Now -read the book!

Here is a link to my memoirs which, if you are a glutton for punishment, you can purchase online at https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/an-obscure-footnote-in-trade-union-history.
Men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and when it comes turns out not to be what they meant, and other men have to fight for what they meant under another name. (William Morris - A Dream of John Ball)

Monday, June 27, 2016

Dave Prentis speaks out in support of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership as thousands rally in London


https://www.unison.org.uk/news/2016/06/the-tories-are-divided-but-at-this-crucial-time-labour-should-not-be/

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis, in a well-timed intervention, has reaffirmed UNISON support for the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn.

As members of the Parliamentary Labour Party gathered at Westminster for their meeting they could be in no doubt that there is no support of any consequence within the trade unions for the coup plotters.

With the Tory Party leaderless and rudderless (the Remainers having no plan B and the Brexiteers no obvious plan A) the Labour Parliamentarians who are attempting a putsch give relief only to our adversaries.

Plainly this attempted coup was some time in the planning and the timing is as much to do with Chilcot as it is with Brexit - but crucially it is an opportunist ‎(if ham-fisted) attempt to both manufacture and then capitalise upon a crisis (knowing that the media can be relied upon to fan the flames). In this way the resignation crisis repeats on a grander scale the equally confected anti-semitism crisis of recent months.

A coterie ‎of the self-righteously entitled, viewing the world outside from within their Westminster bubble and believing (against all evidence) in their own importance, are trying to put pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to resign, knowing that unless he buckles to such pressure they cannot regain their former dominance of our movement.

Thousands‎ of protesters in Parliament Square this evening may prick their bubble or we may not, but the solid support of the trade unions, as well as the majority of Party members, for our Party's elected Leader should (but probably will not) give the plotters pause for thought.

Tomorrow the brave little soldiers of the PLP will courageously have a secret ballot in the hope that they can undermine our Leader without having to put their names to their deeds.

Jeremy Corbyn will be right to ignore this arrogance whatever the result - and Party members and trade unionists alike will be right to support him in so doing.
Now more than ever we need an anti-austerity, anti-racist and anti-establishment Leader for Labour.







2 comments:

White Rabbit Jewellery said...

Can you tell me Jon where I will find the names of the UNISON sponsored MP's?

Jon Rogers said...

I don't think this is published anywhere obvious - but I know readers of this blog at the UNISON Centre could share...