Who Does Red Ed Owe ?

Private Sector 15% Unionised, Public Sector 66% c., ( 6,000,000 appx. total).Union membership is therefore about four and a half times as likely for Public Sector workers .Unite gave Ed £100,000 and GMB gave him £28,000. Presumably for some purpose

Of the 26 affiliates, not all unions, 11 only mustered under 1000 votes. Of the 247339 votes cast 111270 were cast by Unite, ( Was TGWU and Amicus), 43106 by GMB, 18957 by CWW and 28124 by Unison .Between them they account for 201475 or 82% of the votes . See here and here

The 'turnout' ( votes cast) from Unite was as low as 7.8% and 10% quite normal for the Unions so we see the votes are actually cast by a poltically active minority of those Unions who have not opted out of paying a political levy. Given that Unite have already promised a Summer of strikes if Public Sector jobs are threatened ( and they only have about 200,000 ) we can see who dominates the strategy.

Clearly from their statements they see themselves as protectors of public sector employment but yes also of other sectional interests they represent . True .They are not the same as the majority who are not unionised but to what extent anyone is represented by Unite say you will have to decide for yourself . This sectional interest was decisive as we know in electing Red Ed who now owes them.

I think we can judge Ed by what he has said and what he has not said by way of confronting special interest groups as compared with David who set his stall out to appeall to the country especially the South outside London where New Labour are dead( See Southern Discomfort to see how true that is ) That happens to be here and these opinions were freely expressed by David Milliband supporters

To imagine that the Scarlet king is free to manouvre now seems absurd to me and as he will do nothing but talk between now and the next election the groups he relied on to get the job would be forgotten only by a fool. Certainly Labour MPs are briefing to that effect right now at the conference