohicans was the first
Major novel or work of art that fed
This hunger, but Buffalo Bill did best
With his Wild West Shows, touring with his friends
Texas Jack and Will Bill Hickok, whose end
Came in a saloon card game, while robbers
Such as the James gang raided banks and worse,
Shot innocent men, even raiding trains
The Great Plains, the West, also Florida's
Deep south saw natives killed, moved and suppressed

1875 - Pretty Car Club

I have to say that I really enjoyed
Driving my City Car Club car today
I put my foot down, felt the car explode
With acceleration, and the brakes, they
Had incredible power to delay
Our progress instantly, make the car jerk
The only thing was, well, I had to pay
Quite a lot of money to make this work
I considered leaving the club, to ask
For my fee to be returned, then I thought
To access these cars any night or day
Now I have no car, that's a real perk
Even if ordinary hired cars are owed
Less by us to take ourselves far away

Sun 23 Oct

1874 - Cafe rock scene

I'm here in a cafe in Tyldesley town
It's on the way to Wigan, don't you know
Open mike night, five minutes to put down
One poem and one song, guitar borrowed
Steve Miller, and then Cheryl's poems flowed
Then it was me, then Laura and then Dave
Petrova was next, I think... I'm not proud
My memory's poor... but the listeners gave
A good response. Rob was next, talk of graves
And death, Halloween style. A lady, then
A group called A Means To An End, followed
By sausage rolls, judging by the smell...Have
A bite to eat, then the main acts. First on
Bob Kettle, then Gordon Zola... then who?

Sat 22 Oct 2011

1873 - Sic semper tyrannis

At work yesterday I heard Gaddafi
Was captured, and soon after, he was killed
When I got home late I saw on TV
The footage, though indistinct, and was chilled
I didn't feel sorry he was jostled
But he should not have been shot without trial
The Libyan authorities may have called
For him to be taken alive but, while
The fighting lasted, couldn't keep control
From far-off Benghazi or Tripoli
Of excited young men with guns, all thrilled
Not to say angry to have caught this vile
Dictator of forty-two years. Now he
Is a paraded corpse free to be filmed

1872 - Trams, buses and food

My son Louis has gone down to London
Tomorrow he has a job interview
As researcher for horror films - that is one
Job that out of so many he can do
I wish him good luck, good luck to you, Lou
Meanwhile here in Manchester, I got pissed
After work, Ange's birthday, we went to
A Greek restaurant, glad I didn't miss
Gas Lamp, then Tiger Lounge, then Greek grub. It's
Difficult writing poetry when one
Is slightly drunk. Tracey had had a few
So she needed help. The tram came, she missed
It, but I made sure that she got upon
The tram to Sale, for I still had a clue!

1871 - Shitty Car Club

I thought City Car Club was the answer
To my current carless situation
But at the moment I'm going nowhere
And if they don't improve I may just end
My membership as soon as it's begun
The pricing on the website says that it's
Forty two quid to hire a runaround
For twenty four hours, and fuel's not a cost
But when I try to book, the estimate's
Sixty four quid - mileage IS a factor
It seems therefore like the whole thing's a con
I tried ringing them but the lines were crossed
They should ring back but as it gets closer
To 8pm, they won't, they'll just go home

1870 - Frantic France

In 1870 Napoleon
The Third of France's Second Empire fell
At the hands of the newly strong Prussian-
Led North German Confederation, well-
Defeated in a month or two, the real
Cause was Bismarck's provocation over
The issue of the Spanish throne. The full
Might of the Germans, marshalled by Moltke
Easily won the Franco-Prussian War
Encircling the French up there at Sedan
They besieged Paris which fell when they shelled
It. 'New republic!' announced Gambetta
Despite this, Paris was run by Commune
Till the French army quashed it very well

1869 - Parliamentary debate on Hillsborough

They're talking now after twenty-two years
In Parliament about the Hillsborough
Disaster of '89. It appears
To be becoming at last de rigueur
To uncover what they used to cover
After scandals of MP's expenses
And Bliar's Iraqi dodgy dossier
After erecting hurdles and fences
And hiding behind legal defences
News International's rag disappeared
Following Murdoch's tactical error
Yet while phone hacking must be defenceless
More so the London right wing media smears
Of Liverpool, when the blame lay elsewhere

1868 - Ferment and tumult in '68

1868, more and more happens
Andrew Johnson, US Prez, is impeached
The Meiji Restoration in Japan
Brings to an end the shogunate, to teach
Modern ways to the samurai. The snatch
Of North American Native lands progressed
As nine thousand Navajos had to march
To their inadequate new place of rest
And reservation. Trades Union Congress
Met in Manchester, so the north could stand
Up for itself in motion and in speech
The previous year the Manchester Martyrs
Were hanged for being seditious Fenians
Now London watched the last public rope stretch

(The last line refers to the last public hanging in Britain, of Michael Barrett, probably another false conviction and execution of an Irish nationalist)

1867 - Canada!!!

