GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

really quite nasty people, as it is being filled in countries like Italy, in countries

like Germany where you are seeing the rise for the first time of quite hard line

right wing parties.

BRO IAN LAWRENCE (NAPO): Larry, it is a very interesting debate that you have

generated and my question/observation kind of follows on from Steve Gillan’s,

because the policy of NAPO, such as it is, we never had a members’ policy, but

the nearest we came is that Yvonne and myself when we attended the TUC

last year were able to report back to our executive that the TUC policy was to

seek to respect the referendum result whilst trying to negotiate a deal that did

the things that people have been talking about – defend workers’ rights now

and well into the future – and that seemed to me to be a respectable position to

take. I think a lot has changed since then. We have seen talks go on,

amazingly, between the Tory and Labour Parties that have come to no fruition,

no surprise there. But, to me, the whole game has changed because of the

rise of the far right during the run up to the European Elections and the period

since last year’s TUC. You will probably have seen this photo yourself, most of

you out there will have as well. That is a picture of a guy called John Tyndall.

John Tyndall, if you remember him, in the 70s was a right wing fascist thug who

ran the National Front. Next to him is a rather fresh faced young man. He is

called Nigel Farage! Not a lot of people know that. If there is ever a reason to

not let the far right grab hold of this debate about remaining or leaving Europe,

that, to me, is it. That transcends any economic argument as far as I am

concerned, because if we do not act to prevent people like him, closet fascist

racists, coming through, we are getting to a situation redolent of the 30s in Nazi

Germany. That is a fact of life and personally, this is not NAPO policy, but

personally, I do not think we can afford to let that happen. (Applause)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Ian. I do not know if you want to comment, Larry.

LARRY ELLIOTT: I think it goes without saying. I would not disagree with a single

word of it.

THE PRESIDENT: Great. If there are no other points from the floor, thank you very

much, Larry. Thank you for taking the time to come and see us again.

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