The methods used by the big unions to get Ed Milliband elected in 2010 are why he has to stand up to UNITE now
The row over the Falkirk selection could make or break him
Mail packs, such as the one featured above from the GMB union to those of its members entitled to vote in Labour’s leadership election, played a pivotal role in EdM’s victory September 2010.
They were developed for the GMB, UNISON and UNITE unions to get round a Labour party ban on candidates’ promotional materials being included in the voting packs for the election. Instead the ballot papers were nested in separate envelopes inside the packs which were then mailed out.
The impact was enormous. Members of unions other than the big three split their votes almost evenly between DavidM and EdM. The GMB, UNISON and UNITE members, those who got their ballots papers inside these packs, voted for EdM by such a margin that it was enough for Ed to win overall even though he was well behind in the party member and MP sections of Labour’s electoral college.
- Ever since then there has been a question mark over the legitimacy of EdM’s victory which has continued to dog him.
The consequence is that unless he stands up to big unions like UNITE, and is seen to be doing so in the face of abuses like FALKIRK, he’ll be accused of being in their pockets which will be very damaging to Labour at GE2015
This is very tough for him simply because of the sheer scale of UNITE’s financial support for the party but it has to be done.
Quite simply Ed has to bite the hand that feeds him.
This is as important for Labour now as Tony Blair’s ditching of clause four was ahead of GE1997.
Mike Smithson
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