#TUC11 - Why I Shouted At Ed Milliband

I'm back from the TUC now, and what a fantastic time I had. Yes, it was much smaller. Yes, there were few amenities and some of the debate felt rushed. Yes, there were lots of stairs and I had a poorly ankle, but I still had a fantastic time.

For a start I got to make a seconding speech on supporting Trade Unions in Egypt that had been moved by the Fire Brigade's Union. It would be undiverse of me to make any comment that would objectify our big, burly, yummy comrades in the FBU so I won't.

I also got to watch union after union declare their intent where it comes to a Public Sector General Strike. One after another, some expected and some a surprise, (really, welcome to the Trade Union movement FDA and Prospect, see y'all on the picket line!) it was still a good feeling to be able to tweet them as they all stated that enough was enough and that they would be balloting their members  for strike action over pensions. Dave Prentis (Unison) actually got a standing ovation, and it would be uncharitable of me to make any comment that would equate to 'about bloody time, but better late than never I suppose' so I won't.

And of course I got my mug on the telly. A lot. Even in France and Spain so I am told!

See, what obstensibly happened was that Labour leader Ed Milliband came to the TUC on tuesday morning to speak to delegates. What actually happened was that he came to the TUC to wind the fuck out of us while showing everyone else, the press, the Labour MPs, his bestest chums Cameron, Clegg and Osborne that he wasn't in the pocket of the pesky unions who fund him and had got him his position in the first place.

To be fair, I hadn't expected and inspiring speech from him and on that point I wasn't disappointed. There was a lot of 'you guys are really great, please keep giving us money' type stuff, blah, blah, blah... So far so dull. Then he moved onto our strike action on June 30th this year.

(as an aside, I'm glad somebody fucking mentioned it, Brendan Barber certainly didn't in his speech to Congress)

Ed. You might want to sit down for this as I am sure it won't be what you're expecting.

You might think that I shouted at you because you said that while negotiations are ongoing that we shouldn't take strike action. It wasn't that at all. Actually, I agree with you on that and I expect that every trade unionist in history would agree too.

While negotiations are ongoing, we shouldn't take strike action. Strike action is, and always should be the action of last resort. And that, Ed, is the whole fucking point. I know this, you know this, my kids, their Nan and her fucking dog knows this. What the fuck makes you think that a hall filled with trade union Presidents, General Secretaries and Senior Lay Activists wouldn't have a clue?

I can only think that either:-

You think we are all stupid... in which case I was right to shout at you.

You don't actually support the right to strike... in which case you have no business being in the Labour Party and I was right to shout at you.

You actually do believe that negotiations, proper inclusive negotiations, with the government are ongoing... in which case you are an idiot, an ill informed, pointless idiot who has no business being in the Labour Party and I was right to shout at you.

The only thing I regret is that I had my foot strapped up so I couldn't get to the stage to call you out on your bullshit.

I hope it was worth it Ed. I hope you went back to your hole in the ground under your rock and bragged about how they can't call you 'Red Ed' anymore. I hope that you feel good about letting yourself, your members and your party down.

I had a tweet from one of my followers saying that they objected to leaders of non affiliated unions bullying you. How sweet. But it missed the fucking point!

I may not be in a union that is affiliated to the Labour Party. I may not be a member of the Labour Party. But I am a voter Ed. As are millions of us wonderful public sector workers who you refused to support on tuesday morning.

And we object to a leader of the Labour party who refuses to support the right to withdraw our labour while bigging up academy schools.

So there you go. That's why I shouted. Because I was angry at being treated like an idiot. I suppose it would be churlish of me to point out that Ed Milliband is a scab and a disgrace and should go now and let a proper leader win Labour the next election... so I won't.

Cut Union Facilities Time Will You?

Today I am fucking steaming!!!

Francis Maude and the Telegraph have set out their stalls where the time that Trade Union reps spend working for their members is concerned.

In a blatant attack on members now that other unions (YAY NASUWT, welcome to the party!!!) Are to ballot their members over strike action to protect their pensions, they will be cracking down on the time we spend on looking after members' interests.

Scarily there are some, who I thought would know better, who are nodding sagely saying 'oh yes, that sounds right...'

