Listening for a change of tone...?

I read that we are due to give Gordon Brown a hard time at the TUC…

Well, I hope so.

According to the BBC “most union leaders are quietly hopeful there will be a marked change of tone in the noises emanating from No 10.”

I am not sure that is much to hope for in the face of a public sector pay freeze. The treatment of the prison officers is particularly poor – but the pay offers which we have rejected in local government and on which we are consulting members in health are both below the rate of inflation – meaning that they are a pay cut in real terms.

Brown says this is necessary to control inflation, but has nothing to say about inflation busting increases for the fat cats.

At the same time as holding down our pay Brown is set upon changing Labour Party Conference to limit union influence.

We would have to be incredibly stupid to sit silently by (or worse still, to sit by and applaud) as this is done.

But perhaps we will. Perhaps we will watch as our pay is held down below inflation and our ability to make Labour Party policy is eliminated and shall console ourselves with the hope that there may be “a marked change of tone in the noises emanating from No 10”…

I think that at the TUC we should be very quiet when the great man speaks so we can listen carefully for this change of tone…