..who pays the piper, calls the tune

The Times this morning reports that the Unions are offering to bail out the virtually bankrupt (Nu)Labour Party, but at a price.

The price is policy concessions. The most important concession is probably the demand for the laws on secondary picketing to be repealed, to make it lawful again for unions to bounce others into supporting strike action, where the action itself often degenerates into civil confrontation and strife.

There will doubtless be others, - abolishing the requirement to have ballots, rather than massive show of hands, and the need to give notice of industrial (in)action. The Unions have also lobbied for non-postal ballots, with leaders able to "record" votes by telephoning members or by e-mail, - all very open and transparent!

Apart from the general dismay, felt even by some within the Labour Party, at this return to barbarism, there is an important principle here.

Nulabour have been complaining for some time about some of the donors to the Conservative Party, and have recently proposed legislation to limit individual giving to £50,000 each year per donor, while wanting to regard Trade Unions as thousands of individuals and therefore not limited. It would be immoral in this situation to permit their paymasters to determine public policy.

This is the ultimate purchasing of privilege, dwarfing even the purchase of honours, which probably should have brought Blair down a year or two ago.

The problem is that giving to NuLabour has dried up, loans are due for repayment, and their auditors must sign off accounts by the end of this month and then submit them to the Electoral Commission, and delay will confirm that the party is insolvent.

Bottler has given signs already that he is more amenable to the Unions. His reputation would disappear out of sight, and perhaps provide the final push for a Conservative election victory, if he were to plunge us back towards the 1970s again.