WHEN asked what the common theme throughout his new book is, Neil Findlay is clear – injustice. 

“Ordinary people become extraordinary through their commitment and desire to see things done right,” he says, just months after stepping back from public life after 18 years. 

But short of taking some well-deserved time off, the long-time socialist MSP and councillor is back putting the voices of the marginalised and oppressed to the fore. A collection of interviews and tales from the front line of the fight for social justice, If You Don’t Run, They Can’t Chase You brings together the stories of personal tragedy and anti-establishment campaigns which have been fought across Britain and beyond in the past 50 years.

Insights into historic victories, as well as crushing defeats, follow one after another as the Scottish Labour stalwart asks the individuals behind some of the country’s most high-profile disputes to recall their own story.

Among them are Mark Lyon on Ineos; Margaret Aspinall on the Hillsborough disaster; Dennis Skinner and Alex Bennett on the miners’ strike of the 1980s; and Yvette Williams on Justice for Grenfell. All incredible in their own right, fighting their own battles against highly stacked odds, but often overcoming these.

But despite their differences, these tales of men and women standing together with their communities for what they know is right have much in common.

“If you go to one of the campaigns, like the miners’ strike – one of the biggest industrial injustices of the past 50 years, which we now know was a political revenge agenda by the Thatcher government – it was people knowing their case was just, it was about communities, not just their own personal livelihood, but the future of their communities. And there was a drive that people knew what they were doing was just.

“And then you go through the others, right up to the present day with Grenfell, where people were literally abandoned by the local authority, abandoned by the government. Who were the only people who were going to organise to help those affected by that absolutely devastating tragedy? The only people, in the end, were the community.

“It is all about justice, and one of the key things is that ordinary people become extraordinary through their commitment and desire to see things done right.

“One of the things that struck me was how some of the people, a number of them, found it quite difficult to talk about it. People naturally got very emotional about recalling the events. I can understand that completely when it is the loss of life, people losing loved ones in the likes of Hillsborough.

“That moved me, quite significantly, to see the personal, emotional impact on people. Those moments were quite something.”

The stories chronicled in this latest collection, according to Findlay, have plenty to offer readers of all ages. Through his own research and interviews in bringing the book together, he says he has learnt a lot, garnering a new appreciation for the difficulty many veterans of the front line face just to recall their own experiences.

But within this there are lessons for all, and encouragement that much of what modern-day campaigners are going through now has been fought – and often defeated – in the past.

“What I hope is that this will be cross-generational, because I think there’s a great deal for younger people to learn from what has gone on in the past. But there is also a great deal older people – and I very much include myself in that – to learn from the younger generation. But ultimately to achieve the same objective, to make the world a better place.

“People can be unaware that there have been huge, life-changing campaigns that have been undertaken by people who have been driven by a sense of injustice to take action. These are just ordinary people going about their lives and, whether it be a threat to their jobs, community, or a personal tragedy happens, they then start to think, what do we do about this?

“Often they look around and think, ’if I don’t do anything about this, nobody is’. So they’re then thrust into a position of becoming a campaigner, becoming a leader, and many of them have been involved in huge victories, others crushing defeats, but everything they have done tells you a great deal about the human spirit, the dignity of working people, and the desire for justice.”

Far from a comprehensive list of social injustices felt across Britain, and being brought together by a prolific writer, this may prove to be just volume one of a collection. Before that though, new ventures are also on the horizon outside of Holyrood for the author.

“No I don’t intend to go away, campaigning is what I do. That’s not going to change. I’m currently working with two colleagues to establish a social enterprise working with the trade union and voluntary sector which we hope to announce in the very near future.

“It was difficult. It might be that this is just volume one, because I have more people that I interviewed and I’ve got their stories on file for the next chapter.

“There’s lots there for people to read and some of the stories take your breath away. It would chill you to the bone to hear how the establishment operates against the working class.”

Neil Findlay is a former Scottish Labour MSP, councillor and leadership candidate. His latest book, If You Don't Run, They Can't Catch You, is available to order now from neilfindlaybooks.com or Luath Press.