Working-class strike leader’s anti-racist pedigree stretches back a long way
RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey’s effectiveness in communicating the message of the need for real change – and real resistance to achieve it, starting with but not limited to the mass strikes that are spreading across the country and across industries – has matched that of his boss Mick Lynch, as hapless TV interviewers quickly found out to their cost when Lynch started to be invited to fewer appearances after dismantling a string of Establishment mouthpieces.
But that effectiveness has made him a target for that same Establishment, desperate to discredit him at any costs – and has led to accusations from accounts bearing all the hallmarks of being state-funded actors accusing him of anything they can think of, including being a Putin apologist on the basis that Dempsey spoke out years ago against Ukrainian fascists at a time when a variety of media, including the BBC, were also warning of the dangers of Ukrainian fascists and neonazis.
And those same sockpuppets and placepeople have also tried to paint Dempsey as racist, on the basis of a speech in which he warned that ethnic minority groups were being exploited by the so-called ‘liberal left’ to get into power without any genuine concern for their needs and interests or those of the wider working class. Ironically, the smear is exactly what Dempsey was condemning – the Establishment and its fake-left sockpuppets trying to exploit ethnic minority groups for their own ends.
So that Establishment really won’t want people to see the video below, from 2014 – the same time as Dempsey’s ‘liberal left’ speech – in which he speaks to the camera of people from every community in North London uniting and the contempt he and everyone of right mind and morals has for racists and fascists:
The so-called ‘elites’ – the ‘liberal left’ Tories-in-disguise and the outright Tories alike – have their crosshairs on Dempsey because he’s an effective voice for working-class people of every background. So they’d hate this video to go viral.
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and he’s the proof and product of what they most fear, an organised working class.
Yes when I attended Anti-Far Right Demos in recent years I used to look around and funny none of our Right Wing Labour critics
etc we’re anywhere to been seen, as we put ourselves at risk.
Perhaps as John Lennon once sang:
“Strange days indeed!”
Cracking books:
G.D.Smith, A 3,000 Year History of Palestine.
Bernard Regan, The Balfour Declaration.
Paul Keleman, The British Left and Zionism: A History Of Divorce.
Books will also help to Free Palestine!
“Yes when I attended Anti-Far Right Demos in recent years I used to look around and funny none of our Right Wing Labour critics”.
It was no different in the 1960s and 1970s.
Well put. The wussy left were OK on Newsnight, QT etc but always had something more important to do come demo days. More important than standing shoulder to shoulder with great comrades, fighting the cutting edges of corporate capitalism. Our fiercest enemies who would gladly boot and baton us unconscious and then arrest us. Not as important as going shopping on exes and subs. Bastards all and just look at what we have as our leaders now?
Oh but going on demos is so “performative”, dahling. That’s why you wouldn’t catch ANY of them, for instance, “taking the knee”….oh, hang on…
I fully expect Eddie to be denounced as a “antisemite” any day now by the antisemite finder general.
Smartboy, somehow I don’t think Eddie would become a target, as far as I know he is not standing for internal elections within the Labour Party.
The finder general will only accuse Eddie of antisemitism, if he decided to stand as Parliamentary candidate on a socialist platform on a Labour held seat or Tory marginal.
I hope that Eddie does stand, the same goes for Howard Beckett. We need socialist and solid Trade Unionist in parliament and no the red Tories that we got.
Absolutely. Spot on Maria v.
Starmer’s personal arrangement with the trilateral commission/World Economic Forum has a very narrow and specific objective: To weaken, kill and remove democratic socialists in the UK Labour party (after the wonderful Jeremy and his Corbyn Project managed to threaten their earlier takeover of the Labour party).
I love smartboy and your use of the ‘finder general’ title. Starmer and the EntryistRight in Labour are acting like the Witchfinder General for the hard-right oligarchs who finance, organise and benefit from the World Economic Forum. Where once it was fictional witches who were scapegoated, feared and targeted, today it is fictional anti-Semites whose only ‘crime’ is supporting Palestine as a cause.
Good for Eddy he can stand next to the JVL.
The establishment have bigger problems to worry about lol.
And I’ll happily wager there are quite a few others out there capable of speaking like Mr. Dempsey.
Stay safe all
Let’s hope they make themselves known before the next election!
Rather anticipating the “Not PMQs” *** –
should Lisa Nandy be no-platforrmed?
Certainly not!
Dont play them at their game – argue
with her and show why she is wrong ..
*** Sorry about that – I can’t watch it
unfortunately.
maybe update your web-browser (and if a G**gle, Micrsoft or Apple product, replace with Firefox/Brave Browser, et al) and/or update your operating system then on-site videos should work properly
WELL SAID about de-platforming HolbyMW. To My Mind, de-platforming has nothing to do with democracy or socialism. De-platforming is a pretend-left policy that the neoliberal ‘liberal left’ adopt. To me De-Platforming and the liberal left’s proclivity to Fascism are one and the same thing. YMMV?
