Spanish Practices and Party Funding
The old regime that is still in control of the Labour party is beginning to feel the heat - as the issue of party funding comes under scrutiny.
Labour now raises most of its money from the unions that affiliate to the party - via a 'Spanish practice' known as the political fund.
The political fund allows the unions to divert part of a member's contributions - normally around one week's contributions out of every 13 - into the fund which is then used for a range of activities to support the Labour party.
The political fund is a scam - because it top slices relatively small amounts of money which grow into significant sums - as they are gathered from millions of unwitting union members.
Few members understand how the political fund operates - members can only opt out - they are not asked to make a conscious decision to opt in - or to support a specific political party.
Which is how Scotland - where multi-party politics has been the norm for years - it transpires that around 99.9% of GMB members, for example, pay a political levy to Labour - most of them unknowingly.
How crazy is that?
Because union members vote the same way as everyone else in Scotland - they certainly don't all support Labour, as the union bosses would have us believe
Former Justice Secretary Jack Straw has raised Labour fears that the coalition government may use its majority in Parliament - to force through contentious legislation on union funding of the Labour Party.
About time too - for anyone with a passing interest in trade union democracy.
Surely union members deserve to be given an informed choice about which - if any - political party they want to support.
Jack Straw is reported as saying that it would be a "constitutional monstrosity" for unions to be required to act as "collecting agents" for parties they oppose.
But this of course is complete baloney - because it's the employers that collect the money under the 'check-off' system which means that money is deducted directly from people's pay.
So, it would be very easy for a new system to be designed that gives people more choice - and the employers could even charge a reasonable fee - for performing this valuable service to the parties that stand to benefit.
Come to think of it - why doesn't the government tells us how much these 'check off' collection arrangements cost now?
Let's hope they're not being subsidised out of public funds.
Labour now raises most of its money from the unions that affiliate to the party - via a 'Spanish practice' known as the political fund.
The political fund allows the unions to divert part of a member's contributions - normally around one week's contributions out of every 13 - into the fund which is then used for a range of activities to support the Labour party.
The political fund is a scam - because it top slices relatively small amounts of money which grow into significant sums - as they are gathered from millions of unwitting union members.
Few members understand how the political fund operates - members can only opt out - they are not asked to make a conscious decision to opt in - or to support a specific political party.
Which is how Scotland - where multi-party politics has been the norm for years - it transpires that around 99.9% of GMB members, for example, pay a political levy to Labour - most of them unknowingly.
How crazy is that?
Because union members vote the same way as everyone else in Scotland - they certainly don't all support Labour, as the union bosses would have us believe
Former Justice Secretary Jack Straw has raised Labour fears that the coalition government may use its majority in Parliament - to force through contentious legislation on union funding of the Labour Party.
About time too - for anyone with a passing interest in trade union democracy.
Surely union members deserve to be given an informed choice about which - if any - political party they want to support.
Jack Straw is reported as saying that it would be a "constitutional monstrosity" for unions to be required to act as "collecting agents" for parties they oppose.
But this of course is complete baloney - because it's the employers that collect the money under the 'check-off' system which means that money is deducted directly from people's pay.
So, it would be very easy for a new system to be designed that gives people more choice - and the employers could even charge a reasonable fee - for performing this valuable service to the parties that stand to benefit.
Come to think of it - why doesn't the government tells us how much these 'check off' collection arrangements cost now?
Let's hope they're not being subsidised out of public funds.
