Labour-only Closed Shops
Here's a selection of comments posted on the Newsnet Scotland web site - in response to my recent article on the trade unions as Labour-only Closed Shops.
# Lord Snooty 2011-06-11 12:41
Somehow Mark, experience tells me not to expect pigs to sprout wings.
They are part of the channels of individual career advancement within the Labour Party and thus will defended until the beast is slain, being "scottish" Labour or even the TUC movement in Scotland.
Sad either way but maybe offers a new dawn.
# Astonished 2011-06-11 15:40
Great proposal - Bet it gets nowhere.
Further this will not be reported by the BBC.
# Mad Jock McMad 2011-06-11 17:16
Without the two super Unions - Unison and Unite - affiliation fees and the deep pocket of these two unions there would be no Labour Party. Unite keeps Millbank going and Unison John Smith House.
The Labour Regional Branch in Scotland is in effect bankrupt with out Union affiliation fees.
That is the opposition this motion will face at the Scottish Congress.
# Gill 2011-06-12 00:10
I paid in for years and years and when I asked for help it was pathetic. Experience tells me don't expect anything from this, especially when you need it.
# clootie 2011-06-11 18:41
Have you every tried to get the form from your union that allows you to be exempt from labour party contribution.
This indicates how difficult it would be to pass this motion.
# dillond666 2011-06-11 19:34
I got the form to opt out of the Unite political fund. I had to phone the head office myself as the local officials were obstructive and unhelpful. The "return to" address on the form was also out of date and required editing from me. I know there are many who would like to opt out but can't be bothered with the hassle, undemocratic indeed!
# mudfries 2011-06-11 20:41
If you are a union member ask for a "Political fund exemption form" and fill it in, they must give you one if you ask, myself and other workers are members of uccatt and have done this, we all vote SNP, the peoples party! as our politics are to the left and we are working class we could never vote new labour, or should I call them the red tories.
# mudfries 2011-06-11 23:08
Well said clootie, unions were founded by good people for the right reasons, down the years men and women organised themselves and stood up for a decent standard of living for themselves and their family's, its terrible now that there are tinpot stalin types running most of them with their own agendas, how they can slavishly follow the labour party no matter what it stands for and still use things like block voting is insulting to union members, I hope more and more union members wake up and ask themselves "Do I want a union that stands for the rights of the worker or one that stands for the wrongs of a political party?" we can live in hope clootie!
# peter,aberdeenshire 2011-06-12 09:48
I was a member of GPMU and we had a workplace dispute, we had some high official dinosaur came up to address our meeting and all he could speak about was fighting Thatcher. That was all we were to him, a tool in the attack on Thatcher.
When I changed jobs, sickened after that incident I joined I think it was Amicus and used to get the quarterly magazine which being a pro Labour journal i found did not represent my views especially regarding the SNP. I left the union many years ago and have no regrets in doing so.
Maybe in years gone by the unions did reflect the views of the working man but to me they are now for many the first step on the greasy pole of life in the Labour party, and the leadership often use the members as political cannon fodder.
Read more from Newsnet Scotland at: http://www.newsnetscotland.com/
# Lord Snooty 2011-06-11 12:41
Somehow Mark, experience tells me not to expect pigs to sprout wings.
They are part of the channels of individual career advancement within the Labour Party and thus will defended until the beast is slain, being "scottish" Labour or even the TUC movement in Scotland.
Sad either way but maybe offers a new dawn.
# Astonished 2011-06-11 15:40
Great proposal - Bet it gets nowhere.
Further this will not be reported by the BBC.
# Mad Jock McMad 2011-06-11 17:16
Without the two super Unions - Unison and Unite - affiliation fees and the deep pocket of these two unions there would be no Labour Party. Unite keeps Millbank going and Unison John Smith House.
The Labour Regional Branch in Scotland is in effect bankrupt with out Union affiliation fees.
That is the opposition this motion will face at the Scottish Congress.
# Gill 2011-06-12 00:10
I paid in for years and years and when I asked for help it was pathetic. Experience tells me don't expect anything from this, especially when you need it.
# clootie 2011-06-11 18:41
Have you every tried to get the form from your union that allows you to be exempt from labour party contribution.
This indicates how difficult it would be to pass this motion.
# dillond666 2011-06-11 19:34
I got the form to opt out of the Unite political fund. I had to phone the head office myself as the local officials were obstructive and unhelpful. The "return to" address on the form was also out of date and required editing from me. I know there are many who would like to opt out but can't be bothered with the hassle, undemocratic indeed!
# mudfries 2011-06-11 20:41
If you are a union member ask for a "Political fund exemption form" and fill it in, they must give you one if you ask, myself and other workers are members of uccatt and have done this, we all vote SNP, the peoples party! as our politics are to the left and we are working class we could never vote new labour, or should I call them the red tories.
# mudfries 2011-06-11 23:08
Well said clootie, unions were founded by good people for the right reasons, down the years men and women organised themselves and stood up for a decent standard of living for themselves and their family's, its terrible now that there are tinpot stalin types running most of them with their own agendas, how they can slavishly follow the labour party no matter what it stands for and still use things like block voting is insulting to union members, I hope more and more union members wake up and ask themselves "Do I want a union that stands for the rights of the worker or one that stands for the wrongs of a political party?" we can live in hope clootie!
# peter,aberdeenshire 2011-06-12 09:48
I was a member of GPMU and we had a workplace dispute, we had some high official dinosaur came up to address our meeting and all he could speak about was fighting Thatcher. That was all we were to him, a tool in the attack on Thatcher.
When I changed jobs, sickened after that incident I joined I think it was Amicus and used to get the quarterly magazine which being a pro Labour journal i found did not represent my views especially regarding the SNP. I left the union many years ago and have no regrets in doing so.
Maybe in years gone by the unions did reflect the views of the working man but to me they are now for many the first step on the greasy pole of life in the Labour party, and the leadership often use the members as political cannon fodder.
Read more from Newsnet Scotland at: http://www.newsnetscotland.com/
