UNISON GS election – news from the margins‏

Saturday's welcome news of nominations from Northern Ireland, North West and Scotland confirms Dave Prentis as a candidate in the May/June ballot.

Early indications are of a broad unity of purpose in the union behind Dave’s candidacy. This is confirmed by the low calibre of others seeking nominations none of whom present as credible alternative leaders and all of whom stand on platforms in fundamental conflict with UNISON rules and conference policies:

Broken Holmes
Despite strenuous boosting efforts (by ultra left internet choreographers and manipulators) to suggest that he is a ‘leading’ NEC member, Paul Holmes will receive fewer than 5 votes from his 60+ fellow NEC members next Wednesday when UNISON’s leading body makes a nomination. This should come as no surprise as Holmes has spent a totally undistinguished 2 years on the NEC. He has opted not to serve on the influential policy or organisation committees. Instead his choice of ‘strategic’ committee is services to members which oversees welfare and legal services.

More bizarrely Holmes resigned from the NEC in June 2009 – two weeks before the end of his term of office in a vainglorious attempt to attend NDC as a branch delegate rather than as a representative of the NEC. In both 2008 and 2009 Holmes opted out of attending NDC as a member of the NEC, last year preferring to sit in the cafeteria area rather than participate in the union’s democracy and be accountable to conference as part of a collective leadership.

Also laughable are attempts to present his ultra left led local government branch in Yorkshire as having a unique 86% density and somehow attribute this to his special powers. It is not true and a indeed gross exaggeration by those seeking to bestow fake leadership qualities on a fake candidate - whose platform is in conflict with UNISON rules on political funds and employment of staff.

Beaten Bannister
As in the 3 previous UNISON General Secretary elections Roger Bannister is seeking branch nominations as a candidate of the Socialist Party, formerly militant tendency. This organisation has long waged war against union’s conference policies and rules which Bannister has done already in this campaign by using UNISON software to produce his nomination letter.

However Bannister can be given some credit for the consistency of his platform – which differs little today from the one he stood on in 1995. As in previous GS elections, on Saturday his own North West region declined to support his candidacy and Bannister is well on course to achieve a record breaking fourth successive defeat.- however for his organisation the campaign is everything and the ultimate outcome is nothing. Why waste a chance to build the party?

Constantly Critical Creary
A third candidate publishing a barely coherent programme is Delroy Creary, a higher education branch secretary in the North West region, virtually unknown outside of the black members self organised group and his region. Last month Creary was deselected as a North West representative on the national black members committee after a term of office characterised by divisive and outspoken attacks on the self organised group leadership which he repeated at the recent Gateshead national conference.

Creary's unique selling point is his generalised and constant criticism of the union. Unlike the other two anti Prentis candidates Creary will not benefit from factional or SWP/Socialist Party support and he is unlikely to achieve the 25 nominations to secure a place on the ballot.