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Working Class History

E111.1: [TEASER] Poll tax revolt, bonus episode

Working Class History

Working Class History

Society & Culture, Education, History

5.0 • 813 Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2025

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Preview extract of a bonus episode of our double podcast on the successful mass direct action campaign against the UK poll tax in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In conversation with Dave Morris from the Tottenham Anti-Poll Tax campaign and Haringey Solidarity Group. This part covers more information about Dave’s life and activism, different left strategies within the campaign, undercover police infiltration of the campaign, and community organising today.

Our podcast is brought to you by our Patreon supporters. Our supporters fund our work, and in return get exclusive early access to podcast episodes without ads, bonus episodes, two exclusive podcast series – Fireside Chats and Radical Reads – as well as free and discounted merchandise and other content. Join us or find out more at patreon.com/workingclasshistory
More information
Acknowledgements
  • Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands, Fernando López Ojeda, Nick Williams and Old Norm.
  • Episode graphic: Courtesy James Bourne/Wikimedia Commons CC by SA 4.0
  • Our theme tune is Bella Ciao, thanks for permission to use it from Dischi del Sole. You can purchase it here or stream it here.
  • Edited by Engin Hassan

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hi and welcome back to the Working Class History Podcast.

0:03.6

As you may know, we don't get any sort of funding from any wealthy benefactors, corporations, governments or political pies.

0:12.2

Our work is funded by you, our listeners and readers on Patreon.

0:17.1

In return, our supporters on Patreon get access to exclusive content and benefits, like ad-free episodes, bonus podcast episodes, and a couple of exclusive discussion podcast series, fireside chats, and radical reads.

0:31.5

So here is a little preview of our latest episode for our patrons.

0:35.9

You can join us, help support our work, and listen to the whole thing today at patreon.com

0:41.7

slash working class history. Link in the show notes.

0:45.1

During the main episodes, Dave also mentioned another mass protest which grassroots activists wanted to hold in October 1990.

0:55.3

But militant, the other major Trotskyist group in the UK at that time, which dominated

0:59.6

the National Federation, known as the Fed, disagreed with this strategy.

1:04.5

So there was, you know, lobbying of the All-Briton Federation.

1:09.1

In the end, the All-Briton Federation said,

1:11.3

I will organise the People's March against the Poltacks,

1:14.7

but only 75 people will be allowed to go on it.

1:18.3

From Manchester to London.

1:21.5

And they were all handpicked,

1:23.5

and basically they were all members of militants.

1:26.3

And we said, this is ridiculous.

1:29.8

It's like a stunt, but it's not what we need is something en masse

1:34.2

that would defend the right to protest as well as to show the movement is strong

1:39.6

and the movement is not for turning.

1:42.5

So what happened in the end?

...

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