In 1902, for the first time, under the Education Bill 'working-class children' were entitled to go to school, but this was little more than preparing them for work in the factories, fields or domestic service.
Many progressives and trade unionists believed that that all children should have a decent education. Tom and Kitty Higdon were Christians and Socialists who saw education as an opportunity for a better life.
They began teaching near Aylsham in Norfolk in 1902, a highly agricultural area where the Agricultural Workers Union was actively organising workers.
The Norfolk Education Committee was dominated by farm owners who provided squalid conditions and took children out of school whenever seasonal cheap labour was needed.
Following disputes with the school managers at Aylsham, in 1911 the Higdons were moved to a school at Burston village, run by a committee of farm owners chaired by the local Rector, the Reverend Charles Tucker Eland.
Eland was a reactionary conservative whose £580-a-year salary contrasted with an annual wage of about £35 for many of his congregation, who were in constant danger of being evicted by the land owners.
The Higdons soon came into conflict with the committee over the cold and damp conditions at the school, but they gained great respect in the local community for their efforts to give their children a better start in life. Attendance at the school rose dramatically.
Tom Higdon stood for the parish council along with other villagers, and they succeeded in pushing out Charles Reverend Eland and several other land owners. The balance of power on the parish council swung in favour of the working people.
The committee, led by Charles Eland, accused Kitty Higdon of discourtesy over an incident in which the schoolroom fire was lit without permission, and persuaded a local foster mother to say she had beaten and mistreated her foster daughters. They demanded the immediate dismissal of Tom and Kitty Higdon.
'We are going on strike tomorrow'
An inquiry cleared the Higdons of mistreating the children, but the committee decided to dismiss them on the grounds of discourtesy. But on the day managers welcomed a new teacher to the school, they discovered writing on the classroom blackboard saying 'We are going on strike tomorrow', and heard a commotion outside.
A group of children, led by one of the pupils, Violet Potter, along with their parents, marched through the village which placards declaring 'We want our teachers back', and a banner carrying the single word 'Justice'.
At Crown Green the Higdons gave an emotional speech, and the parents, led by the village fishmonger George Durbidge, decided they wanted the Higdons to continue teaching their children.
A makeshift schoolroom was set up on the Green under a marquee, where the Higdons began teaching all but 6 of the pupils. The school was later housed an unused workshop on the Green.
The Management Committee resorted to intimidating the parents; many were charged with not sending their children to a state-recognised school, but the fines were paid from collections held outside the courtroom.
Workers who supported the ‘strike school,’ as it became known, were sacked by local landowners, threatened with eviction, and some even had their houses and crops ransacked, but such actions strengthened their determination and the growing support of the labour movement.
The strike became a rallying cause for trade unionists and progressives all over Britain, with supporters and speakers regularly visiting Burston, and after one year over £1,250 was raised in donations from trade unions and Labour Party branches.
In the midst of the horrors of the Great War, Burston was a spark of hope, and remained a beacon for trade unionists long after the strike itself had come to an end.
In May 1917 a brand new purpose-built school was opened by the leader of the strike, Violet Potter, who said at the opening: "with joy and thankfulness I declare this school open to be forever a School of Freedom".
The Burston Strike School only came to an end a few months after Tom Higdon died in August 1939, and Kitty was unable to carry on alone. Its pupils - the children and grandchildren of the original strikers - were taken to the Council School, where the facilities were now greatly improved.
The boycott of the Council School had lasted for over 25 years and earned its place in history as the longest-lasting strike ever.
Kitty Higdon died in April 1946. Both she and Tom are buried in Burston's churchyard.
Monday 24 September 2007
Thursday 6 September 2007
Burston Rally 2007 - a fantastic turnout
Trade unionists and activists from across Britain gathered at Burston village for the annual Strike School commemoration on Sunday 2 September in the biggest turnout for many years.
This year's event took place on the ninetieth anniversary of the opening of the present school in 1917 by George Lansbury, who became leader of the Labour Party in 1931.
Will Sullivan, the TUC's Equalities Officer opened the rally by drawing attention to the fact that in addition to their educational work the Higdons fought against child labour. The next speaker, Mary Davies of London Metropolitan University drew attention to the fact that the events in Burston did not take place in a vacuum.
The years before the First World War saw a great upsurge in political activity with trade unions growing in size and militancy while the Suffragettes were causing the Liberal government trouble as they escalated their campaign for votes for women. She was however in error by stating that Norfolk was not a militant area. Norfolk was where the agricultural labourer's union was founded in 1906.
