Smith orders review of party donations
Newly-elected GMB general secretary Gary Smith has ordered a review of the union’s funding – and its entire affiliation – to the Labour party, on the grounds that the party does not provide ‘value for money’. Hardly considered a left-winger, Smith’s decision signals just how widespread is the dissatisfaction of the labour movement with Starmer’s leadership – and arguably with the entire non-oppositional stance of the Labour right.
Smith told the Daily Record:
We’ve got to face in to the fact that a lot of our members don’t vote Labour across the UK. We also need to face in to the fact that we organise in Ireland, where Labour doesn’t stand candidates. The union’s politics is going to have to reflect that reality.
We’ve also got far less members who are now signed up to be Labour supporters…again, we’re just going to have an honest conversation with the Labour party about what that will entail in terms of funding and support.
Asked whether the union gets its money’s worth from the party he replied, “Definitely not”.
The union faces an issue because its membership in Scotland is likely to be deeply anti-Labour, since the collapse of the Labour vote under right-wing leadership – and Labour does not stand candidates in Northern Ireland, where it also organises.
The Bakers’ union BFAWU has also been debating disaffiliation, with only 9% of its members saying they believed the party serves their interests, although a formal motion to sever the link will not be put to its conference before next year.
Skwawkbox view:
Keir Starmer’s – and the Labour right’s – determination to sink Labour into irrelevancy is coming home to roost in all kinds of ways and not just at the ballot box.
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GMB slashed its funding to the Labour Party under Blair leadership. Gary Smith isn´t left by any means of the imagination. But, he still a trade unionist and sees Starmer as a continuation to the anti Trade Union stand taken by Blair.Hence, I cannot say that I am surprised.
Less of the ‘may’ and more of the ‘DO’.
Just another sign of the wheels coming off the wagon?
no. the wheels r on the wagon. our wagon. bandits r using it. driving it to do as they please. they were given it with the hope the bandits will throw us a crumb and “love” us.
🥀👁🥀👁🥀👁
toffee – “less of the ‘may’ and more of the ‘do’.” say that again‼️‼️‼️
action is needed. not tiresome threats. remember mccluskey’s ages ago? i stated promptly here that mcc’s threat was mccluskey damp mccluskey limp mccluskey empty .
neither u toffee nor i, drip the tiresome descriptions of entryist parasitic droppings. battered wives do that. they describe the obvious as if rich with unique strategy.
if they get a chance to speak to someone. they r paralysed by habits of victimhood over decades. with total sincerity they resolutely find every excuse / justification to endure another beating. for the good of the children they may say, yet sacrifice the same children to appease the abuser.
no competitor warns an opponent they intend to defeat… unless of course – match-fixing… a backroom stitch-up where those in the backroom expect reward. furthermore after 100 years, 60, 40, 30 even these last vivid 5 years alone, threats … the most impotent … “may” “review” are clear. clearly useless. the gmb and unite bigwigs take the members for fools. during these ceaseless tory entryists parasitic 🦟right wing crimes… open crimes, not hidden as if afraid to be found out… open nasty actions 🪳and nasty words followed up by nasty actions🪰the threats are either meant to deceive the many members or they sincerely expect to “convert” the unconvertible🪱🪳🪰
i’m convinced it’s to deceive. party and union big wigs don’t bear the brunt of the same old same old. the long suffering many do. 🥀🥀🥀
‘Forewarned is forearmed’ as the saying goes.
‘Strike while the iron is hot’ is another
No doubt the gears are in motion to see that smith (And/or his election) is tarnished in the MSM/Southside and a replacement/coup sought asap for a more sympathetic careerist.
This article made me happy. I will be extremely happy if the GMB (and other unions) actually follow through with ending all funding until labour expels ALL those that are not democratic socialists!
Richard, I would love to be true but, the Trade Unions are more interested in promoting policies that are important to the Trade Unions and ensuring that enough of their officials end up standing as PPCs in safe Labour seats.
Starmer like Blair before him has a very poor understanding of Trade Unions. GMB or Unison that didn’t support RLB during the last leadership; both, would have had the reasonable expectation that one of its top officials would have been selected to defend Hartlepool.
Instead a GP was selected to be PPC with no trade union links. Hence, the Trade Unions didn’t allow time off to their officials to help organise in Hartlepool and the seat was lost.
It is because of Starmer attitude towards the TUs that now GMB is threatening to withdraw its funding. Unfortunately it doesn’t mean that the Trade Unions want a Labour Party with only room for democratic socialist.
