Guevara, along with Cuba’s former
president Fidel Castro, was part of the
26th July Movement which launched a
rebellion to overthrow the former Cuban
authoritarian dictator Batista. This led to
the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and the
establishment of a Communist
government. Owner Geoff Oliver and
his wife Maria, who is from Cuba, said
that they were asked to take down the
flag bearing a picture of the left-wing
revolutionary after a complaint from a
local resident. (To be clear, that’s one
complaint, as in “fewer than two.”)
Geoff pointed out that Guevara is a
national hero in Cuba and is seen as one
of the country’s founding fathers. “For a
police officer to tell us what political
symbols we can and can’t display inside
our own establishment is just wrong,” he
said, adding, “The implications of that
are wide-ranging and quite sinister.”
Greater Manchester Police have
reportedly declined to comment on the
licensing officer’s visit, although a source
insisted they were merely making Geoff
aware of the complaint and did not tell
him to remove the image. Mr Oliver has
refused to take down the banner. Up the
revolution ...
Talking of eateries (don’t you hate that
word?), Baroness Royall, head of
Somerville College in Oxford, last
month stuck her oar into menus being
offered to students. So is this the end of
the traditional undergraduate
subsistence diet of pies, chips and Mars
Bars? No, because in her blog, Lady
Royall says she is, “determined to move
fast on widening access to Somerville,”
and to help her to “demystify Oxford”
has complained about the dish of
octopus terrine which was served to new
students at a Freshers’ Dinner in the
autumn. One attendee (which is fewer
than two) reported her “bemusement”
following the meal.
Another Somerville student said the
move was “tokenistic” and implies that
certain food dishes are, “not for people
from a particular background but should
be reserved for the privileged few.” An
official comment from the college noted
that, “The point of education is to widen
horizons, including introducing students
to new tastes.”
Oh no they didn’t ...
When is a pantomime not a pantomime?
Whens it’s Jack and the Beanstalk as
staged by the Oooh Arrr Productions
company at the Neeld Community and
Arts Centre in Chippenham. The
council-run facility was promised a
27
“giant” panto with “a sparkling set and
glittering costumes,” performed by a cast
of six professional actors for their
Christmas production, but the final
result didn’t really live up to the sales
pitch. According to complaints from
disappointed patrons, there was no
scenery and only three actors, none of
whom could dance or sing. At one point,
it was claimed, they were talking to
unseen voices in the wings as they ran
out of actors on stage. Many of the
audience are reported to have walked
out. But the management of the Arts
Centre bit the bullet and have published
an apology and refunded all 651 ticket
holders at a cost of around £4,500. The
Bristol-based production company,
meanwhile, said it could not comment
for “legal reasons.” These magic beans
just ain’t what they used to be ...
They walk amongst us
August Williams wasn’t thinking too
clearly when he tried to abduct a young
woman early last month in Charlotte,
North Carolina. After escaping his
attempts to force her into his car, the
victim ran into the nearest open building
and Williams followed her ... which was
his mistake. The building was a
gymnasium where a karate class was
Continued overleaf