Political food!!!

[charmbrights]

Hardeep's Sunday Lunch broadcast on Sunday 16.xii.12 at 13:30 on Radio 4.

According to the BBC web site:

For this week's Sunday Lunch Hardeep Singh Kohli visits a beautiful valley in Lancashire to meet the volunteers who run Clarion House. With it's red flag waving and a sign outside saying 'Socialism Our Hope', Clarion House is the last Independent Labour Party socialist tea room in the country. Visited several times by Keir Hardie, the tea room was set up at the end of the 19th century to encourage mill workers into the countryside every Sunday. Over pint mugs of tea, visitors were encouraged to make friends, discuss the issues of the day and spread the message of socialism. And as Hardeep finds out, today Clarion House still attracts lots of cyclists and walkers every Sunday in search of a pint of tea and a chat even though the social message is diminished.

Essentially this was a half-hour long political party broadcast for the near moribund Independent Labour Party. The oft repeated theme was "What is important is that the message is still here."

"When you think that this is the last [Independent Labour Party] Clarion House it is quite frightening." says the presenter.

This backward looking Stalinist fringe of the Socialist movement has little following, but the BBC (of course) does its best to promote them.

{Yes, that is an authentic BBC web site grammatical error, and the whirring noise is Lord Reith turning in his grave.}

[Teddy Bear]

I admire your stoicism Charm in watching it.
At least I hope it's that, and not masochism

[charmbrights]

Dec 19, 2012 22:35:59 GMT Teddy Bear said:

I admire your stoicism Charm in watching it.
At least I hope it's that, and not masochism

Radio 4 actually - and the rest of the series has been interesting with details of different ethnic foods. This coming Sunday it is Congolese food.

[Teddy Bear]

I've read about it:

For his Sunday lunch Hardeep Singh Kohli helps to cook traditional Congolese food with the help of Ben and Kongosi Mussanza. Over lunch Ben and Kongosi tell Hardeep about life in the Congo and how they and their children became caught up in the ethnic fighting. But despite being almost killed they talk of their determination to do peace and reconciliation work to stop the violence and counsel the victims. Eventually Kongosi had to flee the country with some of her children and they have settled in Bradford where Ben was studying peace studies. Hardeep talks to the family about how they have tried to overcome the traumas they suffered in the Congo and the problems of moving to another country.

I have to wonder what subtle 'messaging' will be part of the programme. Judging by the above, it will be the 'joys' of multiculturalism'.

Just for the record, I have no problem with 'multicultural', and have been personally enriched and benefited greatly from my world travels - 54 countries to date. But the 'cultures' involved need to be somewhat symbiotic to benefit both parties.

[charmbrights]

Dec 20, 2012 13:53:46 GMT Teddy Bear said:

... I have to wonder what subtle 'messaging' will be part of the programme. ...

There were several mentions of the contrast between the Congo and Bradford, along with the obligatory reference to the fact that this "ordinary" mother was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, and hopes to continue to work "on behalf of women" in this country.

[Teddy Bear]

I noticed that BBC Watch had a piece recently related to Hardeep Singh Kohli, about a programme of his which ran yesterday, Follow the Star, and one to look out for as a possible medium to slide some bias into.

Not having seen it, and not likely to, I can't comment.