Unite General Secretary Election

[hitmouse]

and is there any sign as to what her election might mean in relation to Starmerism?

thanks hitmouse

Tricky to say - the main left criticism of her I've seen is that she's fairly hands-off where Labour Party stuff is concerned, so Turner would be maybe more likely to challenge Starmerism at a Labour policy level. Having said that, Turner isn't exactly a firebrand on that level either, I suppose Beckett was probably the most anti-Starmerist candidate in terms of Labour stuff but he's dropped out. This interview Smokeandsteam posted above is useful:

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www.redpepper.org.uk

RP: How did you understand the 2019 General Election result and the end of the Corbyn movement? What do you make of the fact that approximately 40 per cent of Unite members voted Tory?​

Graham: In a word: inevitable. For all of the advances in policy and the profound change in rhetoric, very little was built beneath the leader. I think this is the main issue facing the left. Not whether or not Starmer must go, but how do we deliver power to win in key issues. I don’t see a serious theory of change coming from any of the left commentators. So much of the discussion is purely tactical and focuses on the day-to-day. It’s as if they have become completely disorientated.

In the same vein I was absolutely not surprised that almost half of our members voted Tory. Sadly, the union is not yet equipped to do the work within its membership and why wouldn’t Unite members be moved by the dominant narrative?

From what I can see, the left is continuing to talk relentlessly to itself and at times appears to be more interested in what it is against than what it is for. I think we should be more focussed on building a bridge to the population at large.

Turner: We had a fantastic manifesto in 2017, built on in 2019. That manifesto didn’t lose us the 2019 election, it was Brexit. The ideas in that manifesto were incredibly popular, but we just couldn’t have the discussions we needed to because Brexit obscured everything.

Of course, some Unite members in England voted Tory. But they have different options in the devolved nations and expressed very different opinions there.

Our members didn’t vote to lose their jobs when they voted to leave the EU, but they did want Brexit done. Labour’s muddled policy looked distinctly as though it didn’t share that view. The party’s stated commitment that it would negotiate a credible leave option that protected jobs just didn’t seem believable.


//////////

RP: A lot has been said about union disaffiliation from the Labour party. What do you think of the current Starmer regime? In or out of the Labour Party, what role do you see for Unite in rebuilding or leading the wider Left? What do you think the role of Unite Community could be in this?​

Graham: Look, I think disaffiliation is a red herring. I’m not a great fan of what is going on but without PR electoral alternatives are difficult to envisage. Having said that, I certainly don’t agree with giving blank cheques to politicians. Together with our reps I will produce a Workers’ Manifesto and it should go without saying that I will expect serious movement on our priorities – the priorities of workers.

If people read our Manifesto, they will see that in terms of this election we have a distinct view on politics. We see progressive politics as being a lot more than elections and the Labour Party – as important as that can be. We need to build a sustainable progressive platform that sits outside of any party. We need to build a real base within workplaces and communities – they are our twin pillars if you like.

You can’t rely on a leader or spontaneous action. We have to build a movement ourselves. That means organising properly in workplaces and linking that to communities. Fortunately we have the resources within the political fund to do this. Progressive politics has to start meaning something to people’s everyday lives. We have to work with people to identify issues and then set about solving them. We sponsor a whole host of noble causes but do very little of this work ourselves. We need to become part of the fabric of a community, build trust and earn your credibility. Great policies are not enough, we need to do the hard, unglamorous work of organising.

Turner: I cannot hide my disappointment with Keir Starmer. I didn’t vote for him, I backed Becky Long-Bailey, but I’m a democrat and after he was elected with such a big majority and on ten clear, radical pledges, I committed to working with him.

The pandemic was an opportunity for Labour to steer this country’s response to the crisis in defence of our national interests and our vision for our post-Covid economy.

Instead, Keir has made the choice to allow the government to disengage from Westminster and our party to become more and more irrelevant as the debate becomes more limited.

