DOCSLIB.ORG

Trade Union Collective Identity, Mobilisation and Leadership – a Study of the Printworkers’ Disputes of 1980 and 1983

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Trade Union Collective Identity, Mobilisation and Leadership – a Study of the Printworkers’ Disputes of 1980 and 1983 Trade Union collective identity, mobilisation and leadership – a study of the printworkers’ disputes of 1980 and 1983 Nigel Costley 1 2 University of the West of England Collective identity and strategic choice – a study of the printworkers’ disputes of 1980 and 1983 Nigel Costley A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of the West of England, Bristol for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Bristol Business School, University of the West of England 2021 3 Declaration I declare that this research thesis is my own, unaided work. It is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of the West of England, Bristol for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Nigel Costley Date 4 Copyright This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. Acknowledgements Thanks to Professor Stephanie Tailby, Professor Sian Moore and Dr Mike Richardson for their continuous encouragement, support and constructive criticisms. 5 Abstract The National Graphical Association (NGA) typified the British model of craft unionism with substantial positional power and organisational strength. This study finds that it relied upon, and was reinforced by, the common occupational bonds that members identified with. It concludes that the value of collective identity warrants greater attention in the debate over union renewal alongside theories around mobilisation and organising (Kelly 2018), alliance-building and social movements (Holgate 2014). Sectionalism builds solidarity through the exclusion of others. Occupational identity is vulnerable to technological change. This model neglects institutional and ‘associational’ power, eschewing legal protections in favour of collective bargaining and ignoring alliance-building in favour of sovereign authority. The development of large conglomerate unions has placed membership unity over sectionalist solidarity but membership and its density in workplaces have fallen (Trade Union Statistics). This thesis concludes that the capacity for strategic choice by union leaders depends upon the union’s leverage with employers and its ability to mobilise collective action within and beyond the workplace. These rely on strong collective identity of workers as demonstrated by the NGA in its 1980 national printing campaign. The series of employment laws, launched in 1980, has constrained strategic options available to union leaders but the thesis argues that the technology and non-union labour rather than new laws were the critical factor in the NGA’s defeat in the 1983 Messenger dispute. The loss of positional power exposed the weakness of associational (or coalitional) power when the NGA looked to the TUC and union allies for aid. It argues that the forces that had made the union organisationally strong prevented it from taking alternative routes to survive or to transform itself in the face of fundamental technological change. Yet this should not lead union strategists from paying more attention to the value of sectional occupational identity in the mobilisation and organisation of workers. 6 Contents CHAPTER ONE Introduction 11 Union fortunes 15 The research project and my own experience 18 The Messenger experience 19 Research Questions 21 Thesis structure 21 CHAPTER TWO Union identity, power and strategic choice 26 Union purpose and effectiveness 27 Collective identity and union formation 32 Union power 34 Positional power, sectionalism and solidarity 36 Leadership and democracy as power resources 41 Leadership ideology and union values 48 Leadership and strategic choice 50 institutional and associational power 53 Chapter summary and conclusions 57 CHAPTER THREE Craft trade unionism and the printing industry 59 Family tree of the NGA 61 Industrial relations in printing 62 Apprenticeship entry 64 Bound by tradition – the development of craft unionism 66 The chapel and a community of workers 67 Welfare and control of the labour supply 71 Social capital unionism 74 The closed shop 75 The consequences of exclusive membership 79 Craft unionism and gender 81 Patriarchy at work 83 Strategic choice in craft unions 87 Strategy and associational power in printing 89 Technical change 91 Transformation of newspaper production 94 Amalgamation as a strategic option 96 7 Chapter summary 100 CHAPTER FOUR Politics and Law, the industrial relations background 102 Whose freedom? 103 Post-war industrial relations 105 Labour’s approach to industrial relations 118 The New-Right prepares a step-by-step approach 110 The TUC and the law 113 Trade union power resources 115 Chapter conclusion 118 CHAPTER FIVE Methodology 119 Research aims 119 Research approach and philosophical context 121 Cast studies 122 A qualitative approach 124 Researcher as research instrument 125 Interview methodology 127 documentation and archives 132 Trade union records 132 Minutes 134 Internal government documents 136 Conservative Party archives 138 Media accounts 138 Photographs and ephemera 139 Ethical issues 140 Chapter summary 141 CHAPTER SIX Case study – the 1980 NGA national dispute 142 A closing window of opportunity 143 Union response to the new laws 154 New employers in the industry 157 Chapter conclusion 159 CHAPTER SEVEN The Dynamics of the 1983 Stockport Messenger Dispute 162 Shah the independent 164 The dispute and the law 167 8 Union leadership and