Now there’s a signal across the trenches if ever I saw one. First it was Brendan Barber glowingly refering to David Cameron and ….. Boris Johnson:
He [Boris Johnson] deserves the credit for introducing it, although the Tories don’t deserve any credit for never backing a minimum wage in the first place. Barber also said he thought David Cameron was taking a positive step in arranging meetings with the TUC to hear their views.
And now Derek Simpson attacking David Miliband as “smug” and “arrogant” (tis true there Derek) but then to say:
We might as well elect Cameron. We might be better off with Cameron,’ he said. Why should we elect a young fresh face when we have already got one in Cameron with policies that are not dissimilar?
TU Conference starting and the bureaucrats are desperate to stop the motion put forward by the POA and backed by the RMT about calling for a general strike (the accusation of “self-indulgence” is laughable). The FBU and PCS may support it. A spark of real debate in the week which would be an otherwise moribund event.
It seems that the TU bureaucracy are now looking to the Tories because in 18 mths times they will have to deal with Cameron et al. Yet….it seems they are happy to while about the hours till then by making lukewarm demands, lukewarm ultimatums and still hand over the cash to keep NL afloat (thank-you Unite!). How spineless and toothless….the long history of the TU bureaucracy…sell-out, capitulate and sell-out the workers.
And now we have a sop squeaked from Barber about people taking home more than £100,000 should be taxed higher. Here’s a few more demands to put real pressure on NL, how about campaigning around repossessions, public sector pay, repealing the anti trade union laws, redistribution of wealth, fighting the contracting out of public services and attacking welfare reforms and so on.
But the bureaucracy being the bureaucracy will give the muted support on higher taxes for the wealthy but know it will be to no avail. With the symbiotic relationship between the LP, it will be interesting to see how the bureaucracy responds to LP conference.
And as the MP John McDonnell says about the TU bureaucracy and the TU Freedom Bill:
The TUC bureaucracy have always been lukewarm in support of this, but we think that it is even more relevant that trade unions have more power to organise, given the dire consequences of the recession that will lead to more layoffs and privatisation.”
Update: Further discontent and anger at the supine TU bureaucracy
Posted by harpymarx 
Posted by harpymarx 
