End of the red ensign???

[Trader]

Hi Bill,
What you said was true,
I was there when Paddy Neary was arrested, we were on the bomb site next to the Sailors Home.
Cunard had placed a High Court Injunction on Paddy banning him from Speaking.
As soon as he got up and spoke The Police were running around the big Notice Boards and dragged him into a van. He was sentenced to Six Months in gaol in Brixton Prison. Because he refused to work in Gaol they put him on Bread and Water for two days and solitary.
All that for making a speech.
The Union Man Yates said, what all Union Men are trained to say, "Me hands are tied lads."
While Paddy was in Gaol, he had a wife and four children, NO Benefits for strikers in those days. they had nothing, and no rent, facing eviction, The Communist Party, led by Barney Flynn kept his family fed and rent paid.
Paddy died at the end of 2005.
Cheers
Brian.

Hi Brian and Bill,

Here is a photo of my Seamans Reform Movement card and the subscriptions paid. 6 old pence per week, doesn't sound much but we didn't have much. I was in Manchester during the strike and Stan Robinson was our main man, organiser etc. a lovely man.

Regards...........Alec.

[happy daze john in oz]

To some extent i can agree with Ron and his point of view. But there is I believe another. I have spoken with many crew members on cruise ships about pay and conditions. There is a theory that all the catering crew get is $50 U.S. per month. It would appear that is not strictly true as they are paid a productivity bonus but not quite sure how it works but susopect it is to do with gratuities. But all that I spoke with say it is the best thing they have ever done, the pay is up tp ten times what they could earn at home. Most use the money to keep families going back home. The majority of crew on these ships come from poor countries and yes it can be called exploitation by the shipping companies, but to the crew it is a way of breaking free, giving them the chance they would otherwise never get.

[Jim Brady]

Just been for my daily paper and seen a beautiful sight.There is a lovely breeze out and there flying from the Seamans Mission flagpole at the top of my road is a huge Red Ensign flapping in the breeze.You dont see many of them these days!!!
Regards.
Jim.B.

[jon dee]

Hi Jim B, We fly the Duster every Thursday outside the Eldonian... .... ...jd.

[DeepSea]

It's left to fly every day at my home.

[jon dee]

Hi DeepSea, at sea it would be from sunrise to sunset, then red to red, corner to corner.. .... ...jd.

[jon dee]

Talking about flags (which we weren't), If a naval ship passes a merchant ship, which vessel dips the courtesy flag first?........... jd.

[Lou Barron]

the talk of doing away with the red duster just about gave me heart failure who the hell is this bob crow being a ex pat and having lived in nz since 1947 i still have a love for the old country what britain went through during the war was some thing to be proud of they and the merchant navy put up a fight against all odds it gives me the sh****t to have this guy telling britain what to do as for lowering the flag when passing a british warship i think the merchant ship lowers first

[Roger Dyer]

I think Lou is correct. When I was at sea it was my understanding that the accepted protocol regarding the lowering of a ships ensign as a matter of courtesy was simply this.....the ensign of a merchant ship was lowered first and remained lowered until the ensign of the naval vessel (British or otherwise) had been lowered and raised. The merchant ship's ensign was then raised thus completing the procedure.

[Don Rafferty]

I think Lou is correct. When I was at sea it was my understanding that the accepted protocol regarding the lowering of a ships ensign as a matter of courtesy was simply this.....the ensign of a merchant ship was lowered first and remained lowered until the ensign of the naval vessel (British or otherwise) had been lowered and raised. The merchant ship's ensign was then raised thus completing the procedure.

My understanding was the Merchant Service was saluting the Senior Service - which the Senior Service then acknowledged.