Never Again
Page 29
If recent years have shown that it is impossible to will a mass movement into being, that insight would have struck the 1970s generation as unremarkable. They too had spent years waiting for the best moment to defeat the Front. As Dave Widgery writes, ‘The ideas, the cultural ingredients, the potential had been there for years but they could only be utilised in a genuine crisis.’8
One of the reasons why anti-fascism has been a much narrower tradition since 1982 lies in part in the diminished importance of fascism within the broader camp of British racism. In 1976–1977, the Front were the leading component of a much broader move to the right, but ever since then, the dynamic forces have been elsewhere: the mainstream advocates of the ‘hostile environment’, the press and the Home Office. Anti-fascism has seemed less important to its potential audience.
The far left is in addition smaller and less rooted than it was. The campaigns of the last fifteen years have been in consequence less than the anti-fascism of the 1970s, their mere echo, conjuring the spirits and the names of past generations.
In his book, Beating Time, Dave Widgery sought to explain what it was about the relationship between RAR and the ANL, which caused the alliance to succeed. ‘It was a piece of double time,’ he wrote
with the musical and the political confrontations on simultaneous but separate tracks and difficult to mix. The music came first and was more exciting. It provided the creative energy and the focus in what became a battle for the soul of young working-class England. But the direct confrontations and the hard-headed political organisation which underpinned them were decisive.9
Taken out of context, the final sentence might sound like a justification for emphasising political organisation at the expense of the cultural, but in fact Widgery was balancing three distinct terms: music came first (RAR) and was needed to make the campaign accessible to the millions of people who do not normally take an interest in politics. Then a combination of mass physical confrontation (Lewisham) and left-wing organisation (the Anti-Nazi League) was used to consolidate this breakthrough. All of these parts were needed.
There is unlikely to be any return to the anti-fascism of the 1970s, with its youth, its scepticism of authority and its physical daring, without their prerequisite: an independent cultural movement following its own rules.
The campaign of the 1970s occurred in a particular moment in British history. After 1945, there had been twenty years in which the population changed as a result of Commonwealth migration. Initially, as we have seen, there were almost no legal restrictions to the practice of free movement. Yet from the early 1960s, increasing obstacles were put in the path of prospective migrants, so that by the time of Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech, there was already in principle no new migration to Britain from India, Pakistan, or the Caribbean. The groups which did arrive after 1968 – the Asians from Kenya, Uganda and Malawi – were refugees and British passport holders. Each new migration of this kind was met by moves attempted to prevent its repetition. Even after Britain had become, in principle, a locked gate to new arrivals, anti-migrant sentiment did not dissipate but seemed with the Front to have acquired a coherent, electoral, expression. If even closing the door to all new black arrivals was insufficient to satisfy the popular demand for restriction, what else could be done to meet the demand for further anti-migrant measures? Enoch Powell found an answer which satisfied him: he decided that the state should now repatriate the remaining unwelcome black migrants. This was also the National Front’s solution; indeed, it argued the same politics without the Conservatives’ equivocation.
No politician, neither Heath nor Wilson nor Callaghan, had a clear alternative to endlessly increased immigration controls and ultimately repatriation. But what Rock Against Racism and other anti-fascists showed was that the phenomenon of anti-migrant hostility would not continue indefinitely but was a decreasing force, especially among the integrated generation of Britain’s youth.
In 1976–1982, an anti-fascist campaign of unprecedented popularity won a temporary victory over the gathering forces of both popular and state racism. Of course, racial prejudice was not vanquished. ‘We didn’t stop racial attacks,’ Dave Widgery writes, ‘far less racism.’10 And yet . . . a space was found in which millions of people could breathe. A marker was put down that the struggles against racism and fascism are causes capable of moving hundreds of thousands of people.
If the movements this book has described are ever to find a genuine successor, it will be through the discovery of new ways of cultural organising, capable of challenging the new nostalgia for the imperial past. It will come from a generation attuned to the anti-fascist legacy, who assimilate it and surpass what went before.
Notes
1 M. Worley, No Future: Punk, Politics and British Youth Culture 1976–1984 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), p. 145.
2 Bishopsgate Institute archive, LHM/128.
3 S. Clarke, ‘Master-minding the Militant roadshow’, New Musical Express, 31 March 1979; judging by Syd Shelton’s photographs, West Runton appears to have had the youngest and most visibly ‘punk’ audience of all the gigs in the Militant Entertainment Tour: S. Shelton, Rock Against Racism (London: Autograph, 2015), pp. 104–108.
