Jimmy entertaining the Merseyside Pemsioners Association (MPA) at their Christmas Party in December 2018.
I first met Jimmy Hackett in the late 1970s at a meeting of the Tuebrook Branch of the Labour Party. I remember him sitting at the back of the room, wearing a blue denim jacket and jeans. He stood out in my mind as a character who effortlessly coloured his political contributions with biting humour and the occasional anecdote drawn from his vast life experience—as the son of a docker growing up in “Little Italy” in the Scotland Road area, and the youngest of nine children.
Taking after his father, Jimmy was a staunch socialist and internationalist. He once told me:
“Religion is the enemy of the people because it divides them. I believe in socialism and, like Tony Mulhearn, I never give up. You don’t need a card to be a socialist—just your eyes and ears.”
Jimmy with Tony Mulhearn and Tony Rimmer at the Durham Miners Gala in 2018.
Tony Rimmer and Audrey White on either side of Jimmy at the unveiling of the plaque to the ‘Liverpool 47’ at the CASA in Hope Street, Liverpool in September 2018.
Audrey White recalls:
“I have such fond and special memories of Jimmy over many, many years. He was a one-off: a character, a Scouser, a talented entertainer, and a socialist to his core. He was funny, sincere, and a fighter. And yet, when I had my son 40 years ago, I could still attend my T&GWU 612 union branch because there was Jimmy—happy to be “the crèche” and look after my new baby so I could go to meetings. I was so grateful to him. Jimmy was also on my picket line in 1982 when I was at Lady at Lord John fashion store in Church Street, fighting to get my job back after being sacked. I’ll always remember Jimmy, with his amazing voice, singing all night in Peppers and the pubs on St Anne’s Street when we finally celebrated the victory. One of the best nights of our lives.”
I met up with Jimmy again years later at the Merseyside Pensioners Association, and he was still the same old Jimmy. He was proud to see the names of the 47 (later 49) Liverpool Labour councillors on the plaque that honours the achievements of a battle he was such a big part of. He had a proud history of fighting for his class. He will be remembered, and he will be missed.”
Jimmy cracks a joke.
Former Liverpool Labour councillor Tony Rimmer, and a member of the legendary group of 47 councillors who stood up to Margaret Thatcher, said:
“What can I say about James Hackett that friends and comrades don’t already know? As soon as you met Jimmy and he realised you were a socialist, he was your friend. I’m proud to say he was my friend and comrade in the Liverpool 47/49 surcharged councillors.
Back in 1983, on a very busy local election day, many comrades were travelling around the city spreading as much support as possible. As the results started coming in, some comrades were in a car listening to the radio. The news came through that James Anthony Hackett had won the seat in Warbreck Ward. The realisation then dawned that if Jimmy had won Warbreck, it was the catalyst—we would likely take overall control of Liverpool. And we did.
I became more involved with Jimmy in 1984, when I was elected to Liverpool City Council in the Gillmoss Ward. As the ‘new boy’, I was always grateful for the help and support he gave me as I tried to settle in and understand the strange processes and procedures. He knew from his own experience the year before what that was like.
It was always great to be on the same committee or sub-committee as Jimmy. Everything was dealt with seriously, properly, and correctly—but always with as much humour as we could get away with. Things became more earnest when the Liberals or the Tories were spouting off. Jimmy never let them get away with anything. He always reminded them of the cuts to jobs and services they were responsible for.
Jimmy, like the rest of us, had no intention of letting them get away with the ‘managed decline’ of the City of Liverpool on Thatcher’s behalf. Jimmy was always there with a new joke—more often than not, you didn’t realise you were his straight man.
We’re all going to miss Jimmy: his political commitment, his sense of humour, his friendship. We’ve lost a good man.”
Jimmy at the unveiling of the plaque to the ‘Liverpool 47’ at the CASA in Hope Street, Liverpool in September 2018.
Marie Harrison shared this tale about Jimmy from his time working as a bingo caller:
“It sounds authentic—knowing Jimmy—but I’m not sure who first told the story. It might just be a tale. Jimmy had many jobs in his lifetime and loved entertaining. During his time as a bingo caller, he used all the usual little clues: ‘Maggie’s Den, Number 10’, ‘Two little ducks’, and so on.
Bingo players take their game very seriously. The room would be tense as people concentrated on their cards, whispering things like, ‘I’m sweating on number five.’
Jimmy reached the final call: ‘Unlucky for some.’ ‘House! House!’ shouted a woman from the floor. ‘Number 12,’ said Jimmy. ‘Number twelve isn’t unlucky for some—it’s thirteen!’ she replied. ‘It was unlucky for you, missus,’ said Jimmy, to uproarious laughter.”
Steve Milward remembers:
“At a Warbreck Labour Party meeting in the 1980s, someone asked Jimmy what his politics were. He replied that he was a Marxist with Bolshevik leanings. I remember thinking—WTF!”
