Political Struggle and Organisation

Abstract

Birmingham. A gloomy, windy Saturday. Early Christmas shoppers mingle with the faithful heading for the Aston Villa football ground. At the Civic Hall in Digbeth the box-office is taking money for a wrestling match on Saturday night; at the same time, in a small ante-room there is a meeting to discuss the problems of Britain’s pensioners. The turn-out is not very impressive. Twenty people have braved a massive downpour and a bus strike to attend the meeting. There must be many more who cannot come, the organisers insist, but who do not know anybody with transport to bring them (70 per cent of persons aged 65 or more live in a household without a car).