Question: Dave Douglass on the Anarchist Press (1984-85)

There's a quote from Dave Douglass something along the lines of:
During the miners' strike, the anarchist press was gladly received in the pit villages: Class War for amusement; Black Flag for analysis.

Can't find the quote. Can you? Dave himself says:

"Yes I wrote that, not sure where it was quoted, its true though, Class War influenced the young miners and struck a cord with them in their demeanour, rebellion and lack of reverence." and "It might have been an interview I did with a French anarcho mag".

[edit: Not - as far as we know - in Ghostdancers. And probably looking back, so not in 'Tell us lies about the miners' or 'Come and wet this truncheon'.]

Just skimmed All Power to the

Just skimmed All Power to the Imagination and it's not in there, maybe Pit Sense versus the State? Can check tomorrow.

Quoted with approval by

Quoted with approval by Douglass is the October 1994 edition of Spartacus, a publication put together by SPGB comrades in Norwich. He generally agrees with the case put in an article called "Socialism and Trade Unions":

"[T]he essence of the trade union is workers uniting to protect their interests in the workplace, and . . . ultimately the union and the workers are one and the same thing. If these workers have reformist outlook on life, i.e. believe that capitalism can be made to run in the interests of all, the unions must therefore have the same outlook; on the other hand if there were more revolutionary workers in the unions—and in society generally—then the unions would have a more revolutionary outlook, no longer harbouring any illusions about 'common national interests' or other such rubbish. That would not in any way alter the essential nature and role of the trade unions as the defensive organisations of the working class; but it would make them far more effective fulfilling that role" (All Power to the Imagination p.10 - quoted from Spartacus).

Thanks. and "Can check

Thanks.
and "Can check tomorrow": Let us know if it turns up!

Checked Pit Sense and

Checked Pit Sense and couldn't find owt I'm afriad

There's a footnote in

There's a footnote in Ghostdancers where he is attacking Wildcat and the ICC. The last few sentences read,

"Class War needless to say threw themselves body and soul into the strike and were heartily received by the miners and the coal communities. The memory of their intervention was to remain deep and longlasting. Their papers are still around in the pit communities and many regional offices of the NUM, especially the anti-Thatcher, anti-MacGregor ones pinned on walls with pride."

It's footnote #161.

Cheers

ICC correspondence with Dave

ICC correspondence with Dave Douglass: http://en.internationalism.org/2009/icconline/october/miners