After a march round the village retracing the route taken by the children when they left the old school in 1914 and music from local bands and Billy Bragg. other speakers took the stage. Barry Camfield, Assistant General Secretary of the TGWU Section of Unite welcomed the recent action of the Prison Officers Association in defying the anti-union laws introduced by Margaret Thatcher and maintained by Tony Blair. His comments on what should be done to repeal these anti-trade union laws was predictably vague.
Veteran Labour politician Tony Benn pointed out that while many speak of traditional British values, they in fact mean deference to the powers that be. Burston on the other hand represented a better British tradition of defiance and disobedience to the ruling classes which began with the Peasants'' Revolt of 1381 and was continued by the Levellers.
The final speaker was Bob Crow, General Secretary of the Railway Maritime and Transport union who denounced Gordon Brown for appointing Sir Digby Jones of the CBI while not appointing a trade unionist to Cabinet.
The NCP East Anglia District's stall had a steady stream of visitors. Before the day was out the entire stock of sixty New Workers was sold out. The specially produced East Anglia Worker also proved extremely popular. Throughout the day sales of literature,jigsaws, and bric-a-brac all helped boost Party funds.
This year's event took place on the ninetieth anniversary of the opening of the present school in 1917 by George Lansbury, who became leader of the Labour Party in 1931.
Will Sullivan, the TUC's Equalities Officer opened the rally by drawing attention to the fact that in addition to their educational work the Higdons fought against child labour. The next speaker, Mary Davies of London Metropolitan University drew attention to the fact that the events in Burston did not take place in a vacuum.
The years before the First World War saw a great upsurge in political activity with trade unions growing in size and militancy while the Suffragettes were causing the Liberal government trouble as they escalated their campaign for votes for women. She was however in error by stating that Norfolk was not a militant area. Norfolk was where the agricultural labourer's union was founded in 1906.
After a march round the village retracing the route taken by the children when they left the old school in 1914 and music from local bands and Billy Bragg. other speakers took the stage. Barry Camfield, Assistant General Secretary of the TGWU Section of Unite welcomed the recent action of the Prison Officers Association in defying the anti-union laws introduced by Margaret Thatcher and maintained by Tony Blair. His comments on what should be done to repeal these anti-trade union laws was predictably vague.
Veteran Labour politician Tony Benn pointed out that while many speak of traditional British values, they in fact mean deference to the powers that be. Burston on the other hand represented a better British tradition of defiance and disobedience to the ruling classes which began with the Peasants'' Revolt of 1381 and was continued by the Levellers.
The final speaker was Bob Crow, General Secretary of the Railway Maritime and Transport union who denounced Gordon Brown for appointing Sir Digby Jones of the CBI while not appointing a trade unionist to Cabinet.
The NCP East Anglia District's stall had a steady stream of visitors. Before the day was out the entire stock of sixty New Workers was sold out. The specially produced East Anglia Worker also proved extremely popular. Throughout the day sales of literature,jigsaws, and bric-a-brac all helped boost Party funds.
Tuesday 14 August 2007
No to foundation trust status!
The North East Essex Mental Health Branch of Unison has agreed to resist and campaign against plans by the North East Essex Mental Health Trust to form a foundation trust, on the grounds that this will put profit before people and take the running of the hospital out of government hands.
The foundation hospital scheme, promoted by Patricia Hewitt and first proposed by Alan Milburn with Tony Blair’s blessing, makes NHS trusts independent and in competition with one another.
As health minister, Hewitt subjected the NHS to marketisation and New Labour’s obsession with targets. The foundation hospital scheme goes even further, in effect breaking up the NHS and putting it in the hands of private marketeers and capitalist investors.
These profiteers – including British and foreign contractors - have already milked the NHS of billions in public money, thanks to their friends in New Labour.
Drastic cutbacks in spending after Hewitt introduced NHS internal market pricing last year have already led to the closures of mental health facilities in Essex, at Kitwood and at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, apart from ward closures and the sacking of thousands of nurses up and down the country.
In fact the North East Essex Mental Health Trust still has to resolve its own financial problems before it can apply for foundation trust status.
The branch also considered racist attacks on nurses by mental health patients over a two year period within the Trust, and has commissioned solicitors to investigate the attacks in which many of the trust’s black nurses suffered racial abuse.
The branch also re-affirmed its commitment to continue campaigning against racism and the BNP.
The branch has also sent £50 to social care staff in Glasgow who are on an indefinite strike against Glasgow City Council in a pay dispute. The strike has already lasted three weeks.
There is already widespread anger amongst nurses and other NHS staff over the government’s latest paltry pay increase offer of 2.5 per cent.
