The late Jimmy Reid has now taken on the mantle of an snp secular saint. This has been achieved by doing two things, 1/ dying, and 2/ dying while an snp member with a once illustrious history. He is often referred to lovingly by snp sycophants who hate the trade unions with venom as the great working class leader and heroic Scotsman. Contradictory? absolutely but, this is the snp we are talking about here. He lends his name now to a so called 'think tank' which is nothing more than a nationalist glee club "The Jimmy Reid Foundation". They are trying now to make it sacrilegious to be anything other than obsequious to his memory, needless to say, with me and a great many other Socialists of my generation it will not work. The best they can hope for is a grudging silence out of respect for what he once was but, the snp being what they are are not content with that they want to use him against the Labour Party, the Unions and anyone who does not follow their brand of narrow racist tinted nationalism.
A recent exchange on the Glasgow Herald's comments net page led to some nationalists comparing him favourably with Arthur Scargill and in doing so chose to besmirch the ex NUM leader. I decided to mention his less than noble behaviour to balance the argument and I wrote the following. The Herald refused to print it. ___________
"Under Thatcher the unions and the working people of this country were under unrelenting attack by the Tories and the fight put up by Scargill and the miners was nothing short of heroic.
When they needed support and solidarity they were let down. People who should have been 100% behind them betrayed them, none more so than Jimmy Reid who attacked Scargill and the NUM.
When they were crying out for help and comradeship he stabbed them in the back. This was at the height of the dispute and he did great damage to their cause and their morale.
We have always had to suffer at the hands of "flinching cowards and sneering traitors" and attacks from one such as him were hard to take considering his background. We are still standing though, still carrying on the struggle and despite the behaviour of such people we will eventually prevail.
The people who stood firm, those who fought the hardest. the ones who did not shirk, they are the ones for whom Scargill was a hero and has remained so to this day. Today we see history repeat itself as leaders like Bob Crow and Len McCluskey get the same treatment as Arthur Scargill got. These men are cut from the same cloth as Arthur Scargill and I hope we see more like them emerging in the future, we are going to need them".
21 comments:
Kelly, the Herald refused to print you and you refused to print me, on your 'Mighty Thunderer' post.
Other than my comment making sense, while your inane ramblings, didn't, what's the difference.?
I told you that I was going to stop printing repetitive comments and you and Stalin are the most obvious ones.
Good answer, son. Seems to me, the Herald has the same policy, so stop whinging .
By the by, unless you were on the picket line, I was closer to Orgreave than you ever were and I can tell you , the protest Barmy Arthur was leading, could not be described as peaceful.
I checked the Herald forum rule and there are a few obvious places where you are probably failing.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/misc/comments
"We want to encourage intelligent discussion " - repetitive Fail!
"Don't hide behind a pseudonym" - Anyone checking your website might easily be fooled into mistaking it for satire and this character of yours to be the realisation of comedy genius.
"but personal attacks on individuals and any personal squabbling isn't permitted." - I guess your record on this front is being held against you.
Best of luck!
Anonymous said...Friday, November 22, 2013 1:29:00 pm.
I have had hundreds of comments and letters printed in the Herald but I sometimes get blocked, particularly when I criticise the paper itself, so where does that leave your analysis? perhaps you should rid yourself of the idea that you are clever, just trying to help ken?.
Kelly @ 7.11
Councillor, I have had hundreds of posts printed on your blog, but I sometimes get blocked, particularly when criticising Stalin, Castro, the Mad Fifer, or anyone else of whom you're particularly fond.
It really does seem the Herald has a copy of The Kelly Manual for Dealing with Non-Believers.
Terry, just so we are clear about this, do you support Len McCluskey's version of events in the ongoing Falkirk fiasco and the events at Grangemouth?
If so do you think your leader Milliband should release the report on the alleged wrongdoing?
Have you, as a socialist and trade unionist, had any indication of what your leader in Scotland, Johann Lamont, has said, as a member of Unite, on this important issue?
Finally, and on a separate issue, do you have any opinion at all, as your interests lie there, about the dreadful waste of money that happened because of the land deal in Paisley over the GARL project?
Sorry about the anonymity, I do not have accounts with the platforms offered.
A local fellow socialist.
Byeck said...Friday, November 22, 2013 10:16:00 pm.
We both know that this comment is a lie but I am still printing it, what more do you want?.
Anonymous said...Friday, November 22, 2013 11:15:00 pm.
Question 1/ Yes I accept Unite's position on this.
Q/2. No.
Q/3 Yes, she accepts the position of the party and the police.
