Unite Assistant General Secretary Howard Beckett has this evening launched his campaign to become the union’s next general secretary when Len McCluskey retires. Below is how you can support his campaign – and why you should:
I’ve known Howard for some years now and I’ve met few people, even in the union movement, who understand the values of loyalty and solidarity in the way Howard does.
While some others have tried to claim credit for industrial action victories to enhance their standing, Howard has been right on the front line in winning them – but has always made sure the credit goes to the local organisers and the rank and file members involved in each campaign to save jobs, pay and conditions.
Just as importantly, Howard has consistently stood up to the Establishment on behalf of working people. While Keir Starmer and his front bench have sided with the government, for example opposing teaching unions on masks in schools and meekly falling in behind Johnson on issues affecting NHS workers and patients, Howard has been the only person in the frame for the Unite leadership who has called them out and demanded better, instead of making an accommodation like others have.
He has also received the support of Unite Unity Left, the grassroots left group of Unite members:
If you want to support his campaign and give time to help promote awareness, sign up here and make sure to follow on Twitter – and to spread the word to others.
He’d be a good successor to Len McCluskey. I wish him well (but will not cannot visit Twatter to show him support).
I could have sworn I left a comment on here that has mysteriously disappeared…
How many candidates are ‘the left’ fielding in a FPTP election. Will they ever learn?
Says the right wing troll.
frank – Don’t you think that I have a valid point.
You, being a hard right troll, have zero relevance.
You are just a troll for the hard right.
I bet you like Alexei Navalny. The Russian Tommy Robinson.
frank – Have you got something against democracy?
Looks like you touched a nerve there, Frank! 😉
“How many candidates are ‘the left’ fielding in a FPTP election. Will they ever learn?”
Do you think, SteveH, that this might be a key (existential) difference between the left and right? The RW only think about winning at any cost (and supporting by-hook-or-by-crook ‘winners’), and the left do not??
And if you do, and that the self-aggrandising results-orientation of the right is better, then you’ve probably self-proclaimed yourself as, well, mmm, not left wing.
qwertboi – Are you having a laugh?
Is the name Unite Unity Left meant to be ironic?
“Are you having a laugh?
Is the name Unite Unity Left meant to be ironic?”
If it’s ironic, it’s exactly the same sense in which “New Management” causes LABOUR to suffer POLL COLLAPSE (i.e. unntended).
https://averypublicsociologist.blogspot.com/2021/02/on-labours-poll-collapse.html
Yes, Labour’s forensic leader is entirely and personally responsible for Labour’s appaling performance at the polls.
As Phil wrote “The Tories are benefiting from unity on the right, while Keir Starmer is fostering disunity among the opposition to them. It’s a failure of leadership against the worst government since Suez mired in the gravest crisis since the 2nd World War, which has been made more dire by Tory short-termism and recklessness. Under these relatively benign circumstances for a competent opposition, you’ve got to wonder what lies ahead when things get tough.”
Until we get rid of Sir K R Starmer, occupancy of Downing Street is beyond the centrists wildest and wettest dreams. This is about Starmer losing Labour support – not woolyhead and the tory reprobates gaining it.
So what’s the problem with Steve Turner then ?
SteveH
13/02/2021 at 11:43 pm
frank – Have you got something against democracy?
I think you should pose that question to Keith.
But as you are a hard right troll, you won’t.
Ask him about his racism too!
You (middle class liberals) can take full responsibility for that. There are two lefts now. The Pabloite fake left who’ve infiltrated so deeply they’ve become the new authoritarian liberals and the working class movement which is tiny in comparison. We aren’t a broad church, each sees the other as dangerous and we have little in common.
Can we all do this? Get it trending?
frank – Are you going to start it off, let us know how you get on.
Why don’t you kill yourself?
So let’s get this straight, Steve Turner is the United Left candidate, which was heralded on here but because Howard didn’t win he’s now the United Unity Left candidate?
FFS
Did United Unity Left even exist prior to 2021?
