The Popular Front for the Liberation of the C.P.S.A

by Barrabas
and Special Agent Thomas Bowdler

As we look forward to the new regime under the GS elect, what should we expect from his style of leadership? News of the new dynamism reaches us from the DSS trenches.

In 1990, the old DSS W@les and South West Region was in the grip of the old Socialist C@rcus, led by GS elect Marek SWTKA with toadie pals Ann Rimell from Cardiff, various other dimwits from M*rthyr Tydf*l, J*hn Rick@rds from N*rth W@les and a dedicated group of groupies from dormant branches around the region. They even bombed out the only Mendic@nt tendency member, the immensely able H@rriet Stev*ns, because she was too right wing. The only branch that wasn't in the hands of the C@rcus was Brist*l.

J*hn Rick@rds came on a transfer to a Brist*l outstation and soon involved himself in the CPSA branch, organising a disparate group of anarcho-syndicalists (honest), SWP supporters and young drunks. At his first AGM, he stood for election, lost but not before he had addressed the branch AGM, attended by 160 members, over a third of the membership. Each office at full sub-branch committees, with up to eight members on them. His election leaflet launched an attack on the 'do-nothing branch' as he called it, and how he would expose the existing committee for any signs of 'dereliction of duty.' This was the branch that organised some of the best industrial action in the country just three years before in the 1987 pay campaign and ran its own schools on equal opportunities, basic TU courses and personal case schools. It also ran regular recruitment exercises which explained consistently high levels of membership in the branch. In 1992, Rick@rds and his stooges took the branch over. After eight years of consistent neglect and 'dereliction of duty', the branch looks rather different today.

Since SWTKA's pal took over the reins, there has not been one recruitment drive. In fact, in the local offices there are hardly any reps at all. In some, there are none. They have never run one school, the few members who remain never receive union circulars unless they are inadvertantly distributed by management or Haden's. One member says he's only seen a handful of circulars in the last year, two of which were branch recommendations for members to vote for SWTKA. Unless the circulars are sent directly from the union in the post, members are kept in the dark. Management consult more than the unions.

This is even more strange considering that the Branch Secretary and Chair, Mr Rick@rds and his wife, are both full-time union officials based in B@th. The new Southme@d office in Brist*l, partly unscreened and shared with the local authority, has never been visited since it opened a year ago by anyone from the union, and all the members have left PCS. They rarely come to Brist*l except for high profile campaigns, which is almost never, and do almost nothing apart from Mrs Rick@rds who to her credit does personal cases for Brist*l members. Brist*l members are never consulted on any Whitley matters and have not been for many, many years. J*hn is just a political animal still fighting the class war.

The Rick@rds' campaigned for many years against the merger yet now are both Executive grades having got through the AD4 boards last year, Mrs Rick@rds on appeal. In fact, of the few active members in the branch, almost all are EOs and over 40.

The last Branch AGM attracted a few reps and one ordinary member. About 10 people turned up to listen to Red Bacon (this one is safe to use - TB) witter on amiably about yesterday's battles. 160+ at the 'do nothing' branch' and 10 at the branch led by Workers Liberty/Socialist Carcase?

The full-time Rick@rds did not even hold pay balloting meetings this year or last at any of the Brist*l offices even though time-off was allowed for members to attend.

The Rick@rds wield the Brist*l block vote on the backs of 5/6 members from the mandating meetng for the ES/BA conference, and want SWTKA to run our union this way.

The National union has been aware of the collapse of the DSS Branch in Brist*l for some years yet has chosen to do nothing about it. Presumably with the M@d P*le in charge, the Brist*l project will become the model for other branches to follow. BTW, the rest of AD4 is in even worse shape. Proprietors? Step forward J*hn and Je@nne Rick@rds.

So, the BA GEC has re-allocated the personal case duties of Easton from the untrustworthy hands of this dangerous Right Winger to .... Christine Galligan - Right Winger. A victory for the Left there then.

When Easton informed the GEC that due to his fathers serious illness and his increasing domestic difficulties he would need help with a few Employment Tribunals....the Left told him to sod off.

Sian Ruddick is claiming that Easton was deliberately innundated with cases when he took over the role previously held by Graham Hodgkinson. Apparently there was a concerted effort to pass as many cases through to Easton as possible - so much for putting members first.

The GEC didnt re-allocate his duties - he voluntarily gave up the job after the total lack of support from the GEC and his domestic difficulties made it impossible to continue.

Funnily enough - as Chris Galligan has had no ET training or experience - she is recieving full-time assistance from.....Phil Easton.

Tony Buchanan is accused of incompetence due to the absence of courses run since his tenure. Reason?
Too many investigations into the behaviour of Left Wing run courses and the drunken and destructive behaviour of students. It seems that our politically correct colleagues are not above a bit of sexual harrasement whilst tanked up on a course; interesting complaints those were...

Barrabas enjoying Zmas