Union members stand as MPs ‘shocker’

You’d think by now the ‘silly season’ – when journalists have no real news to report and get carried away with stories like seagulls stealing kids’ chips – was well and truly over. Apparently not, if you read today’s (September 3) edition of the Daily Mail, despite today’s packed news agenda.

With all the tragic news from the middle east, the worry for a terminally ill little boy and parents in England and Wales fretting about getting the kids back to school, the Mail is ‘scaring’ the British public with stories that Unite – and other trade unions’ members – are plotting a takeover of Parliament.

The implication is that unions – who represent six and a half million ordinary, decent working people – are a Bad Thing for our nation, in contrast, presumably to the 134 Tory MPs and peers in power now who have or do now work for the finance industry (Owen Jones in last night’s Standard), the very industry that wrecked the economy.

The Mail’s typically poor (and inaccurate) story attacks prospective Labour party parliamentary candidates because they may be members of the country’s biggest union.

Working itself into a right froth, the Daily Mail continues by quoting Tory Party chairman Grant Shapps who said, “These astonishing figures lay bare just how deep into Len McCluskey’s clutches Labour have sunk…..(he) is now buying-up Labour candidates across the country.”

This comes from the chairman of a party that has seen its membership collapse and is now reliant on secretvie wealthy individuals to fund it.  The question the Mail is not prepared to ask is; what favours do these super-rich men get in return?

Mr Shapps is of course well known for not coming clean over party donations by refusing to say who the mystery donors were behind the private dining club that has appeared to, so far, have donated over ÂŁ140,00 to his constituency party.

Conservative Club (Hatfield) Ltd – a members’ social club based at the same address as Shapps’ local party — was fined £3,000 by the Financial Conduct Authority after refusing to reveal financial data or the names of its officers.

Back in the real world, Unite issued a simple response to the Mail’s account. “We need more working people in parliament – people who understand the daily realities of living under this coalition government who have spent the last four years cutting the living standards of millions of people.

“What we need less of are the bankers’ friends who frankly don’t give a damn about ordinary people and their struggles to keep their heads above water.”

Unite added, “It’s no surprise that with over six million trade union members across the UK, who make up 13 per cent of the British electorate, that some of these trade union members will be selected to stand for parliament.”

And the Labour added, “We are proud to have selected a wide range of candidates with varying backgrounds including carers, military personnel and business people.

“One Nation Labour is a party that stands for the whole country. Our affiliates’ support does not get them any undue influence over our candidate selection process.

“Labour’s individual members give the largest proportion of all our donations. Labour stands up for the millions David Cameron is asking to pay more, while he is giving 13,000 millionaires an average £100,000 tax cut.”