It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the passing of Joe Simpson, the deputy general secretary of the Prison Officers Association (POA) and a firm friend of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) over many years.
Determined to take the fight against the ban on prison officers’ right to strike onto the political plane, and resist prison cuts and privatisation plans too, Joe stood as a TUSC candidate in the 2012 Greater London Assembly elections and joined the TUSC all-Britain steering committee in the same year, sitting in a personal capacity. He also stood as a TUSC parliamentary candidate in the 2015 general election.
Joe was an implacable opponent of Tony Blair’s ‘New Labour’ and its policies defending the interests of the capitalists against the working class – policies continued under Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband – but saw the possibilities of change in a socialist direction under Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour leadership. In the same spirit, the TUSC steering committee as a whole agreed to recalibrate our electoral activity during this period, not contesting either the 2017 or 2019 general elections.
But with Starmer’s ascent to the leadership in 2020 and the revival of ‘New Labour’ in its new guise, Joe enthusiastically agreed to speak at the conference to relaunch TUSC in February 2021, held on zoom during the Covid pandemic.
The loss of his voice in defence of working class interests is a painful blow to us all but others will have to come forward to pick up the banner. ■
The TUSC national chairperson Dave Nellist adds: “Joe was a true giant of the workers’ movement, a man of immense strength both physically and in his convictions. His dedication to militant trade unionism and socialist change was unwavering. He inspired all who knew him. It was a privilege to work alongside him, both locally and nationally. His loss will be deeply felt within the trade union and socialist movement”.