He who pays the piper calls the tune. Why doesn’t the union poll its members and ask them which parties they would like the union to send monies to from its political fund? Make a list of the top ten (including monster raving loony or whatever they are called now) and ask them to nominate. I’ll bet the Greens and maybe even the monster raving loonies would get more votes than labour at the moment.
Plain citizen …on performance related pay that the right wing parade so much,why would any party expect anything from the unions.?Far better to open a Hotel and take money from the parasites
Could be right there Joseph although I’m struggling to understand your point as it is written. How is the £100M+ Unite hotel in Birmingham doing by the way?
I’m not surprised either Maria.
You don’t have to be a left-winger to see the blinding obvious …. That the trade union movement is going to get nothing out of a right-wing Labour Party led by the likes of Starmer.
Starmer is not there to support people like us or to lead Labour to victory.
His every move has been designed to cripple the Party as a vehicle for advancing the interests of working class people.
Labour has been colonised by the rich and powerful.
It is now another party that serves their interests.
There is no way that the Party will be challenging the neo-liberal establishment.
Even the apartheid State of Israel is “LITERALLY” getting away with murder in its daily oppression of the Palestinians.
Labour’s response to this greatest human-rights abuse of our time is pitiful !!
I’m still active in the Labour Party.
If there was anywhere else that was a credible home – I’d be there.
We deserve to lose today in Batley and Spen.
I just hope that it will be a final nail in Starmer’s coffin.
STARMER OUT !!!
If there was anywhere else that was a credible home – I’d be there.
I’d rather be homeless than be part of an abusive, dysfunctional home. I certainly wouldn’t pay to reside in one.
johnsco1, u r correct. note the persistent language of some. the language expose genuine surprise, seeing something new, threats have achieved something despite the bleeding obvious. note those who campaigned non stop 4 howard beckett to stand down even though of the three, they claim he had the least potential support of the other three. basic maths, he was therefore least likely to split the vote. no? note then the deafening silence since hb pulled out. where’s the 24hr campaign for graham or turner to stand down? nowhere! because in truth they “can live with” graham🪱, turner🪰 and coyne.”🦟
the big deadly poisonous problems of the “left” are not external. they are amongst us.🥀🥀🥀
“and Labour does not stand candidates in Northern Ireland, where it also organises”.
That is correct, in fact Trade Union members in Northern Ireland actually make a conscious decision to contribute to their union’s political fund, knowing full well that it mostly goes to support the Labour party and are disenfranchised from any representation by Labour in the Westminster parliament, in the Stormont assembly, or in Local councils. If you cannot vote for the party that governs you, you have no vote. In other words Palestinians living in Israel [just under 2 Million ]have more rights than UK citizens living in Northern Ireland,[just under 2 million], at least they can vote for or against the Israeli party that governs or aspires to govern them. Shameful.
Harry Law the same old give the Irish more of our wonderful British Empire attitudes and exporting our monerchist system.Away with your barmy ideas,The whole of Ireland already have a socialist working class party its called Sinn Fein and its not secatarian either comrade.Youve got some cheek to come on here spreading your colonialist beliefs and peddling nonsense that goes against one of the few principled stance that the Labour party have.Keep out.,Labour is in enough trouble without your comments.
Can’t remember where I read this I am sure you can google it if you need to, but the under representation of Labour Socialism in N-Ireland has more to do with the N-Irish than Labour. I guess like Scotland now only 100 years later, which is a greater shame as most of modern Socialist Ideologies come from Irish Pens! It would be good though if there was a Great UK Labour Party, with Great Policies/Manifesto and Great MPs to represent The People of Scotland and The People of N-Ireland, maybe in the future when enough people WOKE UP!
GMB AND UNISON went Neolabour Party Tory on our arses now they are taking the Socialist Route and UNITE are turning Neolabour Party Tory on our arses! What a World we live in! Anyway, Good for them hopefully more follow suit. If ever a Party wanted to start up, now would be the time, Needs to be Democratic Socialist, not to scare off the misinformed, needs to know UK Labour Party/Movement and needs to be able to take over, wipe out, recruit ALL Neolabour Party Tory’s CLPs, ironically most CLPs are still UK Labour Party, so they’d have very little trouble jumping Ship! That will make for a very Tasty Party option for the Unions but, probably not UNITE, “damaged goods”!
