THE ANTI POLL TAX MOVEMENT

Dave Coull · THE ANTI POLL TAX MOVEMENT

There are many misconceptions around about the anti-poll-tax movement. These misconceptions take different forms, according to the political prejudices of the individual - there is a "nationalist" misconception and there is a so-called "internationalist" misconception. In the course of a discussion on the "Scotsman" website, somebody calling themselves "Sedov" gave a classic instance of the "internationalist" misconception, using the anti-poll-tax movement as an example of "internationalism" which proved the dangers of "nationalism". As somebody who was involved in the anti-poll-tax movement from its earliest beginnings right to the end of the thing, I wrote two responses which I now think deserve to be more widely read. Here they are.

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Sedov (126) says "the Poll Tax was a striking example of all working people in the UK defeating a state policy". You obviously don't know as much as you think you do, Sedov. The poll tax was NOT state policy throughout the UK. But yes, it was the policy in Scotland, and, later, in England. I was involved in the anti-poll-tax movement even before that bandwaggon jumper Tommy Sheridan joined us. Not only did I start our local anti-poll-tax group, right from the very start I was contacting colleagues in England and telling them "here is what we are doing to resist the poll tax here in Scotland, it's being introduced in England a year later, but start organising and learning from our experience now". I took part in anti-poll-tax activities in Montrose, Arbroath, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, and on the occasion of the introduction of the poll tax in England I was in London to let Maggue Thatcher know in no uncertain terms what we thought of her "flagship" policy. The SNP didn't play much of a role in the anti-poll-tax movement, but an SNP councillor from our local anti-poll-tax group did go down to a town in England and spoke to people at a meeting there. But your attempt to link the anti-poll-tax movement with British Unionism is false. Many of us who were involved were certainly not supporters of the United Kingdom. I'm all in favour of internationalism: but there is a huge difference between internationalism and what YOU are doing, which is defending the United Kingdom.

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Sedov (372) claimed the anti-poll-tax movement was "UK-wide". In wasn't, for the simple reason that the poll tax was never introduced in Northern Ireland. For that reason, I said Sedov didn't know as much about the subject as he claimed. Sedov then comes back with "#223 Dave - you obviously dont know as much as you say you do". That's just playing tit-for-tat.

"actually started in Edinburgh around 1980 by the left wing labour group of lothian region" - I was referring to the NON-PAYMENT movement, not to token gestures by Labour politicians. So far as the resistance is concerned, it started more or less simultaneously in a number of places, one of which was Edinburgh. Only later did these independent groups come together to form the Scottish Federation of Anti-Poll-Tax Unions. The All-Britain Federation (note - NOT UK) came later still. But, statement of fact, I was in touch with colleagues in England right from the very start.

I was at the big demo in London when they introduced the poll tax in England. The "convenor" of the All-Britain federation made the BIG mistake of saying after that he would be prepared to provide the names of "troublemakers" to the cops. Tommy Sheridan also said something stupid, but he back-tracked VERY fast. Which is why everybody remembers Tommy and nobody remembers the other guy.

BTW, I didn't say the struggle against the poll tax was 'unionist'. I said YOU had impled it was. Why even mention it in this context if that was not your intention?

" we linked up workers organisations such as the trade unions, labour party, communist party and the sectarian parties such as the SWP" - which "we" would that be? I was deeply involved in the anti-poll-tax movement right from the very start, and your nonsense giving prominence to groups such as the Communist Party whose role was negligible looks like a Stalinist re-writing of history to me.

"long live internationalism and down with nationalism! you will come to that conclusion eventually" - I have been an internationalist for more years than you have been on this Earth, sonny. What you wrote sounded like using "internationalism" to justify what is in effect "unionism". It still does.