We’ve also over the weekend had the TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber (pictured above), warning that moves to cut public spending will spark the threat of industrial action by millions of workers and a possible return to the riots last seen in the 1980s. Mr Barber used the eve of the TUC conference to warn that public spending cuts would trigger a “double quick, double dip” recession that would push unemployment to more than 4 million. Where have all these employment and economic experts been when we needed them ? - as if politicised alarmist nonsense was actually any substitute for sensible economic policy. Interesting the Union boys are both using the Osama Bin Laden index-finger !

And the Unions are actually trying to influence government policy on all these issues like public spending in a way that hasn’t been seen for many years, presumably believing that either Gordon Brown is susceptible to financial pressure and/or politically disposed to listening to them. But Mr Simpson and Mr Barber should also remember that it was the public perception of Unions controlling Labour and dictating government policy in the past that led to the Labour party being out of office for nearly 20 years during Mrs Thatcher’s prime. Derek and Brendan need to remember that the electorate didn’t vote for them to run the country any more than they voted for Gordon. Overplaying their Union hand at a time when Brown is already lower in the opinion polls than Barack Obama at a KKK healthcare meeting is hardly a wise course of action.