The Caribbean

The Caribbean

For many Bernie Grant became known as the MP for the Caribbean, as he relentlessly took up the concerns of the region, its economy and its people throughout his political career. He was especially critical of the effect of Tariff and Trade agreements on their small economies.

Naturally, Grant maintained a close interest in political developments taking place in his home country of Guyana. His election to the British Parliament was greatly celebrated there in 1987, and he was formally invited as a guest of the Guyanese government shortly after his election. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and its founder and leading figure, Cheddi Jagan, was at the forefront of the socialist and independence movement in Guyana. In 1953, Jagan made history as the first popularly elected Chief Minister of Guyana, and himself and the People’s Progressive Party were elected as the party of government in 1992. As has been widely covered, and outlined by Human Rights Watch , since independence from Britain in 1966, Guyana had suffered election rigging and fraud, which greatly threatened the influence of Leftist political movements such as the PPP. During the upcoming elections in 1991, the PPP wrote to Grant requesting he join their appeal against election rigging, and help to publicise their plight in British newspapers. After great national as well as international pressure, the election went ahead and resulted in a positive outcome for the PPP, with Jagan becoming Prime Minister . Grant wrote to Jagan in October 1992 to offer his congratulations, stating the importance of the victory as an example of Leftist success in national politics. He wrote again in 1993, offering support on behalf of himself and fellow longstanding figurehead of the Labour Left, Tony Benn MP, who were both eager to organise a delegation to visit Guyana. Grant also suggested to Jagan that skilled workers from the UK could be deployed on projects in Guyana, to help mitigate the high rates of unemployment. At this time, Britain was experiencing an unemployment rate of 10.3% out of the overall labour force.

Statement by the Black Trade Unionists Solidarity Movement on Grenada [BG_BTU_1_3]

This document is a 1983 statement by the Black Trade Unionists Solidarity Movement condemning the US-led invasion of Grenada and the complicity of certain Black Caribbean governments and the UK, highlighting the betrayal of Black revolutionary ideals and calling for solidarity with the Grenadian revolution. It is useful for understanding Bernie Grant’s early political activism, the international solidarity campaigns linked to the Black Labour movement, and the broader themes of racial justice and anti-imperialism in his work.

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In 1981, during his time as a trade unionist and councillor, and prior to his Parliamentary career, Grant founded the Black Trade Unionist Solidarity Movement (BTUSM) to ‘promote the interests of Black workers in the workplace and in communities’. The breadth of the BTUSM’s concerns stretched farther than the confines of the British nation. As a pro–worker, anti-racist and anti-imperialist project, the BTUSM took a stand against the infamous US invasion and counter-revolution of Grenada in 1983, which shook the Caribbean region and indeed the international community. The US invasion of the Caribbean nation destabilised its political system and resulted in the death of the revolutionary leader of the New Jewel Movement, and Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. As Prime Minister of Britain at the time of the invasion, Margaret Thatcher publicly supported the invasion. Grant and many other spokespeople of the British Left vehemently opposed the invasion, and the violation of Grenada’s right to self determination as an independent country. The BTUSM accordingly released a statement condemning the event itself, as well as the ‘treachery’ of those Black-led nations who helped facilitate or collaborated with the US in the invasion and occupation (this included Jamaica, Barbados, Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent, Antigua and Barbuda). The organisation pledged financial support for the New Jewel Movement in Grenada, authorised its members to release statements in support of Grenada, organise demonstrations, mobilise the Labour movement on the issue, and enlist the support of Black groups in the US.

Grant advocated for the island of Jamaica and its people on numerous occasions throughout his career. One such instance was in the aftermath of Hurricane Gilbert, a grade 5 hurricane that struck Jamaica in 1988, leaving widespread damage and causing over 300 deaths. The Afro-Caribbean community in Britain swiftly mobilised to provide help and resources to support the rebuilding efforts. As head of the Tottenham Labour Party, Grant directed its response, which focused on organising a fundraising event at the local West Indian Centre. Grant wrote to potential performers to request their participation in the event to encourage attendance and donations. The social justice charity NACRO, which supports the resettlement and care for ex-offenders, under the steer of the late Pauline Wilson, launched a training expedition for ex-offenders both from Jamaica and Britain, to embark in a trainee programme to acquire construction skills and support the rebuild efforts. Wilson wrote to Grant for his support on this, and indeed Grant and NACRO were in frequent dialogue regarding criminal justice, police discrimination and welfare projects for formerly incarcerated people.

The Caribbean island of Montserrat, unlike the majority of the British-speaking Caribbean, remains a British Overseas Territory, and therefore Britain still bears a level of responsibility to the island and its population of 5,000. In 1997, a major volcanic eruption devastated the island of Montserrat. It left the south of the island uninhabitable and resulted in the evacuation of half the island’s population. Many Montserratians came to Britain as refugees, having lost their homes and livelihoods in the eruption. Bernie Grant took up this issue, and pressed the government to support Montserrat and its people during this tragic time. He very quickly became aware of shortfalls in the British government’s reaction to the disaster, and its failures to support those refugees who required accommodation and general support after having arrived in Britain. He was alerted by situations of neglect by many Montserratians themselves. One such issue he was made aware of was, some refugees were being offered unfurnished permanent accommodation, which in some cases meant not even adequate flooring. Having escaped a disaster, and without money and jobs, many were also being denied benefits, and therefore had no way of buying furnishing and other necessities. Grant raised this with the Junior Foreign Office Minister, Baroness Symons, in early November. It also soon appeared that, those local authorities who were assisting the bulk of Montserratian refugees were not receiving adequate funding to do so, due to a discriminatory funding scheme.

Letter to Baroness Symons from Bernie Grant re displaced Montserratians [BG_P_18_2_103]

This document is a 1997 letter from Bernie Grant, MP for Tottenham, to Baroness Symons expressing concern about inadequate housing and support for displaced Montserratians arriving in the UK, highlighting issues like poor temporary accommodation and difficulties with schooling. It is useful for understanding Bernie Grant’s advocacy on behalf of vulnerable migrant communities and the challenges faced during the Montserrat resettlement campaign.

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This resulted in further neglect for the refugees as highlighted by Grant in a second letter to Baroness Symons in late November 1997. The general approach and reaction from the British government shocked Grant to the point that he condemned the government’s lack of generosity and personally travelled to Montserrat and negotiated with the Prime Minister. During a later debate in the House of Commons , Grant stated he was “astonished by the chaos that I found when I arrived… I was pleased that, soon after my visit, my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for International Development went to the island to continue the dialogue and assure the Montserratians that the British Government took their plight seriously” A year later, the British government were engaged in housing schemes to contribute to the rebuilding of the island. Grant pushed for Black Housing Associations to be involved in the quest for the recruitment of a housing officer. However, as reported by George Foulkes MP in a letter to Grant on this matter, five housing companies were approached, and none of them Black-run. This particular push by Grant symbolises the work he was attempting in ensuring Black companies and communities in Britain were given better opportunities to lead on projects which were directly related to Black nation-building and internationalism. Although in this case, Grant’s suggestion was not taken up.