United in Support of Labour?
Congratulations to The Daily Referendum for unearthing this gem. My comments in Italics.
66% of Unite members would not vote Labour if a General Election was called today.
Then why are all 2 million members expected to pay £7.12 a year each to support the Labour Party?
Only 32% of Unite members believe that the Labour party share their values
Then why are all 2 million members expected to pay £7.12 a year each to support the Labour Party?
Only 25% of Unite members believe that the Labour party leadership is honest and principled
Then why are all 2 million members expected to pay £7.12 a year each to support the Labour Party?
Only 30% of Unite members believe that the Labour party leadership is competent and capable
Then why are all 2 million members expected to pay £7.12 a year each to support the Labour Party?
Only 27% of Unite members believe that Gordon Brown is the right person to lead Britain forward after the next general election (Cameron 37%)
Then why are all 2 million members expected to pay £7.12 a year each to support the Labour Party?
58% of Unite members think that Gordon Brown is bad for them and their families
Then why are all 2 million members expected to pay £7.12 a year each to support the Labour Party?
58% of Unite members think that Gordon Brown is not up to the job of being Prime Minister
Then why are all 2 million members expected to pay £7.12 a year each to support the Labour Party?
Only 36% of Unite members believe that it was right for the union to donate £500,000 to Labour in the last three months.
Then why are all 2 million members expected to pay £7.12 a year each to support the Labour Party?
Only 31% of Unite members believe that it is right for the union to donate any further large donations to the Labour party.
Then why are all 2 million members expected to pay £7.12 a year each to support the Labour Party?
59% of Unite members describe themselves as “moving away from the Labour party”
Then why are all 2 million member expected to pay £7.12 a year each to support the Labour Party?
HALF the Cabinet, including Gordon Brown and 12 of his ministers, are bankrolled in their constituencies by Unite.
Unite in the form of Charlie Whelan, against the wishes of their members.
One man’s agenda.
Isn’t that their objection to Lord Ashcroft?
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1
March 17, 2010 at 14:54 -
Anna
this is brilliant
caught some of post PMQ discussion on radio 5 and listened to the medacious Kitty Usher prognosticate on all things Ashcroft without once conceding that new labour are a cretinous bunch of talentless gits. She of the new kitchen at our expense amongst other things… get rid of these people!!! -
2
March 17, 2010 at 15:22 -
Why oh why isn’t someone from the Conservatives giving Labour some stick about Lord Paul?
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3
March 17, 2010 at 15:25 -
I can answer that question. Me, me, please Miss.
Oh. Everybody already knows why.
Dammit.
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4
March 17, 2010 at 15:28 -
Excellent post, Anna. I thought that Mrs T had ended the ‘political levy’ (or at least allowed members to opt out) back in the early 80s? Or have they found another way of funding their mendacious and dishonourable political wing?
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5
March 17, 2010 at 15:32
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6
March 17, 2010 at 15:28 -
This is what the general public should be told, to show only a minority of Unite Union members support Labour.
The Blogoshere is so much more informative than the mainstream media.
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7
March 17, 2010 at 15:43 -
THis is a ridiculous line of attack. Look, in a democracy individuals are entitled to join and form organisations. Those organisations then take democratic decisionss on behalf of their membership. If people dislike the decisions they are entitled to leave or to change them. Unite has democratic structures to facilitate this.
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8
March 17, 2010 at 16:05
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9
March 17, 2010 at 15:56 -
When I was a member of the AUEW in the 70′s you could tick a box if you wished to donate to ,gggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ******god dammmit *******grrrrrrrrrr .
Labour. -
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March 17, 2010 at 15:58 -
Unite is as democratic as the Parliamentary side of my arse.
Wheelan is an out and out thug.
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11
March 17, 2010 at 16:06 -
THis is a ridiculous line of attack. Look, in a democracy individuals are entitled to join and form organisations.
Really? I thought they were unofficial closed shops whereby if you didn’t join the union, in addition to missing out on an opportunity to fund the Labour party, you also gave up any right to representation should your employer shaft you.
If that’s not the case, it’s certainly the impression given out. Perhaps Unite is spending too much on Labour’s PR and not enough on their own?
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12
March 17, 2010 at 16:11 -
I can’t speak for Unite, but, if you want to opt of my union’s political fund, all you have to do is tick the appropriate box on the application form – still, it’s quite fun being “the enemy within” again. It fairly takes you back, so it does – nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.
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13
March 17, 2010 at 16:13 -
Oops – that should, of course, say “opt out”.
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14
March 17, 2010 at 18:38 -
Good coverage on the BBC 1 Six O’ Clock News.
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15
March 17, 2010 at 21:37 -
You still don’t get it, they just don’t care anymore.
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March 17, 2010 at 21:41 -
They don’t care who is in charge, the general consensus is, whatever!
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March 17, 2010 at 23:55 -
Opting out of the political levy:
I attempted this not long after Government of the day introduced the measure. I was working for 6 months for a plastics manufacturer and decided to assert my right to not fund the Welsh Windbag. At 6am the following morning I was literally pinned to the wall by a very angry Shop Steward and two of her equally large muscled sisters — choose your favourite scene from Cell Block ‘H’ and you’d get the idea — where upon they proceeded to persuade me how ‘needy’ the Labour Party were for my small contributions to their funds.
That single experience has forever cemented the idea that the Labour movement are nothing more than thugs, open, if necessary, to using violence to extort money. It may be a harsh judgement but its one that I learnt in the most painful way possible… and its not an experience I’ve forgotten (nor forgiven) over the years.
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March 18, 2010 at 02:55 -
I used to be a Unite member & as the place I worked wasn’t a closed shop it was relatively easy to op out of the levy. Like Vimes I too enjoyed the feeling of being ‘the enemy within’. However, when they began harassing all members to vote Labour & refused any discussion on the subject – certainly my emails on the subject were ignored – I left altogether.
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March 18, 2010 at 09:26 -
my experience of being a union (unison) member was that the administration at branch and hq levels was so poor that no one knew if the individual was contracted in or out of paying the levy
i understand that some unions have a rule that allows a block contribution to be made to labour party funds in addition to the the political levy in which case the decision to contract out is effectively taken away from the individual member unless they can get the rule changed.
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March 22, 2010 at 19:13 -
Anna
I’ve nicked this entire article and posted it on our blog in Wigan … because here in Wigan the big enemy is the Labour party.
Hope you don’t mind. If you do, then just say so and I’ll remove it.
Otherwise … thanks very much. Useful.
http://wiganpatriot.blogspot.com/2010/03/unite-union-few-facts.html
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