democracy in the dispute 174 The escalating picket 180 Sequestration 195 Role of the state and police 200 Incitement and intimidation 208 Chapter conclusions 211 CHAPTER EIGHT The 1983 Messenger dispute in photographs 214 CHAPTER NINE From positional to associational power 225 Media coverage 226 Associational power and the TUC 228 All-out strike summoned 232 End game for the union and the TUC 240 Chapter conclusions 245 CHAPTER TEN The aftermath of the Messenger dispute 247 The aftermath and reflections on the dispute 248 The impact on printing industrial relations 256 Time for Today 257 Wapping move 258 The impact on government trade union reform policy 263 Policing lessons 264 Chapter conclusions 266 CHAPTER ELEVEN Conclusions 268 Positional and organizational power 270 Capacity for strategic choice 272 Role of the state and police in industrial relations 276 Tensions in union decision-making 279 Leadership and rank-and-file tensions 280 Collective identity and sectionalism 281 Gender and sectionalism 282 Associational power and sectionalism 283 Contribution to wider debate 285 Conclusion 287 9 References 289 Appendix One Correspondence regarding NGA archives 307 Appendix Two Minutes of meetings 311 Appendix Three Conservative Party archives 315 Appendix Four Internal government documents 317 Appendix Five News coverage of Messenger dispute 322 Appendix Six Interviews 329 Appendix Seven A palette of mobilising, servicing and organising models 331 10 CHAPTER ONE Introduction Britain’s trade unions are among the oldest in the world. They have a long and complex history (Clegg 1985, Cole 1924, Flanders and Clegg 1954, Hutt, 1962, Hyman 1975, Webbs 1896), with a matrix of organisational models and attitudes towards relations with employers. Workers are mobilised into unions around a common cause and shared interest and the boundaries of their union membership are based on the occupations and sectors covered – the clue is in the title, trade union. The number of unions has declined through amalgamations1 a process that has placed broader membership unity ahead of occupational identity and with it, as the study will explore, more emphasis on political and associational power. The decades immediately after the Second World War witnessed fierce argument over trade union reform (Barrett, Rhodes and Beishon 1975, donovan 1968). It was a period in which unions, for good or bad, were at the centre of economic life and national politics and when union leaders were household names. Conservative governments led by Margaret Thatcher from 1979, however, launched a new offensive against union power (Dorey 1991, 1995). This coincided with wider developments in global capitalism, while the British governments’ economic and industrial relations policies profoundly influenced the direction of industry restructuring and societal change. The 1980s were marked by industrial unrest and high unemployment in which the powerful battalions of trade unionism were ultimately diminished and union membership fell. This study looks back at this turning-point in the fortunes of trade unions with a focus on the role of sectional collective identity as the basis for organisational strength. Much has been written about trade union decline, the causes and the possible options for renewal (Freeman and Pelletier 1990; Hyman 2007; Boxall and Haynes 1997; Frege 2003, 2004; Undy, Fosh, Morris, Smith and Martin 2011; Undy 2008; 1 TUC statistics 11 Metcalf 2005; Bryson, Ebbinghaus and Visser 2011). The debate has included the scope and capacity for unions to make strategic choices and the options available to them including models of mobilisation and identity. The capacity of unions to take and implement strategic decisions – and the choices they make – is influenced by the industrial, political and legal environment, the nature of the leadership and the democracy of each union (Hyman 2007). The legal framework covering organised labour has swung between restriction and reform, repression and regulation (donovan 1968, Wedderburn 1986, 1987, Fosh and LIttler, 1985). Trade unions have
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear
    ï . •,";,£ CASL M T. ^oÛNTAE À SUL'S, REVITA 1ENT, HASSLE- NT_ MAIN STR " \CCOUNTA ;, INNOVAT MLUE, CASL : REVITA JOVATh IE, CASL )UNTAE CO M M XIMEN1 VlTA • Ml ^re aW c^Pti ( °rds *cc Po 0 ^rof°>lish lu*t* >nk Lan <^l^ gua a ul Vic r ntz °ko Ono." - Somehow, W( c< Words are enorm i Jheer pleasure of CJ ftj* * - ! love laag^ liant about Words." gM °rder- Franl< Luntz * bril- 'Frank Luntz understands the power of words to move public Opinion and communicate big ideas. Any Democrat who writes off his analysis and decades of experience just because he works for the other side is making a big mistake. His les sons don't have a party label. The only question is, where s our Frank Luntz^^^^^^^™ îy are some people so much better than others at talking their way into a job or nit of trouble? What makes some advertising jingles cut through the clutter of our crowded memories? What's behind winning campaign slogans and career-ending political blunders? Why do some speeches resonate and endure while others are forgotten moments after they are given? The answers lie in the way words are used to influence and motivate, the way they connect thought and emotion. And no person knows more about the intersection of words and deeds than language architect and public-opinion guru Dr. Frank Luntz. In Words That Work, Dr. Luntz not only raises the curtain on the craft of effective language, but also offers priceless insight on how to find and use the right words to get what you want out of life.
