Unite insiders have told Skwawkbox that Unite general secretary Sharon Graham’s ‘tour of the regions’ has seen so little demand among members that staff in at least one region – the south-west, for her Bristol appearance this week – have been ordered to attend and are being ‘bussed in’ to make up the numbers and save face.
Graham’s tenure as general secretary has been marked by worrying allegations: trying to have evidence against her husband destroyed – he was on a final warning from the union for his conduct and was the subject of a string of bullying and misogyny complaints, but now holds a senior position in her team; she has been the subject of intense protests in Ireland over Unite’s treatment of Irish union legend Brendan Ogle, who did not support her bid to become general secretary; ‘dark money’ spending on social media ads for candidates in the recent Unite executive election who supported her – and the union was accused of allowing her supporters to stand for election despite ineligibility and even racist comments.
The electoral tactics backfired – several of Graham’s closest allies on the executive were voted out and the efforts of her organisers were unable to secure her a majority, despite propaganda claims to the contrary by her supporters.
Now the union is spending members’ money, according to insiders, on staff time and transport to cover the lack of interest in her ‘tour’.
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I supported Steve Turner, and in the recent executive election I voted for the United left candidates. However, I would offer a word of caution: in 3 years time a right winger could win the position of Unite’s General Secretary.
Graham is quickly attempting to remove anyone to her left that can stand against her in three years time for the position of General Secretary.
Last year you decided to attack Turner, true be told he didn’t run a good campaign but, you forgot to check Graham’s credentials in the process.
Please learn to live with your mistakes and don’t repeat them. Please keep the powder dry.
As GS of the biggest affiliated Union, her failure to speak out on Starmer’s anti-democratic authoritarianism and his sectarian bullying is a serious fault – but, as Maria says above, she might be playing the very same game as Starmer.
https://skwawkbox.org/2023/05/17/islington-n-members-vote-98-2-to-support-corbyn-and-demand-let-us-choose-our-mp/
Wonder when the caprine-worrrier will turn up, asking:
“But what do they hope they’ll achieve?”
OR
“But, put into contextCorbyn’s prevarication and age…”
OR
Post a contradictory poll; something about green paper and ANOTHER pledge he’s too fucking dumb to realise keefs’ reneged on before he’s even gone public with it.
One thing’s evident by it’s conspicuous absence within the wee gobshite’s hubristic postings – he hasn’t got the bollocks to give us his usual “Lost deposit” guff when it comes to Islington.
All you ever get is the inference that wee fella hopes Corbyn does spew it before the GE because he’s shitting bricks at the thought of Corbyn denying keef the minority govt he’ll have to form.
😁
From the link posted above:
“The 2% was a single abstention. Not one person spoke against the motion”
Hmm…an abstention/I> eh?
How the absolute F did keef get in there without being spotted? How in the name of all that’s holy, did he reshape his Easter Island head to make himself incognito?
Mind you, he’d have deffo have grassed himself up had spoke against the motion.
Perhaps not for the sake of being the only one to oppose it, but I mean…You simply cannot disguise that voice that sounds like shoved a kazoo up each nostril as a baby and they’ve remained there ever since.
Anyway, I look forward to hearing how zero outright opposition (like smarmer to the rags) towards their motion of selecting their own candidate is a monumentally resounding victory for the polygonally-craniumed one. 😙🎵
I wonder what happened to the other half of the eligible ward delegates who didn’t attend this meeting.🤔