Britain’s biggest trade union supports Corbyn’s bid for Labour leadership
Unite, the UK’s largest trade union and the Labour Party’s biggest donor, has urged its members to support Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership campaign.
The union’s decision is believed to be a reaction against the other leadership candidates’ support for policies of fiscal austerity.
Corbyn wants the party to reject austerity. Britain’s largest transport union, the RMT; the train drivers’ union, Aslef; the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) have also backed him.
Unions are expected to have less influence on this year’s contest, because the party has moved to a one member, one vote system for choosing its leader. This may be a reaction against criticisms that Labour’s last leader, Ed Miliband, only won his place with union backing.
Corbyn only made it onto the ballot paper at the last minute, with support from fellow MPs who thought – correctly – that his presence would widen the debate.
With the left-winger now winning support from the unions and the wider Labour-supporting public, could Labour end up with a leader the public supports, but his own MPs don’t?
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After watching Mr Corbyn’s interview on Going Underground the other week, I would say he is the only politician I have seen so far ( with no offence meant to the older Labour members who speak their mind ) who speaks the Truth and has Common sense. He seems to be the natural Labour leader. He has my vote.
I have often overheard Unite staff commenting that the Union Executive ‘never do what they ‘preach’ which may explain their stupidity in actually wasting time and money on Milliband, despite being constantly alerted to the fact that he was a total A-hole, looking down his nose at everybody who had not been to Oxbridge.
Now, could somebody inform me what the TUC is actually doing with regard defining exactly whether the Labour Party has any further relevance with regard to the working Man, you know—that poor sop the Labour Party voted to give Benefits to (wages Top Up) instead of forcing the Supermarkets to pay a living wage.
I would also be interested in their opinion as to Zero hours contracts; strangely they are even dumber on that than they are on any other horror inflicted upon us by a so called LABOUR Government.
Calling the TUC, COME IN PLEASE.
.
it has to be Jeremy Corbyn his views are the same as mine and i’m not even labour but am popular none the less on the world stage at the UN and as a matter of fact i never gets a thumbs down on any post i make
Where as in uk blogs i struggle not in all but a few and in some badly Jeremy Corbyn will be no different
on the world stage he will be fine as he like myself has a good overall balance with sound common sense but for his party they will need to buck up or ship out
at the end of the day Jeremy Corbyn needs to be accepted on the world stage as that is far more important than on the home stage at this time a good world stage performer will always be successful at home and i believe he will be able to align not only this country to the centre left but also take most countries to the centre left which is a hell of a lot better then at this time on the extreme right
At last some sense! And it is fitting that a candidate with principles, decency, honesty and a sense of responsibility is finally getting some support. Time to put back the soul into the Labour Party!
Totally agree Nick at last a man with heart as well as a mind, I am shocked on what other contenders policies are, wished I would have known what I know now only after the election. Hoodwinked again
I am going to vote for him, I paid to support him, just so I could vote, that is how strongly I feel.
Jeremy Corbyn and the Unions are making the Blairites shake. Just what was needed to wake the party up.
If JC gets voted in for leader there will be a parting of the ways from the Blairites……..and good riddance too, !!!
JC gets my vote – a vote for an untainted/unsold/honest/real politician that doesn’t have a swinging brick for a heart and puts people before the sound of kerrrching………he’s as rare as rocking horse doodoo !
Would be nice to see a Leader around instead of just another pretty face with good T.V. skills.
“another pretty face with good T.V. skills”? Ed Milliband? Shome mistake shurely.
Maybe along with a vote for the next leader there could be a vote on the sacking of those Labour members who wish to follow a Tory agenda ?
With almost every Labour spokesperson at the moment agreeing with the welfare reform benefit cap and “aspiration” rhetoric of the Tories the time is long past for a cull, after all they were quick enough to boot out the hardline socialist “militants” back in the early 80’s .as harmful to the party’s future prospects.
How refreshing: a politician who speaks his principles in public; no hiding behind party line, no double-speak,an active stance of honesty and transparency that is woefully lacking in politics. To put people before ideology, before party line and before personal gain is very rare. And very welcomed.
I keep reading media commentary that if Kendall doesn’t get elected Labour leader, the Labour party is done for. I think the opposite -it’s the lean to the right that lost Labour so many supporters and so many votes; what is needed is very much the opposite. Like Mr Corbyn.
Jeremy Corbyn has my vote he is the only Labour candidate who is Labour,not just another tory with another name. Let’s get back to being what the Labour party is, conservatism is Conservative NOT Labour we need a strong leader with the steadfastness to stand for what he believe’s in, tell’s the truth but most of all has compassion fairness and moral’s in his heart.
It’s Michael Foot all over again and this time the split in the party will be the end of the traditional centre left wing of the party…If this is the way the Labour Party wants to go then I will no longer support them and will be cancelling my membership as will many others. In this country you cannot win on left wing polices which are fine on paper but can never succeed in reality.The Unions are idealists and out of touch with the majority of voters……At the moment the defeated Labour Party are in the last chance saloon and it looks like they are going to make the same mistakes which kept them out of government from 1979-1997…..
Are you seriously saying you support the Uptight Right?
Should JC become the leader of Labour perhaps one of his first moves could be the impeachment of Duncan Smith. That’d be a brilliant scalp for him.
i’m not sure that possible. what he would need to do is to research all these deaths and then take legal advice so that IDS could be tried at some point for allowing the many deaths of the sick and disabled
mike would probably know a little more then i
you can normally only trial someone in the The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
I am not a lawyer but i would think with the many deaths of the sick and disabled over the past few years where the sick and disabled have died in difficult circumstances not of their making it may be possible ?
I’ve been saying for a while now that the PLP needs to rid itself of the quislings and imposters of the right that infest its ranks. Lets hope JC wins and begins this process as soon as possible. Labour desperately needs people worth voting for, people who are actually Labour at heart and not just those with an eye on a safe seat regardless of what colour rosette they have to wear. My local MP, Iain Wright doesn’t appear to have any political convictions whatsoever. He has lobby fodder written all over him.