In 1867 the big land
Of Canada as we know it today
Came into being, the Dominion
Including Quebec, Ontario, a
Few others such as Nova Scotia. Hey -
I'm struggling now - it's quite a mystery
Such a big place but so little to say
So strange for such a big wealthy country
English-speaking, long land border with the
Best-known state, or states, in the world, the grand
Old - sorry, new - United USA
Oops, shouldn't have mentioned the enemy
Of Canada, from who they stand apart
But not distinctive in any great way

1866 - Comment is me

Some recent news items that come to mind
Gaddafi's still being hunted in Libya
Americans are becoming less blind
The 99 per cent protesting there
Assad's under pressure in Syria
Yulia Tymoshenko's jailed in Ukraine
Corruption all over the old Russia
Though it's not the jailed that's always to blame
Greece tottering, how long they'll play the game
Of the eurozone, who knows, and behind
Them there's other weak points under pressure
Like Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Spain
Liam Fox, ex-Defence Minister, finds
Foxhunting's still a sport - goodbye to ya!

1865 - Dramatic denouement

John Wilkes Booth, handsome, successful actor
Adored by women, even drilled for oil
So believed in the cause of slave-owners
That he hated Abe Lincoln above all
And plotted to kidnap him and then sell
Him back from Virginia to Washington
In exchange for Confederates, hoping still
Despite Robert E. Lee's surrender, some
Southern military revival would come
Having played such characters of Shakespeare
As Richard III and Hamlet, turmoil
Naturally wracked his brain, Booth took his gun
Hid behind the balcony, Ford's Theater
And popped one in Abe's head, fled, and was killed

1864 - War-torn, war-torn, everywhere

There was trouble in 1864
Most famously in the US of A
Where they were nearing the end of their war
Between the slave states in Confederate grey
And Union soldiers in blue, on the way
To victory, trampling the grapes of wrath
As Sherman did on that March to the Sea
From Atlanta to Savannah. The path
To white settlement of New Zealand with
Its green hills and mountains was blocked before
And after by hostile Maori tribes. They
Elected their own king. Some fought til death...
Danish and Prussian wooden ships fought for
Control of Schleswig-Holstein in the bay

1863 - Departmentalised

Had to rise at 5:25 am
To get the train to Manchester Airport
From where I flew early to Southampton
For a meeting during which tax was talked
About for three hours or so, some being taught
New things and enjoying it, me hearing
The same sort of things as usual, a sort
Of dissatisfied rumbling and grumbling
And people talking about retiring
From HMRC as soon as they can
Myself, I can more easily be bought
Or maybe can't afford to pack it in
At present I intend to carry on
In the department that now seems so fraught

1862 - Bismarck left his mark

1862 - Otto von Bismarck
Becomes the prime minister of Prussia
He always stayed loyal to the monarch
Friedrich Wilhelm IV, his successors
Wilhelm I, Frederick I, and the
Military Kaiser Wilhelm II
Otto united Germany. Austria
Would never be as glorious again
Few imperial ambitions, so Britain
Was not rivalled or threatened, but he looked
For some African lands like all others
He retired after Wilhelm II
Made clear their differences. Otto saw dark
Shadows ahead, great European war

1861 - Life without a car

There is life without a car, but it's not
As we know it, those of us who had one
My day with Josephine, it almost went to pot
Because of steady rainfall that fell down
Wilmslow Leisure Centre, we were hidden
In there as it fell, eating quite cheaply
But why did she not eat her burger, then
Pretend to be sick somewhat comically
I didn't mind, we had fun, and Josie
Met her school pal Roman there, and then met
Maisie in Yogberries, two shakes, then on
To her house and then the train home for me
It was dark and the rain meant I got wet
Cycling to Salford... Leg muscles have grown!

