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Rab Noakes nails it at the STUC

THE brilliant Scottish singer-songwriter Rab Noakes was among the first members of Stealer’s Wheel — but left before the band recorded the likes of Stuck In The Middle With You and Everything Will Turn Out Fine.

His recent solo work has pulled off the rare combination of musical skill and unabashed politics — Water Is My Friend, a chronicle of his cancer treatment and a rally against the injustice of Tory NHS policies, being one song that springs to mind.

He is a socialist and a supporter of the Morning Star. Last year he gave a moving musical tribute to the paper’s late arts critic Chris Bartter at a cabaret event in his memory.

Noakes is also active in the Musicians’ Union. It was in this capacity that he spoke on Post Office closures with an eloquence to match his lyrics at the Scottish TUC this week.

“The whole escapade” of the run-down and privatisation of Britain’s post, he said, “epitomises that well-worn phrase, the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Noakes cited his father, “who worked for the Post Office all his working life” and was an “assiduous trade unionist,” only absent “from 1939 to 1945 when he was otherwise engaged in a fight against far-right fanaticism.”

The coming 80th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII, Noakes said, gives us all cause for reflection.

“Contrary to current right-leaning opinion, the second world war wasn’t fought by plucky squaddies defending king and country, but by working men and women fighting to rid this world of the fascist monstrosity and build a better world for their families.

“Their legacy is the welfare state, the NHS, quality public housing, British Railways and many other valuable, respected public services” like the Post Office.

“It’s never been a surprise to me that the eminently expendable Winston Churchill was turfed out in 1945 to make way for people who cared,” he continued.

“Hell mend every single self-regarding dimwit who’s succeeded in the removal, or near removal of so much that was built, and maintained, for good in this world, including our Post Office. Enough.”

Amen to that.

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