Eurosceptics have lost a valuable general – Bob Crow

When Nigel Farage had the temerity to nod at Bob Crow’s euroscepticism while paying his respects to the late RMT leader, some were quick to accuse him of cheap political point-scoring. I suspect that many of them hardly knew Crow because he never missed an opportunity to slam the EU for being ‘a regional engine of corporate globalisation’. And eurosceptics of all political persuasions have reason to be disheartened by the loss of a voice like his to their cause.

Bob Crow wasn’t a eurosceptic by convenience nor did he do it simply to pander to rising populist anti-EU sentiment. For years he regularly led union members in protests against EU directives enforcing competition on Europe’s railways, most recently in October. One could be forgiven for wondering if the RMT would have preoccupied itself with this without Crow’s dogma-driven leadership, given that Britain denationalised its own rail system long ago.