On 30 April, at the Gulbenkian Studio, Julia presented her Manifesto For Tyneside Upon England. Writing in her weblog, Julia said: "Last Friday we had the Flying Homages night at the Playhouse here in Newcastle. I really enjoyed the process of creating the poems, and having somebody direct a reading with actors and musicians. Also, I recommend writing ones own manifesto. Like new blood, it quite fires one up, and makes you feel like charging into the streets. ... and would like to know what readers of this log would put in their own manifesto."
Readers have already started to take Julia up on her challenge and you can read the initial items below. If you want to tell Julia what would go in your manifesto, email it to manifesto@juliadarling.co.uk.
All little boys will be dressed in pink.
They will learn ballet, embroidery and French at an early age
And will sing songs about rabbits and furry things.
St. James's Park will be transformed into a huge open air Opera House
And football will be something played only below sea level.
There will be no more uni-coloured cars.
All cars will have bright, sunshine-filled pictures painted on them
Of rainbows and rivers, koala bears and iguanas.
We will work at weekends and have the rest of the week off.
Holidays will be taken frequently.
There will be no evening meetings or working lunches
Both board rooms and bored rooms
Will be things of the past.
Money will be abolished and replaced with confetti.
Schools will become places of learning
And great beauty.
Friends will hold hands and strangers will hug each other.
Theatres will be open all day and all night.
Women will be honoured and achieve greatness.
They will have streets named after them
Like Felicity's Way
And Amy's Avenue.
The Bigg Market will be safe for women, gay people and refugees
And the pubs will be filled with dancing and flowers.
Men, women and children from the whole world over
Will flock to Tyneside upon England
And live in peace.
Jenny Secretan
We shall have a grand womens centre/library/club/gallery/cinema and the like...in the big empty building in Clayton Street West (near the station)
And also pooper scooper bag dispensers in the park like they do in Switzerland!
Emma Holliday
There will be a statue of Frank Zappa at the bottom of Northumberland Street.
Roger Cornwell
 |
Created by Julia Darling and Cornwell Internet. |
Last updated on 2 June 2004 by Roger Cornwell. |