Bob Crow: Socialist, leader, fighter
Bob Crow: Socialist, leader, fighter

Author: Gregor Gall

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2017-03-11

Total Pages: 365

ISBN-13: 1526100304

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Bob Crow was the most high-profile and militant union leader of his generation. This biography focuses on his leadership of the RMT union, examining and exposing a number of popular myths created about him by political opponents. Using the schema of his personal characteristics (including his public persona), his politics and the power of his members, it explains how and why he was able to punch above his weight in industrial relations and on the political stage, helping the small RMT union become as influential as many of its much larger counterparts. As RMT leader, Crow oversaw a rise in membership and promoted a more assertive and successful bargaining approach. While he failed to unite all socialists into one new party, he established himself as the leading popular critic of neo-liberalism, 'New' Labour and the age of austerity.

Bob Crow
Bob Crow

Author: Gregor Gall

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 9781526100290

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This is the first biography of Bob Crow, the best-known union leader of his generation. It is a sympathetic but critical account, written from a radical sociological perspective.

Mick Lynch
Mick Lynch

Author: Gregor Gall

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2024-01-02

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 1526173085

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In the summer of 2022, the little-known leader of a small union became a ‘working-class hero’. Facing down media pundits who thought they could walk all over him, he offered a robust critique of the government and provided workers with an authentic voice. At a time when the Labour Party was unable to articulate a credible alternative to the Tories, Mick Lynch spoke for the working class. Where did Lynch come from? How did he develop the skills and traits that make him such an effective spokesperson and leader? This book, the first biography of Lynch, explores his family and social background and his rise to the top of the RMT union, which culminated in election as General Secretary in 2021. Considering his persona and politics, this book asks what quality singles out Lynch as a working-class hero compared to other union leaders and, more broadly, what leadership means for working people and for the left. If we want better leaders at every level, the case of Mick Lynch holds the key.