Ground Control to Commissar Jon: your circuits dead, there’s something wrong

It is a shame to wash our dirty clothes in public but I note that the renowned witch hunter and red baiting UNISON NEC member has complained on his blog that the Ultra Left cultist, Glen Kelly, was “howled down” at yesterday's NEC meeting. I understand from people who were actually there and live on the planet earth that nothing of the sort actually happened.

It is interesting that he indicates that what he calls “gentle heckling” by Ultra Left extremists at this year’s NDC conference was okay? ...and he has the blooming cheek to calls his NEC colleague “hypocrites”?

Now I come from a rough and ready tradition of public political debate and can be as passionate about things as anyone. Sometimes, in the dim and distance past I will admit, even I, have overstepped the mark somewhat at meetings for which I have then apologised (never at our Conference of course).

But the continual screaming, shouting and booing in some Conference debates this year by Ultra Left delegates who at the top of their voices yelled - “Liars” and “Rubbish” at speakers they happened not to agree with is completely unacceptable. It is not “gentle heckling” This appeared to be organised and pre-planned behaviour and gave the clear impression that it was done quite deliberately to physically frighten and put off ordinary members from speaking at our Conference.

But I think that most people have a different view of heckling than Trotskyite entryists who always want to shout down opponents since they don’t actually believe in such bourgeois concepts such as democracy. Instead they think shouting loudly and being indignantly outraged all the time will bring about the revolution.

Remember: This is from people who quite deliberately wreaked a sensible rule change (and wound up others with untruths and smears) at Conference which would have assisted the union with throwing out of membership Racists and Nazi’s. Some speakers against the rule change did have a principled argument but why the Ultra Left actively organised against it is beyond me? I cannot think of any other reason than to score points to suit their own narrow, pointless and sectarian purposes.