Smeargate kept unions off the front page.

Over the Easter Break the McBride affair was, an to an extent still is the big political news. It dominated not just the mainstream media but also the blogsphere.

What that meant was there was little coverage of the teachers unions conferences.

What we saw there was definitely worthy of headlines.
Votes for 10% pay increases, reduced hours and strikes over government policy.
Far more militant than we have seen in 12 years.

LA thinks that the big public sector unions realise it is the last throw of the dice.
Gordon and his gang will be gone in a year, and reality will come back to public expenditure.

On the basis that they feel they can not damage the Labour party electoral hopes as they are beyond repair, they are going all out to bank some deals before any change of Government.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out over the coming months. Will the socialist experiment see its sunset surrounded by public sector picket lines?

LA.