Vote 90! It's not 100 years for us

Nikki Dancey (GMB & RTUC) introduces Louise Raw,
Shami Chakrabarti and Lisa McKenzie

On 19 September 2018, the GMB union, with support from the Reading Trades Union Council and Reading & District Labour Party, organised ‘Vote 90!’ – a celebration of equal votes for women and men, achieved in 1928. While the population of the United Kingdom has generally been looking back this year to ‘votes for women’ 100 years ago, socialists and labour historians have offered the corrective that 1918 was the year of the ‘ladies franchise’ – votes for women with middle class incomes and property rights. Only in 1928 were the injustices removed which gave women over the age of 21 the vote on the same basis as men.

RTUC Banner flying proud for 'Vote 90!'

Democracy was not yet achieved – plural voting for university graduates existed until the 1940s and 18-20 year olds were disenfranchised until the 1960s – but 1928 was a great leap forward. (Even today, a groundswell of support for votes for 16-17 year olds and the existence of voting restrictions on prisoners demonstrate that the onward campaign for democracy continues.)

‘Vote 90!’ presented ‘an evening of working class wit with a stunning panel of women: Shami Chakrabarti, Louise Raw and Lisa McKenzie’. With the GMB’s Nikki Dancey in the Chair, the event offered ‘a wry look at this year’s “Vote 100” celebrations and remembers the majority of women who didn't actually get the vote until 90 years ago’. The speakers presented a look at the history of working class women through the suffragette years and how they were ignored by so many in the early 20^th century, what the vote meant to working class women then and now and how working class women are still so often ignored and reviled in equal measure by the establishment.

Louise Raw, historian, author and Matchwomen's Festival organiser, spoke on the self-organising power of women with particular reference to the Bryant & May Matchwomen’s strike of 1888 as well as anecdotal accounts of other struggles women have played and continue to play a leading role in.

Louise Raw in a show of passionate discourse!

Lisa McKenzie, Sociologist and Research Fellow at the London School of Economics and class war activist, spoke about her personal struggle, fighting for an education, witnessing community destruction during the Great Miners’ Strike of 1984-85 – and frankly casting doubt on the effectiveness of the vote as a working class tool – let alone a weapon – for winning social justice, peace and economic empowerment.

Lisa McKenzie takes the floor

Shami Chakrabarti, the Labour Party’s Shadow Attorney General and former Director of Liberty, ended by acknowledging the wisdom of the previous speakers and making a pitch for participation in electoral contests.

Shami Chakrabarti rounds off the night 

The speakers had their own books on sale on the night and were pleased to sign copies. The event charged no fee – though attendees were generous with their donations.

A panorama of the night

Radical Actions, September 2018

RTUC at Reading Pride!

RTUC at Pride: Ray Parkes (Unite), Nikki Dancey (GMB), Dave
McMullen (GMB), Steve Geary (USDAW), John Gillman (Unite), Ruth
McEwan (Unison), Helen Caney (Unison), Nick Hatton (UCU), Billie
Reynolds (Unison) and Nada Al-Sanjari (NEU)

On 1 September, Reading's LGBT+ community staged its annual Pride March and Festival. After processing through the town centre behind banners and accompanied by music and dancing, the celebrants gathered at Kings Meadow and enjoyed a party atmosphere - though with serious political, health and trade union messages being propagated from a variety of stalls.

RTUC's Pride Stall: Ray Parkes and Nada Al-Sanjari

The Reading Trade Union Council attended in force, having a stall of its own and supporting pitches established by affiliate trade unions. Among the RTUC friends and delegates present were Neil Adams (Unite), Nada Al-Sanjari (NEU), Kevin Brandstatter (GMB), Helen Caney (Unison), Nikki Dancey (GMB), Rachel Eden (GMB), Steve Geary (USDAW), John Gillman (Unite), Sarah Hacker (Unite), Nick Hatton (UCU), Ruth McEwan (Unison), Dave McMullen (GMB), James Parker (Unite), Ray Parkes (Unite) and Billie Reynolds (Unison).

RTUC distributed literature on trade union issues and the history of the labour movement and spoke with Pride attendees about the value of trade unionism in contemporary society. Conversations especially focussed on the role of trade unionism in fighting fascism and defending LGBT+ members from discrimination in the workplace and the community.

Protesting Rail Fare Increases in East and West Reading

On 3 September Reading & District Labour Party and Reading Trades Union Council joined forces to protest against the Tory governments announcement of inflation-busting rail fare increases, coming into force in January. Labour's Matt Rodda (MP for Reading East) and Cllr Rachel Eden (prospective parliamentary candidate for Reading West) assembled at Tilehurst Railway Station, joined by RTUC's John Partington (TSSA) and local Labour Party activists, to leaflet the travelling public and discuss Labour's policies for renationalisation of railway franchises and reinvestment of railway profits into infrastructure and services.

Labour's Reading East MP, Matt Rodda (second left) and Prospective
Parliamentary Candidate for Reading West, Cllr Rachel Eden (second right)

Matt and John also visited Reading Railway Station, joined by another Labour supporter, and leafleted and engaged with the commuting public. Under the Tories' plans, rail fares will increase by 3.2% in the new year.

RTUC's John Partington (TSSA) (centre) and Reading
East Labour MP, Matt Rodda (right)

Protesting Proposed Attacks on Disabled Travel Rights

Reading Trades Union Council, represented by Nada Al-Sanjari (NEU) and John Partington (TSSA), joined Berkshire Disabled People Against Cuts for the third wave of protests against Reading Borough Council's proposals to restrict free bus travel for members of the public with a disability - as well as disabled persons' helpers. Under the current scheme, disabled people and their helpers get free travel on Reading Buses 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Reading Borough Council proposes restricting free travel to the hours between 09:30 and 23:00 for disabled people - disadvantaging those who travel for work or appointments in the early morning or wishing to enjoy a nightlife later on when others are partying the nights away! The proposals would also remove free travel entirely from disabled people's helpers.

RTUC's John Partington (TSSA) (third left) and Nada
Al-Sanjari (NEU) (sixth left) with DPAC protesters

Reading Borough Council are set to make a decision on the changes to disabled people's bus concessions on 24 September. They can be sure they will be met by further protests - with greater numbers fourth time round. RTUC and DPAC (and many in the Labour Party) call on Reading Borough Council to scrap the changes and stop attacking those who need their support in order to lead a mobile life.