People want to see a clear vision for the future, not internal division and navel-gazing. A future that gives them the security they need for themselves and their kids and coming generations. Keir needs to step up to the plate and generate a clear distinctive vision for our party moving forward. Above all else our party needs to get back into our communities, which is why it was a huge mistake to close down the community organising project.

However, I must be clear. I’m running to be general secretary of my union, not to be leader of the Labour party. Unite is not and must not be a political playground. That said, as GS I would work hard with other union leaders to pull the Labour left together – the inclusive, tolerant left – to create a vision of a better Britain.

In terms of Unite Community, it has played, and will continue to play, a huge role in supporting families in our communities. Unite Community has brought a level of activism into our union that I’m proud of.

(Also interesting that the interview goes on to ask them about IWGB and UVW - when I first heard the news that the IWW was splitting, I did not expect that a split from the IWW would go on to be something that candidates for the Unite leadership would get asked serious questions about.)
Having said all of that, I personally think that the most important relationship between Unite and Labour is what happens when Labour councils try to cut costs by fucking over their employees, including Unite members, and on that score Graham seems like the candidate most likely to support serious industrial action against them.

eta: the other interview I think that's useful for understanding where the candidates stand is this, and particularly this bit:

Turner says the perils of left-wingers undermining Labour councils are real. “I want to see Labour councillors elected on May 6. I want to see Labour mayors. And it frustrates me, it angers me sometimes, that some of the union’s campaigning right now is pitched against our Mayors, against Sadiq and Andy Burnham. What’s that all about? I find that incredible that we would do that.”

The context of that quote is that during the Go Ahead fire and rehire dispute, Unite ran a campaign trying to get Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham to use their powers as mayors to stop public transport contracts going to companies that completely fuck over their workers using fire and rehire, so that statement is Steve Turner basically saying that he prioritises supporting Khan and Burnham over supporting Unite members trying to win their strike. So I really wouldn't have great expectations of any of Graham's rivals doing any better in terms of challenging Starmerism, if that makes sense?

 

[The39thStep]

and is there any sign as to what her election might mean in relation to Starmerism?

thanks hitmouse

My mates in Unite who voted for her are more interested in what a Graham win means over fighting hire and fire and getting pay rises tbh.

 

[andysays]

My mates in Unite who voted for her are more interested in what a Graham win means over fighting hire and fire and getting pay rises tbh.

Yeah, I think it's safe to say that if Graham is elected, her first priorities won't have anything to do with Starmer.

 

[hitmouse]

Also, christ I'd not seen this until now - again, linking to an archived version for obvious reasons:
GERARD COYNE: Sun readers unite… and boot the hard-left out of our union

 

[Sprocket.]

Also, christ I'd not seen this until now - again, linking to an archived version for obvious reasons:
GERARD COYNE: Sun readers unite… and boot the hard-left out of our union

Always thought you could remove the letters O, Y and E from his name and insert a N and T!

 

[Smokeandsteam]

My mates in Unite who voted for her are more interested in what a Graham win means over fighting hire and fire and getting pay rises tbh.

The best possible response to Starmer would be to grow Unite to two million members, to build working class confidence to assert its demands in the workplace, to encourage that to spill over into wider community issues, to organize in new sectors of the economy and to empower and resource the rank and file. I'd argue that this would have more of an impact than giving interviews to the Daily Mirror complaining about how shit Labour is.

 

[two sheds]

... although giving interviews to the Daily Mirror complaining how shit Labour is does have its merits.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

... although giving interviews to the Daily Mirror complaining how shit Labour is does have its merits.

Under Labour Governments - up until Blair - union General Secretaries would normally be appointed members of the Cabinet and be running Government departments. Giving interviews - either carping or posturing by issuing empty threats - is actually a sign of the decline of union power. If elected Sharon will hopefully recognise this and, most importantly, commit to the task of rebuilding. Given the economy, labour shortages and the increased willingness of workers to put their head above the parapet there hasn't been a better time for decades.