4 A. M. Messina, Race and Party Competition in Britain (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989), p. 118; C. Rosenberg, ‘Labour and the fight against fascism’, International Socialism Journal 39 (1988), pp. 55–92, 81; E. Roberts, Strike Back (Orpington: Ernie Roberts, 1994), p. 252; Anti-Nazi League, Inside the National Front: Sheffield’s Nazis Uncovered (Sheffield: Sheffield ANL, 1979); B. Dunn, ‘No to NF’, Morning Star, 15 November 1978.
5 M. Barker, The New Racism (London: Pluto, 1980), p. 1.
6 C. Mudde, ‘Europe’s Centre-Right is on the wrong track with “good populism”’, Guardian, 30 October 2017.
7 R. Hyder, Brimful of Asia: Negotiating Ethnicity on the UL Music Scene (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004), pp. 84–86.
8 D. Widgery, Beating Time (London: Chatto and Windus, 1986), p. 1.
9 Widgery, Beating Time, p. 114.
10 Widgery, Beating Time, p. 1.
INDEX
43 Group 37
Adam and the Ants 58
AEU see Amalgamated Engineering Union
Ahmed, Tassaduq 124
Alexander, Pete 138, 155, 158, 161
Ali, Altab 123
Alien Kulture 159
Amalgamated Engineering Union 42, 90, 157, 169
Anderton, Chief Constable James 93
Asher, Wayne 38
Asian Youth Movements 45–46, 106, 128, 137, 162
Aswad 53, 55, 64, 145
Atkinson, Graeme 38, 40
Atkinson, Richard 69, 99, 111
Baker, Clarence 53, 137, 140
Barton, Mike 90, 110, 155
Bean, John 16, 17, 19, 84
Benn, Tony 3, 7, 111, 165
Bidney, Harry 37
Big Flame 40, 91 Big Flame (paper) 24
Billig, Michael 8
Bint, Police Constable Greville 146–147
Birchall, Ian 40, 126
Birmingham ix, 24, 29, 42, 45, 64, 106, 160
Biswas, Alok 125
Blackburn 22, 30, 42
Board of Deputies of British Jews 100
Bogues, Tony 72, 72
Bowie, David 50–51, 63
Bradford 41, 45, 46, 88, 106, 157, 162
Brick Lane 108, 126–128, 169
Brighton 118, 119, 158
British Union of Fascists 14
Brown, Geoff 93, 109, 122, 126
Bulldog 24, 98
Burchill, Julie 87
Burton, Dr John 144–146
Buzzcocks 59, 105, 122
Cable Street, Battle of 108
Callaghan, James 7, 85, 173
Campaign Against Racist Laws 157, 158
Carnival, Rock Against Racism 107–113, 125–129
Cass, Commander John xii, 146–147
Caygill, Matthew 106, 164
&
nbsp; Chapel Market 134, 156
Chesterton, Arthur Kenneth 14, 15–16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26
Cimarons, the 53, 63
Clapton, Eric 51, 66
Clash, the 55, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 65, 107, 145, 155
Cliff, Tony 43, 108
Clough, Brian 91
Cock, Sybil 124, 125
Cohen, Steve 40, 157
Communist Party of England (Marxist-Leninist) 26–28
Communist Party of Great Britain 6, 7, 11, 24, 41, 75, 78, 89, 90, 101, 115, 122, 131, 136, 152
Copsey, Nigel xii, xiii, 102
Costello, Elvis 126
Crass 120
Crisis 125, 167
Daily Mirror 32, 56, 60, 61
Dammers, Jerry 155
Damned, the 57
Dark, Andy 55
De Lyon, Heather 119
Deason, John 92
Delta 5 64
Dennis, John 66, 152, 159
Desai, Jayaben 58, 73
Dhondy, Farrukh 47, 114
docks, London 11, 12, 104
Douglass, Dave 68, 73
Doyle, Jenny 17, 152
Dury, Ian x, 105
Eden, Anthony 2, 16
Eichmann, Adolf 19
engineers’ union see Amalgamated Engineering Union
Fabulous Poodles, the 118
Fancy, Colin 65, 126, 160, 161
