The Evening Standard’s trade union bashing
There are those in the media who are so nostalgic for the days of openly bashing trade unions they are busy recreating a kind of Sealed Knot society devoted to replaying the 1970s.
There are those in the media who are so nostalgic for the days of openly bashing trade unions they are busy recreating a kind of Sealed Knot society devoted to replaying the 1970s.
The Evening Standard was always at the front of these battles.
Today we see this ‘story‘.
Comrade on tour: Steve Hedley poses in a Soviet-style soldier’s hat with an assault rifle
“Steve Hedley, the union’s Hard-Left assistant general secretary, is pictured on his Facebook page wearing a Soviet-style soldier’s hat and brandishing an assault rifle, believed to be a German weapon from the Second World War.
“Messages on the page reveal he appears to relish walk-outs, such as the one which caused misery for Londoners last week. His comments include:
‘With 3 different strikes announced today I think ill [sic] enjoy the Easter weekend.’
‘Two very good Rmt branch meetings tonight. 1 jubilee south branch want to name strike dates for the job losses dispute. 2 Fleet branch reject job losses and want strike dates. I love the RMT membership.'”
Steve Hedly is a member of the Socialist Party. This group, of Trotskyist origins, has, to say the least, nothing to do with Soviet Stalinism.
The below is from the Evening Standard in December 1970 on Electrical Trade Unionists.
How things change……
Andrew Coates blogs at Tendance Coatesy
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