The Bubs
Maybe you haven't been watching any of this year's Labour party conference - which is being held in Liverpool.
But if you have - you will have noticed that The Bubs (Britain's Union Bosses) are they're in force - having barely had time to catch their breath and recover from their trip to the TUC.
The key players are the big public sector unions - because that's where the vast majority of union members are drawn from these days.
So it's the Bubs from GMB, Unison and Unite who are hugely influential - and not just because they provide more than 90% of Labour funding.
By voting and working together - the Bubs are able to influence candidate selection for MPs and MSPs - and in other important areas such as the party leaderhips elections.
Where the Bubs won it for Ed Miliband - as everyone knows - despite the fact that brother David won both the majority of votes amongst individual party members and MPs.
But the Bubs influence doesn't stop there - the Labour party has just appointed a national GMB official (Iain McNicol) as its new general secretary - the other main candidate was from Unison.
While the new Chair of Labour's national executive is Harry Donaldson - regional secretary for the GMB in Scotland.
So the Bubs influence extends right across the Labour party - at every level.
Which some see as a force for good while others - including me - see it as the authentic voice conservatism and vested interest - which has held Labour back for years.
But if you have - you will have noticed that The Bubs (Britain's Union Bosses) are they're in force - having barely had time to catch their breath and recover from their trip to the TUC.
The key players are the big public sector unions - because that's where the vast majority of union members are drawn from these days.
So it's the Bubs from GMB, Unison and Unite who are hugely influential - and not just because they provide more than 90% of Labour funding.
By voting and working together - the Bubs are able to influence candidate selection for MPs and MSPs - and in other important areas such as the party leaderhips elections.
Where the Bubs won it for Ed Miliband - as everyone knows - despite the fact that brother David won both the majority of votes amongst individual party members and MPs.
But the Bubs influence doesn't stop there - the Labour party has just appointed a national GMB official (Iain McNicol) as its new general secretary - the other main candidate was from Unison.
While the new Chair of Labour's national executive is Harry Donaldson - regional secretary for the GMB in Scotland.
So the Bubs influence extends right across the Labour party - at every level.
Which some see as a force for good while others - including me - see it as the authentic voice conservatism and vested interest - which has held Labour back for years.
