25.05.1995

Anti-racist careerist’s fall from grace

STRANGE HOW the mighty fall - then again, perhaps not.

Marc Wadsworth, at one stage, was the national secretary of the ‘respectable’ (i.e. Labourite) Anti-Racist Alliance and one of the leading lights in the ‘official’ anti-racist movement.

Then the gods struck. He was voted out as ARA secretary, which may have had something to do with his fisticuffs with Ara’s chair, Ken Livingstone (who had unwisely raised the delicate issue of Wadsworth’s salary).

Now, fresh humiliation. At the Trade Union Congress black workers’ conference in Scarborough this month, where 15 delegates were contesting 14 places on the TUC race relations committee, poor old Marc came bottom of the list - and it is expected that he will lose the black sections elections this month for a place on Labour’s ruling executive.

Marc is rapidly losing all his friends, except for the ever loyal Morning Star of course, who have always adored him. This probably explains why its report on the conference mysteriously failed to mention the non-election of Wadsworth, despite the fact that it listed all the successful candidates.

Frank Vincent