Bob Hughes Interview Audio Clip 1 – Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM)
https://www.aamarchives.org/archive/interviews/lord-bob-hughes/int09a-bob-hughes.html
Bob Hughes MP was the Chair of the Anti-Apartheid Movement from 1976 to 1995. He was the Labour MP for Aberdeen North from 1970 to 1997 and served as Under Secretary of State for Scotland in 1974–75. He now sits in the House of Lords as Baron Hughes of Woodside.
In this clip Lord Hughes describes the arguments over boycotting South African products.
3:43 – “The economy of Britain at the time [1974-79] was such that South Africa was an important customer, so there were tensions. But there were then other tensions as well, you see the idea of boycotting South African goods and disinvesting from South Africa was not an easy policy to win. Even on the left. Initially some of the left, some of the Trotsky’s groups, argued that you can only get change in South Africa if you built up an industrial society and then the proletariat, well you know the story. And so they were in favour of investment. It was the only way to bring about change now. From their point of view, it was a respectable argument but the idea that there was a uniform belief from the day it was first suggested that the boycott of South African goods should become this investment. These were long drawn out battles. Very fierce battles. Very fierce arguments. That I think isn’t to the detriment of the Anti Apartment Movement and those people who want to bring Apartheid down.”