Nothing to Crow about
The rest of the trade union movement delivered its verdict on Bob Crow's recent activities in yesterday's election to the TUC General Council (bigger unions get seats automatically, the smaller ones elect a block of 11 seats):
Jonathan Baume* FDA 431,000
Brian Caton* POA 594,000
Bob Crow RMT 328,000
Jeremy Dear* NUJ 382,000
Gerry Doherty* TSSA 498,000
Michael Leahy* Community 416,000
Joe Marino BFAWU 245,000
Judy McKnight* NAPO 330,000
Robert F Monks URTU 60,000
Ged Nichols* Accord 408,000
Keith Norman ASLEF 191,000
Brian Orrell* Nautilus UK 429,000
Tim Poil* NGSU 412,000
John Smith* MU 459,000
Matt Wrack* FBU 376,000
If my memory is correct, another of the defeated candidates, Joe Marino, was like Crow previously associated with Scargill's Socialist Labour Party.
posted by Luke Akehurst at 9:32 am
10 Comments:
Luke: Was this actually a vote on Bob Crow's activities or just a delegate election where numbers in block votes even for small unions is rather critical? You gone all sneery jeery, again?
10:54 am, September 12, 2007
Whatever Chis Paul said it remains a fact that Crowe is not flavour of the month with other trade unions
11:10 am, September 12, 2007
On the other hand the guy from the POA topped the ballot.
12:28 pm, September 12, 2007
Chris Bob Crow didn't get elected, I would have have thought a Union Leader some of whose members have just been on strike would have had no problem as shown by our comrade from the POA. I guess most of the trade union movement realise that Crow gives the movement a bad name amongst the public. (I can hear the wails but there were few people singing his praises on the London buses or Underground last week!)
1:22 pm, September 12, 2007
marino still alive? Holy Moley. He goes all the way back to 79.
He was also a leading member of the CPGB (ie the official pro-Hitler/Stalin pact one)
3:33 pm, September 12, 2007
wMr Holy Moley...despite myself not being alive in 1979 I don't find it surprising to meet people who were politically active before then...so why do you?
And whilst I can't really blame Luke for using this bit of news - it is a gift for the labour movement's organised right - I'd like to suggest it isn't as significant as some are making out.
There is an organised left and right wing slate in TUC elections and they normally fight over the final place in Section C. Last year many were surprised that Crow got on, his not doing so this year isn't a major shift of votes. Probably just a few thousand.
On the organised right wing slates, Luke criticised the CLGA slate for the NPF but I would be interested to know how many the organised right/Labour First slate got nominated. I imagine i'll be waiting a while for him to tell me though...
7:16 pm, September 12, 2007
Matt Wrack of the FBU and Jeremy Dear from my union the NUJ are both hard left so, Crowing aside, pretty good result I'd say.
7:47 pm, September 12, 2007
I understand from comrades who attended the congress that the boy Crow further covered himself in glory by dissing the union that beat him. I may not be quoting verbatim, but close enough for even the hard left at Congress to get the gist of the speech and start to move themselves very quickly away from Crow.
Apparently yesterday morning, a day dominated by motions from the creative unions like Bectu and Equity, Crow said "i would like to sincerely congratulate the musicians union for taking MY place on the General Council. You have made your choice, and if you prefer banjo players to strikers that is up to you".
This led to a series of speakers standing up declaring their solidarity with banjo players and getting cheered to the rooftops every time they did so. In line with Luke's analysis that Bob may not be the best man to show off as the face of the union movement, it is good to see that solidarity with fellow trade unionists remains core to his creed.
Oh, Bob, think you may have holed yourself below the waterline with that one! Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke.
9:30 am, September 13, 2007
Surely the real test is about which unions are recruiting new members, not how popular they are amongst the rest of the trade union bureaucracy? As far as I can see the RMT seem to be doing far better at recruiting than any union led by the right.
4:13 pm, September 13, 2007
I was there as an NUJ delegate and, while Bob's mild jibe at the Musicians Union was ill-advised, Crow was generally well received over the period of the conference. We voted for him anyway - and it was good that our lad got on again.
10:32 pm, September 13, 2007
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