I KNOW I was not alone in feeling sick on May 7. There was real anger and despair up and down the country, as well in the bubble some of us escape to on social media. It was not a good night and one nobody wants to remember, especially all those already deeply suffering from five years of austerity. But echoing the words of Joe Hill, “Don’t mourn, organise,” people immediately knew they had to turn anger into hope and hope in action. 

One such person was Stephen Goodall who immediately contacted his friend singer-songwriter Joe Solo in Yorkshire. Joe has been writing and recording original and thoughtful political songs since 1987 and is just one of the many talented artists who contributed to the Orgreave Truth and Justice CD with his superb No Pasaran, the true story of Jack Atkinson, a lorry driver from Hull who volunteered for the International Brigades. 

They discussed the horror unfolding before their eyes and “we wanted to voice our opposition to this Tory rule and give people something to work towards, to get a bit of positive energy flowing again,” Joe explained to me.