Skellynelly …Hundreds of thousands would join an alternative Labour party if only a few Labour mps would see the writing on the wall for their future in the right wing Labour party.They might as well jump before they are shoved into the abyss.Unfortunately they are too gutless to take a chance that is no risk at all for their limited shelf life.Starmer will hang on,but either way the real socialist working class Labour party is long gone.Whos going to vote Labour party when you can have the original right wing in the conservative party?
Which Labour MPs do you suggest Joseph?
Trickett is probably the only one and I’m not entirely sure what his game is.
The rest are either jellyfish or careerist. Not worth my time or vote.
Almost all are PPE students. Which should disqualify them from becoming an MP
The Exiles, Claudia, Jeremy, etc, you can not say that about Zarah, Bel and Apsana, they are just about the Only Opposition The PEOPLE have in The HoC, they don’t give a shit Starmer’s Atmosphere of Fear.
I think Joseph is talking of the remaining UK Labour Party MPs, “Jellyfish” or not, there are only about 20 of them left, the rest of the Party will quickly be made up by Ship Jumping UK Labour Party CLPs, Ex MPs, Ex and current Staffers, NEC etc!
I personally would love to see Howard as The Party Leader, even if it is just to Piss the Neolabour Party Tories off!
Corbyns a cock flavoured lollipop. He had his chance and blew it monumentally. He surrounded himself with self centred arseholes (Even Abbott turned on him…)
What have the exlies done with their spare time? Raised awareness? To quote Germy Clarkson “Raising awareness means doing nothing”
I’d rather by unrepresented than have jellyfish at the helm.
And for those who leap to Corbyns defence, I’m well aware of Teddy Roosevelt’s quote about being in the arena. Trouble is, many of us entered the arena to support him and he still failed spectacularly. He ain’t the fucking Messiah…
“cock flavoured lollipop” is that because you like Cock or you don’t like Cock?
No Corbyn is not the Messiah, he’s not without a great may faults, but if you can show me the “Cock Flavoured Lollipop” or “Jelly Fish” who could deal with the National and International Organised Assault on him 24/7 for 4.5 years non-stop, I would be astonished.
It sounds to me like you yourself had Messiah like expectations from Corbyn, you sure seem to be pointing the finger at him when he had no control over anyone else’s vote only his own vote at the Ballot Box!
Surely you do not think that Jeremy is such a “Spectacular Failure” that you prefer the shower of shite of TWO Tory Parties, that is the Inbred Buffoon’s Conservative Tory Party and Apartheid Keith’s Neolabour Tory Party, over Corbyn as PM, if people didn’t go stupid at GE19!?
You come across as a Tory troll NVLA. Do you post such-like abuse of Jeremy in the comments sections of the Mail and the Sun, as well?!
And if you’re ‘never voting labour again’ – hmm, did you EVER! – wtf are you doing posting comments on a left-wing blog!
I agree and said that myself, it must be something familiar though as much as I love Chris for all his faults. That resist Party is not gelling with me, I speak up when I can but it’s hard when your heart is not 100% in it! His is no doubt it just feels unstructured and disconnected.
Three wheels on my wagon and I’m still rolling along….goes the old song. I still do not understand why the left leaning MP’s have not got the stomach to leave and form a new socialist party. Self interest? Looking to secure their pensions? Do not give a monkeys about the electorate? I know that I no longer give a monkeys about politicians. I would rather they were replaced by seasoned professionals: lawyers and solicitors in The Home Office, medical staff in The NHS, medical staff and lawyers in The DWP, accountants in The Treasury etc.
No Joseph, it is you who has the colonial mindset, Northern Ireland, like Scotland and Wales has been given the right to self determination in the case of NI via the Good Friday Agreement, which is supported in both parts of Ireland by huge majorities, including Sinn Fein. That agreement states there can be no change in the constitutional position of Northern Ireland without the consent through a referendum. Joseph, you appear to be living in Eamon De Valera’s Ireland in 1937 when Articles 2 and 3 were in force claiming the whole Island of Ireland and territorial seas as the Irish state. People of both parts of Ireland, unlike you, have moved on and the Republic of Ireland changed its constitution to reflect the democratic will of the people. Joseph you appear to be saying questions regarding Tax, the Health service, Education and so forth are to be decided by the governing party at Westminster, without any input from Labour party members in Northern Ireland [2400 in a province wide CLP] and Trade unionists in British based unions like GMB,Unite etc this is a profoundly undemocratic state of affairs. The People of of Northern Ireland both Catholic and Protestant demand not to be treated as second class citizens to satisfy people like Joseph oKeefe whose views are even rejected by Sinn Fein as well as the vast majorities in Ireland both North and South.
