Wednesday, April 15, 2009

A Message about United Left from Comrade Mercader!

This is an internal UNISON thingy. Another great video from Comrade Mercader. Ballot papers are being sent out this week to all members for the UNISON NEC elections. If you are a UNISON member then please vote for anyone but the so-called “United Left” slate. UL is dominated by the extremist “Ultra Left” Socialist Workers Party et al. There is no place for such people in the leadership of modern day democratic and progressive trade unions.

Check out this excellent web site Members in UNISON which has details about some of the Sensible Left candidates.

In London region we have Kim Silver, Louise Couling, Conroy Lawrence and Eric Roberts standing for NEC positions.

Earphones or speaker’s on!

13 comments:

Bill said...

Hilarious. The best advert for United Left I've ever seen!

"They want to grab your money for their revolution".

Boo! There's lefties about!

Bill
Shop steward and United Left supporter

I. Spick said...

Give that man a medal!

Anonymous said...

Interesting post John

Having viewed the video and also the website, I can't seem to find any positive reason why I should vote for any of these individuals except for the fact that they are not "trots".

In no circumstance would I describe myself as anything other than a moderate, after all I am a member of the Labour Party but I would much rather vote for someone, particularly for a trade union leadership role who can put forward a postive agenda to be carried out when elected that simply being oppositionalist.

After all, this what the current leadership of UNISON has always condemned the "trots" for...

John Gray said...

Hi Bill
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose!

Hi I.Spick
Am I missing something?

Hi Anon
There are actually trot entryists still about in the Labour Party for some reason or other. I take your point about being purely "oppositionalist" but there is a line to be drawn somewere surely.

How on earth could anyone who calls themself a "moderate" aline themselves with those who believe in revolutionary politics and somehow that this revolution will be brought about via public sector trade unions? Incredible. IMO of course.

Anonymous said...

united Left no more representaive than Tories in UNISON

in fact more of our members vote Tory, probably ten times as many

Anonymous said...

Hi John
The video is great, the other members of unison who saw it couldnt stop laughing especially the jaws music! The trots would be a disaster if they took control of Unison, they care not about members but their narrow extreme views.They helped the thatcher mob to get in time and time again in the 80's, they have zero credibility and are a bunch of humourless, nasty, bullying drones! I hope there will be more videos to come maybe " Trot Nightmare on Mabledon Place" would be a good sequel?

leftygirl said...

Hi John

In all honesty, the video might be seen as a little over the top - I think it's the Jaws music, not the messages within.

My biggest worry about the UL is that they ain't going to listen to members out at the coal face - they will always take their lead from a mish mash of Trotskyist policies led by their constituent executives rather than the real concerns of ordinary members. For example, the latest NJC pay offer of .5%. Rubbish I know, but many people like me are worrying about keeping our jobs and surviving and might not have the strength for a big pay dispute and fight. Not because we're lightweights or sell outs, it's just too much on top of day to day surviving and all the leadership in the world won't change that. But I'm not convinced the UL will listen to that_I think they'll want to follow their own pre fabricated policies, regardless of how members may feel. And I don't want my subs going to pay people to travel to London to represent a political party rather than the people who put them there.

Sorry about the rant!

Andy said...

Isn't the whole point about the video that it warns UNISON members about the potential for these idiots to rip us off and destroy our union, and THEN tells members how they can find out about who they ought to think about supporting by publishing a web address www.membersinunison.org.uk where they can find out what the more sensible members stand for?

It does seem rather elementary to me, but if its helped the less able commenters here to undersatnd how it works, then my job here is done!

Anonymous said...

A Southwest Observer. Yes the point is you dont say what you will do - only what you seem to stand for. Being photographed with Charles Clarke is hardly an endorsement. Criticising others who think unison so far has not delivered is rather like saying you are in favour of begging a government who is in favour of privatising the lot of us.
But then that would not bother you. Keep the photo opportunities up!
There must be so many elephants in the room that the obvious is squashing. Ah well,not having the baggage of defending the indefensible, is a sensible relief.
If Mandelson can get into the House of Lords then you have a chance as fellow travellers.....

Anonymous said...

Don't agree with leftygirl on the jaws music. These people are bloody sharks and it sums them up perfectly!

Anonymous said...

Interesting that the United Left (according to Marsha's blog) are only backing women in 20 out of the 41 seats they are contesting. That doesn't seem to be 70% to me.

This is after she was complaining about the lack of women's representation in senior UNISON positions.

And where they could have put up women candidates in general seats or in the young members seat to help redress this they've only put up men.

I wonder why?

Bill said...

There's no problem with having men in leadership positions, but I've got say I do agree with the comment about the United Left not giving enough women the chance to win seats. Haven't they got enough competent women to stand or is it the United Left men not supporting them?

Jane said...

It's actually worse than you previous commenter says as regards the United Left and their abject failure to put women candidates forward.

Where there are contested seats which don't specify which gender - or general seats as they get called - and the young members seat, the United Left have ONLY put up male candidates!

Of the non-United Left candidates in general seats, only 2 out of the 9 seats are contested by men.

This tells us two things - (1) the United Left are not at all as serious as they claim to be about getting women into leadership positions, and (2) they just don't have the support of women for their revolutionary activities.