John Ruskin’s 200th Birthday

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Last week we happened to be at Ruskin’s grave for his 200th birthday and there was a special service of celebration.
Ruskin's 200th Birthday
Today when walking in South Abingdon I remembered that there is a Ruskin Avenue in Abingdon. It is a small road between Gainsborough Green and Cotman Close, part of a painter’s theme.
Ruskin's 200th Birthday

The other link to John Ruskin in Abingdon is a Historic Building and can be seen on the town portal created by Abingdon Area Archaeological and Historical Society”John Ruskin, the Victorian art critic and social commentator, made the Crown & Thistle his home for a period in the early 1870s, walking the 7½ miles to Oxford when giving lectures and visiting the university.”

Chinese Brush Painting in the Community Free Space

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Chinese Brush Painting
For Chinese New Year (Tuesday, 5 February) a lovely window display was put up in the Community Free Space by the Oxfordshire Chinese Brush Painting Group, many of whom live in Abingdon. The display is still there a week later.
Chinese Brush Painting
Anybody interested in one of the oldest and most beautiful of artistic traditions in the world can join the group.

The Ashmolean museum in Oxford has a dedicated gallery for Chinese paintings with changing exhibitions. It currently has a centennial exhibition for the Hong Kong artist Lui Shou-Kwan. Then the Oxfordshire Chinese Brush Painting Group will have an exhibition at Oxfordshire Artweeks.
Chinese Brush Painting
The Chinese display is likely to be the last in the Community FreeSpace’s present premises. FreeSpace has been in its present location for over 5 years, but because a commercial tenant has been found for that unit, it will shortly be moving, probably to the empty unit next to the British Heart Foundation shop. The space is provided rent free by the Shopping Centre landlords and is managed by the Friends of Abingdon to provide a “free space” for community groups and not-for-profit organisations to demonstrate and promote their activities. If all goes to plan there will be another spectacular window display in the new premises at the end of February.

Brexit in Abingdon

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Brexit reaches Abingdon
The UK voted to leave the EU on 23rd June 2016. Abingdon voted to remain but had to go with the majority view. The alluring ”Take Back Control” slogan of the leave campaign won the day.

The two year process to leave the EU was triggered on 29th March 2017. There followed lengthy negotiations between various UK Brexit secretaries (who resigned one after another) and Michel Barnier (for the EU). An agreement was brokered between the UK government and the EU involving the UK paying a £39 billion divorce settlement – not a subject mentioned in the leave or remain campaigns.

On 9th January 2019, the House of Commons, including the Abingdon and Oxford West M.P., Layla Moran, voted against the agreement for a variety of reasons. Layla Moran wanted a People’s Vote. Brexiteers and the DUP MPs said they did not like the Northern Ireland backstop. Since then parliament and the government and the EU have been going round in circles, not re-negotiating the backstop.
Brexit reaches Abingdon
People campaigning for a People’s Vote were on the Market Place yesterday in Abingdon. The People’s Vote say ‘ When it becomes clear there is no Parliamentary majority for any Brexit option, the only way forward will be a People’s Vote.’

On the other hand Leave means Leave campaigners say, ‘The Government must chuck their Chequers proposal – which if delivered would amount to Brexit in name only – and instead seize the opportunities of a World Trade Deal.’

Both sides are still working hard to influence pubic opinion and politicians as the clock runs down towards March 29th 2019.