Amicus/Unite General Secretary Election
Nominations have now closed in the Amicus section of Unite General Secretary election.
According to the union's website:
Incumbent Derek Simpson has got 164 branch and 151 workplace rep nominations.
His main challenger is moderate candidate Kevin Coyne with 94 branch nominations and 150 workplace rep nominations.
Former SWP activist Jerry Hicks has got 58 branch and 55 workplace rep nominations.
Laurence Faircloth, official candidate of the leftwing Unity Gazette caucus, has got 44 branch and 49 workplace rep nominations.
Another candidate, Paul Reuter, got 28 branch and 47 workplace rep nominations. I'm not sure if he has got enough branches to go on the ballot, does anyone know?
posted by Luke Akehurst at 3:38 pm
9 Comments:
There's a recent post entitled "Nominations secured" on his blog which suggests he has.
5:11 pm, January 13, 2009
All 5 candidates have received enough nominations and will be on the ballot paper.
7:50 pm, January 13, 2009
Surprised Simpson only just got 40% of the branch nominations. As incumbent you would think he was in a very strong postition, perhaps not.
10:06 pm, January 13, 2009
Who will you cast your vote for Luke?
1:11 pm, January 14, 2009
Kevin Coyne.
1:12 pm, January 14, 2009
Luke, nominations do not win elections. I can recall Ken Jackson getting about 350 and Simpson securing about 80 that’s why the candidates are knocking hell out of each other in the press, which isn’t helping our Union or the Labour movement. Simpson has done a good job, but he now needs to let someone else take over and prepare for the Unite election. What is worrying is if either Simpson or Coyne win there will be a blood bath leaving the former Amicus section deeply, deeply divided. Faircloth entered the race quickly but I am surprised with a left wing machine behind him he didn’t secure more nominations. Hicks, although you may not like him, does appeal to the grass roots, but I cannot see him uniting the former Amicus section. Paul Reuter did secure enough nominations which is really surprising because he didn't enter the race until about the end of Nov and the blog which timf refers started in or around that time. But he appears to be the candidate who is appealing to both left and right and he could be the best option for taking the former Amicus section forward. As for the Unite election, only time will tell…!
9:48 pm, January 19, 2009
I am surprised you are backing Kevin Coyne. He has called for a cut in union support for the Labour Party, whereas Derek Simpson has been a strong backer of Gordon Brown throughout his problems last year, and has refused to cut any support financial or otherwise that might jeopardise a labour victory.
10:16 am, January 20, 2009
Lawrence Faircloth has pulled out of the race.
12:36 pm, January 21, 2009
Yes, but worse than that, he has asked his former supporters to support Derek Simpson! But the irony is that he seems to have overlooked that they supported him instead of Simpson in the first place, with only a far right/left candidate left the only sensible unifying choice is Paul Reuter.
12:43 pm, January 21, 2009
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