Thanks for hint and sorry to confuse –
however I can’t watch Not PMQ because
it clashes with a Wednesday Appt I have
and not because of Computer Problems.
I try to watch YouTube recordings afterwards
though ..
Glad you agree about “de-platforming” – I
gnash my teeth whenever I hear it
mentioned. Its exactly the same as
Evans stopping us talking about this and that.
This is NOT how scientists*** work and this was
emphasised as part of my University Course.
Not that “Deplatforning” was mentioned –
word was not invented. However argument
was encouraged in Labour Party – so far as
I know DE-Platforming only started recently with
Starmer/Evans ..
*** Start of rant about “we need more scientists etc ..”
We must win the arguments and debates. You can’t do that with censorship. Fair enough when there is actual harm:paedophilia, snuff etc, but politics is about discussion.
Holby, I agree we shouldn’t be afraid of the likes of Nandy, we are capable of debating her and winning the debate.
The only reason the right doesn’t platform people like Chris Williamson, Esther Giles or members of JVL is because they are aware they cannot win against them in an open debate.
I remember Labour Conference last year, Leah Levane suddenly suspended from Labour membership because it was going to be a debate on antisemitism and the right was running scare of her.
Maria, you could argue that how the EntryistRight in Labour treats Chris Williamson, JVL and Esther Giles, etc., is the perfect example of de-platforming their adversaries. They’re grandmasters at it. Next up: ‘Long covid’, aka Fascism, Oligarchy and New World Order. 😀
Agreed – this is so stupid – I went to one or two
meetings of a book group and discussed racism
with respect to some recommended books. One
or both were with respect to how people of
Black and Asian descent fit into current UK
society.
This proved very interesting and we all learned a
lot. This is FAR better than the punitive way of
the current Labour Party – it is the way of JVL I
believe.
When the EDL were at their height counter demonstrations were of great importance.
The RMT contingent was regularly the biggest TU contingent. The RMT often organised the stewarding of the demonstrations for the safety of the participants.
The main oganisers of the RMT interventions were Steve Hedley and Eddie Dempsey.
And now, Liz Truss is prime minister. During one of the leadership election debates she expressed a willingness to kill everyone on the planet!
She was able to do this secure in the knowledge that she would face no criticism from the likes of Keir Starmer and co, the people who pretend to be the opposition.
https://news.antiwar.com/2022/09/05/ultra-hawk-liz-truss-to-be-next-british-prime -minister/
Today the Queen appointed the British PM.Showing that at all times the feudal system has supremacy over the elements of capitalist democracy.
A true lesson in democracy for elected Russian head of state.
Tony, good post. Wasn’t Liz(no profiles) a lib demon?
Yes.
Advocated abolition of the monarchy at their 1994 conference.
I believe people like Dempsey are precious and like gold in the Working class movement for a General Strike.
FBU are balloting for Strike action now….Welcome mrs O’Leary truss youve got the worst poison chalice ever.Still at least she can say shes done her apprenticship with the libers and Conservative and unionist party unlike our rank amateur the knight from Surrey who only been in the labour party since 2015 bless him?
Getting angry about de-platforming cuts both ways – I get
equally cross about people I DONT agree with not being
able to speak as I get about people I DO agree with.
How is anyone to learn anything?
Hmm – I guess I have the means to answer my own
question – those in favour of de-platforming dont WANT
the public to lean anything. Its all about divide and rule
It seems t me that there is much more at play than simply divide and rule.
There is a concerted effort to manage the whole of public discourse, to make it next to impossible to express a range of opinion, and to prevent people from having access to information which is inconvenient for those with power.
There is an attempt to silence people on the grounds that someone has been offended or upset. We all get offended or upset from time to time. So what?
Action is taken against people who report things that the establishment would rather wasn’t reported – A young German woman and a young Canadian woman have both had their assets seized and their bank accounts frozen because they are reporting news from Donbas (I think from the DPR), and I understand that a young British man is in the same position.
It seems, as well, that people have their “social media” access denied, not because they have done anything illegal, but because they have said things that other people don’t like.
We have libel and slander laws and we have laws against incitement to violence. If these laws are not contravened people should be free to express opinions, report events and say things which might offend or upset some people.
Divide to rule, control information and facilitate annoyance, anger, resentment, indignation, irritation and exasperation. The old methods still work best. Seriously, if the organised working class doesn’t withstand and prevail over this, then it’ll be as good as ‘game over’ for democracy and human rights.