Well sage nodders, I have a question for you. Just one. Are you off this weekend?? Yes? Oh well then you can thank the unions. In your own time. No fucking rush!

The maths is totally wrong, the 'costings' way off. And I am sick to the back teeth of the whole 'paid for by the tax payer' thing. I AM the fucking taxpayer, so are my members as we have no fucking choice, unlike the bastards to evade/avoid it.

And I seriously object to the idea that union reps are doing nothing just because they spend less time doing core work. We half kill ourselves working on behalf of our members and we do so generally with scant regard for our own health, safety or welfare. The amount of reps I see burnt out is unreal. I'm in bed with my foot elevated because I'm off to the TUC tomorrow. In my own time. With no cost to the taxpayer. If I was just going to the office, I wouldn't go. And then I would be under threat of losing my job. Who would I turn to in my hour of need?

That's right sage nodders, the union!

And that is why Maude and the Torygraph need to check their facts and fuck off.

It's on now... Oh it's on!!!

If Not Now Then When?

I finished work early today with the intention of coming home and working on my speech for the TUC on monday, but found myself uninspired.

So I farted about on You Tube for a bit. I listened to a bit of Tevin Campbell and some vintage Al B Sure. It made me nostalgic for the 80's and 90's.

I thought back to what I was doing then. I was living under a Conservative government. I was a single mother on benefits. I lived in a council flat with my rent paid and looked after my baby. I wanted to work, but seriously couldn't afford it. I lived on bugger all money. I walked every where, I went without a social life. I never went on holiday. You know, the things that we are supposed to take for granted as everyday.

But you know what? With all of that I felt richer then than I do now 24 years on.

My baby is all grown up and planning a family of his own. I am again living under a Conservative government. Now I work. Full time. I pay my own rent. I live on bugger all money. I walk everywhere. I go without a social life. I can't remember the last time I went on holiday.

So nothing has changed it would seem. The poor are still scum. Immigration is still the cause of all ills. I am still  disgusted by what I see and I still feel the need to fight injustices.

I would say that some things are worse. I am a trade unionist and proud to be so. On monday starts the TUC Conference and I will be there and will be proud to be there. The first motion up is on Trade Union rights and how they don't actually conform to the Human Rights Act.

We have had our power and strength eroded by successive governments for years. Now is the time to take the power back. Who could have seen the communal stroll last saturday and not have felt that this was the time? Who could have seen the March For The Alternative and not have felt that this was the time? Who could have witnessed the mass strike action on June 30th and not felt that this was the time?

This is why I am proud to be part of the trade union movement and why I will be proud to be representing PCS next week at Congress.

But I'm even more proud of what I will be doing on sunday. There is a lobby of the TUC https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=222515987782045 . Now I know that there are those who think it a pointless exercise, there are those that see it as a waste of time and campaigning resources. But if we get a good turnout it will show that there is a will for further action, for the General Strike that was alluded to at Congress last year. And maybe it will change nothing. But maybe it will.

I don't want to read my grandchildren's blogs in 25 years time and wonder why we didn't do enough.

If now is not the time to really fight for change then when?

On Life After Death And Trade Union Weekends

I am Goddessdeeva and it has been a month since I last blogged.

I've been meaning to blog more, but I haven't had the heart. I'll explain.

Husband has moved all of his stuff out now. It is all official. It has been strange, weird, horrible. The time leading up to that was not pleasant and I have been quite ill through the stress of it all. Daily phone calls. Rowing all the time. Awkwardness with the kids. Horrible.

And yet there is a part of me that still loves him. Part of me wants to work it all out with him. Part of me just wants to wrap myself around him and never let him go. Part of me.

Big part of me wonders if I could have had the weekend I just had if I was still with him. Short answer is no.

Oh, here's a thing people. If you have a partner who wants to do stuff that doesn't interest you at weekends, saying 'I never stopped them from going' is disengenous. You are a passive aggressive asshole and I see through you. And you get on my last nerve.

But I digress.

I have just had the best weekend ever. I went to Tower Hamlets on saturday to help stop the scummy English Defence League from getting into the borough.

I was never sure how I felt about people from outside an area turning up on behalf of a community, but I am proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder with comrades and communities. Even though the Home Secretary had banned all marches. Actually marching would have contravened section 38 of the Public Order Act according to the lovely policeman who took me aside to talk to me after I had drunk a very nice cup of tea at the East London Mosque.

I wouldn't want to break the law. Nor would any of the comrades I was with. So we didn't march. Coz that would have been illegal.

We did take a communal stroll down Whitechapel Road though. Lots of us. Strolling communally. Like you do. On our way, we just happened to see a load of placards lying about. Tutting, we picked them up to make the place look tidier. Amazing as well how all us communal strollers had lots to say, mainly the same thing, all at the same time! To the untrained ear, it might have sounded like chanting! Especially when we all said 'are you watching Theresa May?'

But it wasn't a march... honest...

And best of all, they did not pass.

On sunday it was a completely different beast. I went to the Burston Strike School Rally (Google it lazy!) and had a great time. There were stalls, freebies (oh I love a good freebie) music (not keen, but there you go and John Hegley, no love... just no... you looked bored shitless) food, speeches, lying on the grass and a march round the same route the kids took (they walked bloody MILES!) with not one, but two marching bands courtesy of RMT and NASUWT.

It was fab.

I got to meet new comrades, see ones I hadn't seen in an age, lie on the grass eating vegetable jalfrezi and I even had a chat with Bob Crow. A real chat. About how happy I was that his members had scuppered EDL plans. If you ever happen to read this Bob, I'm sorry for delaying you on what was obviously a journey to the loos.

I am shattered. It is hard work doing what equates to a lot of standing around in intense heat listening to speeches you have heard before from people you don't know.

Would I have missed it for the world? Not on your nelly!

So it would seem that I have some serious thinking to do about what part of me I listen to. I'll let you know when I work it out.

But after TUC Congress eh? And Tolpuddle...

On Death And Resurgence

Well, it's official, I'm single again. Guttingly, scarily, exhilaratingly single.

I didn't want to be single. I wanted to stay married and work things out with him indoors, but it wasn't going to happen. There was love but no trust on either side. Nothing but blame, nothing but recrimination. Nothing but two people who really do still have love for each other not being able to live together.

Cliches abound. For the best. Bound to happen eventually. Grown apart. Left behind. Stuck in a rut.

Accusations abound. Bags get searched, 'evidence' found. More rows, less trust, screaming.

Tempers flared. It got nasty. Things were said, and slowly, painfully, the marriage died.

For the record, he was my whole life. There was no one else, regardless of what he thinks. I will always have love for him and I will always miss him.

FUCK ME THAT'S MAUDLIN!!!!!

I'm gonna be fine you know. I'm gonna take some time to be nice to me and I will be fine. Better than fine. Reborn, renewed.

And most of all, gloriously, wonderfully single.

I shall do all of the things that I wanted to do before but couldn't.

I will have weekends away with my friends.

I will flirt outrageously with both sexes and enjoy that frisson you get from being openly admired.

I will make mistakes and laugh and cringe in equal measure.

I will buy new underwear knowing it is only going to be me who sees it.

I will spend saturdays singing and dancing in my underwear whilst I do the cleaning.

I will eat Shreddies for dinner if I feel like it.

I will drink gin with sailors and Sailor Jerrys with gin hags.

Because I am loved by my children, by my friends, by my twitter followers even, and most importantly, by me...

I will go on, and I will live.

A Scab By Any Other Name Still Stinks

So where do you stand on union members crossing picket lines?

Is it harmless? Are there justifiable reasons for it? Does it matter? Should we on the picket lines take it personally?

No, no, yes and probably not but we do wouldn't make for much of a blog so I shall attempt to explain my reasoning.

Firstly, I have to just get this out there. There are some people who do not like me using the term scab for those who cross an official picket line. These people fall into two groups. The kind of bleeding heart who thinks that all the kids are winners at sports day... And scabs.

So, to the questions.

Is it harmless? No it bloody isn't. There are various reasons that a union will ask its members to take strike action. One of those is to show the employer the strength of feeling of the membership. This is totally undermined if members are crossing picket lines. These scabs have no idea what Union actually means. One member said to me 'I do support you but that doesn't mean I have to strike.' Well actually love, that's exactly what it means.

