'Blackleg' writes in this week's Private Eye
As the union Unite squares up against BA hard man Willie Walsh on behalf of the persecuted trolley-dollies, joint general-secretary Derek Simpson is keeping a low profile.
Perhaps it is felt that a man who was re-elected by less than 6% of the union's apathetic membership last year hardly has the right sort of mandate to take on BA's bosses.
Unite's preferred faces for the TV cameras have been Tony Woodley, Simpson's fellow joint general-secretary or Len McCluskey, the assistant gen-sec. McCluskey is tipped to become Unite's first solo gen-sec after Simpson stands down at the end of this year, followed by Woodley in December 2011.
Helping ease McCluskey's passage into the top job is the fact that - despite protestations to the contrary - Simpson and Woodley loathe one another. Nothing has changed since 2008, when Unison general-secretary Dave Prentis asked Simpson at the TUC conference what he would do if he saw Tony Woodley staggering down the road. Simpson replied: "Reload"
Unite? If only they would, say the BA workers
Then, just to rub salt into the wound, in the classifieds section under EYE NEED
Basingstoke common man standing at General Election to expose Tory sleaze in North Hants. Campaign funds required. Contributions from Belize ex-pats and BA cabin crew welcome.