Thanksgiving
On the morning of Thursday 28 November 1918, the Imperial War Cabinet met at 10 Downing Street in London. Outside the weather was wet and…
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Thanksgiving
On the morning of Thursday 28 November 1918, the Imperial War Cabinet met at 10 Downing Street in London. Outside the weather was wet and windy and the temperature struggled to reach seven degrees Celsius. It was the American holiday of Thanksgiving; but Americans were not the only ones feeling thankful. The armistices signed by the Allies on 30 October (with Turkey), 3 November (Austria-Hungary) and 11 November (Germany) had
In November 1975, London was finally ready for Bruce Springsteen
Lately, I’ve been thinking about Bruce. First, I saw the film, Deliver Me From Nowhere. Excellent. Shortly afterwards, I read Bruce, the authorised biography by Peter Ames Carlin. Pretty good. Then I realised it was coming up to fifty years since I travelled from Bath to London to see the man. I got to reminiscing. Dug out some old letters and clippings. Hit the internet. And came up with this
Poets’ Pub
In researching my recent biography of John Maclean, it became clear to me that the poets of Scotland played a major role in rescuing Scotland’s greatest socialist from the mists of obscurity. Thus, when I visited the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh in September, I was struck by this 1980 painting by Alexander Moffat. Titled ‘Poet’s Pub’, it is an imaginary vision of the major Scottish poets and writers
Where to get ‘Great John Maclean’ in Australia
Copies of ‘Great John Maclean Has Come Home to the Clyde’ are now available in-store at the following Australian bookshops. Sydney Abbey’s, 131 York Street, Sydney (pictured above). BOOK FACE, Shop 30 Northbridge Plaza, 79-113 Sailors Bay Road, Northbridge. Gould’s Books, 536 King Street, Newtown. Resistance Books, 22-36 Mountain Street, Ultimo. Title, Surry Hills Store, 501 Crown Street, Surry Hills. Title, Barangaroo Store, 400 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, Sydney. Melbourne The
Great John Maclean book tour of Scotland
These were my opening remarks at the launch of Great John Maclean Has Come Home to the Clyde at Pollokshaws Burgh Hall, Glasgow on 26 August 2025. Joining me on the panel were Owen Maitland, national president of Scottish Socialist Youth (pictured above left) and Iain Gault from my publisher Resistance Books (above right). “History’s what people are trying to hide from you, not what they’re trying to show you.
Where to buy ‘Great John Maclean’ outside Australia
As far as I am aware, only the Scottish and Irish bookshops listed below have copies in store. The book is available online at all other outlets listed. Scotland Calton Books, 159 London Road, Glasgow Mount Florida Books, 1068 Cathcart Road, Glasgow Lighthouse Books, 43-45 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh (pictured above) Ireland Connolly Books, 43 East Essex Street Temple Bar, Dublin UK Resistance Books Waterstones Foyles Hive TGJones Fishpond Awesome
John James Hackett
It was early 1975. I remember warm summer nights and nude swimming in the backyard pool of the house on Nottage Terrace. There were a few Adelaide locals but mainly twenty-somethings evacuated from Darwin after Cyclone Tracy struck on Christmas Day. A mix of English, Americans and Australians; more than a few fresh from India and the Asian hippie trail. They had been part of a little Darwin scene that
Scotland 2018: a magical sixties birthday tour
If it had all gone smoothly there wouldn’t have been any stories to tell, would there? Despite the challenges and hurdles along the way, our three-week tour around the Scottish Highlands was a marvelous and memorable experience. The first challenge was getting there. Once she’d decided she wanted to mark her admission into the 60s club with a trip back to Scotland, Di found a reasonable three-leg business class fare.
The ‘No Fixed Address’ eBook
An eBook of ‘No Fixed Address’ is now available on Ratuken Kobo and Amazon. The Kobo version can be purchased from Rakuten Kobo and can be read on a Kobo eReader, a Kobo Books app or the Kobo Web Reader. Click on the screenshot below to go to the site. The Kobo preview includes the foreword, introduction, prologue and first chapter of the book. The Kindle version can be purchased