Harry Law…..Ireland is soon to be a United Ireland and not a occupied statelet gerrymandered and exploited by British imperalism.Twenty thousand troops operate to control the population backed up by a para military police force armed to the teeth.From fortified barracks.Face reality you clown and realise that there’s nothing for the Labour party here only pipe dreams with the odd stupid.suggestion from you.Whos going to vote Labour or conservative?. Again your comments only seek to pretend that Ulster is the same as any county town in a green and pleasent land…nonsense and dangerous especially as the writing is on the wall for a united Ireland.Cut the crap Harry Law and get real….!Even a clown realises that Ulster is not the UK,except the odd stupid bottom feeders profession Lawyers.
Leadership reaps what it sows.
Joseph, fortunately it is not one of your decrees that will settle whether the people of Northern Ireland stay within the UK,that will be done when the citizens of NI vote in a referendum, by the way there are no more troops in NI than any other part of the UK. By your logic you must support the Scottish and Welsh Nationalists who by your logic are also occupied, would you deny the Scots and Welsh citizens the right to vote for the Labour party? The Labour party is the potential governing party of the state as it exists at this point in time i.e. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. If you want to bypass the electoral process by issuing your decree by all means do so, you will find all the people of Ireland including Sinn fein against you. It is impossible to argue with such a bigoted Nationalist as yourself, Irish opinions North or South are of no concern to you, I have campaigned alongside many Northern Irish people including ex Provisional IRA, ex INLA and workers party who reject the notion of second class citizenship for NI workers.
Joseph you are a Nationalist, George Orwell wrote about people like you in his ‘Notes on Nationalism’ here https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/notes-on-nationalism/
Indifference to Reality. All nationalists have the power of not seeing resemblances between similar sets of facts. A British Tory will defend self-determination in Europe and oppose it in India with no feeling of inconsistency. Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but according to who does them, and there is almost no kind of outrage – torture, the use of hostages, forced labour, mass deportations, imprisonment without trial, forgery, assassination, the bombing of civilians – which does not change its moral colour when it is committed by ‘our’ side. The Liberal News Chronicle published, as an example of shocking barbarity, photographs of Russians hanged by the Germans, and then a year or two later published with warm approval almost exactly similar photographs of Germans hanged by the Russians.[5] It is the same with historical events. History is thought of largely in nationalist terms, and such things as the Inquisition, the tortures of the Star Chamber, the exploits of the English buccaneers (Sir Francis Drake, for instance, who was given to sinking Spanish prisoners alive), the Reign of Terror, the heroes of the Mutiny blowing hundreds of Indians from the guns, or Cromwell’s soldiers slashing Irishwomen’s faces with razors, become morally neutral or even meritorious when it is felt that they were done in the ‘right’ cause. If one looks back over the past quarter of a century, one finds that there was hardly a single year when atrocity stories were not being reported from some part of the world: and yet in not one single case were these atrocities – in Spain, Russia, China, Hungary, Mexico, Amritsar, Smyrna – believed in and disapproved of by the English intelligentsia as a whole. Whether such deeds were reprehensible, or even whether they happened, was always decided according to political predilection.
The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.
Certainly I think another Trade Union chosing to review its funding to the current Labour party is a good thing.
Starmer would then realse that some of his his Labour movement alliies are unhappy with him and his policies, but also said unions would then be more likely to fund a new Laboiur party.
Win/Win.
really qwertboi ? really ?
“review its funding … starmer would then realise … ” ? do u really believe starmer & co have not heard these limp threats before? did the parasitisation and abuse as starmer commits now, start five years ago
🥀❔🥀❔🥀❔
Yes trade unions need to take a step back and take a long look at New New Labour.
Mr S and his Right Wing Labour perhaps have to demonstrate to the rich and powerful and their media puppets that they are absolutely no threat to their power so perhaps the Right Wing Labour flip chart reads:
1. Get rid of Corbyn.
2. Get rid of the Left.
3. Get rid of Left Policy.
And win (?).
Perhaps New New Labour = Political Oblivion?
And perhaps the trade unions could consider funding a Left Wing Democratic Socialist Party.
Rule 1 – HONESTY – (bugger off vanguardists).
Rule 2 – Decisions OMOV.
Rule 3 – It’s MPs on average workers wage £39k (bugger off careerists).
Solidarity!