For a nation that brought the world Chartism, the Suffragettes, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, and so many other grassroots social movements, Britain rarely celebrates its long, great tradition of people power.
This story and afterword are taken from Protest: Stories of Resistance. In this timely and evocative collection, twenty authors have assembled to re-imagine key moments of British protest, from the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 to the anti-Iraq War demo of 2003. Written in close consultation with historians, sociologists and eyewitnesses – who also contribute afterwords – these stories follow fictional characters caught up in real-life struggles, offering a streetlevel perspective on the noble art of resistance.
Matthew Holness' story 'The Mastiff', based on The Diggers (who emerged from the English Revolution of the 1640s, the most explosive decade of social change that England has ever seen, with the possible exception of the 1940s) with an afterword by Dr. John Rees and Prof. Mark Stoyle.