Q/4 My opinion is that something has gone badly wrong and someone has made a killing from the public purse. Consequently I would like to know more about it and I would like everyone else who wants to know more to have the chance to do so through an enquiry.
The Herald is getting sly as not only do they blatantly not publish comments but with regular users they wait a day or so then remove comments that are in any way critical of the SNP, perhaps there is another round of Scottish government advertising up for grabs again.
Anonymous said.Saturday, November 23, 2013 5:17:00 pm.
I have suspected that with some of my comments but I was never sure because I can never remember whether I did or didn't post something after a day or two, I must watch out for that in future.
Terry Said:
"I have had hundreds of comments and letters printed in the Herald but I sometimes get blocked, particularly when I criticise the paper itself, so where does that leave your analysis? "
"I have suspected that with some of my comments but I was never sure because I can never remember whether I did or didn't post something after a day or two"
My analysis suggests that with just a smidgeon more self-awareness, we might just edge a wee bit closer to the truth...
Best of luck!
Arthus Scargill? Are you Eulogising this guy who formed an 'alternative' Socialist Labour party?
It's not like you at all, I'd have expected some sort of attack on such a 'turncoat'.
Anonymous said...Monday, November 25, 2013 1:31:00 pm.
When I think about Arthur Scargill I consider the lies and hatred directed at him by the Tories and their media friends. He stands beside Tony Benn and Ken Livingstone as the most vilified and attacked political/Union figures of all time. Oswald Moseley got better treatment.
I ask myself why this should be the case and I conclude that he was the real deal, a true socialist, a real devoted Union Leader, incorruptible, fearless and lionised by the NUM membership. He is a genuine giant of the Labour Movement and the people who matter will remember that, no matter how many lies the establishment tell about him.
Why was he treated the way he was? One reason above all they feared him, he could not be bought and he had the courage of a lion, he didn't just take his members in to battle, he led them into battle. The establishment knew how dangerous he could become if he was allowed to become popular. It was ever thus but, he made his mark all right. He politicised millions who will never forget what he did for the working class, he was and still is a great man. We desperately need more like him today to stand beside the likes of Len McCluskie and Bob Crow because we are in the cross hairs of the most reactionary right wing government in decades, now is not the time to compromise now is the time to stand firm and fight.
Arthur Scargill? Are you Eulogising this guy who formed an 'alternative' Socialist Labour party?
It's not like you at all, I'd have expected some sort of attack on such a 'turncoat'.
You make this Scargill sound like quite a fellow, I think I might sign up for his Socialist Labour Party and fight the good fight from the frontline.
http://www.socialist-labour-party.org.uk
Are they involved in this 'struggle' that you are always on about too?
Anonymous said...Wednesday, November 27, 2013 1:15:00 pm.
Scargill is quite a fellow a great man and a great Socialist in fact.
You can join them if you like but you will be wasting your time. I share Arthur Scargill's political beliefs and I'm sure we would agree on most things. We would certainly not agree about how to achieve success for those beliefs though. That is the only seemingly unavoidable barrier between us. He will always have my respect, he has certainly earned it.
The Herald is getting worse, over here:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/u/u/fm-heres-letter-that-proves-iscotland-would-still-be-in-eu.1385649083
John MacIntyre OBE just posted that the letter Salmond was referring to was actually not a letter sent to any minister it was an answer to a constituents question several months ago so in short Salmond was faking it and Johns comment that was polite, factual and well within the rules has just been censored along with all the reply's.
Anonymous said...Thursday, November 28, 2013 4:33:00 pm.
A recurring theme from the separatists has been their attacks on the polls, they have been telling anyone who will listen that all the polls got the 2007 Holyrood election wrong when the snp won, they say that the polls predicted a Labour victory! not true. I researched this and found out that polls from mid February 2007 to the election on May 5th. 2007 showed the snp ahead and were predicting an 11% lead going in to the election, the snp won with a margin of 10% yet the snp rug chewers are still trying to lie about the polls being wrong, implying of course desperately that they will be wrong again at the laugharendum.
I wrote to the Herald comments site pointing this out to an snp poster whom I had been arguing with and it has not been printed despite sending it twice. They are colluding with the snp in their lies, what has happened to this paper?.
"When they needed support and solidarity they were let down. People who should have been 100% behind them betrayed them, none more so than Jimmy Reid who attacked Scargill and the NUM."
Really?
Like the Labour party did to the working man.
I told you what Reid did, it can be verified it is not my opinion. If you can't face the facts it's not my fault.
I told you what Reid did, it can be verified it is not my opinion. If you can't face the facts it's not my fault.
Post a Comment