Unite chosse McCluskey as new Gen Sec

• Ross Miller

  • Location: London Road, Dover
  • Registered: 17 Sep 2008
  • Posts: 3,709
  21 November 2010     19:3881020
  #1      
  So the votes are in and counted and Len McCluskey is the new Gen Sec of the largest union in the UK & Ireland. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11805884
  
  I expect the right of centre press to be rolling out the red radical stories etc. given McCluskey's history
  
  However, what concerns me was that only 16% of my fellow members bothered to vote - frankly a damn poor show. It creates a huge issue for McCluskey and his team in terms of not only pulling the union together, but also in reinvigorating the membership to get more actively involved. Unfortunately, my view is this is a task beyond him due to his history and background.
  "Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
  
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• Keith Sansum1

  • Location: london
  • Registered: 25 Aug 2010
  • Posts: 23,948
  21 November 2010     19:4481021
  #2      
  todays unions(bob crow being the exception ) are more right wing in there outlook.
  
  sadly gen sec and all other positions are always poor turnouts not much you can do about that.
  
  mr mc clusky doesnt strike me in his present role as one to set unions alight for people to join up.
  
  only through amalgamating unions are they the largest, this is not to say he will lead well, but todays unions are a far call from the days when they looked after there membership.
  
  
  as an aside does aanyone remember sam mc clusky who was gen sec of the nat union seamen(then)
  when p and o had there dover dispute he came down tpo speak to the picket line
  he was so big he had trouble getting onto the rostrum
  i suspect he may have had a small tipple to lol
  
  but he gave a great speech
  was a great leader
  ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
• howard mcsweeney1

  • Location: Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 62,352
  21 November 2010     19:4581022
  #3      
  not surprised at the low turnout, people don't have much info to go on to form much of an opinion.
  
  rather like when the mutual building societies sent us all a list of names that we had not heard of and asked us to vote for them.
  
  i note that mr mcluskey is 61, doesn't send a message that the union is looking for radical change in these challenging times.
• Bern

  • Location: Dover
  21 November 2010     19:5081028
  #4      
  It's the same with many large organisations who roll out a list of names of people who have never bothered to reach out personally with a brief bio attached and expect members to 1) care and 2) vote.