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Liverpool
will be Capital of Culture in 2008, but the event has become the
product of the spin-doctors and marketing entrepreneurs. Much
controversy has surrounded attempts to organise blockbuster events
with expensive entrance fees. Declarations of this big name and that
celebrity, along with a plethora of job titles and lavish salaries,
have been the hallmark and emphasis of the (dis)organisers. A lot
has been made of the musical heritage and the great showbiz names
that adorn the history of the city. Whilst music has contributed to
Liverpool’s cultural life we can say with certainty that this city
was not built on rock and roll. But what is noticeable by its
absence is any profile given to the role of the Labour Movement and
community organisations in its development. The struggle for
housing, health care, an end to casual work, stable employment,
decent wages and conditions, a Health Service, an end to
sectarianism: all of these were fought for and won by organised
labour.
The great shipbuilding and maritime industry gave
employment to hundreds of thousands by fuelling the growth of
transport, construction, engineering, printing, the railways and so
was a key factor in the development of Liverpool as a great city.
Historic landmarks of the last century included
the great transport strike of 1911for trade unions recognition and
decent wages, gunboats were sent to the Mersey by Home Secretary
Winston Churchill who ‘smelt revolution in the air.’ The legendary
solidarity of the Liverpool working class was again displayed by a
towering level of support for the 1926 General Strike called to
defend the miners who were threatened with wage cuts and longer
hours. During the two world wars the bulk of imports and exports
passed through the Liverpool docks which author Herman Melville
described as being ‘as timeless as the pyramids.’
A great socialist once said that culture could be
defined as the superiority of humankind over nature. The pressure of
organised labour has been a constant factor in demanding an
improvement in working people’s living standards. With child poverty
still at an unacceptable levels and deplorable housing still a
feature of many people’s lives, much remains to be done before the
title City of Culture becomes a reality for thousands of Liverpool
citizens.
