Len McCluskey’s appraisal of Tom Watson: Fair?
Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, speaks to the media following a meeting with Dan Ammann, president of General Motors Co., at the U.K. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy offices in London, U.K., on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. McCluskey, head of Britain’s leading trade union, told Bloomberg that Vauxhall was too vital a part of the U.K.’s manufacturing base to become a victim of the Brexit fallout and international consolidation, calling on U.K. Primer Minister Theresa May to provide similar assurances to those offered regarding Nissan’s mammoth Sunderland site, and to engage with GM and counter the influence of the French and German governments. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images
there is another world in our movement, alas. A world of skulduggery, smears and secret plots.
That is where you will find Tom Watson. When Labour has needed loyalty he has been sharpening his knife looking for a back to stab. When unity is required, he manufactures division.
It is small surprise that he has then worked to split the Party again this week. He has form as long as his arm. And now his sights are set on abusing the internal democracy of Unite.
Who can forget his notorious “curry house” conspiring under the last Labour government?
Or the way he suddenly pulled the plug on our discussions to avert last year’s disastrous PLP coup, which has done lasting damage to Labour?
Or his divisive “bring back new Labour” speech at last year’s Party conference, when everyone else was trying to re-unite?
He is a product of the manipulative and authoritarian culture of the old trade union right-wing, for whom power was an end in itself, and all means acceptable to attain it.
So it is good that the Shadow Cabinet came together to slap him down yesterday after his latest spiteful attempt to stir up strife.
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He as to go, this is life and death for some working people and someone like him playing games is not good enough
Fair comment, Mike, because imagine the fuss if any union tried to interfere as blatantly in a Labour Party election, regardless of their political stance.
I’d also question where Tom was on the Tuesday before the by-elections; Jeremy was visiting Stoke for the 3rd time, Tom was at London Fashion Week-couldn’t he have covered Copeland instead?
We need people like Watson OUT of the Labour Party. There are quite a few who, like him, are being funded by tory millionaires to undermine Corbyn and destrpy the Labour Party.