Self-Censorship

I came across this curious article from The Mail newspaper which claims that Unison boss - Dave Prentis - launched a rather silly attack on the Duchess of Cambridge (also known as Kate Middleton) but then self-censored his own words as they appeared,  subsequently, on the union's web site.

Now most union bosses feel the need to turn into something resembling the 'Incredible Hulk' when they go before large groups of union activists - whose politics are terribly tribal and partisan - and who want to hear their leaders laying into the opposition, often by telling awful jokes - and by throwing more heat than light on a subject.

So, I understand where normally mild-mannered Dave is coming from - yet I doubt if slagging off Kate Middleton is the best way to make his point which Dave might well agree with as well on reflection particilarly if - as The Mail claims - his words about 'young women having babies' failed to appear on the Unison web site.

The Mail, of course, does its level 'Punch and Judy' best to embarrass the Labour Party through its financial links to Unison, but wisely the People's Party has nothing to say on the matter - on the record at least.         

Fury as union boss accuses Kate Middleton of being a 'young woman having babies to get state handouts' Unison leader Dave Prentis took aim at the Duchess of Cambridge during a speech attacking welfare cuts

By Matt Chorley

The leader of one of Labour’s biggest union backers sparked fury last night after likening Kate Middleton to ‘young women having babies to get state handouts’.

Unison boss Dave Prentis took aim at the heavily pregnant Duchess of Cambridge in a speech attacking government cuts to welfare.

Labour leader Ed Miliband was urged to distance himself from the ‘outrageous’ attack just weeks before she is due to give birth.

Mr Prentis used a speech to delegates at a Unison rally to urge delegates to ‘fight’ government cuts.

He condemned the coalition’s ‘scorched earth policy’ on welfare payments, adding: ‘If we stopped the poll tax, we can stop the bedroom tax.’

Mr Prentis went on: ‘In the tabloid press, so much is written about benefits abuses - young women having babies to get state hand-outs.

'But conference, that’s enough on Kate Middleton.’

The slur comes just days after the Duchess made her last solo public appearance prior to the birth of her first child next month.

Since Mr Miliband became leader, Unison has donated almost £4 million to Labour Party coffers.

Mr Prentis’ decision to publicly criticise the Duchess risks backfiring against the union baron.

Tory MP Henry Smith said: ‘This is an outrageous personal attack on the Duchess of Cambridge.

'Ed Miliband should distance himself from these spiteful remarks. If he does not, it will be clear that he is a weak leader who stands for the union barons' interests, not the interests of hardworking people.’

Labour last night declined to comment on Mr Prentis's remarks.

Mr Prentis, who enjoyed a pay and perks package worth more than £120,000 last year, used his speech to set out a long list of left wing demands for Mr Miliband if he becomes Prime Minister in 2015.

He said: ‘For too long we're built the careers of Labour politicians, only to be let down when we needed them most.

‘I don't want to hear Labour apologising for past mistakes, I want to see a clear agenda from Labour for the future.

‘We must not support a Labour Government that does not: put an end to privatisation and market madness or restore our NHS- invest in our public services, restore the facility time taken away from our activists, restore workers rights and remove the shackles on trade unions.’

Mr Prentis's jibe was dropped from an official transcript of his speech posted on the union's website.

Mr Prentis also hit out at the cost of Baroness Thatcher's funeral, saying the Tories had spent £10 million to 'assuage their guilt' at having toppled her and describing it as a 'waste of public money'.

In fact the cost to the taxpayer of the funeral was £3.6 million.

And he described UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage as a 'conman extraordinaire', likening him to Enoch Powell.

Mr Prentis accused the Government of launching 'the most vicious assault on the welfare states' which had led to the 'cruellest attacks yet on the weak and vulnerable'.