RESEARCH
Long, Anita (1948-)
Biography
- Born 1948
- Party Activist
- Labour
Anita Long was born in Exeter and has lived in the city throughout her life. Her father was a Labour Councillor and later mayor, and she inherited many of her socialist views from him and the experiences of his family before the Second World War (to listen to some of these, listen to Anita opposite). Anita’s mother was German, which she says helped form her pacifist views. She went to local schools in Exeter before training to be a secretary at Exeter College.
Anita remembers canvassing with her father from a young age, as well as singing in groups to support Labour candidates and being sent to collect party subscription fees. At the age of 14 she joined the Young Socialists, and became part of a large group in Exeter. She became the youth delegate on the party’s General Management Committee, but also enjoyed the group’s social life.
At the age of 22 she married Chester, who was already a Labour Councillor, and they have two children (both are now activists and one a councillor herself, Emma Morse). She remains a committed socialist and continued in her party activism, which she has enjoyed. Anita feels proud of being part of a group which, she believes, has improved the city of Exeter, and through her involvement she has had the opportunity to meet figures such as Nina Simone, Princess Diana and Desmond Tutu.
Transcript of clip
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My father was involved in politics, like many in those days, because of the inequalities of life. My grandfather was gassed in the First World War, so my Gran was bringing up five children very very carefully on not very much money, because of course when he was ill he was not paid, and any visit to the doctor involved being paid. My Gran was a tailoress and her earnings helped keep the family afloat.
Your Dad was involved in politics, was he the one who encouraged you to become involved?
I don’t think he encouraged, it was just you, as a child, your Dad says “come on, we’re going to go delivering”. The same as my husband did to my children. So I began delivering and not only did I deliver I was part of a little gang that marched around Whipton Barton singing “vote vote vote for Mr whoever” – one of the last gangs I suspect. I also collected subs for the Labour party. My Dad did shift work, so it wasn’t always convenient for him to do it, so I collected subs.What people inspired your parents and your grandparents?
I don’t know if anybody inspired them. I think what mainly inspired them was the injustices that my father saw. You know, my Gran having to work often into the early morning to finish things that she was making for other people to keep the family afloat – there was no sick pay, no benefits at that time. And of course he worked on the railway so there was a ready-made trade union there for him to join.And do you think that influenced you as well?
My politics are influenced by the fact that I saw my father fighting for things that were, to him, quite important. So for me they were important too. I was brought up a socialist basically and I can’t ever see myself – hell would have to freeze over before I ever voted Tory, despite the fact I don’t always agree with the Labour party, the majority of my convictions are based in socialism, because of the way I was brought up. I’ve thought about other things later on, other parties and things like that, but I can’t really see things changing. I believe there is such a thing as community, my father taught me that, and I hope I’ve taught my children that as well…Where did you go to school?
I went to all local schools, Whipton Barton inflants, junior then St James, and then on to Exeter College where I took a secretarial course. All of my working life I’ve been a secretary in places where being a socialist was quite hard sometimes! Solicitors and accountants – I had to defend my beliefs quite widely, because people knew who my father was and who my husband was. So I had to get quite a thick skin quite quickly.What are your memories of youth politics and student politics?
I don’t recall any at Exeter college, but I did join at 14 the young socialists, which was a huge branch – I think it was the second biggest in the whole of England. We had a very charismatic secretary at the time, and it was a time of change, it was the 1960s. We had a branch of over 200 members. They didn’t always come, but there were a lot of them, and it was a very big social group as well. We went to Tolpuddle, we went on marches, we went to London. It was almost like a youth club and I think some people did join it because it was so good. I was there because I was a socialist – I enjoyed the fun as well of course, but my politics were also involved.
Interview Summary
Date of recording: 30/05/14
Name of interviewer: Claire Marchetti
[00.00] Interviewer introduces Anita Long, an activist in the Labour Party. [00.35] Description of earliest political memory as the Suez Crisis. [1.10] Description of grandparents' lives, and political nature of her early home life. [2.46] Description of how injustices influenced her father to get into politics. [3.30] Discussion of how she gained her political views, and the importance of community. [4.48] Description of her father becoming a councillor when she was 10/11 [5.04] Description of her primary and secondary education in Exeter, followed by a secretarial course at Exeter College. Description of career as a secretary, and the difficulties faced by having a well known father and husband. [5.51] Description of involvement in the Young Socialists from the age of 14. [7.23] Description of how she became involved in the Labour party as an activist. [08.53] Description of the being Young Socialist delegate to the Labour Party. [11.10] Discussion of the change in current political motivation among people. [12.10] Comment on how politics has become less social and community centred. [13.22] Discussion of issues that matter to her – the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. [15.21] Discussion of why she never got involved in a more official capacity. [17.07] Comments on the type of people in the Labour party, and the changes undergone. [18.09] Brief discussion on the role of women in the Labour party as she was growing up. [19.17] Remarks on the end of Thatcher's time in power and the transition into a Labour government. [20.21] Explains her view on the change in people's attitude towards politicians. Comments on Ben Bradshaw's representation of Exeter. [24.00] Discussion of the Young Socialists, and why her political views have not changed. Comments on the changes that Labour had brought about in her youth, and the safety people now feel because that. [26.40] Brief discussion of the freedom that being part of a political youth group gave. [27.20] Discussion of the influences on Devon politics. [29.53] Discussion of the changing role of women in Exeter politics, and the challenges they still face. [32.28] Discussion of the political identity of Devon and Exeter. [33.20] Remarks on the economic disparity of Exeter. [35.48] Discussion of what she helped achieve through her activism, and the importance of local politics. Comments on how Exeter has grown and supports its people. [38.24] Remarks on how politics gave her a freedom she would not have had otherwise. Tells of her meeting famous figures like Desmond Tutu, and Princess Diana. [39.50] End of interview.
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Listen to Anita discuss her early memories of political campaigning...