Give us some poetic justice.Byline: JOHN SUTTON John Sutton may refer to:
A BILLINGHAM poet has performed her work in London as part of a bid to save Teesside's steel industry. Linda Robinson attracted a large crowd in Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square, in Westminster, London, England, named for Lord Nelson's victory at the battle of Trafalgar. The statue surmounting the Nelson memorial column (185 ft/56 m high) was sculpted (1840–43) by E. H. Baily. as she recited her poem Steel River and decked the plinth on which she was standing with a Save Our Steel banner. The mum-of-two is one of hundreds taking part in Angel of the North artist Anthony Gormley's One and Other project, which sees a different person getting up on the empty fourth plinth at the London landmark every hour. As her voice rang out along the Government buildings in Whitehall, workers from Corus applauded, and told passers-by that steelmaking on Teesside would not die without a fight. Speaking from the capital, Linda, 49, said: "The whole experience has been fantastic - from rising up in the cherry picker cherry picker n. 1. A maneuverable vertical boom with an open bucket or cage at the end from which a worker can perform aerial work such as pruning trees or repairing electrical lines. 2. A vehicle equipped with such a boom. over Trafalgar square and getting on to the plinth, to reading the poem to all the people gathered below. "I had fantastic support from steelworkers who made the journey down. "Generations of families on Teesside, including my own, have relied on steel for their livelihoods, it is a part of our culture and a part of our heritage." The poem evokes Victorian Prime Minister William Gladstone's description of Middlesbrough as an "infant Hercules" and explores how the "indomitable in·dom·i·ta·ble adj. Incapable of being overcome, subdued, or vanquished; unconquerable. [Late Latin indomit and fierce" spirit of Teessiders was "forged on the anvil anvil Iron block on which metal is placed for shaping, originally by hand with a hammer. The blacksmith's anvil is usually of wrought iron (sometimes of cast iron), with a smooth working surface of hardened steel. of the Ironmasters ambition". Linda's grandfather and father worked in the steelworks, a tradition her brother Steven continues to this day. News on Wednesday that Teesside Cast Products had secured orders to keep the plant operational until October gave an additional boost to the activists. Bob Bolam, regional officer for Unite the Union, called Linda's performance "brilliant". He said: "The reading of Steel River, with the banners and the steelworkers in their Save Our Steel T-shirts, was very moving. "The whole event put Teesside and the plight of its steel industry on the map." Bob said he hoped the event would bring the campaign to a wider audience. "We've taken a message here to the country at large right in the heart of London of how important steel making is," he said. Linda was on the plinth between 3pm and 4pm on Tuesday. One & Other is commissioned by the Mayor of London. Watch all the action live from the plinth every Friday at 7pm on Sky Arts 1/HD and 24 hours a day on www.oneandother.co.uk. Log on to gazettelive to see a video of Linda's plinth recital CAPTION(S): SPREADING THE MESSAGE: Linda Robinson reads her poem Steel River, on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth |
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