I AM surprised that reader I Archer of Edinburgh (Letters, Jan 3) is “stunned” that neither the TUC nor the Labour Party have taken
issue with this Tory government paying soldiers to do the jobs of striking workers. Heavens to Murgatroid. I am often repeatedly stunned and stunned again at the mass amnesia regarding the fact that Labour under Lords Wilson and Callaghan not only sent Troops IN to Ireland in 1974 and sparked off a record of anti-human rights behaviour in Europe, but sent troops into Glasgow to scab on workers opposing a Labour pay freeze.
Due to the tame unions policing the pre-industrialised factories, most of these strikes were declared “unofficial” by unions and illegal by Labour governments, banning secondary picketing and union branch secretaries contacting other branch secretaries etc etc. The troops were used to empty bins and drive bin lorries, ambulances and fire engines. It is as if I have never pointed this out many times in these columns.
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I argue this all the time with Unionist Labourites who would no more be seen dead with a copy of The National than a Scottish passport. There were those in the Brit Nat “revolutionary” left whose bottom line was always to vote Labour. Whether they were paid by MI5 or were doing it for nothing, consciously or otherwise, it was not missed by the real Irish and eventually most of the Scoto-Irish. The 40-year ruling has led to disclosure that Joe Gormley, the miners’ leader, and several others were MI5 informants. Others were just as obvious, collecting peerages knighthoods, OBEs assorted gongs and full-time careers in the Labour party and tame unions. Yes, and betraying their former colleagues and comrades in the Scottish and Irish movements.
Again, may I be permitted to remind readers that the “S”TUC is an empty shell moved from their old school building in Woodlands Road, Glasgow to an obscure upstairs office in the town centre. Again, may I also remind readers that Labour closed down, sorry “amalgamated”, the many Scottish trade unions and asset-stripped the SCWS for the English Co-op in 1974. The older SCWS owned farms, factories, shops, hall, function centres, funeral services etc in nearly every Scots town and village.
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May I also remind readers that it was Labour that introduced the Public Order Act in the 1930s. This was allegedly to combat fascism, but it was used against socialists, Scottish and Irish nationalists and opponents of Anglo-British nationalism and imperialism.
Mr Archibald bewails the fact that the military “are supporting a Tory government’s attack on the workers of this country”. Which country? Scotland has been an armed fortress of British oppressors since the 18th and 19th centuries.
I happened to be a shop steward in the 1960s, fighting Union and Labour governments and bosses, and was out on unofficial strike for six weeks at the Pilkington Possilpark factory, which was closed down and moved to England afterwards. We phoned the English stewards for help and solidarity and were told “every man for himself, Jock”.
The famous Red Wall housed Sunderland shipyard workers, who believed Boris “had their backs”. How long will the naive believe Labour has their backs too?
Donald Anderson
Glasgow
“ABUSING each other only feeds Unionist narrative” is the heading of an article by Karen Adam in Tuesday’s paper. Is this the Karen Adam who gleefully announced her success in having Wings Over Scotland – the website of an independence supporter – banned from Twitter?
Gavin Barrie
via email
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