The Passing of an Icon

 

R.I.P. Tony Benn 1925 - 2014

Ian sent me a text at 7:00 this morning with the news that this great stalwart of the Left had passed away.  A profound thinker, powerful advocate of democratic socialism & tireless campaigner for peace & justice,he will leave a massive gap in the movement.

 

Driving to work, I listened to Diane Abbott as she pointed out that history has vindicated Benn on so many issues, from his early support for the anti-apartheid struggle to his commitment to gender equality. As Dennis Skinner observes this morning, he was a great teacher who sought to influence people "not just in parliament, but outside it too".  This, to me, was one of Tony Benn's hallmarks: he believed that building a progressive, socialist future meant engaging with the "real world" of people, their communities & civil society; that work for change could not be solely confined to parliamentary procedures.

 

I could go on, and on. But we'll hear plenty over the coming days as his many comrades, friends & admirers reflect on a life well lived.  What I will say is that when I look at this pillar of principled integrity, then turn my gaze on some of the opportunistic shysters in today's PLP, the expenses con-artists, the slippery bandwagon-jumpers, I can only say "not fit to top up Tony's tea mug".

 

We also mourn the untimely death of Bob Crowe, who knew what trade unions were for, and was a champion of his members & their industry.

 

Crowe was an atheist, Benn a Christian Socialist. For my part, I like to think that the pair of them are now having a drink with Mandela.

 

 

Farewell Walton Street

Comrades,
I spent my last night ever at Walton Street last night. The last time someone (apart from Keiron the warden) is able to sleep here is now gone as Walton Street prepares for the rundown (quite literally) in the move to the single site in Headington.

An unrivalled legacy in the history of working class education

The current good weather means that working progresses well in Headington, but the new site will struggle to capture the strength and vigour of what the Walton Street site represented.

I am re-reading the history of Ruskin written in the 90s by Harold Pollins and, as many of you will know, Walton Street presented a literal two fingers to Oxford University despite its small stature compared to its rivals across the city.

In truth though the size of the College then was neither here nor there, what it represented then was a milestone in the history of working class education.

As John Ruskin himself said: What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.

We can only hope that Ruskin College can continue to 'do' education for working class men and women in the way that our founders hoped.

I for one commit myself to that aim.

In Solidarity

Ian

Global labour solidarity: Alive and well

Colleagues

I had hoped to report on the recent victory over Nestle by the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF), but as ever workload has kept me from the blog.



Yes we can! Global trade union pressure is just as relevant and vital
today as it always has been

And, in any case, there is a piece on this by Eric Lee on the 'In These Times' site. Naturally this will be much better written and informed than anything I write, so I thought that the least I could do was promote Eric's article and ask that you read it: http://tinyurl.com/74bnq7g

These victories are essential not just for the workers directly involved - but of course who are the priority - but for the message it sends to multinationals and governments.


The significant boost that it gives to trade unionists on the ground is also welcome. What the piece reminded me of, as I have written of previously here, is that as the private sector continues to make inroads into public sector service delivery, this kind of international co-operation will be more important than ever.

The arrogance of the multinationals isn't surprising (why would it be?) but we should be very concerned when they suggest that the public don't care about privatisation and the implications for service delivery.

In a Guardian piece on Wenesday David Taylor-Smith, G4S head of operations for Africa and the UK, said starkly that, when it comes to manages and runs a police force, the public "don't really care": http://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/uk/2012/jun/20/g4s-chief-mass-police-privatisation?post_gdp=true

Really? Says who Mr. Taylor-Smith? I think he forgets the public concern around crime and that, should G4S cock-up - which they shall - they will be royally condemned for attempting to profit, quite literally from crime.

This is also a reason why mainstream trade unionists should be backing any attempt to block privatisation by uniformed and non-uniformed police staff. The uniformed staff issue is controversial I know, but rank and file officers are now getting a political awakening and realising that a Conservative party im government is not their natural ally.

So, if we can combine in the mutual interest of limiting the privatisation of the criminal justice sector in the UK, then we should go right ahead. In fact, the onus is on the Police Federation to use the 20th October demo as a signal to the labour movement that solidarity action is possible.

