Miliband defends the link with union members but not Labour’s federal structure

#lab12 There was a telling emphasis by Ed Miliband when talking yesterday to the BBC’s Andrew Marr. Pressed on the union link, the Labour leader talked up the party’s links with those individual trade unionists that pay the political levy - but gave no acknowledgement of the collective input of unions at all levels of the party in terms of leadership, people and resources:

“At its best, the link with trade union members - and I underline members - gives us a link with people up and down this country who go to work every day, who get up early, who put in all the hours that God sends, who know what life is like at the sharp end. I'm not going to break that link but I am going to make the right decisions for the country”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ed-miliband-attacks-unite-trade-union-boss-len-mccluskey-over-opposition-to-public-sector-pay-freeze-8191178.html