Marching through Bilston with the CWU

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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The Priest and I attended the CWU’s march against the part-privatisation of the Royal Mail on Saturday. It was the best - and most enjoyable - labour movement event I’ve attended for a long while.

I ‘ve been pondering why I found this march such an uplifting event in comparison with most of the marches and lobbies I’ve attended in recent years, and come up with the following:

1/ It was about a relatively straightforward class issue, instinctively understood not just by the workers who will be immediately effected, but by the vast majority of working class people;

2/ it was organised and attended by the workers themselves and their union, the CWU. Us paper-sellers were there (quite rightly), but we didn’t predominate.

3/ it was good-humoured, inclusive (led, for instance, by Sikh drummers) and - unlike most of the anti-war and pro-Palestinian events - there were no dodgy race-hate slogans that made you wonder what the hell you were doing there;

4/ 1,000 people marching through Bilston (a suberb of Wolverhampton -chosen because it’s in ’Postal Affairs Minister’ Pat McFadden’s constituency) gives the impression of being a bloody big event;

5/ “Mandy, Mandy Mandy - Out Out Out!” is a pretty good follow-up slogan to an earlier old favourite;

6/ we bumped into Maria and a lot of other old friends and comrades we hadn’t seen for a long while: still fighting, optimistic and very much part of the struggle;

7/ comrade Clive of the Socialist Party tipped us off about the “White Hart”, which (I’m ashamed to admit) meant that we missed what was, I’m told, an inspiring rally at the end…

[saga]

As the Bilston CWU rep who helped carry the large banner at the front of the march, I echo all the above and thank you all who made it a day to remember.
United we stand!