 

[belboid]

Under Labour Governments - up until Blair - union General Secretaries would normally be appointed members of the Cabinet and be running Government departments.

thats not really true. There were a few who did so, but it wasnt any kind of general thing

 

[Smokeandsteam]

thats not really true. There were a few who did so, but it wasnt any kind of general thing

Yes, but those who didn't were intimately involved, under the corporatise model, in economic planning - for good or ill - under every Labour administration until Blair.

 

[hitmouse]

... although giving interviews to the Daily Mirror complaining how shit Labour is does have its merits.

I mean, it is certainly better than writing articles in the S*n complaining how shit Unite is.

 

[steveseagull]

It seems that the results have been leaked already.

Sharon Graham has won it. Coyne came third by the sound of it MASSIVE LOL at Coyne and Team Starmer.

 

[belboid]

Turner has all but conceded, saying Coyne was a long way behind.

 

[steveseagull]

Coyne was a long way behind.

HUGE LOL

 

[Jeff Robinson]

Good news - hail Graham and fuck Coyne and his revisionist backers!

 

[Smokeandsteam]

If Sharon Graham has won I’ll be delighted. A lot of work has been done to persuade members here to vote for her, all the while up against FTOs punting Turner. I know we’ve persuaded member who normally chuck their ballot paper in the bin to lend her their vote and give her a chance. If Sharon Graham has won this it can be a step - yes a small one, but a step - towards a union that fights in the workplace and a long overuse break from the suffocating dead end of labourism.

ETA: it also exposes the bankrupt and general uselessness of the old guard of officers and lay bureaucrats. Their time is over. It also tells us - for the one millionth time - that the commentariat left are irrelevant and clueless

 

[belboid]

Guardian has it at 37% for SG and 31/32% for each of the other two. There is a tiny bit of me that wants Coyne to come second. It's wrong, I know.

 

[Sprocket.]

Hopefully Coyne will leave the building following the result with his head held high. And his feet held higher as he is thrown out.

(with thanks to Spike Milligan)

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Guardian has it at 37% for SG and 31/32% for each of the other two. There is a tiny bit of me that wants Coyne to come second. It's wrong, I know.

Its a shame that Coyne and Turner can’t both finish last

 

[hitmouse]

God, it's nice to have a bit of cheering news for a change. Also makes an interesting combination with the recent developments in Unison. Jess Phillips, the Sun, the EDL... your boy took a hell of a beating.

 

[Sprocket.]

Its a shame that Coyne and Turner can’t both finish last

They could possibly find jobs with Tony Blair or Michael Dugher.

 

[steveseagull]

The West Midlands mafia can probably find him a job.

 

[two sheds]

Momentum congratulates hard-left candidate set for victory in Unite leadership contest​

Hard-left figure Sharon Graham is set to win a surprise victory and become the next general secretary of Unite, the union which remains the Labour Party’s biggest funder.

Ms Graham – backed by the Socialist Workers Party and the Socialist Party – is on course to take the contest, union sources have said.

Momentum congratulates hard-left candidate set to be next Unite leader

Sharon Graham has warned ‘no blank cheques’ for Keir Starmer’s Labour Party

www.independent.co.uk

I hadn't realized I'd voted for the hard left Nice that they balance that up by always calling Johnson and his crew hard right - backed by the EDL and BNP.

 

[The39thStep]

Momentum congratulates hard-left candidate set to be next Unite leader

Sharon Graham has warned ‘no blank cheques’ for Keir Starmer’s Labour Party

www.independent.co.uk

I hadn't realized I'd voted for the hard left Nice that they balance that up by always calling Johnson and his crew hard right - backed by the EDL and BNP.

