Govan’s Pearce Institute on Saturday evening (16 November 2024) saw a packed audience assemble in MacLeod Hall to pay tribute to the work of Professor John Foster. The event saw the launch of a book of essays in honour of John.
The event was introduced by the book’s editors, Professor Elaine McFarland and Jim Whiston. Speeches were then given by Professor Chik Collins, Susan Galloway and Esmee Clark, Secretary of Govan Community Council and Govan Law Centre’s (GLC) Principal Solicitor Mike Dailly; before Professor Foster replied to an audience which gave him two standing ovations in mark of respect for his community activism, academic and political work over many years.
Some images from the event are published below, along with Mike’s thanks on behalf of GLC as a campaigning community law centre.
“It’s a great privilege to be asked to give a brief introduction on behalf of Govan Law Centre at the launch of “What history is for” – essays in honour of Professor John Foster.
This is a remarkable publication, not just in terms of recording the impact of John’s academic contribution to political economy and as a Marxist historian.
But equally, as a guide. A guide to the importance of knowledge and the understanding of history and economics as the powerhouse for working class activism. For that is the route to secure social justice within our communities and society.
This is a remarkable publication, not just in terms of recording the impact of John’s academic contribution to political economy and as a Marxist historian. But equally, as a guide to the understanding of history and economics as the powerhouse for working class activism.
GLC’s Mike Dailly, Solicitor Advocate
John has had a long and distinguished career as a campaigner, academic, teacher of students, author, political thinker; Communist Party activist and a Morning Star newspaper stalwart.
The book with its strong line up of authors and editors, Elaine and Jim, does great justice to the breadth of John’s work over six decades.
My particular interest was always in John’s working class community activism. To give but one example that is close to the heart of Govan and Clydeside.
Twenty years ago, in June 2004, John had drafted a petition to the Scottish Parliament on behalf of the Govan Community Council on the decline of working-class communities such as Govan and others in Glasgow and the failure of Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise policies in that decline.
Back then, the Govan ward had lost 20% of its population and was down to 22,000 people; over half of adults were workless and as homes were being demolished the land was earmarked for industrial use.
I gave evidence along with John to the Parliament’s Petition Committee on our concerns that economic policies – and the then absence of meaningful housing building policies – was creating unsustainable communities and massive injustice in terms of life and public health.
The petition caused quite a stir but it was a vital piece of work to evidence what was going wrong. While many challenges remain, 20 years on Govan has seen some great housing association house building and a new bridge that connects us to Partick.
The population is now closer to 30,000, although not quite the 100,000 from the 1970’s. The book of course details much more of John’s campaigning work including the anti-poll tax work he undertook.
I fully commend that book and hope that everyone has an opportunity to read it. Thank-you John”.
