Running Scared

Newspaper reports at the weekend confirm that the three candidates out to becomethe next Scottish Labour leader - Tom Harris, Johann Lamont and Ken Macintosh - re all running scared of the trade unions.

Maybe that's a wise move - in the short-term at least - because Ed Milband won the Labour crown from his brother David - only through the backing of the trade unions.

Which have one third of the votes - even though a tiny percentage of trade union members bother to vote.

Anway the Sunday Herald reported that at Scottish Labour's weekend hustings - all three candidates backed the public sector pension strikes - planned for next month.

Which is predictable - but still a bit depressing nonetheless.

Because one of the key issues involved - the introduction of 'career average' pensions to replace 'final salary' schemes - is all about fairness and ending discrimination.

Why should a school cleaner continue to subsidise the pension arrangements of a headteacher - or the council's chief executive?

Because that's what's happening now - and that's one of the key recommendations in John Hutton's report - on which the government's plans are based.

John Hutton was - of course - the widely respected Work and Pensions Minister in the last Labour government.

And Hutton knows fine well that 'final salary' pensions schemes are an affront - to everything that Labour is supposed to stand for - because they rob from the pension poor and give to the pension rich.

But now that Labour's in opposition - it's a lot easier to just duck the issue - instead of calling a spade a spade.

Shameless - the lot of them - if you ask me.

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