Mick Lynch and Joe Strummer: working class heroes?

During the rail strikes in the summer of 2022, the leader of the RMT union Mick Lynch became the face and voice of a reinvigorated union movement. Red Line TV speaks to Gregor Gall, academic, author and activist, whose most recent book explores the life and politics of Mick Lynch. It follows his previous book about the punk politics of Joe Strummer, lead singer of The Clash. We ask Gregor Gall: are Lynch and Strummer really working class heroes?
Sign up to our email bulletins: www.theredline...
Register to join our live Zoom shows: bit.ly/3M9xk30
Follow us on Twitter: / redlinelabourtv
Find us on Facebook: / labourbriefingtv
Our RUclips channel is not monetized and we rely exclusively on the support of people like you to be able to keep producing political content from a left-wing perspective.
You can become a supporter of Red line TV with a regular subscription on Patreon: / redlinetv
Or you can make a one-off donation with Paypal: www.paypal.com...

[@hearnaw]

RMT had £25million in stock & shares. They have a right to do that but it isn't consistent with socialism. I wonder where the reserves of other Trade Unions are invested?

[@jonathancooper4914]

That’s not at all consistent with socialism.

[@cheesepuff455]

Isn't consistent with socialism🤔 Would using the available capitalist system to generate funds in order to use those funds to improve current workers rights and conditions be more consistent with the dictionary definition of socialism....probably not but would it fit with a broader sense of socialism?

[@jonathancooper4914]

@@cheesepuff455 socialism is when the workers control the means of production. Trade unions are reformist outfits whose actual role is to extract concessions from the bosses while policing the working class. However, we’re not (yet) at the point where unions are past their usefulness.

[@cheesepuff455]

@@jonathancooper4914 you seem to of missed my question. Yes I do understand the definition of socialism👍
And you make a valid point.👍

[@jonathancooper4914]

@@cheesepuff455 in answer to your question, it would fit in with the idea of social democracy.