Terry – You are being a little bit unfair.
December 2020 according to their website.
https://uniteunityleft.co.uk/solidarity/
The domain was registered on 24-Nov-2020
SteveH.
The troll, who wants t keep the Tories out of trouble, by promoting the man, Keith, who props them up, all the time.
Keith, your far right Leader.
frank – You are sounding sad and desperate, come back when you can put together a coherent argument.
RH, DMcNiv, Smartboy, Ace ShillHunter & WhiteFlagMan the AH, SH’s, “Mandy” has now been officially tasked with helping SIR Keith Starner. Is it “Mandy’s” instructions to all of your team to pretend to be Socialists and “work night and day” to ensure the “Left” keep making the same errors❓❓❓
The obvious answer is YES. I can recall not one single tiny suggestion from RH, DMcNiven, Smartboy, Ace Shill Hunter the AH Allan Howard of what the “Left” CAN do to stop repeating the sane errors. Can anyone recall even one constructive suggestion from those frauds❓❓❓ No❗️❗️❗️
Those plants ARE Spy Cops who infiltrated even those campaigning to save the environment. Whats the pattern??? They call for violent revolutions like David McNiven has. Then the environmentalist are branded … violent by the MSM to discredit them. They moan about the system but note well, NEVER say what we can do. Anyone who does suggest anything meaningful, ANYONE, they ridicule.
Read their post yourself. Check their posting history. You will find that they have always said there is nothing we can do, yet what do they ALWAYS jump in to do??? Try to stop even the tiniest hint of the logical eg – Do something different. Change the defeatist victim culture. Speak up and defend our policies re the basics right here right now. Stop insulting our historical base. Stop appeasing the Right Wing. The Broad Church Altar slants down sharply to the Right. With over half a million members and THREE wins including the two coups, there was no logical reason to gift McNicol a peerage and offer Twatson one. Appeasement ALWAYS fails. Those were failures made by us. They were choices made by us. But the frauds as you can see are DETERMINED and quite effective at saying NOTHING CAN BE DONE.
QUESTION – IF nothing can be done, Why then do David McNiven, Smartboy more recently and surprisingly… like a sleeper given instructions to activate… , and the most extraordinary Allan Howard the Ace Shill Hunter AH decide to do one thing??? One thing argue against change. SURELY logic dictates that if someone honestly thought nothing could be done, they would do nothing. Why devote so much energy to shout down those who believe there are MANY things we can change❓❓❓ Answers on a postcard.
Oh, and here’s something else that can change. Check, only a handful like Doug, Ian Kemp, timfrom i think, john thatcher, i think qwertboi and a true consistent comrade Joseph O’Keefe speak up against the Can’t do and do nothing brigade. Apologies if i’v missed out any. I believe that is due to another thing that needs changing. ie politics is not a domestic situation where one may decide to say nothing. Someone on Skwawkbox.org recently spoke about “feuding”. Speaking up is not feuding. Of we cannot put our position up for scrutiny and debate amongst ourselves, then how will we manage against the Right Wing and MSM❓❓❓ That aspect which needs URGENT change may be another which the Can’t do brigade jump into action to stop🔴🔴🔴
frank – You are sounding sad and desperate, come back when you can put together a coherent argument.
Projection at its best.
I know this man is a millionaire Lawyer from N Ireland,but can’t find any more on him other than hes no “shopfloor experience in a union.I like what he says and hes obviously a hard man,but who isnt from that part of Ireland.Turner would seem a natural,but I am still unsure about the Lawyer.Dont want anymore “plants” from a country riddled with black ops and infiltration people.I love the people of N Ireland but there more than anywhere you have to be very careful about who you choose as friends.Paranoid,but remember Tom watson and all?
I’ve seen him on YouTube (the Socialist TV thing) with the ranty Somerset bloke but I’ve not been that convinced.