Interesting times indeed!

In Solidarity

Ian

Levellers, Ruskin & Tradition

Anyone needing an antidote to “Jubilee”-related nonsense would have benefited from being present at Burford this year for Levellers’ Day.  The area outside the church was a sea of colour as the banners of organisations from CND to the Communist Party – via the Woodcraft Folk, Trade Unions & Women’s Movement – came together to honour & remember the three Republican martyrs who fell in a hail of musketry nearly four hundred years ago, upholding to the last their commitment to equality, justice & socialism.

Raise a cheer for our Glorious Dead

Hearing their names read out, and listening to a contemporary account of their last living moments, I was struck anew by the human reality of this historic event. Far from being characters in a dusty book, these were living, breathing people with emotions, dreams, hopes & fears; no different in this respect to us.  They are our political ancestors & we are honoured to bear their tradition – of which we, too, are a living part and which we, in turn, pass on to those who come after.

And for a sheer boost & “feelgood” tonic, the day couldn’t be beaten for me; the hairs rose on the back of my neck as the music started playing & the procession moved off. And how the locals of the stockbroker & golf-club belt love us & what those flags represent! Truly, my heart was gladdened.

A sad contrast came later in the day, when I walked with Ian around the college premises at Walton Street, knowing that the building is soon to pass to Worcester College. With it goes a massive part of the heritage of not only the British, but the worldwide labour movement. I wonder if Balliol, Christ Church or any of the “establishment” colleges would so readily surrender their tangible history & the culture & ideology which they represent.

Yield ground to the Hooray Henrys?  Me, I’d rather stuff wasps up my arse.

Anyway;  a brilliant day.  I have to say that it would have been good to see some of our year group there. In connection with absence, a special mention must go to a certain ex-ISTC member of ethnically Scottish persuasion: despite being actually employed at Ruskin, and despite being present when I arrived on the Friday evening, he managed to miss both the Friday “beer & curry” session and the reunion itself. It must have taken a very special effort to avoid what was happening under his very nose, so my congratulations are due for an outstanding display of determined apathy!  I can assure you, Comrade, that your colleague Tracy did an excellent job in representing our college & keeping Ruskin’s historic role in Levellers’ to the fore. Well done, too, to the current students who ran the college’s stall & information point.

I was browsing through a few of the photo albums at Burford & came across a picture of the late, great Craig Schofield from back in 1990. I know that he was there in spirit, raising a pint glass & ciggy in approval.

Venceramos!



And on the day....

Programme for Levellers, below:

http://www.levellers.org.uk/pdfs/Levdayprog2012.pdf

All things in common, all people one!

In Memory

Sad news comes over the weekend of the death of our fellow-Ruskineer Pat Macartney, latterly a member of the academic staff at Leeds University.

We will all have our own memories of Pat: one of my fond recollections is of his skill in the kitchen & his ability - with the minimum of resources - to rustle up a fry-up to lift the spirits of hungry Bowen Block residents on a wet Sunday evening. An archetypal Ruskin student of that time, he had a deep commitment to both the goal of social justice & the ideal of working-class education as a means of achieving this.

Condolences go from us to Pat's family & friends, with whom we join in mourning the passing of an old comrade & true Yorkshireman. 

R.I.P.

Ruskin College: A Sine qua non

Comrades,  

The magisterial award winning book by Jonathan Rose 'The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes' is one of those instrumental means by which you come to understand how central Ruskin College has been in the making of cultural and political identity of the working class in the UK.

Indeed, as the title of this post identifies, it is impossible to write a credible, legitimate history of the emancipatory role of the education, and of independent working class education, in the long trajectory of social development in the UK, without an authoratative recogition of the role of Ruskin College.

You will be pleased to know that two copies of this 2001 publication reside in the College library, although sadly not as borrowed or read as it should be, but still it rests in its rightful place.

And we, as alumnus of this great institution, will spend Levellers' Day this year, remembering the part we played in the history of the College, and also rightly being thankful of the decisions we took those many years ago to become part of that history. In Solidarity. Ian