Ernie Roberts papers

Papers largely relating to Roberts' political activity, in the Labour party, as a trade unionist and in various campaigns

Ernie Roberts was born in 1912 in Shrewsbury. He worked briefly as a miner in Coventry prior to the 1926 General Strike but spent most of his working life in the engineering industry.
He was influenced politically by the treatment afforded to soldiers after the First World War, the General Strike and the operation of the Poor Law. During the General Strike, and at the age of 14, he became the family's breadwinner. He participated in the 1924 General Election when Labour stood in Shrewsbury for the first time.
Ernie joined the Young Communist League in 1932, the Communist Party in 1934 and was active in fighting fascism in the 1930s. He was expelled from the Communist Party in 1941 on the grounds that he believed that the class war should not be suspended for the duration of the war. He fought this expulsion for two years, despite having joined the Labour Party in the meantime.
After the Second World War, Ernie was denied the chance to stand in the 1945 General Election and was both blacklisted by employers and in dispute with the Union hierarchy. As a local councillor in Coventry he was involved in the post-war reconstruction of the city.
In 1957 he left Coventry to become an Assistant General Secretary of the Amalgamated Engineering Union and following his suspension from that post he took the Union to the High Court in 1961.
Ernie actively supported CND, workers' control, the right to work and human rights throughout his political life and was a co-founder of the Anti Nazi League in 1977. He fought for the Labour Party to respect conference decisions and was often in dispute with the leadership. He finally became an MP in 1979, winning Hackney North despite considerable local and national vilification during the campaign. He was subsequently deselected in favour of Diane Abbott.
He died in 1994.

Series 1: Labour Party activity
Series 2: Trade union activity
Series 3: UK campaigning activity
Series 4: Published works
Series 5: International campaigning activity
Series 6: Appearances, speeches and articles
Series 7: Coventry
Series 8: Personal papers

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