Are there justifiable reasons for it? Not as far as I'm concerned. I don't care how skint you are. I'm skint. We are all bloody skint, but especially where it comes to public sector pensions, it is a choice between a days pay this month or a days pay every month for the rest of my career, such as it is. It is a false economy to think that you can't afford to strike. You can't afford not to!

Does it matter? Yes it does. Every scab is a victory for the employer and weakens the negotiating position of the union. Every scab is a stab in the heart of every member who has given up a days pay for the good of solidarity and unity. Every scab who manages to look themselves in the mirror while reaping the benefits of union membership while contributing nothing makes me sick to the pit of my stomach. Every scab that won't look me in my face as they cross a picket line I have been manning since six am is a punch in the guts. Every time a scab drives at me, ignores me, spits at me, complains about me, shouts at me or worse, smiles at me as they cross a picket line, then regardless of how successful the strike was, a little bit inside me dies.

I think that covers the taking it personally bit.

So if you don't like me using the word scab, fuck you. Fuck you very much.

May I respectfully suggest that if you don't want to be called a scab that you DON'T FUCKING SCAB!!!

On Self Discovery and Friendship

Everyone who knows me well and those proficient at reading between the lines may have noticed that I have been a tad confused and upset lately. Things at home had not been going well. Him indoors would rather I didn't blog about our marriage and I have to respect that, so instead I will be saying thank you to the long suffering members of the 24 Committee.

What is the 24 Committee you may ask...

The 24 Committee is a collective of female trade unionists who are so named because they are there for each other 24 hours a day. (Apparently, most women have this and just call them 'friends' or 'support network' but I was always a tomboy with intimacy issues so this is a new thing to me.)

They were convened at conference this year when I was in the middle of a hard time and have been there for the past 4 weeks while I sorted things out.

There are a couple of men too, they are like an advisory committee to the 24 Committee and are brought in to offer specialist advice, i.e., the Male Perspective... Sometimes you need a bit of perspective. I know I did!

Though it's not exactly a secret society, I will be keeping the identities of the 24 Committee to myself. You know who you are, that is all that matters.

So for the thank yous.

Thank you lovely, lovely committee member who first convened the committee in the first place. Thank you for looking relieved that I had finally asked for some advice and for not being phased by any of it. Thank you for your dirty laugh and for being at the end of the phone day or night.

Thank you lovely, lovely committee member who didn't really say very much but has a great line in concerned looks and an even better one in cuddles and wind ups. Oh it was fun wasn't it? There are some I don't think will ever recover!

Thank you lovely, lovely member who told me to hang on in there and not make any hasty decisions. Thank you for bearing with me while I was worse than useless for a month and for keeping me going and for giving me the benefit of your hindsight.

Thank you lovely, lovely committee member who knew I was going through hell and gave me her time unstintingly and unsolicited without pressure or demand. You were very perceptive. I really appreciate it.

And thank you lovely, lovely committee member who still listened to my confused laments even though she was experiencing the opposite. Glad you're happy honey, sorry if I killed your love buzz for even a millisecond.

Thank you committee member who made me see that it isn't disloyal to talk to people about how I feel. I hadn't realised that it was not only ok, but essential to be able to do so. You were patient and loving and got me very, very drunk in a safe place. And you let me slide down your stairs on my bottom.

Thank you lovely committee member who helped me separate head from heart and helped me realise they were going in the same direction.

The one who gave me gin. Thank you. The one who cackled with me when I really needed to laugh. Thank you.

Don't think I left anyone out... Now onto the Advisory Committee!

One of you has been where I am and was very honest.

One of you had your own gin story (don't ask... never again...) which cheered me up.

One of you discussed options with me and I appreciate both your candour and your generosity.

One of you has been the one person I could discuss every detail with and who has kept me strong and made me believe that I could strive for better in every aspect of my life. All night sometimes. Thank you probably the most.

And that is the whole point. I have discovered that I am blessed in my life because I have people who love me, who believe in me and will be there for me 24 hours a day, no matter what else is going on.

Right back at ya! I love you all and thank you xxxxxxx