The foundation hospital scheme, promoted by Patricia Hewitt and first proposed by Alan Milburn with Tony Blair’s blessing, makes NHS trusts independent and in competition with one another.
As health minister, Hewitt subjected the NHS to marketisation and New Labour’s obsession with targets. The foundation hospital scheme goes even further, in effect breaking up the NHS and putting it in the hands of private marketeers and capitalist investors.
These profiteers – including British and foreign contractors - have already milked the NHS of billions in public money, thanks to their friends in New Labour.
Drastic cutbacks in spending after Hewitt introduced NHS internal market pricing last year have already led to the closures of mental health facilities in Essex, at Kitwood and at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, apart from ward closures and the sacking of thousands of nurses up and down the country.
In fact the North East Essex Mental Health Trust still has to resolve its own financial problems before it can apply for foundation trust status.
The branch also considered racist attacks on nurses by mental health patients over a two year period within the Trust, and has commissioned solicitors to investigate the attacks in which many of the trust’s black nurses suffered racial abuse.
The branch also re-affirmed its commitment to continue campaigning against racism and the BNP.
The branch has also sent £50 to social care staff in Glasgow who are on an indefinite strike against Glasgow City Council in a pay dispute. The strike has already lasted three weeks.
There is already widespread anger amongst nurses and other NHS staff over the government’s latest paltry pay increase offer of 2.5 per cent.
Monday 13 August 2007
The New Communist Party’s electoral policy
The NCP’s electoral policy calls on supporters to vote Labour in all elections, while boycotting European elections (this is because we do not regard the governing bodies of the EU as democratically representative).
Our call to vote Labour is not because we support the right-wing policies of New Labour, Tony Blair or Gordon Brown, or because we think a Labour government can solve the problems of working people - that is not possible in a capitalist 'democracy'.
A Labour government is simply the best possible outcome in the current political circumstances, in which Britain is governed through a bourgeois parliamentary democracy.
In our view a Labour government, with the organisational links connecting the Labour Party, trade unions and the Labour movement, offers the best option for the working class currently available. This is why the right wing and their supporters in the capitalist media have made so many attempts to break the Labour Party’s links with trade unions.
We believe that alternative electoral policies to achieve a leftist or socialist government are nothing more than a mirage. The only realistically possible alternative governments would involve Tories or Liberal Democrats and would be more anti-working class than a Labour government.
We believe there have been gains since 1997 which would not have happened under the Tories, including the peace process in Ireland, improved terms and conditions for workers, reduced child poverty, the restoration of the Greater London Authority, and the GLA’s successes under Ken Livingstone.
The removal of Tony Blair to some extent reflects the pressures from Labour Party members and the labour movement to end the war in Iraq, end privatisation and PFI and tackle the obscene inequalities in wealth distribution.
Of course these goals are far from being achieved with the installation of a Gordon Brown government, but the labour movement can still have greater influence than it would under a Tory or Lib Dem regime.
Our electoral policy does not represent our ultimate goals for the working class in Britain. Solving the problems of working people, and ending Britain’s imperialist role in the world, in our view can only come about through a socialist revolution, and putting the working class in power.
Our call to vote Labour is not because we support the right-wing policies of New Labour, Tony Blair or Gordon Brown, or because we think a Labour government can solve the problems of working people - that is not possible in a capitalist 'democracy'.
A Labour government is simply the best possible outcome in the current political circumstances, in which Britain is governed through a bourgeois parliamentary democracy.
In our view a Labour government, with the organisational links connecting the Labour Party, trade unions and the Labour movement, offers the best option for the working class currently available. This is why the right wing and their supporters in the capitalist media have made so many attempts to break the Labour Party’s links with trade unions.
We believe that alternative electoral policies to achieve a leftist or socialist government are nothing more than a mirage. The only realistically possible alternative governments would involve Tories or Liberal Democrats and would be more anti-working class than a Labour government.
We believe there have been gains since 1997 which would not have happened under the Tories, including the peace process in Ireland, improved terms and conditions for workers, reduced child poverty, the restoration of the Greater London Authority, and the GLA’s successes under Ken Livingstone.
The removal of Tony Blair to some extent reflects the pressures from Labour Party members and the labour movement to end the war in Iraq, end privatisation and PFI and tackle the obscene inequalities in wealth distribution.
Of course these goals are far from being achieved with the installation of a Gordon Brown government, but the labour movement can still have greater influence than it would under a Tory or Lib Dem regime.
Our electoral policy does not represent our ultimate goals for the working class in Britain. Solving the problems of working people, and ending Britain’s imperialist role in the world, in our view can only come about through a socialist revolution, and putting the working class in power.
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