    [Show full text]
  • Ÿþw R I T I N G F E a T U R E S T O R I
    Writing Feature Stories -pages 1/12/03 2:20 PM Page i WRITING FEATURE STORIES Writing Feature Stories -pages 1/12/03 2:20 PM Page ii Writing Feature Stories -pages 1/12/03 2:20 PM Page iii WRITING FEATURE STORIES How to research and write newspaper and magazine articles Matthew Ricketson Writing Feature Stories -pages 1/12/03 2:20 PM Page iv Every effort has been made by the author and publisher to contact copyright holders of materials quoted extensively. Unacknowledged copyright holders should contact the publisher with any queries. First published in 2004 Copyright © Matthew Ricketson 2004 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. Allen & Unwin 83 Alexander Street Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100 Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218 Email: [email protected] Web: www.allenandunwin.com National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-publication entry: Ricketson, Matthew, 1958– Writing feature stories: how to research and write newspaper and magazine articles. Includes index. ISBN 1 86508 732 7. 1. Authorship 2.
    [Show full text]
  • This Book Compares Resistance to Technology Across Time, Nations and Tech- Nologies
    This book compares resistance to technology across time, nations and tech- nologies. Three post-war technologies - nuclear power, information technology and biotechnology - are used in the analysis. The focus is on post-1945 Europe, with comparisons made with the USA, Japan and Australia. Instead of assuming that resistance contributes to the failure of a technology, the main thesis of this book is that resistance is a constructive force in technological development, giving technology its particular shape in a particular context. Whilst many people still believe in science and technology, many have become more sceptical of the allied 'progress'. By exploring the idea that modernity creates effects that undermine its own foundations, forms and effects of resistance are explored in various contexts. The book presents a unique interdisciplinary study, including contributions from historians, sociologists, psychologists and political scientists. Resistance to new technology Resistance to new technology nuclear power information technology and biotechnology edited by MARTIN BAUER The National Museum WigRTof Science & Industry Science Museum 31 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE The Pitt Building. Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RP, United Kingdom CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, United Kingdom 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia © Cambridge University Press 1995 This book is in copyright.
