The Hope Not Hate Campaign Group recently asked supporters to make nominations for ‘Community Champions’ for International Womens’ Day on 8th. March. Mike Somerton, the Disabilities Officer for Hull North CLP ,put together a nomination for Liz Charles which ensured that Liz was accepted by Hope Not Hate as a true community champion who throughout her life has ceaselessly campaigned to translate her socialist beliefs into practical campaigning action —even at the age of 80. Liz has campaigned across a wide variety of concerns—–including as I will outline later for the local LGBT Community—not because she is of them but because she passionately opposes discrimination and inequality wherever it manifests itself.
However her first concern is her beloved NHS which she remembers being born and which she sees being destroyed by a Tory government hell-bent on privatising and destroying it. Only this morning she was bewailing the fact that she had missed the fact that Jeremy Hunt was coming to Hull today to visit Mind and that she would not be able to get there in time to give him a warm Hull welcome with some of her placards. Here, however, she is on the picket line at Hull Royal Infirmary during one of the recent junior doctor.s strikes.
Liz has been an energetic campaigner for Save our NHS Hull and was a founder member of the People’s Assembly and regularly attends meetings of Hull North CLP ,and frequently makes the readers of the Hull Daily Mail and listeners to Radio humberside aware of her views. She has campaigned vigorously against the iniquities of TTIP—-especially as far as its likely effects on her beloved NHS are concerned. Liz has been absolutely principle and fearless in her campaigning.
She has, as previously mentioned, been a stalwart supporter of LGBT Rights ,of Hull Pride and Hull and East Riding Labour LGBT+ Network. She was there behind the labour Party stand at the first Hull Pride that I attended,Liz has always turned her artistic skills in designing and printing t-shirts in our cause from the time in the 1980s when she designed t shirts on aids awareness when she worked for Mind—–and which went on display in the Hull Gay Venues during that dark and prejudiced era to the establishment of our network in 2012 when she produced t-shirts for us. Here are a few examples;
Our Liz is an inspiration for us all . She is a reminder to all Socialists that they must fight oppression, prejudice and injustice wherever they find it. She reminds LGBT people that there are others in this world who also suffer from disadvantage and discrimination and that we must support each other here—-and throughout the world in a spirit of true solidarity. I feel certain that she would subscribe fully to Dan Billanys comment in the 1930s that “I would die of shame if i ever stopped feeling angry at the injustices os society and trying to do something about them.”
And that is exactly why we salute Liz as our community champion in Hull.
Colin Livett 17th. March 2016