Mr Tucker represents all that is wrong with the RMT. An unreconstructed figure of the hard left, and a fanatical supporter of Arthur Scargill's Socialist Alliance, he was ejected from the Labour Party some years ago. He, along with several other RMT leaders, is a throwback to the trade unionism of the 1970s - an era that must never return. If we are ever to see a modern railway service in this country, sooner or later there will have to be a showdown with the mindless militants of the RMT.
- Editorial in the Evening Standard, 4 January 2002
Greg Tucker – who died yesterday from throat cancer – was no stranger to hostile media coverage; it’ll be interesting to see what some of the mainstream press obituarists come up with. But he never had any difficulty with being described as ‘an unreconstructed figure of the hard left’, because that is essentially what he was.
Greg (pictured) and I got to know one another in the South London branch of the International Socialist Group in the early 1990s, and later worked together in the London Socialist Alliance. In the 2001 general election, he stood as a Socialist Alliance parliamentary candidate, polling 906 votes against Keith Hill in Streatham.
He also served as a Labour councillor in Lambeth throughout the period in which that local authority was controlled by the hard left, achieving a certain amount of notoriety, including this mention in the House of Commons by a Tory former cabinet minister.
As Michael Heseltine made clear, Greg lost his council seat not because he was voted out by the voters or democratically deselected by Labour Party members, but because he was deemed unacceptable by the Walworth Road machine:
Mr. Heseltine : But there is a consolation prize for the Labour party. It will win the vote of no confidence that was passed today in its Labour candidates in Lambeth. The House is entitled to the latest up-to-the -minute information. Today the Labour executive kicked out 13 of Labour's councillors in Lambeth. The Labour leader, Joan Twelves, is out. The mayor, George Huish, is out. The deputy leader, John Harrison, is out. The chief whip, Julian Lewis, is out. Greg Tucker, Mrs. Twelves's partner, is out. I leave it to my right hon. and hon. Friends to interpret that for themselves ; whatever he happens to be, he is out on his ear. As all those great luminaries of the Labour establishment get the chop, they have given a new political significance to the meaning of the Lambeth walk. [Interruption.] It is a long way to Tipperary and it is quite a long way to Sheffield as well.
As if all of this didn’t keep him busy enough, Greg went on to achieve notoriety all over again for his activism in the RMT transport union, playing a leading role in several strikes. In 1999, he stood for the position of general secretary on a rank and file ticket, and picked up around one-third of the ballot, a highly credible vote for a revolutionary.
The Daily Telegraph headlined one story about him ‘Left-winger at the heart of the dispute'. It's almost a pity that Greg will be cremated rather than buried, because that would have made the perfect epitaph. Condolences to Joan and to Greg’s son by an earlier relationship.
Comments (14)
Tribute to Greg and funeral details here: http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2008/04/greg_tucker_a_brief_appreciati.html
Every socialist should consider it a badge of honour to really get up the noses of the class enemy.
[Gratuitious apolitical insults deleted. This blog normally upholds total freedom of speech, but this comment was unacceptable in the context]
The management.
Do you get your kicks out of insulting the dead, Mr Read? Greg, who I knew thirty years ago in East London, was a far, far nicer bloke than you will ever be. And it's spelt 'Minogue'.
Dear Dave, do us all a favour and delete the comment from that complete prick read. Mr Tucker was a class fighter of the highest order and having vermin like Read on the same page is an insult.
