Anonymous attacks upon UNISON activists from tedious sycophants?

Regular readers of this blog (Sid and Doris Union-Blogger) will know that I am rarely impressed with those who blog (or indeed comment) anonymously.

It is a shame that so much of what is sometimes a quite well written little blog (Unison Active) is anonymous - and it does make me wonder whether some of the "Unison activist" bloggers are perhaps in fact employees of the Union.

Certainly a recent vitriolic attack upon the three rank and file challengers for the position of General Secretary does reinforce the cynical view that the blog was set up to support Unison's establishment come what may.

I get some stick for being openly critical of the Union leadership (and fair enough) but I don't sink to the level of personal attacks which you would expect to find in the playground (or on the Unison Active blog).

I don't accept the counsel of despair which says that a rank and file worker cannot aspire to be the General Secretary of a trade union. Mark Serwotka seems to do a pretty good job.

Nor do I think that the campaign for the re-election of our General Secretary is being carried forward on a wave of sheer enthusiasm - not when many of those expressing their heartfelt support know more than they are saying about why there was such a delay in agreeing the timetable for the election.

Now is not the time for loyalty to UNISON to prevent us from voicing legitimate criticisms of shortcomings in the Union. Nor is now the time for rank and file workers to shut up, know our place and tug our forelocks to the staff we employ (even if some of them have taken to blogging anonymously and attacking lay activists who have the temerity to believe that they could lead our Union).