Morag Eyrie

The Anti-VillageAuntie is Dead. Party-time in Scotland

08 Apr 2013 1 Comment

by Morag Eyrie in Events Tags: dead, party, thatcher

No pious liberal homilies here on not speaking ill of the dead or remembering that lots of others contributed to the destruction she caused or that Tony Blair was bad too or that we still have to fight what’s going on NOW.

People have the right to remember and express rage about their oppression. If you don’t think so, maybe you are too cushioned by your privilege to really empathise.

Glasgow in particular has been waiting for this chance to party for many years. Many, many beloved and valuable people are dead or damaged because of Margaret Thatcher, as are communities, our economy and our cohesiveness. So many of us are exhausted and depressed from the ongoing struggle, and the fractures and in-fighting within our various struggles. Several generations of the best and brightest have either left, or worn themselves out by staying and fighting: all that creative energy sapped.

Today, we get to party together. George Square, 5pm.

Only rights can stop the wrongs: sex workers organise in Scotland

07 Apr 2013 6 Comments

by Morag Eyrie in Sex Work, Uncategorized Tags: activism, feminism, Scot-PEP, Scots law, Sex Worker Open University Glasgow, SWOU13

We’re in the middle of Glasgow’s Sex Worker Open University event (5-10 April 2013). Unfortunately I was only able to attend yesterday’s panel sessions, much as I would have liked to attend other things. So, with yesterday fresh in my mind I’m going to write up a few thoughts right now. Follow the link above to find out more about upcoming events, or follow them on Twitter at hashtag #SWOU13 or the event’s Twitter feed @SexWorkerOU.

If you are a feminist who is swithering about what the issues are and where you stand, maybe this post will help you. If you want women to be safe, sane, respected and valued, please fight with me for decriminalising sex work in Scotland.

Supporting Sex Workers in Scotland: Kill the Bill

We were fortunate to hear about some solid and grounded research into the effects of criminalisation, and conversely, of de-criminalisation of sex work at the event yesterday. It was pretty clear that the Private Member’s Bill ‘ The Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex’, soon to be brought before the Scottish Parliament by Labour MSP Rhoda Grant, is ill-conceived at best, and callously indifferent to its likely consequences at worst.

Let me just note here: the evidence against any benefits to this type of legislation, as presented at the event yesterday, is extensive and convincing, and the evidence for the benefits of de-criminalisation likewise. I cannot do it justice here so please use links and references to do your own research.

Rhoda Don't Erode Our Rights banner from SWOU13 protest at STUC office, Glasgow.

SWOU13 protest at STUC office, Glasgow, 6 April 2013

When I first heard about this Bill, it was framed for me as ‘end demand’. I was pretty naive at that point about the current rhetoric and framing of sex work at the nexus of radical feminism and the religious right. I had fluffy thoughts about the concept of ‘end demand’ like “yes, it would be nice to live in a world where sex work wasn’t necessary”. I didn’t think it through. I genuinely believed that this ‘end demand’ thing was about bringing about an ideal society where noone wanted to buy access to sexual services, because everyone would be perfectly happy and fulfilled with the intimacy and sex in their lives. This is not what ‘end demand’ means.

Calling all pro-indy map geeks (queers and lefties welcome): Mike Parker lecture tour of Scotland

28 Sep 2012 4 Comments

by Morag Eyrie in Events, Welsh Independence Tags: BBC, gay, lecture, maps, Mike Parker, queer, Wales, Welsh independence, Welsh nationalism

Hey all you map geeks! Especially ones who are a bit queer and/or interested in lefty/indy/national identity!

My pal Mike Parker, an honorary Welsh Village Auntie and big gay pro-Welsh-indy map nerd, author of the book Map Addict: A Tale of Obsession, Fudge and the Ordnance Survey …

Source: harpercollins.co.uk via Morag on Pinterest

… and the Rough Guide to Wales, inventor of the Coast to Coast TV series, and presenter of BBC Radio 4′s On the Map series, is doing a Scottish lecture tour for the Royal Scottish Geographical Society called On the Map: Cartography and National Identity.

