People in Glass Houses
Now Len McCluskey and Dave Prentis are hardly household names - even amongst their own members - but the have a legitimate right to be heard.
All I'm suggesting is that they shouldn't get too carried away - they should resist the temptation to start believing their own propaganda.
Because that way lies madness - and failure.
Psst - pass it on! (September 16 2011)
Len McCluskey of Unite has a smaller 'mandate' - than Dave Prentis of Unison see post dated 14 September 2011 - People in Glass Houses.
Dave has a big whopper of a mandate - compared to Len anyway - and depending on how you count the votes.
But Dave's 11.2% puts Len's 6.8% - completely in the shade - and here's a earlier post from November 2010 - which explains why.
Now I don't think that size really matters - unless people go around making complete dicks of themselves - by saying that they've got a bigger mandate than anyone else.
Because normally that's not true - and men tend to be a poor judge of size - or so my women friends tell me anyway.
"Election Mandates (24 November 2010)"
Len McCluskey election as the new leader of Unite - has prompted lots of Guardian readers to comment on the newspaper's web site.
Most people registering a view are rightly unimpressed at the poor turnout.
Less than 16% of the union's membership participated in the ballot - which does raise serious questions about trade union democracy.
If 84% of the electorate cannot be bothered to vote - something is clearly wrong - and union leaders should do more than just shrug their shoulders - and move on.
Some commentators also attack Len McCluskey - on a personal level - which is clearly rather unfair.
Len has still been elected after all - he just needs to avoid getting too carried away.
Because any over the top attack on the government - and its mandate to govern - will sound completely ridiculous.
From a union leader elected with the backing of only 6.8% - of Unite's 1.5 million members.
