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Peter Hain refuses to condemn strike action

By Matthew Barrett
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Hain_peterEarlier on this week, the head of public-sector union UNISON, Dave Prentis, used belligerent and class-war rhetoric to call for "a campaign for strike action without precedent"

You might think it would be politically sensible for Ed Miliband and his team to shut this story down and remove themselves from any possible strike action. As the Telegraph's James Kirkup reports, Mr Miliband certainly tried to, telling the Guardian:

"Personally I don’t think actually strike action is going to help win that argument and I think it inconveniences the public."

However, Peter Hain, who is leading a review into the structures and organisation of the Labour Party ("Refounding Labour"), refused to condemn strikes on the Andrew Marr Show this morning, saying:

"I don’t think political leaders, in opposition or in government, should either applaud strikes or condemn strikes."

Perhaps Mr Hain, in his review of Labour's foundations, is simply aware of just how dependent on the unions his Party is.

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