TUC News
Well the TUC has come and gone - for another year.
And as far as I can tell not a single conference delegate or visiting speaker - had a word to say about fat cat union boss - Derek Simpson - the former general secretary of Unite.
Not even the Labour leader - Ed Miliband - who had a few home truths to tell the TUC - could bring himself to say what needed to be said.
Which is that it's no good banging on about greedy bankers being evil villains - if you then turn a blind eye to the same kind of behaviour within your own ranks.
Here's what I wrote about the scandalous 'golden goodbye' payment back in July - maybe the issue will surface at the Labour party conference which takes place at the end of September.
The reform of Labour's constitution and the role of the trade unions is on the agenda - so who knows maybe someone will speak up for the little guy - instead of trying to sweep the whole business under the carpet.
Union Fat Cats (20 July 2011)
Unite members will be shocked to learn that their hard earned union contributons were used - to fund a £500,000 'golden goodbye' payment to former general secretary - Derek Simpson.
Simpson - a controversial character - received the severance package when he stepped down as Unite boss last year.
In one of the most lame statements of recent times the new boss of Unite - Len McCluskey - said that the payment was 'inappropriate' - and that it was made by a regime with 'lower standards of transparency and probity'.
Well that takes the biscuit for complacency.
Because presumably Derek Simpson was not able just to write a cheque to himself for over £500,000 - surely some committee of the union (unions are obsessed with committees) must have known about and approved the payment.
In which case what exactly was it for - how was it calculated - and who gave the green light to proceed?
Now if this were News International or News of the World - Labour MPs in particular would be jumping about and down - displaying their outrage and contempt - demanding straight answers to straight questions.
So you would think that one or two - especially those with links to Unite - would be standing up for the interests of ordinary union members.
Not so far.
And as far as I can tell not a single conference delegate or visiting speaker - had a word to say about fat cat union boss - Derek Simpson - the former general secretary of Unite.
Not even the Labour leader - Ed Miliband - who had a few home truths to tell the TUC - could bring himself to say what needed to be said.
Which is that it's no good banging on about greedy bankers being evil villains - if you then turn a blind eye to the same kind of behaviour within your own ranks.
Here's what I wrote about the scandalous 'golden goodbye' payment back in July - maybe the issue will surface at the Labour party conference which takes place at the end of September.
The reform of Labour's constitution and the role of the trade unions is on the agenda - so who knows maybe someone will speak up for the little guy - instead of trying to sweep the whole business under the carpet.
Union Fat Cats (20 July 2011)
Unite members will be shocked to learn that their hard earned union contributons were used - to fund a £500,000 'golden goodbye' payment to former general secretary - Derek Simpson.
Simpson - a controversial character - received the severance package when he stepped down as Unite boss last year.
In one of the most lame statements of recent times the new boss of Unite - Len McCluskey - said that the payment was 'inappropriate' - and that it was made by a regime with 'lower standards of transparency and probity'.
Well that takes the biscuit for complacency.
Because presumably Derek Simpson was not able just to write a cheque to himself for over £500,000 - surely some committee of the union (unions are obsessed with committees) must have known about and approved the payment.
In which case what exactly was it for - how was it calculated - and who gave the green light to proceed?
Now if this were News International or News of the World - Labour MPs in particular would be jumping about and down - displaying their outrage and contempt - demanding straight answers to straight questions.
So you would think that one or two - especially those with links to Unite - would be standing up for the interests of ordinary union members.
Not so far.
