It is a pity that in 2015, the then business secretary, Sajid Javid, did not legislate for tougher laws against the unions which would have ended Unite's influence over the Labour Party. It was added to a long list of abrupt u-turns Cameron's governments became notorious for. Yet if the Conservatives return to power with an increased majority, they should use it to their advantage to end the unions' influence over Labour once and for all.
Some argue it is not fair that the Conservatives receive generous donations from wealthy businessmen, but it is this same group of people who are renowned for contributing towards Labour's coffers, with Harry Potter author J.K.
Rowling being one of them. But the centre-left party is bankrolled by Unite and other unions. When people join a union, they do not want to be indoctrinated by Labour Party ideals or provided with the option to vote in the party's leadership elections if they are not centre-left themselves (which many union members are not). It is for this reason that a Conservative called Spencer Pitfield created the Tory Workers and Trade Unionists to ensure the Tories are fairly represented in unions.
Margaret Thatcher achieved significant progress by ending the unions' stranglehold over the economy, whilst Kinnock, Smith and Blair worked hard in the 1980s and 1990s to reduce their influence over Labour leadership elections.
A trade union should not be geared towards supporting one political party in modern day Britain. Let us hope the Conservatives are just as brave as their predecessors from the 1980s in ending the unfair advantage union barons have in British society once and for all after June 8th.
