Le Vieux Cordelier 2014 by Nick

"I was amazed to witness an outburst by our great leader of men, and women, at the BC today. He was clearly upset about 2 motions submited by two branch committee members which want to amend the rules of Lambeth Unison. They have every right to do this. I don't think the motions will get two thirds majority nor will members at AGM be very interested in the content. But that does not mean the people who have submitted these motions are right wing or reactionary? I would be happy to leave the argument there but since Jon of the Rogers has also had an outburst on his blog I thought I would respond in kind. Or is he trying to get attention for himself..? I wonder..

Nick Venedi"

"activists who are elected not just to enact revolution but to also support those in need"

Former London UNISON Branch Secretary Nick Venedi (left) makes a valuable contribution on his blog here to an age old dichotomy about trade unions.  Which is - are unions all about providing top class services and representation to its members or is it just a platform for self serving toy town "wannabe" revolutionaries?

Nick bemoans a branch that now apparently takes weeks to answer members who try to call or contact it.

He makes the point that "I think we must offer or at least commit ourselves to some standards of 'excellence' members deserve better attention from the activists who are elected not just to enact revolution but to also support those in need".

Name names Nick, name names!

I shall look forward (as always) to Nick's appearance at the next London UNISON regional Committee meeting.

Blair and Brown...Jon of the Rogers and Young Nick

 (this is an internal London UNISON thingy - enjoy or ignore) -  ..."The interesting thing is that the press have reacted to the story about the rift between Brown and Blair as it was something new.

Everyone knew they couldn't stand each other and they did not have a love hate relationship like the one myself and Jon of the Rogers had. In our case (and yes am bringing this back to me, me, me..) we had a clear division of labour and we worked well together.

I managed the branch on a day to day basis and Jon dealt with the 'revolution' so the lines of division were very clear and obvious and it worked well. We ended up disagreeing because I believed that a branch with 2,300 members had to be managed and some discipline was needed and he wanted a more liberal approach and a free for all, so at the end I left to allow him to do it his way and I wish him the best of luck..."

hat-tip Nick Venedi's blog

Friday Puzzle - Who is Nick going on about?

"I was in fact having this debate with a 'commrade' from Lambeth last night (he happened to be there in the same pub as me) this lefty who is as good looking as Nora Batty and has the wit and charm of Robert Mugabe, was arguing that we (those of us in the Labour party) should regain the party before we start supporting any leaders better still, in his opinion, leave the Labour project and join a real (in his Mugabian reasoning) party. This is the kind of person of course who would rather spend time and energy arguing with the other 28.4 ultra left versions of the far left than concentrate on achieving change and therefore and that way help those wo need it most?"

The World of Nick Venedi

Any ideas?

Update: Nick has clarified his comments here

UNISON NDC 2010: John Gray - Lambeth UNISON branch pin-up

Tomorrow (Tuesday) UNISON begins its National Delegate Conference in Bournemouth.

I will hopefully blog and even twitter on a regular basis during conference.  I thought that I will mark the occasion by posting this picture with me (middle back row) and comrades from my third favourite UNISON branch, Lambeth Local Government, at last year’s conference which was published in their June branch newsletter :)

Sorry to see that their former branch secretary “thumbs up” Nick is no longer an officer of the branch. He will be missed at conference.

Lambeth UNISON members rally around Dave Prentis for General Secretary

The former branch secretary of Lambeth UNISON, Nick Venedi, has placed this message of support on the “Re-elect Dave Prentis” website here.

Nick had been a senior member of the branch for many years and has only recently stepped down. He has promised to advise branch members to support Dave in the election.

I’m sure that this advice will delight his former comrades in Unison disunited left :)

"Can't Pay, Won't Pay" - Greece 2010

I got this postcard sized plastic coated flyer on the way into Monday’s Progressive London event in Congress House. It is very professional looking indeed and a great picture of the Parthenon.

It is interesting that Clare Solomon and John Rees are speaking - which has no doubt upset their former comrades in the SWP.

It appears from this post that maybe someone has deliberately misused Facebook to try and wreak this campaign.

I just can’t think who?

I wonder what our Nick thinks about all this?

Regional supervision of UNISON Branches

In a welcome development today, 1 April, all UNISON Branches in Greater London believed to be led by idiot branch secretaries, starting with the Lambeth local government branch, are to be placed under Regional supervision.

New UNISON Regional Manager, Nick Venedi, until recently joint Branch Secretary in Lambeth is to play a key role, alongside newly appointed organisers Sid and Doris Blogger.

This development has already been welcomed by the "UNISON Active" blog, and it is understood that Regional Finance Convenor, John Gray will comment further shortly.

All members in affected branches will be contacted before noon on Thursday April 1st.

Guest Post by Geoff Chaucer.

The “Plonker" and "Banana" trade unionists who won't vote Labour

Hat-tip thingy to my new best friend ever, Lambeth UNISON Branch secretary, Nick Venedi. Today on his private blog here he reminds the “plonkers” and “banana’s” in This Great Trade Union Movement Of Ours that there is a huge difference between the Labour Party and the Tories. He also goes on to show in his superb post that there is no alternative to Labour and remind them of the horror (the horror) of Tory Rule.

"Remember the miners strike, the battles and devastation of entire communities by the Thatcher government;

Remember the Sign Off regulations and the fact that TU's had to go out getting every member to sign back on every 3 years;

Remember the utter condemnation by the Tories of the proposal to bring in the Minimum Wage;

Remember Osbornes promise that his first target in government will be the public sector pensions scheme;

And when you remember all of these negative factors (and there are many others) then think again and don't be a banana encouraging people to show their disapproval by either not voting or voting for none mainstream parties that have as much chance of forming a government as I have of being Berlusconis next wife? Don't be a plonker! Vote Labour and help change the party (if that's what you want) from within!!"

I have posted here on what happened to those who thought that there was no difference.

Things are far from perfect with trade unions and this government (e.g. the Post office). In truth the relationship has never been perfect from its very beginning and there has always been constant strife and disagreement - and this will always be so.

The job of the affiliated trade unions is to push our agenda within the Party and government. This is tempered in the certain knowledge that we are part of a movement not its entirety. Most importantly there is also no point whatsoever supporting a Party that is seen solely as our “creature” and would therefore have no chance of ever winning power.

So – in the words of our Nick - don’t be a Plonker, don’t be a Banana - vote Labour! (and if so I say also work for a Labour victory).

UNISON United Left are seen as an “exclusive drinking club” while “Gloria is a Vote Winner”

I welcomed to the blogosphere a little while ago Lambeth UNISON Joint branch secretary (and free thinker), Nick Venedi. Nick has now published here what I think is an important post on the UNISON Trotskyite dominated faction, United Left. Nick has in the past been supported by United left in elections for union positions.

While he clearly supports the current UL slate in Thursday London UNISON AGM elections he thinks that “UL has failed to make the impact it needs to have made to ensure that they win an election”

“The mistake the UL keeps making is that it does not appear or looks like a very inclusive product and is seen by some, who are involved with regional politics, as an exclusive drinking club” (shock horror)

“The UL also underestimate how clever the current administration are and ignore the fact that Gloria is a vote winner and John Gray has an established following and is seen as someone who is not afraid to speak his mind...” (I couldn’t possibly comment).

While I disagree with some of the conclusions that Nick makes in this post I have always found him to be personally polite, considerate and thoughtful.

I would imagine that some of his UL “comrades” are “hopping, hopping mad” (to say the least) about his post. I would love to be a spy in the wall at the Lambeth UNISON office on Monday.

Keep up the good stuff Nick!