By the editor
For the first time ever Left Horizons had a stall at the Durham Miners’ Gala, and it was a huge success. Three booklets were specially printed for the occasion and the stall also had Left Horizons badges, leaflets and postcards.
The Durham Miners’ Gala attracts nearly a quarter of a million visitors every year, to see the miners’ banners, listen to the bands and hear the speeches, always from left trade union leaders and MPs. It is the biggest workers’ festival in the UK. All of the great historic banners of the miners’ lodges were on display, including the famous one from the village of Chopwell (“Little Moscow” as it used to be called), near Gateshead, with images of Marx, Lenin and Keir Hardie [see picture top].
It is such a popular event that trade union activists come from all over the country, although as one would expect, there is a core of North East trade union members and activists making up the crowds. Apart from the banners of the Durham miners’ lodges – still functioning, though the collieries are long since closed – there are banners from many other trade unions from all parts of Britain.
For the first time ever, the Royal college of Midwives were represented by some of their members carrying a banner. There was also a debut for the National Association of Head Teachers, who had never been represented at the Gala before.
Not one person had a good word about Starmer
The many and various political stalls, some in the big marquee and some out in the open always attract a lot of interest. The Left Horizons stall was no exception, and it attracted a lot of interest from dozens of people, who expressed an interest in the website and its ideas. It is so refreshing to chat about politics to solid working-class people, like those to go to the Gala.
Most of those who came to the stall were either Labour Party members or supporters, although some – for understandable reasons – were having second thoughts on both accounts, because of the direction in which the leadership is going. In fact, not one person we met had a good word to say about Keir Starmer.
The three booklets printed for the Gala were The Labour Party, 2022-23 and The Climate Emergency, both being collections of articles already posted on the website, and Where is Britain Heading?, an analysis of the decline of British capitalism and a perspective and guide for the future. Between the three of these, around 220 booklets were sold, as well as badges and other items. It was a huge success in other words and there is no doubt whatever that it will be repeated next year.
