Working Class Production

(This poem is an ode to Doncaster in the style of John Betjeman's 'Slough')

The government has finally passed the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act, which bans the export of farm animals from Great Britain for slaughter or fattening. This bill finally breaks with the barbaric live export trade. The animals suffer severe overcrowding, exhaustion, dehydration and extreme levels of stress. Although EU trading rules prevent member states banning the live export of animals to other countries in the union, the bill was heralded as a benefit of Brexit when it was first raised by the Conservatives in 2017.   You can read the  'Animal Welfare (Livesotck Exports) ' act and legislation on the UK Government website here.

January 2026 - Indian health authorities are battling an outbreak of Nipah virus after five people were confirmed to be infected with the incurable disease. The infections from the bat-borne virus were found in the eastern state of West Bengal, in two locations near Kolkata, India's third-most populous city.  This week the authorities said that three new cases had been detected and warned that more cases were expected.  They identified the patients as a doctor, a nurse and a health care worker, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

Salford is a great place, there's some amazing characters there and there's always such a friendly (northern) vibe when I pop across the water into Salford itself.

I often wonder what happened to all the fans shown or featured in Hulmerist.  I missed the event as I only found out about it on the day.

Traditionally there's no real notable, distinguishable or even credible cultural references to discuss from my home town. That said, I was recently listening to the likes of Southpaw Grammar, Boxers and Dagenham Dave when  the name Bruce, (that of a boxer named Bruce Woodcock) appeared on my screen seemingly from nowhere. Was this the work of Doncaster's finest export, Diana Rigg? Or from the ashes of Edith Sitwell doing the correct thing on a family outing for her 21st Birthday, sitting with her back to the cruelty of Doncaster races for the whole day? Probably. 

I recently completed a GDD (Game Design Document) for a complete video game loosely based on  Morrissey and The Smiths. (Caveat: The game is The Adventures of a 1950s Rockabilly).

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart to hear that Colin Jerwood from the band Conflict has died this year after a short illness. Here's the statement in full from Colin's family: