How Lobbyists Buy Legislation
Labour hand-wringers protest that unions cannot be seen in the same light as lobbyists as they don’t have a comparable capacity to influence changes the law. This is patently untrue. Wind back to 2011 and Guido revealed how the GMB union flagrantly bought votes from Sadiq Khan’s Shadow Justice team. Minutes from a Shadow Justice meeting at the time note that Labour MPs let the GMB decide which way they voted:
The leaked minutes also showed how GMB sponsored Labour MPs tabled amendments at the behest of the union. If the Tories did the same with, say, Goldman Sachs, there would rightly be uproar.
Several Labour MPs employ trade union lobbyists, subsidised with taxpayer money, sponsoring them for parliamentary passes and having them work on party business. Ian Mearns has Lisa Johnson, Tom Greatrex employs Catherine Godsell and Natascha Engel employs Heidi Benzing, all Political Officers at the GMB. For Unite, Jon Cruddas employs Nick Parrott, Mark Tami has Hannah Blythyn, Ronnie Campbell employs Stephen Turner and Jim Sheridan employs Stephen Hart. David Hamilton employs James McGowan, a ‘parliamentary consultant’ at the ASLEF trade union.
Taxpayer-subsidised trade union lobbyists employed by Labour MPs wear union lanyards around their necks as they enjoy unfettered access to the corridors of power. It is no wonder Ed Miliband voted against a lobbyist register in 2006. Labour have sold their votes, their amendments and their staff to trade union lobbyists pure and simple…
“To support the strike in the Council and the forthcoming in the Commission and to show solidarity with the Inter-Institutional Trade Union Front in Luxembourg, the staff of the European Parliament in Brussels is invited to consider 5 June as a ”NO PC DAY”. Staff can then go to work, but it is strongly urged not to use computers throughout the day.”
“It is extraordinary that at a time when the shortage of primary school places amounts to nothing short of a national crisis that the Government is persisting with the folly of its free school policy. Less than a third of the approved free schools are primary schools; and the overwhelming majority – 45 per cent of the new schools – will be located in London, which by common agreement already boasts the best schools in the country.”
“It is clear that some people do not see the civil service as the hundreds of thousands of dedicated public servants who work day in, day out providing vital services across the country, but rather as a cosy clique at the centre of government…this article is ill-judged, deeply unhelpful and risks doing damage to the civil service.”
Under the watchful eye of Keir Hardie in a rather austere room, a panel of NUT 
Rachel Sylvester has coined a useful term in this morning’s Times to describe the hard-left online wing of the Labour Party: “Digital Bennism”. She says Miliband is facing his biggest challenge yet in standing up to his very noisy lefty critics:
“I take antisemitism very seriously. Any kind of delegitimisation of Israel is something we should call out for what it is and not tolerate it. I think the boycotts of Israel are totally wrong. We should have no tolerance for boycotts. I would say that to any trade union leaders.”
“For too long in the public sector, trade unions have received taxpayer funding that is poor value for money and inadequately controlled. Reducing such public subsidies to trade unions is a practical way that councils can save money, to keep council tax down and protect frontline services for local residents – including union members themselves. 