1860 - Italy kicks out

Like a baby a long time in coming
Italy finally kicks its long leg
The '48 rebellions failed, teaching
Small Piedmont-Sardinia now to beg
For French help, which Cavour did, but a big
Favour was done by the Carbonara
Secret society's Orsini who flung
Three bombs at Napoleon, French emperor
Which pricked the latter's conscience. At Plombieres
He agreed to help Cavour removing
Austria from North Italy. Habsburg
Out, and the Bourbons too, the south area
From Sicily to Naples uniting
With the north, under Garibaldi's wing

1859 - Wheels good to me

I left work at lunchtime to sort the car
Sale. The car was at a Moss Side garage
I got on my bike - luckily not too far
To get the paperwork done. By and large
I avoided the showers and I forged
My way to Trafford House on Chester Road
A busy DVLA place. Managed
Transfer of ownership, then Stretford Road
Towards Hulme and Moss Side, cycling toward
Cedric's Motors. Gave him the form, and our
Agreed sale fee, a hundred quid, foraged
From his drawer into my pocket. Not loads
But gratefully received. Me and Lou saw
England's game and Wayne Rooney's sabotage!

About Friday 7 Oct but written on morning of Sat 8 Oct

1858 - Fiesta Farewell

Farewell to you my dear Ford Fiesta
You've been with me since 2004
My first car was a green Ford Sierra
In October '96, but before
Long it had dents and scratches on its door
When I jammed it against my own brick wall
Trying to drive onto my drive - oh lor!
In February '02 I bought a small
Black Fiesta that at the time my girl
Chose for me, but lack of oil killed that car
Engine, and so from Wilmslow Ford Polar
I chose a cheap dark red three door. A real
Bad smash the next month to its front bumper
It's been great since but now it's fucked for sure

1857 - India rises

In 1857 India
Rose against the East India Company
Which employed British and Indian soldiers
And annexed ever more territory
Lately the Punjab, but was felt to be
A bad thing by the old landlords and by
The dispossessed Indian nobility
And royals with no male heirs when they died
The rebellion was northern, hue and cry
In the Bengali army with gunners
Handed pig and cow fat-smeared weaponry
Insulting to their religions. Their side
Killed relatively few trapped Britishers
Harsh revenge, then direct rule by GB

1856 - Opium of the Chinese people

Hey China, get hip, tune in and turn on
We'll sell you drugs to help pay for our tea
OK, there was more to it, but Britain
Did not mess about in those days when we
Ruled the waves and the markets forcefully
Using the gun to conquer Asian lands
Or in China's case, enforce some treaty
Free trade for our merchants among demands
Open your ports to the west! Also France,
The US and Russia sent forces and
Technology beat sheer numbers quickly
After Pearl River, Britain could expand
Its small Hong Kong base to include Kowloon
Russia gained land and Vladivostok's sea

1855 - Lone star state

I'm writing this and then I'll play guitar
And after that I'll watch a film, I think
'The White Ribbon' by Michael Haneke
A German film - why not give it a fling?
Could I do all this if I was living
With a woman? But surely, she's worth more
Than all that? It's something worth debating
There's no right answer, of that I'm quite sure
And these things are usually determined for
Us by fate, allied to our lonely fear
Physically and mentally we might shrink
Inside a shell of solitude, but your
Individuality is your star
And guide to happiness - follow its blink

1854 - Crimea and punishment

How important to history is war?
Sometimes maybe it seems over-rated
It reappeared in 1854
The Turks and Russians hotly debated
Ownership of Wallachia. Things heated
Further with Russian ships departing from
Sevastopol, a port that's located
On the tip of Crimea, going on
To disrupt the western empires upon
The Mediterranean, trying to score
Some points for the tsar. Had he competed
Better, the British Empire might have gone
A lot sooner, the French too, but we saw
Instead Russian state weakness created

1853 - October is the hottest month

Late September and early October
Have been so hot it's unbelievable
Although tomorrow, they say the weather
Will include rain. Today saw loveable
Josie on Saturday as usual
But first saw Robin and new girlfriend called
Hazel. Not seen my brother for a while
I took them to Man City's ground, not filled
With crowds as they are away today. Spilled
Some cash on a real cool City top for
Louis, who is a fan. Remarkable
Piece of luck. City are the club who hold
The F.A. Cup, and it was displayed there
Lots of great pix taken on my mobile

1852 - Sonnet to a non-existent sonnet

Yesterday I did not write a sonnet
I confess this most egregious of sins
Office afternoon I could've done it
But straight after that I went out drinking
And not till 2 a.m. did I get in
By then I was well sozzled, pickled, drunk
And after a quick chat with Louis, then
I had to turn in, had to flop, kerplunk
Onto the bed, and I never once thunk
About the daily sonnet - what a twit
I don't forget to write very often
In more than five years I've carefully clung
To sonnetary routine, but I admit
I forgot. Oh no - what was I thinking?