Beer And Sandwiches At Chequers!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://blogs.news.sky.com/boultonandco/ ... d36d2c36ff" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Who says the unions don't matter any more? Well, Blairite writer Phil Collins in this week's Spectator, for one.

But Gordon Brown clearly still cares what the leaders of the big unions think and want. He has summoned the leaders of the biggest Labour-affiliated unions to Chequers tomorrow, Friday.

The general secretaries, including the TUC's Brendan Barber, Billy Hayes of the CWU, Paul Kenny of the GMB, Dave Prentis of Union and Derek Simpson and Tony Woodley of Unite, have been invited to arrive at noon. So lunch, clearly is on the menu.

"Aah, beer and sandwiches!" I said to one general secretary. "Nah, Chardonnay and vol au vents, I expect," came the reply.

But the timing is highly significant. The Chequers summit comes on the eve of the TUC conference in Liverpool, which the Prime Minister will address next week amid opposition from the unions to cuts in public spending.

It's also just a couple of weeks before the Labour Party Conference, when our beleaguered PM will be desperately hoping the unions' block votes will rescue him from any disasters.

And of course, it marks the countdown to next spring's general election. My informant expects the election to be the main topic on the Chequers agenda.

Mr Collins reports in the Spectator that in 2008-09 the unions donated £11.4 million in cash to Labour, almost twice as much as party members contributed and 60 per cent of total income for the year.

So I suppose a few glasses of Chardonnay and a plate of vol au vents is a small price to pay for the unions' good behaviour in Liverpool, Brighton and in the run-up to the election.

[POSTMAN]

Ok,who's gonna mention pies 1st

[Big Daz]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8249589.stm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[2leftfeet]

Aint billy got a blog or something,he's bound to say what happened on there,link anyone?

[rogue]

some one will have to help Billy across the road first then he will get the pies thats unless Royal Mail have filled him up already

[POSTMAN]

Aint billy got a blog or something,he's bound to say what happened on there,link anyone?

http://www.billyhayes.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Nothing on there yet though.

[Big Daz]

Aint billy got a blog or something,he's bound to say what happened on there,link anyone?

http://www.billyhayes.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;