The Combination Act of 1799 - passed under the Govt of William Pitt the Younger as a response to Jacobin activity & the fear that workers would strike during a conflict - prohibited trade unions & collective bargaining by British workers.
Throughout the 1790s, the war against France was presented as an ideological struggle between French republicanism vs. British monarchism, with the British government seeking to mobilise public opinion in support of the war.
The Pitt government waged a vigorous propaganda campaign, contrasting the 'ordered' society of Britain dominated by the aristocracy & the gentry, with the "anarchy" of the French revolution. Pitt's Govt always sought to associate British "radicals" with the revolution in France.
Like the current Govt, the Pitt Govt drastically reduced civil liberties. It created a nationwide spy network with ordinary people being encouraged to denounce any "radicals" in their midst, & fermented a "popular conservative movement" that rallied in defence of King & Country.
The 1799 Combination Act drove labour organisations underground & toward militancy, with Unions subject to often severe repression.
Sympathy for the plight of the workers led to Unions being decriminalised when the Combination Act was repealed in 1824.
In response to a series of strikes that followed Union decriminalisation, the 1825 Combinations of Workmen Act decriminalised trade unions, but severely restricted their activity, prohibiting collective bargaining for better terms & conditions, & suppressing the right to strike.
Following the 1825 Combinations of Workmen Act, growing numbers of workers joined Unions in their efforts to achieve better wages & working conditions.
Generally much less radical but more permanent trade unions were established from the 1850s onwards.
The London Trades Council, uniting London's trade unionists, was founded in 1860, & the Sheffield Outrages (a series of explosions & murders by a group of trade unionist militants carried out in 1860s Sheffield) spurred the establishment of the Trades Union Congress in 1868.
The legal status of trade unions was established by the 1867 Royal Commission on Trade Unions, which despite hostility to the idea of legalising trade unions, agreed that the establishment of Unions was to the advantage of both employers & employees.
Unions were fully legalised with the adoption of the Trade Union Act 1871 - although the 1871 Criminal Law Amendment Act (fully repealed by the Trade Union & Labour Relations Act 1974) made picketing illegal.
Between 1862 & 1875, the average wage increased by 40%.
Voters need to know how right-wing populist nationalist politicians and radical/far-right nativist extremists construct their divisive discourse and rhetoric to exploit the anti-elite climate and fuel violence and division - and what to do about it.
So what can be done to counter divisive narratives and framing and to help Britain to become a more open, inclusive, fairer, less polarised and better multicultural society?
I make several suggestions in the above article, but make more below,
Countering the extreme right’s narrative of feeling "attacked" and needing to "defend" national identity requires a strategic, multi-faceted approach that challenges their framing while addressing underlying concerns and emotions.
The shameless lie that "Britain is lawless" is categorically false, as it contradicts empirical data on crime trends, rule of law metrics, and the functioning of UK institutions. Reform UK often use fearmongering exaggeration and selective framing to create a sense of crisis.
Official data from the ONS and Home Office indicate that overall crime rates in England and Wales have fluctuated but do not support the notion of a "lawless" state. The ONS reported a 7% decrease in total recorded crime (excluding fraud) from 2023 to 24.
#OnThisDay, 21 July, 1969, the Chicago Daily News published: The ‘love it or leave it’ nonsense, by Sydney J. Harris.
It began: One of the most ignorant and hateful statements that a person can make is “If you don’t like it here, why don’t you leave?”
I reproduce it, below.
Harris was born in London in 1917, moving to the US in 1922. A formidable journalist who established a distinct voice integrating incisive social commentary with wit and humour, his weekday column, ‘Strictly Personal’, was syndicated in 200 US newspapers.
The ‘love it or leave it’ nonsense, by Sydney J. Harris.
One of the most ignorant and hateful statements that a person can make is “If you don’t like it here, why don’t you leave?”
That attitude is the main reason America was founded, in all its hope and energy and goodness.
A few thoughts on Bob Vylan leading the #GlastonburyFestival crowd in chants of "Death to the IDF" (Israeli Defence Force), livestreamed by the @BBC, and the mischaracterisation of the chant by some MPs, news media, and activists.
In England, where #GlastonburyFestival is located, all of us have the right to freely express our criticism of anyone or anything - as long as there is no intent to provoke immediate unlawful violence or there is a reasonable likelihood it will occur as a consequence.
In England, free speech is protected under Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998. However, inciting violence is a criminal offence under several laws which attempt to balance public safety with free expression rights.
In many countries, especially since Musk bought Twitter/@X, underregulated online extreme content has been used to groom and radicalise vulnerable people.
Too many cowardly politicians are scared to speak up for fear of being branded 'anti-free speech'.
Some MPs who have been in parliament for many years NEVER appear on any of the @BBC's "flagship" politics shows - but Reform's privately educated shit-stirring 'anti-elite' former Tory Sarah Pochin - an MP for FIVE WEEKS - gets her own special introduction on #PoliticsLive.
Politicians using dangerously irresponsible anti-Muslim rhetoric know their comments are normalising Islamophobia and endanger British Muslim women. Islamophobic incidents rose by 375% in the week after Boris Johnson called veiled Muslim women “letterboxes” in 2018.
#PolitcsLive
Britain prides itself in NOT being the sort of country that tells women how to dress. States that do dictate women’s clothing (eg Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia) are vilified as misogynistic & ultra-controlling: the antithesis of the enlightened, liberal west. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…