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'Never ascribe to malice that which can be explained by incompetence.'
- Napoleon Bonaparte
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'Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by ignorance'.
- Oscar Wilde |
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ISSN 1750-3264
ANALYSIS
Travel
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October 19, 2006
THE COUNTDOWN to the NUJ’s centenary begins for good this week – with a celebration in Leeds of the work that led to the union’s formal establishment in 1907. Then – possibly as now – journalists were working six or seven days a week, putting in 80 or 90 hours. Those in Leeds and Manchester were becoming increasingly fed up with the ineffectiveness of the old Institute of Journalists, which included proprietors amongst its ranks, and decided the time had come for action. While the Mancunian journalists came up with the name George Lethem, a Scot who was chief sub-editor of the Leeds Mercury, drew up the draft constitution and rule book for the new union. But before the union came into being nationally, the West Riding formed its own branch – at the Metropole Hotel in Leeds in 1906, attended by between 150 and 200 journalists working for the Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire Daily Observer, the Leeds Mercury, Yorkshire Evening News and the Harrogate Times.
Formal motion
Within six months, the union had 773 paid-up members in 22 branches; the West Riding branch being the second largest with 114 members. Perhaps as recognition of the Yorkshire contribution, the 1908 annual delegate meeting was held in Leeds – the first ADM as such, points out Leeds branch secretary Tony Harcup – and George Lethem was elected president. That Leeds ADM agreed to establish an official union publication. The first edition of The Journal was published in November 1908. The name was later changed to The Journalist. 'Letham, by the way,' said branch secretary Tony Harcup, 'was a temperance campaigner in his youth. Something he obviously shares with the current generation of NUJ activists in Leeds.'
Biggest gathering
About 100 members and guests, including representatives of neighbouring York, Wakefield and Calderdale branches will be joining current chairman and Yorkshire Evening Post FoC Pete Lazenby, union president Chris Morley and general secretary Jeremy Dear to raise a glass to the union’s next 100 years. The event is being held in a bar, which was a frequent haunt of journalists in years gone by – covering cases when the building housed Leeds’ juvenile court. Among those expected at the event is former national treasurer and NEC member Harry Woodhead, who – at 79 – is still the Leeds branch welfare officer. Interviewed for the branch newsletter, Harry said: 'I’m very proud we’ve got so far. We haven’t achieved everything I would have liked to have achieved, but at least we’re nearly there.' 'Leeds 100' is at O’Neill’s, behind Leeds Town Hall, on Thursday, with a buffet at 7.30pm for those who have already booked and a cash bar from about 8pm for any other members and their guests who would like to come along.
Adam Christie
with research by Tony Harcup
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