The Independent showing it’s true colours there

 

[killer b]

Nice that they balance that up by always calling Johnson and his crew hard right - backed by the EDL and BNP.

not sure that's really equivalent is it? The SP and SWP have an active campaigning role in union politics that the EDL and BNP don't have in Tory party politics

 

[two sheds]

Both EDL and BNP made public statements supporting Johnson before last election though. If Graham's "hard left" I'd say that shows a similar regard for truth.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

One of more enjoyable developments is reading the various ‘celeb lefts’ who backed Turner/Beckett now congratulating Sharon. I give it a month and they’ll be writing as though they’d backed her all along rather than the candidate of the dead left. Fortunately, I’ll be here to remind them of their pro-Turner shilling

 

[hitmouse]

Both EDL and BNP made public statements supporting Johnson before last election though. If Graham's "hard left" I'd say that shows a similar regard for truth.

At the risk of repeating myself, I think it's worth mentioning again that one of the only times I've heard of the EDL actually campaigning in support of a candidate, it was the previous Coyne campaign against McCluskey.


Anyway, regarding Graham and the trots, I think the important distinction to make is whether or not there's a two-way relationship where they influence her priorities in some way. If she declares that her first order of business will be to disaffiliate from Labour and start funding TUSC, or starts appearing as a speaker at Marxism, then it'll be fair enough to say that there's a real meaningful connection there. But if not, then it just makes me think of that John Lewis quote about communists in the CIO.

One of more enjoyable developments is reading the various ‘celeb lefts’ who backed Turner/Beckett now congratulating Sharon. I give it a month and they’ll be writing as though they’d backed her all along rather than the candidate of the dead left. Fortunately, I’ll be here to remind them of their pro-Turner shilling

I imagine you might get a laugh out of the Skwawkbox coverage, which manages to get its priorities straight and concentrate on the real story: Howard Beckett, the most important person in this election.

Breaking: Graham wins Unite GS contest as Turner apparently concedes

Turner campaign fails abysmally despite transfer of Beckett votes in celtic nations, Community section and elsewhere – consequences of Turner’s reluctance to challenge Starmer? New Unit…

skwawkbox.org

Turner campaign fails abysmally despite transfer of Beckett votes in celtic nations, Community section and elsewhere – consequences of Turner’s reluctance to challenge Starmer?​

Sharon Graham will be the new general secretary of Unite, winning a tight union ballot on a low turnout, ahead of the McCluskey-backed Steve Turner, who ran a dire low-profile campaign, failing to secure the backing of supporters of Howard Beckett, who had dropped out of the contest to reduce the division of the vote against Gerard Coyne...

The actions of a number of previously-respected left figures in stitching Beckett out of the contest in favour of Turner failed to convince union members that Turner could be trusted to take the union forward, with the low turnout supporting Skwawkbox’s prediction that if Beckett stepped down many of his supporters would simply abstain.

With such a low turnout, Beckett’s dominance among members in the celtic nations and Unite’s 20,000-strong Community section and their above-average engagement and consequently their higher turnout, it’s likely that Beckett supporters still played a leading role in Turner’s vote tally – yet the London man and his lacklustre team were still unable to turn this, along with the support of outgoing general secretary Len McCluskey, into a win.

In other words, Turner would have come last without the ‘Beckett vote’, behind even the appalling right-winger Gerard Coyne.

Rather than accept that Beckett saved him from even greater humiliation and that Turner’s own lack of support was decisive, however, early signs are that his campaign is going to try to blame Beckett and his supporters for the loss – in essence, though the words won’t be used, for making his efforts look drab by comparision.

The result has also discredited Unite’s branch nomination process. Turner led the reported nominations by a distance and lost, while of all the candidates only Howard Beckett named all the 350 or so branches who voted to support him and union members in various branches complained that nominations for other candidates had been declared by their branch executive without consulting them. Change is urgently needed to create a process fit for purpose.

 

[belboid]

HuffPOst reports SG 46,696, ST 41,833, Coyne 35,334

 

[two sheds]

So even with a split 'hard-left' vote Coyne still couldn't hack it.