Thursday 17 January 2008

Union Modernisation fund should be scrapped says Alan Duncan.

Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Alan Duncan is calling for the Union Modernisation Fund to be scrapped. Alan believes that the Unions have Gordon Brown over a barrel, because his party depends so desperately on Union donations. Alan points out that 610,000 working days (20 times last year's number) have been lost this year due to industrial action.

However the government are still giving the unions millions of pounds of the tax payer's money under the guise of the Union Modernisation fund. Some see this as a money laundering scam as the Unions in turn donate millions of pounds to the Labour Party. If the unions are so desperate for tax payer's money, why are they donating millions to the Labour Party?

I agree with Alan, it's well beyond time that this suspect practice was stopped. I do not pay my taxes for a proportion of them to be given to Unions who are financing the Labour Party. Either the Modernisation fund must be scrapped, or the Labour Party must stop taking donations from the Unions.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

5 comments:

Tony said...

It is good to see Alan Duncan keeping the pressure about this fraudulent method of taxpayer funding of a political party.

Could you imagine the outcry if the Conservatives funded the Midlands Industrial Council for 'research'; let us say to the tune of £10m per year, enabling and the MIC donated £8m to the party in return?

As you can tell, this subject is one of my hobby horses.

Daily Referendum said...

Tony,

I've also posted on this a couple of times before. How the hell they get away with it I don't know. P.s thanks for the link in your roundup.

Anonymous said...

OK, I'm confused. Why do the government have to pay the unions to modernise? Why don't they just modernise themselves?

Man in a Shed said...

Too right.

Tony said...

That is the sort of question we are asking 'Letters'.

A better one is, if the Unions can afford to give Labour over £10m per year from member subs, why do they not use that money for modernisation instead of asking for a handout from government?

It is the best stitch up outside Saville Row.