Farrar, Max 92
Fawcett, Rick 55
Fenn, Micky 11, 43, 54, 92, 97, 102
Fenton, James 42
Fielding, Nigel 29
Fire Brigades’ Union 95
Fitzpatrick, Jerry 69, 71, 74, 76, 78, 79–80, 107, 128, 155
Foot, Michael 7, 41, 83
Foot, Paul 71, 147
Ford Dagenham 95, 125
Forsyth, Frederick 4
Foster, Christopher 72, 83
Foster, Faith 83
Fountaine, Andrew 17, 41, 152
Furness, Paul 64
Gang of Four 60, 64, 105, 120, 122
Garnett, Alf 3
Garratt, Sheryl 64
Gateley, Kevin 26–29, 39
Gill, Ken 89, 145
Gilroy, Darla-Jane 55
Gilroy, Paul 106, 115–118
Gordon, Kim 72
Gregory, Ruth xiii, 43, 55–56, 63, 65, 66, 159
Grimes, Carol 55
Grover, Suresh 46, 150
Grunwick strike 58, 73, 140
Hain, Peter 21, 89–90, 91, 113, 157, 163
Hall, Stuart 32, 158
Hamilton, Neil 22
Hann, Dave xii
Harper, Caroline 64
Harris, Nigel 90
Hassan, Leila 47, 55, 72
Healey, Denis 2, 8
Heath, Edward 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 20, 39
Heffer, Eric 43
Higgins, Jim 44
Hill, Ray 18
Hitchens, Christopher 40
Hobsbawm, Eric 7
Holborow, Paul 89, 90, 91, 107, 126, 155
Howe, Darcus 46, 55, 81, 160
Imperial Typewriters 23, 24, 73
Indian Workers’ Association 46, 106, 125, 136
International Marxist Group 26–29, 40, 41, 42, 57, 87, 89, 98, 106, 136, 139
International Socialists see Socialist Workers Party
Jam, the 58
James, CLR 47, 55
Jeffreys, Steve 76, 152
Jenkins, Roy 21
JOLT 57, 61
Jones, Claudia 113
Jones, Mick 61, 108, 109
Jones, Steve 61
Jordan, Colin 17, 18, 19
Joseph, Keith 3
Jouhl, Avtar 46
Joy Division 59, 105
Karlim, Miriam 90, 155
Kartoon Klowns 52
King, Dave 54
Kingsley Read, John 30, 31
Kinnock, Neil 90
Kushner, Tony 3
Kwesi Johnson, Linton 47, 118, 148, 160
Labour Party 6, 7, 21, 83, 85, 90, 100, 151, 157
Landman, Maeve 77
Lang, Jo 141
Langford, Charli 81, 82
Lawson, Nigel 105
Lawson, Richard 31
League of Empire Loyalists 14, 15–16, 17, 18, 20, 37
Leech, Ken 14
Leeds ix, 60, 64, 105, 106
Leicester ix, 23, 24, 32, 38, 134, 152
Lennon, John 50
Leon, Amanda 141
Letts, Don 62
Leveller 113
Lewisham, Battle of 40, 71–84, 87, 92, 93, 145
Liberation 26–27, 37
Light, Bob 54, 97
Liverpool 8, 15, 25, 64, 160
Luft, Michael 38, 128, 135
Lythgoe, Albie 88
Macmillan, Harold 2, 16
Madness 156
Malawian Asian migration crisis 32, 172
Manchester 15, 38, 93, 96, 97, 160, 163
Mansfield Hosiery Mills 23, 73
Marshall, George 60, 62
McCalden, David 31, 40
McCartney, Paul 50
Mehmood, Tariq 41, 45, 114, 128, 162
Mekons, the 60, 64, 120, 121, 122
Militant Tendency 42, 165
Misty in Roots 104, 137, 145, 161
Mitchell, Adrian 50
Monday Club, Conservatives’ xi, 21, 30, 33, 160
Morris, Dave 69
Morrison, Eddy 120–121
Mosley, Sir Oswald 14–15, 17, 18, 21
Mullen, Nick 28
Murdoch, Bob 38
Murray, Inspector Alan 146–147
National Review 57
Nehmad, Annie 139
Nichol, Jim 11, 56, 88–89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 125, 143
Nicholas, Chris 108, 110, 111, 143
Notting Hill Carnival 47, 58
O’Brien, John 30
O’Callaghan, Einde 79, 80, 82, 97, 110
O’Farrell, Mick 92, 164
Oxford 39
Painter, Roy 30, 31
Parker, Ted 70, 73, 74, 76, 78, 79
Parsons, Tony 87
Peach, Blair x, xii, 140–148
Pearce, Joe 84, 98, 121, 122, 134, 138