I returned to Liverpool in 2015 and joined the Merseyside Pensioners Association, where, after decades had passed, I met Jimmy again. He was just the same—passionate about politics, hilarious to be with, and a gentle soul.
Fortunately, I had the opportunity to film an interview with Jimmy five years ago, in which he spoke about his life and political journey. The complete film will be shown at the CASA in Hope Street on February 25th. Tickets can be ordered here.
Before then, you can watch Jimmy tell a fascinating story about the time he was wrongly arrested, locked overnight in a Bridewell police station cell, and taken to the magistrates’ court the following day.
Jimmy and Tony Mulhearn in a pub at the 2018 Durham miners Gala expressing their opinion about the Scum newspaper.
‘Street Recorder Player’ – Mixed media on paper, 2025.
‘Street Recorder Player’ – Mixed media on paper (detail), 2025.
I made this image from a photograph I took on a Sunday morning in Cheshire Street, East London. As I was walking towards the market on Cheshire Street I noticed this woman who was walking towards me playing the recorder. She was completely oblivious to her surrounding environment and focused on the notes she was playing. Did she take the recorder out with her to play or possible she’d just bought it, second hand, at the market. If it was newly purchased was she reliving her school days when she had recorder lessons? She appeared to me to be in a different time zone.
You can buy a signed copy of my latest photo book here.
I first published this photomontage in January 2017, on the day hundreds gathered in Liverpool to protest the inauguration of Donald Trump. In the fading light, people assembled on the steps of Lime Street Station to express their abhorrence. That day, the most powerful office on Earth was transferred to a man who promised to build a giant wall along the Mexican border, deport 11 million “illegal” immigrants, and introduce “extreme vetting” for Muslims entering the United States.
Trump has a long history of racist and misogynistic statements. He has said that “laziness is a trait in blacks,” described Mexican immigrants as “criminals” and “rapists,” and condoned the beating of a Black Lives Matter activist at one of his rallies. He has argued that women should be “punished” for having abortions and chillingly downplayed sexual violence by dismissing boasts of sexual assault as “locker room talk.” He was also a close associate of the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Since January 2017, things have worsened. Under the Trump administration, undocumented immigrants are routinely portrayed as criminals, invaders, or existential threats. Nazi Germany similarly framed social problems around internal enemies—Jews, communists, immigrants. In this context, ICE plays a central role: large-scale raids, detention, and deportations are made highly visible as symbols of “restoring order,” reinforcing an us-versus-them narrative. Trump strengthens his political power by blaming vulnerable groups for national decline.
Hitler emphasised national rebirth, cultural purity, and harsh enforcement. Trump emphasises “America First,” strong borders, and aggressive policing. ICE is repeatedly framed as a frontline defence of national sovereignty, echoing the way Nazi institutions were used to project state strength and discipline.
Trump is adept at using fear as a political tool. Likewise, the Nazis exploited fears of crime, chaos, and cultural collapse to justify extraordinary measures. Trump regularly amplifies crisis narratives at the border, often overstating or selectively presenting data. ICE operations are publicised in ways that heighten fear and signal control.
The photomontage includes a framed image of a nuclear explosion. This reflects the Doomsday Clock—maintained by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists—being set to 85 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been to catastrophe. There has also been discussion and media reporting about the Trump administration considering the first U.S. nuclear test in decades. Experts warn that resuming nuclear testing could prompt other nuclear states to follow suit, weakening the global taboo and accelerating an arms race.
When this work was first published, it was criticised for “overreacting” to Trump. As then, I make no apologies. So why are both Trump and Hitler depicted reading the Daily Mail?
In 1934, the Daily Mail ran the now-infamous headline “Hurrah for the Blackshirts!”, praising Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists, openly inspired by Mussolini and Hitler. Its owner, Lord Rothermere, privately corresponded with Hitler, expressing admiration for aspects of Nazi policy.
Today, the Daily Mail is owned by Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), which was taken private by its controlling shareholder, the Rothermere family. The company is chaired by Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, a descendant of the paper’s founders. The newspaper has been controlled for more than a century by the Rothermere (Harmsworth) family, whose politics have historically been anti-socialist, anti-union, and nationalist.
You can buy a signed copy of my latest photo book here.
This work ‘Serene Faces’ is based on two photographs – one taken in Cambodia of a massive stone carving of a face in the Bayon temple, the other of a man in a Liverpool pub. The carving was made in the late 12th or early 13th century and the photo of a human being in the 21st century. The human face over time tells us a lot about our species, it’s longevity, fragility and mortality. I felt compelled to place these two faces together.
‘Serene faces’ – mixed media on paper, 2026.
‘Serene faces’ (detail) – mixed media on paper, 2026.
You can buy a signed copy of my latest photo book here.
