UNISON Conference affirms Labour Link
grayee Sat Jun 21, 2008 at 01:04:37 AM GMT 
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Just a quick report about the last day of UNISON NDC conference.
Yesterday afternoon we spent nearly 2 hours discussing (motion 63) on whether or not we should review UNISON’s link with the Labour Party. I am very glad to report that after a somewhat “heated” debate, Conference decided in a card vote by a clear majority not to review the principle of a constitutional link.
Deputy General Secretary, Keith Sonnet, gave a blinding speech, the best I have ever seen him, tearing into the Socialist Party (SPEW) who had moved the motion and exposing their true aim of wanting to divert union money into their fantasy “Workers Party”. There were so many delegates queuing up to speak against any review that they had to stand up to wait their turn.
I was really pleased with the result and very proud of UNISON delegates.
This is not to let the Labour Government off the hook.
To be fair (I am a bit jaded and partisan at the moment) there were a number of fairly mainstream delegates during the week who had been rightly very critical about Labour government policies.
At the risk of being a little bit patronising I felt that the union demonstrated once again its political maturity today by realising that even considering disaffiliation is an own goal. It would be an empty gesture. The Labour government knows that turkeys after all do not vote for Christmas. There is no alternative to the Labour Party for all its faults. Standing on the outside trying to shout in is a waste of oxygen. There is no use us pretending otherwise.
The real issue today is that at this moment, it appears that Labour is failing to deliver. What it is failing to deliver on is its raison d’être for the Labour movement, which is to defeat the Tories. My fear and that of many delegates is that of another 18 years of Tory misrule, not pointless betrayal politics.
Yesterday afternoon we spent nearly 2 hours discussing (motion 63) on whether or not we should review UNISON’s link with the Labour Party. I am very glad to report that after a somewhat “heated” debate, Conference decided in a card vote by a clear majority not to review the principle of a constitutional link.
Deputy General Secretary, Keith Sonnet, gave a blinding speech, the best I have ever seen him, tearing into the Socialist Party (SPEW) who had moved the motion and exposing their true aim of wanting to divert union money into their fantasy “Workers Party”. There were so many delegates queuing up to speak against any review that they had to stand up to wait their turn.
I was really pleased with the result and very proud of UNISON delegates.
This is not to let the Labour Government off the hook.
To be fair (I am a bit jaded and partisan at the moment) there were a number of fairly mainstream delegates during the week who had been rightly very critical about Labour government policies.
At the risk of being a little bit patronising I felt that the union demonstrated once again its political maturity today by realising that even considering disaffiliation is an own goal. It would be an empty gesture. The Labour government knows that turkeys after all do not vote for Christmas. There is no alternative to the Labour Party for all its faults. Standing on the outside trying to shout in is a waste of oxygen. There is no use us pretending otherwise.
The real issue today is that at this moment, it appears that Labour is failing to deliver. What it is failing to deliver on is its raison d’être for the Labour movement, which is to defeat the Tories. My fear and that of many delegates is that of another 18 years of Tory misrule, not pointless betrayal politics.
UNISON Conference affirms Labour Link | 2 comments (2 topical)
UNISON Conference affirms Labour Link | 2 comments (2 topical)
