''The Bristolian'' began as a newspaper in 1827 under the control of the

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

journalist

James Acland James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambigua ...

. Undercutting the advertising rates of existing weekly papers, conducting a lively letter column and breaking the law by publishing at one and a half pence without paying the newspaper

stamp tax Stamp duty is a tax that is levied on single property purchases or documents (including, historically, the majority of legal documents such as cheques, receipts, military commissions, marriage licences and land transactions). A physical revenu ...

, Acland’s publication was a muck-raking popular radical paper for the working classes. The paper concentrated on exposing the abuses both of the unreformed Corporation which ran Bristol and of the Courts, and was spiced up with demands for an overhaul of the national political system. Acland was imprisoned in 1829 but not before he had fanned the flames of popular revolt. In 1830 he stood, unsuccessfully, for Parliament. The following year, the city exploded with the

1831 Bristol riots The 1831 Bristol riots took place on 29–31 October 1831 and were part of the 1831 reform riots in England. The riots arose after the second Reform Bill was voted down in the House of Lords, stalling efforts at electoral reform. The arrival ...

in which the wealthy elite attacked by Acland in his newspaper were physically affronted with the discontent it had seeded. The original title was resurrected in 2001 as a new monthly publication offering "independent news from Bristol that the other papers won’t touch”. It was distributed for free in the bars and pubs of Bristol and circulation peaked at 10,000 copies a week.

Ian Bone Ian David Bone (born 28 August 1947 in Mere, Wiltshire) is an English anarchist and publisher of anarchist newspapers and tabloids, such as ''Class War'' and '' The Bristolian''. He has been involved in social campaigns since the 1960s, includ ...

wrote much of the paper, assisted by local journalist Roy Norris and by his long-term partner Jane Nicholl. The success of ''The Bristolian'' led to the Bristolian Party, which stood in the 2003 Bristol City Council elections in an attempt to mobilise discontent with Bristol City Council's policies. On 1 May 2003, 2,560 people voted for the Bristolian Party, which gained an 8% share of the vote in the 12 wards they contested. In 2005 ''The Bristolian'', under editor Ian Bone, was runner-up for the Paul Foot Award for

investigative journalism Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

, though it ceased publication not long after. The title was revived again in 2013 under an anonymous collective, "The Committee for Public Safety", in response to the direct election of the Mayor of Bristol and perceived diminishing accountability of the city's local government.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bristolian 1827 establishments in England Newspapers published in Bristol Publications established in 1827 Newspapers established in 2001 Newspapers established in 2013