Comments on: Colin Ross, Docker

By: Peter Holford

Peter Holford — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 10:36:06 +0000

I am very sympathetic to Colin’s argument. But I do wonder to what extent a river-based port would have adapted. The size of the container ships has now surpassed 200,000 tonnes, holding upwards of 23,000 standard containers. Standing on the Isle of Wight ferry being dwarfed by one of these brutes is a visceral experience – even the cruise ships don’t match. There is no way that the docks could have been adapted for these leviathans. Any adaptation of the docks, as suggested by Colin, would have been a temporary measure before the changing technology rendered them redundant again.

That is a sad comment on how capitalism crushes society.

By: Peter J Washington

Peter J Washington — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 10:52:31 +0000

An alternate view:
You lot ruined my leave, 8 months away at sea and then coming into London confronted by a strike !, I was a poor paid apprentice cadet engineer and under contract and had to stand watch whilst the seniors were allowed to go home. Since that day and in the seventies I found that the working man was his own worst enemy lead by selfish union barons, (Scargill for one) same as today nothing as changed. This even happened whilst out in Aussie, ! same again dockers striking, all not looking to the future and inevitable change, short sighted and selfish. Sad fact is they all moved onto better paid jobs, again due to modernisation, not once did any strike do anyone any good apart from a fleeting time to enjoy a false victory, Car workers, Steel, Potters, Ships, Docks etc etc, Even I came to realise that our revered Merchant Fleet Red Duster would one day be devastated by change, No-one not even Thatcher was prepared to save us (Check it out) after the Falkland’s they allowed us to be broken and gave no thanks. So it goes on, the working man with no brains to combat these areas of dispute other than strike and in the process lose the support of the public, when will the unions ever realise their are no winners, not at least until the ordinary members rid themselves of the dinosaurs that lead them. So I’ll get me coat and off me box, a sorry episode of sociological history that in the end turned out better for them all without doubt and made London into what it is today, a show piece to the world.

By: Frances Donnelly

Frances Donnelly — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 14:47:10 +0000

Colin well done for your admirable fight against greed and injustice. There is something truly shocking about the current complete emptiness of the Thames, which was a natural highway from Roman times. On a more frivolous note, judging from the newspaper pictures, along with your keen sense of justice and fair play, you clearly inherited magnificent hair from your four generations of Docker forebears.

By: Paul loften

Paul loften — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 11:33:57 +0000

What a great story of working class London .
I recall as a Young Socialist in 1966/7 marching with the dockers led by Jack Dash and taking part in a lobby of Parliament. Crowding round all those MPs Tony Benn , Sid Bidwell , Ian Mikardo inside Parliament and throwing questions at the MPs about the docks . It was an education for a 16 year old . I can never read enough about the hidden history of what people had to go thorough in their working lives . Thank you GA and Colin Ross for reminding us

By: David Harrison

David Harrison — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 10:15:47 +0000

A moving and inspiring story of a man who never gave up the fight for dignity and fairness for his fellow workers.

By: len burns

len burns — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 06:05:43 +0000

colin ross wrote a book about his battle with the dark forces called the death of the docks a very good description of the time