Liverpool Branch and London Graphical might have been at daggers drawn over the industrial councils proposals, but a certain branch chair and branch secretary are definitely working on building bridges of the humpbacked variety . . . What was a BBC researcher doing taking such an interest in the affairs of the horny-handed sons of toil in the print? . . . No prizes for guessing which Central Lancashire branch delegate is going for the record of most notches on the bed-head at conference. So far, I’m told she’s had a floor manager from Carlisle, a sub-editor from Nottingham and a researcher from Aberdeen. And it’s only Wednesday! . . . In an attempt to get in on the act, there’s to be a meeting of the newly formed Gay And Lesbian Action group tomorrow at six. Just a warning in case you come upon them unawares—they’ll be in the lounge bar of the Flying Parrot pub down the hill from the conference centre.

Gossip and Innuendo

If we ever get back to conference business, look out for an unholy alliance between the former Stalinist Petra O’Dwyer and the careerist Larry Knox that’s set to sabotage the fragile truce in Central Magazine branch . . . I’d watch my back if I were one of those who have ever fiddled a union expense docket . . . Coming soon—more exclusive revelations about secret service plants in your very own union . . . I hear that a certain clerical section are planning some serious horse-trading to win support for Motion 48C, so if there’s something you badly want from your local friendly office support staff, now’s the time to stake your claim . . . Union Jack’s death will almost certainly scupper moves by AMWU staff to disrupt conference by staging a lightning strike protesting at the union’s redundancy plans. Word is the action will be postponed, not cancelled, so deputy general secretary Andy Spence better not breathe too many sighs of relief...

The hand pulled the A4 sheet that contained the Wednesday morning edition of the anonymous Conference Chronicle out of the satchel and slipped it under the next door on the eleventh floor of the student residence. A quick glance at the watch. Time was running short. Soon, the early birds who took the po-faced view that conference was for conference business only would be up and about. Still, this door was the last in the block. Only one more building to go, and that was only five storeys high. The author of the scurrilous daily commentary on events political, social and sexual at the first ever Annual Delegate Conference of the Amalgamated Media Workers’ Union looked cautiously around then walked briskly towards the lifts.