Peel, John 131, 159
Penney, John 163
Peoples Unite 136, 137
Piratin, Phil 108
Powell, Enoch 10, 11, 12, 17, 32, 43, 96
Prevost, Eddie 97
Purbrick, Louise xiii
Purewal, Balraj 45, 137
Pursey, Jimmy 61, 62–63, 104, 105, 111, 126, 171
Race Today Collective 46–47, 55, 72, 91, 113
Rachel, Daniel xii
Racial Preservation Society 14, 37
Rana, Balwinder 135, 136, 143, 159
Red Lion Square 26–29, 37, 145
Reed Herbert, Anthony 30, 152
Reilly, Danny 71, 91, 169
Relf, Robert 42
Rhodes, Bernie 107, 108
Rhodesia 1, 21
Roberts, Ernie 43, 90, 127, 128, 155
Robinson, Tom xiii, 53, 60, 107, 109, 111, 120
Rock Against Communism 122, 154
Rock Against Sexism 120
Rosenberg, David 97, 108, 135
Rosselson, Leon 57
Rotten, Johnny 60
Rowbotham, Sheila 39
Ruts, the 60, 63, 125, 145
Saltley Gates, Battle of 5, 43
Samuel, Raphael 112
Saunders, Red 44, 51–52, 55, 56, 63, 65, 66, 78, 104, 105, 110, 126, 127, 152, 159, 161
Saville, John 90
Scargill, Arthur 5, 73
Scarman, Lord Justice Leslie 26–29
Searchlight xii, 18, 100, 154
Searle, Chris 147–148
Second World War 3–4, 56, 61
Sedgwick, Peter 7
Seifert, Michael 89
Sex Pistols 57, 58, 60, 61, 120
Sham 69 61, 62–63, 104, 105, 126, 155–156, 171
Sharma, Vishnu 46
Shelton, Syd 53, 56, 65, 66, 72, 80–81, 108, 110, 152
Siblon, John 118
Singh Chaggar, Gurdip 46
Singh, Marsha 42
Sioux, Siouxsie 61, 63
Sivanandan, Ambalavaner 92
Smithfield Market 11, 12, 21
Socialist Labour League see Workers’ Revolutionary Party
Socialist Workers Party 26, 29, 41–44, 65, 74–76, 83, 85, 87–88, 106, 108–109, 112, 114, 115, 122, 128, 129, 136, 163
Society of Graphical and Allied Trades 95
Southall 42, 45, 46, 47, 134–150, 161–162
Special Patrol Group 140, 146–148, 156
Specials, the 155, 161, 169
Steel Pulse 53, 107, 109, 122
Steel, Mark 59, 126, 145
Strouthous, Andy 77, 163
Strummer, Joe 59, 107, 108
Stubbs, Celia 145
Styrene, Poly 60
Sullivan, Anna 69, 131, 156, 163, 164, 165
swastikas, wearing in punk scene 61–62
TASS see Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section
Taylor, Robert 33
Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Section 40
Temporary Hoarding 55, 56, 58, 62, 65, 109, 165
TGWU see Transport and General Workers’ Union
Thatcher, Margaret x, 8, 83, 105, 152, 157, 170
Thompson, Edward Palmer 90
Tilzley, Steve 128
Tomlinson, Ricky 25
Toothpaste, Lucy xiii, 57, 58–59, 61, 10
Transport and General Workers’ Union 24, 140, 169
Tyndall, John x, 16, 17, 18–20, 21–23, 26, 29, 30–31, 38–39, 41, 81–85, 94, 106, 108–109, 134, 153, 154
Tyneside 38
Ugandan Asian migration crisis 12, 21, 170, 172
Union Movement 15
United Black Youth League 45
Verrall, Richard 152
Victoria Park 107–113, 121
Walker, John 96, 122
Walker, Martin 28, 38, 108
Webb, Kate 53, 65, 66, 152, 159
Webster, Martin x, 16, 21, 25, 29, 30, 41, 79, 84, 93, 94, 99, 106, 152
Weller, Paul 58
Wells, Seething (Steven) 60
West Runton 169
Wheen, Francis 95
White, Police Constable Raymond 146–147
Whitelaw, William 3, 33, 144
Widgery, Dave 8, 12, 41, 44, 53–54, 55, 56, 59, 61, 66, 77–78, 80, 82, 88, 107, 108, 109, 118, 121, 122, 123, 127, 129, 134, 152, 153, 159, 171–172