He wants some colourful people at the lectures to mitigate any potential stuffiness, so let’s go see him- I promise he’ll be great (he’s also had a career as a stand-up comedian).

village aunties marching for an independent Scotland

21 Sep 2012 Leave a Comment

by Morag Eyrie in Scottish Independence Tags: activism, march and rally for scottish independence

We’ll be in Edinburgh for the March and Rally for Scottish Independence this Saturday, 22 September 2012. We’ll have a lollipop-shaped banner. Keep an eye out for us, come and say hello, or march with us if you want! Remember we are LGBT-friendly, and you are welcome to join us whatever your gender, as long as you are a lefty feminist (or pro-feminist) who wants an independent Scotland.

Here’s the link for the march website.

Here’s the link for the march’s Facebook page.

village aunties are wee and the Radical Independence Conference are big, and they are bringing some excellent banners for you to carry; look out for them, we will be! Here and here.

See you there! Photos and blog post to follow.

Resist the Ubiquitous Union Jack

18 May 2012 9 Comments

by Morag Eyrie in British Nationalism, Propaganda Tags: British nationalism, flags, independence campaign, nationalism, propaganda, Saltire, Scottish flag, Scottish nationalism, semiotics, Union Flag, Union Jacks, unnecessaryunionjacks

See original Village Aunties post from April 9 2012 which kicked off the #unnecessaryunionjacks meme.

See the Village Aunties Pinterest Board (hashtag #unnecessaryunionjacks) for our ever-growing collection of #unnecessaryunionjacks in Scotland, including a mankini, babies’ nappies, and Scottish shortbread.

Banksy artwork in London, asking some questions about where all the Union Jacks come from.

Source: normsonline.wordpress.com via Morag on Pinterest

Join in by Tweeting, Facebook-linking, emailing, commenting here, with pictures of Union Jacks in Scotland.

Read on to see some ideas for resisting the scourge of Union Jacks in Scotland.

What we’ve been doing

Village Aunties have been collecting Union Jacks from around Scotland for nearly six weeks now, mostly on Twitter (using the hashtag #unnecessaryunionjacks) and Facebook, with some folk texting and emailing examples. Thanks everyone who has sent them. With ca. 150 collected already, it is starting to feel like one is never more than five feet from a Union Jack (in Glasgow anyway; thanks to Auntie @CSbungo for this observation and for many of the ideas in this post).

Let’s keep collecting them between now and the Scottish independence referendum: the Pinterest Board will remain live. I can confirm that snapping these pics and collecting them on the Web is pretty good therapy for the range of feelings they evoke. Village Aunties would also like to spark a note of resistance: I’ll come to that further down this post, with ideas from me and from Auntie Mhairi.

Subliminal exhortation to "Love" the Union Jack in Pepperberry catalogue.

Source: bravissimo.com via Morag on Pinterest

Bella Caledonia Jack*** Collection

Note that the independence blog Bella Caledonia has also now started its own collection of Union Jacks, with a witty title, and a competition for the best submission. Let many flowers bloom and all that: I’d be happy if every pro-indy site in Scotland starts their own collection. Then it would be great to use some kind of aggregation system to pull them all together. By the way Bella, I see your man in a Union Jack suit and raise you a man in a Union Jack mankini – linked rather than embedded because it’s neither safe for work, nor safe for your very eyes: brace yourself before clicking.

Union Jacks & Saltires on Pinterest

All relevant #unnecessaryunionjacks are being collected on my Pinterest Village Aunties Board - click the link to see them, and feel free to comment on individual entries. I’ve also had some help from Emma Nicol and Sheila MacNeill, intrepid Aunties both, who have been out and about snapping Union Jacks and pinning them straight to the board. If you are a Pinterest user and would like to contribute directly, let me know.

I’ve also been collecting a very paltry number of Saltires, which seem to have all but disappeared from shelves of tat and shop windows, and had a contribution from a Village Auntie in Newcastle of some St. George’s Cross knickers in John Lewis, which apparently didn’t sell very well (but at least they had the choice of their own national flag, dammit!).

There is a diamante cross right where your back passage would go.

