A reader who moved to Britain from South Africa and found the Guardian a natural choice
I started reading the Guardian's sister paper in South Africa, the Mail and Guardian. It was so important to activists at a time of heavy media censorship. In the 80s, when the paper was the Weekly Mail, it was produced in a very repressive environment and really stretched what it could do to the boundaries. The Mail and Guardian now features reporting from the Guardian and when I go home I always pick it up. I've always felt there was a good connection between the papers, and when I moved here it was the natural choice for me.
My favourite journalist is Gary Younge. I love his ability to analyse by looking at the lives of ordinary people. His reporting on the Obama campaign and its aftermath was profound. I am also challenged by George Monbiot's column and the reporting of Seumas Milne. I feel much less connection with those who tried to justify the Iraq war (Nick Cohen, David Aaronovitch), as that did not seem compatible with the ethos of the Guardian.
I came to the UK in 1995, originally to do a masters in labour studies at Manchester University. Then I met my partner and kids came, and we settled here. I go back a lot, and still have strong ties with family and friends there. Apart from the weather and outdoor lifestyle, I miss just how politically engaged everyone is in South Africa.
I've worked in unions all my life; now I work as a trade union education officer for the International Transport Workers' Federation in London, which allows me to work with unions around the world, learning about their history and the tradition of trade unionism.
Recently, I've been working on coordinating trade union responses to climate change. I find the Guardian's coverage of the area excellent, and the website very comprehensive.