Marching against unemployment

Scan page 13

100 people joined the TransPennine March from Sheffield to Blackpool on October 7 to 16. One marcher reports how he saw it:

AS WE started from Sheffield, Shardlows engineering, who were consistent in their financial and physical suppspite being told by management that they would be suspended for three days.

In Barnsley the march was addressed by Jack TaylOr, vice-president of the Yorkshire NUM, who were the biggest financial backers of the march. But probably the best reception was in Keighley, where Trades Council officials met us as well as Keighley MP Bob Cryer. A social was organised by the Labour Party Young Socialists.

In Blackburn we were met by the Right to Work marchers coming from Liverpool. Despite the feeling on both marches that the two should walk together, the predominantly Communist Party leadership of the Trans Pennine march refused, saying that 'ideological differences' separated the marches.

The 'broad' orientation of the People's Campaign for Jobs, which organised the Trans-Pennine march,, was. not broad enough to bring in militant working class youth organised by anyone with opinions to the left of the TUC.

Unity

Under pressure from Preston Trades Council, the Pennine march leadership agreed to a joint rally in Preston. John Deason, chief organiser of the Right to Work march, called for unity, to loud applause and cheering from both actions of the audience.

When we finally got to Blackpool, about 7,000 people, including 1,000 fřom the Right to Work march, joined us to lobby the Tory party conference.

Unfortunately, when the Right to Work march stopped outside the conference, we marched away to the Trades Club. It was a big anti-climax.

We should not ignore official TUC campaigns such as the Trans-Pennine march, but fight to make them a springboard for militant activity against capitalism, rather than passive liberal protest.

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ort for the People's March, walked out in solidarity, de-