    [Show full text]
  • 12 March-7 April 2018
    In association with KARL SYDOW & KATHRYN SCHENKER 12 March-7 April 2018 Music and lyrics STING Directed by LORNE CAMPBELL Designed by FIFTY NINE PRODUCTIONS Sponsored by TLS Prog.indd 1 05/03/2018 16:34 THE HISTORY OF SHIPBUILDING AND PROTEST THE RIDLEY plan A detailed plan for how to fight, and The Ridley Plan was a part of the Conservatives’ preparation for power. Its author, Nicholas Ridley defeat, a major strike in a nationalised (second son of the 3rd Viscount Ridley, who helped industry was part of the Conservatives’ establish the University of Newcastle in 1963), was preparation for power, and helped win perhaps the most Thatcherite of all of Thatcher’s ministers. He resigned from the Heath government in the defining conflict of the Thatcher 1972 over what he saw as its betrayal, and formed years, writes Dr Martin Farr. the Selsdon Group the following year ‘to influence the Conservative Party, so that it embraces economic and One of the reasons the Conservative Government social policies which extend the boundaries of personal elected in 1979 under Margaret Thatcher was so choice’. It espoused free-market policies, privatisation significant was that it was, as much if not more than of nationalised industries, and cuts in taxation and the Labour Government elected in 1945 under Clement Attlee, the twentieth century British government which ‘we must take every precaution had the clearest sense of what it wanted to do. Which was, in essence, to fragment the legacy of the 1945 possible to strengthen our government. The Conservative Government elected defences against all-out attack’ in 1970 under Edward Heath also had a clear sense of what it wanted to achieve, which was similar, but government spending.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapters the Politics of the Strike
    Durham E-Theses The 1984/85 Miners strike in East Durham, A study in contemporary history. Atkin, Michael How to cite: Atkin, Michael (2001) The 1984/85 Miners strike in East Durham, A study in contemporary history., Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2015/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 THE 1984/85 MINERS' STRIKE IN EAST DURHAM, A STUDY IN CONTEMPORARY IDSTORY BY MICHAEL ATKIN The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published in any form, including Electronic and the Internet, without the author's prior written consent. All information derived from this thesis must be acknowledged appropriately. THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY. MAY 2001. 2 2 MAR 2002 CONTENTS Page PREFACE 1 INTRODUCTION
    [Show full text]
  • Media Contact List for Artists Contents
    MEDIA CONTACT LIST FOR ARTISTS CONTENTS Welcome to the 2015 Adelaide Fringe media contacts list. 7 GOLDEN PUBLICITY TIPS 3 PRINT MEDIA 5 Here you will fi nd the information necessary to contact local, interstate and national media, of all PRINT MEDIA: STREET PRESS 9 types. This list has been compiled by the Adelaide NATIONAL PRINT MEDIA 11 Fringe publicity team in conjunction with many of our RADIO MEDIA 13 media partners. RADIO MEDIA: COMMUNITY 17 The booklet will cover print, broadcast and online media as well as local photographers. TELEVISION MEDIA 20 ONLINE MEDIA 21 Many of these media partners have offered generous discounts to Adelaide Fringe artists. PHOTOGRAPHERS 23 Please ensure that you identify yourself clearly as PUBLICISTS 23 an Adelaide Fringe artist if you purchase advertising ADELAIDE FRINGE MEDIA TEAM 24 space. Information listed in this guide is correct as at 20 November 2014. 2 GOLDEN PUBLICITY TIPS There are over 1000 events and exhibitions taking part in the 2015 Adelaide Fringe and while they all deserve media attention, it is essential that you know how to market your event effectively to journalists and make your show stand out. A vibrant pitch and easy-to-access information is the key to getting your share of the media love. Most time- poor journalists would prefer to receive an email containing a short pitch, press release, photo/s and video clip rather than a phone call – especially in the fi rst instance. Here are some tips from the Adelaide Fringe Publicity Team on how to sell your story to the media: 1) Ensure you upload a Media Kit to FERS (Step 3, File Upload) These appear on our web page that only journalists can see and the kits encourage them to fi nd out more about you and your show.
    [Show full text]
  • News Corporation 1 News Corporation
    News Corporation 1 News Corporation News Corporation Type Public [1] [2] [3] [4] Traded as ASX: NWS ASX: NWSLV NASDAQ: NWS NASDAQ: NWSA Industry Media conglomerate [5] [6] Founded Adelaide, Australia (1979) Founder(s) Rupert Murdoch Headquarters 1211 Avenue of the Americas New York City, New York 10036 U.S Area served Worldwide Key people Rupert Murdoch (Chairman & CEO) Chase Carey (President & COO) Products Films, Television, Cable Programming, Satellite Television, Magazines, Newspapers, Books, Sporting Events, Websites [7] Revenue US$ 32.778 billion (2010) [7] Operating income US$ 3.703 billion (2010) [7] Net income US$ 2.539 billion (2010) [7] Total assets US$ 54.384 billion (2010) [7] Total equity US$ 25.113 billion (2010) [8] Employees 51,000 (2010) Subsidiaries List of acquisitions [9] Website www.newscorp.com News Corporation 2 News Corporation (NASDAQ: NWS [3], NASDAQ: NWSA [4], ASX: NWS [1], ASX: NWSLV [2]), often abbreviated to News Corp., is the world's third-largest media conglomerate (behind The Walt Disney Company and Time Warner) as of 2008, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009.[10] [11] [12] [13] The company's Chairman & Chief Executive Officer is Rupert Murdoch. News Corporation is a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ, with secondary listings on the Australian Securities Exchange. Formerly incorporated in South Australia, the company was re-incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law after a majority of shareholders approved the move on November 12, 2004. At present, News Corporation is headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Ave.), in New York City, in the newer 1960s-1970s corridor of the Rockefeller Center complex.
