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Unite remains biggest Labour donor


The trade union Unite remained Labour's largest donor in the third quarter of 2013, despite its public spat with the party leadership over the selection of an election candidate in Falkirk.

Unite gave Labour £777,740 between July and September, almost a quarter of the party's total donations of £3,157,761, according to official figures.

Conservatives received the most donations in the three-month period, with a total of £3,275,185, while Liberal Democrats took in £798,408, said the Electoral Commission.

Labour launched an internal inquiry in July into allegations that Unite had tried to fix the Falkirk selection for its favoured candidate, but the investigation was closed in September after finding no evidence that rules were breached.

Leader Ed Miliband is pressing ahead with plans to reform his party's financial links with the unions, so that affiliation fees are paid only in relation to members who choose to support the party. He will seek approval for the new arrangements at a special conference in the spring.

The GMB union has announced it will cut its affiliation fees by £1.1 million in response to the proposed reforms but this decision does not take effect until January.

The latest figures showed the GMB were Labour's fourth largest donor, with £297,698, after Unite, shopworkers union Usdaw (£618,849) and public sector union Unison (£372,603).

Largest Conservative donors were Addison Lee taxi boss John Griffin, with £500,000, City financier Michael Farmer, with £250,000, and investment banker James Lupton, with £250,000.

Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps said: "Independent figures from the Electoral Commission show that the trade unions have given 75% of Labour's donations since the union barons installed Ed Miliband as Labour leader, including £10 million from Len McCluskey's Unite union.

"Despite Ed Miliband's promises of change, nothing has changed. The union bosses still buy the policies, fix the selections and pick the leader. It's the same old Labour.

"If Ed Miliband is serious about standing up to Len McCluskey, he should re-open his inquiry into the Unite union's attempt to fix the Labour Party selection in Falkirk. If he's too weak to govern his party, Ed Miliband is too weak to govern the country, too weak to cut the deficit and too weak to fix the welfare system."

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 52030.html

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I wish they were closer,cant see Milliband as prime minister.They need a leader with some balls.

DONATIONS!!!!!! = Bloody well expecting something back - never right in a million years.

Sorry what is the saying, oh I remember ..... No such a thing as a free lunch!

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

So what are UNITE expecting back?

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Grandad,

wonder what John Griffin wants for his half million?

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Unite? Aren't they the ones that nearly closed Grangemouth down?

I assume that this was a rhetorical question because I think we all know the answer to that one.

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Grandad,

BUS LANES

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

Your right blackpool

heres a few facts

1. The Unions formed the Labour Party
2. The Unions own the Labour Party
3. We should instruct them on every policy!1
4. The Unions finance the Party...................ie its ours to fulfill the needs of the Working Class .......and to eradicate the exploiters crooks scum ...Tory's lib dems

And yes Capt before you get in none of the above has been done for many years ..................however things are changing .........go the Labour representation committee web site

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

Maybe not now - a bit like the Mafia..............You owe us! We'll give you call one day, just to return us a small favour, nudge,nudge

_________________
if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

john be honest we the Unions OWN the Labour Party

_________________
All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

Maybe not now - a bit like the Mafia..............You owe us! We'll give you call one day, just to return us a small favour, nudge,nudge [/quote]

john be honest we the Unions OWN the Labour Party [/quote][/quote]

and big business OWNS the Tory Party ...........question when do shareholders ever get consulted about their companies donating to the Tory's

_________________
All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

The English language is absolutely wonderful - they use the word "Donation".........surely it is defined as "Bribe"

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

The Tory party is the party of big business and the establishment i see nothing wrong in their taking money from their supporters ie big business its their creation just as the Labour Party in the creation of the Unions.

The Labour Party was created because the existing party's Liberals/ Tory's were anti worker and the need for another party was recognised which led to

The NHS
Payed Holidays
Employment Rights
Council Housing
Free Education
Old Age Pensions
Voting Rights
Legal Aid
All of which were denied by the Libs and Torys at the time and are being attacked now by them ..................nothing changes

_________________
All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

As I remember it was the Labour Party (New Labour) under Bliar that took on board the EEC working directive - and also diluted the Unions rights to strike when they wanted to. The biggest problem was that many, (including myself), did not recognise that the Labour Party had been infiltrated by an out and out Tory. Having said that, the rot started within the Trade Union movement when they did not back the Miners (that is not a dig at you), from then on it was all downhill. Hopefully they are genuinely waking up as a body - and not just sabre rattling.

Maybe this is a strange thing to say! When the Unions had the power to strike, people had more! and the economy was in better shape - basically one could say the Unions are an evil necessity.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.