David Miller’s tribunal case is a personal victory that ought to be celebrated. But, argues Mike Macnair, what is needed is a political victory to advance our rights
Letters
PCS merger?
The Public and Commercial Services union is claiming that its forthcoming conference in June will be the most democratic across the trade union movement.
Branches can register as many delegates as they like, but only one will be allowed to vote and they will use their card vote on every motion (the number of votes each branch will have will be the number of members of that branch). I have no quibble with branches having more delegates than they would normally be allowed to have - this means, in principle, far more members might attend and observe this online conference. I never forgot my first conference (in 1981, I think), so enthralled was I by the cut and thrust of the debates, and the politics - I never missed a subsequent conference for the next 35 years until I retired.
Letters
Writing in
Weekly Worker, Ammar Kazmi asks me to “promptly explain” and “correct” what I wrote in my article, ‘Defend David Miller’, about the professor’s “alignment with pro-Shia groups” (Letters, March 18). I am very happy to respond - not to correct or retract, but to further emphasise the main points.
The thrust of the article was to defend David Miller, his rights to free expression and broader academic freedom in the face of a concerted assault. The defence of free speech is essential, especially given the current attempts by the Johnson government, the Labour leadership and sections of the media to undermine it, such as in their attacks on the left and their witch-hunt against anti-Zionists and supporters of Palestinian rights.
Letters
Shrewsbury 24
As most readers will know, the 24 Shrewsbury building workers falsely convicted in 1973-74 had their convictions quashed on March 23 this year after 47 years.
A big story - so big that even
The Guardian carried over a page on it, which quoted Keir Starmer saluting this “huge victory” and TUC leader Frances O’Grady boasting that the fact they “never gave up” was “proved right” in the end. It’s a pity that the cleared men didn’t get that support at the time of the trial, when it mattered, as Des Warren - one of the six accused who was jailed - made clear in his 1982 book