Eddie Dempsey on the Far Right, Trade Unions & Class Struggle

About this interview

Eddie Dempsey, General Secretary of the RMT trade union, in conversation with Hugo Harvey at the March Against the Far Right. We discuss the rise of the far right in Britain, the impact of neoliberalism, deindustrialisation, insecure work, housing insecurity, and why Dempsey believes working-class organisation is essential to challenging racism and division. Dempsey argues that the growth of the far right cannot be understood without looking at the material conditions people are living under, including decades of privatisation, the decline of industry, and the weakening of trade union structures in working-class communities. The conversation also explores the role of trade unions in bringing people together, the importance of solidarity over division, the historic role of the Irish diaspora in the British labour movement, and why Dempsey believes workers must organise collectively to improve their conditions. Dempsey reflects on his own Irish family background, his father's membership of the National Union of Seamen, his family's connection to the RMT, and the lessons of resilience, solidarity and class struggle that have shaped his politics. Eddie Dempsey was elected General Secretary of the RMT in March 2025, after previously serving as Senior Assistant General Secretary.