Turnout For Turner And Keep Unite Left

It was only a few weeks ago that I put together a couple of blogs in support of Howard Beckett’s candidacy to become the next General Secretary of Unite the Union. 

Well in excess of 25,000 readers have read how I truly believed Howard was the best person for the job. 


He had a brilliant team behind him - people I’ve known and trusted for years. It was truly grassroots-led, the campaign electrified the contest, Howard changed the entire landscape of the competition, and I was absolutely privileged to do my tiny little unofficial bit. 


Steve’s campaign graciously acknowledged the strength of Howard’s own campaign. It’s important to remember, Steve and Howard are both good people, good friends, and they’re both unashamedly left-wing.


See, when I put those blogs together I purposely didn’t go in on the other left-leaning candidates, because I knew there was a good chance I would end up supporting one of the other candidates. 


And that’s where we are now. 


Whatever your thoughts of Howard, credit where credit is due. He sacrificed his own ambitions for the greater good, despite heading up one of the best grassroots-led campaigns that I have ever been involved with. 


Howard Beckett did the right thing, by Unite, the left, the Labour Party, and the movement as a whole.


Rather than split the left vote wide open - which would’ve happened - Howard has thrown his full support behind his friend, and the current assistant General Secretary of Unite, Steve Turner. 


So here I am, asking for your help to get Steve Turner over the line. 


Defeat quite simply isn’t an option. The turnout for Steve Turner is absolutely vital - and we need you to have the important conversations with your workmates who probably couldn’t care less who is in charge of Unite the Union. 


But we care, that’s what we do


We care about Unite’s 1.1 million fee-paying members. We care about the direction of travel of Unite the Union. We don’t want our Union to be Keir Starmer’s piggy bank, and we don’t want our Union being used to validate a poisonous toad like Rupert Murdoch and his equally poisonous array of tabloid dross. 


I sat back for a bit, I wanted to see what Steve had to say for himself. I travelled to London to attend the People’s Assembly rally with my dear mate Wren, and we got to see Steve in action. Howard was at the same rally delivering a typically barnstorming speech, and it was entirely in support of Steve Turner. 


Since the speech itself I have learned more about Steve, his principles, and his decency. If you haven’t, I would urge you to do the same. 


Now, my appeal isn’t just to the many undecided voters, or the 88% (WTAF) that didn’t bother voting the last time around. It’s also an appeal to the many supporters of Howard Beckett that feel they cannot support Steve out of loyalty to Howard. 


Guys, we need you, we need you to mobilise rapidly, and put forward the moral case for voting for Steve Turner. Every single vote is needed to keep the right out of Unite. 


Let’s clear a couple of things up. 


Steve Turner is not Keir Starmer’s favoured candidate. That will be Blairite falsehood preacher, Gerard Coyne. 


Starmer would rather give over his personal flag collection to his local Antifa and hold his hands up to gifting Boris Johnson the licence to wreak devastating, life-ending havoc for the last 15 months than see Steve Turner take up the top job at Unite. 


I hope that’s clear enough. 


Another one doing the rounds that simply isn’t true involves Steve Turner and The S*n. 


Steve Turner DID NOT talk with the S*n. However, The S*n DID take quotes from another publication and recycle them for their own purposes. 


Something else that needs to be made clear, remarkably, is the fact that Steve is an authentic socialist. I have heard people call him “soft left” and “centrist”. Maybe it’s an attempt to discredit him, because he is a socialist, and proudly so. 


Believe me, there’s no soft left or centrist types demanding the Labour whip be restored to Jeremy Corbyn. 


Steve Turner is *still* demanding Keir Starmer restore the Labour whip to Jeremy Corbyn. 


There’s no soft left or centrist types that would be at the very top of the People’s Assembly *against austerity*, sat alongside the brilliant Laura Pidcock. 


Steve Turner is the Chair of the People’s Assembly against austerity. 


And I think we can safely say that there were no soft left or centrist types campaigning for Jeremy Corbyn to lead the Labour Party just once, let alone twice. 


Steve Turner supported Jeremy Corbyn’s successful campaigns to lead the Labour Party, twice. 


So, let’s not allow a false narrative to be created by those who DO write in The S*n and those who are endorsed by The S*n, and the golden endorsement that they all scrap over (to avoid), Jess Phillips.   


Steve is backed by Howard Beckett, he has also adopted much of Howard’s fantastic manifesto as his own. 


The only way to see many of Howard’s plans in action - such as building a grassroots media to take on the Murdoch empire - is by voting for Steve Turner.


The only way to keep Unite the Union left is by voting for Steve Turner. 


The only way to make sure Unite doesn’t become a tool of legitimacy for Rupert Murdoch is by voting for Steve Turner. 


The only way to make sure Unite has a strong leader that will stand up for working class people is by voting for Steve Turner. 


Gerard Coyne MUST be stopped, and this can only be achieved by voting for Steve Turner. 


Get on the phone to the friend that couldn’t care less, send a text to that person who didn’t even realise there is a massively important vote going on, right now. Ask them to vote for Steve Turner.


The choice is clear. 


A Blairite tribute act giving Keir Starmer millions and millions of your subs so he can chase the socially conservative dream?


Or do you give your vote to Steve Turner, a candidate that will put Unite members before S*n readers? A proven, trusted and entirely genuine candidate, supported by the good and great of the British left? 


My friends, it’s obvious to us, but not to a million Unite members, so please, help make it obvious to them too, and ensure they give their vote to Steve Turner so he can become the next General Secretary of Unite the Union. 


If Steve Turner wins, we all win.


Many Thanks, 


Rachael x



 

Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts, if you want to chip in towards improving my ongoing campaign, and it would cause you *no hardship*, you can do so here:


Comments

  1. Thanks Rachel. I've got my voting papers, and I read the statements, but before voting, I wanted to check out views of the candidates from voices I trust. Corbyn for the first time in my life offered the policies I have believed for decades this country needs. If Turner is the man to help keep that vision alive, he has my vote.

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