Report of the Meeting on Working-class Political Representation, held jointly with the NSSN/National Shop Stewards Network (South West), at the Bridgwater GWRSA/Railway Club on Thursday 15th April 2010

Thirty-two trades unionists attended this successful and somewhat experimental meeting. Attendees came from Bristol, Plymouth, Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset, including a strong delegation from Yeovil Trades Council.

The first idea was to bring together most or all of the organised 'left' groups-including the Labour Party- that vie for trades unionist's allegiance. The second idea, regarding these groups, was to avoid the common crass stupidities of competition, accusation, recrimination, pontification and tedium that sometimes come with this kind of discussion. The third - positive -- idea, was to describe the speakers in the pre-meeting publicity only by their trade union, to give a sense of working-class unity before the discussion had begun. The final idea was to obliterate status between listed and invited speakers and the audience, by inviting a larger group of speakers than is usual, and giving everyone only five minutes.

The overall aim was to produce in participants an immediate sense of pleasure so they might recall an intensely political occasion that was successful just because it was organised by respected trades unionists on behalf of two respected trades union organisations, i.e.. Trades Councils and the NSSN.

All the ideas worked well, and the aim-judging from feedback by partisan and non-partisan participants-was achieved. A buffet supper was laid on and consumed greedily; the meeting opened at 7.30 pm for introductions, a chat, drink and bite to eat; started at 7.50 pm, and finished at 10.10 pm.

Apologies were received from Respect, UNITE Honda Swindon, and the Bristol Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World/IWW.

In the absence of Somerset Trades Councils' President Robert Brinkworth from Bath TUC, the Chair was taken by Dave Chapple, Somerset Trades Councils' secretary and Chair NSSN Steering Committee.

Speakers had been selected either because they represented a left/progressive political party or group, OR their own respected record as West Country trades unionists. So we heard from John Drake, FBU Regional Secretary, for the LRC/Labour Representation Committee; Glen Burrows, recently-retired Branch Secretary Bristol RMT, who spoke about the TUSC/Trades Union & Socialist Coalition; Tony Staunton, UNITE/Plymouth TUC, for the SWP/Socialist Workers Party; Charlie Graham, relief dust-cart driver, UNITE Bridgwater, as PPC for the Green Party; George Goodenough, GMB Hinkley Point power station, for the Socialist Party; Liz Payne, Taunton, speaking for the Somerset Branch CPB/Communist Party of Britain; Wayne Hurren, PCS Regional Committee, for the PCS 'Make Your Vote Count' campaign; Dave Osborne, UNITE at Augusta-Westland Helicopters Yeovil; Kath Pearce for the Labour Party as Bridgwater and West Somerset PPC; Anne Lemon, NUT and SWP; and finally Carole Vallelly, GMB and White Horse (Wiltshire) Trades Council.

All speakers were listened to without interruption and with interest and respect; in turn, all speakers kept to their five minutes-in some cases with only a few seconds to spare-after a Chair's warning of one minute to go.

At the risk of not presenting an accurate summary of the invited speakers' contributions, I will mention a point or two made by each:

John Drake, spoke of the plethora of competing left groups, and while we were waiting for unity the good work of Labour MP's like Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell should get trade union support.

Glen Burrows spoke of the problems setting up TUSC, and attacked the idea that trades unionists should support or vote for a vicious right-wing Labour Party and Government.

Tony Staunton spoke about unity against the far right, capitalist economics, support for TUSC and the new Right to Work Campaign.

Charlie Graham reminded the meeting that the environment had not been mentioned up to then; that Caroline Lucas could win Brighton for the Greens, and that his party would repeal ALL the anti-union laws.

George Goodenough also attacked the idea that there was life in the Labour Party, called for a vote for TUSC Candidates, and called for socialist ideas to counter failed capitalist and bankers' economics.

