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From Socialist Worker, No. 1912 31 July 2004.
Marked up by Einde O’ Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
“Boring!” It was an intimidating yell. It was also very annoying. After all, I’d been a “professional revolutionary” for most of the 1970s. I’d been immersed in the Asian youth riots following a racist killing in Southall in the summer of 1976.
I could count several of the engineering shop stewards during the Heathrow airport strike in 1977 as personal friends. I knew all about the class struggle. How could my article for Socialist Worker be boring?
“Oh yes it is,” said Paul Foot. I’d just joined him on the staff at the paper. He will have said something like, “You’re writing to a formula. Don’t. Let the workers tell their own story. Seek out unusual aspects of their experience. Bet there is humour in the situation. Also, let them reflect and generalise.”
Of course, an investigation of bullying and corrupt authority required a different approach. But here also the “Boredom – PF (Richter) scale”, as well as an insistence on accuracy, thoroughness, and if possible originality (as well as humour), would be ruthlessly applied.
How privileged I, and all the others, have been to have worked alongside Paul. There was a touch of genius about his way with words. And how delighted he would be if a bit of it could rub off on others.
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