    [Show full text]
  • Non-U.S. Newspapers ™ Available on the Lexisnexis Services
    Non-U.S. Newspapers ™ available on the LexisNexis services As of September 19, 2003 Full text unless otherwise noted. Certain freelance articles and other features within these publications (i.e., photographs, classifieds, etc.) may not be available. ASIA Geography Publication Coverage From File Name Language China China Daily January 1997 CHIDLY English China South China Morning Post July 28, 1992 SCHINA English India Statesman - India, The January 1997 STSIND English Indonesia Jakarta Post January 1997 JKPOST English Japan Japan Times, The January 1, 1998 JTIMES English Japan Mainichi Daily News May 1993 1 MAINWS English Korea Korea Herald August 1, 1998 KHERLD English Korea Korea Times June 16, 1998 KTIMES English Malaysia Business Times January 2, 1995 MBUSTM English Malaysia Edge, The December 24, 2001 EDGEMA English Malaysia New Straits Times January 1, 1995 NSTRTT English Singapore Business Times May 1, 1992 BUSTMS English Singapore Edge, The May 13, 2002 EDGESI English Singapore Straits Times, The May 1, 1992 STRAIT English Thailand Bangkok Post January 1997 BNGPST English Thailand Nation, The July 1, 1997 NTION English AUSTRALIA—NEW ZEALAND Geography Publication Coverage From File Name Language Australia Advertiser/Sunday Mail, The January 1996 ADVSUN English Australia Age/Sunday Age January 1997 AGEMLB English Australia Australian Financial Review January 1997 AFREVW English Australia Australian, The January 1996 THEAUS English Australia Ayr Advocate September 1999 AYRADV English Australia Brisbane News January 1999 QBRISN English
    [Show full text]
  • Cotwsupplemental Appendix Fin
    1 Supplemental Appendix TABLE A1. IRAQ WAR SURVEY QUESTIONS AND PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES Date Sponsor Question Countries Included 4/02 Pew “Would you favor or oppose the US and its France, Germany, Italy, United allies taking military action in Iraq to end Kingdom, USA Saddam Hussein’s rule as part of the war on terrorism?” (Figures represent percent responding “oppose”) 8-9/02 Gallup “Would you favor or oppose sending Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, American ground troops (the United States USA sending ground troops) to the Persian Gulf in an attempt to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq?” (Figures represent percent responding “oppose”) 9/02 Dagsavisen “The USA is threatening to launch a military Norway attack on Iraq. Do you consider it appropriate of the USA to attack [WITHOUT/WITH] the approval of the UN?” (Figures represent average across the two versions of the UN approval question wording responding “under no circumstances”) 1/03 Gallup “Are you in favor of military action against Albania, Argentina, Australia, Iraq: under no circumstances; only if Bolivia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, sanctioned by the United Nations; Cameroon, Canada, Columbia, unilaterally by America and its allies?” Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, (Figures represent percent responding “under Finland, France, Georgia, no circumstances”) Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Kenya, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Uganda, United Kingdom, USA, Uruguay 1/03 CVVM “Would you support a war against Iraq?” Czech Republic (Figures represent percent responding “no”) 1/03 Gallup “Would you personally agree with or oppose Hungary a US military attack on Iraq without UN approval?” (Figures represent percent responding “oppose”) 2 1/03 EOS-Gallup “For each of the following propositions tell Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, me if you agree or not.
