Now -read the book!

Here is a link to my memoirs which, if you are a glutton for punishment, you can purchase online at https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/an-obscure-footnote-in-trade-union-history.
Men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and when it comes turns out not to be what they meant, and other men have to fight for what they meant under another name. (William Morris - A Dream of John Ball)

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Normal service will be resumed (sort of) as soon as appropriate


Regular readers of this blog (Sid and Doris Blogger) (though both now perhaps “retired”) could be forgiven for wondering if I had given up on blogging.

I haven’t.

I have a bit less to say now that I am no longer a UNISON branch official and NEC member – but, as well as being an active Labour Party member, I am still a trade unionist with opinions about trade unionism.

Indeed, as unanticipated events after my return to my “day job” have now found me working in an unexpected role in Human Resources, I have more reason than ever before to wish that every worker should be a union member.

As a union official I always tried to persuade workers to join the collective organisation which exists to represent our interests. From the perspective of Human Resources I see first-hand the catastrophic consequences for individual workers who have not done this.

I can’t – and won’t- blog about my job. However, I will still (when I can find the time) comment on the state of the industrial wing of our movement.

As to the political wing of our movement, in which I continue to be very much involved, I have a fair bit to say.

However, it isn’t always appropriate to say that fair bit which I have to say. The unforeseen eventuality of socialist leadership of the Labour Party has created an environment in which socialist officer holders in local Labour Parties need to measure our words lest they be used against our Party and its leadership.

So a bit more dust may gather on this blog than it did when I was engaged in a daily struggle to democratise the trade union in the potential of which I still believe, but from time to time it will be shaken off and – from time to time – you might like to pop by.

That’s if you too are not too busy in your “retirement”…

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