I noted that Howard Beckett was fined 5000pounds for deducting “fees from a miners compensation scheme,also former Diector of a Property firm, dissolved after trading?….for over 18years.This is as much as I can find on Howard Roberts Beckett…maybe Squawk can give us a bit more info as I am not good at this searching game,but I am suspicious of lack of info on him.He may be a great bloke but we need more than words from any lawyer in any organisation but especially this one.Unite are a powerful voice for the working-class movement and the left,no more cuckoo’s in the nest.
Before anyone points it out I realise that Beckett was “involved” in the deduction of fees,.There is a world of difference if he did not directly benefit just to be accurate and fair.But the fact that Lawyers many who claimed to be with the Labour movment feasted like gannetts on the corpse of sick miners is a scandel for the whole legal profession so called.I have looked at the law society and the government reports,all I want to know is were was Howard Roberts Beckett brought up.,who were is parents and what did they do for a living and what association he belong to and were was he educated in his early life..You may say,but thats his private life.I didn’t believe in such a thing and never will.This is a very powerful union and lawyers are to be scrutinised more than anyone.
Joseph – We need to be cautious, god forbid that we should ever end up with a Labour party leader who was brought up in a mansion by academic parents who paid for him to go to prep school, someone who has amassed a personal fortune of c£3,000,000 whilst spending his whole career working in politics.
Nope.
The Party has a right wing racist leader.
frank – Oh dear, you sad troll. Is that really the most intelligible thing you could manage.
As I said elsewhere, come back when you can put a cogent argument together.
If the left vote splits then the right will in all likelihood win. It is as simple as that. That would be a major setback.
So either one left candidate is agreed (as used to happen in the TGWU); or a new voting system is introduced such as a second ballot of the two leading candidates if none achieves an overall majority in the first ballot (as was used in the AEU) or the alternative vote (which may require a rules-revision conference).
Which would have sorted Unison election by bringing it down to a run off
You are spot on, in that the Right are not only ruthless in their selection process they are equally efficient in picking what form of voting favours them
Meanwhile back at the Tooting Popular Front
Ace ShillHunter the WhiteFlagMan the AH, “David McNiven” and the recently surprisingly “Smartboy, SH’s, “Mandy” has now been officially tasked with helping SIR Keith Starner. Is it “Mandy’s” instructions to all of your team to pretend to be Socialists and “work night and day” to ensure the “Left” keep making the same errors❓❓❓
The obvious answer is YES. I can recall not one single tiny suggestion from RH, DMcNiven, Smartboy, Ace Shill Hunter the AH Allan Howard of what the “Left” CAN do to stop repeating the sane errors. Can anyone recall even one constructive suggestion from those frauds❓❓❓ No❗️❗️❗️
Those plants ARE Spy Cops who infiltrated even those campaigning to save the environment. Whats the pattern??? They call for violent revolutions like David McNiven has. Then the environmentalist are branded … violent by the MSM to discredit them. They moan about the system but note well, NEVER say what we can do. Anyone who does suggest anything meaningful, ANYONE, they ridicule.
Read their post yourself. Check their posting history. You will find that they have always said there is nothing we can do, yet what do they ALWAYS jump in to do??? Try to stop even the tiniest hint of the logical eg – Do something different. Change the defeatist victim culture. Speak up and defend our policies re the basics right here right now. Stop insulting our historical base. Stop appeasing the Right Wing. The Broad Church Altar slants down sharply to the Right. With over half a million members and THREE wins including the two coups, there was no logical reason to gift McNicol a peerage and offer Twatson one. Appeasement ALWAYS fails. Those were failures made by us. They were choices made by us. But the frauds as you can see are DETERMINED and quite effective at saying NOTHING CAN BE DONE.
QUESTION – IF nothing can be done, Why then do David McNiven, Smartboy more recently and surprisingly… like a sleeper given instructions to activate… , and the most extraordinary Allan Howard the Ace Shill Hunter AH decide to do one thing??? One thing argue against change. SURELY logic dictates that if someone honestly thought nothing could be done, they would do nothing. Why devote so much energy to shout down those who believe there are MANY things we can change❓❓❓ Answers on a postcard.
Oh, and here’s something else that can change. Check, only a handful like Doug, Ian Kemp, timfrom i think, john thatcher, i think qwertboi and a true consistent comrade Joseph O’Keefe speak up against the Can’t do and do nothing brigade. Apologies if i’v missed out any. I believe that is due to another thing that needs changing. ie politics is not a domestic situation where one may decide to say nothing. Someone on Skwawkbox.org recently spoke about “feuding”. Speaking up is not feuding. Of we cannot put our position up for scrutiny and debate amongst ourselves, then how will we manage against the Right Wing and MSM❓❓❓ That aspect which needs URGENT change may be another which the Can’t do brigade jump into action to stop🔴🔴🔴
Nothing against Howard Beckett, would have been happy to support him and vote for him, has he won the Unite Left caucus nomination, but he didn’t.
I know he lost but a few votes, I know that Jenny Formby couldn’t vote, but that reason that she couldn’t is because she and others had let go on the membership of Unite left group. Former GS or no, Unite Officials or no they should have kept up to date their membership of the group.
An internal investigation was launch by Unite and still the vote in favour of Steve Turner was confirmed. Beckett should keep his word, stand down and support Steve Turner’s Campaign to become the next Unite’s General Secretary.
It doesn’t look good when a candidate doesn’t keep his word, does it?
We have the experience of Unison and what happens when the vote gets divided, hence Beckett should do the decent thing and withdraw.
I think your right Maria it would be nothing short of madness to field two left candidates, plus Becket can still be a powerful voice in the union.
Anyone with half a clue knows that the right’s overwhelming advantage is propaganda.
I’ve posted a simple plan to force the media to report honestly on pain of imprisonment.
However slim anyone thinks its chances, it’s the only plan in existence and the only possible way to break the right’s grip on the narrative.
They can’t be reasoned with, they have no better natures that can be appealed to and they believe themselves completely secure and protected by the establishment.
Only fear of prison will give those complacent fuckers the impulse to pretend a conscience.
Windbag endlessly posts the same garbled aphorisms from some half-remembered Cosmo article on positive thinking and calls it a plan.
Believe whatever you like, folks – if you’re happy with such bollocks I no longer give a fuck – I’ll be busy with boat work from now on.
Let me know how windbag’s path to victory turns out.
U r not a member and your post is drivel. That is at the moment NOT in our power. U may have missed that Starmer was given a Shadow Cabinet post, Chris, Jackie Walker, Mark Wandsworth, Ken Livingstone, George Galloway were thrown under busses. Tom Watson was recommend for a peerage, etc now Jeremy has had the whip withdrawn as a reward.
A CONSTRUCTIVE suggestion would be something we can put in action now not your ridiculous drivel . DRIVEL because, we cannot do that now. But u r no fool. You know that is not at present i the gift of the “Left”. You are not a fool, you are a fraud. And you have obviously fooled many. You can’t fool everyone.
☢️☢️☢️
windchimes – You keep extolling the virtues of your constructive suggestions, please,.could we have a list of these suggestions of yours.
The whole point of my plan is that an announcement of a future policy which will be enacted when next in power can be made at any time – EVEN FROM OPPOSITION.
I don’t know any simpler words that you might understand. Do the caps not help?
Would some kind person with pre-verbal children translate it into infantile for windbag please?
I thought u went to your boat??? Go and stay there as promised. My suggestions are for party members as promised. I said u would piss off. So piss off to your boat. U have offered nothing. U offer nothing and will offer nothing, except your deceit like the Right Wing plant you are. U make up a lot a drivel and discount the basic changes the “Left” need now. U’re not a fool. If u were, u could be indulged or ignored. But, you fully well know what you do David McNiven. You have been exposed. You are a fraud. Go play with your boats as u said u would.
😂😂😂
Oh … and do stop liking your own posts you little cretin …
Establish panel of honest brokers on left to coordinate action at every level