Jerry Hicks will not win this election; but, he may prove to be kingmaker if his votes deny the United Left's democratically elected candidate, McCluskey a win and Bayliss becomes GS.
The fact that Hicks decided to break with the discipline of the United Left and walk out on the hustings twice demonstrates his unworthiness to lead our great Union in several ways.
1. It proves he does not have the bottle to stand on a platform with his ‘opponents’ and command respect through force of argument – is this how he’d behave in top-level industrial negotiations?
2. It showed contempt for the people who turned up to Manchester from all over the UK and Ireland.
3. It also gave us the picture of a man unwilling to work as part of a group; a man who will be General Secretary because that’s what he wants to do.
Hick’s attitude and actions do not fill me with confidence. No, I see him as an individual fighting for his own advancement – the very antithesis of trade unionism.
