and finally...


An unusual, surreal but effective shock tactic


We’d all benefit if public figures were direct, says Chris Proctor I


was astonished at the performance of RMT general secretary Mick Lynch during the rail strike. To general


amazement, he pretended to be himself. At one point, he even admitted the source of his cunning subterfuge, telling one reporter: “I’m me.” Such appalling naiveté was difficult


to watch. Did he not know the rules? Any strike leader being savaged by bilious interviewers has a moral duty to act the part of either Militant Wide-Eyed Extremist or Slippery Sulky Apologist. The choice was his: yet he did neither. Equally, he failed to squeeze himself


into a nice suit and tie, have a neat haircut or foam about the despotic boss class. Although, to be fair, given his limited hirsuteness, he can be excused the haircut. But he cannot be forgiven for failing to mention key words like ‘derisory’ and ‘diabolic’. But where were his interminable lists of figures? Where did he mention the minuted decisions of the union’s Ad Hoc Remuneration Sub-Committee? More importantly, where were his threats? Did he not know that it is a truth


universally acknowledged that a strike leader in possession of a media interview must be puce with indignation or trained into well-rehearsed sound bites? On this basis, Lynch’s performance was amateur. It was like an actor playing Hamlet without scanning the script. Media tutors across the land must have despaired. For its part, the mainstream media acted impeccably, as it frequently does when discussing industrial action. That is to say, it was both petty and confrontational.


Piers Morgan stepped up to the plate with an excellent exposition of the art of pettiness. Transport is halted, families are rent asunder, business writhes in death throes – and what does Morgan demand of the union leader? He wants to know why Lynch has a picture of The Hood on his Facebook page. This was of particular surprise to those of us who had no idea what Morgan was talking about. The Hood is as remote from most people’s lives as TalkTV. It was like getting Putin into your studio and, ignoring contretemps in Ukraine, insisting he explain why his dog is called Buffy. But, lest other people share Piers’ bizarre obsession, Lynch changed his Facebook profile to something that the broadcaster may be more approving of – a photo of a beaming Morgan with Ghislaine Maxwell. The confrontational approach to


interviewing was epitomised in a marvellous clip involving Sky’s Kay Burley. Burley told Lynch that agency workers could be hired to do strikers’ jobs and demanded to know what the union would do if this happened. The correct answer, if only Lynch had understood the rules, was: “We will surround, intimidate, attack and possibly garrote any such person on sight. Furthermore, we will throw stones at their families and set fire to their homes. The level of violence and destruction will make the scenes at Orgreave look like a vicarage tea party.” Alas, Lynch miscued. He said union members would form a peaceful picket line and try to persuade any agency staff not to do their work. Burley was miffed. “But surely you would kick them to the ground and pull their legs


“ ”


off?” she (almost) asked. Lynch, the dirty spoilsport, said he wouldn’t. He carried on like this throughout, acting as if he wasn’t acting. As if he were a normal person saying what he believed. This ‘honest’ approach is an unusual


but effective shock tactic. When I worked at the postal union, we had a press conference where first the officials spoke; we then introduced an ordinary postal worker to the reporters. He didn’t make a speech. He just wandered over and showed them his pay slip from the previous week. That one piece of paper revealed more


about the dispute than all the inflation indexes, comparative remuneration tables and industrial predictions that the research department had bursting from their dossiers. It was an ordinary person explaining their predicament in their own way. Lynch did the same. That was what made it surreal. And effective. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I


He carried on like this throughout, acting as if he wasn’t acting. As if he were a normal person saying what he believed


wonder if politicians could pick up any lessons from the RMT leader. I always think this at Prime Minister’s Questions. Obviously, the soon to depart PM doesn’t know everything. But he bumbles on about everything under the sun, from war to taxation to filters for washing machines to how much Hammersmith Council spends on EU flags. Why didn’t he adopt the Lynch approach and say, “I don’t know. I’ll find out”? It’s not a crime not to know everything. And, excepting Boris, it’s not a crime to be yourself. It would be so helpful if all public figures were direct, unambiguous and honest. And it would make our jobs much easier if it didn’t involve interpretation, assumption and guesswork before putting pen to paper.


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