'Gangin' doon, Geordie, gangin' doon, to the toon where the power lies.'
The unemployed men of the Tyneside shipyards marched to London today in 1936. Jarrow had a 66% unemployment rate and, wearing flat caps and blankets, 200 men set off to a rousing cheer. Everybody en route gave them tea and sandwiches, even the odd pint of beer. The hunger march didn't achieve much but it was a far cry from a similar march in 1817 when the Blanketeers set off from Manchester to protest about poverty. They were met by the army at Stockport and dispersed.
In other news ...
Monty Python's Flying Circus first appeared on the BBC today in 1969.
Why?
