Its easier to pretend to be angry for others than to get of your knees yourself. As a trade unionist I don't waste much breath on little groups that have no bearing on normal people with normal jobs and normal lives. The population ignores them and so should we.
Once in a while though every one gets their 15 minutes, and so it was for the SWP with their invasion of ACAS.
Now I think that there are 2 ways of looking at this. On a comedy level there is the spectacle of self proclaimed revolutionaries storming, well, walking, into a building defended by trained conciliators. Maybe they were just practising for when they storm army barracks but they were hardly picking on the school bully. Bet they got offered tea.
But on a more serious note rarely can have people who drone on about member democracy in unions so much, shown such blatant disregard for union members views. Did airline workers vote for the SWP action? Where were the strikers? Did it follow a strikers rally? Of course not, it was a bunch of self seekers pretending to be tough in someone else’s back yard.
And that for me is the point. At a time when its hard to win people to trade unionism it takes a special kind of delusion to ignore the reticence to join of workers where you work, and convince yourself that not only does the problem rest with the leadership, but the answer is to jump onto the back of a dispute where you don't have to face the consequences of losing.
At best its stupid. At worst its selfish grand standing that could cost workers, strikers, dear.
Makes you wonder if these people understand trade unions, organising, solidarity or democracy at all. I would certainly love to know how often they storm their manager’s office. I'm guessing they haven't quite got the courage for that act of revolution yet.
AB Sheffield
