The Lynch Effect: This Is What Real Leadership Looks Like

Let’s talk about the Lynch effect today. 

I don’t think many of you had even heard of Mick Lynch just 2 months ago - I know I hadn’t - but the boss-bodying Tory-trashing General Secretary of the RMT Union has arrived on the 20.22 from Paddington and become one of the most talked-about people in Britain. 

See, we’ve been here before. A popular figure is propelled out of nowhere to challenge the rich and powerful wealth-takers, the establishment media, and the government of the day, and they inevitably have a target painted on their backs by the aforementioned. 

“Barons”, “dinosaurs”, “militants”, “Marxists”, and in the case of Mr Lynch, “Union hard man”. 

Lynch says of his apparent “hard man” reputation:

“I’m not Schwarzenegger. I’ve got the same sensibilities as everyone else. I’m not a hard nut. But I do like to win the argument, and sometimes it involves a campaign that leads to industrial action.” 

We live in a capitalists playground, you are told that authentic leaders such as Lynch are supposed to be the enemy of the people, the obstacle to the aspirations of hard-working families, but that, of course, is absolute fucking nonsense. 

At the same time you have the diabolical fascist tabloids telling you that you should listen to Liz Truss - Thatcher’s corpse being used as a haunted ventriloquist doll - or a man with more identities than a schizophrenic impressionist, the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps. 

But this time, more than any other time, the people aren’t listening to the tired militant dinosaurs at the Mail or the piss-poor spin coming out of the Department for Transport, and I’ll attempt to explain why. 

The most obvious reason is Mick Lynch.

You cannot put a price on political authenticity and plain-speaking honesty. Lynch epitomises a leader with genuine integrity, and a real likability that today’s political ‘leaders’ would sell a kidney to possess just a fraction of. 

When asked about his no-nonsense approach towards interviews Mick simply says: 

“My attitude to all of this is to answer the questions as straight as I can… If they ask dopey questions, I'll tell them it's a dopey question."

The same can be said for the Assistant General Secretary of the RMT Union, Eddie Dempsey, who has proven to be an excellent media performer, simply by speaking truth to power. 

Who wouldn’t want a leader that looks and sounds like Mick Lynch? A leader that stands up to the rich and powerful? A leader that oozes working class authenticity?

People see these socialist qualities in Mr Lynch and they think, ‘do you know what, he might have a point’, because they haven’t had a pay rise for years themselves while the cost of living has rocketed to unprecedented levels. 

The government wanted these strikes simply because they thought it would score them brownie points with voters without even considering the fact they are the most hated government in living memory. 

This has always been a government of blame. They will blame scientists, nurses, doctors, teachers, leftie lawyers and anyone else that makes a convenient scapegoat for the day, just to cover up their own litany of failures. 

This time they came for the trade unionists, supported by the once-mighty British press, and they got their privileged arses handed to them on a plate. 

The tide is turning. 

Mr Lynch’s own opinion of the British press probably isn’t as brutal as you would expect, describing them as, “a bit shallow, a bit unprepared and a bit glib”, but isn’t it refreshing to see and hear a leader actually deal with the media with such ease, rather than write a regular column for them?

Starmer himself has had a horrific week - I’m sure you witnessed it for yourself - so I don’t really want to waste much more time on him than he is worth. 

S*n columnist Starmer is an anti-Union conman, a fraud, and a liar, and I say that without any reservations whatsoever.

If you think my beef with Keef is simply about some sort of socialist purity you are wrong. It runs so much deeper than that, it delves into the foundations of the Labour Party, who created the party, and why it was created. 

Keir Starmer has betrayed the working classes once again, and the vacuum created by his unpardonable absence of authentic leadership has been deftly occupied by the people’s leader, Mick Lynch. 

Unions are about collective leverage, and Lynch has been at the forefront of demonstrating the importance of the power of numbers versus the power of capital. 

The RMT Union hasn’t given the Labour Party a single penny in the last 18 years and it is now imperative other union leaders get on the phone to Mr Starmer and let him know he’ll need to find his anti-socialist ex-Labour staffer compensation money pot elsewhere. 

A whopping 77% of Labour’s donations in the last quarter of 2021 came from unions. This relationship is no longer sustainable, it makes no sense to hand over union subscription fees to an anti-union Labour Party leadership.

The CWU, TSSA, Unite, Unison, the FBU, ASLEF, USDAW and GMB all remain affiliated to the Labour Party. In some recent cases the memberships of some unions have voted to remain affiliated to the Labour Party. But why? 

Would you hand over your cash in exchange for a slap in the face? Of course not. 

Would you be able to sleep at night knowing your fees are going towards filling up Wes Streeting’s biscuit tin? I certainly wouldn’t. 

The affiliated unions could do a lot worse than taking a look at Mick Lynch and learning a thing or two about representing their fee-paying members to the very best of their abilities. 

Whilst Lynch’s core battle is to serve the interests of his 80,000 members, it is undeniable that he has built up a broad and vocal coalition of solidarity and support in a matter of weeks. 

I think many of us look towards Mr Lynch as a beacon of hope. Is this a burden he wants to carry? I honestly don’t know, but I do know his clinical no-nonsense interviews are clearly resonating with working class people across the country. 

August will see further industrial action from the RMT Union, and that means you will see and hear more of Lynch, and Dempsey, across a variety of media platforms. 

And yes, a general strike is now a real possibility following a discussion between the RMT, CWU, Unite and GMB, who are now considering calling for collective action that involves “every worker” in Britain.

Mick has certainly become something of a figure of leadership for the social media left, particularly at a time when the government is rudderless and the opposition is a strange shade of Tory. 

When BBC Newscast asked him about his new lofty status he said: 

"My stock is apparently up there on social media, I don't know what half of it is - I'm too old. I never knew what trending was two weeks ago."

“My job is to get the job done for my people." 

And that is exactly why his people are behind him. 

Please, support the RMT, and stand in solidarity with all of the workers from all industries striking over the coming weeks and months, because the government, with a bit of help from the right-wing media, is relying on public support fading away as time goes on. 

The Mick Lynch’s and Dave Ward’s of this world will continue to fight for the rights of their members first and foremost, and rightly so, but that doesn’t stop us from drawing inspiration from the inevitable victories that lie ahead. 

Their strike is our strike. Their fight is our fight. 

A victory for Mick Lynch and his members is a victory for all of us, and I cannot see anyone stopping him. Can you?

Until next time, 

Rachael

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