Charlotte Walker is returning to the Fringe with an extended version of her production of Chopped Liver and Unions, J.J. Leppink’s play about 1920s-1930s trade unionist, women’s rights pioneer, and anti-fascist Sara Wesker. In 2023 she felt it took place against a bleak political backdrop, but now Lottie has a sense of optimism – although tinged with worry. Here she talks about the background to the play, its hero, and its contemporary resonance.
Fascism has always been here, it's just got a new uniform and poster boy
“I can feel it in the air”, says Sara Wesker. So can I! Change is coming, and for the first time in many years it seems safe to be optimistic that it is good change. The UK now has the most diverse government in its history, with 40% of MPs being women and 92% of the Cabinet state-educated.
In Scotland women make up 73% of the Cabinet. At last, we have people in power who can understand the plight of the worker, and who might do more than pay lip service to equality and diversity.
My dad, a life-long trade unionist who stood on many a picket line, would be pleased that we may finally be on the verge of the equality and respect for women that Sara and others like her fought so hard for.
Chopped Liver and Unions takes us back the first half of the 20th century, dark days that bear a remarkable similarity to today. This was my grandparents’ era, when women and minority groups were fighting for their voices to be heard, rents were high, and living conditions and wages were low.
A small but dangerous minority were intent on blaming their bad fortune on anyone they perceived as “different”. As Sara says, “Fascism has always been here, it's just got a new uniform and poster boy”. The far right is at its most dangerous when its members appear to be normal and when they have a charismatic leader.
This is why the story of the Battle of Cable Street needs to be remembered. People from all walks of life came from all over the country to join the locals and fight Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts. I’ve known about Cable Street since I was a small child living in the shadows of the London docks myself. It is the proudest moment in our local history and talking about it in the show never fails to bring a tear to my eye. Together, we are stronger.
Sara is such an inspiration. She fought at Cable Street, marched in protests and sang on picket lines. I wish I were half the woman that she was. The play is not just about Sara, though. It is the story of an entire generation who fought for the better living and working conditions that we enjoy in the UK today.
The struggle is not over but the winds of change might at last be blowing in the right direction. I hope that Sara’s story can inspire today’s generation to continue the fight. After all, as Sir Arnold Wesker himself said, “If you don’t care you’ll die”.
