Jimmy Reid: Walking with History

Forthcoming book events and signings with Brian McGeachan; Eileen Reid, daughter of Jimmy Reid; and Joani Reid, the granddaughter of Jimmy Reid and current Scottish Labour MP.
Recreation of the 'rat race' speech.

Jimmy Reid: Walking with History is the posthumous autobiography of the legendary Scottish trade union leader and orator. Drawn from fourteen years of conversations, it offers a firsthand account of the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in and the ideas behind his world-famous speeches.

Jimmy Reid: Walking with History is the long-anticipated posthumous autobiography of one of the most influential political voices of the twentieth century.

Compiled from fourteen years of in-depth conversations with journalist and close collaborator Brian McGeachan, the book captures Reid’s life as trade union leader, orator, broadcaster and political activist. Best known internationally as the leading figure in the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in of 1971–72, Reid helped secure thousands of jobs and demonstrated a powerful alternative to industrial conflict through workers’ control and discipline.

Born in Govan during the Depression, Reid’s life intersected with the major political currents of his age: communism, labour politics, nationalism and the struggle for social justice. His election as Rector of the University of Glasgow in 1971 led to his famous 'rat-race' address, later described by The New York Times as “the greatest speech since the Gettysburg Address.” Its critique of alienation, inequality and moral compromise continues to resonate across generations.

Reid went on to become a respected journalist and BAFTA-award-winning broadcaster, engaging global audiences through documentaries and debates while remaining rooted in the experiences of working-class Scotland. With a Foreword by Neil Kinnock and contributions from figures including Tony Benn and Billy Connolly, Walking with History is both an intimate personal narrative and a vital historical record of modern Britain.