Watching children of about my age (9 at the time) pick through a huge rubbish pile for scraps of food, whilst adults used the other side of the same rubbish pile as a toilet, outside the Taj Mahal complex in India. Going inside to the complex, I recall being told the value of each gemstone in the Taj Mahal by a tourguide and asking why they didn’t just sell the gemstone to pay for the food for those clearly struggling to eat outside.
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The winter of discontent, there was rubbish on the street corners and no electricity. Our house has to back wall (building work halted by the snow). Mum talked about people going cold and hungry to bed. I knew cold and glad I wasn't hungry too. I asked how those who…
In "earliest political memories"
Collecting baked beans and nappies outside Chelmsford sainsburys for striking Kent miners. Some of those miners lived with us when they were on trial after the strike ended. Terry French was my hero and imprisoned for hitting a police officer who had battened his friend. The last thing he said to…
In "earliest political memories"
Last autumn we ran an experimental online public engagement series called 'earliest political memories'. We collected a total of 68 memories that were generously contributed by members of the public. You can read all the contributions here. The series caught the attention of our colleague Rachel O'Connell in the School of English who…
In "earliest political memories"