Mark Irvine - Blogger, Campaigner, Organiser

Ever since the sudden death of my younger brother, Kevin, I have been thinking carefully about what I am doing - and what I plan to do with the rest of my life. In recent times I've put off or delayed all kinds of projects and plans - for one reason or another - but mostly because of my work on equal pay. So after weighing things up over the past few weeks - I have finally decided that it's time to move on and do something different in future - time to recharge the batteries. Because for the past seven years the fight for equal pay and my work with Action 4 Equality Scotland (A4ES) - have taken up most of my time and energy. And although I haven't yet decided what I will actually do - I know that it's time for me to take up a new challenge. I will continue to support all of the outstanding equal pay cases that are still underway - and I intend to keep the blog site going in one form or another. But it's fair to say that in future I will be spending a lo

Since Ed Miliband became leader of the Labour party - in September 2010 - the big three public sector trade unions (GMB, Unison and Unite) have poured £10 million of their members' money - into Labour coffers. To do so lawfully, the trade unions have to conduct a political fund ballot (PFB) - but only once every ten years - a process which very few ordinary union members bother to take part in. So the turnout is poor, dreadful in fact - in single figures. If I recall correctly the turnout in the last Unison PFB was only 8% of the total union membership - which means that 92% failed to return their ballot papers. To anyone interested in trade union democracy that is very worrying. Because 100% of union members who pay into the union's Political Fund at the time of the ballot - keep doing so once the vote has taken place. Which means that the vote - or ballot - is completely unrepresentative. Now the reason for this is that the PFB passes most union members by - th

Here's some more information about opting out of the political levy. I've updated the names and contact details of the regional secretaries involved - as there have been some changes since the post was first published back in 2010.   I can't imagine that the trade unions would make things difficult for members who decide to hold onto their hard earned cash - but if they do, be sure to let me know. I'm sure the press would be interested to hear the details. Opting-Out Made Easy (22 October 2010) In a recent post I promised to provide contact details - for any readers wishing to opt out of paying a political levy to the Labour party. Now the official way to do this is very cumbersome and involves tracking down some local union rep within your branch - whom no one knows - and who may not even understand what you're talking about. So the best and quickest way to do this would be simply to send an e-mail to your union regional secretary - and politely ask

A number of readers (union members) have been in touch to ask how they can stop paying a political levy to the Labour party. Well here's a previous post to the blog site which explains some of the background -   more information will follow shortly.   Paying a Political Levy (11 October 2010) A number of readers have asked for advice recently on how they can stop paying a political levy - as part of their regular union contributions. Many union members don't even realise they pay a regular levy - which is then passed on to the Labour party - to the tune of millions of pounds a year. For union members who don't actively support the Labour party - handing money over on a regular basis is plainly a bit bonkers. And opting out of the political levy system - would save union members around 10% a year on their union contributions. So how do you opt out? Well the best thing to do would be to write to the regional secretary of your own trade union - stating that y

I was touched yesterday while listening to the remarks of Ian Davidson - a Glasgow Labour MP and chair of the Scottish affairs select committee in the House of Commons. Ian was like a man possessed - out to right a great wrong - and determined to stand up for fair play in a future referendum on whether Scotland should become independent. Now what had got Ian's knickers in such a terrible twist is the question to be asked in the 2014 referendum - which the Scottish Government believes should go something like this: "Do you agree that Scotland should become an independent country?" To which the answer is either Yes or No - presumably. But this is not good enough for Ian and fellow members of the Scottish affairs select committee - who all believe this is a leading question and therefore likely to tilt the answer - towards Yes rather than No. Now I was a bit puzzled by the lengths this rather obscure committee had gone to in its effort to rubbish the proposed qu

The news from Greece is bad. While the Greeks and their beleagured economy appear to be heading for hell in a handcart - the people to blame for this state of affairs alll appear to live in the rest of Europe - no one in Greece bears any responsibility, apparently. The position at the moment is that Greece is having borrowing billions of Euros just to pay the salaries of its public servants - because the Greek economy does not generate sufficient funds to pay its own bills. I watched a series of interviews with Greek people on TV last night - who queued up to say how bad things are and argued that the rest of Europe should come to their rescue again. By forgiving even more of their national debts - and lending Greece even more money while the Greek people acquired the necessary skills to live within their means. As the interviewees spoke I couldn't help but notice they were all travelling on shiny new tram cars - similar to those, no doubt, which have wasted nearly £1 bi

The news media reported the other day that the chief executive of NHS Lothian - Professor James Barbour - is retiring early and will be receiving his full pension entitlement. Apparently the Prof's pension package is worth £75,000 a year - plus a one-off lump sum payment of £220,000 which is presumably tax free. Now that adds up to me although it makes little sense - because the present rules do allow people to retire on a salary worth half their salary - and to receive a tax free lump sum worth three times their annual pension. The present rules also mean that people retire on their final salary - which in this case seems to be around £150,000 a year - even though the good professor has been in the top top job for only ten years or so - around a quarter of his career.  Now I'm sure Professor Barbour has been a good and diligent public servant in his time - but that doesn't mean that he is worth - to my mind anyway - an annual pension that is three time the average

The Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC) contacted me last Thursday to say that South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) intends to lodge an appeal - over the recent Freedom of Information (FOI) case at the Court of Session. The one in which three senior Scottish judges decided - unanimously - that South Lanarkshire Council should be required to publish pay information regarding the pay of male dominated  council jobs. Now in my opinion this is a scandalous state of affairs, a cynical abuse of the FOI process - and a terrible waste of public money into the bargain. But the news is very interesting as well - because last Thursday the council was operating without political oversight or control - given that the local elections were taking place that same day and resulted in no single party having a majority. So how could such an important decision be taken by council officials acting on their own - without proper debate and public scrutiny - which is what local democracy and local gov

I don't think there's anything remotely funny about some idiot hitting Labour leader - Ed Miliband - with an egg. Although I was surprised that this chap was able to get so close - do his dirty deed - and then run away without anyone hauling him to the ground. One of the few good things that Labour's John Prescott ever did - an my opinion anyway - was to give the bully who hit him with an egg - a well-deserved taste of his own medicine.  Instinctively old Two Jags responded with a swift left hook to the jaw - of the long haired oaf who ambushed him on a public walkabout - during the 2001 general election campaign, if I recall  correctly. Now there are lots of people I would like to pelt with tomatoes or rotten eggs - in fact it would probably take me all day to compile a full list.  But just because I disagree with someone or something - doesn't give me the right to walk up to them an slap them in the face with a custard pie - or pour a bucket of green slime

So after the dust of the local elections has settled it appears that the Scottish voters have decided that 'all shall have prizes' - with the exception of the Tories and Liberal Democrats. The SNP can clearly to have won the national election - since they emerged yet again with the largest number of councillors (424) - which is the litmus test of any national contest. The SNP may have improved their showing in Labour's heartlands since 2007 - but they failed to deliver a knockout blow - leaving Labour still in overall control of Glasgow and North Lanarkshire. The Tories took comfort in the fact they they didn't do quite as bad as the Lib Dems - which is a sign of the times rather than a cause for celebration - if you ask me, anyway. Meanwhile the Lib Dems in one Edinburgh constituency were out-polled by Professor Pongoo the Penguin - a man dressed up in a ridiculous bird suit - which only goes to show how far the Lib Dems have sunk. As far as the politics of 

If the opinion polls are correct, Boris Johnson will win the fight to be come the Mayor of London later today - which will take the shine off an otherwise good set of election results for Labour - in England and Wales at least. Labour leader - Ed Miliband - appears to have accepted defeat in London even at this early hour - with the rather pathetic excuse that Boris Johnson ran an independent campaign and kept his Conservative credentials 'under the radar'. Well I have to say that seems more than a bit bonkers to me - because Boris Johnson has one of the highest profile of any politician  in the land - and the voters in London like him because he's a bit of a maverick instead of just another party hack. In fact they liked that quality in Ken Livingstone, albeit some years ago, when he ran as an independent to be London Mayor - defeating the official Labour candidate in the process - the rather hapless Frank Dobson, MP. So we shall see what happens, but if Labour lo

Here's an intelligent and thoughtful article by David Aaronovitch - who writes regularly as a commentator for The Times newspaper. Now I don't know David Aaronovitch, personally. I would say he's not an anti-Labour in any way - more of a natural Labour supporter, if anything - but prepared to speak his mind and speak out against hypocrisy within any political party - of the left or the right. I never had any truck with the News of the World - which pulled a few good scoops admittedly although without ever adding much to the credit side of UK journalism - in my opinion anyway. I'm not a fan of The Sun either, I have to admit - but I could say the same thing about the Daily Record and The Mirror group of newspapers - which have behaved as  sycophantic cheerleaders for the Labour party - for many years. Without a word of complaint from Labour, it has to be said - just as there was no complaint from Labour when News International gave a favourable press to Tony B

Up until now I've had a fair degree of sympathy with the plight of Rangers Football Club - despite the fact that I'm not a fan. My logic is simple: 'How can it be good for Glasgow (or Scotland) to see Rangers FC in such dire straits?'  But the news that an American tycoon - Bill Miller - has been named as the preferred bidder for the Glasgow club is raising great doubts in my mind. Which have nothing to do with the fact that Bill Miller is an American - but everything to do with the fact that this is beginning to look like a good, old-fashioned, asset stripping exercise. Because as far as I can see all that is going to happen is that the favoured few amongst the many Rangers creditors will be paid off - and the rest can go hang. Including the UK taxpayers who are allegedly owed tens of millions of pounds - the latest figure being bandied about in the press was up to £134 million - and counting. Now if this were the result of bad luck, of a business doing it