Just back from fantastic Tolpuddle Festival, Ashamed to say it was my first- often clashes with Hazards Conference! Good to get back to rural roots. Brilliant organisation thanks to SWTUC and SW unions. VIbrant and friendly, great speakers, good music - Louise Distras was great!- , all sorts of weather and absolute commitment to collective action, trade unionism and local, national and global solidarity. Spoke in session with Dave Smith on Blacklisting and and Richard Excell TUC on Save our Safety Net. Unfortunately the chair thought we only had 5 mins whereas I had been told 10, so asked to wind up in middle! BUT OK got main points across on why Red tape is better than bloody bandages. Richard Capps not only apologised but let me have a bit longer in answering questions, so thank for that. Good weekend and great to hear so much emphasis on rural issues, workers, trade unionism and fighting back! Great privilege and very much a return to my roots as I come from the South Hams in Devon, one of 10 children born to small farmer breeding his own workforce and I started work as soon as could walk. To continue from George Loveless We will, we will, we will be free, i would add, We must, we must, we must fight to save the health and safety laws and enforcement we have that was hard won by collective struggle over 200 years, from the Con-Demnation of this vile neoliberal coalition. Thanks SWTUC/Tolpuddle organisers and all there for a great festival of re-commitment.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 21:04:37 +0000
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