Andrew Little: loving capitalist politicians, as long as they’re from Labour

Andrew Little and his Labour-loving cohorts in the leadership of the EPMU have been in the news this week for attempting to sack EPMU call centre worker Shawn Tan because of his decision to stand as a candidate for the ACT Party in the upcoming election.

While Little doesn’t have a problem with union organisers taking time off work to campaign on behalf of the pro-capitalist Labour Party (and giving tens of thousands of dollars of their members’ dues to help with Labour’s election campaign), standing for any other capitalist party is apparently an absolute no-no.

Little argues that it is really an issue of Tan failing to follow due process, as all EPMU officials must gain approval from the union’s national executive if they wish to stand in local or national elections.  However, the indisputable fact remains that in the entire history of the Engineers’ Union permission has never been granted any paid official to stand for any party other than Labour.  Indeed, the rule was first introduced in the 1950s for the express purpose of preventing a regional secretary of the union standing as a candidate for the Communist Party in a local mayoral election!

Moreover, while Shawn Tan is clearly a very politically confused individual, the same could be said for the EPMU hierarchy who recently opposed a remit by one of their Auckland delegates calling for the removal of all GST on essential food items, on the grounds that it might embarrass Labour!  On other key class questions such as the right to strike it also has to be said that Little & co also stand squarely on the side of the bosses against the interests of workers.

Clearly it is incumbent on all serious leftists to defend the right of workers to stand for any political party they wish – no matter how reactionary – as legal restrictions and bans are even more likely to be used to muzzle socialists and anti-capitalists than confused working class Tories.  For the same reason leftists should advocate the abolition of all government legislation that restricts political free speech – such as the Electoral Act as it applies to public servants and the Electoral Finance Act.

Genuine human freedom (not the illusory kind offered up by right-wing libertarians or the middle class control freakery of Labour) must be the watchword of left-wing and socialist activists if we are to have any hope of winning the struggle for ideological hegemony.

Tags: Andrew Little, Shawn Tan