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Rinty
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Poll Tax Rebellion 20 Years On by Tommy Sheridanhttp://www.solidarityscotland.org/content/view/609/66/
The anti-poll tax campaign made it "uncollectable" and its unbreakable spirit rested in its grass roots character. The thousands of ‘ordinary’ people who became extra-ordinary campaigners, particularly, it has to be said, the many women who led from the front. The names of Betty Currie, Mary McQuade, Betty McEachran, Jean from Cambuslang, Agnes from Pollok, Margaret from Easterhouse and hundreds of others too numerous to mention were the lifeblood of the campaign and they more than anyone put the "uncollectable" into the poll tax and helped melt down the iron lady and despatch her to the political knackers yard were she belongs. Well done to each and every one of the anti-poll tax campaigners on the 20th anniversary of our almighty struggle.
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Dave Coull
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Most of this article I would agree with. However............ | Quote: | | Those of us involved in devising the mass non-payment campaign |
Tommy does appear, here, to be claiming that it was him and his political colleagues in the "Militant" tendency who "DEVISED" the mass non-payment campaign. If that is indeed what is being claimed, that claim is, at best, an exaggeration. There were already moves under way, for instance, from "Community Resistance" in Edinburgh, to create a non-payment campaign BEFORE Militant became involved. There would have been an organised non-payment campaign anyway, Militant or no Militant. Supporters of Tommy and co will no doubt say that it wouldn't have been as effective without them, and I am not seeking to detract from the role that they did in fact play; but it's a certainty that there would have been widespread, organised non-payment, first in Scotland and then later in England, anyway.
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Rinty
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He doesnt claim that it was only Mlitant dave, he just says he and others were involved. That Militant were heavily involved in the strategy for the APTF is a fact, I can see why you would want to point out that they were not alone, Tommy makes that same point in his article.
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