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Regional secretary with the National Education Union
Labour and the unions need each other. Now is the time for solidarity
The party must stand proudly on the side of ordinary people and those struggling for both a decent standard of living and public services for all, writes DIANE ABBOTT MP

THERE were many memorable moments of the great miners’ strike of 1984-85. One of them I seem to recall (I am sure a reader or two will correct me) is Ron Todd, leader of what was the Transport and General Workers’ Union, trying to speak from the floor in the debate on the strike at the Labour Party conference. 

But the chair was initially refusing to call him until the outcry from the conference forced him to change his mind. 

Before that happened, a friend turned to me and said: “This is bloody ridiculous. He pays for the thing,” or more industrial words to that effect.

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