Source: twitter.com via Morag on Pinterest

Criteria for submitting photos

The general criteria for #unnecessaryunionjacks are: they should be found in Scotland, and they should be in the public eye-line (i.e. not the Union Jack inside your shoe indicating it was made in the UK). This includes advertisements (e.g. catalogues that come through your letter-box) and actual products that appear in Scotland. Just appearing on the Internet with no specific Scottish presence or connection doesn’t count.

The Jubilympics and why that’s no excuse

Any Union Jacks specifically appearing as part of either London Olympics or Royal Jubilee promotions should also be tagged #jubilympics. A few people have suggested that the imminence of these two events somehow negates what we are doing here, or skews the sample, or something, but for me it is more than pertinent that this is happening at this exact juncture in Scottish history. See this picture from Berlin in the run-up to the 1936 Olympics compared to a recent picture of Oxford Road in London. Just sayin’, don’t Godwinate me.

Source: ushmm.org via Morag on Pinterest

Source: twitter.com via Morag on Pinterest

A Counter-Propaganda Campaign

Some ideas for a counter-Union Jack campaign:
More

Unnecessary Union Jacks in Scotland: Uncovering Subliminal Advertising

09 Apr 2012 3 Comments

by Morag Eyrie in British Nationalism, Capitalism, Popular Culture, Propaganda Tags: advertising, anti-independence, British nationalism, media, popular culture, propaganda, subliminal imagery, Union Jacks

Big thanks to @CSbungo for the idea for this blog post and for alerting me to many unnecessary Union Jacks in Scotland!

Just as a starter for 10: the actual development of this post was sparked by the latest Pepperberry women’s clothing catalogue which arrived on my mat a couple of weeks ago. I’ve started off the collection of #unnecessaryunionjacks images on the Village Aunties Pinterest board with pictures from that catalogue. For example (and yes, every model in the entire catalogue is white and thin, surprise surprise), see the picture below. I’d like your help to gather more examples; read on!

Source: bravissimo.com via Morag on Pinterest

So. The ramping up of British nationalism over the past few years has been palpable across the UK, and a flood of Union Jacks and related imagery has been evident. Clearly it serves a number of conservative, capitalist and reactionary purposes, not just that of trying to convince Scottish people not to vote for independence. However, the ubiquity of Union Jacks in Scotland feels extra intrusive now that we have an independence referendum coming.

Auntie embarrassed at hideous colonialism alive and well in the Highlands

04 Apr 2012 6 Comments

by Morag Eyrie in Racism Tags: capitalism, colonialism, cultural appropriation, racism, Scottish history, spirituality, tourism

I walked the West Highland Way last August with my sister and brother-in-law, who came all the way from Aotearoa (New Zealand). It was an experience that was both profound and delightful.

I fell in love with Scotland all over again, and was proud as punch of this country, which is both an adopted and ancestral homeland for me. My connection to this patch of earth and its people runs deep in my blood and bones, and it teaches me about how to approach other places and peoples with appropriate respect and openness.

So, yeah. Proud as punch. Except for one moment of embarrassment. Deep embarrassment.

My sister Elaine and I at the Bridge of Orchy.

First They Came for the Travellers: Solidarity with Govanhill’s Roma

20 Mar 2012 10 Comments

by Morag Eyrie in Racism Tags: anti-fascism, anti-racism, community, fascism, Glasgow, Govanhill, racism, Roma, Scotland, Traveller Solidarity Network, Travellers

It is International Romani Day AKA Roma Nation Day on April 8th 2012. Join us in Govanhill to celebrate: see our Facebook page. Read about day of action in London here.

The Romani flag proposed by the 1971 World Romani Congress.

I’m worried. I’m worried about the drift to the right in Govanhill, in Glasgow, in Scotland, in the UK, in the World. I’m worried about encroaching fascism. I think the time for saying “You’ve just Godwin’d yourself on your own blog” is over. It’s not funny any more: ask Trayvon Martin’s family. Ask the ethnic minorities and Jewish families of Toulouse. Ask the families of 77 dead teenagers in Norway. Actually, ask me. I live in Govanhill. They haven’t stared coming for me and mine yet, but my neighbours may be at risk. You think that’s hyperbole? At what point will you start worrying?

