Comments for Surrey County UNISON

Comment on The Libraries Campaign continues with the launch of SLAM by Kevin Cochrane

Kevin Cochrane — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:10:57 +0000

I criticised the Tory councillor, Paul Deach, who runs the Surrey Heath Residents Network blog for not covering SLAM.

Deach usually just posts anodyne blogs featuring local businesses, I challenged him to give coverage to a real local issue and he did!

Take a look at http://surreyheath-residents.co.uk/

Best regards,

Kevin

Comment on The Libraries Campaign continues with the launch of SLAM by Brian Inns

Brian Inns — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:30:40 +0000

I will help in anyway I can.

Comment on Careers and Connexions by Fight For Their Future: Save Surrey Careers and Connexions! « Surrey County UNISON

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:06:59 +0000

[...] Careers and Connexions Surrey County UNISONfor solidarity – at home and internationallyCommentsPosts [...]

Comment on Ian MacDonald Memorial Library raises over £2,000 – but more is needed by Ray Aplin

Ray Aplin — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:13:59 +0000

Are you still accepting donations for the Ian Macdonald Memorial Library Fund?
If so, I would like to contribute. Please send me details of latest developments etc.
Many thanks
Ray Aplin.

Comment on Save Shortwood School by Support from Surrey County UNISON, the union for school support workers « Shortwoods's Blog

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:03:42 +0000

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Comment on Ian Macdonald – Social Worker, Trade Unionist, Marxist-Humanist – 1957-2009 by Giles Pattison

Giles Pattison — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:37:51 +0000

I did a bit of work with Ian during the BDR dispute a few years ago, and thought he was a tremendous presence and a ‘proper’ trade unionist. I had no idea he was ill and after a rather odd meeting with our Head of Directorate today, was planning to give him a call and ask his advice. Completely gutted.

My sincerest condolences to his family. Cheers Ian.

Giles Pattison

Comment on Ian Macdonald – Social Worker, Trade Unionist, Marxist-Humanist – 1957-2009 by John Venables

John Venables — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:32:25 +0000

I worked with Ian in Surrey for about 4 years and we kept in touch on and off after I left. I was greatly shocked and saddened when I recently heard this news.Ian was to me a friend and despite our irratic communcations in trying to arrange a time to meet up for a beer,time never changed or eroded what freindship existed before. A great person and a great loss.

John Venables

Comment on Ian Macdonald – Social Worker, Trade Unionist, Marxist-Humanist – 1957-2009 by Alan Lenton

Alan Lenton — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:02:30 +0000

In the 1980s, Ian and I shared a big old house in Hounslow. We were both heavily involved in left wing politics so it doesn’t surprise me to hear that Ian was still a union activist when he died.

Those were very heady days. Margaret Thatcher was firmly in power and the unions were fighting to keep up living standards for their members. During the miners strike we hosted a whole bunch of miners whose job was to keep an eye on the National Coal Board HQ in Victoria. Something of the flavour of the household can be gathered from one incident when Ian and I returned from leafleting and overheard one of the miners on the phone to his wife, telling her, “Staying in this house is just like being in ‘The Young Ones’…

Not all politics is fun, but Ian’s ability to look on the bright side helped in the more gloomy times, like that following the defeat of the strike. Ian always had faith in the ability of ordinary people to fight for, and make, their own future.

When Hounslow Council eventually demanded it’s house back, we moved into different places at opposite ends of the borough and eventually lost touch. There are, though, a number of people in Hounslow who still remember Ian, but, unfortunately, the news arrived too late for anyone to get to the funeral.

So, last night in the pub we all raised our glasses to the memory of Ian Macdonald, for no one is truly dead and gone while their memory remains to the people whose lives they touched.

Alan Lenton

Comment on A message from Ian by Lisa Wade

Lisa Wade — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:05:26 +0000

I will miss him lots – his booming ‘Good Morning’ in the office, and his constant kidness and support to those he felt were less confident than him in fighting for fairness and justice.
Ian was a kind, positive, and clever bloke with a great sense of humour – a big softie underneath that never went a week at work without mentioning Carol and UNISON – his two great loves!
I am glad to have known him x

Comment on Ian Macdonald – Social Worker, Trade Unionist, Marxist-Humanist – 1957-2009 by Pauline Bradley

Pauline Bradley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:49:13 +0000

I met Ian after the tragic death of Victoria Climbie in Haringey where I worked. Ian soon became a highly motivated founding member of the Crisis in Social Work campaign, speaking in meetings and on the media. He showed insight as to how to turn the terrible crisis into something positive.The campaign did not changed society so much as to eliminate all violent child deaths, but when they do occur the debate has changed from “child death = bad social worker” to a genuine search into how we can build a better system whch really protects children. Social workers are still blamed and we have a long way to go but Ians contribution made a real difference and helped motivate us to keep the struggle going. He will be sorely missed.