Before we begin, let’s review a few facts:
1. Unite’s predecessors were instrumental in the founding of the Labour party in 1900
2. Unite represents almost 2 million people today (and other unions a further 5 million)
3. Since 2007 it has donated £11m to the Labour party, an average of £5.50 per person
4. Lord Ashcroft, one man, has donated £3,628,238.62, an average of £3,628,238.62 per person, all through his private company, Bearwood Corporate Services.
5. Trade unions are democratic organisations, dedicated to the betterment of conditions for working people. If you do not want any of your subscription to be donated to a (the Labour) party, you can opt out at any time.
The simple fact of the matter is, Unite are doing the job their members signed up for, representing their interests to the powers that be, in much the same way that the Association of British Insurers or the Law Society represent their professions to government and opposition.
And don’t we want to encourage more participation in the democratic process? With almost 7 million members, won’t trade unions play an important part in this? And if members do not agree with the direction their union is taking, they are free to try to alter it or resign their membership.
Basically, this is an attempt by the Conservatives and their allies in the press, to distract attention from their own problems with regards party financing. They are trying to present Unite’s support of Labour as an equivalent, or worse, to Lord Ashcroft’s of the Tories. The important thing to remember is, however, one man contributed to the Tories 700,000 times the average amount one Unite member did to the Labour party.
Noone wants to see the BA strikes go ahead, but all the stirring by the opposition and the supine media is merely allowing them to escape scrutiny of their own embarrassing financial arrangements.
P
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Arent these chaps "non-doms" also?
ReplyDeleteLord Paul – £69,250 in donations to Labour, including £45,000 to Gordon Brown’s leadership campaign.
Lakshmi Mittal - £4.125 million
Sir Ronald Cohen - £2.55 million
Sir Christopher Ondaatje - £1.7 million
Sir Gulam Noon - £532,826
William Bollinger - £510,725
Mahmoud Khayami - £985,000
They are non-doms, but they can also be said to have been honest about that fact right from the start, rather than shirking, obfuscating and deceiving.
ReplyDeleteI am actually against all these people being able to donate but at least (in the context of political donations and tax status) a Labour thief is an honest thief!!
You're undoubtedly right, but the financial issue is only part of it. Surely the real problem is the perception of the degree of influence that Unite exerts over Labour - i.e. the number of MPs (particularly PPCs in winnable seats) who are sponsored by it and the role of that nice gentleman Mr Whelan. (A funny example rather than a Mail/Telegraph rant - http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/call-us-'deplorable',-union-orders-brown-201003152559/) We're told that "perceptions are real", and the Tories will undoubtedly take advantage of all this to remind older voters (e.g. me) of the 'bad old days' of the 1970s. So in that sense, Unite going on strike now, weeks before an election, is a spectacular case of shooting itself in the foot - and shooting Labour in its foot as well for good measure.
ReplyDeleteA fair point, JDD, but also one that applies equally to Ashcroft and his influence over the Tories. At least in the case of Unite, they are (nominally) representing 2 million people, rather than one!
ReplyDeleteThis issue of returning to the 'bad old days' I am hopeful people see that strikes only affecting BA will not bring the country to a stand still in the same way as those in the 70s did and that they will not spread as they used to.