Report by John Pickard
The key task for all socialists and trade unionists in Northern Ireland today is to build workers’ unity in the face of a decades-long history of sectarianism and against all the main parties that still largely base themselves on a sectarian appeal.
It is extremely refreshing, therefore, to see that there were not one, but two standing ovations for Ed Waugh’s play, the Cramlington Train Wreckers, performed at the Waterford Hall in Belfast this month. For both performances, the play went down a storm as it was later reported in the Belfast Telegraph.
The CramlingtonTrain Wreckers (see review here) commemorates the struggle of workers in the 1926 General Strike and particularly the events in Cramlington, Northumberland, a mining village, where some strikers derailed the famous Flying Scotsman.
The miners, who were fighting for their very livelihoods, had thought they were going to derail a coal train, not a passenger train. But although there was only one minor injury, the full force of the law was brought down ruthlessly on some of those, who scabs pointed out to the police, were responsible. Long prison sentences followed.
The retelling of this story in Belfast, and its tremendous reception, shows the potential for unity among working class people and Ed Waugh reported that “the audiences were fantastic at both shows”.
“There were prominent, well-known people from both sides of the religious divide” at the both performances, Ed added, “sitting in the same auditorium …and they all stood united at the end…Trade unionism and socialism unites people of all colours, creeds, religions”.
Well done Ed Waugh. Only those rooted in the traditions of trade unionism and socialism can do this.
[Feature picture from Facebook, showing one of the standing ovations]