Liz Payne was the first to speak of international solidarity; she insisted both on the need to attack the Labour Government's failures, and the need to vote for and return Labour Candidates in most constituencies as the least worst option.

Wayne Hurren in a witty contribution asked who was under thirty (answer, one attendee) and spoke in support of the PCS 'Make Your Vote Count' campaign, and especially of the need to get young people to vote and so help to keep out the BNP.

Dave Osborne said he had thought long and hard before putting down the notes for his five minutes. He was not a member of any party, was disturbed at the disunity among the left in his union, and had decided to relate some concerns of his members, for whom he was a left-winger, yet he himself felt hardly a left-winger at all in this company! Augusta-Westland employees' concerns included public service cuts, MP's corruption, and immigration.

Kath Pearce said she had grown up in the Labour Party and was not going to leave it while there was work to be done to improve things inside. She was surprised that so many trades unionists here had given up, when the alternative -- a Tory Government -- would be so much worse. As a low-paid worker and single mother she had reason to see what beneficial changes this Government had achieved.

Anne Lemon spoke on how NUT Conference had changed over the years: progressive motions that would have been won or lost by a few hundred votes, were now being unanimously carried with acclaim. She herself had just been elected to the Executive Committee. The SAT's battle would be won!

Carole Vallelly spoke with humour and passion about her recent involvement in trades unions; opposing the BNP in Wiltshire and Corsham in particular, and her work in setting up and running a new Trades Union Council that had brought so many local trades unionists in touch with one another for the first time.

Nearly all attendees also spoke. There was also time for some invited speakers to make a second or even a third contribution. The fact that some but not all of these other contributions was not just as long as but also as interesting as the invited speakers', assisted in this overall impression of mutually respected interest and equality among those present.

Speakers included John Grana, UNITE, for the Yeovil Central Committee and its town councillors, who said he had been a Militant member twenty years ago but was now into local direct action, and anti-BNP working-class community politics; Ken Keable, Prospect, and Secretary of the Somerset Branch CPB; John Aspinall, UNITE bank worker, Bristol, who spoke about the need for workers' Marxist education; Richard Capps, PCS and Weston/North Somerset TUC; John Burbidge, UNITE, a relief farm milker, who spoke as a past and present Maoist; Ali Chown, who appealed for public sector trade union unity against service cuts; Viv Willis, UNITE and Yeovil TUC Secretary, echoed Charlie Graham's plug for the People's Charter; Nigel Behan spoke on out-housing problems with IBM/South West One, as well as resisting Tory attacks; Steve Campbell said he had come a long way from Dorset but the meeting had been well worthwhile. Dave Chapple spoke on how his efforts were going to help re-build the working-class movement on lines similar to the French, so that it was strong enough to strike, protest and block motorways to directly negotiate with whatever bunch of scumbags happened to be in power. Most speakers during the evening mentioned the electorate's disgust at both conventional party politics and the politicians' gravy train: this fostered the growth of the far right.

Although all contributors were spontaneously applauded throughout the evening, things weren't all backslapping smiles: for example, in a dialogue as to how TUSC had lost CPB support, Glen Burrows asked the Somerset CPB Secretary Ken Keable, if Communists were waiting for trades unions to leave the Labour Party, when would this happen and how long would they wait?

All who came to this meeting would support the idea of a return visit to this theme some time after the new government is formed. All would support the idea of another joint NSSN and Somerset TUC's event. For those interested in following our Somerset suit in this manner, we ask:

Political meetings to be called not by separate political groups but by trades union organisations including the NSSN. Invite a dozen speakers to have five minutes, the same as everyone else, and advertise them by trade union; make sure all these speakers are balanced eg. younger/older; male/female; from different places, political groups and unions; have a flexible start time and buffet supper; think carefully about your aims as being not necessarily a long-winded motion or statement, but as inculcating a sense of respect and working-class solidarity.

Dave Chapple, Chair, NSSN Steering Committee and Secretary, Somerset Trades Councils.