Bob Purdie
“Tariq’s office at Pentonville Road… had a large psychedelic collage on one wall. I suggested to him that we put a photo of it in the next issue and accuse the Black Dwarf of breaking in and committing an act of vandalism.”
Bob Purdie did much to develop the IMG and Red Mole’s line on Ireland in the early 1970s.
He is the taller one in the picture to the right- the comrade in front is Pat Jordan.
His pamphlet ‘Ireland Unfree’ can be found on the Cedar Lounge Blog: http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/irish-left-archive-ireland-unfree-bob-purdie-rep-pamphlets-2-international-marxist-group-1972/
This is his account of his dealings with the Official IRA: REMEMBERING THE OFFICIALS
and his 1990 book Politics In The Streets can be found here: http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/crights/purdie/index.html
Bob was to move away from revolutionary politics and now describes his politics as Scottish Nationalism and Christian Socialism.
Bob’s holding a placard about the Soviet Union’s invasion of Czechoslovakia, so I suggest the photo is from 1968…..
I was told that the fellow in front of Bob is Pat Jordan. Might someone confirm or identify? It would be sooo helpful to drop the habit of not identifying photos! Thanks, great site.
Yes, it is Pat Jordan.
Photo was supplied by Keith Sinclair and was scanned from the cover of a Healyite pamphlet.
I can confirm that it is my old friend Pat Jordan, in fact I pointed this out to Rob when he posted the photo.
PS it is a very rare photo, I only had that moustache for a few weeks, it was a transitional phase between being bearded and clean shaven. It was probably the onset of reformism, I remember (Lord) Gus MacDonald being moustached when all the other Young Socialists in Glasgow wore beards (except some of the women). He also wore a hairy Italian suit instead of jeans & combat jacket – a clear breach with the principles taught us by Comrades Fidel and Che. At least I adopted a kilt, reflecting my Jacobite sympathies.
Thanks everyone! LOL