Socialist Organiser

The weekly of the fused Workers Socialist League, July 1981 to April 1984

[Now the lifts are halted for half an…]

Socialist Organiser no. 123, 10 March 1983 · scan p. 3 · about 414 words

Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 3 →

Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: expect misread words, and now and then a caption or a line from a neighbouring story. For anything you quote, read the scan.

Scan page 3

Now the lifts are halted for half an hour before and after the Queen goes in or out of the hotel. I was up late today and she had already left. I waited the statutory half an hour (the stairs are all clogged up with American businessmen having coronaries after they tried to jog up to the 36th floor).

It was just my luck that she had forgotten her umbrella and popped back to get it. The secret service were through the lift hatch like greased lighning and here we stay waiting • There was someone from the Daily Telegraph with me who kept saying not to worry, the British police had 'dual control' of the trigger with the US cops and it was unthinkable that they should use their weapons without prior consultation. They shot him through the forehead about half an hour ago. The policeman who now has me in his sights explained that the only worthwhile deterrent was one that you were prepared to use, I keep telling him I believe him. 1 reckon so long as I look terrified he might not shoot me.

He's been moaning on about having to guard a broad who hash't even made a decent movie since 1952. I said the Royal Family go down very big back home, nearly as big as Coronation Street, but he didn't seem to have heard of Deidre's little fling. It's no wonder the Royal Family are slipping in the ratings if this is how the press are going to be treated on foreign tours. I reckon I'd have had a better time with the Pope in Central America ..: if it stops raining I think I'll go 300Hail Drill!

We got by until the head of were a threat to his system. for the red alert to pass. and join the demonstration outside. plants, on Monday the Rover Ambassador floor took a stand. They refused to accept management manning, and stopped work. "

At a plant mass meeting after lunch, the vote went about four to one for all-out strike action - against the wishes of the plant leadership.

The strike stopped all production of the Maestro, Rover, Ambassador, Acclaim, and Rolls Royce, and indirectly hit the Ital.

BL workers have been on the receiving end of a tremendous onslaught on jobs, wages and conditions, as well as victimisations. This strike showed the possibilities for reversing some of this.

the

----- pull-quotes -----

BRITA NE NO PIT

← Contents of Socialist Organiser no. 123

Something wrong on this page? Tell us →