EVERY trade unionist, socialist and campaigner should be alarmed by state involvement in “criminalising” the Shrewsbury 24 builders’ strike pickets, Ricky Tomlinson said today after the Court of Appeal hearing into the 1973 convictions. 

The court heard that a TV documentary highly critical of the 1972 national building workers’ strike could not have been produced without state complicity, including provision of information by government departments and the involvement of the “secret services.”

The documentary, Red Under the Bed, aired during the first of three jury trials of the Shrewsbury 24.

The Royle Family actor, one of the convicted pickets, is now calling for a public inquiry into government involvement.

Counsel Piers Marquis was representing Mr Tomlinson and another picket, Arthur Murray, at the court where 14 pickets are seeking for their convictions to be quashed.

Danny Friedman QC, representing the other 12 pickets, said in written submissions that the head of the Information Research Department, a “covert Foreign Office agency,” had told a Foreign Office official that “we had a discreet but considerable hand in the programme.”

Mr Friedman told the court: “It is obvious … a covert executive agency played a part in deliberately propagandising against the core subject matter of the proceedings.” 

Mr Tomlinson was handed a two-year prison sentence in 1973 after being convicted of conspiracy to intimidate, unlawful assembly and affray.

Mr Murray was sent to prison for six months after being found guilty of unlawful assembly and affray.

The heaviest prison sentence — three years — was given to picket Des Warren.

Mr Warren died in 2004. His family is calling for his conviction to be quashed.

Mr Marquis said that declassified documents from the National Archives established the involvement of government departments in the production of the programme, which focused on alleged “violent picketing.”

Mr Marquis said that they did so in full knowledge that the information was false, and that the programme would be broadcast during the course of criminal proceedings relating to building strike flying pickets, to affirm the criminality of the pickets.

He said that police had investigated newspaper reports alleging picket-line violence and found them to be “completely fabricated” and “a figment of imagination” — but that the findings of the police were kept from defence lawyers and were not referred to during the trial.

After the hearing Mr Tomlinson said: “Every person in the UK must question how the secret state has used subterfuge, a secret strategy and dirty tactics to criminalise the Shrewsbury 24 — who were only guilty of striking for better pay and for better health and safety at work.

“In the case of myself, that led to being sentenced to two years in prison, and for Des Warren three years in prison.

“There really does need to be a public inquiry into what has happened.”

Paul Heron, solicitor for Mr Tomlinson and Mr Murray, said: “The arguments presented in this court paint a damning picture of the secret state and its manoeuvres against the national builders’ strike and more particularly the Shrewsbury 24.

“Such disturbing findings must be echoed and condemned throughout our country so that similar state efforts may not be deployed again in these times of austerity and hardship when struggles emerge.

“What occurred in the 1970s must not be allowed to occur today.

“The convictions led to blacklisting throughout the construction industry.”
 
At the conclusion of the hearing, Lord Justice Fulford, sitting with Mr Justice Andrew Baker and Mr Justice Goose, said the court would give its judgment at a later date.