Jimmy Reid

I thought I would post this tribute to Jimmy Reid courtesy of Mediawatch which you can subscribe at Mediawatch2010@aol.com
Larry


Jimmy Reid

It is sobering to realise that most readers of Mediawatch never ever saw the famous 'no hooliganism no bevvying' black and white TV broadcast of 1971. Prominent political figures, such a Nicola Sturgeon ,never saw it because they were either not born or still in their cots. Its impact was enormous. It slowed the de industrialisation process down for a few years, till at least the more ruthless Margaret Thatcher appeared.It is worth more than a thought to reflect what might have happened if Jimmy and the Clyde workers had been nationalists at the time. Certainly the panic and indecision that gripped the British establishment would have been very much worse.

Jimmy was in politics and knew as well as most of us that if you stick your head above the parapet then it is not long before someone fires at it. He was deeply concerned at the methods Arthur Scargill used to conduct the miners' strike in 1982 and voiced these concerns widely.The consequent 'class traitor ' rhetoric fell upon him like an avalanche. For a man of his calibre and integrity it must have been profoundly painful.It would have been much easier just to lay into Thatcher, but he had too much integrity not to speak his mind on the direction of the strike.Many of us shared his suspicion at the time that the strike had become as much about Scargill's ego as about the rights of miners and their families. A braw fechter has left us,but never to be forgotten. Not in the lifetime of anyone reading this anyway.


An appreciation from Jimmy's MSP.

From JIM MATHER MSP (ARGYLL & BUTE)

11th August 2010 for immediate release

JIMMY REID 9/06/1932 -10/08/2010

Jim Mather MSP for Argyll & Bute issued the undernoted statement on hearing of the death of Jimmy Reid

"I know that Jimmy's passing will have made today a reflective one for many people. For me, he was a constituent, a friend, a mentor and my all-time-favourite newspaper columnist - always able to make a wise and convincing contribution in any situation - so the contemplation has been deep.

He and I converged in our thinking from very similar starting points but from very different life experiences and I will always owe him a personal debt for keeping me aware that we must keep striving to pull all of Scotland together.

His contribution to Scotland has been immense. He restored true principles, sound values and warm humanity in the hearts and minds of many people and now he has left others with the job of making that more pervasive.

That obligation lies now with all of us - and of course he armed us for the task with his legacy of articles, books and ideas, his ability to debate and challenge the ideas of others and his willingness to read anything that would enable him to learn.

He will never be forgotten or thanked enough.”

JIM MATHER MSP jim.mather.msp@scottish.parliament.uk



A Giant Indeed

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Jimmy Reid: 'The best MP Scotland never had'

An engineer by trade, Jimmy Reid went on to make a name for himself as a trade union activist, journalist and broadcaster.

By Jennifer Crichton

11 August 2010 08:14 GMt
191150

Jimmy Reid: 'The best MP Scotland never had'

Jimmy Reid: Shot to prominence leading the campaign against the Glasgow shipyard closures.

Jimmy Reid was born in Glasgow’s Govan in 1932.

An engineer by trade, Reid became a union official and shot to prominence in the 1970s when he led the famous Upper Glasgow Shipbuilders Work-in.

The firm was formed from the amalgamation of five major firms on the Clyde in 1968. However, by 1971, only one of the original companies remained profitable and the company went into administration. The Government, headed by Conservative Edward Heath, refused to save the firm with a £6m loan.

Reid, along with his shop steward colleagues Jimmy Airlie and Sammy Barr, set about organising an action against the closure. However, instead of staging a strike, they decided to demonstrate the viability of the yard by staging a “work-in” and completing their existing contracts.

In a bid to tackle any “work-shy” image of the threatened staff, Reid imposed strict standards during the action and famously telling the workers: "no hooliganism, no vandalism and no bevvying.”

The action attracted wide-spread support from across the globe.

The yard workers were addressed by Tony Benn, entertained by Billy Connolly, and even given a £5000 contribution from John Lennon.

The movement ended when, in 1972, the government relented and saved two of the five yards, selling off another.

Meanwhile, in 1971 on the back of his trade union activities, Reid was elected rector of Glasgow University, giving a speech which was printed in full in the New York Times.

At the same time, Mr Reid was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, serving as a councillor in Clydebank and standing for Westminster election in 1974.

His communist party membership also allowed him the unprecedented access which later led him to create his STV documentary series, ‘Reid About the USSR’. The programmes won him two Baftas in 1984, but by that time, his political beliefs had moderated.

Mr Reid joined the Labour Party and stood for Dundee East in 1979, losing to the then SNP leader Gordon Wilson. His failure to reach Westminster for a second time led to him being described as "the best MP Scotland never had".

He also became a renowned print journalist, writing for newspapers including the Sun, the Herald and the Scotsman, and presented a number of popular TV chat show and documentary series.

Reid continued to support Labour until the 1997 election, when he became disillusioned and urged people to vote SNP or Scottish Socialist instead.

In 2004, he urged SNP members to support Alex Salmond’s leadership bid, with Nicola Sturgeon to be deputy leader. The following year, it was revealed he had joined the SNP.