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Jimmy Reid: Walking with History

Jimmy Reid | Brian McGeachan
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A01=Jimmy Reid
A02=Brian McGeachan
Alienation and labour
Author_Brian McGeachan
Author_Jimmy Reid
Category=DNBH1
Category=JPFC
Category=JPFF
Category=JPVH
Category=KNXU
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eq_biography-true-stories
eq_business-finance-law
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eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
forthcoming
Industrial relations Britain
Jimmy Reid
Labour history Britain
Political autobiography
Political oratory
Political speeches twentieth century
Rat-race speech
Scottish trade union movement
Social justice movements
Trade union leadership
Twentieth-century British politics
University of Glasgow Rector
Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in
Workers' control
Working-class history Scotland

Product details

  • ISBN 9780857163011
  • Dimensions: 129 x 198mm
  • Publication Date: 03 Sep 2026
  • Publisher: McNidder & Grace
  • Publication City/Country: GB
  • Product Form: Paperback
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Description

Jimmy Reid: Walking with History is the long-anticipated posthumous autobiography of one of the most influential political voices of the twentieth century.

Compiled from fourteen years of in-depth conversations with journalist and close collaborator Brian McGeachan, the book captures Reid's life as trade union leader, orator, broadcaster and political activist. Best known internationally as the leading figure in the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in of 1971-72, Reid helped secure thousands of jobs and demonstrated a powerful alternative to industrial conflict through workers' control and discipline.

Born in Govan during the Depression, Reid's life intersected with the major political currents of his age: communism, labour politics, nationalism and the struggle for social justice. His election as Rector of the University of Glasgow in 1971 led to his famous 'rat-race' address, later described by The New York Times as "the greatest speech since the Gettysburg Address." Its critique of alienation, inequality and moral compromise continues to resonate across generations.

Reid went on to become a respected journalist and BAFTA-award-winning broadcaster, engaging global audiences through documentaries and debates while remaining rooted in the experiences of working-class Scotland. With a Foreword by Neil Kinnock and contributions from figures including Tony Benn and Billy Connolly, Walking with History is both an intimate personal narrative and a vital historical record of modern Britain.
About Jimmy Reid | Brian McGeachan
Jimmy Reid (1932-2010) was a Scottish trade union leader, political activist, journalist and broadcaster. Born in Govan, Glasgow, he achieved international recognition as a leading figure in the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in of 1971-72. Renowned for his powerful oratory, he was elected Rector of the University of Glasgow in 1971, where his 'rat-race' address was later described by The New York Times as "the greatest speech since the Gettysburg Address." Reid went on to become a newspaper columnist and a BAFTA-award-winning documentary maker. He remained a prominent voice in political and cultural life until his death in 2010.

Brian McGeachan is a writer, journalist and former policy adviser. A friend and colleague of Jimmy Reid, he was chosen by Reid to help write his autobiography. McGeachan served as a policy adviser to the Scottish Constitutional Convention from 1990 to 1995 and has written for The Guardian, Scotland on Sunday and The Herald. He is the author of The Cardinal (2001) and They Rose Again (2003), and has written several stage plays.

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