    [Show full text]
  • Copyright Cluedo Find Whodunnit and Get Them to Pay Contents
    MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS WWW.NUJ.ORG.UK | JULY-AUGUST 2018 Copyright Cluedo Find whodunnit and get them to pay Contents Main feature 12 Close in and win The quest for copyright justice News opyright has been under sustained 03 STV cuts jobs and closes channel attack in the digital age, whether it is through flagrant breaches by people Pledge for no compulsory redundancies hoping they can use photos and 04 Call for more disabled people on TV content without paying or genuine NUJ backs campaign at TUC conference Cignorance by some who believe that if something is downloadable then it’s free. Photographers 05 Legal action to demand Leveson Two and the NUJ spend a lot of time and energy chasing copyright. Victims get court go-ahead This edition’s cover feature by Mick Sinclair looks at a range of 07 Al Jazeera staff win big pay rise practical, good-spirited ways of making sure you’re paid what Deal reached after Acas talks you’re owed. It can take a bit of detective work. Data in all its forms is another big theme of this edition. “Whether it’s working within the confines of the new general Features data protection regulations or finding the best way to 10 Business as usual? communicate securely with sources, data is an increasingly What new data rules mean for the media important part of our work. Ruth Addicott looks at the implications of the new data laws for journalists and Simon 13 Safe & secure Creasey considers the best forms of keeping communication How to communicate confidentially with sources private.
    [Show full text]
  • Margaret Thatcher & the Miners
    Pierre-François GOUIFFES MARGARET THATCHER & THE MINERS 1972-1985 Thirteen years that changed Britain Creative Commons Licence 2009 This e-book is the English translation of “Margaret Thatcher face aux mineurs”, Privat, France (2007) Comments on the French edition Lord Brittan (Home Secretary 1983-5, former Vice-President of the European Commission) “The fairness and accuracy of the book are impressive both in the narrative and the analysis. I am not aware of anything comparable to what Pierre-François Gouiffès has produced.” Dr Kim Howells MP (now Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, spokesman for the NUM South Wales area in 1983-5) “Mr. Gouiffès’ book describes key events, such as the 'winter of discontent' and the industrial disputes of the eighties which had a major impact on the Labour party.” Other material available on www.pfgouiffes.net or www.mtfam.fr TABLE OF CONTENT Foreword 3 Prologue: the rise and fall of ‘King Coal’ 12 Coal: its economic, social and symbolic importance in the United Kingdom during the 19th century 13 The painful aftermath of World War One 18 The search for consensus after 1945 24 Tensions escalate from the 1960s 29 The NUM victorious: the strikes of 1972 and 1974 42 Crystallization of conflict 43 The 1972 blitzkrieg strike 51 1974: an arm-wrestling contest leading to strike and General Election 63 The legacy of the strikes of the 1970s 75 1974-1984 : the Labour interlude and Margaret Thatcher's early performance 80 The Labour interlude 81 The early years of Margaret Thatcher 108 The 1984-5 strike part one: from explosion to war of attrition 133 First steps in the conflict 134 The flashpoint 143 2 MRS.
    [Show full text]
  • A REPLY to MARTIN SHAW Ian H. Birchall
    THE PREMATURE BURIAL: A REPLY TO MARTIN SHAW Ian H. Birchall Martin Shaw's 'unofficial' history of the International Socialists1 makes an important contribution to the debate that has been taking place, over the last few years, in the pages of The Socialist Register about the sort of organization that the British left needs. Shaw has written, firmly if not without melancholy, an obituary for the political tendency represented by the International Socialists and (since 1977) the Socialist Workers Party. By 1976, Shaw tells us, the organization was 'radically deformed'; its politics had become 'opportunistic, unrealistic and sectarian'; its 'degeneration' repre- sented a 'squandering of the potential for a new socialist movement'; it had undergone 'catastrophic changes'.* These are serious charges and require a cool and objective response. Every failure has its lessons and every defeat is a stepping-stone to final victory. For example, the IS/SWP represents the most serious and consistent attempt in recent years to build a revolutionary socialist organization outside of and independent from the Labour Party. An acceptance of Shaw's case would be a strong argument on the side of those who believe that Marxists must continue to work within the Labour Party. Moreover, any SWP member who reads Shaw's article will be willing to concede that some of Shaw's specific criticisms are at least partially correct. All the more pity that Shaw frames them in the context of an article which uses the weaknesses as the proof of irredeemable corruption rather than asking how they may best be corrected. Shaw makes a wide range of criticisms, but behind them lie two fundamental points: firstly, that the IS/SWP has failed to develop an adequate form of internal democracy; secondly, that the IS/SWP is guilty of a political deviation described as 'workerism'.
    [Show full text]