Thousands Queue 4 Corbyn In Liverpool

Owen Smith Struggled to get 200 even with Free Ice-Cream!

I spent most of my childhood in Liverpool.  It was always known as a red, militant city.  The workers – dockers, carworkers, shipyard workers – were the most militant of all.  It was probably the Irish heritage – Liverpool used to be known as the capital of Ireland because of the large number of Irish immigrants.  But Liverpool has always been a city of immigrants.  It has the oldest Chinese community in Britain and a Somali community in Liverpool 8.  At the beginning of the Thatcher reign, some of the fiercest riots were in Liverpool 8 as a result of the notoriously brutal, violent and racist police.

In the 1980’s it was Liverpool City Council under Militant that led the fightback against Tory cuts until it was defeated under Derek Hatton.  Kinnock hypocritically made his famous speech decrying a Labour Council that sent redundancy notices by taxi to its workers, whilst arguing for a ‘dented shield’ policy that would ensure that all Labour Councils conformed without question to central government cuts.  .

After the first world war the government sent the troops into Liverpool against strikers (who included the Police force!) and two workers were killed.  The old traditions haven’t died.  This photograph of a rally for Jeremy Corbyn by the famous St George’s Hall is quite amazing.  I’ve never seen a demonstration that big in the City.  And to think that Owen Smith also had a rally at the weekend.  Even with a free ice cream van he could only muster 200 people at most!

See Watch: Thousands turn out to support Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in Liverpool