The North Sea 1. The reaction to Piper Alpha
In this interview, Neil Rothnie describes the surge of organisation among oil workers in the British section of the North Sea in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The shock of the explosion on the Piper Alpha oil rig on 6 July 1988, in which 167 oil workers died, was a catalyst for rank-and-file organisation. Activists established the Oil Industry Liaison Committee (OILC), after the Piper Alpha disaster, to coordinate…
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I think it worth pointing out
I think it worth pointing out that the May Day picture is not from 1962, it’s from a later May Day demo 1963 or more likely 1964. If it was 1964, I was there, and remember the lad carrying the poster, ‘Vote for Guy Fawkes’, he was known to me as ‘Wee Larry’ and he was around the peace/anarchist movement for a number of years (he was very proud of the poster as he’d made it!).
In the Kate Sharpley Library there is another photo for the same May Day (also from 1962?) showing S.C. and comrades sitting in Queens Park watching the speeches (note the empty seats).
http://www.katesharpleylibrary.net/ksn17g
In case of any doubts about my dates look at the Scottish Screen Archive site, May Day Demonstration - ref # 3213 there are two videos of the 1962 Gaitskell demo. Wee Larry is clearly visible (several times) carrying a poster saying, ‘It’s Not Too Late Hugh’. Also, there were so many people in the park it was standing room only!
http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=3213&cid=74959709
Edit:
Wee Larry is also on a video of a Holy Loch demo 'Demonstration Against Polaris Base 1963' (01:33), as is the same Glasgow Anarchist banner (01:12).
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/demonstration-against-polaris-base
Edit #2
Stuart Christie in his book, 'My Granny Made Me An Anarchist', states 1964 as the date of the May Day photo (page 145). So this coincides with my memory. :p