But it is hardly the only issue - and of course there is opposition and opposition. T ake his speech at a rally for tubeworkers at Conway Hall before one of the strikes last year. What Ken's game was at that point is difficult to say. His speech was more like that of a union bureaucrat trying to undermine action than a fellow socialist trying to lend support. L ivingstone is remembered with affection by tubeworkers for the Fares Fair policy, but it is less well remembered that he was also responsible for the introduction of One-Person Operation in 1985 and the subsequent loss of thousands of guards' jobs.
Managers often have to make hard decisions - hard for their workforce, that is.
T he fight to get Livingstone elected is important and should be supported. But it is vital that our campaign is capable of thinking critically and placing the emphasis on policy, not personality. At a public meeting called by the rail unions at Friends' House, he repeated an assertion he has made before. If he is elected, he will have an immense democratic mandate to tear up the contracts. That is the commitment we need from him.