[recording the closure and subsequent privatisation of the old East London Line through the voices of those who worked on it. Mapping the radical histories of its territories]

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  Daniel says:

  September 6, 2015 at 10:04 pm

  Lamping Out The Last Trains part 1 Lamping Out The Last Trains part 1 is a project by members of the RMT Jubilee South Branch, strongly supported by studio1.1 and RMT Learning.For many the old East London Line (E.L.L.) was always more than ‘only a train’. Rather, it was a nine minute journey through seven of the most radical areas of London, (New Cross, Surrey Docks, Rotherhithe, Wapping, Shadwell, Whitechapel and Shoreditch) each ‘stop’ containing a history of worker agitation, revolt and strike action against the forces of Capitalism, Fascism and Racism.Being a passenger on the E.L.L. was like being a time traveller through left-wing London’s greatest and bleakest moments, a roll call of urban rebellion and workers fight against injustice: Battle of Lewisham 1977 and New Cross Fire 1981 (New Cross), The Great Dock Strike 1889 (Surrey Docks), Bermondsey Factory Women’s Strikes 1911 (Rotherhithe), News International Strikes 1986 (Wapping), Battle of Cable Street 1936 (Shadwell), Match Girl Strike 1888 (Whitechapel), Bengali community 8000 strong strike in response to the racist murder of Altab Ali 1978 and Brick Lane bombing by Nazi sympathiser David Copeland 1999 (Shoreditch).By relating East and South East London’s radical history and its docker culture through the voice of ex-workers of the East London Line, we aim to show how low wage service industry workers who live, work and make the area’s history are increasingly being washed over and discarded by capitalism’s desire to sell something new.

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