George Binette Secretary of unison unite left on Diane Abbot

I am sure that there will be quite a few other active trade unionists, who live in Diane Abbott's Hackney North & Stoke Newington constituency and belong to that local Labour Party, who find themselves puzzled and dismayed by her decision to stand in the Labour leadership election.

Many will conclude that her entry is designed, consciously or otherwise, to scupper the prospects for John McDonnell's name appearing on the final ballot.   

Leaving aside her decision to send her son to an elite public school, she was seen to back the construction of the East London line extension on the basis of privatised scheme over the objections of the RMT union.

Whatever her voting record one would be hard pressed to find photographs of her on picket lines during recent strikes by low-paid civil servants, postal workers and UNISON members in local government.

The contrast with John McDonnell's profile is stark. He has been prepared not only to speak in Parliament as an effective representative for a range of unions, but to join the BA cabin crew and Gate Groumet food processing workers on picket lines in his own constituency while standing up for the democratic rights of activists in my own union, UNISON. 

Undoubtedly, it is lamentable that no other women have entered the contest for Labour leader and that there are still so few Black labour movement activists with a national profile, but few MPs have a record remotely comparable to John McDonnell's when it comes to opposing all forms of discrimination and oppression whether as a champion of detainees at the immigration removal centres in his constituency, standing up for equal pay and single parent benefits‬ or of women working in the sex industry. 

John McDonnell is unique among the Labour leadership candidates by virtue of his record both within and outside Parliament to be central to an effective oppositon to the Con-Dem coalition's programme for slashing the public sector.

George Binette
Co Secretary of Unison united left
Branch Secretary of Camden unison
Hackney North & Stoke Newington constituency
Written in a personal capacity.
MarshaJane
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www.unionfutures.blogspot.com

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