Marxist. Trade Unionist. Socialist-feminist. Author. Poet. Speaker. Tutor. RMT ex-Exec. Workers' Liberty. Autie. Bi. PUFC fan.
Battles against privatisation and cuts
This is the speech I gave at RMT Women’s Conference in launching the union’s model Domestic Violence policy: Today is International Women’s Day. Actually, it’s International Working Women’s Day, set up over 100 years ago by socialist women in the … Read More
In October 2010, French rail workers were on strike. I sent this message of support to them. I am writing on behalf of the London Transport Region of the National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) here in … Read More
In March 2009, Israel Railways, a state-owned company, launched a new policy denying employment to railroad crossing guards who have no permit to carry weapons – that is: who have not served in the Israeli army. This policy will lead … Read More
On 17 December 2009, the PPP Arbiter published an important document, which may turn out to be a staging post in the collapse of Tube Lines and – following 2007’s similar collapse of Metronet – of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) … Read More
March 2010: Both London Underground and Tube Lines – and, no doubt, many other companies – will tell us that they “have to” cut jobs because of the economic crisis. But a look at London Underground’s history shows that this … Read More
April 2010: In 1998, the recently-elected New Labour government announced a ‘public-private partnership’ for London Underground. Operations would remain in the public sector, but the infrastructure would transfer to private consortia on 30-year leases. The unions fought this proposal for … Read More
I wrote this article for my local anti-cuts campaign newsletter in Hackney in August 2010: We may not have London Underground here in Hackney (except at our very edges!), but the loss of 800 Tube staff posts would still affect … Read More
The ETF Women’s Committee meeting on 19-20 March 2014 heard the following reports: SECTION REPORTS Civil aviation Unions are campaigning for a non-punitive reporting system, and demanding consistency of workplace rules across all grades, from cabin crew (female-dominated) to pilots … Read More
September 2013: On the first day of the ETF Women’s Committee meeting, several Finnish transport trade unionists attended as guests, including women from the logistics, shipping, rail and salaried sectors. We also had a presentation from Tapio Bergholm, who has … Read More
September 2013 The underground railway (Metro) in Finland’s capital city Helsinki is due to go ‘driverless’ in 2016. I discussed this with Finnish trade unionists Jussi and Satu, and heard a story that has important lessons for London Underground workers … Read More
In February 2013, homeless man Daniel Gauntlett died of hypothermia on the doorstep of an empty bungalow in Aylesford, Kent. Homeless man dies frozen on steps of empty bungalow Man named Daniel Gauntlett Headline of Kent local paper Just words … Read More
This is the speech I gave to TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference on 28 May 2014. Many of you will have your own experiences of both the freedom provided by public transport and the difficulty using it – be that the … Read More
from the Workers’ Liberty pamphlet Radical Chains: Sexuality and Class Politics, published in 1999 A good place to start is with what we need. It’s better than starting with what politicians are prepared to give, or what employers say they … Read More
An attempt to put the ups and downs of depression into verse … Bright skies, natural highs, Summer haze, happy days, Good things … mood swings Dark cloud, not proud Guilt, shame, down again Life’s shit, deep pit Break down, … Read More
Click here to read the review of the book in the Camden Review!
In 2012, the awarding of the franchise for the West Coast railway route descended into chaos, when the government gave the job to FirstGroup in preference to Virgin, then admitted irregularities and started all over again. Two limericks: 1. A … Read More
A right filthy job is Tube cleaning We slave while the bosses are preening We work night and day No pension or sick pay And the wages are truly demeaning But cleaners won’t let them attack us Harass us, track … Read More
More of a Christmas carol than a poem, dedicated to our later, unlamented Education Secretary, and set to the tune of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town: You’d better not hope, dream or aspire Stay in your place, you won’t … Read More