The 2 Eds in union - against unions
So Labour have made a strategic decision to distance themselves from the unions this week. Well in all honesty, they have been doing this for months. The union and media reaction has been exactly what the party bosses wanted, angry words from the union leaders and big coverage from Fleet Street. Of more importance to them, has been the reaction from focus groups based in all the marginal Westminster seats lost to the Tories. They are trying to re-build a relationship with the voters who liked and supported Blair and are quite prepared to infuriate their traditional support in order to do it.
So why are they taking such risks with their core support? That's an easy one, as they are not actually taking any risks at all. Ask yourself this question. If Labour infuriate their core support when in opposition to the Tories, what alternative do these voters have in England? None at all. They know that they have nowhere else to go (with the Libs tied to the Tories) and so can get away with blue murder. Of course in Wales and Scotland, that is not the case. In Scotland, Labour have been well and truly found out and have lost control to the SNP. In Wales, Labour are still getting away with it but are vulnerable to Plaid.
So what will the affiliated unions do? They will bluster, make threats of removing funding and do whatever it takes to convince their members that their anger is being taken seriously, but that's about it. The main affiliated unions are well informed of Labours plans and are just playing the game of Miliband's choosing. Already my union is re-building bridges with Labour and the most recent monthly magazine has a nauseous two page spread on: -
"the relationship that's sometimes stormy but always there."
So if you think that Labour and the unions are about to divorce, dream on. The affiliated unions are in Labour's pocket, whether old or new.
Maybe the unions in Wales aren't about to divorce the Labour party, but by the next election there will be thousands of disillusioned voters out there, and if Plaid gets its act together, under the right leader, we can do well.
ReplyDeleteIan, it could also be that they find that their core support don't always support the unions either. Maybe their core support is actually more 'right wing' (sensible?) than union activists and Plaid hope and wish to think.
ReplyDeletePlease - there is no great ground-swell of support for the unions out there. People feel the unions only look after the union members and more particular the union itself and not the state at large. Please don't drag Plaid down that cul-de-sac.
People don't like the bankers but they don't particularly like the 'hard working public sector workers' either - even those who work in the public sector.
The main reason the Unions are demonised is because the parasites at the top of our society want it so. Never underestimate the power of propaganda and the insidious drip drip drip of anti Union rhetoric from Press Baron owned newspapers and other media outlets.
ReplyDeleteJust look at the difference between unionised public sector and the neutered, de unionised private sector. The problem the unions have at the moment is that many of the leaders on extremely good re-numeration packages are far too close to the powers that be to be representative in a proactive way of their membership.
This is of course what has happened to the Labour party. Whilst the body of labour may well be Socialist the head is most definitely
Tory. The real enemy within!
"People don't like the bankers but they don't particularly like the 'hard working public sector workers' either - even those who work in the public sector."
ReplyDeleteDon't agree with this. There was plenty of support for the public sector strikes shown in yougov polls last time around, from ordinary people.
The problem as ever is the union leaderships. People potray them as lefties etc but really apart from Serwotka and Bob Crow nearly all of the TU leaders are Blairites/Brownites or right-wingers.
The problem with the unions is primarily with the leadership, although it is a little more complicated than that. Many within the Labour movement see them effectively as the same organisation and to somer extent, they are. This is obviously very advantageous to the Labour party but it is now becoming more and more obvious that the relationship is no longer mutually beneficial. There is currenlty a surge in union membership due to the cuts and more significantly the pension changes. However, unless substantial conessions are given by the UK Government, this membership will dive and will be very hard to sustain in the future. Of course, the fiddled and fraudulent 'tick box' system for Labour affiliation will still continue to deliver millions for Labour, until someone in Westminster is prepared to change it.
ReplyDelete