Saturday, April 07, 2012
Buying influence?
After all the fuss made by Labour regarding David Cameron treating major donors to dinner, how are we to react to this piece in today's Telegraph in which a senior Labour MP argues that his party “owes” its union bankrollers respectful treatment and early warning of any policy changes?
The paper says that Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy chairman, has attacked Ed Miliband and Ed Balls for failing to warn the party’s trade union backers about a major shift in economic policy.
Mr. Watson, who is also Labour's election campaign coordinator, has said that Mr Balls, the shadow chancellor, was “wrong” not to have alerted the unions that he was to support a public sector pay freeze and announce that the party could not promise to reverse deep spending cuts.
The MP believes that Labour “owed” it to the unions, who donate millions of pounds to the party, to treat them with “respect”.
It seems to me that this is just another side of the same gravy train. The need for funding reform grows ever more urgent.
The paper says that Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy chairman, has attacked Ed Miliband and Ed Balls for failing to warn the party’s trade union backers about a major shift in economic policy.
Mr. Watson, who is also Labour's election campaign coordinator, has said that Mr Balls, the shadow chancellor, was “wrong” not to have alerted the unions that he was to support a public sector pay freeze and announce that the party could not promise to reverse deep spending cuts.
The MP believes that Labour “owed” it to the unions, who donate millions of pounds to the party, to treat them with “respect”.
It seems to me that this is just another side of the same gravy train. The need for funding reform grows ever more urgent.
