A meagre 10 per cent of Unite members bothered to vote in the union’s election for general secretary. Arch-lefty Sharon Graham was today re-elected with just 68,694 votes, while her rival Simon Dubbins secured a measly 31,130. Of the 970,945 ballot papers distributed, only 100,089 were returned.
Still, that didn’t spoil the party for Comrade Graham, who trumpeted: ‘It’s an honour to be re-elected by Unite members to serve as their general secretary. This decisive victory is a powerful mandate to continue change. The trust that members have placed in me will be fully repaid as we step up our focus on delivering for workers.’
A ‘powerful mandate’? Talk about working to rule…
Unite voted in March to cut its bankrolling of Labour by 40 per cent – or £585,000. Yet the union enthusiastically cheered on Andy Burnham’s accession as Labour leader and Prime Minister.
Mr S cannot help wondering whether the waning enthusiasm among Unite members has anything to do with their union baron being so spectacularly out of step with those who want Britain’s borders protected from migrant grifters. Questions also remain about whether Unite really does have the 1.2 million strong membership base it claims. Anyway, so much for collective action – nine in ten Unite members apparently decided not to act at all.
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