Running Scared
Newspaper reports at the weekend confirm that the three candidates out to becomethe next Scottish Labour leader - Tom Harris, Johann Lamont and Ken Macintosh - re all running scared of the trade unions.
Which have one third of the votes - even though a tiny percentage of trade union members bother to vote.
Anway the Sunday Herald reported that at Scottish Labour's weekend hustings - all three candidates backed the public sector pension strikes - planned for next month.
Which is predictable - but still a bit depressing nonetheless.
Because one of the key issues involved - the introduction of 'career average' pensions to replace 'final salary' schemes - is all about fairness and ending discrimination.
Why should a school cleaner continue to subsidise the pension arrangements of a headteacher - or the council's chief executive?
Because that's what's happening now - and that's one of the key recommendations in John Hutton's report - on which the government's plans are based.
John Hutton was - of course - the widely respected Work and Pensions Minister in the last Labour government.
And Hutton knows fine well that 'final salary' pensions schemes are an affront - to everything that Labour is supposed to stand for - because they rob from the pension poor and give to the pension rich.
But now that Labour's in opposition - it's a lot easier to just duck the issue - instead of calling a spade a spade.
Shameless - the lot of them - if you ask me.
