The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists re-eimagined

[Serial_Apologist]

Two sisters, Scarlett and Sophie Pickard, have brought out a version of Robert Tressell's famous novel, in cartoon form. Here they are interviewed, talking about the part of the book dealing with property and renting, and about their way of working together - Scarlett writing the text, Sophie doing the illustrations. It would have been nice to have heard the bit where the leading protagonist Owen explains Marx's Labour Theory of Value to his workmates... but we have to be thankful for what they have achieved, and quite obviously not everything can be crammed into a half hour interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TOfSekkRks

[Bryn]

Two sisters, Scarlett and Sophie Pickard, have brought out a version of Robert Tressell's famous novel, in cartoon form. Here they are interviewed, talking about the part of the book dealing with property and renting, and about their way of working together - Scarlett writing the text, Sophie doing the illustrations. It would have been nice to have heard the bit where the leading protagonist Owen explains Marx's Labour Theory of Value to his workmates... but we have to be thankful for what they have achieved, and quite obviously not everything can be crammed into a half hour interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TOfSekkRks

Have you perused this book (the Pickard version that is)? A friend who died earlier this year alerted me to it a couple of years ago. I have to admit that, though I have skipped through it, being so familiar with the original I have not read this version sentence by sentence. My introduction to the work was via an excellent BBC TWO production, many decades ago. Huge thanks to Alan Sillitoe for his role in getting the complete work re-issued. The edition I first purchased has a still from that BBC TWO production on the front cover:

[Serial_Apologist]

Have you perused this book (the Pickard version that is)?

I haven't, no, Bryn. I've literally only just discovered about it in the past couple of hours. Going by what the two sisters said in that interview, I'm taking them on the basis of how they come across, to me. I read the paperback re-issue way back in the 1970s, and have it still on my bookshelves.

[ChandlersFord]

Have you perused this book (the Pickard version that is)? A friend who died earlier this year alerted me to it a couple of years ago. I have to admit that, though I have skipped through it, being so familiar with the original I have not read this version sentence by sentence. My introduction to the work was via an excellent BBC TWO production, many decades ago. Huge thanks to Alan Sillitoe for his role in getting the complete work re-issued. The edition I first purchased has a still from that BBC TWO production on the front cover:

That production was part of the Theatre 625 series of plays that BBC ran in the mid- to late-sixties. It was the channel's equivalent of the Wednesday Play, although it often featured adaptations from the stage or novels, along with original works for television.

You will never see it again, as it was one of the many programmes that the bbc, in its infinite wisdom, decided to 'junk' - because they were taking up valuable space and because the overseas market for b&w programming was declining. Of course, no-one was going to want to watch b&w programmes in the future, were they?

As to the book: I still have my copy with the bookmark in it about thirty pages before the end. I'm afraid my mind gave up in fatigue. There are splendid things in Noonan's book, but he badly needed an editor (it wasn't his fault he didn't get one). It's a book I've always had mixed feelings about.

[Serial_Apologist]

That production was part of the Theatre 625 series of plays that BBC ran in the mid- to late-sixties. It was the channel's equivalent of the Wednesday Play, although it often featured adaptations from the stage or novels, along with original works for television.

You will never see it again, as it was one of the many programmes that the bbc, in its infinite wisdom, decided to 'junk' - because they were taking up valuable space and because the overseas market for b&w programming was declining. Of course, no-one was going to want to watch b&w programmes in the future, were they?

As to the book: I still have my copy with the bookmark in it about thirty pages before the end. I'm afraid my mind gave up in fatigue. There are splendid things in Noonan's book, but he badly needed an editor (it wasn't his fault he didn't get one). It's a book I've always had mixed feelings about.

Yes, a bit too worthy in places and long-winded,

[ChandlersFord]

Yes, a bit too worthy in places and long-winded,

A point is made and then hammered home repeatedly, reducing its impact. People didn't say things like 'less is more' in Mr. Noonan's day, but that was a lesson he needed to learn/be taught.

Hst, I remember some very powerful passages, particularly the one near the beginning where Owen calmly sits down and calculates how long is likely to live for, in his present circumstances.

[JasonPalmer]

Thanks for the YouTube link. Had heard of this book before but never read it. Reminds me of down and out in Paris and London by Orwell. Is interesting to see how little things have improved for some people.

The book has rave reviews on amazon so ordered it.

[Ein Heldenleben]

The TV paperback edition is the one I eventually read although it had yellowed by the time I got around to it. It is very long winded but its day it was enormously influential. In the Edwardian era painters were amongst the poorest paid of the hundreds of thousands working in the pre war building boom. Now a painter decorator can earn £200 a day and have quite a few self employed tax advantages. Ironically I reckon quite a few are ( or should I say were ) Tories. Not a bad life as you long as you can stay healthy that is. It helps that the materials are less toxic , indeed carcinogenic than 100 years ago and that H and S regs are tighter. It’s still hard work and they seem to spend a lot time in the soggy south west waiting for the rain to stop.

[ChandlersFord]

The TV paperback edition is the one I eventually read although it had yellowed by the time I got around to it. It is very long winded but its day it was enormously influential. In the Edwardian era painters were amongst the poorest paid of the hundreds of thousands working in the pre war building boom. Now a painter decorator can earn £200 a day and have quite a few self employed tax advantages. Ironically I reckon quite a few are ( or should I say were ) Tories. Not a bad life as you long as you can stay healthy that is. It helps that the materials are less toxic , indeed carcinogenic than 100 years ago and that H and S regs are tighter. It’s still hard work and they seem to spend a lot time in the soggy south west waiting for the rain to stop.

They evolved (if that's the word) into the white van men.

[JasonPalmer]

Maybe so but pockets of poverty still exist though in my experience council flats can be well decorated and warm but programs on tv such as channel 4 news have documented some terrible mold ridden places people live. Scandalous. Something should be done by someone else.

Someone else should do something !

[Ein Heldenleben]

They evolved (if that's the word) into the white van men.

Thing is that’s a bit of a disparaging term. The half dozen painter decs I’ve used over the years have all been excellent , very reasonable and a real pleasure to have in the house. Also very tolerant of our relatively low intervention approach to decorating. You get the impression that the real money is in the contract jobs particularly the holiday home contracts down here where they get to do a complete repaint every year. One told me you’re literally painting over perfect paintwork. Much easier and more profitable than dealing with 100 year old lime plaster.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Maybe so but pockets of poverty still exist though in my experience council flats can be well decorated and warm but programs on tv such as channel 4 news have documented some terrible mold ridden places people live. Scandalous. Something should be done by someone else.

Someone else should do something !

All true but painting over mould even with anti fungals dosent solve the underlying problem

[JasonPalmer]

But do they drink tea and discuss inequality and the need for a social revolution ?

I suspect they read the daily mail and say how Corbyn must be a terrorist because he talked with sien fine.....

Someone else should do something, maybe someone from private school with an oxford PPE degree.

[Serial_Apologist]

But do they drink tea and discuss inequality and the need for a social revolution ?

I generally find the engineers sent to check my gas boiler once a year are better for discussing such things, especially as they always make me feel better afterwards!

I suspect they read the daily mail and say how Corbyn must be a terrorist because he talked with sien fine.....

I suspect you actually mean Shin Fain.

Someone else should do something, maybe someone from private school with an oxford PPE degree.

One certainly felt that way back in the 1960s, even without the benefits of an Oxford degree. I don't suppose you've seen Lindsay Anderson's film "If.."?

[Bryn]

. . . I suspect you actually mean Shin Fain. . . .

Or even Sinn Féin.