Things we did ..... Liverpool .... 1980

It was the first big demonstration against the newly elected Tory Government.

The year was 1980, and on that day in late November I was there with the Moss Side CLP and its banner.

We had travelled across from Manchester in two double deck buses and were joined by 40,000 from around the country.

I have long lost all the newspaper clippings but today came across a piece by William Border published by the New York Times on November 30th which reported Michael Foot telling us  "You are here stating for the nation that we are not going to tolerate what this Government is doing to us.

We're going to carry this campaign from one end of the country to the other, to mobilize the power and strength of the people to destroy this Thatcher Government and build a real socialism,”*

Needless to say I don't remember the speech, although that may have had more to do with taking pictures.

But along with others I did carry the campaign on from Liverpool to Birmingham and on to London.

All now a long time ago.

But emboldened by Mr. Border's I shall now trawl the Guardian archive for more on the spot reporting.

Location; Liverpool

Pictures; in Liverpool with the Moss Side |CLP banner, 1980, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*40,000 March In Liverpool to Protest Unemployment; Recalls Marches of the 30's Unemployment at 8.4 Percent, William Borders New York Times, Nov. 30, 1980,https://www.nytimes.com/1980/11/30/archives/40000-march-in-liverpool-to-protest-unemployment-recalls-marches-of.html