I was in a taxi last week, and was treated to a diatribe on how dreadful things are these days in Govanhill, where I live, as the taxi driver knew, because he picked me up there.

Glasgow Taxi advertising lapdancing club

This is not the taxi. But it is a Glasgow Taxi advertising a lapdancing club. Another reason to stop using Glasgow Taxis. Photo by lenivor on Flickr

Specifically, how awful the Roma in Govanhill are. This speech culminated with a self-satisfied description of how the driver’s sister had thrown a bucket of water out her back window onto an older Roma woman who was using the garden below as an outdoor toilet. ‘What kind of people go to the toilet outside?’, he asked indignantly, without pausing to consider that maybe one answer is ‘The kind of people whose bladders aren’t that reliable after years of childbearing, who live in grossly overcrowded conditions with no working toilet or no running water or too many other people using the toilet’. That’s without even considering, ‘The kind of drunken idiots who pee in public on their way home from the pub’, many of whom I have seen in Glasgow over the years, mostly male and white. More

Spreading the Village Aunties’ Homemade Honey: Women’s Workshops on Social Media

09 Mar 2012 3 Comments

by Morag Eyrie in News Media, Technology, Village Aunties Workshops Tags: blogging, community, learning, online learning, social media, social web, twitter, village aunties, workshops, writing

For International Women’s Day I thought I’d start making concrete plans around extending the scope of village aunties in Scotland.

When I had the idea for this blog, it was all about a collaborative media venue for pro-independence feminists of the left to contribute to Scotland’s conversations, arguments and plans for the independence campaign, and for Scottish independence itself.

Part of the dream was to get loads of women blogging and tweeting and otherwise using social media to contribute and to discuss and to refine theories and to organise. I hoped then and still do that 1,000 feminist flowers might bloom all over the social Web; it’s never been about this blog being the only place for pro-independence feminist writing.

So the next stage after getting the blog going was always going to be starting up workshops or collaborative learning groups for women who want to write, comment, discuss, contribute to Scotland’s cybernat revolution, but who would like a bit of support to get going.

Joan, The Burd, Morag, and The Village Aunties: Women and the Cybernat Revolution

06 Mar 2012 5 Comments

by Morag Eyrie in News Media, Scottish Independence Tags: A Burdz Eye View, analogies, blogging, domestic violence, feminism, Joan McAlpine, marriage, Scottish independence, sexism, social media

Cross-posted on A Burdz Eye View after Kate Higgins serendipitously invited me to write a response to Joan McAlpine’s article, on the 15th anniversary of my arrival in Scotland from New Zealand (yeah, today)!

So the Burd disagreed with a bunch of other cybernats (including me) about Joan McAlpine’s article, you know, the notorious article drawing an analogy between escaping an abusive marriage and Scotland escaping the Union.

Early on, the Burd realised that some people she respected were surprised at her strong reaction, and she said that she might be “over sensitive”. I thought: as soon as a woman starts censoring herself with the kind of words used by misogynists to dismiss us, there may be something worth hearing underneath. Weirdly, even though I totally disagreed with the Burd, it was the first time I’d felt a real pang of sisterly solidarity with her. I so wanted the discussion to continue, with the participation of the other women who were chiming in.

Anyway, being a tenacious Burd, she kept in with the discussion and explored her own reaction. I ended up agreeing with one point she came to: that Joan’s piece doesn’t make the leap successfully between a domestic violence analogy, and why an independent Scotland would be good for women.

I’m drawing this picture as a way to show what happens when a bunch of women, and some non-sexist men too, engage in respectful discussion around a heated matter. Doesn’t happen very often on the social Web; nor do you often see women as the main players in a discussion outwith the feminist blog-o-phere. And even there, sometimes sisters tear each other to shreds. It all mirrors meatspace painfully well.

Addressing this lack of women’s voices in the Scottish pro-independence social media sphere was the reason why I set up the Village Aunties. The Burd and Joan seemed like lone voices in the wilderness. And, although I think that Bella Caledonia and Newsnet Scotland are excellent pro-independence sites with mostly excellent sexual politics (and growing numbers of female contributors), I wanted there to be a space specifically carved out for a feminist voice in our brave new world. Oh the hopes I had.