Jeremy Corbyn receives Unison's backing for Labour leadership

[AtW]

There will be less of champagne socialism -



and more of just socialism -



" Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour leadership campaign has received a major boost after he won the backing of Britain’s second-biggest trade union, Unison.

Dave Prentis, general secretary of the union, which has 1.3 million members, said Mr Corbyn’s message had “resonated with public sector workers” and that “their choice shows a clear need for change towards a fairer society”.

Unison, which had been expected by some to back Yvette Cooper, instead named her as its second-choice candidate.

The decision was taken by Unison’s 23-strong National Labour Link Committee “following a thorough consultation with all the regions”, it said.

About 28,000 Unison members are Labour party members while a further 15,000 have signed up as supporters to be eligible to vote in the leadership contest, the union said.

The number is expected to rise as the 430,000 members who have actively opted in to its political fund are encouraged to register. "

Source: Jeremy Corbyn receives Unison's backing for Labour leadership - Telegraph

Going to vote for him me thinks

[PurpleGorilla]

He resonates with a lot of the youth in this country. He is fresh. He is not a PPE clone. Good luck to him.

[MicrosoftBob]

That's shocking news right up there with 'Pope found to be Catholic'

[DaveB]

That's shocking news right up there with 'Pope found to be Catholic'

Not really, Unison are generally regarded as one of the more centrist unions. This is a sharp move to the left for them and possibly shows just how out of touch the rest of the candidates really are with the national party membership. Saying that, Unison represent Public Sector workers who are mightily hacked off after 4 years of pay freezes or raises below inflation and have just been told the best they can expect is 1% a year for the next 4 years. They'll probably vote for anyone who promises to change that.

Jezza also has support from Unite who are a more traditionally socialist Union, the GMB aren't officially backing anyone.

Of course none of this means he automatically gets the votes. That arrangement went out of the window a while back, but if Unison are saying they listened to their members before deciding it may well be an indication of the way the wind is blowing for trades union members generally.

[AtW]

Unison represent Public Sector workers who are mightily hacked off after 4 years of pay freezes or raises below inflation

It's gr8 Tory master plan:

1) Do what you want to public sector workers
2) Unions vote in crazy leftie with a cool beard from the 70s
3) Tories win again
4) Profit!!!

HTH

[DaveB]

It's gr8 Tory master plan:

1) Do what you want to public sector workers
2) Unions vote in crazy leftie with a cool beard from the 70s
3) Tories win again
4) Profit!!!

HTH

Or...

Jezza is elected, lights a fire under the Labour membership, we get 18 months of industrial unrest and protest against the government in the lead up to the next election and the tories are booted out as a result.

Just have to wait and see.

[Zero Liability]

He resonates with a lot of the youth in this country. He is fresh. He is not a PPE clone. Good luck to him.

There's nothing "fresh" about him or leftist ideology in general, and if he resonates with the "youth" in this country, it is probably because most have a horrendous understanding of economics. However, at least it'll make Labour stand out in starker relief to the Tories, I suppose. Not that that is necessarily a good thing, because it'll just give them even more leeway to be the "electable" party of PPE clones, rather than offer any meaningful alternative. And I'd rather something a bit different to a champagne socialist-lite drone party and a crony corporatist PPE robot party.

He is old and he'll be even older come the next GE.

[AtW]

Or...

Jezza is elected, lights a fire under the Labour membership, we get 18 months of industrial unrest and protest against the government in the lead up to the next election and the tories are booted out as a result.

Just have to wait and see.

I hope they get booted out before new dividends tax kicks in!

[Zero Liability]

Not really, Unison are generally regarded as one of the more centrist unions. This is a sharp move to the left for them and possibly shows just how out of touch the rest of the candidates really are with the national party membership. Saying that, Unison represent Public Sector workers who are mightily hacked off after 4 years of pay freezes

The poor darlings.

[AtW]

All Northern districts will have to be selecting their tributes for the upcoming Hunger Games...