I'm sure Greg would have treated the insults of a self-evident piece of right wing shite like Read as a compliment - just as I'm sure, he regarded Hesaltine's remarks. As I've commented at 'Shiraz', I didn't know him all that well, and was often on the opposite side of various tactical disagreements, but he was clearly a most principled and courageous man, and personally always very friendly and polite, even to factional opponents like me. I'll certainly miss him, and send my condolences to all his friends, family and comrades. I notice that his funeral and wake details have been posted in an earlier comment, but in case anyone's missed them, here they are again:
The Funeral will take place from 12.30-13.30 on Wednesday, 16 April 2008 at West Norwood Crematorium and Cemetery, Norwood Road, West Norwood, London SE27 9JU. Tel: 020 7926 7900. Just 5 minutes walk from West Norwood train station. Buses 2, 68, 196, 315, 322 and 468 stop outside. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=SE27+9JU+&ie=UTF8&ll=51.445663,-0.10849&spn=0.046433,0.116215&z=13&msa=0&msid=110599981159510383190.0004498867b6450fb5732
A Wake to Celebrate the Life of Greg Tucker: Greg’s many friends, workmates and comrades are welcome to join his family at the funeral and are also invited to attend a celebration of Greg’s life following the funeral from 13.30 hrs at The Bread & Roses Pub http://www.breadandrosespub.com/ 68 Clapham Manor St, London SW4 6DZ. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=SW4+6DZ&ie=UTF8&ll=51.468927,-0.1369&spn=0.023205,0.058107&z=14&msa=0&msid=110599981159510383190.0004498867b6450fb5732
I got to know Greg Tucker when we were both on Lambeth TUC some years ago. He was a likeable bloke, always a sound, principled and conscientious member, and I believe that would also have been true of his work as a local councillor. Lambeth had more than its share of problems to cope with, and the councillors took a lot of stick both from the Tory parasite press and
some shifty elements purportedly on the "Left". Councillors like Greg opposed the Gulf war -how dare they! So when they tried to probe corruption in the council's affairs the dirty press and it seems the Labour leadership tried to blame them for what they were trying to stop.
The ignorant ("Scargill's Socialist Alliance"!) and malicious press attacks on Greg both on his political record and his union activity are a tribute. They do this whenever they sense that someone won't sell out. Talk to any of his fellow workers and you hear nothing but respect for the guy.
Greg is a great loss to the left and he was a lovely bloke as well.
I'm very saddened to hear of Greg's passing. For a little while the Socialist Alliance in London looked like a going concern with Greg Tucker as secretary. I was LSA chair at the time and Rob Hoveman was newly active in the executive for the SWP.
I remember attending a meeting of the European left in Paris with Greg and Rob. Greg and I shared a flat of an LCR comrade and had dinner together at a restaurant near Bastille, aptly named Sans Culotte. I think I had the duck.
Greg was always an honest broker in the Socialist Alliance and seemed genuinely interested in a unity of the Marxist left and not merely forming a fishing pool of disgruntled Labourites from which to recruit to the one-true-sect.
He was a committed father from what I know of many chats with him on many train trips up and down to Socialist Alliance executive meetings, demos and the sort. He was a widely read communist and open to working with political currents on to his left and right.
Of course, partly due to his membership of what I consider the opportunist ISG, we differed on many issues of politics, but we could always return to good humour.
His only problem was that for someone with a council flat so near to The Oval in Kensington, he had absolutely no interest in cricket. I offered to swap with him.
He was a great fighter for the London train drivers and will be greatly missed.
Red salute Greg.
Marcus Strom
Sydney
Greg Tucker will be missed. He was always a fighter in the socialist movement and the trade unions.
His calm reasoned approach in the face of many politcal attacks was an inspiration to me and many others.
Condolances Joan and his family.
Garth Frankland
Leeds
Bad news. I knew Greg in the latter days of the IMG-SL and the early ISG. Since then our paths have diverged and in recent years we were no more than nodding acquaintances. But I will remember him as one of the calmest and most stable of leftists, and as someone who, though always friendly and collaborative in his approach, had a steel core of political principle. A great loss to the movement as well as to his family.
Mike Macnair
Greg Tucker
A whole life to the class struggle.
Viva GST! He lead and spent oh so many hours in the background fighting for socialism.
I cannot begin to say how much this man gave in the struggle.
Steve French
Lambeth UNISON observed a moment's silence for Greg at our Branch this week - unusually we knew Greg as an employer (!) in his time as a leading Councillor. Greg was widely respected by those who remember him from his time as a Councillor and as a comrade on the Trades Council.
He is a great loss.
Was totally gutted when I heard this, Greg was a totally sound bloke and represented all that is positive about the workers'mvt.