March of the Mummies

for Hallowe’en 31st October – march happening simultaneously in six UK cities, this is the London march at Parliament Square. Families dressed up as mummies (the walking dead kind) to represent the archaic legislation that is currently in place on working motherhood.

Their five demands:

1. Increase the time limit to raise a tribunal claim from 3 months to (at least) 6 months
2. Require companies to report on how many flexible working requests are made and how many are granted
3. Give both parents access to 6 weeks parental leave paid at 90% of salary
4. Give the self-employed access to statutory shared parental pay
5. Subsidise childcare from 6 months old, rather than 3 years

   Organised by Pregant then Screwed

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Copyright © Pam Isherwood 2017

 

Toni M. in SE1

At the Queen Elizabeth Hall to see Toni Morrison, here to promote her new book, A Mercy.

Toni Morrison and Hermione Lee

These ‘in conversation’ things can be a bit surreal – an intimate chat until they look up and then, hey, what are all these people doing in my room?

Some readings on an NPR page are here as downloads.

Sneaked some wobbly photos from Row E. I should have seen if I could have done some proper pics backstage; I found a listing too late that she was also reading at Hatchards the following day, a smaller gig, so I could have got to Row A. Ho hum.

An event to follow was in the QEH Front Room, i.e. the space by the bar. Posh music.

Front Room

Then on my way home, an encounter with some of those terrifying young people on the tube. They were insistant that they were not from Kings College.

Terror on the tube

Terror on the Tube 2

High culture all around.